She Belongs to Me (Rewritten Version)

Chapter Thirty One

Emily:

Being pregnant was one of the most difficult things I have ever endured.  My ankles were swollen to hell, I had gained twenty three pounds in the last seven months, and I was constantly running out of breath when trying to do anything.  But I had fallen in love with the little girl growing inside of me. 

She was at no fault for the actions of her father, and I was determined to shield her from him as long as we both lived. I knew he would try to get to her. I was preparing for that dreadful moment the best I could, grateful that I still had over a year. 

My initial plan was to move to another town and attend a different college, but that seemed like way too much trouble. He was the one who would have to alter his life.  I had a restraining order against him that covered at least five years, though I had my doubts he would honor it.

I decided that I would take self defense lessons after the baby was born.  My dad also planned to teach me how to properly shoot a gun, which I should have learned long ago, I suppose.

Either way, Vincent would never see this baby.

"Emily Hayden, come on back." My gynecologist's nurse called me out of the waiting room. I followed her back and sat on the examination bed. I hated these appointments, but they were necessary.

The doctor walked in and sat on the small stool in front of me. "How are we feeling today?"

"Good."

"Any pain or discomfort?"

"Just the swollen ankles and giant stomach."

"But no pain?"

"No."

"That's good to hear.  No stress?"

"A little from school work, but nothing major."

"Keep it that way.  Any major stress could result in a premature birth, and we don't want that."

"I understand.  I promise I'll take it easy."

"Great. Now then, let's check her out."

He and his nurse stepped out of the room while I changed into a hospital gown, then we looked at the baby. I couldn't help but smile at how big and active she had gotten in the last couple of weeks, even if she did kick my ribs out of place every now and then.  She was worth all the discomfort.

When the appointment was over, I drove down to the coffee shop to meet my friends. They must not have noticed my arrival, because I could hear Hope saying some very unkind things. "You know I love her, James, but she should have gotten an abortion."

My heart sank down to my ribs. I couldn't believe she was still on that! She tried to convince me to kill my baby right after she found out I was pregnant.

It pained me deeply that she didn't respect my decision to keep it, and even more so that she had the nerve to talk about it behind my back.

I slid down on to a nearby chair and concealed my face with a magazine. Even though it felt silly, I wanted to listen more to her true feelings.

"You need to drop it, Hope." James sighed, "This is her decision, and no one else's."

"Yeah, but it's a bad decision."

"Why?"

"Because," She scoffed, "It's a rape baby! Can you imagine how it will feel when it finds out?"

"Stop calling the baby an 'it.'  That's not cool."

"You know what I mean."

"No, I don't."