Chapter 24

Penne, seeing that Liz says nothing, takes the test and sees it's positive. Liz bursts into tears. Her friend hugs her, and they cry together. Penne gets some water and asks Liz to drink it and calm down. Penne tries to distract her by saying it will be great, that she will finally have a nephew. But Liz can't hold back and says, "What am I going to do with my life now? How did I let this happen? Why did I give in to Henry after being apart for months?"

Then her friend says, "Henry loves you. When he finds out he's going to be the father of your child, he'll come running to you. I'm sure of it." Liz confirmed with a barely audible voice, "I think so." Liz lay down on the bed, cried until she sobbed, and eventually fell asleep. Penne stayed by her side, stroking her hair, trying to keep her calm, because it was not good for her or the baby to be nervous.

When Liz woke up, it was already dark. Nick had already arrived and was sitting next to Penne in the living room. He had prepared a snack and set the table for when Liz woke up. She joined her friends and commented that Nick was already aware of the news. He replied that Penne had told him, but that she shouldn't worry, they would be around for whatever she needed. After all, if Penne was the godmother, he was certainly the godfather. Those words were enough for Liz to break down again. Penne tells Henry not to worry; Liz is very emotional, but she will be fine. Penne made a smoothie with strawberries for her to eat something. But since the nausea returned, she ran to the bathroom and stayed there for a long time. She took advantage of the time to take a shower, put on lighter clothes, and returned to the living room. She apologized to her friends; they talked a lot, and then everyone went to bed.

Liz could barely sleep that night. She got up very early, prepared breakfast, got ready, and waited for her friends to wake up to go to the appointment. It was not yet time, but she was anxious. Soon Penne came into the kitchen, followed by Nick. They had breakfast, and they left with Liz towards the clinic where she had scheduled her appointment. Upon arriving at the clinic, Nick dropped them off, saying to let him know when the appointment was over so he could pick them up. Then he said goodbye and left. Meanwhile, they went inside and had to wait for the doctor, who had not yet arrived. Liz couldn't sit still. She was very agitated and anxious. Penne was very worried about her friend and asked the secretary to serve her a glass of water. At that moment, the doctor arrived at the clinic, went in, and said she would see them shortly.

After a few minutes, the doctor asked them to come in. They both entered the office, sat down, and Liz told her everything that happened and what she was feeling; that she took a home test but wanted to be sure. The doctor asked Liz to change so she could examine her. Almost an hour later, inside the office, the doctor confirmed what Liz already knew but didn't want to accept as true. She ordered a series of tests, prescribed vitamins and medication for the nausea, and said to come back as soon as the tests were ready. Liz confirmed by nodding her head. She and Penne said goodbye to the doctor, who gave her private phone number and asked her to call anytime she needed. Liz thanked her and left with her friend.