Stephanie was soundly sleeping when Frank parked in the driveway of his father's home. He waited until his dad appeared before opening the trunk. It was too early for some, but Frank knew his parents, like himself, were early risers. Francis Plum Sr grabbed the box to carry inside the house. Michelle held the screen door open for him to enter. She waited a few more minutes while Frank lifted his daughter and brought her inside. He climbed the stairs to the guest bedroom. After placing her on the bed, Frank removed her shoes and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Pumpkin," he whispered.
"Love you too, Daddy," she mumbled before snuggling into the spare pillow. It smelled freshly laundered with a hint of lavender to keep her peacefully sleeping. Frank closed the door behind him to have a private word with his parents, who waited in the living room.
"Thank you for helping her," Frank said, trailing his hand over his short curls, a habit he only did around his parents when he felt comfortable enough to let down his guard.
"Stephanie is a special girl. We're pleased you asked us for help," Michelle replied.
Frank reached into his pocket to grab the envelope. "Please, use this ID for all doctor visits," he said, passing it to his mother, who dried her hands on the apron around her waist. "I don't want anyone to discover this if they conduct a background check."
"Why would anyone want to access her medical files?" Michelle asked.
"Mom, you know I was in the Rangers. My military contract ends in four years, and I want my daughter protected. Computers and databases are the newest inventions. They don't have a security protocol to protect the data. Eventually, everyone would get on board, and her privacy might get invaded," Frank replied. "The cyber attacks on computers since inventing the internet is a serious concern. The threat will only grow once everyone connects their computers to the internet."
"Chelle, our son is right. The Army plans to overhaul its filing system within the next few years. Before we know it, nobody will be keeping paper records. It's amazing how many people release information over the phone without confirming their identity. What name did you choose?" Francis asked, addressing the question to his son.
"Michaela Stefania Plummeri," Frank replied. "I've switched her first two names and used your father's surname before he landed in New York."
"We can still call her Stefania," Michelle gleefully said. She preferred to call Stephanie the Italian version of her name, thinking it sounded more sophisticated than Stephanie. "Why do we have this bank book?" The envelope contained enough cash to pay for Stephanie's medical care.
"Use that account to pay for her appointments when you run out of cash. It's registered under her alias. The birth certificate you're holding has her at age eighteen. Stephanie knows everything already. Please practice the answers with her. They need to become automatic to pass scrutiny."
Michelle and Francis nodded their heads. They would do as their son requested. "What if Stephanie isn't pregnant?" Michelle asked, hoping Frank had a plan for her granddaughter to continue living with them. She knew Helen would accuse Stephanie of having an abortion.
"Use the second ID set. It has her real birthdate, but her name is still Michaela Stefania Plummeri, or you can use her original ID," Frank promptly replied. If Stephanie wasn't pregnant, it meant Valerie was, and Frank wondered if that was why Valerie and Steve changed their wedding date to the Saturday after next, in two weeks today. Frank never believed Steve's transfer to LA was a factor. He wasn't supposed to start at the new office until September. Helen had argued that Valerie and Steve needed to find a house. However, Frank knew the company was providing them with a home until they saved enough money for a down payment on one.
"Excellent choice," Michelle said.
"Mom, does your friend still manage the lab?" Frank asked.
"She does. Is there something you need?"
"Yes. I need everything in this purse tested and compared to my DNA," Frank replied, tapping the purse with a finger.
"Why?" Francis asked.
"I overheard Edna telling Stephanie that Valerie may not be my child," he replied. "It's time to learn the truth."
Michelle and Francis exchanged a glance, which didn't go unnoticed by Frank. "Son, we suspected that for years. Helen never let us babysit the girls when we lived in Trenton and kept an annoyingly close eye on us when we visited," Francis said. Frank knew his father accepted the transfer to Raleigh's Army Corps of Engineers. At the time, he was one of the few Army men working at the organization until he stepped down from the military. The company still employed Francis, who was now classified as a civilian.
