Kendall's hands trembled as she tried everything possible to stall for more time, terrified of the slender box in her hands. She read the pregnancy test instructions over and over again, trying to calm her nerves and find the bravery to get it over with. Shawn nervously watched her body language, noticing her hands shaking. He knew the weight of their situation and fully understood what was happening to her, but he had never seen her in such a terrified state. The air was so silent he could hear the box rattling while she read the directions.
"I don't think I can do this..." Kendall whined, closing her eyes and dropping the box on the counter.
"Come on, you've got this," Shawn gently encouraged her, "I'm right here."
"Shawn," Kendall sighed stressfully, looking up at him, "I can't even open it! And what happens if I really
am
pregnant!? What happens if-"
"Hey, listen to me!" Shawn snapped, grabbing her hands to keep her from melting down, "Kendall, look at me."
Her eyes welled up, and her breathing shook as she stared into his eyes, struggling not to panic. Shawn's intoxicating touch, which usually made every bad thing go away, did not have the same effect this time, and she felt helpless against her anxiety. The overwhelming bondage of being on the verge of their entire world changing against their will crippled her.
"I'm not going anywhere, ya weirdo," Shawn chuckled with a gentle smile, rubbing the tops of her hands with his thumbs, "and no matter what that thing says, I'm still gonna love you. Nothing will ever change that. We can handle whatever happens after this. I promise!"
Tears streamed down Kendall's cheeks as she listened to her brother pour out his love for her. It sounded pure and effortless. But as much as she wanted to calm down and trust him, she felt helpless against the clutches of her fears. Thoughts of their parents and friends abandoning them seeped in. The constricting terror of everyone shunning them for loving each other suffocated her. Kendall knew she wasn't ready to be put through such hell, and Shawn would never be able to survive it. He was far too gentle, dreading all forms of confrontation. She knew it would never be as easy as he tried to make it sound, but his bravery in the face of their dilemma was the only thing keeping her from panicking. His warm touch barely held her together as her emotions fizzed.
"What are we gonna do if I'm pregnant, Shawn?" She quietly sobbed, staring into his eyes, "we can't hide a baby! We can't just lie our way out of this!"
"Hey," Shawn reached up and rubbed her cheek, drying a single tear with his thumb, "what if we don't have to? What if you're not?"
"I guess you're right..." Kendall sniffed, realizing she was jumping the gun.
"Yeah," Shawn nodded with a warm grin, "let's see if you're pregnant before we panic about hiding a baby, okay?"
Kendall nodded, fighting to keep her tears in.
"Here," Shawn calmly opened the box and closed Kendall's hand around the pregnancy test, "remember. No matter what it says, everything will be okay."
"Promise?" Kendall's voice broke, stricken with anxiety.
Shawn nodded, holding his pinky out.
"You want me to stay out here?" He asked.
Kendall nodded, locking pinkies with him and looking him over with an embarrassed smirk.
"Sure," Shawn chuckled, loving her cute expression and respecting her boundaries.
Kendall nervously clutched the pregnancy test and approached the toilet.
"Okay," she sighed heavily, feeling her nerves jitter, "just... Don't be right against the door, okay? I won't be able to concentrate."
"I'll be all the way on the other side of the room, and I won't make a peep," Shawn answered reassuringly.
Kendall looked him over one final time as he closed the door for her.
"Hey," Shawn said with a gentle grin, peeking in from her bedroom, "I love you. You can do this."
"I love you too. See you soon," Kendall quietly responded, watching the door shut.
Shawn's demeanor changed immediately as he approached the bed now that Kendall couldn't see him, feeling his heartbeat pulsating behind his eyeballs. He folded his hands behind his head, huffing with stress as he paced around. The thought of having to become a father terrified him. How would their parents ever understand when the time came? It took everything out of him to keep Kendall's spirits high, and he could feel himself on the verge of buckling from his own anxiety. He knew Kendall needed his support to go through with the test, but he was just as afraid. The rest of their lives depended on its results, and the suspense nearly made him nauseous. How could he possibly be a good father, having so much left to figure out in life? He knew he wasn't ready for such a thing, and the idea of raising a child scared him because, in some ways, he still felt like one. Shawn had never been more grotesquely aware of how young he still was until now. The stress of the situation practically squeezed his lungs as he fought off visions of struggling to take care of a baby.
Kendall sat on the toilet, breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth, struggling to calm down. She held the pregnancy test with both hands, staring at it, fighting for the bravery to use it. With shaking hands, she finally lowered it between her legs, opting for the urinary method first. It took all of her focus and concentration to relax her body enough to pee on the stick. She closed her eyes, still trembling, but could finally wet the stick enough for proper results. Kendall stood up from the toilet, sliding her panties up in a hurry and setting the test on her sink. She washed her hands, staring at the strip, bracing for whatever may come.
"Okay, three to five minutes, it said..." She whispered stressfully to herself as she dried her hands.
Kendall had never used at-home tests before, relying on her doctor for weekly labs while trying with Bradley. She suddenly noticed she didn't have her phone with her as she looked around for it to use as a timer. She had left it downstairs. She palmed her forehead, wishing she didn't have to pace in her bathroom for the world's longest five minutes. As Kendall wandered the same steps repeatedly in a stressful manner, her eyes kept glancing for signs of results, and her brain spiraled. What would happen to them if the results were positive? What kind of chaos was their lack of self-control about to send them into? The very thought of having this talk with their parents made her want to vomit. Imagining the betrayal in their eyes tore her apart. How could she possibly expect them to understand her feelings for Shawn? Would they blame him first? How would she protect him if so?
Her eyes wandered to the strip again, causing her to freeze in place as a spec of color emerged. She rushed forward and yanked the strip off the sink, staring at it, holding her breath. As the two blue lines appeared, she panicked and reached for the box to reread the results, making sure she wasn't hallucinating from stress. Her arm went limp, and her eyes slowly wandered up until she was staring at herself in the mirror in disbelief.
"Oh, fuck..." She whispered with dread.
"No, no, no,