A/N: This was a nice quick update, right? Thank you all very much, and here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or the image used as cover (though I did edit it).

Days

The day when May calls in sick

May

Tuesday, November 26th

"Thank you, yes, thank you, I hope I'll feel better soon, too," May stuttered her way through the lie, her cheeks burning. Fortunately she had called from her PokéNav without video feed, because the blush of shame would certainly have given her away.

After a quick goodbye, May swiftly ended the call, letting out a big sigh. Her absence at work would not be questioned.

With sweaty hands she pocketed the device before shakily continuing on her way, the cold wind not doing anything to cool her down.

This morning, she had left for work, walking, just as she always did. She had followed her usual route for a few blocks before turning and taking the fastest route to her actual destination.

Drew had no reason to suspect anything.

In a secluded spot she had made her call to the agency and had told her fib about being sick. It wasn't even that much of a lie, because she truly felt horrible, but not what one could call sick.

But if her suspicions were correct, then she might be feeling sick more often. In the morning, at least. May's stomach churned and her throat closed off.

As she continued on her way she did her best to look as normal as possible, yet she still had the feeling people were watching her. She swallowed and smiled and nodded at them, doing her best not to quicken her pace.

May didn't visit the doctor very often, but now she was an hour early.

Thank Arceus that she had been able to get an appointment on such a short notice, because the previous days had been a daze of increasing worry while trying to act normal.

She used the pill. She had not forgotten one. Rationally speaking, there was virtually no reason to be scared. But after being a few days late while she was usually very punctual, May had started to worry the slightest bit.

That worry had turned into almost full-fledged panic when she found out on the internet that antibiotics could affect the pill.

Antibiotics. She had used those, back in Kanto, when she and Drew had been travelling to Ash and Misty's wedding.

May twisted her hands together and tried to remain calm while she waited in the waiting room. Maybe it was something else, but…

Pregnancy was a very possible option if the antibiotics had truly nullified the effects of the pill.

Panic rose in her throat and the room suddenly seemed to close in on her.

No, no, maybe it was something else. It could be something else. Bad luck. A lesson for her to pay better attention.

But what if she actually was pregnant? What would she do? What would they do? She knew very well that Drew felt he was not ready for a family, and she… She inwardly shook her head. They weren't ready for a family… were they? They were living in an apartment in the middle of Mauville City, that was no place to raise a child, and Drew was constantly travelling-

But maybe she wasn't pregnant. That was still possible. She hadn't even done a test yet. Maybe she should have done a test before coming to the doctor. What if the doctor thought she was stupid for not doing a test first beforehand? Everyone did a test beforehand-

No, stop. She had to stop thinking like that. The doctor wouldn't think something like that. Plus, a test from the doctor would be much more trustworthy than a test from a shop, right? Better to be worried now than to find out later that the bought test had turned out wrong.

Wrong- what was wrong? Positive. Negative?

She had always wanted children. But not right now, right? Would it really be so bad?

May tried to stop her thoughts from going down that road, but she couldn't help but imagine the best case scenario. Drew jumping up from the couch and embracing her and spinning her around-

No, that wasn't the best case scenario. That was an imaginary scenario. Even if he would be happy about becoming a father, she knew that he wouldn't take the change very well at first.

Maybe-

Finally May's thoughts were interrupted when a redheaded doctor called her name. She got up and almost tripped over her own feet, and the doctor introduced himself and shook her hand, but she forgot his name straight away.

"Please take a seat, miss Maple," he said, with a welcoming smile. "What can I do for you?"

"I... I want a pregnancy test," May said, without further thought. "I mean, I didn't get my period, but I used the pill, but I also used antibiotics, and, and, could there be another reason for why my period is late?" May looked at the doctor pleadingly.

"There might be other reasons, but pregnancy is the most common one," the doctor explained, adjusting his dark-rimmed glasses. "But we can't conclude that yet."

The doctor then proceeded to ask some more questions and May told her tale, while the man nodded and occasionally asked for clarification.

"Have you ever thought about having children?"

May was silent for a bit. "Yes… But… I don't know, I didn't think... Yes, I always wanted children, but Drew... I mean, he's not going to be happy, not at first, definitely not. We promised..."

May's breath hitched as she recalled the promise they had made. It had been years ago, when they had first slept together, still on the road and full in their Contest careers, that they definitely weren't ready for children yet, so they would take the necessary steps to prevent and stop a pregnancy. The subject had never come up again after that.

"Yes?" The doctor prodded gently when she didn't continue.

"We didn't want to have a baby, yet, so if it happened..." she trailed off and shook her head. She wanted a child, she wanted a family, even though it wasn't planned.

"I want to keep it," she decided, breathlessly from the realization. A weight fell of her shoulders. "I want to keep the baby."

Sorry, Drew. But he would understand, May was sure of it.

"You don't have to decide now," the doctor said. "We'll first do a test and then we can have a look at our options. If the test is negative, we'll look at some other possibilities, and if it's positive, we'll make another appointment to look at your options, alright? Then your head will be clearer." The doctor smiled reassuringly, and while May could understand his hesitation, her head had never been clearer.

She was going to be a mother.

The test was handed to her and May went to the toilet. Three minutes she had to wait for the test to be ready, and determinedly she stared at the wall in front of her as she counted the seconds.

What if it was negative? She should be relieved if it was negative… But she wanted a baby, she wanted the test to be positive-

And wasn't that a horrible thing to wish for when she knew Drew's opinion on the subject? He would absolutely not be happy at first... But later he would love it, right? And she wanted to-

179, 180 seconds. Three minutes.

May sucked in a breath, turned around and looked at the test on the counter.

Two lines. Positive.

A/N: Thanks a lot for reading! So, May figured it out as well, but Drew… Well, we'll see how that goes later ;) Please review!

Thank you!

Recommendations:

Pokémon: Blackbird Roundelay by ibuberu. FFN. A short but interesting piece featuring Lance and Lyra as a pairing. The age gap is dealt well with, and the descriptions are beautiful. Thanks to inklaced for recommending this to me!

Pokémon: All I want for Christmas is by N-I-N-T. FFN. Thanks, PokeshipperByHeart, for this recommendation. This is a short story with three chapters in the true Christmas fashion, showing three years of Christmas and Ash's progressing relationship with Misty. Also featuring the Team Rocket trio saving the day ;)

Rocket Power: Realize by MsButterFingers. FFN. This is a complete multi-chaptered story which shows the four friends growing up, and facing all kind of problems that come with maturing. Featuring a Reggie and Twister romance, but the other characters definitely aren't forgotten :)

If you have any stories you want to recommend, let me know!