My heart pounds as I fumble with the packaging of the test I m about to take. Since I was a teenager, my period has come every twenty-five to twenty-eight days. I am nothing, if not regular. The fact that this is day twenty-nine, and I don t have it yet, has me scared to death.

Glancing at my phone, I know I have thirty minutes before Bella gets to the office. She s also nothing, if not on time. Having a seat on the toilet, fully clothed, I read the instructions twice. ...