Thank you so much for taking the time to review on the first chapter. Glad you seem to like it so far, here is more ;)

Coming home…

Chapter 2

Waiting was something I have never been good at. So having the first available appointment with Dr. Krug this morning really suited me. I was five minutes early, but so was he and because of that I was sitting on the visitor's chair at quarter past seven, looking expectantly at the physician, having had various tests already.

The physical examination had not shown anything out of the ordinary, except that obviously I had managed to lose five or six pounds within the last three weeks, which earned me a serious look and a stern "Eating is not a crime, Dr. Brennan. You're bordering on underweight."

"I was busy." I said, but he only shook his head. "Many people are busy. That is not an excuse to ignore the needs of your body. You know that in order to function properly you have to take care of yourself."

I nodded, not happy with the knowledge that he was right. "I know. Sometimes I forget to eat when I'm working. I'll try to do better." After all, the man who usually reminded me to eat, was not in DC. When had I started to depend so much on him, anyway?

The physician's computer made a chiming sound and he murmured. "That should be your test results."

For a few moments he stared at the screen then his gaze turned on me again. I saw in his eyes that he had found something, an explanation for my condition. I braced myself, but the question he asked took me by surprise.

"Dr. Brennan, you said that you had a irregular cycle, but do you remember the last time you had your period?" Dr. Krug asked. I shook my head. I had grown up with a rather irregular hormonal cycle, I was used not to think anything about weeks, even months without bleeding. I swallowed hard. Somehow I had the feeling that Dr. Krug's next question would not make me feel any better.

"Do you remember the last time you had intercourse?" He asked, the exact question I had been dreading to hear.

Although I was concerned, answering the question was quite easy. "Eight weeks ago." I said, frowning a little. I swallowed hard… I was so not liking where this conversation was headed. Not at all.

"Did you use some kind of birth control?" Dr. Krug's voice startled me.

"Of course." I swallowed hard. "We used condoms." Yes, we had used condoms. A considerable amount of them, too.

"Dr. Brennan…. As you may know, the standard tests include a pregnancy test. It came back positive." His voice was gentle, the phrasing polite and scientific. But what he said, scared me to the core.

"Are you… are you sure?" My voice sounded odd even to my own ears and my head ache had returned at full force.

"Yes, I'm sure. You are pregnant." He said. His statement seemed to echo in my ears, although I knew something like that was not possible. My brain tried to process all this, even providing the information, that the chances of getting pregnant with a cycle as unpredictable as mine were slim. And statistics show, that given the fact that we had used condoms, the chances were even lower. The problem was, every statistic has an exception.

"For a detailed examination and an ultrasound you would have to see a gynaecologist." Dr. Krug continued and I managed a weak nod.

I was supposed to be a genius. I had more than one doctorate, damn it. But I had been too stupid and ignorant to interpret the signs my body had been sending me for weeks. In the early months of pregnancy women often feel nauseous and tired and tend to suffer from so-called morning sickness. My brain supplied me with the information that had always sounded so distant and clinical. Now it was a detailed recapitulation of what I had experienced the last few weeks. Why hadn't I thought of this?

I blinked, realising that Dr. Krug was staring at me expectantly. "Sorry, what did you say?" I forced out.

"I understand that this is a big surprise to you, as you obviously did not plan to have a baby. I would recommend seeing a gynaecologist as soon as possible. As a physician I of course hope you will not…. take measures to terminate the pregnancy, but it is up to you. I would just advise you to think about it for a few days, Dr. Brennan. Hurried decisions are often those we regret most in our life. Take your time, make sure you eat healthy and regularly. Whatever you decide, do not ignore the demands of your body any longer." Dr. Krug gave me an understanding look and let his words settle in before he rose.

My brain seemed oddly numb, but I still managed to rise and shake hands with the physician. "Thank you for taking the time to see me." I forced out.

"Sure." Dr. Krug said and nodded. "Take care of yourself. Good bye."

