Chapter 124
I check in at the front desk at my appointment time, and then wait in the waiting area until the nurse calls my name.
My heart was racing.
"Sophia Brown." The nurse called my name.
I walked into the examination room. The doctor was a middle-aged woman in her forties who looked kind.
"What's bothering you?" she asked.
"I've been feeling nauseous the past few days, wanting to throw up, can't eat anything," I said. "And my period is late."
The doctor looked up at me. "How late?"
"Over a week," I said quietly.
"When was your last sexual encounter?"
I gripped the corner of my clothes. "A month ago."
"Did you use contraception?"
"I took the pill afterward."
The doctor nodded and typed a few things on the computer. "Let's do a blood test first, an HCG test."
I took the lab slip to get my blood drawn. The results would take an hour.
I sat on the bench outside the lab, watching people come and go.
I zoned out for a long time, then suddenly felt my phone vibrating.
It was James calling.
I hung up.
He called again.
I just turned off my phone.
My mind was a mess right now. I didn't want to talk at all.
Time ticked by slowly. I stared at the clock on the wall, feeling for the first time how long an hour could be.
Finally, the nurse called my name.
I walked over and took the lab report.
I couldn't understand all the data on it, but I could clearly see the last line:
HCG positive.
My hands started shaking.
I took the report back to the doctor.
"Doctor, what does this mean?" I heard myself ask, my voice floating as if it wasn't my own.
The doctor looked at the report, smiled at me, and said, "Congratulations, you're pregnant."
Pregnant.
I was really pregnant.
In that moment, a wave of joy rushed through me.
But the next second, I was hit with cold reality.
The emergency contraceptive I took that day—could it affect the baby?
The joy quickly faded, replaced by huge panic and conflict.
"Doctor, I took emergency contraception. Will that affect the baby?"
"If you want to keep this baby, you can. You'll need to do regular prenatal checkups. If the checkups are fine, you don't need to worry too much."
"Thank you!" I gently placed my hand on my still-flat belly, my eyes determined.
Baby, this time I will definitely protect you. I won't let you get hurt in any way.
I returned to Indigo's hospital room.
When James saw me come back, he frowned and walked over quickly. "Where did you go? I called you, and it showed your phone was off."
"My phone died," I said, avoiding his gaze and walking straight to the bed.
"You were throwing up so badly this morning. Did you just go see a doctor?" He stopped beside me.
"I did," I said calmly. "It's nothing. I've just been too tired lately and haven't been eating properly. My stomach's a bit upset."
James seemed relieved. "That's good. You need to take care of yourself, don't..."
"James." I interrupted him, turning to look at him. "The person you should be caring about and looking after right now is Amelia and the baby in her belly. You don't need to waste energy on me, your ex-wife."
His face stiffened. His lips moved, but he couldn't get a word out, standing there in silence.
I stopped looking at him and sat down in the chair by Indigo's bed.
James stood there for a while, then quietly moved to sit on the sofa further away, but his eyes still stayed on us.
I held Indigo's thin hand. Her hand was a bit cold.
I gently rubbed it, wanting to give her some warmth.
"Grandma," I lowered my voice, speaking at a volume only Indigo and I could hear. "I have some news to tell you."
"I'm pregnant," I said, my nose tingling. "It's James's child."
"But I'm sorry, I won't tell him. My child is a Smith family child, but will only be my child alone."
"I'll give birth to him and raise him well. I'll love him so much."
"I hope you can understand my decision and not blame me, okay?"
My voice choked up. "Grandma, you need to get better soon and open your eyes to see the great-grandchild you've been waiting for."
As I spoke, tears fell uncontrollably, dripping onto Indigo's hand.
Just then, I felt Indigo's finger seem to move ever so slightly.
I froze, holding my breath and staring at her hand.
Another movement.
Though Indigo's movement was slight, she definitely moved.
"Grandma?" I called out tentatively, gripping her hand tightly.
I suddenly looked up, eyes wide, not believing what I was seeing. "Grandma? Can you hear me?"
Her eyelids seemed to move too, and a cloudy tear slowly seeped from the corner of her eye, sliding down her cheek.
The monitor's sound suddenly became urgent, and the red warning light started flashing.
The heartbeat line on the monitor suddenly showed fluctuation, no longer a flat line but starting to rise and fall.
"Doctor! Doctor!" I quickly stood up and shouted toward the door.
James immediately rushed over. "What's wrong?"
"Grandma... the machine..." I pointed at the monitor.
James glanced at it and immediately pressed the call button.
The doctor and nurses rushed in and gathered around the bed, doing various checks.
James and I were pushed aside, only able to watch anxiously.
After a while, the doctor turned around with a relieved expression. "Good news. The patient's consciousness is recovering. This is a very good sign."
"Family members can try talking to her more, but don't say too much at once, and let her rest."
I practically threw myself at the bedside, gripping her hand. "Grandma, it's me, Sophia. Can you hear me? If you can, move your finger, okay?"
Once, twice.
Tears instantly flooded my eyes. I looked at James. "Grandma heard me! She really can hear!"
James also leaned in closer. "Grandma, it's James."
Indigo's eyelashes trembled violently. We all held our breath, waiting for the miracle.
Unfortunately, after Indigo's eyelids moved for a while, they became calm again, with no sign of waking up.
I covered my mouth, unable to control my crying.
James helped me up. "At least Grandma can hear us. Take it slow. She'll definitely wake up."
I nodded.
For the next week, I came every day to talk to Indigo and shared with her how it felt to be pregnant.
This day, after I finished talking to Indigo and was about to leave, I heard coughing from the bed.
Worried Indigo was uncomfortable, I immediately turned back. "Grandma, are you..."
I saw Indigo's eyes, which had been tightly closed for so long, slowly open a crack.
Her gaze was unfocused, moving around the room blankly, then slowly focusing on my face. Tears kept flowing as she called out to me in a hoarse voice: "Sophia... Sophia..."