No Bra Required! (23 page)

As Lucy let herself into the house, she sighed remembering
the last time she’d been here – packing up her clothes because…she didn’t want
to think of why.  It hurt too much.  She went into the kitchen and
spotted a note on the table.  It was from Hilary, telling Lucy about the
burst pipe. Attached to the note was the plumbers receipt for the replacement
piece of pipe and his labour.  Not bad for a couple of hours work, maybe
she should retrain as a plumber, Lucy thought with a dry smile.  Putting
the piece of paper to one side, she then made her way to the utility room, and
as she opened the door a pungent smell hit her almost immediately.  It was
caused by a pile of towels on the floor that had clearly laid there for the
last two weeks, drying slowly and leaving a smell of wet dog.

“Bloody hell,” Lucy cursed.

She remembered piling them in the wash basket on top of the
work surface when she had cleaned up the water, so the plumber must have used
them and not bothered to do anything with them.  Lucy wished now she’d not
left Hilary the blank cheque, otherwise she’d definitely be knocking this off
the bill.

As Lucy scooped up the towels to throw them into the washing
machine, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in the palm of her hand.  Pulling
her hand away, Lucy was shocked to see a deep cut across her palm, with dark
red blood pouring from it.

“Shit!”  She dropped the towels, and as she did so a
fairly large, rusty nail bounced on the floor and rolled towards Lucy’s
foot.  She tutted, wondering what it was doing wrapped in the towel.

Lucy quickly turned on the cold water tap, and stuck her
hand underneath the flow of water.  After a few minutes she pulled it away
from the tap, but the blood continued to form on her palm.  A further five
minutes beneath the water made no difference as blood still pumped from the
cut.  Lucy looked around and saw a couple of clean tea towels; she grabbed
them and wrapped them around her hand.  She’d been working at the surgery
long enough to realise that it may need a stitch, and as the nail was rusty she
would also need a tetanus injection, as she couldn’t remember the last time
she’d had one.  Going back into the kitchen Lucy picked up keys and made
for the front door.  On reaching it, she stopped dead.

“Shit, I can’t go to the surgery,” she cried running her
uninjured hand through her hair.

She didn’t know what to do, the surgery was five minutes
away, and the nearest A & E was half an hour in the car, but at least Ed
wouldn’t be at A & E.  After a couple of minutes thinking of her
dilemma, Lucy noticed that her blood had penetrated both tea towels.  She
had her answer, the surgery it was.

Lucy pushed open the glass door and took a huge intake of
breath, as she crossed the threshold.  Margery, who had worked opposite
shifts to Lucy, was tapping away at the computer behind the desk.

“Hi Margery,” Lucy whispered.

Margery looked up and smiled.  “Hello Lucy, gosh I
didn’t expect to see you here.  Richard said you’d had an emergency at
home, are you ready to come back?”

“No, I’m not.  I came to visit Callie.” Lucy held up
her hand.  “But, I’ve had an accident with a rusty nail.”

Margery winced as she looked at the now sodden tea towels
wrapped around Lucy’s hand.

“Oh dear, that looks nasty.  Take a seat and I’ll go
and see if Ellen can have a look at it for you, Dr Kindler is busy and Dr Bryce
is off this week,” said Margery rushing off to see Ellen.

Lucy felt her stomach lurch at the mention of Ed’s name, but
then heaved a sigh of relief that he wasn’t there; but Lucy’s heart was heavy
with the realisation that he was probably at the hospital, holding Katie’s
hand.

Lucy hated the fact that the mere mention of Ed’s name set
her nerves jangling.  Oh well, she’d learn to cope with it, she just
wouldn’t talk about him ever again.  Then she gave a hollow laugh, knowing
beyond doubt that Ellen was bound to want to talk about him, after all she’d
been Callie’s sidekick in getting Lucy back into town.

Margery came scurrying back, and nodded at Lucy. 
“Right go straight through Lucy, she’s got a free half hour.”

“Thanks Margery, I appreciate it.”

When she reached Ellen’s room, Lucy knocked before going
in.  A little nervous at what reaction she’d get, Lucy hesitated in the
doorway.

“Oh Lucy sweetheart, it’s so good to see you.”

Lucy had no need to worry, Ellen rushed forward and grabbed
Lucy to her chest.

“Owww,” Lucy cried, pulling her injured hand free from in
between her and Ellen.

“Sorry, sorry.  Come on let me have a look at it
then?”  Ellen carefully unwrapped the tea towels from Lucy’s hand. 
“Oooh nasty.”  Ellen winced.  “But you’re lucky; I don’t think you’ll
need stitches.”

