"Miss? Miss? Can you hear me, Miss Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth groaned. She could hear voices. Two, it sounded like. One she recognized as John's, but the other was unfamiliar. She slowly opened her eyes, and immediately regretted doing so. Bright light stung fiercely in her eyes, instantly causing her to close them again. A few hours must have passed since she had passed out, for the sunlight seemed to be brighter than before.

After a minute, she reopened her eyes and allowed the stinging pain to ebb. Her head was still throbbing and she dared not move, for fear of reliving the terrible nausea and lightheadedness that had brought her down earlier. Although, she was feeling so horrible at the moment that it seemed she had relapsed even further back, if possible.

She tried to grasp her surroundings as well as she could through the limited view she had. She was in another room, though this one seemed to be a trifle more elaborate than her previous one. And as another upgrade, she was now lying on a bed; most likely the one John had told her about a few hours ago. She was just on top of it, not tucked under the sheets or anything, most likely because she was so…disgustingly filthy, but it was still much better than nothing.

Elizabeth jumped slightly as a hand was laid against her forehead. She looked up to see a slim middle-aged man leaning over her. He was dressed in a sterile off-white coat and had spectacles on, helping him to further examine her. She quickly concluded that he must be a doctor, and that she was his patient. Good Lord. She hadn't seen a doctor in ages. They always frightened her, reminded her of death and medicine, neither of which she greatly liked. Now she looked up at this doctor with concern, hoping that he would be able to tell her what was wrong, and praying that it wasn't anything too horrible.

When the man noticed her staring up at him, he smiled. "Ah, the patient is awake. Wonderful." He looked down at her kindly. "You had me worried there for a minute. But no more, I'm glad you're up."

He removed his hand from her forehead and proceeded to place it under her jaw, tilting her chin upward a bit. "I beg your pardon for any possible discomfort Miss," he continued. "I just need to check a few more things and then I promise I'll leave you be. How's that sound?"

Because she was didn't dare try her voice, she simple nodded.

"Wonderful," he exclaimed. "Now, please excuse me Miss…Elizabeth, is it?"

She nodded again.

"Well Miss Elizabeth, please excuse me but I must ask something of you that I know you most likely are not going to like very much."

Her eyes widened a bit.

He noticed and smiled soothingly down at her. "I promise I won't do anything. Do you trust my word as a doctor?"

She was still for a minute, but then slowly nodded, even though fear shone plainly in her eyes.

"Alright; now I need to lift up your dress to examine your torso and stomach. I think then that I can come to a conclusion. I know this is probably terribly mortifying for you, but you're not the first."

She just stared at him in horror. Lift her dress up? No way! Because, oh so lucky for her, she wasn't wearing any knickers. Doctor or not, no man except her husband could ever lay eyes on such an intimate part of her. No exceptions.

"No!" she shouted out, and her voice immediately cracked. "No!"

He backed away from her and held his hands behind his back. Elizabeth watched him, heart racing and chest rising and falling at a rapid speed. Her heartbeat calmed a little though as she noticed that he was watching her as well, though his gaze was understanding and patient. Though minimal as it was, it comforted her a little that at least he had the manners and courtesy to not go forward without her consent.

She sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead. If only her bloody headache would go away, then perhaps she could think straight. And the nausea coursing through her too. All she wanted was to be able to stand back on her feet.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked, for about the fiftieth time that day.

"I don't believe anything is wrong with you," the doctor replied.

"What?" She looked at him in disbelief. "Nothing wrong? Are you mad!"

"I dearly hope not." He smiled.

"Well…then….why am I so…unsteady?" she questioned.

"Like I said, I have almost reached a conclusion, but I cannot firmly tell you without that examination. I promise you that I-"

"Oh very well!" she interrupted. "Just do it quickly before I change my mind."

He looked a little surprised by her sudden agreement, but quickly smiled. Finally, someone who understood how busy the life of a doctor is. He in fact had another patient to call on at the very moment, and was relieved she would not have to wait very long. Poor little girl, suffering a severe case of pneumonia. Her parents were worried sick. But he would worry when he got to her. For now, he would finish with this beautiful young woman, and most likely deliver some wonderful news to her in the course of a few minutes.

"Alright." He walked back to her side and looked down at her. She indeed was rather beautiful. It was slightly difficult to tell through all the dirt and grime that coated her skin, but he could see it in her large brown eyes that she was a fair young maiden. But tush, he was happily married and loved his wife more than anything in the world. And this girl was just another of his patients. He particularly liked her intense personality though. Very fierce, and very amusing. The man who had stolen her heart was a lucky man indeed.

He noted that a mix of fear and anger was in her eyes currently, and perhaps a bit of embarrassment as well. But he could also tell that she was intensely stubborn, and she would not back out.

Good and strong, he thought with a smile. There ought to be more girls in the world like this one.

Elizabeth squeezed her eyes shut as she felt her dress being pushed up. She absolutely did not want to see the doctor's face when she was revealed to him. How utterly mortifying this was, how completely terrible. Why had she agreed to it?

Because you want to know what the bloody hell is up with you, that's why, her mind yelled at her. Yes, she did very badly want to know, for she had never felt this way before…or at least she could not remember if she ever had. Not likely.

She flinched as a hand was laid on her stomach. Lovely. Just lovely.

Another minute or so later, she felt her dress hit her ankles once again. She slowly opened one eye and stared up at the doctor, heart pounding. He was smiling at her, as usual, and nodding slightly.

"I have some news for you Miss Elizabeth," he said softly.

She opened her other eye and looked at him nervously. "Good or bad?"

He shrugged. "Well, that's your decision, but in my mind it is good. Very good."

She tilted her head to the side a little, plainly confused. "Good?"

He nodded again. "Yes. Though before I tell you, I have one thing to ask of you."

"What?"

He gave her a knowing look. "You're not alone, are you?"

She creased her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Are you married, love?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure if it was completely legal, but…" She trailed off for a minute. "How did you…"

He smiled. "You're pregnant."

Her mouth dropped open. "What?"

He nodded. "You heard me right."

She continued just laying there blankly, shock freezing her system. It took her a minute to register the information in her brain, but when she did, it was overwhelming. She stared up at the doctor in disbelief and whispered, "I'm pregnant."

He watched as the light left her eyes and she slipped once more into unconsciousness. He sighed and shook his head. "Oh dear, there she goes again."

Just then there was a knock on the door. "Come in," he called.

John entered slowly and approached the doctor. He glanced over and saw Elizabeth on the bed. "What happened?"

The doctor sighed. "She's gone again, poor girl." He shook his head. "Couldn't handle the news; it was too much for her."

"What news?"

He shook his head again. "I'll let her answer that. But not now." He looked over at her and smiled. "For now, let her sleep."

(A/N:) Yay! Big news! Lizzie's pregnant :) lol. but of course everyone already knows that. obviously... ;) But yay! Now I finally get to move along! One more chapter, and then things start moving in hyperspeed...or however they spell it. lol. Please, please, please review!

-Elizabeth