Pregnant

Days passed after the event, but Caitlin wasn't her normal self anymore. Seemed it wasn't as easy to move on after such a traumatic experience as she had thought it would.

She couldn't stop crying at how unfortunate she was and her aunt, Mariah, wasn't helping matters either. She always scolded her for little or no mistakes at all, forcing her to do very difficult tasks around the house.

She also had to cope with her job as a barista at the Cafe and it wasn't easy on her either. She dared not to tell her aunt about the awful experience for fear of having accusing fingers pointed at her, so she decided to bear it all alone.

She couldn't eat and every night after work, she would cry so long in her bedroom and sleep so late after long hours of trying to cope with insomnia and overthinking. She soon developed anxiety and depression, coupled with stress and emotional disorder.

She had several nightmares where she was being abused and that man's evil grin kept playing over and over in her head. It wasn't quite long before she fell ill. Thinking it was due to stress and overthinking, she took some drugs prescribed by a chemist but the illness only got worse. She looked pale and sick and her boss noticed. He couldn't afford to lose his most hardworking employee and suggested she go to the hospital.

She didn't take the advice until one morning when she felt so sick in her stomach that she threw up uncontrollably in the bathroom.

The pain in her belly was unbearable and she thought she was losing her mind as she felt her life crawling out of her. She knew she had to see a doctor fast before the illness took a toll on her life.

In the hospital, the doctors ran a series of tests on her, including pregnancy tests and the results came out positive.

"Please tell me what's wrong with me doctor," she said weakly as his silence was raising her curiosity.

"Well miss," he began after a short sigh. "You're two weeks pregnant."

Caitlin couldn't believe her ears. She stared at the doctor in shock and lost all her words for a few seconds.

"What?!"

"It's true. The test turned out positive."

She immediately broke into tears as it dawned on her. Two weeks ago she was abused by that evil stranger. She had barely recovered from the horror, and now she was pregnant?! She couldn't hold back the tears that filled her eyes. The doctor didn't know what to do. He only patted her shoulder gently and assured her that everything would be fine but deep down, she knew that nothing would be fine. She would be trapped in this nightmare for the rest of her miserable life.

In the taxi on her way home, tears wouldn't stop trailing down her cheeks. The driver noticed her mood, but couldn't afford to interfere in whatever problems she had. He could see the sadness in her eyes and could tell that she had been through hell. When she arrived home, she wanted to pay him but he politely refused.

"Please. You don't have to pay me at all. Keep the money and take good care of yourself." he said with a warm smile and drove away.

Caitlin was grateful for his kindness and walked into the house. Of course, her dreadful aunt was waiting for her on the couch.

"Where have you been, young lady?! I've been calling you but your phone is switched off!"

Caitlin was too exhausted to say anything. Her legs were shaking and she was feeling so dizzy and weak. Mariah looked at her from head to toe noticing how sick she looked.

"What is going on with you these days?! speak up! Is something holding your tongue?!"

Caitlin made sure to hide the pregnancy results properly. If Aunt Mariah found out, she would be living on the streets for sure.

"I'm… just not feeling well. I'll be fine."

"Hmm…well, where are you coming from?!"

"I went to get treatment from the doctor."

"Alright! Now go make dinner! I'm starving!"

She nodded slowly and left for her room.

Caitlin couldn't stop thinking about the pregnancy results. She knew couldn't hide it forever. Sooner or later, her aunt would find out and that would be her end. There was only one thing to do to avoid the impending trouble, abortion.

As dangerous and disturbing as it sounded, she had no choice. She couldn't stand the thought of carrying a pregnancy resulting from an abuse* incident. Aside from that, how on earth would she raise the child?! She had no one in this world except her foster aunt and this cruel woman would never let her raise an illegitimate child in her house.

At this point, abortion was the only option left. After giving it much thought, she concluded that it was all she had to do to stay on the safe side.

After making dinner, she served her aunt and went to bed. She had lost her appetite and feared throwing up after eating. The next day she would have to go for an abortion.

