“Congratulations” the nurse chirped as she entered the exam room. “The doctor says you can get dressed and meet him next door.”
Jenny started to ask what the pretty blonde meant with her congratulations but the woman left the room before she could get a word out of her mouth. Shaking her head in confusion, she supposed the nurse meant she had another clean exam. That was important given the fact that she’d recently had cancerous polyps removed from her cervix and uterus.
The tall, slim redhead was grateful for each day given the fact her mother and grandmother had both died from cervical cancer before the age of 40. “Thank goodness for medical progress,” Jenny sighed as she put on her leather jacket and stepped into her doctor’s adjoining office.
“So I take I’m still clean,” she mumbled as she took a seat. “That’s good news, right?” It was only then Jenny noted a concerned look on Dr. Martin’s face. “What’s up, Doc? Did your nurse get it wrong? Is the cancer back?”
“There no sign of that yet,” the older man admitted. “But I did discover something that disturbs me.”
“What’s that?”
“I thought I made it clear it was important you didn’t have sexual relations for at least two more weeks.”
“You did,” Jenny nodded. “So I haven’t. Max has been understanding about the situation.”
“Then how is that you are two weeks pregnant?” The gray-haired man looked at Jenny with sadness. “This could put your recovery in jeopardy.”
“Pregnant?” Jenny mouthed the words thinking she heard him wrong. “You said that wasn’t possible. Max and I have been trying for five years. Nothing worked; not even invitro and that was before the cancer. How can I be pregnant now? That’s not even dealing with the fact we haven’t had sex.”
“It won’t help the situation if you lie to me, Jenny.” The doctor stood up and walked around his desk, taking the chair next to his patient.
“That’s just it,” Jenny’s blue eyes bored into her physician. “I’m not lying. I haven’t had sex with my husband or anyone else since before the surgery. Hook me up to a polygraph. It will prove I’m telling the truth. Maybe it’s a false positive.”
“I suppose that is possible,” the doctor admitted. “I hope for your sake, it is. Anything that throws your hormones out of whack right now would be a bad thing.”
“You explained that to me,” Jenny muttered. “Every specialist I saw told me I can’t get pregnant so what is more logical here? Is it that I am pregnant or there’s been some kind of mistake?” Suddenly tears burst from Jenny’s beautiful eyes. “I almost wish it were true though. I’ve wanted a baby for so long.”
Dr. Martin reached over to pat Jenny’s hand. “You are right, my dear. It has to be an error. I shouldn’t have brought it up until I was absolutely certain. There is one more test I can run to rule it out. I’ll have the results before you go to bed tonight. Okay?”
“There’s nothing okay about any of this,” Jenny wailed. “Either way, I’m in trouble. If by some weird stretch of imagination I am pregnant, how do I explain that? If I’m not, then what caused the false positive? It could mean the cancer is coming back couldn’t it?”
“Let’s not jump the gun,” the kindly doctor returned. “Let’s run the last test and take it from there.”
Jenny nodded, realizing there was little else she could do. Still, as she stood to leave the clinic, she wondered how she was going to make it through the day.
On her way home, Jenny decided to go by the church and make certain the pastor didn’t need any last minute changes to his Sunday sermon. When she found nothing on her desk, she went into the sanctuary to pray in solitude. She began her prayers as she always did, thanking God for the blessings he’d bestowed upon her. After all, she was still alive.
Toward the end, her prayers turned toward her current situation. “I don’t know what new thing I must face, Lord,” she whispered. “I hope you will help me through whatever it is.”
“Fear not, child,” a voice whispered back. “I am with you.”
Jenny turned to look around the sanctuary, expecting to see Pastor Jones or one of his assistants nearby. There was no one within her field of vision.
“I have heard your prayers and answered them,” the voice soothed. “Do not be afraid. Through you I will test the will of man.”
“What does that mean?” Jenny remained kneeling but her hands shook as she spoke. “Test us how?”
“You will see,” the voice continued. “You must have enough hope to fill the world.”
“I don’t understand,” Jenny wailed as she finally stood. “Hope for what?” However, in her heart, Jenny knew that whatever the presence had been, it had already left the building.
Tears forming in her eyes again, Jenny returned to her car and drove home. She finished the chores of her normal work day and started fixing dinner when the phone call came.
“Jenny, this is Dr. Martin. I’m afraid I have some bad news,” he began.
“You were wrong about the pregnancy,” Jenny sighed.
“No, Jenny. I was right. You are two and half weeks pregnant. That means we have a big problem. If you have this child, your cancer could return affecting both you and the baby. If you choose to abort. . . .”
“That’s not an option,” Jenny shouted through the phone. “If I’m pregnant, I’m having this baby,” she insisted.
“Then you admit you lied to me earlier today about you and your husband,” the doctor started.
“No, I don’t. I told you the truth. I don’t pretend to know how I’m pregnant but, if you are right, then I take it as an act of God. I’m having this baby.” With that, Jenny hung up the phone. Only one thought remained in her mind: How was she going to explain the situation to Max?
Stay tuned for part two of Hope Floats.