Six

“ What?”

Emma whispered, her eyes moving to her belly and back to the doctor, she also looked at Mr. Jonathan who took that as a signal to leave the room

“ Doctor! I can’t be pregnant, how?”

“ The baby is already three weeks old Miss smith, we checked your pulse and did some blood work on you, and it came out positive for pregnancy, you must be overwhelmed with the news,” the doctor told her before he left

But Emma wasn’t listening,“ no, No! This is not happening to me!” she couldn’t believe it, she was pregnant with a stranger she knew absolutely nothing about, not even his name!

Thoughts of him came to her mind from time to time, only when she passed his gray jacket she had hanged up in her house

But this was something else beyond her power, the door opened again and this time it was Amy who rushed into the room,

Her eyes met with Emma, she saw her w distraught Emma looked and ran to her, pulling her into a tight hug

“ What happened?”

“ How are you here, Amy?”

“ Your boss called me, he said you fainted at work! What’s going on Emma, you didn’t tell me haven’t been feeling well!”

“ I’m pregnant-” Emma said, cutting her friend off, Amy just stared at her, shocked by the words her best friend just said,

“ Emma, don’t joke about this, maybe the doctor is just-”

“ They ran a test on me, Amy, I’m pregnant, God Amy, what am I going to do?”

Emma sobbed loudly, she already had too much on her plate, how was she going to take care of a child?

“ And worse I know nothing about the father, I must be cursed or something because why does this keep happening?”

…

Amy took her home after that, she reached inside Emma’s bag for her housekeeping. Opening up the door and leading her straight to the room,

“ The doctor said you need more rest, girl, you can’t keep stressing yourself like this!” Amy cried out as she brought Emma water to drink,

There was a beat of silence as the two girls just stared at each other,“ What should I do, Amy?”

Emma asked breaking the silence, they were just twenty-one years old, she was still so young, and she had so many burdens to bear from her mom’s surgery to this,

“ is it cruel if say you shouldn’t have this baby?”

Amy whispered, her hands reached to Emma’s and held them with a light squeeze to show her she was there for her

“ I don’t want to, but when I think about my mom, she raised me on her own, with my dad gone, I don’t want this child to suffer, I don’t want-” Emma cried,“ but I have to think about this, it’s a life in me, even though I don’t know the father,”

“ Why don’t I ask around the club? Maybe I can get the name of the VIP stranger you slept with?!”

“ Would he even believe that I’m not a sex worker or that the child is his?, or how convenient I gave myself to him, all because of that stupid drug!”

Amy knew Emma was right, it would be crazy to tell a stranger that he has a child with someone he does not even. Know

“ I will think about it right now I just want to be alone please,” she begged with a whimper,

Amy didn't argue, she knew she couldn't even feel a fraction of what Emma was going through,“ umm, I’ll be in the living room if you need anything”

She called before she closed Emma’s room door

Emma’s eyes moved to the gray jacket that belonged to the stranger, it was still hung behind her door,

Her hands instinctively moved to touch her belly, it was flat and had no signs of a bum for months, but was she strong enough to have this child?

Though she knew she was pregnant she couldn't stop working because of it, but there was a big problem that had started, stopping others from working,

Anytime she goes into the restaurant's kitchen, Emma's stomach churns, and she ends up sick to her stomach and running to the toilet, everyone had noticed by now

She was leaning on the wall, fanning her heated body when one of the waitresses came to her,

“ Emma?” she called gaining her attention, “ Mr. Jonathan is calling you, is you should come to his office,”

Emma arranged her uniform and marched to the manager's office, he calmed herself down before she knocked on the door,

She opened it up to see Mr. Jonathan reading what seemed to be their weekly report on sales and staff,

“ you called for me sir?” I’m as asked as she walked closer to his desk,

“ ah, yes Miss smith, I was waiting for you to arrive” he called as his hands pointed to an empty chair in front of her“ have a seat”

Emma nodded before she took her seat, her hands were already clammy with nerves, she had never been called to the back office because of her clean record

“I heard about you throwing up from time to time in our restaurant Emma, our staff are not comfortable, and I’m not happy with your performance, and I can’t let a pregnant woman work here”

Emma’s heart started beating faster, she felt she knew this was going, she hoped she wouldn’t hear those words, she had worked to hard in this restaurant for two years,

“ I’m sorry Emma, but we have to let you go” he continued,“ you’re fired”

“ But me Jonathan, I have worked here for so long, I really need this, my mother-”

“I know about your mother's condition Emma, but I’m sorry I can’t let your pregnancy affect the workflow of this restaurant, you can’t even smell the food, or even serve it., I’ll send you your severance pay, that is all, you can leave”

Emma was speechless, just because she was pregnant, she left his office without another word and went to the backroom to pack her things,

Her body shook with every step she took away from the restaurant, she was climbing the stairs to get the apartment when her phone rang, and it was Amy who called every three hours to check on her.

“ Hello Emma, I was heading to your place and was wondering if you’d like a caramel latte?... Emma?” she asked again over the phone, but there was no response

“ Amy…that VIP, I need to talk to him, I need to meet him in person ”