She Lied About My Baby

The maternity suite fell into silence. The surgical forceps Tiffany was holding fell into the tray with a clang. Even through her mask, I could see her smile stiffen. She narrowed her eyes at Lawrence for a fraction of a second before returning to me.

"Calm down, Melody." She stepped ahead and spoke gently, as if I was a troublesome child who needed a little talking done. "That child is going to be a burden for life. You're not far along in your pregnancy, and it's pretty low risk. You can't drag this out."

I stared at her hands. In my previous life, these hands were the very things that violated my body, cut off the umbilical cord, and took my uterus.

My stomach was churning, and I clasped the edge of the operating table so hard that my nails nearly broke.

Lawrence stepped ahead, frowning. He didn't even bother pretending. "Stop messing around, Melody." His voice was dripping with impatience, as if I was a confused patient in need of lecturing.

"If you give birth to the baby, they'll suffer forever, and we'll be burdened for life. We promised, remember?"

Yeah, right.

I almost laughed. He promised Tiffany, not me. I stared at him and enunciated, "It's my child, and I will give birth to it. I don't care if he's not perfectly healthy." I was adamant.

Lawrence's face fell. "It's not the time to be soft. You saw the data. Science doesn't lie. If you give birth, you'll be spending your days crying for him."

Tiffany added softly, "He's doing this for your own good, Melody. He might be harsh, but doctors have seen a lot of times. Delaying it only makes things worse. You're young, and you still have a chance…"

A chance? I looked at her. Her alternate account said otherwise. She did the abortion procedure and took my uterus away so I'd never have any children forever.

"A chance for what?" My voice came out hoarse and grating.

The look in my eyes made her step back, and she put on a nervous smile. "You still have a chance to get a healthy baby."

The anesthesiologist held up a syringe and came over impatiently. "It's nearly time for the anesthesia. Are you doing this or not?"

The nurses whispered among themselves. "Having second thoughts when she's on the table."

"I've seen a lot of confused pregnant women like her. She'll regret giving birth."

"Yeah, her child will ruin her whole family."

Everything was grating against my ear. I was surrounded by medical staff like I was an animal put on show. Everyone thought I was mad, but I knew I was more sober than anyone here.

My baby was a healthy boy, while these people were going to lure me onto the table and throw my baby away like trash.

The needle was drawing closer. Tiffany gave the nurses a look, and they quickly pushed my shoulders down. "Calm down. It'll be alright when you wake up." Her voice was still gentle.

Lawrence turned around to check the time. "Make it quick. We have more procedures later."

All my blood rushed to my head. I broke one of my arms free and pulled the IV catheter off. Blood splattered over the white bedsheet. "Don't touch me!" I rolled off the table, and my knees hit the ground. The pain made me pale.

"I'm sober, and I object to this procedure! If you try to anesthetize me, I'll sue you for illegal practice and forced surgery!" I raised my head and glared at Lawrence. "Get me your director!"