The Runaway: A Stardew Valley Story

Bloody Meridith

For a horrifying moment, I'm crippled with absolute fear. There are soft sheets beneath me and tucked around my chin, sheets that are not the hardwood floors of my cottage. I must be back in Josh's bed. It must have been a dream, all of it. Finally getting away, getting help from Grandpa, and meeting all those new people. He probably went too far last night and knocked me out again.

"Ms. Junox?"

The voice is so startling that I jolt from my trainwreck of thoughts.

"Easy now, easy," the masculine voice speaks softly. "It's just me, Harvey. I'm the town physician."

At the mention of the town, I dare to open a single eye. What meets my gaze is not the sour face of my fiance, but the face of a scruffy-haired stranger with a mustache. I blink both eyes now to adjust to the light and find myself in something that looks like some of the clinics I had been to in Zuzu City but also could be someone's house.

"How," my voice breaks, and I have to begin again, "how did I get here?"

"You passed out at Robin and Demitrius's place, and they brought you here," a voice from the other side of the room says.

"What are you doing here?" I ask the figure looming in the corner.

Mayor Lewis takes a step toward me. "You don't have a next of kin close by so I have an obligation as mayor to be sure you're okay. Plus, your grandpa entrusted me with as much information about your situation as he could. Some things Dr. Harvey might need to be aware of." He says the last line with no hint of judgment.

"That being said, you still reserve the right to ask Mayor Lewis to leave at any time," Dr. Harvey assures me. "Doctor-patient confidentiality."

Seeing as Mayor Lewis is the only person I know in this room, I'm tempted to ask him to stay. However, also seeing as the "situation" Mayor Lewis mentioned also involves the fact that I am with child...

"Maybe just me and the doctor for now," I whisper without meeting the mayor's gaze.

If my mother or father had been present, they would have refused. They would have ground their teeth and dug in their heels. Did the hospital know who they were? Did the staff understand how much money they possessed? Who was paying for these services?

But Mayor Lewis just nods, quietly, and leaves without a word.

"Dizzy spells and heightened sensitivity are very common in the first trimester," Dr. Harvey begins, "but I'm still a little concerned. What are your eating patterns like?"

"Um, not great," I fumble over the words.

"Feeling nauseated when you try to eat?" He scribbles on a chart as he talks.

"Yes."

A nod. "Morning sickness?"

"Yes," I say, but to myself, I wonder if that's not a given.

"Do you have any ballpark ideas about how far along you might be?"

My knowledge of the human reproductive system is severely limited. I wouldn't even have known to take a pregnancy test if Gussy hadn't said something. Sex has always been a difficult topic for me to understand. The first time Josh and I were together... Well, I tried to ask Mother if those sorts of things were normal, but she just seemed pleased that he found me "adequate."

The vacant look on my face must have given me away because the doctor switches tactics. "Was this a one-time encounter or would you say you have been fairly sexually active recently?"

"Um, my fiance -- ex-fiance -- liked doing things every night unless I was on my period."

"Oh." Two bushy eyebrows lift slightly, but I can tell he tries to hide the shock. "I see, and when was your last menstrual cycle?"