Two days after Mike and Tina received the shock of their lives, the Glee Club assembled for rehearsal. There was nothing abnormal about this day in particular. Mike helped everyone with their choreography, and Mr. Shue noted corrections to the new routines. As he watched small groups of New Directions members practice their steps in the center of the choir room, his thoughts wandered.
He and Tina had spent the entire rest of the weekend discussing what they should do about their present situation. They debated telling his parents or her's, but decided against it. After everything he'd gone through to make his father believe in his dreams and the decisions he was making, Mike just could not face him with this. Tina, on the other hand, didn't think she could bear the look of disappointment in the eyes of her mother, who purposely made sure that Tina was on the pill in the first place so this type of problem would be avoided. No, this wasn't something either of them wanted to confess to their parents. There was no telling what their reactions might be,
They'd toyed with the idea of going to Mr. Shue for advice, but Tina didn't feel comfortable with that either. She hadn't said it, but Mike had the feeling she was ashamed. Their Asian families dictated that nice, smart young girls like Tina Cohen-Chang just do not get pregnant. They go to school, join debate team or play violin, but they don't have babies in high school. So, at her suggestion, they elected to surreptitiously take one of the pamphlets from Ms. Pillsbury's office that morning, hoping it would give them a better idea of what to do next.
So You Got Yourself Knocked Up? Was burning a hole from the inside pocket of his backpack on the other side of the room. There were phone numbers for hotlines and names of free clinics, which was good because Tina couldn't use her usual doctor without her parents getting the bill. It wasn't like either of them knew off the top of their heads what they were doing, but it seemed obvious that Tina should see a doctor as fast as possible. Mike watched enough TV to know that some women ended up with major problems if they didn't.
He glanced at Tina over by the piano, sipping water. He found himself staring at her more and more since Saturday. He was always wondering if anything about her was giving away their secret without him knowing. She didn't look to have gained any weight or anything, and she wasn't glowing, like he'd heard pregnant women did. At least, he didn't think she was. What did glowing look like, anyway?
As rehearsal ended, he pulled Tina aside and lowered his voice, "How're you feeling? You're not throwing up or anything, right?"
She glanced around nervously for a minute, making sure no one was listening. "No. I feel okay." She bit her lip. "I, uh, called that number on the pamphlet, the one for Planned Parenthood. They said I could come in tomorrow at 4."
He exhaled, knowing they'd both have to come up with excuses for why they needed to miss rehearsal tomorrow. "Okay."
"Hey Tina, come on. We're going to Blaine's to study for History!" Artie called, rolling up to them just late enough to miss what they were talking about. She kissed Mike on the cheek before moving toward the door.
"I'll call you tonight." She said, giving him a knowing look.
"Sure."
There was one crucial thing in that pamphlet that was certainly, in Mike's opinion, missing:
How to stop being so damn scared.
The inside of Planned Parenthood of Lima Heights was an old building, but it was obvious that the staff tried to keep it looking as nice as possible. Colorful posters about Women's Health lined the walls, and each chair in the waiting room was made of sleek leather. Tina picked up an old magazine and tried to busy herself with it, while Mike sat next to her, deep in thought. There weren't too many people here today, so her appointment should be on schedule. Good thing, she didn't want to be here any longer than necessary. Her hands almost shook with anticipation
Mike hadn't said much. She thought he was probably as nervous as she was, but sometimes he wasn't the type to articulate everything that he was feeling. She was just about to ask if he was okay when her name was called.
"Can I bring my boyfriend, too?" She asked the brunette, slightly overweight nurse.
"If you'd like." She smiled, trying to be friendly. Tina attempted to return the gesture, but somehow fell short of a full smile. Her anxiety was really beginning to catch up with her.
They were led to a small exam room where she sat on the table, with Mike in a chair across from her. He shifted nervously, tapping his foot.
"What do you think they're going to do?" He asked, breaking the silence.
She sighed. "I don't know."
The door opened before their conversation would continue, and blonde doctor entered, carrying a clip board.
"Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Dr. Maydan." She was cheerful, and Tina wondered whether she was always that way, or whether she was trying to lighten the mood because she knew from Tina's chart why they'd come here today. "You're Ms. Cohen-Chang?"
"Yeah. This is Mike, my boyfriend."
She greeted Mike in the same manner, before getting down to business. "I see here that you suspect you may be pregnant?"
Her mouth dry, Tina nodded her head.
"Was this a planned conception?"
Her face gave away that she already knew it wasn't, but she still was required to ask, given that Tina was underage.
"It wasn't."
"Okay. When was the last day of your last period?"
Tina supplied her with the information, as well as much more, before the doctor stood. "We're going to draw some blood to confirm, and then I'll come back with the results and we'll discuss where you'd like to go from here. Do you have any questions?"
"How long do you expect it'll take to get the results?" Mike asked. It was the first time he'd spoken.
"No more than twenty-five minutes. We do a lot of these tests here." She smiled again, and with that, she was gone.
Everything else happened in a blur, and a few minutes later they were sitting with Dr. Maydan again. Tina wished for a miracle in that moment. She wished that the home test had somehow been faulty, that this was all just a mistake. But it wasn't.
"Ms. Cohen-Chang, your test results did come back positive." The doctor adjusted her glasses, looking straight at Tina, then at Mike. "Have you given any thought to what you'd like to do?"
"I don't think I can do this." She replied, tears pricking her eyes. She looked at Mike, and she knew he felt the same, even if they hadn't said it openly. She couldn't have a child. They couldn't. There had to be another way.
"If that's what you want, we can start discussing your other options." Maydan said gently. "You can choose to carry the pregnancy to term, and then place the baby for adoption."
Oh god, this was all too much. It was. Tina looked that the ground. This whole thing was really just a complete and total freaking mess. She had not been raised to be a total freaking mess, that was for sure. But yet, here she was. So much for thinking that she and Mike were the least dramatic couple in glee.
"Or, you can choose to terminate the pregnancy, provided it's still early enough."
"An abortion?" Mike asked, more to himself than anyone. Wasn't that something that only happened on episodes of Degrassi? If Mike knew one think, it was that they couldn't keep a child right now. They were too engrossed in their own lives to be responsible for someone else's. But, was an adoption the right choice? He wasn't sure. He'd never known anyone besides Quinn and Puck that had given a baby up. He thought of Quinn's self-destructive path off the deep end as a result of losing Beth. Would that happen to Tina? Mike was never the type to avoid the consequences of his actions. That he couldn't deny. Would an adoption or any abortion mean he was a hypocrite?
"I know this is a lot to take in, and I'll leave you two to discuss it privately for a few minutes." She stood again, shaking both of their hands. "Regardless of your decision, you'll need to come back for an ultrasound appointment within the next few days."
Mike and Tina responded with blank stares, unable to process anything further.
"If you need anything, you can call this number." She said, handing them a card. "You can schedule a session with one of our counselors to help decide what's best for you, if you like. It was nice to meet you both."
"Thank you." Mike managed, belated. As the door closed, he looked at Tina. His thoughts raced.
"I guess we have a lot to talk about."