Chapter Ten: Humiliation
Elena barely slept. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw those two lines. It was positive. She is pregnant. Impossible yet undeniable.
By dawn, doubt had crept in. What if the test was wrong? What if stress and illness had created a false positive? She needed to be sure. She needed a doctor to confirm what those two lines claimed.
The free clinic downtown opened at eight. Elena was waiting outside when they unlocked the doors.
The nurse who took her information didn't ask questions, women came here desperate every day. The wait felt endless. Elena's hands wouldn't stop trembling as she sat in the sterile waiting room, surrounded by other women with their own secrets and fears.
"Elena Rodriguez?"
The doctor was a tired-looking woman in her fifties who'd probably seen everything and judged nothing. She ran the blood test, performed the ultrasound with gentle efficiency, her face professionally neutral.
