“I can’t see getting any of you on the table long enough for that. Is that why you are all so fertile as well?” Meg asked.
“Some of us are. Some of the women have a hard time carrying to term. Shifting isn’t kind to pregnancies,” Luc said. “It’s why so many of us try to find wives that are human.”
“I can understand that,” Meg said. “And why you made the comment about birth control not being a sure thing.” She stood up out of the water and then stopped.
“Meg, what’s the matter?” Luc asked after noticing that Meg had gone silent.
“Um, nothing. Just wondering where my clothes are. I think I finally got the flood under control,” she said.
Luc didn’t believe her. He sniffed the air. He could smell the sudden onset of nerves. Standing up, he walked over to Meg and turned her face up to his. “Let’s try this again. What’s wrong?” he asked.
Meg knew that tone in his voice. There was no avoiding the thought that had sprinted through her head. “Um… I just realized that um… my cycle is late,” she said softly.
Luc just nodded, knowing by her body language that she was not totally happy about this thought. “How late?” he asked treading gently.
Meg thought for a moment. “I think about four or five days,” she said at last. She was dry enough by now to start dressing. All of a sudden, the mountains were too far away from civilization for Meg.
Luc watched Meg dress while he put his own clothes on and tied his boots. “How in the hell do I handle this?” he thought. “I’d love it if she were pregnant, but I don’t want to influence her. Our relationship is just firming up, and oh hell! Where is Ginny when I need her?” He walked over to where Meg was pulling her water bottle out of her pack. After she took a swig, he took it from her hand and wrapped her in his arms.
“When we get home, if you want we can get you one of those tests. What you do with that information is up to you,” he said.
“Luc, I’m not sure if I’m ready to be pregnant. Hell, I’m not sure I could cope. I love playing with Joe and Sara, but …” she trailed off.
“Meg, I’m not sure I’m ready to be a dad. Nor am I ready to have to put that piece of paper in front of you,” he said as it dawned on him that that might be part of the problem. While she had never said anything either way about the agreement, it isn’t an easy thing to deal with for either party.
“Really?” she asked.
“Really. It’s your body. Your decision,” he said. “Gods! This is difficult!” he thought.
“Okay. Would you mind if we headed home a day early?” she asked. “I will not panic! I will not panic! Oh god! Oh god!” she thought.
“Not at all,” he said and grabbed the packs so they could head down the hill. He stopped and turned to face Meg about twenty yards down the trail.
“Meg, I want you to know something,” he started.
“Yes,” she said.
“Regardless of whether or not you’re pregnant. Regardless of whether you keep or abort any child, I will stand by your decision,” he said.
Meg wrapped her arms around him. “I love you,” she said.
“I love you too,” Luc said holding her tight. “Gods I love you!” he thought. “And that was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever said to anyone.”
*
The trip down the mountain was quick. When they got to camp, they packed up in record time. They headed down the trail to the car. When they got there, they tossed the stuff in the back and hopped in. Luc drove to the radio chattering away. Meg was distracted, and he didn’t know if he should interrupt or just let her be. Finally, he couldn’t take it any more.
“Meg, what are you thinking?” he asked.
“Um… I’m trying to figure out if I’m pregnant, and how I got there on the pill. I’ve never forgotten it. Never skipped a pill. Ever. And then, my mind is going in about eighty directions. Do I keep it? Abort? Wait? Trying really hard not to panic too,” she said.
“Okay. Do you want to talk or just sit in silence?” he asked. He really felt out of his depth on this. “This is Ginny’s area of expertise,” he thought.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I never thought about having kids. Hell, I haven’t had a decent relationship except for you and …” she trailed off again.
Luc reached his hand out and took hers in his. He gave it a squeeze. She squeezed back. They drove the rest of the way home like that.
*
They stopped at the grocery store and Meg ran in to buy a pregnancy test. She was looking it over as she got into the car.
“It says that it might not test right if I’m not pregnant enough,” she said.
“Okay. Is that why they give you two?” he asked.
“Yeah. If the first one is negative, you’re suppose to wait a week and test again. Gods, I don’t know if I can take the stress,” she said. “Oh, and we have to wait until the morning to do it.”
“Huh?” Luc asked.
“It says to do it the first time you have to pee,” she said.
“Oh. Okay. Do you want to talk to Ginny?” he asked as they turned down the street to their house.
“Do you?” she asked.
“Yes!” he answered. “I’ve never felt so out of my depth in my life. Ginny has always been there when I didn’t have an answer, and I’ve been thinking about her all the way down the mountain,” he admitted.
“So have I,” she said. “I’ll call her when we get inside.”
“Okay,” he said as he parked the car. “I’ll get the packs while you call.”
Meg nodded and headed inside. Luc unpacked the gear while Meg phoned Ginny. He could hear the conversation. Some days having wolfish hearing was a benefit.
“Ginny will be here in about twenty minutes. I didn’t tell her what we wanted to talk about, just that we needed to talk to her,” Meg said.
“Okay,” Luc said and wrapped his arms around Meg.
*