MoanaAfter a visit to the obstetrics and gynecology department, during which they gave me another pregnancy test and performed a comprehensive gynecological exam, the results were in: I was pregnant, and I was five weeks along. That timing lined up perfectly with my one night stand, solidifying the fact that Edrick was the father.I took a cab home, my heart racing the entire way. Thankfully, the doctor’s anti-nausea medication worked, otherwise I would have been retching nonstop from the stress alone.The cab driver pulled up to the curb. I handed him the cash from the back seat, then took a deep breath before getting out and looking up at the tall, looming building where the penthouse sat.As I took the elevator up, my heart started pounding ever faster. I wasn’t certain whether or not I should tell Edrick; what would he say if he found out? Would I lose my job? Was it better to just go to a clinic and have the baby aborted before it was too late? I couldn’t have been more than six
MoanaI woke up in the middle of the night that night with an even greater pain in my stomach than before. The doctor had warned me that the anti-nausea medication might wear off after twelve hours. Somehow, I had managed to fall asleep without needing to take it again. It seemed that Ella’s decision to get me a glass of warm milk actually worked as she intended, but not for long; when I woke up, I ran straight to the bathroom to vomit again.When I was finished throwing up, I popped another one of the anti-nausea pills in my mouth and climbed back into bed. My body felt restless, though, so I decided to go to the kitchen to stretch my legs and get a cold glass of water.The penthouse was dark and quiet when I came out of my room. I figured that everyone was soundly asleep, so I tiptoed over to the kitchen and quietly grabbed a glass out of the cabinet before filling it with ice cold water and beginning to make my way back to my room.It seemed, however, that I was wrong about everyon
Moana“Wake up, Moana! Wake up!”I awoke the next morning to the sound of Ella’s voice and the feeling of the bed shaking beneath me. The sun was shining blindingly bright through the window, and outside, I could hear the sound of the city bustling below. I could hear the sound of distant music; I had completely forgotten, but there was supposed to be an event in the park across the street today, and Ella was excited to go.“Come on!” Ella exclaimed as she jumped up and down excitedly on my bed. “Wake up! Let’s go outside!”I groaned, feeling my stomach turn from the bed moving beneath me. If Ella continued her jumping, she would make me throw up.“Give me a minute, Ella,” I said, but she wasn’t listening. She was too busy jumping and giggling and chattering about getting ice cream at the park.I didn’t think before I spoke next, and as soon as I did, I realized how my voice sounded. I felt so nauseous from being jostled around that I didn’t consider how I might have come across as be
MoanaEdrick looked so peaceful as he slept in the armchair. His dark hair was illuminated by the soft glow of the city lights coming in through the window, and even from where I was laying on the couch I could see his chest gently rising and falling.But almost as soon as I woke up, he woke up, too.He awoke with a start, his icy gray eyes opening immediately as though he had never been sleeping to begin with. It really felt as though the only thing keeping him asleep was the fact that I was asleep; as soon as I awoke, it was as if a spell was broken for him and he was wide awake once more.Our eyes locked for a long moment as he came to his senses.“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”Edrick abruptly stood. “Since you seem well enough now, you should go sleep in your own bed. It’s hardly appropriate for you to sleep on the couch.”I couldn’t hide my frown as I sat up and pushed the blanket off of myself -- the blanket that Edrick had apparently so lovingly tucked m
MoanaAfter I hung up with Ethan, I felt a bit lighter with the prospect of enjoying dinner with a friend. I met Ella out in the foyer after that, and we went over to the farmers’ market.“Come on, Moana!” Ella yelled excitedly, pulling on my hand as we crossed the street to the park that was bustling with people.She looked absolutely adorable in her little blue and white checkered sundress and her big, floppy sun hat with the blue ribbon that wiggled when she moved her head.The stone pathway around the park was lined with various vendor stalls as we entered. Much of it was produce and canned goods, but there were also stalls with soft pretzels, face painting for children, handmade toys and clothing, and more. I had just deposited my first paycheck from Edrick, and had some money put aside after paying off a large chunk of my student loans. I double checked before we left the penthouse this time to make sure that I had my wallet, in order to avoid a repeat of the theme park.As the
MoanaI woke up the next morning, after having stashed the box of unused pregnancy tests in my medicine cabinet, and felt even more sick than the day before. I was sure, as I achingly dragged myself out of bed and turned on the shower, that I would have to either end the pregnancy soon or tell someone about it; I couldn’t go on feeling like this every day without some sort of support, and it was only going to get worse over time.The hot shower helped a bit with the nausea, and once I was dressed and took the medicine that the doctor gave me, I walked next door to wake Ella up.“Rise and shine,” I said, opening the curtains to let the sunlight in.Ella yawned and stretched, her small hands curled into fists. “I’m still tired…”“I know, love, but you have training today,” I said. I walked over to the bed and pulled the covers down, causing Ella to shiver and grumble before she finally got up. Soon enough, I had her dressed for training.As we ate breakfast, I couldn’t help but notice t
MoanaFriday evening came much more quickly than I expected. I was nervous for my dinner with Ethan, more so because of the constant looming threat of Edrick finding out and getting upset than anything.I found Selina in the kitchen that morning and decided to tell her about my plans, since we had an understanding between us now and I knew I could trust her.“Selina,” I said, walking up to her. “I hope it’s alright if I go out for dinner tonight. Will you be able to check on Ella while I’m gone?”“That’s fine,” Selina said, not prying about who I would be dining with. She had been much more open toward me since she had learned about the pregnancy, and it was a comfort. “I’ll make sure Ella gets to bed, but just be back by ten o’clock. Don’t forget that Ella has training in the morning.”
Moana“You’re not pregnant, are you?”I froze at Ethan’s words, my eyes wide as I stuttered to come up with a response. “I-- I’m not--”Ethan, seeing my uncomfortable struggle, lowered his glass and quickly shook his head to dispel the seriousness of the suggestion he had just made.“I’m sorry,” he said. “I was only joking. Maybe that wasn’t a very appropriate thing to joke about. It’s fine if you don’t want to drink alcohol tonight.”I tried to laugh off Ethan’s joke, but it was almost embarrassing how astute that joke actually was -- if only he actually knew. Then, quickly, I fumbled in my mind to find the right excuse so as not to raise any more red flags about the reality of the situation. “I just… I need to be up early tomorrow, to take Ella to her training.&