Disclaimer: I do not own these characters
Chapter 7: A Great Relief
Lu slowly opened her eyes, trying to focus on the clock on the nightstand beside the bed. 11:30pm.
She lay there in the darkness thinking about her talk with Dana earlier that evening.
Once again, the fear of being pregnant returned to her. Knowing she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, she got up and wandered into the living room. She was surprised to find Marc sitting on the couch.
"Marc? What are you doing up at this hour? You've got school tomorrow."
"Not tired." Marc answered. Lu was slightly taken aback by the shortness of her son's response, and immediately felt that something was bothering him.
"Marc, is something bothering you?" she questioned.
"No. I'm going to bed now." Before Lu could say anything, Marc got up and went into his room, slamming the door.
Lu sighed as she sat down on the couch. It was obvious that something was bothering her son, but she was to exhausted to talk to him about it tonight.
Lu slowly opened her eyes, then struggled to pull herself off the couch. She rubbed the back of her neck, which ached from sleeping sitting up part of the night. She glanced at the clock on the wall, realizing that it was already after 7am.
The quietness of the apartment suggested that Marc had already left for school. But glancing around, Lu saw his back pack sitting on the kitchen table.
"Oh great. We both over slept." Lu hurried to Marc's room and knocked on the door. "Marc? We over slept. It's after 7. Time to get up and get ready for school."
"I'm not going." Lu opened the door.
"What do you mean you're not going?"
"Mom, I'm not feeling well. A lot of kids have been out with the flu this week. I think I've got it." Lu hurried over to him and felt his forehead.
"You don't have a fever."
"I'm sure it's just a 24 hour bug. You can go to work. I'll be okay." Lu sighed.
"Okay, Marc. You can stay home today. I'll try to get home early. I've got an appointment first thing this morning, so I gotta go in. "
"Yeah, whatever."
"Marc, is something bothering you? Because if there is, maybe we should talk."
"Nothing is wrong, Mom. I'd like to go back to sleep, if you don't mind."
"Uh...yeah, sure. I'll...I'll see you later." Lu watched him for a moment, than left the room, quietly closing the door behind her.
When Lu arrived at RWHC a short time later, she realized that she was trembling. She paused outside the entrance to the clinic, taking a deep breath.
"Is anything wrong, Dr. Delgado?" Lu jumped at the sudden voice behind her, turning around quickly. "Uh...no, Dr. Jackson. Everything's...uh...fine."
"Good. Then let's get started with the day, shall we?" Lu nodded as Bob opened the door and followed her inside.
"Dr, Delgado, if you have time later, I would like to see you in my office."
"Yeah, sure. This afternoon."
"That will be fine, " Bob watched her as she hurried down the hall. He knew that she was not telling him the truth, that everything was not okay. He had noticed all week that something was weighing heavy on the young woman's mind...and he decided it was time he find out what was really going on.
Lu knocked on the door to Dana's office, then opened the door and went in. Dana glanced up from the folder she was reading. "Morning, Lu."
"Morning." Lu answered softly. Dana could easily see that her partner was scared, something that Lu very seldom showed. Dana closed the folder and walked around her desk, placing a hand on Lu's shoulder. "Should we get started?"
"Uh...yeah."
"I've told Lana that I want no interruptions whatsoever. I figured you don't need everyone in here wondering what's going on."
"Thanks, Dana. I appreciate that." Dana smiled.
'Let's get it done, Lu." Lu nodded as Dana prepared to do the pregnancy test, telling her to relax her arm so blood could be drawn.
In only a short time she would find out the truth. And she was scared. Questions raced through her mind. What if she was pregnant? Would she be able to raise the child of a rapist? Would she be able to give her own child up? She thought back to years earlier, at the age of 16, when her newborn son had been placed in her arms. She had quit high school to raise him, and it had been hard. She knew back then that she could never give up the child that was a part of her, no matter how much she had to struggle to provide for him.
Lu sighed. But this was different. Marc had been the result of one careless moment between two teenagers. And Lu had taken responsibility for her actions. She loved her son with her whole heart, and never once regretted her decision to raise him on her own.
If she turned out to be pregnant, it would be the result of a brutal attack. Yes, the child would be hers. But it would also belong to Dr. Rand Kilner, the man who had attacked her and forced himself upon her, ignoring her screams as she fought to get out from underneath him. Could she raise a child knowing who the father was, and how the child had come to be?
"That should do it, Lu." Dana said. "I'll send this down to lab and tell them I want a rush on it." Unable to speak around the lump in her throat, Lu nodded.
