Annabelle didn't get any better at all. She had taken a few drugs to help with the constant head aches and nausea she had been having but it didn't subside. It only got worse.
"Annabelle, this is enough. I am taking you to the hospital. You have been ill for the past few days and you keep saying you will be fine, your temperature is only increasing and you have been throwing up" Annabelle's mom said already angry that her daughter was still persistent about going to the hospital.Ryan took her car keys from her bag and said,
"I want to see you in the car in the next 5 minutes, don't make me wait"
Anna and her mother arrived at the hospital and went ahead to book an appointment. When it was successfully booked they waited to be called upon. Finally a nurse directed them to one of the doctors offices.
"Ohh. Mr Ben it has been a long time" Annabelle's mother said happily and went ahead to hug him.
"Indeed, Annabelle has really grown up. How about Trey?" He said
"He is doing okay".
Mr Ben was their family doctor. In fact, he was the very person that brought Anna into the world as well as her brother.
"So Mrs. Ryan. How can I help you today"
"Uhmm, Annabelle has been ill for the past week now ,she has been vomiting, feeling fatigued and complaining of frequent headaches"
"Hmm, Annabelle please can you come here" he said. Then Annabelle stood up from the place she sat right next to her mother and went to the place the doctor pointed to which was a bed at the far end of the office.she sat down and was inspected by the doctor. He looked at her eyes, felt her pulse and did some other check ups. Then all of a sudden he smiled.
"Mr Ben what's the problem. Why the sudden smile?" Ryan asked confused.
"ohh, Mrs Ryan I am pleased to say that your daughter is pregnant...I am sure her husband will be happy to hear this news"
Anna felt like she couldn't breathe. She was fighting for air as she was slowly drowning. Maybe this was a dream, she thought but it was far from that. It was reality.
"Doctor are you sure about that" Ryan said hopeful that she heard the wrong thing.
"Yes of course" he said
"Annabelle! tell me you haven't done what you aren't supposed to do!" Ryan said screaming on top of her lungs standing up and Mr Ben's expression changed from happy to alert, he was afraid that Mrs Ryan might rip her daughters head off.
"Don't worry Mrs Ryan, please calm down. I might have made a mistake let's just run a few pregnancy tests, it would be out in just thirty minutes, I will make sure of that" Mr Ben said hoping he would ease the tension and he did because Ryan went back to her seat trying to catch her breath as if she had just run a 400metre race. He was very sure of what he diagnosed but he tried to ease the mood by saying that. On the other hand Annabelle was still there stunned. Her whole life flashing right before her eyes and all what she could think of is that she was doomed. How would she go to Harvard with her pregnancy?,how was she going to be the famous computer scientist she had always aspired to be?. How was she going to have a bright future?.
The doctor then came forward and drew blood samples from Anna and left the room in order to get the pregnancy tests and results ready. Now Anna was left alone with her mother, she was so scared that her mother would rip her apart.
"M-mom i-i d-" "Don't you dare mommy me, just pray that it comes out negative, Annabelle how could you. After all I have gone through to make sure you guys have a good and peaceful life, is this how you want to repay me, you are not married for God's sake! and you just got your acceptance letter from Harvard how do you want to go there with your pregnancy if it comes out positive. You have disappointed me" her mom said this time not angry but sad and disappointed.
"Mom I am sorry, I-" she was cut off again by her mother.
"Who is the father"
Anna knew who the father was but she didn't want to have Drey in trouble no matter how much she hated him, she still had a soft spot for him.
"I-I don't know"
"What do you mean by you don't know!" Ryan said angry all over again and this time she went ahead to where Anna sat and gave her a hot slap.
Anna couldn't speak anymore, she could only cry. She couldn't blame her mother, after all it was all her faul, she thought. The environment turned thick and it was really difficult to breathe in Anna's opinion. They waited for eternity until the doctor finally came back with an envelope and he wasn't smiling. Right then and there she knew the results without having to read it. He gave the results to her mother, without even wasting a second, her mother tore the envelope open and read the letter which said,
'The result on the case of Annabelle Woods pregnancy is positive. It is also presumed that she is pregnant with twins but for thorough check up she would undergo ultra sounds and screening during her antenatal check ups...'
Her mother could not continue read the letter as she was already shivering and droplets of tears were falling from her face already.
"Was my love and care not enough for you...that you had the nerve to get pregnant....with twins?..and no father?"
"Mamma I am sorry" Anna said tears already falling from her eyes.
"Mr Ben please I want an abortion!" Anna said abruptly which had Ryan widen her eyes even more.
"What!!! God forbid. Have I raised a monster. How dare you speak of abortion those tiny people inside you are humans and no you aren't going for an abortion!" Ryan said firmly.
"No! Mama I want an abortion please doctor do something"
"I am sorry Annabelle I cannot do anything, your mom has spoken and medically speaking, having an abortion after 2 or 3 months above is dangerous for the mother and since you are 3 months gone...there is nothing I can do"
"What!! three months gone?" Ryan's mother screamed and then she blacked out.
"Mommmy!!, doctor what happened" Anna said almost screaming as more tears rolled down her eyes seeing her mother on the floor.
"Get the clinic wards ready, a patient just fainted on floor 4 Doctor Ben's office I need a medical team here right now. It's an emergency!" Doctor Ben spoke through the telephone land line that was on his table and after 1 minute, the team was already there. There was someone that carried Ryan to the nursing beds and they pushed it to one of the clinical wards and there they did their work on Ryan, putting on a nasal cannula on her nose while Annabelle was watching from the background crying as always, after all that is the only thing she was good at, she thought. she was ordered not to come into the room making her feel even worse.
After 25minutes of intense waiting,a doctor came outside of the room.
"Mr Ben is my mom going to be okay"
"Yes of course. She is just under too much stress and shock so she will be resting now then later in the evening she will be discharged" Mr Ben said
"May I see her?"
"yes you are free to go" he said then left.
Anna sat beside her mother seeing her mother sound asleep.