Now She Has To Deal With All Of The Repercussions

"...I'm not certain what you want to hear. But you are definitely pregnant."

Elizaveta took in a deep breath. It was not as if this were a shock now. The test she had bought had told her she was positive. Then again, had she been hoping that Alfred would have told her that the test had been wrong? She was not certain.

This had not been something she had ever thought about preparing for, other than the obvious protections. Which had not worked. Or had not been there, depending on which encounter this stemmed from.

Now it really had been a lapse in judgment!

"I would suggest that the first thing you do is tell Roderich. I mean, those are my thoughts. I would certainly want to know if I fathered a child. Y'know, if I'd slept with a woman."

Here it came. "Alfred... I don't know if he's the father."

Alfred had obviously not been expecting that. He stopped in mid stride and turned around to look straight at her. To his credit, he was not saying what Elizaveta was pretty sure he was thinking. "My bad. I would still recommend telling Roderich though, considering your relationship. Um... unless I'm assuming...?"

Elizaveta sighed. "Yes, I'm still with Roderich. You would know if I wasn't."

Alfred leaned back against the counter. "Do you want to talk about this, Elizaveta?"

To tell the truth, she did not. But Elizaveta knew better than to try and keep these sorts of secrets from her doctor. "I slept with Gilbert."

Alfred stared. Elizaveta rushed on before he could assume any more.

"–and Roderich. We sort of... the three of us. Had sex."

Oh, she knew she was blushing, just from remembering it. It would be hard not to. The night had been a dream come true until it was over. Then it became a very big mistake. For her. Roderich had not seemed bothered by it. Gilbert had not, but she had known him well enough to know that it had when he had the time to think about it. But they had gotten over it. It could have just been a pleasant memory.

Or not. Not now.

"You and Roderich use protection... but you did not during your threesome?"

Elizaveta was so glad that Alfred was simply asking it as a question, not as a judgment or disbelief. He was such a good doctor she did not know if she could have ever seen anyone else about this. Despite his being twenty. About twenty one, anyway. "It was... not planned."

Alfred nodded, deep in thought. "Do you want me to find out who the father is?"

"Ah..."

She was not certain. She had no idea. Would it matter? Yes it would, most definitely. Gilbert was her best friend. Roderich was the man she loved. Had she messed this up?

"Do you want to keep the baby?"

Elizaveta looked up sharply at him. "How could you ask that?" she gaped at him, before she could stop herself. Yes, it was his job to ask, she knew that. But to kill an unborn child! Elizaveta was not quite certain about her stand on it, but she knew she could never terminate a life herself. Especially not one inside her. That was out of the question.

"I didn't just mean abortion," Alfred pointed out. "Obviously my birth mother kept me to term and all, but she didn't want to keep me. If she did, why would I have been adopted by Arthur?"

"Oh Alfred, I didn't mean..." Elizaveta began, but he shook his head.

"Don't worry about it!" he shrugged, smiling at her. "It's not something that bothers me. It did for a little bit once, when I first thought about it. But Arthur's my parent, the only one I need. I wouldn't want anyone else. I know I got lucky, not every kid gets that even if they are with their genetic parents. But while you may deliver this baby, Elizaveta... are you going to raise him?"

Elizaveta stayed quiet. It was such a question. She was forty years old. Could she raise a child? Did she want to? It had been something she had once wanted, a long time ago, but not something she had thought about for years.

"In the end..." Alfred sat down next to her. "If the baby makes it to term, which I'm sorry to say doesn't always happen, you're going to have to tell both of them you're pregnant. Do you want to know before or after who is the father?"

"How..." Elizaveta began, clearing her throat. "How would you figure it out."

"Chorionic villus sampling. At the earliest the tenth week, either with a catheter or with a needle, I can take a sample of the placenta. I'd send it into the City and they would do the tests. It finds out genetic disorders, chromosome defects... and parentage."

"How long would it take to get the results?" Elizaveta asked, rubbing her forehead.

"One to two weeks. There are some risks–"

"And that would figure out who's it is?" Elizaveta blurted out, covering her mouth afterward. Alfred blinked, then placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It will be okay."

"No it won't," she muttered, noticing as tears ran down her cheeks. She wiped them off with her palms. "It might... I need to know which one. For their sakes."

Not for the baby's sake. It would not matter for the child. Just for her, just for Roderich and Gilbert.

"I would also have to get a sample of Roderich or Gilbert's DNA for a match," Alfred added on. Elizaveta nodded. "Look at me."

First blinking a few times, Elizaveta did. Alfred looked serious and her heart plummeted into her stomache.

"I won't take the sample unless he knows what it is for and its consensual. Tell one, tell both of them, send either of them in for it, don't tell anyone, I don't care. But if you send someone here... whoever comes in has to know what this is about."

And there went all of Elizaveta's hopes that she could prepare herself to tell either of them what had happened when she was ready, when she knew which one it was. All Elizaveta could do right then was nod to let Alfred know she understood.

Even without this... would Roderich, the man who did not even seem inclined to marry her, want to raise a child with her?

He sat there with her in silence as Elizaveta tried to think of what she would do.

Notes:

I find finding myself rather incredulous by Alfred's rather expansive knowledge in the medical field. Then again, I always find myself overwhelmed by all that doctors know. So that is realistic enough for me.

Alfred, you should tell Arthur exactly what you told Elizaveta. He might burst into tears knowing how much you appreciate him.

Because of my enjoyment of taking requests, I want to let you all know I am putting out another... what would you call it? Whatever. Whoever gets the hundredth review can ask for anything in a drabble/one-shot/whatever I actually end up writing. One would think I would be busy. My imagination tends to think otherwise.