NINETY

"Good morning ma'am," the nurse standing behind the counter greeted Malvika in a brisk, Curt but polite tone. She glanced up at Malvika, her eyebrows quirked up. "How may I help you?"

"I'm here for a pregnancy test," Malvika answered in the quiet time that she had been using the past few days. It had been three days since she took a pregnancy test at home. Haley and Sharon had advised her to take a proper test at the hospital to confirm first but she had been so reluctant to do it. It felt so much better to leave be in denial than to come out and face reality. But eventually, she realized that she couldn't continue running away from it. She needed to face the reality. "I'm here for the pregnancy test," she repeated and watch as the woman's brows shot up in a judgmental look.

"I heard the first time," she answered, taking a subtle glance at Malvika's fingers. She drew out a drawer and brought a form. "Why don't you fill this out form first?" she asked.

Malvika collected the form. "Al