Chapter 153 False Alarm
In the time that followed, I talked a lot with Katniss, most of the time she was talking and I was listening. From our first meeting until now, we have experienced ups and downs, joys and sorrows. Like we were meeting for the first time, we completely opened our hearts to each other, sharing almost all our secrets except for those related to Nathan and Katniss. The emotions that had been suppressed in our hearts were released, making us feel a bit lighter. With deeper sharing and communication, it seemed like the bond between Katniss and I was gradually strengthening.
"Honey, I might, I might be pregnant." Finally, at the end of our conversation, Katniss revealed the one thing I most wanted to know. She said these words with her head down, not letting me see her expression. Although she had hidden it with a kind lie in the past, she still seemed very guilty when she mentioned this.
"Really? Is it true?" I asked, pretending to be very surprised.
"I mean it's possible, I haven't checked yet." Katniss took a deep breath. We had been intimate frequently lately, alternating between Nathan and me. This was the only reason she dared to bring up this matter with me.
"There have been cases of contraceptive failure with the IUD, I know that. Being pregnant, isn't this perfect? Weren't we discussing having a second child? You were supposed to remove the IUD at the end of the year, so now it's just avoiding trouble." I said with a feigned sense of joy, unsure if my expression was genuine. After the recent emotional release, I felt much better. I said this not because I wanted a child whose father couldn't be determined, but to test Katniss one last time, to see her final thoughts and attitude. Her decision would also reflect whether she regretted it, and what the difference and proportion of feelings between me and Nathan were.
"No." Katniss almost had no hesitation, directly rejecting my words. It seemed like she blurted it out without much thought. Her thoughts should be the same as mine – if she were pregnant, the father of the child couldn't be determined, and she didn't want to keep it if it turned out to be Nathan's. Although Katniss's response was brief, it was reassuring to me.
"We are not prepared at all for a second child, and we haven't adjusted our bodies. If I am really pregnant, we have no way of knowing if our bodies are healthy when the child is conceived, so we can't keep this child." After Katniss's immediate rejection, she adjusted her emotions and began calmly stating her reasons.
"Really don't want it? If you're pregnant, you'll have an abortion, right? After all, it's a life." I hypocritically persuaded Katniss, to see if her attitude was firm.
"This child absolutely cannot be kept. Let's prepare for pregnancy again next year, okay? Honey, next year I will definitely give you a healthy baby." Katniss's attitude was very firm, resolute in not keeping the child, while also agreeing to have a second child next year. I responded with a feigned disappointment, but as I lowered my head to drink wine, a hint of relief and joy flashed in my eyes. Pregnancy was not what Katniss wanted, and her insistence on having an abortion indicated her stance. I didn't want to delve too deeply into this matter, as it was already done. If she was pregnant, it couldn't be changed, and I had to accept reality.
"Let's eat something, we've only been drinking wine, haven't touched the steak." Katniss cut a few pieces of steak for me with a knife and fork. We had been talking the whole time, and the atmosphere was quite tense, so neither of us had eaten any of the steak.
"Okay, you should eat some too." After our conversation, our mood relaxed a bit, and I started to have a little appetite.
"Tomorrow, honey, will you accompany me to the hospital? If I am really pregnant, we'll have the procedure directly. I hope you'll be there with me." Katniss chewed on the steak lightly. At this moment, she probably couldn't taste the steak, as all her attention was elsewhere.
"Okay, I'll take the afternoon off tomorrow to accompany you to the hospital." Since everything had to be salvaged, I had to let go of the past, seize the present, and prepare for the future, trying to go back to the beginning with Katniss.
"Honey, if I have the procedure, I want to go to my mom's place to rest for a few days, I don't want to be at home."
"Why bother your mom? Can't you rest at home? Nathan can take care of you at home." Katniss wanted to recuperate at Sophia's place after the abortion, which surprised me.
"No, it's better to recover at my mom's place, after all, Nathan is a man, and he's not comfortable with post-abortion gynecological issues." Katniss looked down at the steak and said softly. In fact, she and Nathan couldn't be more familiar. She was just keeping her distance from Nathan while I hadn't discovered their affair yet. It was true that if she didn't reject this matter, onlookers might think there was something between her and Nathan, that Nathan could take care of Katniss, but Nathan was indeed not comfortable taking care of Katniss's gynecological issues after the abortion.
"Okay, let's wait until after the check-up tomorrow."
After dinner, instead of taking a cab home, Katniss and I walked hand in hand on the street like our first date, enjoying the familiar scenery, savoring the night, and discussing topics we both liked. It had been a long time since we had such a heart-to-heart talk. Tonight was the day with the most communication between Katniss and me since we got married. We both enjoyed the happiness of the moment, as if at this moment we had forgotten all our worries, with our minds filled with memories and sweetness of our first date.
Sweet moments always pass the fastest. Unconsciously, Katniss and I walked back home and Nathan was still awake, as it was still early. He was watching TV. Following the normal communication in a typical family, I and Nathan had a conversation, letting go of some of the tension due to the conversation with Katniss, and our talk became more natural. Initially, Nathan was a bit reserved, but gradually he relaxed. After Katniss went back to the bedroom, she never came out again, probably not knowing how to face the conversation between me and Nathan at that moment, so she chose to avoid it.