"The lab opens at 07:00," Michelle said. "I'll tell Cindy to expect you. What if you learn Stephanie isn't your daughter?" Michelle passed him a cup of black coffee. Frank took a sip and smiled. Nobody made coffee like his mother. Helen's coffee was thick like tar. She was a decent cook, but nothing beat his mother's culinary skills and delicious cuisine bursting with flavour.
"I don't need a paternal DNA test to prove Stephanie is my daughter. She resembles Nonna Plum too much for her not to be mine," Frank replied, watching his mother whip the eggs for breakfast in a large bowl. Michelle set the bowl aside to heat the pan she had already placed on the burner. Using a teaspoon of butter, Michelle greased the pan. Francis used butter to prepare the grill.
She dumped the eggs into the hot pan as Francis poured six dollops of batter on the grill to make pancakes. Frank's stomach grumbled as the tantalizing aromas filled the kitchen. Chuckling, Francis plated some pancakes and put them on the table for Frank to help himself. After taking a bite, Frank said, "Delicious as always. Helen never adds cinnamon to the batter." Michelle thought Helen omitted many spices and seasonings while cooking. It made everything Helen cooked taste bland.
Stephanie woke up when the delicious aromas permeated her bedroom door. "Pancakes and bacon," Stephanie mumbled as she stretched. She sleepily climbed out of bed to use the washroom. Her abdomen ached, so Stephanie assumed it was her body changing to accommodate the baby. She washed her hands and slowly descended the stairs to the main floor. The kitchen was to her left, and she followed the noise of forks scraping plates.
"Did you get enough sleep?" Michelle asked.
"Enough for now. I might need a nap later," Stephanie replied, rubbing her lower abdomen, which had started to hurt. She hugged her dad and Nonno before sitting at the table. Michelle rushed to the stove to whip up more eggs and pancakes for Stephanie, whose stomach impatiently grumbled.
Frank planned to spend the night at the house and leave early the following morning. He wanted to ensure Stephanie was okay and spend quality time with her before returning home. "Your mother called," Frank said when Stephanie sat at the table. Stephanie rolled her eyes and glared at her dad. She did not want to talk to her mom or hear anything the hateful woman had to say.
"That's nice. I hope Mom's not expecting me to return her call," Stephanie said. Grandma Plum put the plate of pancakes and eggs in front of Stephanie. "Grazie, Nonna."
Michelle replied in Italian, telling Stephanie she could make more if needed. Stephanie nodded. Michelle smiled when Stephanie understood the words and responded appropriately. Frank grinned when his mother caught his eye. He taught Stephanie Italian, much to Helen's dismay.
Her grandparents sat at the kitchen table to spend time with Stephanie as she ate breakfast. She could tell they wanted to ask her questions, but Stephanie was still too emotionally raw to offer a decent reply or carry a conversation. "I was able to get your course selections at the local high school," Michelle said.
Stephanie looked at her grandmother. "I'm pregnant. Isn't there a school for pregnant teens?" she asked. Stephanie didn't want to attend high school; she wanted to write the equivalency tests and finish that chapter in her life. Attending a public high school while pregnant was not ideal. She had a lifetime's worth of verbal abuse from Joyce Barnhardt and wasn't interested in encountering more bitches like her. Stephanie couldn't figure out why Joyce was so mean. What had Stephanie done to warrant such abuse?
"Yes, but you don't need to attend the special school unless you wish to change schools further along during pregnancy. The board won't prohibit you from attending the high school," Michelle explained. Stephanie nodded. She planned to take as many credits as possible before her child was born. However, she wouldn't need to attend classes if she passed the equivalency test. The idea of graduating without stepping foot in school was enticing. Stephanie planned to research what she needed to do to make it happen.
Frank checked his watch and decided to take the samples to the lab. "Daddy, where are you going?" Stephanie asked, afraid he was leaving for home. She hoped he would stay until the following morning.