A short time later Dana sat down at her desk and opened Lu's folder in front of her. Lu sat across from her, sitting on the edge of her chair, hands gripping tightly to the arm rest. While Dana read the results silently to herself for a moment, Lu carefully watched her face, looking for an indication as to what the results might be.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Dana closed the folder, folded her hands on her desk and looked up at her partner. "Lu, you're not pregnant. It appears that..."
"I...I'm not pregnant?" Lu asked softly. Dana shook her head.
"No Lu, you are definitely not pregnant. It appears that all of the symptoms you've been experiencing is caused by stress. And I must say, I'm not one bit surprised."
"I'm not pregnant." Lu repeated again, trying to let the good news sink in. Dana smiled.
"Now maybe you can start to relax a little." Lu nodded.
"Uh...Bob wants to see me in his office this afternoon. Do you think he suspects something?"
"Oh, just tell him you're busy and will need to make it another time. Now that you know that you are not pregnant, you will be more like yourself. He will see that and then realize that nothing is wrong."
"Thanks, Dana. I really don't want to talk to Jackson just now." Lu stood to go.
"I'd better get to work. And Marc is home sick today, so I'd better check in with him."
"Nothing serious, I hope." Dana said. Lu shook her head.
"No, he doesn't have a temp or anything. He says the flu has been going around. I'm not so sure I believed him, but I didn't have the energy to argue with him so I just let him stay home. He doesn't miss much school, so one day won't hurt anything."
"Well, congrats Lu. Oh Lu, are you going to Bob's surprise party tonight?" Lu nodded.
"Yeah. I'll be there. Talk to you later, Dana." Dana smiled as Lu quickly left her office.
"Well, I'm glad that's over," Dana said to herself. "Now maybe Lu can really start to heal.
Lu poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at her desk with a heavy sigh. It had been a very busy morning, and she was glad for a few moments to be alone. As she slowly drank her coffee, she suddenly remembered that Marc was home today She had been so caught up in the results of the pregnancy test, and having patients all morning, she had forgotten that Marc hadn't gone to school that morning . She felt guilty for not calling him earlier in the day. She picked up the phone and dialed her home number. After allowing the phone to ring several times, she slowly replaced the receiver in its cradle, puzzled that her son didn't answer the phone.
"Maybe he's sleeping." Lu told herself. At that moment her pager beeped. Lu glanced at it. "ER. I'll try Marc later." Lu dashed from her office, telling herself that she would do her best to get home early that afternoon so she could spend time with her son before going to Dr. Jackson's surprise party that evening.
Chapter 7: A Great Relief
Lu slowly opened her eyes, trying to focus on the clock on the nightstand beside the bed. 11:30pm.
She lay there in the darkness thinking about her talk with Dana earlier that evening.
Once again, the fear of being pregnant returned to her. Knowing she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, she got up and wandered into the living room. She was surprised to find Marc sitting on the couch.
"Marc? What are you doing up at this hour? You've got school tomorrow."
"Not tired." Marc answered. Lu was slightly taken aback by the shortness of her son's response, and immediately felt that something was bothering him.
"Marc, is something bothering you?" she questioned.
"No. I'm going to bed now." Before Lu could say anything, Marc got up and went into his room, slamming the door.
Lu sighed as she sat down on the couch. It was obvious that something was bothering her son, but she was to exhausted to talk to him about it tonight.
Lu slowly opened her eyes, then struggled to pull herself off the couch. She rubbed the back of her neck, which ached from sleeping sitting up part of the night. She glanced at the clock on the wall, realizing that it was already after 7am.
The quietness of the apartment suggested that Marc had already left for school. But glancing around, Lu saw his back pack sitting on the kitchen table.
"Oh great. We both over slept." Lu hurried to Marc's room and knocked on the door. "Marc? We over slept. It's after 7. Time to get up and get ready for school."
"I'm not going." Lu opened the door.
"What do you mean you're not going?"
"Mom, I'm not feeling well. A lot of kids have been out with the flu this week. I think I've got it." Lu hurried over to him and felt his forehead.
"You don't have a fever."
"I'm sure it's just a 24 hour bug. You can go to work. I'll be okay." Lu sighed.
"Okay, Marc. You can stay home today. I'll try to get home early. I've got an appointment first thing this morning, so I gotta go in. "
"Yeah, whatever."
"Marc, is something bothering you? Because if there is, maybe we should talk."
"Nothing is wrong, Mom. I'd like to go back to sleep, if you don't mind."
"Uh...yeah, sure. I'll...I'll see you later." Lu watched him for a moment, than left the room, quietly closing the door behind her.
When Lu arrived at RWHC a short time later, she realized that she was trembling. She paused outside the entrance to the clinic, taking a deep breath.
"Is anything wrong, Dr. Delgado?" Lu jumped at the sudden voice behind her, turning around quickly. "Uh...no, Dr. Jackson. Everything's...uh...fine."