Ellen worked in silence for the next few minutes, cleaning
and dressing the wound.  Finally, she sat back and eyed Lucy up and down.

“Okay madam, before I give you an injection in your arse,
tell me what’s happened.  Why did you bugger off without a word to anyone,
and why is Ed looking as though he’s sucked a lemon and the pips are stuck in
his teeth?”

Lucy dropped her head.  “I think you should ask Ed.”

“Have done, to be honest I forced him to tell me because I
was tired of seeing his miserable jib every day.  He told me that he had
no idea why you went,” said Ellen crossing her arms across her chest.

“Well he’s a liar, he knows exactly what he’s done.” 
Lucy started to swing backwards and forwards on the stool that she was sitting
on.

Ellen grabbed hold of Lucy’s knees and stopped her from
swinging.

“If it’s about Katie, then he doesn’t really have a choice.”

Lucy now looked up, her mouth wide open as she stared at
Ellen aghast.

“He’s told you about Katie?”

“That he’s given her a roof over her head, yes he has,
although he swore me to secrecy.  You have to see it from his point of
view, she’s the mother of his child,” replied Ellen as she leaned forward to
rub Lucy’s arm gently.

“Ah I see,” said Lucy nodding her head, irritation building
up inside her.  “It’s a roof over her head he’s giving her is it. 
Okay, so what about the bed, sorry let me re-phrase that, what about the place
in his bed?”  Lucy was sick of hearing about ‘poor old Ed’, and she used
the back of her hand to rub furiously at the angry tears that had started to
fall.

“Sorry,” said Ellen, a look of surprise spreading across her
face.  “What do you mean?”

“They’re having an affair Ellen.”  Lucy sniffed.

“But he’s lost without you, it doesn’t make sense.” 
Ellen shook her head.  “Are you sure?”

Lucy laughed emptily.  “Yes, I’m sure.”  She knew
she could say so much more, but simply didn’t want to relive that moment
again.  “Listen, can we not talk about it anymore, please.”

“If that’s what you want, but honestly Lucy, he looks
terrible.  He’s lost weight, he’s quiet and moody.  I just can’t
believe that he’d be like that if he didn’t care.”

“Please Ellen, no more!”  Lucy put her hand up. 
“No more…just inject me and then forget I ever came here.  I need to get
on with my life, and he, sorry I mean they, need to get on with theirs.”

Ellen sighed deeply.  “Okay Lucy.  Anyway, how’ve
you been?”

While Ellen gave Lucy a tetanus injection, Lucy talked about
her life over the last few weeks, and shared tales of some of the customers who
came into the shop.  Both women giggled and made general chit chat for
about fifteen minutes before Lucy announced that she ought to go before Ellen’s
next patient arrived. 

“You take care,” Ellen said, pulling Lucy into another
hug.  “Think about what I’ve said, he really doesn’t know what he did to
make you leave.”

“I will take care, but you think about what I said
Ellen.  He does know, but maybe doesn’t want to admit to anyone what he
did, maybe that’s why he’s sworn you to secrecy.”

“Okay Lucy, I hear what you’re saying, and I will ask him
about it.”

“Not on my account Ellen, please.  Give my love to
everyone, won’t you?”

“I will, but have you been to see Callie yet?”  Ellen
asked.

“Yes, I’m going to call again before I go home.  
Thanks for this, by the way.”  Lucy held up her bandaged hand.  “Take
care Ellen.”

“You too Lucy, you too.”

When Lucy arrived back at the house, she was desperate for a
cup of tea and something to eat.  An early start and eventful day had left
her feeling tired.  She yawned and decided that dinner would soon be
followed by bed.

Lucy turned the kettle on, and warmed some soup, all the
while trying not to think about Ed and Katie and what she’d witnessed at the
hospital.  While waiting for the soup, Lucy glanced at the calendar, her
Dad and Richard would be home soon, it was already the first week of
August.  Then something about the date struck a chord with Lucy, turning
off the hotplate she ran into the hall and picked up her bag.  She
scrabbled about inside it until finally she found what she was looking for; her
diary.  Flicking through the pages, her heart started to thud rapidly,
beads of sweat formed on her brow, and her stomach kept somersaulting as though
it were an Olympic gymnast.

“Oh God, please no,” she whispered.  “No, no, no, no,
no.”  Frantically she flicked back through the pages again, and again.

