My father smiled gently. “You don’t look well. Are you sick?”
I was shocked. They weren’t like the baby said. I thought for a moment. “I’m fine. Are you going to the hospital later?”
My mom nodded. “Your sister is very sick and needs a bone marrow transplant. Your dad and brother will get tested later.”
The baby shouted, “Fool! Run! They’re taking you to the hospital to test your bone marrow!” As the baby screamed, pain hit my lower belly and my heart raced. I bent over in pain.
My mom looked worried. “Sophia, what’s wrong? Hurry, drive! We need to take her to the hospital.”
“She’s pregnant. We have to be careful.”
“Sweetheart, don’t go to the hospital!”
“Let’s go home!”
The baby’s heartbeat grew louder. I took a deep breath. “I’m not going to the hospital. My house is nearby. I’ll go home and rest.” After that, the pain in my stomach slowly faded.
Before my parents could speak, my brother got upset. “You live in an old building with no elevator and your husband’s job isn’t good. He’s always working late.”
The baby scoffed, “They hate that you married a poor man and embarrassed them.”
My brother said, “I don’t dislike him, but climbing stairs will be hard for you while pregnant and no one will care for you at home. You can stay with us until the baby is born. We have plenty of rooms and your husband can live here too. We’re family and it’s nicer with more people around.”
A warm feeling filled my heart, but I wanted to check something, so I insisted on going home. My parents looked at each other and let me go.
They were going to the hospital for a blood test anyway, so they could drop me off on the way.
As the car neared my neighborhood, I said, “I want to go with you to the hospital to see my sister.”
My parents and brother agreed easily. My mother added, “It’s a good chance to make an appointment and get a checkup, too.”
The baby shouted, “You lied about going home! Liars must be punished!”
A sudden, sharp pain hit my stomach. Cold sweat appeared on my back. He hurt me because I didn’t listen! Was I carrying a baby or a demon?
The closer we got to the hospital, the more my stomach hurt. Finally, my heart ached too. I gritted my teeth, holding the car window so hard my veins bulged.
But as I forced myself to my sister’s room, the pain suddenly stopped. The baby didn’t move and the silence felt strange. My doubts grew stronger.
In the room, my mother held my hand and said, “Sophia, this is your sister, Abigail.”
My sister, Abigail, looked pale in her loose hospital gown. When my mother put my hand in hers, I felt a sudden fear; not mine, but the baby’s! He was scared of my sister.
I tried to pull my hand away, but my sister held it firmly. She looked at me seriously and said, “Sister, we finally meet.”
Then she looked at my parents and asked, “Mom, Dad, did you bring her here to schedule an abortion?”
