I called mum later at night and told her all about my relationship with Derek. I didn't want to keep anything from her this time. I didn't want anything going wrong.
"Well, what about Philip, baby?" she asked. "Are you two quarreling or something?"
I sighed, not wanting to talk about it. "Mum, he's fine." I answered with a shrug. "Well, how about you? Are you doing okay?"
Her voice ceased as I expected her to say something.
"Well?"
"I'm fine, honey. Momma's just fine."
"Lucille. Where should I drop this?" a voice rang in almost immediately, getting me alarmed.
"Who's with you, Mom?" I asked with suspicion, wondering why it sounded familiar.
"Oh, baby. I gotta go now."
"Mum!"
"I'll explain later. Trust me." she spoke hurriedly and hung up on me.
I was surprised by it. Mom's never in a hurry. Why, unless she's got something doing? "Something's up!" I snapped my fingers, not letting go of the thought.
I picked up my book and soon began reading. Not long after, I slept off—this time having a dream about my father.
"Tell your mother that I'm coming home. Home. Home—" his words echoed around me, though I wasn't seeing anyone.
What was Dad trying to tell me? I kept on asking, wishing he could explain to me. Can the dead really come back? Is there another world that I do not know of?
I wasn't one who believed in the supernatural world, but this got me curious.
I stopped asking questions and focused on the reality in front of me. I had to let things not bother me, but to get over the nostalgia that I was feeling instead.
If mum was moving on already, she would have told me. She can't move on that fast, I shrugged the feeling off and got up from where I laid.
The rumbling in my stomach reminded me of the sandwich that I had left in the rack. So, I made for it and grabbed ahold of the plate where it laid—swiftly taking it out, with so much hunger, making me unable to resist its appealing looks, though I knew the taste would not be as it were.
I sank my teeth into it, humming as I took a bite out, and savored the taste. "Not bad!" I took another bite out, this time coming to a stop.
"Oh, this is bad." I burped, my hands placed on my stomach.
I made to stand, unable to do so at a try—staggering backwards as I fell, my mouth giving way for a frozen scream to come out, the burning pain I felt paralyzing me from head to toe.
I wanted to get back up but doing so made it worse. My breathing was starting to get heavier, and I made effort to gasp as doing so brought no good.
I saw myself on the brink of death, the felt of something murky gushing out of me. "Ahhh!" I groaned in pains, feeling it run down my legs as it came into sight.
"Trish—" I heard a voice.
Someone was clearly calling out to me but I couldn't in anyway stand.
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"Will my daughter be okay, doctor? Why isn't she awake yet? Mrs. Parker asked with worry.
She clasped her daughter's hand, leaning closer to place her chin on it, as the hope of her daughter waking up soon, got her mind at ease.
"She'll be fine." the doctor assured. "It was only the baby in her womb that was affected."
She swallowed hard, wondering why her daughter would think of committing an abortion.
She remembered the doctor's words: Your daughter had taken some really hard pills, ma'am.
"What pills?" she had asked.
He explained everything to her as she stared in shock, still not believing any of it.
"To kill a young one in utero?" she gasped. "That doesn't sound like my Tricia at all!" she found it so hard believing him. She didn't raise her daughter to be a killer. Why would she think of doing such a thing?! her fingers trembled at the thought.
It's a good thing her roommate found her, if not—" the doctor stopped, his head moving in a way it sent frightening signals to her.
Tricia's thumb wiggled slightly on her mother's palms, the latter's beating like a drum—and at the same time beating with delight.
"Mommy?" the sound of her daughter's voice got her face into a warm smile.
"Hi, baby." she said, and with a kiss on her knuckles, brought her head closer even more.
"Mommy, what am I doing here?" the sick girl made to sit upright as her mother held her back.
"You should rest, my dear. Mommy's here now." her mother's soothing voice got her at ease.
The doctor excused himself and left to tend to the other patients. Both mother and daughter talked, the former asking the latter if anywhere ached—an uncertain reply gotten in return.
"I think my tummy still hurts." she winced at the sensation that her lower abdomen kept giving.
Tricia was curious to know what had happened to her. Memories of the previous day moved in in bits, the leftover sandwich she had eaten last, making her remember the sudden pain that had accompanied it.
"The sandwich!" she cried.
"What sandwich?" asked her mother, who was taken aback by her sudden yell.
"Mum, I had this sandwich, like, um—" she came to a stop, raising a brow at her mother. "How long have I been here?" she asked, rolling her eyes around the room once again.
"Just since yesterday." her mother replied.
"Yesterday?" she panicked. "I've been here since yesterday?" she looked down to know what she was wearing, the blue hospital wear getting her even shocked.
"Mum, you really mean that I've been here since yesterday?" she repeated her question, rolling her eyes repeatedly.
"Well, yes." her mother sighed.
She bit her bottom lip and sighed too—hers not as relieving as her mothers'. "So," she began, "I had taken a bite out of this sandwich." she got her mother listening again. "I was about taking another, when I felt a sharp pain cut across my abdomen." she winced at the feeling. "Oh no! No, no, no!" she gasped, remembering the last thing she had seen before her eyes got closed. The blood, what did it mean? her heart raced.
"You were with a child, Tricia," her mum made up her mind to say. "I mean, how did you let that happen? And why the hell did you get rid of it?"
"A-a child?" she sat stunned "I-I was carrying a baby inside of me?" her words felt heavy in her mouth.
"Do not play dumb here, young lady!" her mother warned. "You promised you were never going to do anything on the contrary with that boyfriend of yours! How could you break that promise?!"
"Mum—" she tried to calm—but poor Tricia couldn't tell that there was no calming down, with her mother knowing all that had happened!
"You know what, Trish? You and I are gonna have a chat when we get home! And you are never going to see that boy ever again!"
"But mum...!"
"Don't!" she let go of her hand and turned to leave.
"Mum, please hear me out. We didn't mean to do it. And besides, I had no idea that I was with a child." she tried to explain. "And even if I did, I would never have thought of getting rid of it. Believe me, mother!"
"Oh. So the pills the doctor had mentioned, found themselves inside your stomach? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"
"Pills?" Tricia's brows arched up in shock. "What pills are you talking about, mother? I don't remember taking any?" she recalled clearly. She would never do such a thing. Why would she think of committing an abortion? she was lost in thoughts. There's something fishy going on—something fishy!
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Guys, do you really believe Tricia would do such a thing? Killing her unborn child?
Well, why don't you think real hard while you vote ☆ and comment 💭. Make sure you stay tuned for the next 💘.
~☆ ☆ ☆~
~Your loving ❤ Authoress ✍️