As a doctor, Rory Linden knew how pregnancy tests worked. Unless they were left out for too long, the results were extrely accurate.
Still, she bought three of them.
She thought...
’With three of them, there’s no way they could all be wrong.’
Rory Linden took the pregnancy tests to the clinic restroom.
She used two of them first.
Both results were positive.
The next morning at ho, she used the last test. Within seconds, the result appeared clearly on the stick.
Two distinct lines.
She was pregnant.
The phrase ’what a cruel twist of fate’ suddenly surfaced in Rory Linden’s mind.
Over the past six months, she and Sean Harrison had slept together quite frequently.
Even so, they had been ticulous about using protection every single ti. There were condoms stocked in both bedrooms of the house.
There had never been any slip-ups.
’So why, of all tis, did I get pregnant now...’
’If... if Sean Harrison found out she was pregnant, how would he feel?’
’Would he be happy?’
’Or...’
’Would it just be a burden to him?’
Rory Linden didn’t have much ti to wallow in self-pity; she had to get ready for work.
Instead of throwing the pregnancy test in her trash can at ho, she carefully wrapped it in a tissue and took it downstairs to dispose of it.
Before she knew she was pregnant, she hadn’t felt any changes in her body.
But as soon as the pregnancy was confird, her lack of appetite beca much more pronounced.
At lunch, she could barely manage a few bites, even of her favorite foods.
After lunch, she remained in her seat and sent a ssage to Sherry Walsh: "I’m pregnant."
Less than three seconds later, Sherry Walsh was calling her.
She stepped outside the cafeteria before answering the call.
"Are you really pregnant, or is this just a ploy to get a reaction out of Sean Harrison?" Sherry Walsh asked. "If you’re just trying to get his attention, I think it could work."
"It’s not that," Rory Linden said, leaning against a corner and lowering her voice. "It’s real."
"How could this be? The timing is... wow. When did it happen?"
"I should be about seven weeks along by now."
"That long? So you must have gotten pregnant before you and Sean Harrison lost contact? How did you not notice?"
"That’s not how it’s calculated. My period wasn’t due before I left for my business trip, so I had no idea."
Sherry Walsh had never even had a boyfriend, so she was completely clueless about how gestational age was calculated.
After hearing Rory’s explanation, she asked, "So what’s your plan? If you can’t get in touch with him, I’ll go with you to his company and raise hell!"
Sherry also knew that if Sean Harrison was determined to avoid Rory, she really had no way of seeing him.
’No matter what, she’s going to need my help.’
"No, that’s okay. I... I want to go to a clinic for a check-up first. Once it’s officially confird, I’ll text him," Rory said, pausing for a mont. "If he still refuses to see ..."
"Will you get an abortion?"
Sherry finished the thought for her.
The question made Rory’s mind go completely blank.
’Am I going to get an abortion?’
’Am I going to abort my child with Sean Harrison?’
The question echoed in her mind, over and over.
No matter how many tis she asked herself, she couldn’t seem to find a definitive answer.
She couldn’t bear the thought.
But...
’With Sean Harrison’s status, if I really go through with this pregnancy, what will he think?’
’Will he think I’m using the baby to try and win him back?’
Sherry could tell the question was overwhelming for her. "Anyway, let’s just get you checked out first," she said. "Hey, why don’t we... go to Stella Yates’s hospital? It’s been a while since we’ve seen her. If she’s free, we could even grab a al together."
"Let’s not bother her. Any hospital will do."
Rory didn’t want too many people to know she was pregnant.
After a few more words, they had a plan.
Sherry Walsh got off work early to pick up Rory Linden from Elysian Hospital.
They found a top-tier hospital nearby.
Sherry went with Rory to register, get her blood drawn, and have an ultrasound.
Once the tests were complete, Rory took her report to the doctor’s office.
"The baby is very healthy. We can already see the fetal pole and a heartbeat," the doctor said, looking at Rory. "Are you planning to keep the baby, or are you considering an abortion?"
It was a standard question for a first prenatal visit.
Abortions were incredibly common these days; it was those who chose to keep the baby who were in the minority.
Rory gently bit her lower lip. After a long silence, she said, "I... haven’t decided yet."
"Alright. If you want to terminate the pregnancy, it’s best to do it within ten weeks, otherwise it will have to be a dical abortion." The doctor then asked, "Do you need to prescribe so folic acid?"
Most won start taking folic acid while trying to conceive and continue until they are three months pregnant.
Rory thought for a mont before nodding. "Yes, please. Could you prescribe so for ?"
The doctor wrote the prescription, and Rory went out to pay and pick up the dication.
"What’s that dicine?" Sherry asked nervously, looking at the box in Rory’s hand. "It’s not the abortion pill, is it?"
"...Of course not," Rory explained. "It’s folic acid. You’re supposed to take it in early pregnancy."
"So you’ve decided to keep the baby after all?"
Sherry grabbed Rory’s arm. "Then have the baby! If worst cos to worst, I’ll help you raise it. I’ll be the godmother! I’ll cover the formula, the diapers, all of it. Even tutoring and after-school classes, I’ll pay for everything!"
Sherry had seen the box of dication.
She assud Rory had already made up her mind to have the baby.
Rory thought for a mont before telling her the truth. "Actually... I haven’t decided. If I have this baby, he’ll be destined to grow up without a father from the mont he’s born. I feel like that’s not fair to him."
"What’s the big deal? Lots of families have absentee fathers these days. Sotis having one is worse than not having one at all."
Deep down, Sherry still hoped Rory would keep the little life growing inside her.
In her eyes, raising a child wasn’t such a difficult thing.
If it ca down to it, she would help raise the child.
"But what if one day he asks , ’Why does everyone else have a dad, but I don’t?’ What am I supposed to say?"
Rory’s hand gently rested on her belly. "If I get an abortion, maybe he can be reincarnated into a better family."
Sherry couldn’t hold back and decided to be brutally honest. "No. If I had to choose between having both parents and being Sean Harrison’s illegitimate child, I’d choose the latter."
Rory couldn’t help but laugh at her words.
"You and Sean Harrison are both brilliant and well-educated. A kid with those genes is bound to be incredible. You should really think it over."
Sherry glanced at the ti on her phone. "It’s getting late. Even if you’re not hungry, the baby must be. Co on, let’s go get sothing to eat."
Keeping Rory’s pregnancy in mind, they went for coconut chicken hot pot.
Sherry didn’t leave until she had seen Rory to her front door.
Rory tossed and turned in bed. As it neared midnight, she pulled out her phone and composed a ssage to Sean Harrison on WeChat.
"I’m pregnant."
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