When they arrived at the station and had Debra parked the car, Jade got out, stood up, and the world suddenly went wobbly. She held onto the car but it was also unstable.

The last thing she heard was Debra saying, “Jade? Jade? Are you okay?”

When she opened her eyes again, she was in the hospital.

“Finally,” Debra said. She was with her partner Kate. Jade looked out of the window; it was dark. “We thought you’d never wake-up.”

“How long have I been here?” Jade asked.

“About five hours now, since you collapsed in the parking lot,” Debra said.

“Lucky you woke-up. The nurse said the doctor is on his rounds and should be here just now. You want us to leave?” Kate asked.

“No. I think I might need a bit of support for this one,” Jade said. Debra took her hand just as the doctor arrived.

“Hello, Detective.” Jade was happy to see it was Dr Nazir, still with the sexy smile, but this time not so exhausted. He looked through Jade’s chart. “Okay, so we ran some tests–”

“Am I HIV positive? Just tell me,” Jade interrupted. Debra and Kate looked at her, surprised.

Dr Nazir checked the chart again. “HIV didn’t show up in any of the tests, so I think we can rule that out.”

Jade wanted to shout with joy at the relief of hearing that. She’d already accepted it was a done deal; she was just waiting for the confirmation. She would never, ever have unprotected sex again. Ever, she promised herself. Cross her heart and hope to die.

“So why did she collapse?” Debra asked.

“I think that would be the pregnancy. She’s a first-time mother at thirty-five and the body’s in a bit of shock,” Dr Nazir said. “We’ll get a prescription for some multi-vits, calcium and iron pills. She’ll be back on top after that.”

Jade froze. Pregnant? “I … do you … think there is a mistake? I don’t think that can be possible.”

“Nope, no mistake. I can see from your face that you weren’t expecting this. Let me leave you to think about it. The nurse will come in to speak with you about some special precautions you’ll need to take as an older first-time mum. If you have any other questions you can phone me. But otherwise I think you’re fine to go home.”

Dr Nazir left and Jade looked at Debra. “Can you believe this? I mean, really! One stupid drunken shag in the backseat and I’m knocked up!”

“I guess our puppy Owen is a bit more powerful than we gave him credit for,” Debra joked.

“You’re funny. Another Trevor Noah you are.” Jade was no longer surprised; she was angry now. “How the hell did this happen?”

“I’m not sure we’re the best ones to ask,” Debra said. Jade couldn’t help but laugh.

Kate took Jade’s hand. “Ignore her. You need to think about all of your options. If you’re not up for this, you could always get an abortion. There’s nothing wrong with that. It has to be your decision.”

“Thanks, Kate. Yeah, honestly, I don’t have a problem with that option, but I need some time to think about everything. I was seriously not expecting this,” Jade said.

***

Tell us: What would you do if you were Jade – have an abortion or keep the baby? Are there other options?