“Don’t do this to me, please, please don’t do this.” 

Lucy placed a flattened palm against her chest, afraid that
her heart was about to burst through it, it was beating so fast.  She
paced the room a couple of times, and then went back to the calendar and
studied it again.

“This can’t be right.  You can’t have let this happen.”
She picked up her diary. “You.  Stupid.  Stupid.  Woman.” Lucy
emphasised each word by hitting her head with it.

Then as the enormity of the situation hit her, Lucy’s legs
began to shake, her palms became clammy, and a chilling sweat enveloped her
body.  She had to be wrong, it was a mistake surely – but deep down she
knew it wasn’t.

“Shit, this can’t be happening to me.” The words were barely
audible as Lucy slid to the floor and cried.

“How can you be pregnant?”  Sarah took Lucy by both
shoulders and stooped to look up at her face that was staring down at the
floor.

As soon as dawn had broken that morning, Lucy had fled back
home to Cheshire, forgetting all about her promise to visit Callie again. 
She needed to see Sarah, for yet more support, and hopefully to find out that
she was wrong.

Lucy pulled away from her.  “How, well what happens is
you have a man and a woman …how the hell do you think it happened?” Lucy tutted
as she pushed the heel of her hand against her forehead.

“I
mean
how have you allowed it to happen? 
You’re normally so careful, Mrs Sarky Knickers.”

 “I don’t know, Sarah, I’ve taken my pill religiously.”
Lucy pulled herself away and flopped down onto the sofa.

“Are you sure, you didn’t forget at all, did you?”

Lucy shook her head and reached inside her bag for her
makeup bag.

“No, I wouldn’t forget.  Here, look, I kept it for some
unknown reason,” she cried thrusting an empty blister pack at Sarah.

“Hmm,” Sarah muttered looking at the pill packet.  “So,
you take it for twenty-one days and start again seven days later, so when
should you have started taking it again?”

“Today.”  Lucy frowned at Sarah, she knew all this so
why was Sarah going over it again?

Sarah’s looked perplexed as she contemplated Lucy’s
problem.  “However, yesterday you realised that you’d not had a period in
the gap, is that correct?”

Lucy looked at Sarah quizzically.  “Yes Miss Marple,
but I can tell you “Whodunnit”, Dr Bryce did it, in the dining room with his
penis!”

Sarah frowned and
shook her head.  “I am
trying
to make a point here if you don’t
mind!”

“Okay, make it
then,” Lucy shouted sulkily.

Sarah continued, ignoring Lucy’s tone. “So if you’re sure
you haven’t missed any, there must be another explanation?”

Lucy screwed her face up and shook her head. “So, that’s
your point, there must be another explanation.  Well done Sarah.”

“Well I’m not a doctor am I?” Sarah started to giggle. 
“Hey why don’t you ring Ed and ask him?”

Lucy gave Sarah a withering look. “I’ll ignore that
comment.”

“Sorry,” Sarah replied solemnly.  “Seriously though you
need to think really hard about this.”

“What difference does it make how it happened, it’s
happened.  I’m up the duff without a paddle!”

“Very true, hey you could sue the pharmaceutical company who
made the pill.  Perhaps it’s a dodgy batch…Lucy, are you listening to me?”

“Oh shit.”  Lucy was reading a piece of paper that she
taken out of the contraceptive packet.

“What?”  Sarah peered at the paper.

“Read that bit about being sick.  Christ, I’m such an
idiot.”

Sarah read the part that Lucy pointed at.  “Well, were
you sick?” she asked.

Lucy nodded.  “The day after the party, when you told
me not to have more wine. I spoke to Ed after you left, and it didn’t go well,
so I drank another bottle of wine and ended up being ill as I hadn’t eaten
anything.”

Sarah put an arm around Lucy.  “How sick were you?”

“I think I threw up at least twice.  Bloody hell, how
pathetic am I, getting drunk like that just because my boyfriend didn’t ring
me?”

Sarah pursed her lips and nodded.  “Hmm quite
pathetic.”

“But I was upset and hadn’t eaten anything.”  Lucy
cried, pleading her case. Suddenly she put a hand to her mouth and
groaned.  “Oh shit, I didn’t take my pill the next night either, I took
two on the Tuesday evening.”

“You plonker, this paper says you’re supposed to take them
within twelve hours?” replied Sarah, poking Lucy in the arm.

Lucy nodded as she bit her bottom lip. “I know that now.”

Sarah sighed and hugged Lucy.  “Sorry Luce, but it
looks as if you’ve cocked up, so to speak.”

