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The waiting was driving me crazy, so I put the test stick aside, opened the bathroom door, and went to the kitchen. Hayley was sitting at the table, staring into her empty coffee cup. The thought of coffee made me nauseous again. I quickly swallowed. I simply couldn't be nauseous. If I wasn't nauseous, then I couldn't be pregnant.
Right?
When I cleared my throat, Hayley looked up. "Well?" she asked.
"I don't know. It's all taking so long. I'd rather wait here." I looked back and forth nervously.
"Oh, Isabella." Hayley stood up and pushed her chair back. She came over to me and took me in her arms. "I'm sorry I was so mean to you earlier. I shouldn't have laughed at you. That wasn't right. Can you forgive me?"
"Of course." Relieved, I hugged Hayley. "It... I understand why you laughed. It was a little funny."
"Still. I should have been more considerate of your feelings." Hayley pulled away from me and looked at me seriously.
"Yeah. Because that's what you do with pregnant women." This time I was the one making a joke. But Hayley didn't laugh. She had apparently meant her request for forgiveness seriously.
I grinned at her. "You can laugh, you know."
Hayley looked at me uncertainly. Then we both burst into laughter together.
After we had calmed down, Hayley gently nudged me in the side. "Come on, go get your test. It's been three minutes now, so we should be able to see if you're pregnant or not."
I nodded and went back to the bathroom with my heart pounding. It felt like my fate would be decided in the next few minutes.
Heads or tails?
Pregnant or not pregnant?
I opened the bathroom door and went to grab the test from the shelf above the sink. There was no test there.
No test?
Frantically, I scanned the shelf. Toothpaste. Face cream. Toner. Dental floss. Deodorant. Hand cream. Perfume. A lipstick.
No pregnancy test.
I looked around searchingly.
Where on earth had I put the damn thing?
On the windowsill?
No.
Next to the toilet?
No.
"Well?" Hayley called from the kitchen.
I didn't answer.
My eyes scanned the edge of the bathtub. Nothing. I checked the shelf above the sink again. No pregnancy test. My gaze swept over the large laundry basket, the small cabinet, and the towel rack.
Nothing.
"What's going on?" Hayley stood in the doorway.
I turned around pitifully. "I... I can't remember where I put the test."