“What do you mean you’re pregnant?” Sally screeched loud enough to awaken the dead. “I can’t be pregnant … I just can’t be. It’s unbelievable, but I’ve been to four different hospitals and they all confirmed that I’m three weeks gone. Oh, my God, Sally, how on earth did I get here?” “Um, by having
"Uh, Nora. I’ll be back shortly. Please stay here and wait for me, okay?” Austin told her, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. Nora watched him in amazement. Who was this woman who made him so nervous and why on earth did she make him nervous? “No, no. It’s not a problem. I was already leaving
“What do you mean you’re leaving? Leaving to go where exactly? What funds are you going to use to do that? How will you survive? What will you do with yourself?” A flabbergasted Sally asked Nora, who was a total mess. She looked around Nora's apartment, which admittedly, did not have a lot of househ
“The child's condition has worsened, Austin. I’m so sorry, but I don’t think he has much time left. We’ll try to make him as comfortable as possible in the meantime.” The doctor told Austin, who was sitting in a vacant chair and staring at his sleeping son … the son whom he hadn’t been there for in
By nighttime, just when he was planning to go out of the house without Christina’s knowledge and go explain things to Nora, he found out that Dylan could hardly breathe, so he rushed the boy to the best hospital in the city. In his haste, he forgot to take his phone along with him, and when he got
“Mommy! Watch this!” Little Jimmy cried excitedly as though he had something new to show his mother, and then proceeded to perform a trick that Nora had seen him perform countless times before. However, she dutifully smiled at him and pretended to be very enthralled by what he was doing. “That's re
Austin Lewis had always hated airports, and he did not think that the feeling was going to go away any time soon. The crowds, the noise, and the hustle and bustle, all irritated him to no end, but he had to pass through airports if he wanted to go for his business meetings. Maybe it was high time h
Austin dusted himself over, feeling embarrassed now that the whole fiasco was over. His whole cloth was dirty and dusty, but that was a small price to pay compared to the innocent life that he had most likely saved this afternoon. The little boy, who said his name was Jimmy when he was asked, clung
“You’re here again.” She states, rolling her eyes without so much as a good morning when she opens the door and sees me standing there. “Good morning to you too. Yes, I’m indeed here again. How are you doing?” I ask her, resolving not to let her hostility get to me. She has every reason to be hosti
I have not been to Nora's apartment for several months since Sally disappeared. In the first month of Sally's disappearance, I used to come here a lot, so much so that I’m sure that I must have begun to look like a desperate creep to Nora. Each time I came here back then, I would plead and plead wi
“No! I want to go with you and Aunt Sally!” He protests angrily when he sees the nanny and realizes that I’m about to leave him with her. “Honey, you must be very tired from running up and down with me these past few days. That is why I want your nanny to take you home so you can rest. Besides, you
SEAN Somehow, Sally allows herself to be convinced to come back home with me, which as even her doctor agrees, is the best decision for her right now because she needs all the help that she can get. We’ve finally been able to reach Nora and Austin, who have arrived at their honeymoon destination a
SALLY I can tell that Sean is surprised at my blunt tone and sharp words, but I couldn’t care less. I vaguely remember how I had pleaded with my boss to get in touch with him after she told me that she could not reach Nora and Austin no matter how many times she tried to reach them. I had been ter
The small bundle feels incredibly light as the nurse places it in my arms. Every single iota of sleep flees from my eyes as I hold and look down at my daughter. The nurse helps me adjust the baby in my arms while smiling at me in approval. Immense love for this tiny human floods my entire being and
I smile unsurely at the doctor, certain that I must have misheard what she just said. She doesn't smile back but instead continues to stare back at me with a measured look that says that she's not messing around. “I'm sorry but I'm not sure what you're talking about. What do you mean by expectant f
SEAN I have to admit that I am not thinking straight, but I'll blame that on the lack of sleep and the thought of seeing sadly again after all these months. Sally is lying on a bed in a very tiny room and she's being placed on oxygen. She looks so small and defenseless in the hospital bed. I appr
“There has been an emergency involving Sally and she's requesting for you.” A female voice had said over the phone mere seconds ago. “Is she OK? What's wrong with her? Where is she?” I ask in quick succession without waiting for an answer to each question. Taking deep breaths, I remind myself to be