Chapter Five: No! My baby!

Trina's POV

With both of my hands gently caressing my swollen, heavily pregnant belly, a gesture that has become second nature to me over the past nine months, I carefully perused the array of cheeses displayed at the Le Fromage Fantastique section. (A variety of the best French cheeses). 

To any onlooker, I appeared to be engrossed in selecting the cheese but deep down, my mind was elsewhere, buzzing with different thoughts of what the future entails– for myself, for my unborn baby, my bedridden mom and young brother.

Perhaps if I wasn't so engrossed in my thoughts, I might have heard a sound that could have forewarned me. But alas, from out of nowhere, I just felt a gloved hand cover my mouth while a strong arm grabbed my waist in a firm grip. Out of reflex, I tried to scream but the sound was muffled due to the hand covering my mouth. And to my horror, I suddenly felt myself above ground as whosoever it was pulled me off my feet and began dragging me backwards.

Panic surged through me as I became overwhelmed with fear like never before. My baby! I don't want anything to happen to my baby! My maternal instincts kicked in and so I summoned all the power within me, struggling against my captor, trying my best to free myself from the captor’s hold but alas, he/ she was too strong!

The sounds of the hustle and bustle of the supermarket fainted as my captor dragged me through the backdoor, and strangely, we didn't encounter even a single person whom I could signal to help me. Upon exiting the backdoor, I was gently shoved into a waiting van before its door was shut, plunging me into darkness. Almost instantly, the van began moving quickly in a direction I have no idea of.

My heart was thumping madly and dangerously by now as I have never been more scared, panicked and horrified in my entire life. Who are these people and where are they taking me? And most importantly, my baby. I don't want anything to happen to my baby and I’d do anything I can to ensure its safety. 

With tears gushing uncontrollably, I began banging on the barrier between the driver and the back of the van where I was kept captive, pleading with whosoever was driving.

"Please, I don't know what you want from me but please, don’t touch my baby. I beg of you, please don't hurt my baby!"

At first, I thought they weren't going to respond but then, a gruff voice came through the darkness. "Shut up and stay still. We're not going to hurt you if you cooperate."

But I wasn't convinced. “And my baby?” 

“I told you to shut up. Nothing will happen to both you and your baby if only you keep quiet and go with the flow.”

Just keep quiet and go with the flow? What is the meaning of that? Even though I wanted to ask him what he meant by saying that, I just couldn't take that risk since he asked me to remain silent. Not having any other choice, I just remained sitting where they left me in the van, with my arms protectively wrapped around my belly. 

I tried to think of a distraction, anything to take my mind off the terror so as to stay calm for the sake of the baby, but I just couldn't stop the thoughts in my mind. What did these people want? And that order about keeping quiet and going with the flow… something feels familiar about it. Could this be another one of Dad and Emily's devilish acts and manipulations? They're the only ones I know who use manipulations and emotional blackmails to steal from innocent souls. But they have already usurped all that my family and I have. So what else do they want from me?!

The journey in the van seemed endless, as each second that passed increased my anxiety. When the van finally came to a stop, I checked my wristwatch and discovered that the journey had taken about thirty minutes. Although to me, it felt like an eternity!

When the door swung open, I had to blink against the sudden blinding lights. And as my eyes adjusted to the lights, I found myself staring at the ultraclean white walls of what appeared to be a private medical clinic. 

A frown instantly materialized on my face. A private clinic? What on earth am I doing in a clinic? Why did they bring me here? As my hands instinctively covered my pregnant belly in a protective gesture, two men in scrubs appeared from out of nowhere, carefully grabbing me by my arms before getting me out of the van.

And that was when the real fear came. It was as if I found myself in a horror movie.

"No!" I screamed with all my might, fighting and struggling as hard as I could in their grip. "Help! Somebody help me!"

 But to my further horror, all my screams fell on deaf ears as no one came to my rescue while the scrubbed guys dragged me through the sliding glass doors. The antiseptic smell of the clinic hit my nostrils, making my stomach churn and heightening my horror. 

I didn't relent as I kept on screaming while my eyes frantically scanned the surroundings, searching for a friendly face, someone– anyone who might help me. But alas, the few staff members I saw moving about just averted their gazes, pretending not to notice my distress.

As a last resort, I looked at the scrubbed guys that were now wheeling me towards the theater and pleaded with them in my most beseeching tone.

"Please, for the sake of God or any deity you worship, I'm begging you. Don't hurt my baby, please!"

A man in a surgical mask came into the theater with a syringe in hand, just as I finished speaking and he was the one who responded to me.

 "Just relax, Ms. Ryder. This will all be over soon."

I wasn't surprised to hear him say my name but before I could do or say anything in return, I suddenly felt the sharp prick of the needle in my arm. And I’m sure it's a very powerful  sedative because in a matter of seconds, I was struggling to keep my eyes open. The last thing I heard before darkness overcame me was an authoritative voice ordering, "Prepare for a cesarean section, now!"