Week fifteen same day
As soon as she got the call, Rita was speeding towards the hospital. Apparently, Linka lost consciousness in class and she had a terrible fall and hit the back of her head really hard.
It was terrifying for the mother of eleven with a head injury, the school nurse seemed nervous on the phone, making Rita believe that the head injury was more serious than she had previously understood.
Lynn Jr had a series of head injuries just from playing various sports, and the school almost never sent him to the hospital, waiting for Rita, his father, to pick him up.
The fact that they sent Linka without notifying Rita made everything more serious, even worse Linka had yet to text her or respond to any of her mother's messages and Rita was growing more and more concerned by the minute.
Rita pulled into the hospital parking lot and parked Vanzilla in the closest parking spot available.
The mother of eleven sprinted into the check in area and wasted little time checking in with the nurse and giving them Linka's name and other various medical information.
Initially, the nurse was smiling and friendly, but after a few minutes of typing, her face fell, and she motioned for Rita to go to the side with her.
" Mrs Loud, your daughter was initially brought in after she fainted during class. Linka hit the back of her head pretty hard but so far she isn't showing any signs of concussion"...
The nurse continued speaking, her face was neutral, but nothing could have prepared Rita for what the nurse was about to say next.
" Are you aware that Linka is active sexually"?
Rita's mouth fell open, and she felt all the air leave her lungs. Linka couldn't be sexually active; the girl was only twelve years old, and she didn't even have a boyfriend.
The idea seemed absurd to Rita.
Linka was still just a child, but she knew better than to get herself in trouble like this.
The preteen was practically a ghost since Thanksgiving break, Rita had originally chalked it up to hormones and growing pains but now her daughter's absence felt more obvious.
" Are you sure, you have the right girl? Linka is in the sixth grade, there is no way that my twelve year old is pregnant", Rita was visibly shaken but she refused to believe the nurse.
Linka was a good girl, and she would never mess her life up like this.
The nurse just nodded, I know this is a bit much to take in Mrs Loud but your pediatrician Ms Figaro examined Linka and she can tell you more. I'm sorry you had to find out like this"...
Linka was panicking; she woke up on a cushioned examination table in the children's section of the hospital. There was a sharp pain and a large knot at the base of her skull. The back of her head ached.
White gauze and a sterile pad were wrapped around her head, and from the stinging Linka could tell she was probably bleeding a little bit.
Fragments from earlier in the morning kept flashing through inconsistently, her memory was a little fuzzy but Linka can vaugly recall the school nurse examining her back at school.
Her sweater was gone too, leaving Linka in just her undershirt and leggings. Her belly was completely exposed, with the undershirt adding more emphasis to her prominent bump.
Linka felt her blood run cold, where had her sweater gone and just how long was she exposed?
This was bad very bad.
Linka sat up fast, and the world around her swirled in painful waves, and her stomach turned in waves.
Her primary doctor popped into the room and stopped Linka from moving any further, "Not so fast, Linka. You've had a nasty fall and will probably be disoriented for the next six hours."...
Ms Figaro was a tall slender Italian woman who appeared to be in her early thirties, she was a kind and understanding doctor who listened to all of Linka's concerns and fears.
Ms Figaro's face was neutral, almost to neutrality. The older woman fixed Linka with a firm but concerned look, "I'm going to need you to be honest with me, Linka. How long have you been sexually active, and when was your last period?"
Linka's blood ran cold, but Ms Figaro continued speaking nonetheless: "as you are already aware, Linka, you are at the end of your first trimester. You're not in trouble, however, we had to inform your mother due to your age".
Linka lurched forward and dry heaved, her eyes filling with unshed tears. Mom knew and soon everyone else would know...