CHAPTER TWO

"Didn't your nurse just check up on me few minutes ago? Don't you guys share reports?" I replied in a rude way, getting pissed.

Surprisingly, the doctor didn't respond in the same manner. Instead he was more gentle. Why was everyone acting so nice to me here? strange!

"The young man who brought you asked me to give you this card. His phone number is written right there."

Doctor Bryan handed a white card over to me. I took it and stared at it. it was actually a simple card with just a phone number written. Something baffled me.

"Why is everything white here?" I asked doctor Bryan.

To be honest, I have never seen a hospital this white and sparkling, maybe because of the local hospitals I have been used to. I could swear this hospital was for only the elite group.

Doctor Bryan had a bright smile on his face, just like his nurse.

"Because it's the color"

Wow, he replied. That was meant to be a rhetorical question. Maybe everyone here, is just nice.

I tried to recall the last face I saw before passing out but couldn't.

"Uhmmm, may I ask? who is the young man? Is he still here?"

"Nope. He left immediately he dropped you here. You could give him a call." he winked at me, and checked me once again.

"Your good to go. When do you want to be discharged, Miss?" Doctor Bryan asked

Seriously? Did he just ask me that? Maybe his Nurse told him, I wanted to leave.

"As soon as possible" I replied trying to sound polite.

"Hope you know, you're pregnant?"

"Am I?" I asked, trying to play dumb and I regretted it instantly.

"Yes. You know you shouldn't be stressing yourself...." he kept on ranting all in the name of advice.

I didn't get a thing from him, not until he said, "....do not abort this baby. if you don't want the baby, you could take her to a foster home." there was a pause, then he added "How old are you? You shouldn't be above twenty."

My face got flushed with embarrassment.

"Where are your parents or the guy that got you pregnant? Do they know about this?"

"I want to leave" I replied, staring at the blank wall, while trying to fight the tears back.

"Yeah, sure. I will sign the discharge paper, but you need proper rest, you look flush." He stood up and left the room.

I got discharged from the hospital. The view of the hospital was great. Everything was painted in white so I actually guessed rightly.

'Damn! I could live here forever.' I said to myself.

The white card was still on my right hand, I glanced at it once more again, smiled, and tossed it away.

'Well, whoever you are, thanks, but I don't need your number. I got other life problems.'

***

Stuck my right hand in my right pocket, and I had no money on me.

I walked the distance to my house.

I and mum lived in a small house. The outside wasn't painted. Rats, cockroaches, and cats found their home there. You could barely refer to my house as a home. A shelter home is way better than this.

Everything about this place got on my nerve, maybe that's why I loved Royce. His love made me escape from reality of my background.

Mum was in our make-shift sitting room. She didn't look excited to see me, and just then, I sighted Nurse Kim.

My heart stopped beating at that moment. My feet got stuck, my eyes darted from Nurse Kim to mum, and that's how it kept on going. Aunt Kim betrayed me. Why will she?

I took a step backward, as my whole body trembled.

We stayed in a small apartment, and most times, the room was very hot as we couldn't foot our electricity bills. Today, this place I grew in, felt like hell.

The both of them sat still on the couch without moving or saying anything. The silence was more deadly.

"Mum....Aunt Ki...m" I managed to muster out every bit of courage in me.

I always called Kim, Aunt when we are outside the hospital walls.

Mum didn't respond instantly, neither did Aunt Kim. I saw mum's lips shiver, and then the tears. it rolled down smoothly on her cheek. My heart broke instantly, and I doubt she will ever forgive me for this.

"Khloe Jacob. How could you?"

That was it. That was the bomb! Mum always called me Khloe, but once she adds my surname, I know we are at dead end. The last time she did that, she almost killed me.

Today, mum was surprisingly calm. I guess there was no strength left in her.

"Khloe Jacob, how could you?" she repeated again. This was too much for me to bare. I could barely stand on my feet as I looked for support. The only support was the weak Tv stand, which could crash at any moment, but I still held onto it.

"Answer me!" she screamed, pounding her fist hard on the couch, almost wrecking it.

"I am sorry" I cried out.

"You're sorry? you are sorry? That's all?"

I couldn't look at my mum's face. I was scared, her burning anger could literally swallow me.

