199|Trade-Off

Marybeth reluctantly followed the nurse to the bathroom across the hall, well aware of where they were headed. When she saw the plastic cup, she knew the time for denials was over.

Ten minutes later, Dr Khan was delighted for her as he showed her the positive pregnancy test.

"Congratulations, Marybeth! You're going to be a mama!"

"Are you sure?" she asked, suddenly unsure if she should laugh, cry, or scream.

"Absolutely sure," Dr Khan said, pointing at the line on the test. "It's a bit faint, and I reckon it's because you're still in the early stages of your pregnancy. But I've been in this business long enough to know a positive pregnancy test when I see one."

"Can we do another test?" Marybeth asked, praying the second test would refute the first.

"We can do blood tests," suggested Dr Khan, and Marybeth was on board.

Ten minutes later, with her blood work done and Dr Khan promising to get back to her in a few days with her test results, Marybeth left the surgery, feeling numb.

She'd