Mandy took a look at the little pack of pills she had in her hands. It was nearing the end of the off-color week, which meant she should have started her period. She hadn’t yet, and the month prior she’d missed as well. She was trying not to get all worked up as she put the pack of birth control pills back into her purse. She was assuming it was a side effect of being a ghoul, and resolved to ask Jacqueline – it was just that she couldn’t ask her anywhere in the house, just in case.
Fortunately, Jacqueline wasn’t even home just then, so she could use texting as an excuse. Pulling out her phone, she opened up the SMS messaging app, and scrolled for Jacqueline’s contact information before typing a short greeting and pressing send; all that was left was to wait for a response.
M: Hey, you got a minute?
J: Of course. Everything okay?
M: Everything’s fine 🙂 I was just contemplating the whole ghoul situation, and there’s some things that weren’t covered initially, you know?
J: Well, like what?
M: Oh, you know…are we totally in stasis, or do we still do things like grow hair, gain or lose weight, have a menses..that sort of thing.
J: We’re not vampires – they’re the ones in stasis. We are capable of changing, but it can be slow going.
M: Interesting to know 🙂 Thanks! I’m going to let Michael know, so he knows to keep getting that wrinkle cream, lol.
J: lol. See you later.
M: Later!
Mandy frowned. Again, she reminded herself not to worry. She tried doing some of the calming, clear mind exercises her Professor had been trying to teach her, but it wasn’t working – she was starting to stress hard. With a frustrated sigh, she got up off of her bed and grabbed first her coat, and then her purse, pulling the coat on as she headed down the stairs. She was going to go for a drive.
The drive took her to a pharmacy that was across town, where she bought a pregnancy test. She didn’t know if it would work properly or not, so she got a couple different tests, just to be sure. From there she headed to a McDonald’s, where she went to the restroom before ordering, in order to take the tests. She locked herself in a stall, unwrapped the first test, and took it, slid the splatter cover over the testing area, then set it on the flat top of the toilet paper holder. She proceeded to sit there, waiting the three minutes for the test to show results.
“Shit.” she muttered, looking at the results. She started to wrap it in some toilet paper, to take it to show Michael, then paused. Instead she laid it back down, then took the second test, looking at it again once another three minutes had passed – the second test held the same result. Now she tried to stave off a panic attack. With somewhat shaky hands, she laid both tests next to one another, and snapped a picture with her phone. The next step was to throw the tests away, and leave the restroom.
She washed her hands after tossing the tests, grateful there had been no one else in the bathroom. She could feel the panic attack coming on, but she was going to stave it off for as long as she could. Next, she stood in line, ordered a couple of large fries and a soda, then headed out to her car after they’d been bagged for her. Once in her car, she could no longer stave off the attack, and let it happen.
It was a longer attack, one that would leave her gasping for breath and wiping tears from her face. Once she was calm, she looked up information on her phone, on when she could have possibly gotten pregnant. With that information in hand, she looked at her calendar, and counted backwards. When she got to the rough time frame of when it had happened, she had another, more minor attack. After the second attack, she frantically fumbled through her purse for her phone, in order to text Michael.
I really need my best friend right now – please tell me you’re home! Potentially imminent EDR!
She waited for the response text before driving, the fries forgotten for now. She just hoped Michael remembered that the EDR code stoof for Extreme Dad Reaction. They’d never really had to use it before that she could remember – but they had it, for either of their Dad’s, just in case. Please be home, please be home – don’t be at the outreach center, please be home.She chanted in her head, over and over until she got a response.