The Precious One ✔

Chapter 27

I sit across from my doctor, squeezing my hands in fear as he taps his pencil against his coffee mug.

Doctor John González has been my family's doctor my entire life. He was the one who diagnosed me with Hemophilia and Generalised Anxiety Disorder. He is the same doctor who did all my mum's checkups when she was pregnant with Luke, Ned, and I.

"Well?" I raise a brow, making me meet my gaze.

I want to scream SPIT IT OUT ALREADY. After all, whatever he's about to say will either change the course of my entire life – or have zero impact. instead of demanding a response, I choose to just sit there and wait. 

"Your urine samples and blood tests both came back positive" Doctor González starts slowly, "you're pregnant Elise"

My heart sinks.

I sit there with wide eyes, as a tear falls from my cheeks.

No matter how many times I denied it. At the back of my mind, I always knew that it would be positive. I wish it wasn't because now, I'm left with this choice:

Keep it

Or not.

"...Yeah, I figured" I sniff while wiping the tear away quickly with my fingertips. 

He clears his throat. "I printed out these for you" he slides a few pamphlets across the table that had 'Planned Parenthood' in bold letters. "If you choose to keep this child, we will need to switch you over to a safer medication. The clotting promotors for your hemophilia should be fine..it's the SSRI that I'm concerned about...I'm going to switch you over to Prozac" he informs me while handing me my new prescription.

'If you choose to keep this pregnancy' is what stuck in my head.

Do I want to keep it?

If I do, what will happen?

I think I'm capable of keeping a child alive. I feel like I've been taking care of people around me my whole life, but can I keep a child happy? After all, how can I possibly be a good mother if I never had one myself?

I nod "okay" my voice cracks as I stuff the pamphlets into my handbag.

"Is their someone that you would like me to call? Gina perhaps?" My doctors asks.

I can't tell Gina or anyone for that matter. They would all freak out. Hell, I'm freaking out.

They will never look at me in the same way again. I'll be breaking Gina and my father's heart.

I shake my head. "No, I'll uh tell them when I'm ready"

Doctor González gives me a troubling glare before I walk out of the doctor's office.

I find Ned standing by his chair with a small smile as placing down his magazine. "Well, what did the doc say?" He asks.

What would happen if I just told my brother the truth right now? He would lose his shit. Then, he would kill Chris. Then tell Gina and our brother and father. Eventually, all my friends will know, then the entire school will find out. 

So instead of telling him the truth, I take a deep breath and say "I was having a reaction to my medication...so he prescribed me another kind" I lift up my prescription and wave it. 

Ned grins. "Oh right"

Why is he grinning? We're in a doctor's office afterall.

"What are you so happy about?" I raise a brow.

"Well, I just got a date" he announces.

"At a doctors office?" I blink.

I can't say that I'm surprised. Ned could find someone to go out with at a cemetery. 

Ned nods proudly as a group of young nurses walk by us. "I'm here for my penis reduction surgery!" he cries out.

I roll my eyes, attempting not to break out into laughter. "C'mon, let's go"

***

When we get home, I run up the staircase in a panic. When I open my bedroom door, I find Shelby standing in my bedroom. As soon as our eyes meet, I run into her arms and begin to sob.

She automatically knows what the doctor's results were.

"Oh I'm sorry" she weeps as tightening her grip around me, "I promise, Elise...I'll be here for you both...if anyone gives you a hard time, I'll be right here...I'll be here to support you, no matter what you decide to do..."

Hearing those words reassure me. If Shelby can support me, maybe my family can too?

"Thank you" I struggle to speak. "Nobody knows about this, you know...It's just you..."

"...When are you going to tell them all?" Shelby pulls away while wiping away her tears.

I look my friend in the eye. It's a good question, that I don't have the answer to right now. I wish I did.

I shrug "I don't know...not until I'm ready...which might take a while"

"You're Not even going to tell Chris?" Shelby cocks a brow.

My mind goes back to the snippets of that night that I do remember. I love Chris but I don't think that I can be around him right now. God knows when I finally will be able to.

"...No, not even Chris" I admit, "at least not for now..."

Shelby nods as we both fall back onto my bed, looking up at my ceiling. 

"Calum's worried about you, you know" she admits, "he knows that I've been coming over here a lot lately..."

Oh, Cal. My longest friend. I wish I could tell him, but just like my family, he won't understand. 

"What did you tell him?" I lower my voice.

"That we're study buddies" Shelby tells me, "which didn't work cause now he wants to come along too..."

I force out a laugh, attempting to conceal the pain inside that only seems to be growing.

"...have you thought about what you're going to do?" She asks.

I sigh. "Not yet...I'm starting a safer medication tomorrow, just in case I choose to keep it"

There's a moment of silence as we both admire the cracks in the ceiling.

Shelby smiles. "It would be nice though...having a kid around here..."

I smile at the thought. My mind then fills with images of a cute little girl running around my bedroom, calling me 'mamma'. She would have blond hair like me and Chris' beautiful eyes.

"It would, wouldn't it?" I bite my bottom lip.

-----------------------------------

Hi all,

So at the moment, I've pre-written up to chapter 41. Judging by where I'm up to, I'm predicting that this book will end between chapters 55-65? Which will be late August/early October IF I continue to update one chapter a week -- I may start updating two chapters a week again to speed up the process :)

Please share your thoughts on this chapter <3

Please VOTE if you're enjoying this book!

Thank you

Happy reading!

- Rose xx