My Ten-Year-Old’s Pregnancy Test Was Positive –

I looked at Sophie. She was watching all of us, trying to decide how frightened she should be.

“Is that what caused the headaches?” I asked.

“Most likely. It is also pressing near the pathways involved in peripheral vision.”

Sophie touched the side of her head.

“But what does that have to do with the pregnancy test?”

Dr. Shah pulled her chair closer.

“A pregnancy test does not actually look for a baby. It looks for a hormone called hCG.”

“The hormone in my blood?”

“Yes. Pregnancy is the most common reason for that hormone to appear. But some germ cell tumors can produce it too.”

No one spoke.

The truth was too large to enter the room all at once.

“There was never a baby?” Sophie asked.

“No,” Dr. Shah said. “You are not  pregnant.”

Sophie’s entire body relaxed. Then she studied the image on the monitor.