Chapter 19
1046 Words
The past week has been excruciating.
I wake up every morning to throw up and by mid afternoon I'm fine. I scarf
down twice as much food as usual only to throw it back up the next morning.
Stark is a bit freaked out so he called the doctor.
My mom suggested it might be pregnancy, but Stark and I just had s*x a
week ago and I was sick right after. It doesn't develop that fast surely.
I think it's some kind of freak food poisoning.
"Ready?" Stark asks. He's been a hovering momma bird, following me
everywhere lately.
I nod he leads me to the car so I can get a check-up.
........... . ...................
"No you are most certainly pregnant ma'am. There's no way it's food
poisoning," the doctor says with his stick and goo on my stomach.
"I'm seeing the blip," he says to Stark while watching the monitor.
My face pales.
"It's not possible. The sickness started a few hours after our first intercourse! It
should take weeks!"
The doctor frowns and writes something on his clipboard before wiping the
cream off and pulling my shirt back down.
"Have you slept with anyone else in the past month?"
I'm ready to say no until I remember Archer. My face falls and my mouth flops
open in horror.
Tears prick my eyes as I turn to see Stark with and equally sad and furious
expression.
He gives my hand a light kiss before sighing and sitting next to me.
"Could we have a minute doctor?"
The slightly grey haired man walks out and silence fills the room.
It takes a few moments, but Stark clears his throat and speaks up.
"Whatever you want to do with this baby... I'm here for you. No matter what
you decide."
He fiddles with the promise ring on my finger and I delivered into thought. It
will only take a few minutes for me to consider all the options and decide.
I think about having a baby that is the product of rape. I wouldn't love him or
her less. I would however be reminded of that terrible night whenever the
word father is brought up. I would have a child before I'm ready, before Stark
is ready. We aren't even married. He did just quit his job, or got fired as we
assumed, and we need a means of income.
There's my business, but I know Stark will want to work too. He's been saying
he wants to open his own gym and it's difficult to start a business with a
newborn baby. Archer would try to see this child as it grows up and I never
want to see him again. He could fight for custody and my child would be
raised by a rapist. I'm not even fond of children to be honest and I know Stark
only likes them in short bursts. His little sister is the only kid he really likes but
she's ten, not a newborn. Why bring a child into the world if you know you
won't be a great parent? It's selfish.
I look at Stark and put a hand on his cheek.
"I know what needs to be done," I whisper.
He looks a bit surprised but takes my free hand in his own, listening intently.
"Already?"
I smile as comfortingly as I can and tell him my decision.
"I'm going to get an abortion."
His face stays blank for a minute before relaxing his tense body. He gives me
a reasurring smile and kisses my forehead.
"Let me tell the doctor."
He walks out and by the time he comes back, more doctors are here prepping
me for the procedure.
I know I'm not going to regret this, but I certainly will not enjoy it. Luckily, I
caught the pregnancy before the baby could develop a heartbeat, this way it
won't feel a thing and I'm not actually "killing" like the protesters outside claim.
Stark holds my hand the whole time, but cringes and needs my comfort when
he sees the needle. How is he scared when he's not the one the needle is
touching?
The procedure is uncomfortable to say the least, but I know I made the right
decision.
...............................
3 days later
"How are you feeling?"
Stark leans down to kiss me on the cheek after coming back from an open
house building in the city.
"Good. How'd it go?"
He smiles brightly and pulls out a stack of papers with a picture on top.
"I bought this one. There's a midfloor and and upstairs so I thought I'd
separate out the equipment and alter the back part of the downstairs into the
locker rooms. Each floor is 4,000 square feet so it will be the largest and most
popular gum by far. We can make alot of extra money too since we have more
room forget members. There's nearly four times as many people allowed as
the normal capacity."
"Sounds like we're making bank."
He nods and lays down next to me.
"Once I get this gym up and off the ground, I want to go away with you."
I nod in agreement.
"A vacation?"
He smiles smugly now before turning over in bed and pulling out a box similar
to the one my promise ring came in.
"Now that it's been roughly two months," he says sarcastically.
"Just kidding."
He turns serious now and seems nervous.
Taking a deep breath he continues.
"In the last two months, I think we've been through more than most people will
go through in their lifetimes. There's still more to come and I wanted to ask if
you would be my wife for that."
He opened the box to reveal a diamond ring. The diamonds are all shaped
into the form of a rose at the top of the band. It's beautiful.
"I may have talked to your fathers about this and they said you always wanted
a destination wedding. How's Greece? Or the Virgin Islands?"
I don't mean to cry but I do. He even asked my dads.
I kiss him tenderly and whisper,
"Of course."
He exchanges my promise ring and replaces it with our engagement ring.
Everything is finally turning out right.
- Writer
