75. Pregnant and Alone.

[Claire]
"Thank you for coming, Miss Hamilton." The doctor smiled as he pushed his glasses up his nostrils.
Can he just tell me the results already?
The anxiety was killing me, I'd done a blood test and a general physical exam, the wait for the results was killing me.
"When was the last time you saw your period?" He asked and I groaned.
"I don't keep track," I said, avoiding his eyes.
"Okay, looks like you're about nine weeks late." He said, studying a file in his hands.
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"Oh, it means… pardon me, Miss Hamilton, congratulations you're expecting a child." He beamed at me.
"Expecting a child as in pregnant, as in, there's a baby growing inside of me."
"Yes, that is correct, a baby growing inside you, yes, you're pregnant and you're going to be a mom." He smiled. "Do you want to call anyone to share the good news, the father perhaps?"
"No!" I snapped and he looked at me in shock.
"I'm sorry." I apologized immediately. "I'm just really shocked, that's all."
My hand went straight to my belly and caressed it, if I were truly pregnant shouldn't my appetite have increased or decreased, and shouldn't I have added weight and not lost weight.
"I feel pains below my abdomen and I've lost a lot of weight, is something wrong with the baby?" I asked, suddenly panicking.
At that moment, all I could think about was protecting my baby, from everyone and everything that could potentially harm it, including myself.
"There's a bit of an issue." He said and removed his glasses. "Your pregnancy is not maturing at the rate it should."
"Why?"
"Probably the same reason you lost weight and can't keep anything down." He said and rubbed his eyes. "You need to stop drinking effectively immediately and start eating healthy, you also need to drink a lot of water, take a lot of rest and look after yourself and your baby."
"Oh, my God." I gasped.
I'd been so reckless after I returned to America, I turned to alcohol, mostly wine and vodka to keep me sane, I didn't realize all those times that I was harming my child.
"I didn't know that I was pregnant." I looked close to tears. "I drank a lot of alcohol, have I hurt my child?"
"We don't know the full extent of the damage but the child's growth rate has significantly declined. Alcohol is not advised for pregnant mothers as it can cause a lot of problems for the mother and also for the child, especially birth defects."
"Okay, what am I going to do now?" Tears slipped down my face.
"Please stop crying, it is equally harmful in your condition to be sad and depressed." He said and passed me a tissue box.
"Please tell me that there's something that can be done." I pleaded with him.
"Of course, I'll give you some vitamins and drugs to use, ensure to take lots of water, fruits and vegetables and also plenty of rest, don't forget to come to the hospital for regular checkups and you'll be fine." He said and scribbled something into a blank note. "Here."
"I'll follow your instructions, thank you very much." I accepted the note and stood up from the chair.
My heart was in my mouth as I walked out of the hospital. I couldn't believe that I had almost killed my own child, I'd been so sad but now I had something that brought me joy.
"Mommy promises to take good care of herself and you from now on okay my dear, so you please recover quickly and start growing at the normal rate back okay." I sat in my car and had a private conversation with my unborn child.
"I'm pregnant, I can't believe it," I spoke hurriedly into the phone.
"Oh my God, Michele, I'm going to be an aunt and a godmother." Sophie squealed.
"Me too." Michele laughed.
"I honestly did not expect y'all reaction." I smiled as I held the phone tighter.
"Denmark's heir," Michele said.
"No." I stopped him immediately. "This baby is my child and mine alone, I'll raise him by myself."
"You're not going to tell his father?" Sophie asked.
"No, and for the love of God I hope I don't have to tell you that I don't want him to know about this," I said.
"Of course not, we'd never tell a soul."
"How do you feel about this news?" Sophie asked.
"I'm overwhelmed really, I don't know yet how I'm feeling, I just know now that I have to do better, I have to be better," I said.
"Okay, this is amazing news, Sophie and I will fly over during the weekend," Michele said and I squealed.
"Really?"
"Of course, we have to be there for you," Sophie said and I smiled.
"Thank you, guys." I sniffed as I ended the call.
"I'll protect you, baby, no matter what and I'd never let anyone separate us, I swear."
I was terrified that Jean would try to take my baby away from me or worse harm my child just so the news would not get out and I couldn't let that happen.
I thought of how I was going to tell my parents and I sighed, I had to move out of my father's house as soon as possible, then I would start building my new life with my child, I couldn't wait for my child to be born.
"Stella," I spoke softly into the phone. "I need to rest so I'll be taking the rest of the day off, please reschedule all my appointments for tomorrow."
"Yes, ma."
I let out a breath as I started my car and left the hospital. I didn't want to go straight home because I didn't want to face my mother yet. I had no intention of hiding my child from them and I was going to tell them immediately I got home.
I ended up at a baby's store and only after I entered did I realize that I didn't know anything about being a mother or pregnancy or having a baby.
I picked up two books, one on pregnancies and another on motherhood before I left the store, I had a lot to catch up on.
It was already past seven when I got home, my father would have already gotten back from the office.
When I entered the house, the sight I saw warmed my heart. My mother and father were sharing a bottle of wine on the rug and they were laughing happily.
"Claire, come and join us." My mother waved me over when she saw me.
"Are you guys drinking?" I asked, amused.
"Yes, we're celebrating." My father smiled at me.
Definitely must be the wine.
"Why?" I asked.
"Our international shareholders reached out to me, they loved your presentation." He smiled.
"Really?" I couldn't believe my luck today.
"Yes dear, you've proven to be the daughter of your father." He said and I raised my brows.
He had no idea, did he?
"They agreed to continue their sponsorships?" I asked.
"Yes, the company will not fold up anymore." He said.
"Dad, I have something to tell you." My voice broke as I realized that I was once again going to put my father's dreams at the brink of destruction.
"What is it?"
"Come and have some wine." My mother offered.
"No, thank you, I also have to tell you, something mother," I said seriously.
"What is it?" They both asked and looked at each other.
"I'm pregnant."
The silence in the house was such that if a needle had dropped, we would hear the sound loudly, they both stared at me in shock, their eyes wide open, the news had sobered them up immediately.
"Please say something." I pleaded.
"What do you want us to say?" My mother got up from the rug, taking the bottle of wine with her.
"I don't know, anything."
"When did you find out?" My father asked when he snapped out of his daze. "Who else knows."
"No one."
"Okay then, there's no need to argue or prolong this issue."
"What do you mean?"
"What has happened has already happened, there's nothing we can do about but move forward." I started to relax as I heard him speak.
He was taking the news better than I'd expected him to, even my mother looked shocked at his responses.
"Okay, moving forward I've decided to—"
"Enough of your decisions." My father yelled and I flinched. "You've made enough of those, it's time for someone else to make the decisions."
"What do you mean?"
"First thing tomorrow morning, I'll arrange for you to visit a private clinic, you're having that pregnancy terminated."
"What?"
"You're having an abortion." He looked me dead in the eyes.
"No!" My mother and I gasped at the same time.
"What is wrong with you?" She scolded him.
"Stay out of this." He yelled at her.
"Listen to me and listen to me carefully, Claire, you will have that pregnancy terminated or I will forget the fact that I'm your father."
"By the way, who is the unfortunate man that impregnated my daughter?"