"Good bye." I mumbled, gathered my purse and left his office. Pregnant. The one word had managed to turn my world upside down.

I was lucky. Or as lucky as anybody can be in my situation, anyway. My gynaecologist had one appointment available at the very same day, at nine in the morning. I called Angela, said something about more tests and that I would be coming in later. Her concerned questions were cut off by my "I need to go, Ange."

Maybe it was not fair to leave her worrying about my health, wondering what kind of illness I could be suffering from, when in fact I was not ill. Just pregnant. Although where the 'just' was making my life any easier, I couldn't see at the moment.

Anxiously, I was sitting in the waiting room of Dr. Miller, waiting for her to see me. Although it was not logical, I still harboured a last bit of hope that Dr. Krug had been wrong and I was not pregnant. Why, I didn't know. After all, I was a scientist, science was what I believed in. And a pregnancy test was science. And quite simple science at that. Hoping that through some kind of miracle Dr. Krug had made a mistake clearly was very, very irrational. But desperation will do that to you.

Half an hour later a smiling Dr. Miller announced. "Congratulations, Dr. Brennan, you are pregnant."

I didn't want her congratulations, but I was too weak and shocked to object. Dr. Miller seemed to understand that I was not exactly happy with what she had told me. "The pregnancy was not planned, right?"

I gave her an annoyed look. "Not even the intercourse was planned, much less the pregnancy." I snapped, but caught myself an instant later. "Sorry."

"It's okay, Dr. Brennan. I understand that you are not completely yourself right now. Did you suspect being pregnant, was that why you came here today?" Dr. Miller asked.

"Dr. Krug already told me I was." I gave back, my voice flat. "He advised me to see a gynaecologist."

"Ah." She nodded. "So you already knew but… hoped it wouldn't be true."

Though it was somewhat embarrassing to admit she was right I nodded. "I'm glad you came here." Dr. Miller said and smiled understandingly at me. "I'm sure you know all about the possibilities you have now, Dr. Brennan. I just think you should wait a few days before deciding anything finale…."

"That's what Dr. Krug said, too." I interrupted her. "I'm going to take that advice. I would like a few days to…. process all this."

"Dr. Brennan…. Whatever you decide, I would like to prescribe vitamins for you. Even if you decide against going throw with this, a pregnancy puts a strain on your body and vitamins and fresh air will do you good. You should cut down your working hours too…. You seem exhausted. Think about what you want to do…..Why don't you come by in a few days, say maybe Friday? Or is that too soon?" The woman asked. I swallowed hard. Today was Tuesday.

"How long…. When do I have to make a final decision?" I asked, my voice trembling. I knew the answer, but I needed to hear it anyway.

"I will be honest with you, Dr. Brennan. The earlier, the better. In case you decide to terminate the pregnancy, it is advisable to do so in an early stadium of the pregnancy. You are already about eight weeks along, so you should not be waiting too long. I don't want to influence you in any way, but I would of course prefer to see you through your pregnancy. But, please do not make any rash decisions. If I were you, I would go home, lie down, try to recharge, as you are so obviously exhausted and think. Maybe contact the father, if you want to." Her voice was soothing, but her words made me tremble. Contacting the father. I closed my eyes briefly and sighed. If only things weren't that complicated.

"I will be back on Friday." My voice said, although I was not quite sure when I had made the decision. But it was a good decision, I thought. Why torment myself longer than necessary? There was no use in that. A few days should be enough time to assess the situation and find a solution. One of the big questions I had to find an answer to was, did I really WANT to contact the father? To let him know I was pregnant, before I even had made a decision if I would want to STAY pregnant? After finding the answer to that I could think about HOW to contact him, which wouldn't be easy. I swallowed hard, remembering the last time I had seen him. One night of saying good bye had changed everything. But it had been a very thourough good bye.

As many of you expected, Brennan IS pregnant....

Soooo, what do you say, do you still like it? I sure hope so.