Chapter 14
As though compelled by a mind of its own, Monica's hand instinctively strayed to her still-flat stomach, although her eyes, suddenly glazed over with what must have been the thousandth set of tears, remained fixed upon the revealing pregnancy test resting in her opposite hand. This couldn't be happening to her. Not again. Not after all these years. But this time it was different. With Eliza she had known what she was doing, and she had been overjoyed when the test had come out positive, but this time…this time…this time the child had been conceived by different means and she was all too suddenly experiencing every startling feeling from overwhelming happiness to immense and persistent fear. She was scared. That was one thing for certain, but on the other hand she and Andrew were going to have a baby. But how would he react to that? What would he think? They hadn't meant to do it. Did he even want a son or daughter? What would everyone else think? About her and Andrew? About that night? About the baby?
But it was then that it suddenly occurred to her that Gloria still stood before her in the tiny quarters of the bathroom, bearing a sympathetic, but expectant expression upon her angelic face. Quickly shifting her gaze from the test in her hand to her dearly loved trainee, Monica made the conscious decision that she simply could not lie to her pupil and this was it. It was now or never. She simply no longer had a choice but to tell Gloria the whole truth and nothing but. Taking a deep breath of preparation, she finally parted her lips and stuttered briefly before properly beginning.
"Um…okay Gloria, I know you probably want me to just tell you what's going on more than anything…so…here goes. I…um…this test was no misunderstanding. I am pregnant." She blurted out honestly as she somehow managed to hold eye contact with the young angel before her. Though Gloria seemed unsatisfied with this confession, for that much she already knew. "But how Monica?" She demanded vaguely, though she knew perfectly well that her supervisor more than likely knew what she meant. "Why? I know you're not doing the surrogate mother thing again. So what's going on?" The questions poured out of her like boiling water from a heated pot as she somehow managed to keep her exuberant voice down to a volume she was sure the others outside were unable to hear.
At this point Monica suddenly studied the floor as though one of the dust bunnies there had suddenly become inspiringly fascinating. After a brief moment, she allowed a single tear to roll over one cheek before she finally spoke once more. "Well, Gloria…this baby…isn't like Eliza was." She informed her pupil carefully, as though she seemed to be working around the truth somehow. But still, Gloria persisted in a determined manner. She was fed up with the way everything had seemed to change with the relationship between she and her supervisor lately. It was like she never told her anything anymore. "What do you mean?" She pried in a soft voice almost sorrowful as she spoke. But it was now that Monica decided there was no way of getting out of it this time. She would just have to tell Gloria everything, even if Andrew didn't know it himself.
"Okay…um…Gloria, the other night when Andrew came back, I was so…we kissed and one thing led to another and…Gloria, this baby is Andrew's." She was sure she spilled out the last part so quickly that it was impossible for her trainee to even understand what she had just told her. But then an expression crossed her face that told Monica she understood perfectly.
"Andrew?" Gloria repeated in obvious astonishment as her eyes widened beneath her glasses. But it seemed all Monica could do was nod in confirmation and brush away that one tear with her fingertips as she stood there somewhat tentatively in perfect silence, simply awaiting her trainee's next comment on that. But what then reached her ears what not at all what she was ever expecting. "Oh Monica, I'm so happy for you!" She suddenly exclaimed as she stepped forward and embraced her supervisor with congratulative arms. Needless to say, Monica accepted her pupil's embrace with joy and relief, as she suddenly was able to feel Gloria's tears of joy on her shoulder. This was all it took for her to let them flow freely now as well. Though she had absolutely no idea whether they were tears of joy or sorrow or fear or excitement, but she was glad she had someone to cry them on.
Holding her young friend as tightly as she had ever held her before, Monica took the opportunity to explain herself a little more thoroughly into her trainee's ear. "Oh Gloria, thank you so much. With everything going on with Eliza and Andrew and…I just don't think I could've handled this alone." She whispered as she held her charge that much more tightly. But it was then that Gloria drew back ever so slightly so she was able to look Monica once again in the eyes, her expression a little concerned. "Wait," she told her supervisor suddenly as her eyes darted about the floor beneath their feet as though she were attempting to sort something out in her mind, as she was often able to do with seemingly impossible ease, "so, Tess doesn't know anything?" She confirmed a little worriedly as she raised her eyebrows above her glasses. But Monica merely shook her head no with an expression of equal concern. "Not a thing." She informed Gloria with a hint of anxiousness suddenly crossing her honey-brown eyes. But it was the question that came next that seemed immensely more important as it brought an abrupt realization to Monica's mind.
"And Andrew?" She questioned further as she nodded to Monica's stomach as though to clarify that she was referring to her supervisor's pregnancy. But once again, Monica shook her head in a negative reply. "Nothing at all." She responded slightly sadly as that realization was sending her signals all over the place as though crying out to inform her that sometime soon she would need to tell him. But was something that frightened her more than anything else in or out of this world… which was odd seeing that she would've thought she would be more afraid to tell Tess.
But Gloria suddenly seemed as though she was already formulating a plan in her sharp little mind. Monica could practically hear the wheels turning in her trainee's head as she scrambled with her thoughts. Finally, she seemed to come to a reasonable conclusion. "Okay so, do you want to tell Andrew and I'll take Tess, or the other way around?" She optioned practically as she figured she wanted nothing more at the moment than to help her dear friend as much as she possibly could. But Monica didn't seem to approve of this, as she shook her head then in disagreement as though she thought that was not the way to approach a situation such as this. "No Gloria, thank you, but you shouldn't have to worry about this okay? You did nothing wrong. You just don't worry about it. I'll take care of everything." She assured the young angel gently as she managed a small smile at her trainee as though the situation had suddenly taken a vicious turn from frightening to relief. As so did Gloria's expression when she heard her supervisor's reply. "Thank you!"