I sat on the check-up table as I waited for the doctor’s results. And boy was it taking forever. It was almost an hour before a short nurse came in to say in a reedy voice, “There was something funny with the tests and we need to take another blood sample.” And Reedy pulls out another needle and my eyes grow wide.

“Don’t worry honey it’ll only take a sec.” Too late. I was already sweating, hyperventilating as she rubbed the alcohol on my arm. I closed my eyes and tried not to think about the needle piercing my skin. But then I almost fainted when I felt some of my blood leaving myself.

Thankfully it was finished very quickly. Reedy skiddered out and it was another hour before my real doctor came in with a forlorn expression, “I’m sorry we kept you waiting so long…but we found something…that we weren’t expecting,” He sucked in a breath before continuing, “We found that you and your baby have contracted the virus HIV . Now there’s many programs…”

I ignored everything else the doctor said after HIV