“I’ll do that.”
Vivian then hung up. Even though the situation was understandable, she could not help but feel a little disappointed.
After she tidied up a little, she left the house.
Just as she was awaiting a cab, a car rolled to a stop in front of her. Noah stepped out when the door opened.
“Noah! What are you doing here?” Vivian asked.
“Mr. Norton wanted me to send you to the hospital,” he replied. “Shall we, Mrs. Norton?”
“Oh, alright.” Vivian was buoyant over Finnick’s thoughtfulness.
En route to the hospital, she noticed that Noah seemed a little distracted.
“Are you alright? You seem a little off,” she asked.
“What?” He lifted his eyes to regard her through the rear-view mirror before he quickly averted his gaze. “I’m fine, Mrs. Norton. I guess I must be tired as things have been quite hectic at the office.”
“I see.” Vivian nodded. Finnick too had been starting early and returning late these past two days. “Please take care not to tire yourself out,” she said.
“I will. Thank you for your concern.” Noah then quietly turned his attention back to the wheel. His eyes betrayed the disquiet that stirred within him.
When they arrived, Vivian had Noah wait by the entrance before she went in by herself.
As Vivian had no prior experience, she had no idea what the procedure was for prenatal check-ups and simply named the doctor Finnick contacted to the administrative nurse.
After going through the records, the nurse ushered her to a room. “Wait here. The doctor will be with you shortly.”
“Alright. Thank you.” Vivian smiled politely.
Approximately ten minutes later, a middle-aged male doctor came in and looked Vivian over. “Come with me,” he said before he turned to walk out.
Vivian had to move fast in order to keep up. This doctor came across to her as a little aloof. She was also under the impression that her attending doctor was supposed to be a lady. The thought of needing to lift her top in front of him later made her feel a little self-conscious.
The man ahead kept walking. Vivian soon found herself being led to an operation theater. She reached out to stop him. “Aren’t I here for a prenatal, doctor? What are we doing at an operation theatre?”
“Could you be doing this for the first time?” he replied staidly.
“Yes.” Vivian nodded.
“This is what we do, for starters. Just follow my instructions.” He proceeded to bring in a few nurses who helped Vivian change into a hospital gown before they led her to lie in wait on a mobile ward bed.
Though Vivian had her reservations, she nonetheless did as she was told.
Before long, she was carted to an operating table. The doctor waiting by the side approached with scalpel in hand. The more she thought about it, the more she sensed something was amiss as she fought to sit up. “What are you doing?”
“Mr. Norton wants this baby gone,” The doctor replied without emotion. He had the nurses restrain her and prepared to administer the anesthetic.
“What!” His words struck her like a bolt of lightning. Did Finnick not arrange for a prenatal? Why would the doctor want to abort the baby?
A sudden realization made her world fall apart. Finnick had been fooling her all along. Not only had he never accepted this baby, but he had also arranged to have it aborted behind her back!
She freed herself from the nurses’ grasp with all her might and leaped off the bed before she dashed out of the operation theater, bare-footed. Vivian left a trail of tears behind as she took flight. She thought in despair why Finnick could have done this to her. Refusing to believe this, she felt that she must seek him out for an explanation.
