132 A Compelling Story

Dr. Julie stared at Ella for a while contemplating how to relay the news to her. Due to Ella’s cute but awkward behavior, she could tell that Ella didn’t want anything to do with pregnancy.

Ella’s attitude towards the thought of being pregnant was something Dr. Julie had seen countless times. So many would-be mothers came to the hospital with their minds usually made up. They would request a pregnancy termination procedure without considering the fact that they were about to take away an innocent unborn child’s life.

Most times, Dr. Julie would counsel them; explaining the amazing benefits of keeping their pregnancy and having their babies. Some ladies would listen to her while others remained adamant and insisted on the procedure.

However, Ella’s case like some other ladies was unique. She was happily married. So having a baby should be a welcome development for her. This made Dr. Julie wonder why Ella was rattled at the thought of being pregnant.

After careful consideration, Dr. Julie decided to find out the reason behind Ella’s dilemma. She was eager to know why Ella was scared of being pregnant. Armed with such a piece of information would give her a better chance at convincing Ella to keep her pregnancy.

“Ella,” Dr. Julie took a seat beside her and stared into her eyes lovingly like a best friend. “Please, I want you to see and talk to me as a friend. Also, I don’t want you to fret about anything. Can you do that for me?”

“I’ll try, but I’m not making any promises,” Ella spoke in a hurry. “However, you need to answer my question first. Just put me out of my misery. Am I pregnant?” She gazed into the doctor’s eyes like a detective waiting to catch a lying criminal.

“Before I answer your question, I would like you to answer this question first. Let’s say you were pregnant but I’m not confirming that, it’s just an assumption. How would you feel about that?”

Ella gawked at the doctor in alarm. Her eyes began to twitch and her body started trembling afresh. She didn’t need Dr. Julie to confirm anything. She knew she was pregnant.

.....

“B...b...but I took my contraceptive pills!” Tears began to flow from Ella’s eyes. “Although I forgot to take them for some days, the ones I took ought to prevent any form of pregnancy.”

Dr. Julie was slightly displeased by Ella’s sudden outburst. She thought briefly and decided to tell Ella a story.

“There was this lady friend of mine, who got happily married to her dream lover. However, on her bridal shower night, she got herself drunk and her ex-boyfriend; who happened to be her husband’s best friend, took advantage of her and had sex with her.”

Dr. Julie smiled as she observed that Ella had stopped crying and was listening to her story.

“Unfortunately for my best friend, she and her husband were involved in an accident, on their way to their honeymoon destination. Thanks to her loving husband; who used himself as a body shield to protect her, she survive the accident unscathed. However, her husband had a traumatic blow to the head and fell into a coma which lasted for three months.”

“Oh my goodness! What an unfortunate situation,” Ella’s forehead furrowed.

“Yes, it is,” Dr. Julie frowned slightly and continued her story. “During this time, my friend never knew she was pregnant as she was abnormally experiencing her monthly flow. There were signs of pregnancy but she thought they were just normal stress due to her husband’s bedridden state.”

“Geez! This is bad! I feel so sorry for your friend,” Ella shook her head in sympathy. “Did she later discover that she was pregnant?”

“Of course, she did! The only setback was that she discovered it late. She realized that she was pregnant after three had gone by. As if karma had a big plan for her, her husband came out of his coma at exactly that same time.”

“Shit!” Ella’s eyes flashed in terror.

“Exactly my thought,” Dr. Julie chuckled. “To make matter worse, my friend went to her ex out of panic and told him that she was pregnant for him. Can you guess what her malicious ex told her?”

“I’m terrible at guessing, just tell me!” Ella held her breath in anxiety, as though the whole episode was just happening.

“Well her malicious and selfish ex-boyfriend told her that he wanted his baby. He also threatened her that if she tried any abortion, he would destroy her life by informing her husband.”

“Oh, that treacherous ex-boyfriend of hers,” Ella sneered. “He deserves nothing but a fatal blow to the head. Imagine his arrogance after manipulating the poor lady.”

“Hahaha...” Dr. Julie couldn’t hold back her laughter due to Ella’s animated vengeful expression. “I think he does! He was never happy when my friend left him for someone else due to his lack of commitment.”

“Anyway, to cut the long story short, my friend came to me crying. She asked for my advice on what to do. She told me that whether she decided to keep the baby or abort the baby, her life was already doomed. So I advised her to keep the baby and open up to her husband about the mistake she made. I told her in detail about the beauty of becoming a mother and nurturing a magical gift of nature. I told her that no one was above mistakes. I also told her that if her husband truly loved her, he would forgive her and stick around with her through her trials.”

“Did she listen to you and kept the pregnancy? Did she open up to her husband? Did her husband divorce her when he found out that she was pregnant? Did she...”

“Ella, slow down and take a deep breath,” Dr. Julie interrupted Ella’s panic-driven questions. Ella was acting as though her heart would stop if she got a negative answer.

“My friend had a beautiful and happy ending. At first, her husband was furious and unleashed mayhem on her ex. Later on, after almost a month of a bitter confrontation, her husband forgave her. He even lovingly took care of her throughout her pregnancy and adopted her child as his own, when she finally gave birth to an adorable girl child.”

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“Aww! What a beautiful and compelling story! I hope mine ends happily too.” Ella’s face brightened up into a contagious smile.

“So, can I tell you the good news now?” Dr. Julie beamed from cheek to cheek.

“Please, do!” Ella’s eyes sparkled at the thought of having a magical gift she could call her own.

“My dear Ella, you are four weeks pregnant.”