#21 The pregnancy

Owen kept staring at me, and for a few seconds, no one dared to utter a single word. I knew he was a doctor, but I never asked about his specialty. Never in a million years, I'd thought that Owen was going to be one of my obstetricians.
"Now that Dr. McWaters joined us, we're ready to start. Shall we, Evelyn?" Naomi asked me, clearing her throat a bit.
"Yes, of course," I muttered and laid down on the appointed examination table.
The obstetricians were briefed on my medical history, so we started with the clinical examination right away. Dr. Hunt performed an ultrasound, and he showed me the baby on the screen. I was in the sixth week of my pregnancy, and the baby seemed like a small bean. A few unshed tears burned my eyes, seeing the little creature that grew inside me for the first time.
"I'll open the sound now so we can hear the baby's heartbeat," Dr. Hunt declared.
My heartbeat accelerated, and I almost stopped breathing. This was the time of the truth. A rhythmical sound filled the room, and for a while, the three doctors didn't exchange a single word.
"Is everything alright?" I asked in a small voice after a few seconds.
"Your baby's heart can be heard and seems to be normal for the time being," Dr. Hunt announced.
"Oh, that's a relief," I sighed.
"Miss Russell, this doesn't mean a malformation can't be formed in the future as the baby is growing. We have to examine you more frequently than what it's usually necessary," the doctor stated.
My relief was long gone hearing his words.
"Do you know whether the baby's father has a medical history with heart conditions, or if anyone in his family does?" the obstetrician asked again.
I bit my lower lip, trying to think. I couldn't ask Sebastian, but maybe Nickolas would be able to tell me. "Uh, I don't know…" I whispered nervously.
Owen's intense stare was on me all the time, and I just wanted to disappear into thin air.
The doctor nodded, before asking his next question, "Is there any chance the father of your child to be a carrier of any genetic disease?"
I frowned, looking at him with confusion.
"Dr. Hunt asks about any disease that is caused by an alternation to ones' DNA and can be transmitted to one's descendants," Naomi explained to me.
Well, now I really wanted to burst into tears. "I don't know," was my reply once again.
What I did know, though, was the identity of my baby's father.
"Maybe you can ask him, so you can brief us in at the next check-up?" Dr. Hunt suggested.
"I'm not in a relationship with the baby's father, and I don't intend to tell him about this pregnancy," I replied, looking at my baby's small form on the screen.
"It's okay, Evelyn, we can run a genetic test later if we have enough reasons to worry about," Naomi said, giving me a reassuring smile.
"Is there anything else I need to know about this pregnancy? Naomi explained to me that there might be some complications," I asked, as Dr. Hunt gave me some tissues to clean myself.
"Dr. McWaters, care answering Miss Russell's question?" the older obstetrician asked.
Owen remained silent, looking lost in his thoughts. Dr. Hunt had to call him again and repeat the question, looking displeased by his younger colleague's attitude.
Owen finally talked, looking at the papers he was holding. "First of all, there's a possibility for you to reject the graft, and that will lead to acute heart failure with lethal consequences for both you and the baby."
"That's a rare possibility, but we'll monitor your heart's function at least twice a month," Naomi reassured me, glaring at the red-haired doctor.
"A not so rare complication is preeclampsia and eclampsia. It's a condition that has raised blood pressure, edema, and renal failure. Your baby might suffer of insufficient intrauterine growth," Owen continued.
"We will monitor your baby's growth and the placenta function monthly, and we'll check your renal function," Dr. Hunt added.
"Evelyn, all these are possible complications and nothing more. You must stay positive, sleep well, and eat properly. Also, it will be good to avoid any stressful situation for the next months," Naomi said, giving me a small smile.
"I never thought it'd be so difficult," I whispered.
"We'll be here for you, Miss Russell. There's nothing to worry about. I'm sure everything will turn out good for both you and the baby," Dr. Hunt said, patting my back lightly.
"Thank you, Dr. Hunt," I replied, giving him a small smile.
The doctors then left the room, giving me some privacy to change. They gave me a paper that stated the expected date of labor and some other medical things concerning the pregnancy. My medical treatment was changed slightly again, and I was given many brochures with advice and helpful information. At last, the doctors gave me some more pieces of advice, and I left the office after I thanked them.
So many thoughts filled my mind, and I couldn't focus on anything particular. There was so much information I had to consider and many decisions I should make.
