S is for Sadr

Robbie Chen arrived at Jackie's house around 7 p.m. They'd arranged to get together that evening for dinner to discuss their case load in a more leisurely place than the precinct. Ever since the dummied video that had almost landed them in jail and had put them on the lamb from their own police department, Jackie had been uncomfortable at the office. She'd even mentioned, on occasion, that maybe she should think about looking for another job. He could see her point, but was trying to talk her out of it.

  

After knocking several times with no response, Chen tried the front door of Jackie's apartment to find it unlocked.

  

"Jackie?" he called out, stepping through the threshold. His calls went unanswered, the apartment dead silent.

  

Pulling his gun, Chen made his way into the living room. It appeared that someone was home. The TV was on, but the volume had been muted. Next he checked the bedroom. No sign of her there, but the bathroom door was open and the light was on.

  

Cautiously he made his way across the room and poked his head in the door. There she sat on the rim of the tub, staring fixatedly at what appeared to be a stick.

Chen holstered his weapon. "Jackie?"

  

She made no response, just kept staring at that stick. He noticed she was pale and her breathing was irregular. He waved his hand in front of her nose, but still she did not stir. He then tried to get a better look at the object of her focus, but she was holding it in a death grip.

"Jackie!" Nothing.

  

He glanced around the room, looking for some clue, when his eyes lit upon an empty package in the wastebasket. Stooping to pick it up, he turned it over to read the label. "EPT Fast Response Pregnancy Test". Chen froze a chill starting at his head rushed down to his feet.

Quickly he turned the box over. "Blue ‑ Positive, Pink ‑ Negative" it read.

  

Chen walked slowly over to Jackie's side and sat down on the rim of the tub beside of her. A quick glance told him what he already knew.

Blue.

  

"Oh.... my.... God...." was all he could say, staring at the stick now himself.

He turned to look at her. "Sadr...?"

  

Finally, a response; she nodded, biting her lip.

  

As Chen gathered her up in his arms he was already making plans for a trip to the future. "I'm going to kick his ass" he mumbled to himself.

  

I turned to him suddenly, pushing him away and shoving the tester towards him. “It looks blue to me, does it look blue to you?” I started off half-hysterically, “because it looks blue to me and it simply can’t be blue. Maybe it’s just broken.” I finished, lamely.

“Well, maybe you should take another one?” Chen suggested, hesitantly.

“This is the second one; the first one was awfully blue too...” I replied, my voice trailing off.

“Oh...”

I grabbed him by his shoulders, stick still clenched in my fist, and shook him. “But I can’t be pregnant! I mean, My God! The father hasn’t even been born yet! This is just too ridiculous, how did this happen?!”

Chen sputtered, his lips moving, but no comprehensive words exiting them.

“Well, of course I know how it happened, but how could this have happened?!” I snapped, answering my own stupid question.

“Oh!” I exclaimed, the enormity of it hitting me all at once.

The tears started slowly, but then fell rapidly down my pale cheeks. “What am I going to do? How am I going to tell him? Shit, how am I going to tell him?! He’s sixty years in the future, for God’s sake!”

“Definitely a 10 on the weird scale,” Robbie replied, trying to coax a smile from me.

I sighed, slumping forward to put my head in my hands. “Definately,” I mumbled.