Chapter 23

Two Months Later

Jude and Kat were both in the bathroom of the small apartment. Jude was hunched over the toilet bowl, emptying the contents of her stomach into the porcelain bowl. Kat was kneeling next to her friend, holding back her blonde locks.

"Jude, this is the fifth day this week you've gotten sick after breakfast." Kat commented.

"It's Jamie's cooking." Jude said between spits. She leaned back and Kat looked at her friend sympathetically and felt her forehead. Though the other woman's face was covered in sweat and slightly off color, she didn't feel clammy nor look like she would if she were sick with the flu. Kat reached over her friend and flushed the toilet and got up and went to the sink and handed Jude the mouthwash. She took it gratefully and got the nasty taste out of her mouth.

"Jude…have you had sex recently?" Kat asked as Jude spit out the minty liquid.

"What!"

"I'm serious; Jude, have you had sex in the last couple of months."

"I…" Jude paused and paled. "Kat, I'm not pregnant." Jude insisted.

"If you didn't have sex, then you have nothing to worry about."

"It's just a bug." Jude insisted, looking not too convinced.

"That only affects you once…maybe twice a day?" Kat asked skeptically.

"Kat…I…" Jude sighed and hung her head in defeat.

"You don't have to see a doctor…yet. You could always take one of the at home ones." Kat offered.

"I can't go out and buy one of those! Kat, I'm still followed around by paparazzi. I don't want it being all over that I took a pregnancy test."

"So you did have sex. With Tommy." Kat said, grinning.

"I…yes, and don't get excited, it was a mistake." Jude muttered bitterly, leaving the bathroom.

"Jude Harrison! You had sex with Tom Quincy and you didn't tell me about it!" Kat yelled, practically squealing.

"That was it Kat! I'm a mistake to him! Just a one night stand he wants to forget about." Jude said, her voice bitter.

"You have to take the test Jude." Kat said, patting her shoulder. Jude sat down on the couch and put her head in her hands.

"I just…I kept telling myself I'm not pregnant. Kat, I think you're right." Jude said, tears coming to her eyes. "And he doesn't want me and probably not this child." Kat pulled Jude into a hug and rubbed her back in comfort. Jamie walked out of the bedroom and looked at the girls.

"uh-ho. What now?" Jamie asked, looking panicky. Kat got up, and whispered something to Jamie.

"You're….You're…" Jamie muttered, paling visibly.

"No! Jude is!"

"KAT!" "JUDE!" Jude and Jamie yelled simultaneously.

"Well, she probably is. Jamie, just go to the store and buy one." Kat said, patting his arm.

"I am not buying….one of those!" Jamie yelled, shuddering. Kat gave him puppy eyes. "NO, not doing it. I'll go all over the world for Ben and Jerry's, but I draw the line at pregnancy test!"

An hour later, Jude and Kat were waiting for Jamie to walk into the door with the test.

"I can't believe you made Jamie go out and buy it." Jude said, shaking her head.

"Hey, he needs to earn his keep." Kat said, grinning. Just then, the door burst open and in walked a distraught looking Jamie.

"I hate you." Jamie said, tossing the bag in Jude's direction. "I had to explain 3 times that I was getting it for a friend."

"I'll reward you later." Kat said, grinning.

"You better." Jamie said.

"Ewww! Imagery!" Jude said, getting up with a sigh and taking the test out of the bag and looking at it uncertainly.

"We're here for ya Rock Star." Jamie said, giving her a look of encouragement. Jude nodded and took a deep breathe and headed into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.