The next day, right at eight in the morning, she called the doctor's office and was able to get an appointment for the same day. Her nightmare was not without
reason. The doctor told her that she was six weeks pregnant. He told he that her due date would be mid February of the next year, just a few months before Elizabeth's third birthday. She would still be twenty nine and Steve thirty. His plan of having another child before they would turn thirty one had worked!
She came back home feeling devastated! Her neighbor, who was taking care of Elizabeth while she was gone to the doctor, asked her:
"What is wrong Helen? Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost!"
So her despondency showed in her face and demeanor. She decided that for the present time, she would say nothing to anyone!
Wednesday night Steve came home. He was happy for no apparent reason, whistling! Elizabeth ran to him:
"Daddy, daddy...!" Steve picked her up and rained her with kisses and gave her the doll he had bought her from the gift shop in Paris Airport. Then he hugged Helen, held her in his arms for a while and prolonged his kiss on her lips!
"Are you pregnant yet?"
Helen wished she had a way to either kill him or herself! She tried very hard not to loose her composure:
"Not yet!" The way she said this was exactly the imitation of the way he had asked the question.
"Well, I guess I have to call the doctor to find out about it!"
Helen shook. Her heart palpitated!
"Go ahead!"
But he did not! And besides Helen had gone to a different doctor and had paid cash.
She had three days of hell until Steve left again on Sunday night. The teaching of her Catholic fate forbade her of having an abortion. Besides it was then illegal to have an abortion. On the other hand, she wanted desperately to abort this baby if for nothing, for getting even with Steve. She even found a doctor who would do it before she was twelve weeks pregnant. She still had her own money in the little black bag. She did not have to ask Steve for money. The question was would she be able to go through it? Any which way, she had to make a decision fast. She had to set an appointment for perhaps next Monday. Steve always left on Sunday night and returned on either Wednesday or Thursday morning. If she had an abortion on Monday, she would be completely recovered by the time Steve would return.
That entire weekend, while trying to act normal, she was only thinking about this issue. Finally she decided that she would do it. When Steve was out Friday morning with Elizabeth to buy her toys she wanted, Helen called the doctor's office who did the illegal abortion. They told her to be there at eight in the morning. They gave her instruction not to eat anything after eight o'clock the night before; and someone should be with her since she could not drive herself back home!!
To Be Continued
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