Have The Upper Hand

The weekend sun cast playful stripes across the living room floor as Caroline entered Kimberly's apartment.

The scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, a comforting aroma that usually matched Kimberly's sunny disposition. Today, however, there were dark circles under her best friend's eyes, and a forced smile stretched across her face.

The first thing Caroline had wanted to say was to tell Kimberly that she needed to reduce her caffeine consumption now that she was pregnant, but she decided to hold back since she wasn't entirely certain yet if Kimberly had made up her mind to keep the pregnancy.

"You look terrible," Caroline said as she settled onto the plush sofa, her heart heavy with unspoken concern.

"Gee! Thanks for the compliment," Kimberly said dryly and Caroline grinned.

"How are you doing? Is the pain still persistent?" Caroline asked and Kimberly shook her head.