"Evelyn!" I heard a man calling my name.
I stopped walking and turned on my heels to see Owen running toward me. I bit my lower lip, not quite sure of what to tell him. From his previous behavior, I thought he wanted nothing to do with me anymore…
The red-haired man came close to me, panting a bit. "Why didn't you tell me?" he questioned me, looking hurt.
"About what? The transplant or the pregnancy?" I asked, confused as to what he was implying.
"About the baby. Are you in a relationship, married or engaged?" Owen asked, scrutinizing my every reaction.
"As I said back in there, I'm single and determined to raise this child by myself. If I was already in a relationship, I wouldn't have gone out with you," I replied, bothered by his attitude. I wasn't one to cheat on my partner.
"Then why didn't you tell me?" he repeated his earlier question.
"Because I wasn't comfortable saying something like that the first time we went out. I was planning to tell you the next time we'd meet," I answered, staring at his light brown eyes.
"And who's the father? Do you at least know that?" he mocked me.
I glared at Owen before averting my gaze at the nurses and doctors that passed past us. "Of course, I do. But I don't think how this concerns you…"
"It's that man, isn't he? Your Boss is the father of your child…" Owen hissed, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Owen, I really don't want to talk about this; not here, not now, not ever…" I sighed.
"Okay, but why did you agree to go out with me?" he asked once again.
"I needed a distraction from my work, from the news about my pregnancy. And you seemed like a friendly, good-looking guy, so I thought, why not?" I shrugged.
"So, am I a rebound fuck for you?" he inquired, irritation plastered all over his face.
I glared at him, annoyed by the way he talked to me, "We didn't have sex, and I never said that I was looking for this kind of relationship…"
"Then why did you kiss me back in your office?"
"That was a mistake I should have never made. I know it probably misled you, and I apologize for that," I stated, my voice void of any emotion.
"What do you want from me, Evelyn?"
"Right now, I need a friend. If that's what you want, then you have my number…" I replied, and before he had the chance to retort anything, I turned around and left.
After exiting the hospital, I decided to head to my parents' house. I should break the news to them, now that I knew the baby wasn't in any danger, at least for the time being…
The taxi dropped me outside the house I grew up in, and I took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. My parents were excited to see me, but their happiness was short-lived. I knew how many things they sacrificed to raise me up and how stressful and difficult it was for them. What I was about to tell them was the last thing they expected to hear from me. I assumed they'd be disappointed, even angry, but they just stared at me like living statues for a few moments.
I also told them the identity of my child's father. My parents deserved to know the truth, although I kept most of the details for myself. I explained that Sebastian didn't want to be with me anymore and that I chose to keep the pregnancy hidden from him.
My father was the first to react and advised me to tell Sebastian the truth. My mother, on the other hand, broke into tears; she couldn't believe that she'd be a grandmother.
In the end, they both agreed to respect my decision not to tell Sebastian, at least for now. They promised that they'd help me with everything I might need. This had turned out better than I expected, and I was relieved that my parents would back me up.
My next goal was to let Sophie know. I decided to tell her on Sunday night while we had dinner. Nickolas was in a business meeting, so I was free to talk with my best friend. Sophie shrieked so loud when I blurted out the news that I had to cover my ears. She kept jumping up and down ecstatically and made me promise her that she'd be my baby's godmother. I told her that the man I slept with back in Greece was the father. Sophie didn't care that I decided to raise the child by myself. Probably because she thought that I never was going to be alone… I had her and my parents; Nickolas would be part of our life, too.
Monday came sooner than I wanted… Going back to the office was the last thing I needed. On the bright side, though, I had only three more days left to work for Sebastian. When Nickolas told me that he had found a new assistant for his brother, I did a mini happy dance.
Finally, things seemed to be going great, or at least they were going…
I headed to Sebastian's office, holding a few papers in my hands for him to sign. I knocked on his door, but I never got the usual reply. After trying once more, I decided to go inside announced. There wasn't any meeting arranged for that particular hour, and I hadn't seen him leaving his office. Thus, I turned the doorknob and stepped into his office.
I freeze on my spot, taking the scene before me. Sebastian was sitting on the large, white, leather sofa, as a woman was kneeled in front of him sucking his dick…
I felt my heart shattering into a billion pieces, a heart that wasn't even mine…