That night, she had several nightmares of being abused, that evil grin on his face, so many voices screaming at her, and the loud echoes of a baby crying. So many voices whispered from all corners of her room, torturing her, and she saw dark shadows from the walls of her room trying to strangle her to death. She suffered from severe sleep paralysis and she tried to scream but she had lost her voice. There was no one to help her. She lay on the bed, paralyzed and helpless.

Suddenly her eyes shot open. It was only a nightmare. No shadows were trying to strangle her. Tears welled up in her eyes and she wept uncontrollably. After crying her eyes out for a long while, she went back to sleep.

Early the next day, she did all her chores and made breakfast for her aunt, then left for the doctor.

"I want an abortion," she said without mincing words and the doctor stared at her in shock.

"What? But why?"

"I don't want to keep this child and it's final."

"But…you shouldn't do this. I mean…you're taking a human being's life."

"I said I'm not interested in keeping this child doctor! I want an abortion! Now!"

The doctor could see the pain and redness in her eyes and he knew that she was serious. He let out a long sigh.

"Well…if that's what you want...but it won't happen today. We will schedule it for tomorrow. I am really busy today."

Caitlin was very frustrated, but she had no choice. It had to be postponed to tomorrow.

She went home very sad and was welcomed with the most surprise.

"So….you're back young lady. What have you been hiding from me?! You think I wouldn't find out that you're pregnant?!" Mariah fired much to her horror.

"How did you….?!"

She brought out the test results.

"I found this underneath your pillow!"

Caitlin broke into tears.

"I'm so sorry aunt, but it wasn't my fault. I was abused by a man." she wept bitterly but Mariah cared less.

"I don't care girlie! All I have to tell you is pack your things and get the hell out of my house!"

She cried bitterly and went to her knees.

"Please, aunt. I'll do anything you ask of me. You can punish me whichever way you want, but please don't send me away! I have nowhere else to go."

Mariah didn't hear it. She threw out all of her belongings and locked her out. Caitlin cried tirelessly. She sat on the floor with her clothes scattered all over, crying until evening. Then she realized that her aunt was serious and wouldn't let her in, so she packed her clothes into her suitcase and left the house.

She walked a long distance on the road, feeling stranded. She had no one to call for help so she resorted to spending the night in a low-cost hotel with the last change she had and the next day, she went back to the hospital.

"Doctor please let's get this done immediately. I have been sent out of the house because of it. If I carry it much longer, I won't be able to survive this!"

The doctor felt very sorry for her.

"You were sent away? That's so cruel. This situation should be handled with care, not anger."

"Unfortunately…..not everyone cares about me that much. Now please let's get this over with."

"Well okay but I won't handle the abortion, my assistant will."

Just then, a beautiful middle-aged woman walked in. She had a pleasant smile on her face and introduced herself as Mrs. Grace Paulson. She took Caitlin to her office and gave her a seat and a glass of warm water.

"My partner told me everything about you and your request for an abortion. I would like to know what happened and why you want an abortion. What about your partner? Shouldn't he know about it first?"

With that, she broke into tears and narrated everything to her. She was saddened by everything that Caitlin had told her and could only sigh heavily after the heart-wrenching talk.

"I am so…so sorry about everything you've been through. I had no idea. I'm so sorry my dear."

Caitlin cried afresh as Grace tried to console her.

"Miss Caitlin, you're still too young to go through all this. Please don't abort this pregnancy. Your life could be on the line here. I promise you that carrying a child and giving birth to it is the most beautiful experience for any woman. Do you want to miss this opportunity to find happiness? Please, my dear. Think this through."

"But ….i'm homeless. I have no means of raising a child. I have also lost my job. What should I do?!"

Grace thought for a while.

"I have an idea. How about this? If you agree to keep this pregnancy, I will get you a place to live and a job as well."

Caitlin looked at her in shock.

"Are….are you serious?!"

She nodded with a smile and Caitlin hugged her tightly, crying even more. Grace smiled and patted her gently.

"Don't worry. Everything would be fine. You'll see."

"I hope so." Caitlin sniffed and wiped her tears.