All these while, Aunt Kim said nothing, and I hated her for everything, even though, it was obviously my fault.

My fault? No. it's Royce's fault. He did this to me and left me to bare this pain all alone.

Mum took a deep breath, and the next words that came out from her mouth, left me in total shock.

"Abort it"

I could literally hear Aunt Kim's heartbeat, and watched her throat, as she forcefully gulped in her saliva.

Aunt Kim sat still in her position, and said nothing. I thought she was my friend. it's obvious I was wrong about her. Why didn't she fight for me?

***

My mum, Mrs. Daphne walked into her room.

Flashes of her husband's memories, my father, Mr. Francis Jacob came back to her, how he left the both of us.

She remembered how hard she toiled just to give her daughter the perfect life, to send her to college.

No matter how busy she was, she always made sure, she gave her the best advice concerning everything, and this is how her daughter ended.

Why? why her? she wanted the best out of me, and that's why she worked so hard. Daphne could feel the wrinkles on her face at just 40, as if she aged few minutes ago.

She remembered how much she wanted to hate her daughter, but decided to groom her into a better version.

"I tried, I tried, and I failed" Daphne sniffled a tear.

"Where did I go wrong? Why will this happen to my Khloe? I wanted something big for her!! No!!!" she screamed.

***

Back at the hospital, where Nurse Kim work.....

After the test came out positive, she couldn't concentrate on her work.

Kim was scared of everything. 'What if she harms herself?' she questioned herself immediately she noticed I was out of the hospital.

Nurse Kim had to take permission from her boss, and rushed to my house. She didn't meet me there, but instead found my mum.

"Where is Khloe?" Kim asked

"She is out" Daphne replied without looking at her.

"Okay...." Nurse Kim said, trying to find the right words.

Daphne have known her for a long time. She could tell from her face that something was off, but this time, it wasn't about Kim, it was about Khloe. Maybe, it was just a mother's instinct.

"What's wrong with her?" Daphne asked, trying not to sound anxious.

"She is not home?" Kim questioned.

"Obviously. Kim, your scaring the hell out of me. Where is my daughter?"

Nurse Kim walked to where Daphne was seated, and sat next to her.

"Khloe came to me today"

"That's normal" Mrs. Daphne replied. "but why?" she added, realizing there was more.

"She came to run few tests, and....." Nurse Kim paused, finding it hard to find the right choice of word.

Daphne became more agitated but still tried to stay calm

"Okay....Is she sick? cold? fever? malaria? wait, I hope she doesn't have a life-threatening illness." she couldn't suppress her nervousness again. "Speak to me! Soro-Soke!!" she screamed.

Nurse Kim tried to calm her down. "No, it's nothing like that."

"Okay.....then speak up"

Kim inhaled and still found it hard to speak, but she had to "Khloe is pregnant."

Mrs. Daphne laughed "What sort of prank is this? Be serious for once, you almost killed me." She adjusted her wrapper properly.

"I am not kidding. Your daughter, Our daughter, Khloe is expecting a baby." Kim repeated.

"Don't say anything" Daphne clung to her chest.

That was when I walked in.

***

Aunt Kim was obviously disappointed in me but would never suggest abortion.

Trying to hold back her tears, she said to me "You are too young for this. I mean this whole pregnancy, and abortion. I don't want you to do this. Let me talk to your mum." Aunt Kim stared at me once again, and said the words I dreaded, "I am highly disappointed in you. No matter how hard I and your mum tried, you just showed us we are failures."

***

"I am sorry" I muttered behind her departing shadow.

Aunt Kim and mum are the only people I have in this world.

A 19 years old, won't be able to pull through all this without her parents. Dad was nowhere to be found. I don't even know him, and I am pretty sure, if he ever meets me in this position, he will hate me.

Mum and Aunt Kim are the only parents I know. I love them so much. Why didn't I think of this, before giving in to Royce.

Royce? where will he be right now? probably drinking and partying with his friends. The girls have him now. I hate him so much, I hate myself, I hate men, I hate my unborn baby, and yet when mum suggested abortion, I freaked out. Why did I? maybe I am just scared of losing my life, because it's obvious this baby isn't needed.