I brewed a pot of coffee and chatted with Nathan while drinking. I told her about Katniss possibly being pregnant and going to the hospital tomorrow for a check-up and abortion. For a typical family, even for an abortion, you have to inform the parents, after all, it's about family bloodline. When Nathan heard the news of Katniss's pregnancy, she was very shocked, almost dropping her coffee on the ground. After the initial shock, a mix of emotions followed. If it were someone else, they might understand the excitement as the prospect of having a grandchild, but from Nathan's expression, I could see excitement, fear, and suspicion – he also wondered if the child could be his.
When he heard that Katniss and I were planning to have an abortion, there was a hint of relief in Nathan's eyes, but also a tinge of heartache. Perhaps it was the pain of Katniss having to undergo an abortion, or perhaps it was the pain of what was very likely the result of his intimacy with Katniss, the fruit of their love. However, he knew rationally that this child couldn't be kept. Although he had a selfish side, hoping to have a child with Katniss, he knew it was just wishful thinking. After all, if the child were born, no one could bear the responsibility, and the child would be the biggest victim. Nathan's expression was complex – a mix of heartache, excitement, but more so regret and self-blame. Nathan didn't oppose the abortion either; he probably knew that the child was most likely his, and this child absolutely couldn't come into this world.
That night, Katniss and I slept in each other's arms, feeling the warmth between us growing, while for Nathan, this night might have been a sleepless one.
The next afternoon, a colleague and I borrowed a car, as there were many things to do that day, and having a car would be convenient. We then went to Katniss's company to pick her up. Afterwards, I drove back home first. Since Katniss might need to recuperate at Sophia's place, she needed to get some clothes, so we went home to pack some clean clothes and toiletries, getting ready. Nathan was at home, sitting on the couch watching Katniss pack her things. His attention was not on the TV; most of it was on Katniss's belly, where the possible child of his and his beloved goddess was growing. How precious this child was, only he and Katniss knew. It was possibly his unborn child, and how could Nathan bear to see it being terminated before birth?
As we were about to leave, the reluctance in Nathan's eyes was no longer hidden. It was as if he was bidding a final farewell to his unborn child, a cruel farewell. Even if others saw this, they wouldn't think much of it, just assuming it was a grandfather reluctant to part with his future grandchild. Nathan didn't accompany us to the hospital, using the excuse of wanting to cook for me at home, perhaps because he didn't want to face the possible farewell.
Finally at the hospital, after registering for the check-up, we began preparing for the examination. As Katniss lay on the ultrasound bed, she nervously held my hand, and I gently squeezed hers to encourage her. The doctor started the examination, and both Katniss and I were on edge, eager to know the results but also afraid. Finally, after the examination, the female doctor looked at us, hesitated, and that made both Katniss and me anxious.
"Not pregnant, just a delayed period, a type of menstrual disorder." The female doctor's words left both Katniss and me stunned. Initially, I was almost certain Katniss was 99% pregnant. I had even packed Katniss's luggage in the car, ready to go to Sophia's place, and I had even called Sophia in advance. But the results of the examination were beyond my expectations.
"Really not pregnant? Are you sure?" After hearing the doctor's words, Katniss seemed to regain her strength, sitting up abruptly from the ultrasound bed, startling the doctor.
"Indeed not pregnant, I'm sure. Don't be disappointed, don't lose heart. If you want a child, don't rush it." The female doctor mistook us for a couple eager to have a child, fearing we would be disappointed by the negative result. However, she didn't realize that our thoughts were the opposite of hers.
"The menstrual cycle for women is generally 21 to 35 days, with an average of 28 days. A delay of about 7 days is still within the normal range, as the length of the cycle varies from person to person. But if the days exceed and the period hasn't arrived, it's considered a delayed period. Various factors affecting the central nervous system, hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, and uterus can lead to a delayed period. It can occur in ovulatory menstrual cycles or anovulatory menstrual cycles." The doctor began explaining the reasons on the side, while Katniss and I listened attentively, feeling excited.
"There are many reasons for a delayed period, such as chronic gynecological diseases, frequent use of contraceptives, hormonal imbalances, excessive mental stress, etc., all of which can cause a delayed period. I'll prescribe some medication for you to take back. In daily life, maintain regularity, get plenty of rest, avoid excessive fatigue, especially during menstruation, pay attention to keeping warm. Avoid excessive dieting, maintain a cheerful mood, exercise more, and improve your physical fitness." After explaining all this, the female doctor started writing a prescription for Katniss.
"Honey." Katniss turned towards me, hugging me tightly, tears of joy streaming down her face. I felt the same way, very excited. Thankfully, this was the result I had hoped for, and thankfully, it was all a false alarm. If we weren't in the hospital, I would have definitely cried. The fortune teller's prediction was indeed accurate; the hardships and worries had passed, and everything had turned out well.
"Alright, honey, no need to suffer through an abortion, don't cry." I held Katniss, gently patting her. Her excitement stemmed from not being pregnant with Nathan's child, while my excitement was simply from preventing Katniss from undergoing the pain of an abortion. After all, I was playing the role of an unknowing party in this situation.
With some medication in hand, we left the hospital, looking up at the clear blue sky. The time spent entering and leaving the hospital was only about half an hour, but Katniss and I had experienced a rollercoaster of emotions.
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