“This is a nightmare,” Lucy cried burying her head in her
hands.  “Let me look at the stick again.  It definitely shows a
positive result doesn’t it?”

Sarah reached behind her for the test and poked it in front
of Lucy’s face.

“Oh yes, it’s very positive.  The darkest blue plus
sign I’ve ever seen on a pee stick!”

“Not funny Sarah,
again
.”  Lucy snatched the
test from Sarah and re-examined it, turning it over and over in her fingers as
she looked at every detail of the stick.

“It is a real one, just like the rest of them.”  Sarah
pointed to another eight tests that had been discarded on the armchair opposite
them.  “Look shit happens and, unfortunately, it’s happened to you.”

“Where’s the one that tells you how pregnant I
am?"  Lucy stood up and started to look through the pregnancy tests
that she’d purchased from two different chemists.  “Here it is, huh I told
you, two weeks.  I bet you it was the day I got back from here and he had
me on the sodding dining table.”  She threw the test back with the others,
and then sat down again.

“I’ve always liked the name Country Oak for a baby…no not
funny, okay.”  Despite the sombre mood, Sarah had to smile.

“What am I going to do, Sarah?” Lucy asked tearfully. 
“How could I be that stupid?  The whole point of me taking the pill was so
that I had control of the situation.”

“I don’t know sweetheart, but you were a tiny bit
stupid.”  Sarah held her hand.  “Anyway, let’s forget about how it
happened, it’s happened,” Sarah replied.  “You now need to decide what
you’re going to do.”

“I can’t Sarah, I just can’t think about it yet. 
Please don’t make me.”  Lucy let her head fall back and she stared up at
the ceiling.  “One thing I do know, believe it or not I’m not going to get
rid of it.”

Sarah asked, “Even though you’ve been adamant about not
wanting anymore children?”

“Yes.  Despite everything I’ve said, and that I’m
petrified, I couldn’t get rid of it.  Sorry, but you’re going to have to
put up with me being a quivering wreck for the next couple of years,” Lucy said
smiling weakly.

“That’s not a problem, I’ll always be here for you, but what
about Ed?”

Lucy turned sharply to look at Sarah.

“What about Ed?”

“You need to find out if he’s going to be there for you
too.”

Lucy shook her head and stood up.

“No.  I won’t be asking for any help from him
whatsoever.”  Lucy started to pick up the used pregnancy tests and throw
them into the carrier bag that she’d brought them in.

Sarah put a hand out to stop Lucy.

“Lucy you have to tell him.  If not now, at some
point.”

“Please don’t tell me that he has a right to know,” Lucy
said snatching her hand away and continuing to move the sticks.

“That’s not what I meant,” Sarah cried.  “I was
thinking about the help that he should give to you, if not practically then
financially.”

“I don’t need his help.  Anyway, he has his own family
to care for.”

“I know that, but Nate might like to have a brother or
sister.”  Sarah winced expecting Lucy to throw the tests at her.

“Nate will have a brother or sister.  Katie’s pregnant
too.”

Sarah gasped and flopped back onto the sofa.

“You’re joking,” she cried

“No unfortunately I’m not,” said Lucy.  “He’s been very
busy has Dr Bryce.”

“Are you sure, how do you know?”

“I don’t know for definite, but I’m pretty sure.”  Lucy
told Sarah all about seeing Katie at the hospital.

“Hmm, she may not be.  You just said you thought she’d
seen you, so maybe she just did the old stomach patting thing, and going into
maternity to make you
think
she was pregnant.”  Sarah thought that
Lucy was possibly right about Katie, but if Katie was as sly as Lucy said, then
it may well be a pretence.

“Maybe, but it doesn’t matter anyway.  Who cares
whether she’s having his baby or not.”

“Okay, well if you’re adamant that you don’t want him to
know, you’re going to have to think very carefully how you do that.  He
lives in the same town as your father.”

Lucy gasped.  “Oh shit, I never thought of that, what a
bloody mess.”  Lucy hung her head.  “I don’t want to think about it
anymore today.  I need to ring the hospital and leave a message for
Callie, she was expecting to see me today.”  Lucy pulled her mobile out of
her bag, and started to look for the number that she’d saved.  “She’s
another one that I’ll have to keep it from because there’s no way Callie will
be able to keep it quiet.”

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow, because to be honest Luce, I
can’t see how you can keep this from him for long.”  Sarah gave Lucy’s
head a consoling pat as she left to make them both a strong cup of tea.