Akeem

[pippa_flynn]

Straight away after Christmas Pippa had taken Fin's recommendation and gone to see Hex. He told her it was much too early to tell if she was preggers but he ran an STI panel, just to see. He told her it was a bit early to tell that, either.

Ever since, she had been peeing on sticks every few days, just waiting for her period to come. But it didn't. And it didn't. And now she was officially late. By two weeks. But every stick said negative. And so she had made arrangements with Hex once more, not wanting to go to her regular doctor because of her 'condition' as well as Akeem's. No, the NHS wasn't equipped to deal with Fae or werewolves.

And so she set a time to meet with Hex and then went to Akeem's shop to see if he'd come with her. No call, no text, she simply dropped in.

"Akeem?" she called into the book shop. "Are you in here somewhere?"

Comments

[leloupnoir]

Akeem's head popped into view from behind a doorframe, and then he walked into the main room of the shop. "Pippa," he greeted her with a small smile, walking over to her. "How are you?"

[pippa_flynn]

"On a schedule," she replied. "Are you too busy to slip away? I'm going to see a nurse I know."

That was all she really needed to say. She'd made no secret about all the sticks that were piling up in her bin in the loo. And they'd discussed it, ad nauseum, it seemed like. What if, what if...she needed to know for sure.

[leloupnoir]

"Oh, of course," Akeem agreed after barely a pause. "I'll close up early." And do the day's accounts tomorrow. "I'll just be five minutes."

[pippa_flynn]

Pippa stood waiting, bouncing from one foot to the other while she waited for him. When he'd finally locked up she jerked her chin toward the curb where a car waited.

"I got us an Uber," she said.

[leloupnoir]

Akeem climbed into the car after her and let her talk to the driver before settling back. "How are you, really?" he asked, reaching for her hand.

[pippa_flynn]

"Sick with worry. I can't sleep. I'm nauseous, which might be nerves or it might be...I've been keeping things together but every day that passes I'm more and more afraid, Akeem," she said, too frightened to coat the truth.

[leloupnoir]

Akeem brought her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers. "We'll know soon enough, now, one way or the other." He had no idea how long it would take; he reckoned that depended on how friendly the nurse they were going to was with the lab technicians.

[pippa_flynn]

"That's the hope," she replied, then leaned over and curled up against him.

Hex met them at the lab itself. He was waiting outside in the cold, a thick coat and a beanie pulled down over his ears. He smiled at Pippa, then held out his hand to Akeem.

"Hex," he siad.

"Can we just get this over with?" Pippa said.

[leloupnoir]

"Akeem," he introduced himself as he shook the nurse's hand, his left one on Pippa's back. He looked apologetic for her outburst, but said nothing, just went inside with her.

[pippa_flynn]

Hex took them inside. A girl at the desk buzzed them through a door and he took them to a room.

"Pregnancy and STI, right? Akeem, you want a test, too?" Hex asked.

Pippa pulled off her coat and hung it on the door. She was ever so slightly grey.

[leloupnoir]

"That's all right," Akeem shook his head. "A friend's taking care of mine."

[pippa_flynn]

Hex nodded and set about pulling out the supplies he needed.

"I keep peeing on the sticks and they're all negative, but I'm really late," she said as she rolled up her sleeve.

"That's alright. A blood test will give you a proper answer." Hex pulled on gloves and drew her blood, two vials' worth, the bandaged her up. "I'll take these to the lab. Give me about twenty minutes. Just stay here. And Pip, try not to worry," he said.

When he was gone, Pippa looked at Akeem.

"What if it's positive?" she asked. "We haven't really talked about it. If it's positive."

[leloupnoir]

Akeem took her into his arms, first, and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "It's your body. I'll be there, whatever you decide."

He did not want to be a father, but he would not abandon his child, if that was what she wanted.

[pippa_flynn]

"I don't know what to decide. I think on it and think, and some days I want to keep it and some days not, and sometimes it's hour to hour," she admitted.

[leloupnoir]

"It's not real yet," he told her, arms warm around her, chin tucked on her hair. "It might not be a decision at all."

[pippa_flynn]

"I know. I know. But I can't quit thinking what if. What if? I'm not ready for this," she sighed, holding onto him in return.

[leloupnoir]

"I don't think anyone's ever ready for an unexpected pregnancy," Akeem told her quietly. "But whatever happens, you're not going to go through it alone, Pippa."

[pippa_flynn]

"You keep assuring me of that, Akeem...but how do you know? You barely know me. I'm not nice. I'm really horrid. I'm selfish, and I can be ugly...How long until you decide enough is enough and be done of me?" she said, not even thinking of a child, only her past affairs that had lasted long enough for just that exact thing to happen.

[leloupnoir]

"You might want to be done of me, first," Akeem pointed out, cupping her face in her hand. "But if you want to keep this child -" if there was a child, "then we'll do the adult thing, and still be his parents, no matter what."

[pippa_flynn]

He was so calm and so strong. She didn't feel strong, she felt sick. Pippa allowed herself a moment of weakness here in the privacy of the lab room and she clung to him, fingers grabbing his shirt and balling into fists.

[leloupnoir]

"I'm here," Akeem told her quietly, moving a hand to her hair, cradling her head and holding her to him.

[pippa_flynn]

She stayed there, soaking up his strength. She didn't want to think about this anymore. It consumed her thoughts, day in and day out. She was getting to where she could barely function.

And then there was a knock and the door opened. Hex peeked in.

"Results are in," he said.

[leloupnoir]

Akeem dropped his hand from her head to her waist, so that she could stay in his arms to hear the results if she preferred that, but he would also let her go if she moved away.

[pippa_flynn]

She stayed in his hold but turned to look at Hex.

"You're negative across the board," he said. "And it was a blood test so...it's one hundred percent, Pip."

"Not pregnant?" she said softly. "Then why am I late?"

Hex shrugged. "Probably stress and worry. I bet if you had a xanax or two you'd start up."

It was rather crude but it got his point across.

Pippa paused, then closed her eyes and breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Hex," she said.

[leloupnoir]

"Thank you," Akeem added with a nod, and a small smile for the nurse. He felt rather weak with relief, he had to admit.