"Good. Then let's get started with the day, shall we?" Lu nodded as Bob opened the door and followed her inside.
"Dr, Delgado, if you have time later, I would like to see you in my office."
"Yeah, sure. This afternoon."
"That will be fine, " Bob watched her as she hurried down the hall. He knew that she was not telling him the truth, that everything was not okay. He had noticed all week that something was weighing heavy on the young woman's mind...and he decided it was time he find out what was really going on.
Lu knocked on the door to Dana's office, then opened the door and went in. Dana glanced up from the folder she was reading. "Morning, Lu."
"Morning." Lu answered softly. Dana could easily see that her partner was scared, something that Lu very seldom showed. Dana closed the folder and walked around her desk, placing a hand on Lu's shoulder. "Should we get started?"
"Uh...yeah."
"I've told Lana that I want no interruptions whatsoever. I figured you don't need everyone in here wondering what's going on."
"Thanks, Dana. I appreciate that." Dana smiled.
'Let's get it done, Lu." Lu nodded as Dana prepared to do the pregnancy test, telling her to relax her arm so blood could be drawn.
In only a short time she would find out the truth. And she was scared. Questions raced through her mind. What if she was pregnant? Would she be able to raise the child of a rapist? Would she be able to give her own child up? She thought back to years earlier, at the age of 16, when her newborn son had been placed in her arms. She had quit high school to raise him, and it had been hard. She knew back then that she could never give up the child that was a part of her, no matter how much she had to struggle to provide for him.
Lu sighed. But this was different. Marc had been the result of one careless moment between two teenagers. And Lu had taken responsibility for her actions. She loved her son with her whole heart, and never once regretted her decision to raise him on her own.
If she turned out to be pregnant, it would be the result of a brutal attack. Yes, the child would be hers. But it would also belong to Dr. Rand Kilner, the man who had attacked her and forced himself upon her, ignoring her screams as she fought to get out from underneath him. Could she raise a child knowing who the father was, and how the child had come to be?
"That should do it, Lu." Dana said. "I'll send this down to lab and tell them I want a rush on it." Unable to speak around the lump in her throat, Lu nodded.
A short time later Dana sat down at her desk and opened Lu's folder in front of her. Lu sat across from her, sitting on the edge of her chair, hands gripping tightly to the arm rest. While Dana read the results silently to herself for a moment, Lu carefully watched her face, looking for an indication as to what the results might be.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Dana closed the folder, folded her hands on her desk and looked up at her partner. "Lu, you're not pregnant. It appears that..."
"I...I'm not pregnant?" Lu asked softly. Dana shook her head.
"No Lu, you are definitely not pregnant. It appears that all of the symptoms you've been experiencing is caused by stress. And I must say, I'm not one bit surprised."
"I'm not pregnant." Lu repeated again, trying to let the good news sink in. Dana smiled.
"Now maybe you can start to relax a little." Lu nodded.
"Uh...Bob wants to see me in his office this afternoon. Do you think he suspects something?"
"Oh, just tell him you're busy and will need to make it another time. Now that you know that you are not pregnant, you will be more like yourself. He will see that and then realize that nothing is wrong."
"Thanks, Dana. I really don't want to talk to Jackson just now." Lu stood to go.
"I'd better get to work. And Marc is home sick today, so I'd better check in with him."
"Nothing serious, I hope." Dana said. Lu shook her head.
"No, he doesn't have a temp or anything. He says the flu has been going around. I'm not so sure I believed him, but I didn't have the energy to argue with him so I just let him stay home. He doesn't miss much school, so one day won't hurt anything."
"Well, congrats Lu. Oh Lu, are you going to Bob's surprise party tonight?" Lu nodded.
"Yeah. I'll be there. Talk to you later, Dana." Dana smiled as Lu quickly left her office.
"Well, I'm glad that's over," Dana said to herself. "Now maybe Lu can really start to heal.
Lu poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at her desk with a heavy sigh. It had been a very busy morning, and she was glad for a few moments to be alone. As she slowly drank her coffee, she suddenly remembered that Marc was home today She had been so caught up in the results of the pregnancy test, and having patients all morning, she had forgotten that Marc hadn't gone to school that morning . She felt guilty for not calling him earlier in the day. She picked up the phone and dialed her home number. After allowing the phone to ring several times, she slowly replaced the receiver in its cradle, puzzled that her son didn't answer the phone.
"Maybe he's sleeping." Lu told herself. At that moment her pager beeped. Lu glanced at it. "ER. I'll try Marc later." Lu dashed from her office, telling herself that she would do her best to get home early that afternoon so she could spend time with her son before going to Dr. Jackson's surprise party that evening.