Get Rid Of It

“W…what?”

“Who is the father of your baby, Bree? Does your mother know about him?”

“I'm pregnant? I'm going to have a baby?”

“You are, dear.”

Bree shook her head in denial. She can't have a baby. This can't be happening right now. Why on earth does God always punish her with things he knows that she doesn't want? She doesn't want a baby ever. She doesn't want to become a mother or even hear the cries of a baby in her home. Why was life so unfair to her?

First, her day started with the servants at home waking her up and then her mother dragged her to this place only to leave her there as a punishment and now, she just found out that she was pregnant. An unwanted pregnancy. Her whole life was totally ruined.

Bree’s eyes welled up in tears at the thought of becoming a mother to a child that she didn't want. She can't mother a child having never received motherly love from her mother. How would she give her child what she never had herself?

She doesn't want to become like her mother. She doesn't want to treat her child the same way her mother treated her. She would love to treat her child in the best way but having never experienced it herself, she wasn't sure that would be possible. Maybe her mother was right after all, she was really just like her.

“I…I can't keep the baby. I have to get rid of it.”

The nurse gasped in shock.

“What are you saying? This is your baby. Your blood. You can't get rid of it, Bree. It's sinful.”

“That doesn't matter. I could never be a mother. I'll only end up doing the same thing and raise my child as my mother raised me,” she fired. That was her biggest fear in life.

“Why do you think so? You are not your mother.”

“I'm just like her. My child would suffer. Please get rid of it.”

“Listen to me, Bree,” the nurse took both her hands. “You are Bree, not Nary. You are a completely different person. You are going to love the child that you will carry in your womb for nine good months, okay? You are not like her. Come here.”

She enveloped Bree In a tight hug. For the umpteenth time in Bree’s life, she wished that somebody else was her mother. Somebody like this woman who was warm and welcoming. She looked like she was in her late forties.

They broke away from the hug.

“What if I…”

“No what ifs. You can do it. You are going to do it. Children are precious gifts from God. How I wish I was privileged to have one.”

“You don't?”

“No. I'm infertile.”

“Why didn't you adopt?”

“Adoptions these days are quite expensive. I also have failing health which requires a lot of money so adoption is out of the question. Too expensive. But see, you have one for free. You have to cherish it. Now, who is the baby’s father, Bree?”

Spencer! Her heart beat widely at the thought of him as her hands flew to touch her belly where there was a little life growing. Spencer would have been ecstatic at the news of her being pregnant. He would have left everything for her.

She remembered his tears and how he pleaded with her not to leave him. His tears when she gave him back his ring and necklace which he had given her on her birthday. His determination when he said those last words to her. Those words made her scared.

Her mind flew back to the day they first met. The first day she met Spencer and immediately fell in love with him. She was all alone sitting in the school’s relaxation center with a bruised head and a lollipop which she contemplated opening while everyone else was in the field as it was sports day. But then, Spencer had seen her sitting alone without friends and he walked to her.

“What is your name?” He had asked as he sat down beside her.

At first, she was shocked that someone was speaking to her. Knowing who her mother was, everyone kept a distance from her. They were scared of speaking to her, including her teachers. But he did.

“Yo…you’re not scared?”

“Of what? You?”

“My mother.”

“Of course not.”

He suddenly gasped, his hands fell on her head and carefully moved it to the side so he could see clearly her bruises. “Your Head is swollen. Who did this to you?”

She shook her head refusing to tell him who hurt her.

“It’s your mother, right? I know she's the one.”

“It’s no…no one. I'm clumsy and fall al…all the time. It's not the first time I’ve come to sc..school with a swollen forehead.”

“Don’t you think that we should report her to the cops? For child abuse? Look at your head.”

“She’s my mother. It was just a ceramic plate. I'm the weak one. It's my fault too, I started eating before her.” She didn't have anything to bed.

“She’s trying to kill you.”

Bree had shook her head.

“She’ll come around one day. I'm sure of that.”

“Fine! Does it hurt?”

“What?”

“Your forehead. It looks like it hurts a lot.”

She nodded. There was no way she could deny that. Her head hurt so badly that she could barely move it. Shifting closer to her, he blew on her wound and patted her hair.

“What is your name?” Her little self had asked, her eyes peering at him.”

“Spencer. You can call me Spence.”

“Spence, here.” She gave him one of the lollipop sweets that she had bought against her mother’s wish and hitting it together in a ‘cheers’ way, they smiled and opened them.

“Do you want to be friends, Bree?”

“Friend?”

“Yes.”

That was new. She never had friends as they were too scared of her mother to approach her. Every parent in fact warned their children to stay away from her as they didn't want their businesses to go down the drain leaving her all alone in school without friends. The Marsden family was dangerous.

Seeing the way he stared at her while waiting for a reply, she had shyly nodded.

“So friends?” He offered her his palm.

Her palm locked with his.

“Friends!”

Remembering that memory, Bree couldn't help but sob loudly. She misses him, her Spence. She missed his smile, his jokes which always made her laugh, his kisses, his touch, everything. She misses him a lot.

All of a sudden, a loud Bell rang in the whole hospital indicating that there was an emergency.

“Shit,” the nurse beside her cursed.

“What's going on?”

“You have to run right now, Bree. You have to leave. They must have found out that you are missing. I'm sure your mother will be on her way here now as they must have informed her. Come on, you have to leave.”

Bree immediately rose to her feet. She followed the nurse until they got to a small basement opening in the dark part of the building. She opened the basement door.

“Go down from here. Once you get down, move to your left. There, you'll find another door. Just push it open and run. Run all you can before they find out where you passed, okay?”

“Bu…but what about you?”

“I’ll be fine. They won't notice and even if they do, I don't mind. Even if this is the last thing I do in this world, I won't regret it. You are a sweet child.”

“I don't want them to harm you.”

“Worry about yourself and your baby. Remember that you now have a whole life in you. I'll be fine, okay?”

Bree nodded.

“Before I leave, what is your name?”

“Ruth. My name is Ruth.”

“Ruth, I'll always remember this good. I promise I'll never forget this. Thank you so much for rescuing me.”

Hugging Ruth for the last time, Bree wiped her tears and made her way down the basement. As she got down from the stairs, the darkness closed in on her. Following the way Ruth showed her, she walked to her left trying to use her touch sense to walk and as she got deeper, she finally saw a ray of light and perhaps hope.

The door. There it was staring at her. From where she stood, she could hear footsteps and screams from the nurses trying to find her. She has to run. Pushing the door open, she ran outside, a bush part welcoming her.

Bree suddenly realized that she had nowhere to go. She was all alone in this world. There was no one she could run to for help, no one. A lost soul with nowhere to turn. She was without a phone, food, or money. Where would she go?

Running through the bush in an unknown direction, she finally saw a road ahead of her. She felt that it must be the road that leads back to the city. She wanted to get out of the hospital premises and make sure she was safe.

With a renewed sense of hope, Bree ran with all her might to the road, she forgot that she had to look. She forgot the road was meant for cars and not pedestrians. She ran into the road stopping when she saw a bright light from the side followed by a loud honking.

She held her head and screamed loudly as the car got to her.