Accidental Pregnancy

Finding out that she was pregnant didn't scare Elena Harrington. She rejoiced at the news, happy about the growth in her family. On the other hand, being fired did. And that was what was happening right in front of her eyes. Reading the letter again, hoping she was misreading or misinterpreting, she couldn't help the words that came out of her.

"What? You can't do that,"she said incredulously. Looking up at the head of her team, Jessica Reed, her mind grappled to understand what was going on. She looked at the piece of paper in her hand, unseeing. This couldn't be happening. Spying movement from her desk, she let out a small shriek and grabbed the hands of her colleagues who were clearing her desk. She tried to stop them but Jessica's hands on her shoulders pulled her away. "Stop. This must be a misunderstanding. I can't be let go just like that. There are laws and rules."

"Elena, please understand. As much as I'd like to help you, I've checked with the relevant departments. All the proper channels have been traversed and everything has been approved. There's nothing else that can be done. So please allow Sheila and Priscilla to do as they're instructed." Looking at her desk while everything was packed, Elena felt so helpless. Why was this happening? Why had this been sprung up on her?

Her eyes becoming dry, she blinked and looked at Jessica again only to avert her eyes. She couldn't stand the pity in her eyes. A sudden rush of tears hung on the precipice of her eyes when she felt the familiar churning, the loss of moisture in her mouth as her body prepared to expel everything in her stomach. Her arms immediately pressed against her stomach, Jessica let her go. She knew what was happening. Everyone in the office knew.

Dropping into a chair, she hurriedly bent at her waist, her face pressing against her thighs. She hoped it would recede. She didn't need this final act of humiliation to punctuate her dismissal. She wanted to leave with her head held high. Well, as high as she could lift it when she had been hit with this sudden news. Her fingers clutching the fabric of her blouse tightly, she spoke to the tiny being in her womb.

Please, baby. Not now. Not now.

"Ugh, she's going to puke again,"one of the women, Sheila or Priscilla, mumbled in disgust. Elena was sure she meant to say it between the two of them but her sharp ears caught her words. She wasn't surprised by the animosity. The two of them had been the participants in the charity auction a four months ago and were unhappy that she had brought in more than them put together.

Four months ago. Her mind returned to the night she had met the man who had managed to withstand her at her snarkiest. The one who had gotten his friend to bid for her. The one who had left her without a trace after. The one who had left a piece of himself in her. The one she still couldn't get over even after four months.

Tears began to stream down her cheeks at the reminder. The memory was difficult enough on a good day but today, coupled with the bad news, she was hardpressed not to wail. She had a hard time stifling the sob as it was. The only good thing was that the nausea had finally abated

Slowly sitting up, she was surprised, and yet not, to find the women had left. She must not have heard them leave while she was trying not to cry in her final moments in the office. They must all be used to her tears since they appeared during odd times but she had managed to not cry, outright, since the symptoms appeared. Although looking at the pathetic items in the box made that difficult.

A small cactus, a picture of her and her best friend and some cards and items her colleagues bought for the office from vacation. Her calendar, her notebooks, her calculators. These were the only personal effects on her table. Everything else was the property of the company. It was sad that the last seven years in the company could be packed up so fast. And they all occupied less than half of the box used, which was the box that came with the printing paper.

Hastily wiping her cheeks, she turned resolutely to Jessica. Barely suppressing the urge to flinch at the look of pity in her eyes, she held out her hand. "Thank you for the years you have guided me. I hope we can keep in contact for any future opportunities,"she said. Jessica still had not grasped her hand and Elena was starting to feel silly holding it up. Just when she began to put her hand down, she was suddenly engulfed in a hug. Jessica was hugging her so tightly, she almost found it hard to breathe. But she relaxed into the hug and wrapped her arms around someone she would consider a friend if she hadn't been her supervisor.