"To the lab," he replied honestly.
"Are you running a DNA test on the stuff Grandma collected?" Stephanie asked; her curiosity always got her in trouble, but she hoped it wouldn't in this case.
"I am," he replied. Stephanie shovelled the food into her mouth, barely chewing it before swallowing it. "Slow down, Pumpkin. I don't want you to choke."
"Don't leave without me," Stephanie said. Frank raised a brow. "I want the lab to run a pregnancy test. It's supposed to be more accurate than the one you buy at the drugstore." Stephanie wanted other tests done, too. She was too embarrassed to tell her grandma about the itchiness of her crotch and the pain caused by urinating.
Michelle touched Stephanie's arm and asked, "Are you sure you want to do this now?"
"Yes, Nonna. I can't wait until Monday." If Stephanie read the signs correctly, which she thought with certainty, she was not pregnant because someone, likely Valerie, swapped the tests. It wouldn't change the outcome. Stephanie planned to live with her grandparents. A negative result wouldn't take away her mother's vile words. It wouldn't improve her reputation in the Burg because everyone would spread rumours that Stephanie got an abortion.
"What if it confirms the pregnancy?" Michelle asked.
"Then I would carry it to term. Would everyone get mad if I put the baby up for adoption?" Stephanie timidly asked. She wanted everyone to understand her intentions if she was pregnant. A positive result would only seal her fate. Secretly, Stephanie prayed she was not pregnant.
"Not at all, Stefania," Michelle replied. "You do whatever you want. It's your decision." Frank and Francis agreed that it was Stephanie's choice.
"I'm too young to raise a child alone," she said. Stephanie was pleased to have her grandparents and father's support.
"I know my new birth certificate says I'm eighteen, but how does that work in the school system? According to my age, I should be nearing graduation."
"We can work on completing your GED instead. It's completely up to you. I have the paperwork and study guides," Michelle replied. "Why don't we figure out the medical stuff before getting ahead of ourselves?"
"That sounds like a plan," Stephanie said, smiling. She stood to take her plate to the sink. Michelle smiled as she removed it from Stephanie's hand and motioned for her to go with Frank to the lab.
Stephanie squirmed in her seat and nervously twisted her fingers as Frank drove to the lab for tests. "Pumpkin, what's bothering you?" Frank asked.
"If the test is negative, would I have to return to Trenton?"
"Only if you want," Frank replied, assuaging her fear.
"What would happen if Valerie isn't your daughter?"
"It depends on your mother's reaction," Frank answered. "Only the truth will prevent me from divorcing her."
"I'm sorry," Stephanie sadly said, lowering her head. She wiped the tears off her cheeks. "I don't want to be the reason you and Mom get divorced."
"Pumpkin, none of this is your fault," Frank said.
"But you're wrong, Daddy. I willingly had sex with Joseph Morelli. If I weren't so curious, I would have told him to stop," Stephanie argued. She looked out the window, worried about the itching sensation on her crotch. Stephanie shifted on the seat, rubbing against the fabric to scratch the itch.
Frank resisted the urge to sigh at her attempt to scratch her privates discreetly. Stephanie probably had an infection transmitted from Morelli for having unprotected sex. He prayed it was something easily treatable like syphilis, gonorrhea or chlamydia. Frank feared Stephanie would be traumatized by contracting a communicable disease. He prayed her first sexual encounter didn't leave her with an incurable infection like herpes.
"Are we close?" Stephanie asked. "I need to pee."
"Soon," Frank replied, wondering how he would get a collection cup from Cindy without upsetting Stephanie.
Surprisingly, Stephanie said, "We should get her to test my urine for infections. Do you think it would be a problem?" She hoped the itchiness was from a yeast infection or a bladder infection because it also hurt to pee.
"No," Frank replied. It saved him from having to ask Cindy for a sample cup discretely.
