Gene felt her phone ring in her handbag, just as the doctor was looking through her folder - the one the nurse left with him. She was quick to reach into her handbag for it. She realised her mum was the one calling and Gene wasn't ready to answer. Well, at least not here, so she muted it.

The moment she lifted her eyes, she met the middle-aged doctor's stare and then his smile.

"I'm sorry." Gene apologised alongside a brief smile and the doctor's smile broadened.

"No problem. That's okay." He commented, and Gene felt grateful. She watched as he stared into her folder again.

"So, Miss Genevieve..." He started, before lifting his eyes back up to her. "... what brings you to my office?"

Gene spared a second to gather her thoughts about how she was going to present her case.

"I throw up way too often these days and I'm always tired and sometimes, I feel drowsy... I have a job that requires constant attention. I just want to be myself again." She listed, and the doctor nodded his head as he listened. He waited a little more to know if she had anything more to say, but she didn't.

"Okay." He started, as he got ready to jot down into her folder. "Anything else?" He asked, and she barely shook her head as she tried to rethink.

"Do you have an appetite or does it come and go?" He asked, aiding her to recollect, and she thought some more.

"Maybe. I'm not sure." She replied, and he nodded, jotting down some things. Gene couldn't help wondering what he was writing. She'd simply thought to herself that he would prescribe some drugs and she can have them and be herself again. This was taking longer than she expected.

"What about your period? When last did you see it?" He queried, and she couldn't help the light furrow that surfaced between her brows. She lowered her eyes, as she wondered what that has got to do with her complaints.

"Um... last month, I guess. I'm not sure. I don't keep count." She replied as she tried her best not to seem frustrated with the process or the questions. She lifted her eyes to him.

"Hmm." He added, as he lowered his eyes and began jotting down a few more things. Gene couldn't help worrying about what 'hmm' meant.

"Excuse me, am I sick? I mean, do I have malaria or something worse?"

He chuckled a bit as he lifted his eyes back to her. "I don't think you have malaria or something worse, but first, before I give you a proper reply, you'll need to undergo a few tests."

"Tests?" she repeated, and he nodded as he handed her a written prescription.

"Take that to the lab and we can have your result in about two or three hours. I'll see you again after that." He completed and though she felt slightly upset things didn't go as expected, she stood to her feet, thanked the doctor and was soon out of the office.

She was back at the nurses' station asking for help with directions. First, a nurse led her to where she was to pay the bill and then to the lab where they drew little of her blood. Gene thought about leaving, but she concluded it was best to wait for the result since the lab attendant assured her the results could be out for a little over an hour.

She was back in the waiting area, the same spot she'd sat in. To her, it felt like ages of waiting, but she was also more concerned about the result of the test. The doctor assured her she wasn't as ill as she might have presumed, but that did little to concede her curiousness.

She reached into her handbag for her phone and redialed her mum's number. A few rings and the older lady's voice came through.

"Hello." Gene started as she got up from her seat and made her way out of the building, so she was audible enough and not pressurized by random stares to keep her voice down.

"Genevieve." Her mum called to let her know she was listening.

"Good afternoon, mum." Gene greeted and her mother replied to it.

"Were you in a meeting? You didn't pick my calls earlier." Her mother pointed out and Gene lowered her eyes, wondering whether to let make mention that she was at a hospital, but then she pushed the thought aside. There was no need to worry her about something that might just be trivial.

"Um, something like that," Gene added, and there was a strange silence on her mother's part for a few seconds.

"Mum?" Gene called, worried that the call might have disconnected.

"I would like it if you came home for dinner tonight. Let's eat together as a family."

A light creased formed between Gene's brows.

"Mum..."

"Gene, please, come home for dinner. I let you move out when you decided to and all I ask is for you to visit a lot more regularly. We're worried about you. You barely call him or even me..."

"Okay, oh, I've heard you. You don't need to bring all that up." Genevieve interrupted her mother's charade.

"Alright. Be on time and take care of yourself." Her mother stated more cheerfully and soon the call disconnected. Gene stared at her phone for some time; maybe, she's the one being paranoid, but something about the call sounded different. She thought of the possibility that something was up but, eventually, shook her head.

She made her way back into the building. A little later than two hours, Gene had taken the result and was well on her way back to the doctor's office. She knocked and his voice came through, letting her in. He recognised her and brightened up a smile on his face. She smiled as well as she handed the result over to him before taking her seat.

She watched him open up the folded the sheet and nodded his head as a brief smile curled upon his face. Gene simply wanted to hear the result. She felt tired from waiting. As if reading her mind, he lifted his eyes to her.

"Miss Genevieve, you're not in any way ill. In fact, you're a little over three weeks pregnant. Congratulations." He cheered alongside a broader smile.

Gene stared at him blankly and without an expression.

"What?" she asked, and it would seem she hadn't been paying attention to him.

"I said you're pregnant. You're going to become a mother." He emphasized and as Gene stared at him, she felt her world gradually sink in as the word 'pregnant' rang in her head.

How... how is this possible? It can't be. Her mind doubted, even though she very well knew the truth. Gene felt her heartbeat gradually pick up its pace. Her world was slowly turning upside down. Pregnant. That was on a whole new level for her.

"There's nothing to worry." The doctor added as if understanding her state of dilemma as Gene lowered her eyes.

"You'll have to return in the next two or three weeks and we can check up on the fetus through the ultra scan. For now, eat healthily and I can prescribe a drug that can help with that. My only concern would be your age."

Genevieve's eyes were back on him.

"There are a few complications that could result because of your age but, we can avoid that, hopefully if you visit often as scheduled." He explained.

The moment Gene stepped out of the building, she stopped. Her thoughts were a whirlwind inside her head.

A child. She mentioned in her head and thereafter shook her head. She knew nothing about being a mother; talk more about raising a child. Her family. What would her family say? Her mother would be so disappointed and won't let her hear the end. How was she going to face society? A spinster such as herself, pregnant at thirty-seven? She's going to be the laughingstock of everyone.

Elliot. Gene shut her eyes in frustration as she ran a hand over her head. It wasn't embarrassing enough that she'd slept with him and now she was carrying his child. Her situation couldn't get any worse, could it?

She had to admit, she felt scared; terrified of what the future had in store for her. She couldn't cry. Gene felt too puzzled, worried, and terrified at once to shed a tear.

That evening, Gene drew in a deep breath to calm her nerves and practiced a few smiles before stepping down from her car. She can't let her mum or anyone else catch on that she wasn't okay. She made her way past the gates and into the small compound, walking past the car her father usually drove and sometimes her brother. Once more, she practiced another smile before reaching to attempt a knock on the door. Suddenly, the door opened and her mother stood at the entrance smiling at her.

"My beautiful daughter..." her mother called in their native dialect, as she was all smiling. "... you came." She ended before embracing her in a quick hug. Gene knew she was being weird and something definitely had to be up. "Welcome." She added as she dragged her along with her into the house.

The moment Gene looked away from her mother; she met a familiar face seated in the living room. One she hadn't in her greatest imagination believed would stand in her family home and a little to his side. There was Elliot.