04| Crumbling slowly into ashes

"I'm, I'm what?" Valerie questioned, with a shaky hands, voice, and trembling lips.

"You're pregnant," He repeated, wondering why he was actually the only one with a smile on his face. It made him look a bit stupid as he watched the two ladies.

"No. No way!! I can't be pregnant. Do a test again, it might just be a bad fever." Valerie yelled, causing the doctor to flinch a bit in fear.

He turned his face to stare at Maya whose eyes were down, facing the floor.

"I don't understand, here's your test result Madam. Like I said, you're two weeks pregnant and that will be all." He really tried as much as possible not to sound hoarse because of his profession.

Valerie couldn't streched her hands to collect her result from him, but instead Maya did. "Thank you." Maya exclaimed pursuing her lips in displeasure.

As soon as the doctor walked out of the room and closed the door behind, Valerie tucked her head into her pillow crying and almost pulling out her hair at the same time.

"That's enough Val, you shouldn't kill yourself over something like it. " Maya comforted, but she wasn't going to listen to that shit.

Her heart was nearly at a point of blowing up. For hell sake, how could she be pregnant.

"How can I raise a baby without a father? What do I say when it arrives?"

"Val, you still have time to think about that. For hell sake you're stronger than this, way stronger. This child," Maya said pressing her hands gently against her stomach. "We'll raise it together, and give it the best live it would ever dream of, together."

Valerie was almost touched because she had a friend like Maya. For goodness sake, she didn't deserve such a friend. "We won't abandon this child like your parent did you you Val, trust me."

Valerie sat upright and pulled Maya into a tight hug while sulking. "I love you."

"Yunno what? This place sucks. Pay and let's leave." Valerie whined

Maya could only laugh, "What about your fever, your drips and your drugs?" She questioned back.

"Don't need any." Deep inside, she was hurting as hell and couldn't let what just happened slide or out of her mind. Maya had told her to but it was too hard to listen. She pulled out the drip from her hand and threw it. "I hate being here." Her voice becoming strict by the second.

"Chill young lady, I'll go pay the bills." Maya teased and then exited the door. Immediately she closed the door behind herself, Valerie saw that as an opportunity to cry out her eyes, she encircled her arms around herself like a like she was feeling cold and raised her legs to rest her chin on it. It was like the world was about crumbling on her the next second. Valerie didn't no a thing about raising a baby, and she also doesn't want to abandon hers like her mother did to her.

"It will all go away, like a morning due, it'll all dry away and I'll come to realize it'll all a dream Val, trust nature, trust yourself." Those were the words she tried using in deceiving herself. It didn't work at first, but when she continued uttering such words, she was starting to feel a bit better.

Maya walked in. "Alright Val, we're free to go, and I got some drugs just incase."

Valerie forced a smile on her face, "Thank you." She said, freeing her huddled body and lifting herself from the bed.

She followed behind Maya, walking and trying not to think, free her mind from all sort of thought.

**

"Go to sleep Val, I'll prepare something small and have you out of bed soon." Maya said immediately they were home.

Val didn't reply back, but instead she sluggishly walked towards the bed and laid on it.

Maya thought she needed space and decided to give her that. She walked towards the kitchen after dropping her bag but every second was used to watch her best friend. She has silently continued cursing Sam, but she also blamed Valerie for putting all of her trust on just one guy.

"Guys are jerks." Maya cursed under her breath, slicing some fresh veggies. "They all profess their undying love for you and end up being the losers to abandon you." She mused again pouring out all her anger and frustration on the poor veggies.

"That's why I'm never going to love."

After dishing out the food, she watched Valerie sleep for a bit more before being distracted by her phone.

Maya loudly tapped her head. "Me grumpy was calling." She cleared her throat a few times and then picked up the call.

"Sir."

"I need you to be here at 20 sharp, now." He ordered in a more commanding tone.

Maya rolled her eyes, mimicking every word of his as he spoke.

"I'll be on my way now." She tries saying but he had ended the call seconds ago. She scoffed wishing the man wasn't her boss, oh goodness, she would have used a fist on his damned nose and watch him bleed happily. Annoying, grumpy, too nosy, arrogant was just an understatement for his features.

She stared at Val one more time and walked back into the kitchen to bring another plate along.

"Eat when you wake Val, I'm off to work. I'm sorry but it was really urgent and I couldn't wake up from taking a nap. I love you." Maya texted, collected her bag and ran out of the house, gently closing the door behind herself.

Maya checked her wristwatch and her eyes nearly bulged out from it's socket when she saw that she had less than 15 minutes.

She stood at the road side desperately waiting for a cab, but none was forthcoming.

"Oh God." She said, and decided to go running all the way.

It felt like the traffic was taking forever to change its colour back to green and every second, she had her eyes on her wristwatch.

Immediately it showed green, Maya didn't wait for another second, she took just 3 steps and was immediately nearly hit by a car which screeched and forcefully tapped on the breaks to stop.

"Hey Mr, are you insane, or blind? Didn't you see the light?" She yelled.

A young man in his late 20 walked out from the car and rested on it. "Take a look." He said with a smile that immediately irritated her so much.

Maya forcefully cocked her head backwards and stared at the light finally realizing it had been red all along. Was she seeing things?.

She cleared her throat when no words was forthcoming. She isn't the type to apologise for anything and so she wasn't going to.

"Let's call it a tie, you had no idea, and I also had no idea. Deal?"

He slide his head sideways indicating his disapproval. "No."

"Fine, tell me, what do you want?" She questioned, still not willing to apologise.

Her eyes mistakenly went to her watch and she nearly screamed out her lungs. "What the….."

"Taxi.." she called and immediately a cab stopped, she ran towards it ignoring the young man and got in.

"Oh no you aren't, not without an apology.." The young man said, got back into his car and happily followed the taxi.