Four

I go straight to my shitty apartment. “You’ll be mine Isabella Styles.” His voice is now haunting me! Why would he want someone like me? I change into a large t-shirt and some yellow sweats. 

‘I really need a job.’ I tell myself as I think of what to eat. I make some spaghetti with lots of cheese. Looks like I’m going for cheese then. Since I know I wouldn’t cook again till the next day I decide to make lots so that I would just heat it up later. That’s pretty much how I always survive. I suddenly feel some pain in my lower abdomen but I ignore it. Maybe it is just my periods. They have been a week late after all.

I eat my food and decide to go buy some pads. It’s always good to be prepared after all. I put my hair in a messy ponytail and take my beaded Masai sandals that my best friend  Harry got me on one of his travels to Africa. He is a photographer who travels everywhere. I have known him through my adoptive dad. He is his nephew who I love like a brother and treated him as my best friend. Yeah I know. I have a boring and no social life.

I get the pads that I use and some ice cream that I instantly want. I am running low on money and I know I have to pay the bills and rent but I really can’t resist taking it. I try ignoring it twice when I go to pay for my pads but go back for it until I just decide to take it. Screw bills and rent. I really want an ice cream right now.

“Oh My. You finally took it.” The middle aged woman gives me an amused laugh. I can’t help but blush at how stupid I might have seemed like. “No need to be embarrassed dear. Cravings are normal for pregnancies." WHAT! 

“I’m not pregnant. In fact I came for these.” I show her the pads and she gave me an apologetic smile. “Oh dear! This is the first time I’m wrong. Sorry to assume.” I only give her a small smile as I take the packed bag after paying.

I feel the pain in my stomach again and I hurry to the house to get some painkillers but while I try opening the door I see a lot of blood. I touch the blood and raised it. No. period blood doesn’t look like this. The pain came back and I clutched my stomach painfully. 

I let out a small cry and the next minute I feel someone’s hand trying to pick me up even though I tried to protest. I am placed inside a car and I feel it move but I am in so much pain to question the person. 

After a while that feels like days to me I see some nurses trying to get me out of the car to a stretcher and that was when I allow the darkness to consume me.

I hear some beeping sound next to me. I try opening my eyes but the room is filled with bright light that I have to shut my eyes first before trying to try open them again. After my mission was successful, I notice  I am in a white room. A hospital room. I have different tubes stuck to my body. I look around and see a man sleeping on the couch that doesn’t seem too comfortable.

A nurse comes in with some medicine and syringes on a tray. “I see you are awake. How do you feel? Any pain?” I try talking but my throat seems dry which she notices and pours some water into a cup with straw and puts the straw in front of my lips. “This happens since you haven’t been talking for a day or eaten anything.” So I've been here for a day. I nod at her. She seems nice.

“I only have this headache though it is not so bad but I could use with some painkiller.” We talk a bit and the man stirs and I know we have woken him up. He comes to the side of my bed. My eyes widen a bit when I realize it is Mr Brown. My neighbour that never talks to me.

“Mr Brown.” I say it like a statement. I give him a confused look since I don't understand what he's doing here.

“You are awake. I found you crying in front of your door and you were bleeding.” It was him! I felt being picked up but I was in too much pain to notice who it was. Then everything comes back to me. 

“Why was I bleeding? Did the doctor say anything?”

Mr Brown lets out a sign and passes his hands down his face. He really looked good now that I really look at him. He has brown curly hair that looked so messy though it was styled with gel as always. He had a deep set of blue eyes that reminded me of something or someone I couldn’t place my finger on. He always has this serious face that makes him look somewhat arrogant. Another arrogant face that I met recently comes to me and I roll my eyes. I look at Mr Brown and see him give me a confused face and I remember I rolled my eyes at him.

“Sorry. Your face just reminded me of someone.” I give him a smile. He only nods. “I think I’ll have the doctor talk to you. And by the way I know nobody you are close with so I wrote my name as a cousin.” What? Why would he do that? We barely even talk. I thank him before he leaves for the doctor.

I sit back on the bed and try to relax since I feel my muscles are so stiff. I think about how Mr Brown is. I never expected him to act this way. I don’t even know his first name! This is the second time he's saved me in a short span of time even though we never talk. He is so private and I hardly see him but I never mind. Seems like I’ll have to invite him for dinner or make him some pie to thank him.

Mr Brown comes in with a woman in a white coat who I assume is the doctor. “Hello Ms Styles. I am your doctor, Talia Greene.” She stops next to me holding a sort of file with my name highlighted on it. “You have been unconscious for twenty hours even though there were times that you moaned out in pain but were able to stop them by giving you some very strong painkillers and we had to stop your bleeding. We did some blood transfusion since you were low on blood.” 

She looks up from the folder and turns her gaze to Mr Brown before taking it back to me. “Actually it was your cousin Steven Brown who donated his blood. B+.” So his name is Steven Brown. Nice. May… WAIT WHAT? “He donated his blood?” My eyes are so wide that I feel them almost popping out. 

“Yes. Looks like there was some shortage and it was an emergency and he offered his. Is there a problem?” I shake my head no and realize it was painless. “Thank you Steve.” I give ‘my cousin’ a huge smile which he returns with a genuine one after a slight hesitation. It seems people don’t smile at him. I don't comment on that though.

“So why was I bleeding doc? I had stomach cramps and I knew I was supposed to have my periods but I never expected to have so much blood loss. What’s even strange was that it came a week later. Could it be because I just lost my virginity a month ago?” I have started rambling again. I am nervous since I know I have a problem. I hate getting sick. I knew I have no money to pay my hospital bills so I prevented so much from going to hospital.

Doctor Greene gives me an apologetic smile. “You didn’t know, did you?” I furrow my eyebrows and travelled my gaze to Mr Brown who has an unreadable expression on his face. “Kno-Know what?” My mind has already thought of all possible things. ‘Cervical cancer?’ out of reflex I clutched my stomach and the doctor had a small sad smile.  

“You are five weeks pregnant.” I faint.