?Well, how long has she been standing there??
?I don?t know. About forty minutes??
?Jesus.? Eva sighed. ?She?s gotta be like, what? Thirty? Thirty-one weeks along??
The girl was across the street from the clinic, standing beneath the partial shade of the Wand-o-Wash sign, holding a cigarette in one hand while resting the other on her pregnant belly.
?She?s been coming by every week for a couple months now.?
Eva looked at her receptionist, dumbstruck. ?Why haven?t you said anything??
?Cause she?s a loiterer--? Eva didn?t let her finish the sentence. Rather she pushed through the door and out onto the street, leaving the coolness of climate control behind her. It was a hot muggy day. By the time she?d woven through the buzzing WestEnd traffic across the street, she could feel sweat dampening her back and her underarms.
She tried to make her approach look casual, coming towards the girl at a stroll. The nearer she got, the more details she picked up, like the girl?s dirty, stringy hair, the plastic bag hanging from her wrist, the sneakers nearly worn-through. And the girl couldn?t have been much older than fifteen.
Eva slowed as she neared. ?Hey.?
The girl looked at her, wary brown eyes taking her in. ?Hey.?
?Thirsty??
?Hunh??
?I was just gonna get a lemonade, but I don?t have any change. And you know Dodi? The lemonade guy? Well, he?s totally weird about breaking a silver. You want one??
The girl looked at Eva, uncertain. ?Nah, that?s alright.?
?It would really help me out. Seems like a waste otherwise, you know??
The girl bit her lower lip and flicked her cigarette back and forth with her thumb nervously. Then she nodded. ?Alright, sure.?
?Great.? Eva smiled and started to head in the direction of Dodi?s lemonade stand. ?I?m Eva, by the way.?
?Marley.? The girl?s attention bounced around the street as she followed along beside Eva.
?I?ve seen you around the neighborhood now and again.?
?Yeah. I come by once in a while.?
?I work at the clinic. You know, the one that opened up just across the street there, few months back??
?Yeah. I mean, I know.? The girl shrugged. ?You?re the doc, right??
Eva nodded. ?Yeah, I am.? She stopped in front of the lemonade stand, trading a silver for a couple cups of ice cold lemonade from Dodi, the goblin who ran the stand.
Marley took a last drag from her cigarette before ditching the butt in favor of the cup of lemonade. She gave Eva a small smile of thanks and immediately lifted the cup for a drink.
?Good, right? Dodi is the best.? Then she called over. ?You?re the best, Dodi!? Dodi raised a hairy hand and waved at Eva dismissively, trying to keep up his scowl. Eva laughed softly.
Marley?s smile grew a little too. ?Yeah, it?s good.?
Eva turned them back, starting them along the sidewalk in the direction of the clinic again. ?If you don?t mind me asking, how far along are you??
?Oh. Uh, I don?t know. I guess, like, seven months or something.?
?Ah.? Eva nodded, trying to keep her expression casual. ?Do you want to know??
?Nah, that?s okay.? Marley frowned a little, then looked at Eva. ?I can?t really afford it.?
?Well, that?s okay, babe. I don?t charge anything if you can?t afford it.?
?You don?t??
?Nope.? Eva paused on the sidewalk and turned to look at her. ?Why don?t you come inside. We?ve got climate control. You can sit down for a little while, enjoy your lemonade. And maybe we could get you checked out.?
Marley looked back at her, hesitating. ?I don?t know.?
Eva nodded, watching her. ?Are you scared??
Marley nodded, biting her lower lip again.
?That?s okay. I mean, it is scary, isn?t it? You?ve got some weird alien growing in your belly, making you pee all the time, and kicking you every time you try to sleep, right?? Eva smiled as Marley laughed ?But you know, if we talk a little bit, check you out, I think we can make it a little less scary. How does that sound??
?Yeah. I mean, I don?t know.? Marley?s smile faded again, the girl shifting her weight anxiously.
?What don?t you know??
Marley looked down at her cup of lemonade, tugging at the loop of plastic bag around her wrist. ?I don?t know. I don?t know if I can do this.?
?Do what?? Eva asked the question, her brow furrowing, but she already knew the answer.
?If I can have this baby.?
Eva drew in a difficult breath, her voice quiet. ?Yeah.? Gently she guided Marley closer to the buildings, clearing the sidewalk so others could pass by. Marley couldn?t look her in the eyes, tugging at the plastic loop hanging heavily on her wrist. Eva lowered her voice, watching the girl. ?Look, I?m not going to tell you this is going to be easy. But you can?t avoid it. You can?t ignore it. And I don?t think you want to. I think you want to know if your baby is okay. I think you?ve been standing out there, waiting outside my clinic, hoping someone would help you. So now it?s time. Okay? Let me help you.?
Marley nodded, then she shook her head. ?I don?t know if I can do it.?
?I know.? Eva watched her a moment. ?But it?s time.?
Marley didn?t say anything, as if she might avoid it if she just stood still long enough. Then finally, she nodded. ?Yeah.?
Eva nodded too. ?Okay.?
