Impossibilities

I’m revisiting Elle’s story again. This follows fairly closely from this part of the story here

Was it possible?

Becca looked even closer at the pregnancy test. She squinted, as if it might make the second pink line disappear. No, it was still there, practically jumping up and down, mocking her disbelief.

It was a good thing she hadn’t bought one of those new 3-D tests that projected a holographic image of a newborn baby when the test is positive. That probably would have caused her to fall over from a heart attack considering there was NO WAY SHE COULD BE PREGNANT!

Yet…there it was. Two faint, yet very distinctive, pink lines. It wasn’t possible. But it must be. Those tests don’t lie. Do they?

Becca threw the test into the garbage and rushed downstairs to the kitchen. She grabbed her keys and jumped into the small electric car they kept for emergency trips that weren’t within walking distance. Becca needed another test but she had to go to a store in a town where no one would know her. Everyone around here knew she and Jason hadn’t qualified for a license.

She drove for almost 2 hours to a small remote town she had never gone anywhere near in her entire life. Inching along Main Street, she scanned the businesses looking for a pharmacy. She suddenly noticed a small placard in the corner of the Barber Shop window announcing that the pharmacy could be found within.

Becca parked her car and got out, looking around the town in wonderment. It was like she had stepped back in time. The vehicles on the street told her that she hadn’t entered a time warp but the rest of the town, from the buildings to the signage, to the cobblestones used along the sidewalks, forced her to briefly consider otherwise. A banner stretched across the street announced that Brooksville was celebrating its 200^th year as an incorporated township. The town motto boldly announced “Proudly staying the same, no matter what”.

Quickly she entered the barbershop and passed through the door at the back into a surprisingly modern pharmacy. She guessed that the modern vibe of this business didn’t gel with the rest of the town, hence its being located off the beaten path somewhat. She found the pregnancy tests and grabbed a few different brands. Some tested for one type of hormone that only showed up later in a pregnancy and others were designed to pick up variants almost immediately after the egg was implanted. She wanted to cover all her bases.

“Hello, find everything okay?”

Becca jumped and looked over at a smiling man in a white lab coat. She forced a smile.

“Yes, thank you. I just wanted to buy these.” She walked up to the front counter and pulled out her wallet. The man rang up the tests and put them into a discreet paper bag. As he gave Becca her change he said,

“I don’t want to be bold but might I say Congratulations? I know it’s not easy these days to qualify for the license.” He paused. “Would you believe there is a faction in town that wants to revote the Law? I’m sure you noticed the fact this town is stuck in the 1900’s? Well, they seem to think everything about the town, including the laws that govern it, should be accurate.”

He rolled his eyes, “That group is just one reason I’m stuck in the back of the barber shop instead of in a prominent street-side location. I wasn’t willing to be ‘historically-accurate’ enough for them.”

Becca smiled soothingly and made her escape. Her heart had begun to pound when he mentioned the license. All she wanted was to get out of this town and safely back to her own home.

As soon as she arrived home Becca bolted back upstairs into the bathroom. With rapid precision she used each of the four tests, laid them out on the counter, and sat down to wait. In moments the results were showing: a plus sign, a crying baby sound with a tinny ‘Congratulations’ repeated over and over, a happy face, and even the 3-D baby wiggling and smiling at her.

Becca sank down against the wall and began to cry.

This can’t be happening. We can’t have a baby. What am I going to do? What are we going to do?

The strain of everything overwhelmed her and she collapsed into an unconscious heap.

***

Jason arrived home from work excited with his news. He’d received a promotion at work that meant a very generous pay raise. If they watched their money carefully they might be able to save enough for the genetic testing Becca needed.

“Becca? Becca, I’m home! I have some fabulous news! We might be parents yet!”

In his excitement he almost crashed into her as she came out of the bathroom. She was cradling the five positive pregnancy tests in her hands. She held them up to him, her eyes wide, tears glistening in the corners. He looked at the tests, the 3D image of the baby growing faint as the battery powering it began to fail. His breath caught in his throat.

“We already are, “she whispered.