Dallas, Texas

"Jenna?"

"Just a second."

Hearing him on the other side of the bathroom door just as she gulped her pill down with a glass of water, she moved quickly to close the case and tuck it right in the back of the cupboard.

"I'll be at the stables all day."

Speaking through the door, Bobby didn't sound distant or sulky, which she knew he would if he could see her. There were no secrets between them, including that she didn't want another baby anytime soon and wasn't taking any chances that their marital relations resulted in one, something he accepted was open to negotiation, just not right now. To keep the peace between them, allusions to a bigger family of their own simply didn't take place anymore, he knew not to raise the subject and she knew to be a little bit discreet with her actions.

Opening the door, she kissed him. In all aspects other than the one thing they disagreed on, their marriage was exactly as she'd always dreamed it would be and she was very happy, something she liked to remind him of often.

Pulling away, not too soon, she responded to his earlier statement.

"We'll have dinner together. I've got plans with Sue Ellen so I'll be going soon myself, but I should be home well before you return from the stables."

Nodding, nicely distracted by her kiss, he didn't ask for details, likely able to guess that her day would consist of some combination of shopping, lunch, swimming and spending time with Charlie, John Ross and Lucy.

"Have fun."

"We will."

Led by his hand, they walked downstairs to say goodbye on the driveway, something she'd always thought she'd do and now did every day. She was Mrs Ewing and her life was good.

Houston, Texas

Throwing the blue papery gown in the marked container, she pulled the curtain back, noting the nurse was long gone now, and took a seat opposite Doctor Davis, tentatively asking him for his diagnosis.

"So?"

Shaking his head, he was kind with his tone but unfortunately, the words he spoke were no comfort to her.

"Katherine, I can't say what you want me to, it's simply not true and the sooner you accept it the sooner we can start planning for the future that is coming."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure. You're pregnant."

Breathing shakily as she heard it again, she attempted to control herself, with limited success.

It couldn't be true, but he continued to tell her it was.

"It was only one night."

"Sometimes that's all it takes."

If that was true then she was unlucky and unwise. She'd been with exactly one man on one night, she wasn't the only one who had ever done something rash, but she was suffering the consequences of her actions now.

"It was months ago."

"Yes, your blood tests and examination indicate that."

Perhaps she'd been too quick in declaring that no one would be able to tell she no longer had her virtue because everyone would know when she could no longer fit in her clothes, although that hadn't happened at all yet.

"My appearance doesn't."

Hand on her abdomen, she was still convinced that she didn't appear to look in the condition he claimed she was. Sure, there was a gentle rounding that didn't disappear even when she sucked in, but that could be anything; in her mind she looked the same as she did after eating too much at a football game or slumber party, bloated, but not so much that she could be mistaken for expecting. In fact, until Doctor Davis had given her the news she hadn't had even the slightest suspicion that the eight or so pounds she'd gained over the last few months was due to anything other than the stress and social activities of senior year.

"Not if you don't know what you're looking for."

Dismissing her self-assessment, she wondered whether perhaps he had a point. Due to his occupation, he certainly had more experience with what things were supposed to look like than she did, but still, she really didn't believe she appeared so very different to usual.

"Mm."

"It's ok, you're not expected to know everything or come to a conclusion based on what you have experienced. That said, going forward you will need to pay more attention to your body, inside and out. I'll write you an urgent referral to a good obstetrician and I expect they'll want to see you monthly, then every two weeks, then eventually weekly."

"I can't commit to that, I'm leaving town next Tuesday."

Shaking her head, she was unable to confirm that the plans he was suggesting worked for her.

"For how long?"

"All summer. We have a place on the French Riviera."

Their summer vacation had been planned for months, years even, it was an annual trip; she and her mother would leave first, flying to Paris for a few days before settling in Nice, taking short trips around the continent as they liked, her father joining them later in the summer. She loved the tradition, travel was one of her favourite pastimes and she always felt she returned home with a higher level of foreign language fluency.

"I will write the referral and you'll need to take it to a doctor there."

Accepting her answer, he didn't do what she feared he might, advise her not to travel, however his suggestion still seemed a little excessive.

"Are you sure this is necessary? I feel fine."

"I'm sure you do, you have youth and good health on your side, but prenatal check-ups are a necessary part of your life now, especially considering the family history you've shared with me today."

His tone serious, she understood why; he was referring to Pam's fate, the exact details of which were unknown to her, as well as the fact that her mother had had two further children who had died young decades ago; she was sure that to him she appeared higher risk than she felt.

"I'll seek help if I need it."

Sighing, he didn't speak for a few seconds, but when he did he looked her in the eye, appearing concerned as he asked for an honest reply.

"Katherine, tell me, what is your hesitation?"

"If I do what you tell me I'll need to involve my parents and right now I don't want to do that."

Hardly believing it herself, she didn't even want to imagine how her parents would react to the news, every time she'd even gotten close the sickly feeling she'd attributed to stress and emotional conflict early on returned.

"I know you're probably scared, but this isn't going away. Come September you're going to have a baby and you're going to need all the support you can get."

"I can't have a baby; I'm starting college in the fall."

It was May, she didn't think she was showing yet but if she was due in September then she would be by then, and if by some miracle she managed to keep the secret they'd still likely find out, either when she gave birth or when the medical bill arrived. Despite being able to logically think those dates through, it still didn't feel real. The fall was time for her to start a new life as a college freshman, not a mother.

"You're going to give birth to a baby in the fall. Whether or not you keep and raise that baby is up to you. You have options."

"This is a lot to take in."

"I can understand that. I'm going to give you some reading material to look over and write you that referral. I'd recommend telling your parents sooner rather than later, you may find having your mother attending with you next time might help ease some of the pressure you're feeling."

"Thank you."

Nodding, she wasn't sure she agreed with his assessment, her mother knowing was sure to increase the pressure was under, at least in the short-term, she wasn't going to be happy, especially when she refused to name Bobby as partly responsible for where she found herself now.

Doctor Davis had moved on with his questions about the paternity of her baby during the discussion about family history after she'd indicated she lacked that knowledge and wouldn't be pursuing it any further, but she had no doubt that her mother wouldn't be so accepting.

Things with Bobby were too complicated to go any further than they already had. They'd had one night together as almost strangers, and an honest conversation about that one night together, amongst other things, and the thought of returning to him with the news that their agreement to leave their past in the past was no longer viable made her feel sick to her stomach. She couldn't give him news like that now, he was only newly married and deserved to build a life with his new wife. Selfishly too, as much of a mental image as she'd had about the two of them becoming an item, settling into a domestic life so soon had never been a part of the story in her imagination. She hadn't wanted to end up where she was and she wasn't prepared to sacrifice her college years to deal with the consequences of one night months ago.

If she dealt with things discreetly and kept her mouth shut then news would never get back to Bobby and that was exactly how she thought it should be.

To be continued…