When Pain Reveals the Unexpected

Maya rushed to the bathroom, clutching her abdomen as a sharp wave of pain wracked her body. She barely had time to sit down before realising her period had arrived. The timing couldn't have been worse.

Sitting on the toilet, Maya tried to decipher the source of her discomfort. Was it period cramps, or was her stomach upset? She hesitated to move, not wanting to perhaps have some embarrassing accident.

Minutes ticked by, but in that period, the pain was too much to bear. Hunched over, holding onto her knees, Maya finally lifted her head and glanced down. Her breath caught. The toilet bowl was filled with blood.

Her period had never been this heavy this quickly before. Her eyes lingered on the dark red liquid. Were those clots? She'd had clots before, but nothing like this. These were unnervingly large.

Blinded by pain, Maya still managed to clean herself up and reach for her phone. She dialled into a quick text to her best friend Erin.

"I'm in awful pain. Period cramps. My flow is so much heavier than ever, and these huge clots. Could the parasite medication have messed with my period?"

An hour went by before Erin finally replied. Maya was getting more anxious and her condition was not getting better.

“Oh good, the parasite is out," Erin texted. "Sorry you're in pain, though. I'll drop by after work."

Maya's eyes widened as she blinked, reading the message again. Confused, she typed back:

"No, I haven't pooped yet. I just got my period."
Erin's reply came quickly:

"Yes, and that's why I said the parasite is out."

Maya froze. What was Erin talking about?

“What do you mean the parasite is out?"
she typed, heart pounding.

"What kind of parasite comes out through your period?"

Erin's response sent the chill of blood down her veins:

"An embryo, duh!"
Maya gazed at her phone with a confused expression and disbelieving look on her face. How could Erin say such a thing? She hesitated a bit before typing on her phone with trembling fingers:

"Embryo?? What the hell are you talking about?"
This was what Erin hit her with:

"You said you took the meds. Those meds can flush out an early pregnancy. The cramps and clots? That's the embryo passing. Guess it wasn't a parasite after all, huh?" .
Maya's stomach roiled. Her chest constricted and breathing came shallow. She tried desperately to think; memories of the last few weeks were racing through her mind. Could Erin be right?

“I wasn't pregnant!" Maya shot back, her thumb hitting send so hard it hurt.

Erin replied almost immediately:

"Uh, hate to break it to you, babe, but you totally were. That's how it works. You should probably go to the ER if the bleeding doesn't slow down, btw.

Pregnant? The word echoed in Maya's head like a cruel joke. She clutched the edge of the sink for support, the cold porcelain grounding her as her thoughts spiralled.

Flashes of memory surfaced: one night, a few weeks ago. She had been careful—or so she thought. But now, everything feels hazy and uncertain.

Another message buzzed on her phone.

"I'll grab you some pads and painkillers after work. Don't die on me, okay?"


Maya's breath hitched. Was that an actual possibility? The bleeding hadn't slowed, and the clots were like nothing she'd ever experienced before.

She lurches to the couch, using the phone like a lifeline. Her head is full of questions she doesn't really want to answer: if Erin is right about everything, what was going on in that bathroom?

Just as she is spiralling farther down, another spasm of pain sends her curled in on herself. The phone buzzes again, and Erin's name lights up on the screen:

“You called it a parasite earlier. Kinda poetic, don't you think? Let me know if you need anything else!"
Poetic? Maya wanted to scream. The word felt cruel, mocking the whirlwind of emotions she was battling.
"As she shut her eyes, an attempt to block out the world and the chilling realisation that, for weeks now, she had been fighting nothing, or at best, a sonnet,