Tap. Tap. Tap.

As Lilly slowly but carefully made her way along the corridor of the apartment building, the rhythmic tapping of her cane was the only indication she had that she was making any progress at all. Lilly counted the taps in her head, using them to track how much farther she had to go. It took fifty-five taps before she was at the right apartment; she had made sure to count them when she had first made the journey, and she had not forgotten it. Presently she was at forty-two.

It had been just under a year since she had been due to leave Japan to work for her father up in Scotland. She had stayed because of Hisao. The pair having since graduated from Yamaku, Lilly had found herself a job more locally and had bought herself a modest house in the town nearby, while Hisao had moved on to the local university and was living in an apartment in the city. That same apartment was her destination today. The pair's love had strengthened greatly following Hisao's recovery from that second heart attack, and had never wavered. Today, however, Lilly feared that could be about to change.

Tap. Fifty-three. Tap. Fifty-four. Tap. Fifty-five. Lilly turned, took a small step forward and placed the palm of her free hand against what she hoped would be the door to apartment 214. After a moment's search her fingers found what she was looking for: a cold metal plaque, with the number "214" deeply engraved into it. This was indeed the place. She took her hand away from the door, then rapped smartly upon it with her knuckles.

After a moment's pause she heard the door open, and then she heard Hisao's voice. "Hey, Lilly." he said casually, then, in a slight more concerned voice, "Shouldn't you be at work right now?"

"I called in sick." Lilly's voice carried its own faint note of concern. "Hisao... there is an urgent matter I must discuss with you. May I come in?"

"Uh... of course." Hisao sounded a little confused, and Lilly couldn't blame him, especially when she herself didn't have all the facts. Not quite yet. In any case, she thought to herself, I have to tell him. This concerns him as much as me.

Lilly heard another small creak as Hisao opened the door wider, and soft footsteps as he stood aside to let her in. She stepped forward into the apartment, cane once again tapping out her progress. As she heard the door close behind her, she turned to face the sound; or rather, she turned to face Hisao, knowing him to be somewhere in the vicinity of the sound but, without any sense of vision, unable to face him exactly. It always secretly pained her that eye contact, apparently something so vital in important situations such as this, was beyond her.

"So, what's this urgent matter that's more important than your work?" asked Hisao. His voice attempted to sound casual, but Lilly could pick up something in his voice that told her he was very much afraid of what the answer might be. And I don't blame him, she thought to herself.

Lilly took a deep breath. "Hisao..." she said, her voice quiet, "I think... I think I'm pregnant."

The last word seemed to echo in the silence that followed. Lilly didn't have to see Hisao's face, or hear Hisao's eventual response, to know that the news had stunned him. She had expected that reaction.

"Pregnant?" Hisao eventually repeated. "Y... you..." His voice fell silent for a moment, and when it returned it again had that false calm about it, as though he were forcing himself not to freak out. "Why do you think that?"

"My period is late," replied Lilly frankly. "At first I wasn't concerned, but it's been a few days now, and... I'm worried."

It took Hisao a few seconds to formulate a response, but eventually she heard him say, "You said you think you're pregnant. You don't know for certain? Have you taken a-"

"Pregnancy test?" Lilly finished Hisao's question for him, then smiled. "No, I haven't. In fact, that's why I've come here. Of course I intend to take a pregnancy test, but I need someone to read the result for me." Lilly reached a hand into her pocket and took out a small rectangular box, that she knew from the Braille printed on the side contained a pregnancy test. "I hope you don't mind?"

"No, of course not," said Hisao. "Are you going to take the test right now?"

"Yes," said Lilly; then, deciding to try and lighten the mood, she added, "Sadly they don't do Braille pregnancy tests."

"How would that even work?" asked Hisao.

Lilly pouted as her attempt at humour fell flat. "Exactly," she said. "Now then, shall we get this over with?"

Lilly held out her arm, and Hisao linked it with his own, gently directing her towards the bathroom - she hadn't used it enough times to memorize its location within the apartment yet. Once she was inside, and the door closed behind her, Lilly opened the box and took out the test stick, holding it between her slender fingers. It's funny, Lilly thought to herself. I thought tests would stop determining my future once I left Yamaku, but here I am with another test that could change everything forever. The question is, she thought, as she began removing her skirt, do I want to pass this test, or fail it?


A few minutes later and Lilly emerged from the bathroom, pregnancy test in hand. It had already beeped to tell her that it had the result; now, it was time for that result to be revealed.

"Is it ready?" came Hisao's voice. Lilly turned slightly so she was facing him - more or less.

"Yes." she replied. She held the pregnancy test out in front of her for Hisao to see. She could feel that the hand holding it was trembling. She could only imagine how nervous Hisao was at this moment. "So, what does it say?"

Lilly waited. Moments passed, each one feeling like an eternity as it crawled by. Still Hisao did not answer her; it seemed whatever the test result was, it has struck him dumb. Finally Lilly could deal with the uncertainty and anxiety no longer.

"Well, Hisao?" she asked, desperation creeping into her voice. "What does the test say? Hisao?"