?I don?t know. About forty minutes??
?Jesus.? Eva sighed. ?She?s gotta be like, what? Thirty? Thirty-one weeks along??
The girl was across the street from the clinic, standing beneath the partial shade of the Wand-o-Wash sign, holding a cigarette in one hand while resting the other on her pregnant belly.
?She?s been coming by every week for a couple months now.?
Eva looked at her receptionist, dumbstruck. ?Why haven?t you said anything??
?Cause she?s a loiterer--? Eva didn?t let her finish the sentence. Rather she pushed through the door and out onto the street, leaving the coolness of climate control behind her. It was a hot muggy day. By the time she?d woven through the buzzing WestEnd traffic across the street, she could feel sweat dampening her back and her underarms.
She tried to make her approach look casual, coming towards the girl at a stroll. The nearer she got, the more details she picked up, like the girl?s dirty, stringy hair, the plastic bag hanging from her wrist, the sneakers nearly worn-through. And the girl couldn?t have been much older than fifteen.
Eva slowed as she neared. ?Hey.?
The girl looked at her, wary brown eyes taking her in. ?Hey.?
?Thirsty??
?Hunh??
?I was just gonna get a lemonade, but I don?t have any change. And you know Dodi? The lemonade guy? Well, he?s totally weird about breaking a silver. You want one??
The girl looked at Eva, uncertain. ?Nah, that?s alright.?
?It would really help me out. Seems like a waste otherwise, you know??
The girl bit her lower lip and flicked her cigarette back and forth with her thumb nervously. Then she nodded. ?Alright, sure.?
?Great.? Eva smiled and started to head in the direction of Dodi?s lemonade stand. ?I?m Eva, by the way.?
?Marley.? The girl?s attention bounced around the street as she followed along beside Eva.
?I?ve seen you around the neighborhood now and again.?
?Yeah. I come by once in a while.?
?I work at the clinic. You know, the one that opened up just across the street there, few months back??
?Yeah. I mean, I know.? The girl shrugged. ?You?re the doc, right??
Eva nodded. ?Yeah, I am.? She stopped in front of the lemonade stand, trading a silver for a couple cups of ice cold lemonade from Dodi, the goblin who ran the stand.
Marley took a last drag from her cigarette before ditching the butt in favor of the cup of lemonade. She gave Eva a small smile of thanks and immediately lifted the cup for a drink.
?Good, right? Dodi is the best.? Then she called over. ?You?re the best, Dodi!? Dodi raised a hairy hand and waved at Eva dismissively, trying to keep up his scowl. Eva laughed softly.
Marley?s smile grew a little too. ?Yeah, it?s good.?
Eva turned them back, starting them along the sidewalk in the direction of the clinic again. ?If you don?t mind me asking, how far along are you??
?Oh. Uh, I don?t know. I guess, like, seven months or something.?
?Ah.? Eva nodded, trying to keep her expression casual. ?Do you want to know??
?Nah, that?s okay.? Marley frowned a little, then looked at Eva. ?I can?t really afford it.?
?Well, that?s okay, babe. I don?t charge anything if you can?t afford it.?
?You don?t??
?Nope.? Eva paused on the sidewalk and turned to look at her. ?Why don?t you come inside. We?ve got climate control. You can sit down for a little while, enjoy your lemonade. And maybe we could get you checked out.?
Marley looked back at her, hesitating. ?I don?t know.?
Eva nodded, watching her. ?Are you scared??
Marley nodded, biting her lower lip again.
?That?s okay. I mean, it is scary, isn?t it? You?ve got some weird alien growing in your belly, making you pee all the time, and kicking you every time you try to sleep, right?? Eva smiled as Marley laughed ?But you know, if we talk a little bit, check you out, I think we can make it a little less scary. How does that sound??
?Yeah. I mean, I don?t know.? Marley?s smile faded again, the girl shifting her weight anxiously.
?What don?t you know??
Marley looked down at her cup of lemonade, tugging at the loop of plastic bag around her wrist. ?I don?t know. I don?t know if I can do this.?
?Do what?? Eva asked the question, her brow furrowing, but she already knew the answer.
?If I can have this baby.?
Eva drew in a difficult breath, her voice quiet. ?Yeah.? Gently she guided Marley closer to the buildings, clearing the sidewalk so others could pass by. Marley couldn?t look her in the eyes, tugging at the plastic loop hanging heavily on her wrist. Eva lowered her voice, watching the girl. ?Look, I?m not going to tell you this is going to be easy. But you can?t avoid it. You can?t ignore it. And I don?t think you want to. I think you want to know if your baby is okay. I think you?ve been standing out there, waiting outside my clinic, hoping someone would help you. So now it?s time. Okay? Let me help you.?
Marley nodded, then she shook her head. ?I don?t know if I can do it.?
?I know.? Eva watched her a moment. ?But it?s time.?
Marley didn?t say anything, as if she might avoid it if she just stood still long enough. Then finally, she nodded. ?Yeah.?
Eva nodded too. ?Okay.?