"Let me know if there is anything I can help you with,"Jessica whispered into her ears. "And if I could have done anything about this, I would have. This was sprung onto me too. I certainly wouldn't want to let my best employee go." Her words soothed something in Elena. Even though she knew her dismissal had something to do with her pregnancy, it was gratifying to still be wanted. Tightening the hug for another second or two, they finally let each other go.

With a final smile at her favourite person in her department, Elena took her box and left.

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As the elevator was at the other side of the building. Elena was facing a long walk. But she didn't mind. It gave her time to start contemplating her future. The sun streaming through the window reminded her that it was just after lunch. That meant there was not a lot of people in the hallway. It also meant there was lesser people to witness her humiliation. Which was a great relief to her. She didn't know how she would survive with even more people knowing of her patheticness.

Her lips turning down, she forced her mind to return to the situation at hand. She needed a job. Something that preferably had pregnancy coverage. And a boss that understood that she had very bad morning sickness. Morning sickness that sometimes, well often, made her late. Just as she had began to come in late since the first morning she threw up. This brought her back to the moment she had finally taken her pregnancy test. Her lips tugged up as she remembered how she and Gail had jumped around in her room when the two lines had appeared. The only reason they had stopped was when Elena had had to throw up again.

Once her pregnancy had been confirmed, Elena had told Jessica and he had understood. Even though she had told her it was not necessary, Elena had begun to leave later than everyone else to cover the time she had spent hanging her head over the toilet. Everyone in the office was fine with the arrangement but apparently someone in the upper management was not. Which had led to her dismissal today. Her lower lip pouting out, she could feel tears returning to her eyes.

Widening her eyes, she began to returned to her options. Well, option really. She needed a job. She couldn't seek help from her family. The ties had been cut during her last year of high school. She had had little to no contact with them since. And she didn't want to trouble the one person she still kept in touch with.

She couldn't possibly ask her best friend for help. Her best friend, Gail Sheridan, was as different from her as night and day. While Elena was shy and the last person who would initiate any interaction, Gail was gregarious and the first person who would strike a conversation. And she had a bleeding heart. If anyone approached her on the street and asked for help or a donation, she would always be willing to listen and help. Elena, on the other hand, was more of a skeptic. So, knowing her friend, she knew Gail would be willing to lend a hand but Elena knew she had her own problems.

Thus that only left finding another position. And soon. She had frequent doctor visits due to her bad morning sickness, if it could even be called that since she felt it throughout the day. Though she did have savings, without health insurance, the doctor was going to sap most of it, leaving her destitute. That was not the situation she wanted to bring her into. Rubbing her slight baby bump, she began considering how she could go about finding work.

She knew travelling around would make her miserable. Even now, she had to make multiple stops to throw up. And that did not take into account the LA traffic. The many start and stops just worsened the nausea. So she was not looking forward to travelling all around LA for interviews that might not even pay off. But for her baby, she was willing to consider it. She only wished that she could find work within walking distance to her house.

Suddenly it felt like a light bulb had lit up in her head. She paused and frowned down at the box. It had occurred to her that if she looked for similar roles that she had been occupying, it would be difficult. But she couldn't afford to be choosy. Not if it affected the welfare of her baby. All of a sudden, she recalled the antique shop near her apartment. It was run by an elderly woman, Lara Begay. She was close to her grandmother's age, close to eighty. And whenever she had stopped by, Lara had always lamented her need for help. Since she knew about her pregnancy, Elena was sure she could work something out with her. She was willing to do anything.

Glad to have come up with a course of action, she felt the weight on her shoulders lighten considerably. Feeling moisture on her cheeks, she was surprised to feel tears when she brought her hand up. Hearing voices coming her way, she turned to the wall and hurriedly swiped them away. She started on her way again when she was hit with the unmistakable and unavoidable need for the toilet. Noticing someone approaching from her peripheral, she shoved her box in his arms, not caring whether he had caught it or not, and ran for the restroom.

Why, oh why, did her baby act up at the worse times?