Frank and Stephanie remained silent until they arrived at the lab. He knew Stephanie didn't like needles or going anywhere resembling a hospital or doctor's office. Stephanie took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She exited the car without Frank having to bribe her.
A woman around Frank's age, with long, greying hair pulled into a ponytail, welcomed them to the lab when they stepped inside. She smiled politely and asked if they had the paperwork for the tests. Frank explained the situation. "Oh, you're Frank and Stefania," Cindy said. "Sarah is our best phlebotomist. She has tricks to make taking blood virtually painless."
Cindy's kind face and sincere gaze from her amber eyes put Stephanie at ease. "I hope so because I hate needles," Stephanie informed her.
"That's what your grandmother told me," Cindy replied. "Don't worry about it. Sarah will take excellent care of you."
"Um…" Stephanie said, glancing at her dad before whispering to Cindy, "Can I have a urine sample cup to get tested for infections?"
"Of course," she replied, grabbing a sterile collection cup beneath the desk. "The washroom is down the hall on your left and the first door to the right."
Stephanie took the cup and walked to the washroom to pee. She unscrewed the cap before pulling down her pants. It didn't take long to fill it nearly to the top. Stephanie didn't know what to do with the sample. She didn't want to leave it behind, and there didn't seem to be a place to set it. The bottle label didn't have her name, so how would they know it belonged to her? Stephanie washed her hands and wrapped the container in a paper towel.
She opened the door and walked to the reception desk. "Where do I put this?" Stephanie asked, showing Cindy the sample.
"I'll take it," Cindy replied, pulling gloves over her hands to protect them from contamination. Stephanie handed her the warm container and watched Cindy remove the paper towel to attach the printed label. She deposited the sample into a cooler to keep it until she had time to test it.
A woman in her early twenties approached Stephanie. "Hi, I'm Sarah. Please follow me," she said. Sarah was tall for a woman—a few inches taller than Stephanie without wearing heels. She had pulled her long, straight brown hair into a pile on her head to keep it from falling into her face. The white lab coat was open, displaying Sarah's lean frame and casual clothes. Stephanie noticed Sarah clipped her identification badge to the pocket instead of the lapel.
"Take that seat," Sarah said. Stephanie followed her orders. Sarah grabbed gloves from the box at her station. She pulled them over her hands before lifting the tourniquet to wrap around Stephanie's left arm. The biting pain irritated Stephanie. Sarah touched the crook of Stephanie's elbow for a vein. "Hang on a second," Sarah said, removing the tourniquet. She returned a few minutes later, carrying a plastic disposable bag filled with wet, hot paper towels.
"What will that do?" Stephanie asked.
"Your veins disappear when I poke them. The heat will pull them to the surface long enough for me to collect a sample," Sarah explained. Stephanie was unconvinced it would work. "Trust me. I do this for a lot of patients." It must be one of Sarah's "tricks" Cindy had alluded to her and Frank.
Stephanie's arm was getting uncomfortably hot. Sarah smiled and removed the makeshift heating pad. She tossed it in the trash and pulled a new pair of gloves over her hands. Repeating the process from earlier, Sarah gave a triumphant nod and pierced Stephanie's vein to collect the blood. As promised, Stephanie didn't feel the needle. "You're good to go," Sarah announced, placing a cotton ball and tape on Stephanie's injection site. Sarah's eyes danced in amusement at Stephanie's surprised expression.
"That didn't hurt," Stephanie replied. "Thank you. How long will it take for the pregnancy test results?"
"We're not busy today, so it should be a few hours," Sarah said. "Some of your other tests will take a day or two."
"Who will receive the results?" Stephanie asked.
"Cindy will email them to your grandmother," Sarah promised. "If anything urgent arises from the results, Cindy will call."
Stephanie nodded and grabbed her purse to meet her dad near the reception desk. She tugged the tape off her arm and tucked it into her purse, smiling when her father tucked the one from his arm into a pocket.
Frank gently held Stephanie's elbow and guided her to the parking lot. He couldn't wait for the results.