Chapter 2

ALLIE

I blinked. I mentally slapped myself for losing my train of thoughts over my unexpected failure. I looked at Sofia, who is currently grinning ear to ear. Looks like she’s enjoying what she’s seeing. Heat rushed up my neck,setting my cheeks on fire as my twisting stomach plummeted on the floor.

“What did you do?” Mrs. Smith shrieked and pushed me away from her. I fell on the floor, I felt the impact on my lower back turned out very painful. I tried standing up but I was left there worn out. I couldn’t move my feet and everything felt heavy. My shoulders fell and the thick defenses I’d built for some time cracked. My back felt the coldness of the floor and my sight hit the ceiling.

“Please, help,” my voice was almost a whisper. 

I couldn’t get up no matter how I tried to. No one’s helping me. I heard whispers from Mrs. Smith and Sofia and a sound of giggles from the two. A moment later, the door jingled. I heard a sudden rush of movements. 

“Allie, are you okay?” Sofia’s soft voice reached my ears. My eyes are closed now, trying to calm the pain in my body. I opened my eyes slightly and saw two women over me, checking if I was okay. I was in disbelief while looking at them and then came the voice of my husband hurrying towards me.

“Allie!” His voice rose in panic. 

“What happened? Why is she lying on the floor and in pain, Mom?” Daniel’s voice raised. Panicking, both Sofia and Mrs. Smith glanced at each other. She swallowed and glanced toward her son. 

“She just fell. It happened suddenly. We didn’t know what happened to her. Maybe she’s overfatigued, that's why she lost consciousness and fell.” Her face reddening as she caught on.

If I had the courage to retaliate, I would tell the truth to my husband. I would say that his mother pushed me because of the unexpected accident that wasn’t my fault. But I couldn’t even say a word. I felt my body floating in the air. Daniel was now carrying me towards the door. The two followed but Daniel shut them out. He said words that I couldn’t hear. A little later, he made sure I was lying comfortably on the backseat of his car as he moved towards the driver’s seat. My eyes are closed the entire time. I had no strength to move and even my mouth felt dry.

“Allie, please hold on. We’re near the hospital. Hold on!” 

Ah, his soothing voice made me feel at ease. I feel bad for my husband. He rarely comes home and this is what he would see. I feel like I added to his problems because of this.

Minutes passed and I felt hands lifting me from the car, positioning me in a much comfortable stretcher. Then it moves swiftly towards the hospital’s ER. I can feel Daniel’s presence. He’s the one talking to the nurses and doctor. 

“Is she okay? Will she be okay?”

I tried lifting my hand and touched his arms. He looked at me with his worried eyes. 

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

He placed his hand on my forehead and a subtle touch helped me feel better.

“Don’t be sorry.”

I shook my head. “I should be cooking for you and taking care of you now, if this didn’t happen. I’m such a mess,” I told him, squeezing my eyes shut to stop the forming of tears in my eyes.

He sighed like I’d been the one to break his heart and tears welled in his eyes. He tried fighting it but tears fell. 

“If I hadn’t come home, what would've happened to you?” his voice sounds like he was in pain.

“I am okay now, that’s what matters now, Daniel,” I said in a soft voice so he would calm down. With him, I feel at peace. 

We’re in a silent mode while holding each other’s hand when the doctor came in to announce the result of my tests. The female doctor was shifting glances between me and my husband and then a smile formed her lips.

“I’m here to ask you several questions, Allie. Do you ever feel tired even without doing much and do you feel nauseous every morning?” 

My eyes narrowed in her questions. How did she know I’ve been feeling those for the past weeks?

I didn’t answer but my surprised look made her smile much wider. She handed the pieces of papers to Daniel.

“Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Smith, you’re pregnant with a child. The baby is in its 8th week in your belly.”

Both Daniel and I blinked in surprise. Daniel’s posture straightened and looked towards the doctor. 

“Is the baby okay? She fell and I am worried that it might affect–”

The doctor cut him. “The baby is very much okay and your wife is okay. She is just tired and her body is vulnerable due to pregnancy. I hope she'll be careful next time and limit herself from doing any difficult tasks.”

His shoulders relaxed. When he turned to me, he gave me a reassuring smile. I am shocked, equally as Daniel. I couldn’t believe I am pregnant with his child. We’ve been together for two years and I never thought we’d go from being a childfree couple to having our first baby.I should be happy, right? But I couldn’t help feeling worried, especially with the baby growing inside me. My mother-in-law dislikes me so much, is there any possibility she’d have a change of heart when she found out I’m pregnant? Anger started creeping in me. What if I lost the child because of that push? But I immediately swat the feelings away.

I should not feel like this. Anger won’t be good for the child. I need to be worry-free. I should do whatever is good for the baby. Maybe I would just distance myself to her instead of hating her.

“What are you thinking?” Daniel asked while he was driving. His voice is low and serious. We’re going home after staying at the hospital for several hours. If I could just stay a bit longer, I would. The hospital is way safer than I am staying in that house.