What More Can I Give?

All my life I've been taught to be tough and to be brave among those that I love. It was always the best way to approach a situation when everything didn't seem to go in the right direction. My father always said that reacting along with the crowd just made everything worse. He said that we needed to keep our heads on straight and face the challenge as calmly as possible.

Sitting here in the doctor's office, I felt my walls begin to crumble. Even as hard as I was trying, I couldn't seem to slow the pace of my heart, the sweating of my palms, and the nervous ticking that I could hear within my ears. Since the day Doctor Scholls told me that I was pregnant, I was scared for my life; for the child's life. So many questions circulated throughout my head. Who's the father? What am I going to do? What if its Michael's? What if its not Michael's? Regardless, should I keep it? What about the twins? If its Fushinie's, will he come after me again? Kidnap the child? Kill it?

I began to feel lightheaded as the questions jumped from one to another. I couldn't wrap my mind around the endless possibilities of what my future could hold. My breathing was shallow and I closed my eyes, forcing myself to calm down. I wouldn't allow myself to break down. Not right now, not ever. I've done enough crying.

"Katrina, it's a pleasure to see you again," the doctor walked in, a clipboard in his hand and a small smile on his aging face.

I turned to him and nodded, "Likewise."

Walking around to stand behind his desk, Doctor Scholls cleared his throat and sat down in his chair. "So, I'm certain you don't want to be kept waiting on these results, so I'm just gonna cut to the chase. We've tested Michael's blood to see if there was any possibility to him being the father of the fetus," the doctor paused, looking down at his clipboard and looked back up, his face masked of any expression, "I'm sorry, Katrina, but Michael is not the father."

I blinked. Once, twice, three times. He's not the father. It played in my head several times.

"Katrina? Are you okay?" The doctor stood to his full height and walked towards me. Standing in front of my form, he placed a hand on my shoulder and shook me gently. "Katrina?"

I shook my head and stared up at Scholls. "He's not the father?"

With a frown, he replied, "No, I'm sorry."

I nodded and stared ahead.

"Katrina, there are options for what you can do about this. You can get an abortion if you would like."

I inhaled and exhaled slowly. Could I really do that? Could I take this child's life away? How was I gonna explain this to the family? To the twins? To Michael?

"Can I think about it?"

The man before me nodded and sent me a gentle smile. "Of course."

I stood up and bit my lip. What was I gonna do?

"Your next appointment is next month, but I'd like to see you in two weeks, is that okay?"

"Yes," I nodded. The doctor scribbled down something on a piece of paper and handed it to me.

"Give this to Lydia at the front desk so she can schedule in your appointment."

I shook the doctor's hand and said my goodbyes. I walked out of the office and down a hall before opening up another door that led me to the front desk. I handed the paper to a young blond who's name tag read Lydia. She took the paper and smiled at me.

"Have a good day, ma'am."

I returned the smile and walked towards the exit. Searching for my car in the parking lot, I didn't notice a masculine body following close behind me. As I walked towards the driver's side, I reached for the handle, but was quickly pulled back.

I felt the muscles around the torso that pressed against my back. The familiar smell of danger and alcohol filled my lungs and I began to feel the bile forming in my throat. My eyes watered as flashes of nakedness and bleeding filled my visions.

"Miss me?"

His voice was gruff and I could feel the scratchiness of his unshaved beard as he pressed his cheek to my own. His laugh filled my ears and I only whimpered in response.

"Shh, baby, I'm not gonna hurt you. I only came to give you a message for your father."

His hand rubbed my sides and traveled up and over my breast and stopped around my neck. He buried his faced into my neck and took a deep breath in.

"Mmmm, you smell good."

I stilled as I felt his hot breath hit my ears and his lips leave a kiss below the area. He laughed and turned me around. I closed my eyes on instinct, afraid to see his face.

"Listen, close, baby. You tell that father of yours that he has three days to give me what I want. If he doesn't comply, I'll come after you and our unborn child."

I snapped my eyes open and stared wide eyed at the man before me. How did he know?

He smiled a sick smile as if he read my thoughts, "I have people watching, baby. I know everything." Leaning down, he pressed his lips onto my own and held me tight, making it impossible for me to escape. I whimpered once again and was relieved when he let me go.

"Remember what I said, sweet cheeks." With that, Fushinie walked away.

As quickly as I could, I stumbled towards my car and slipped in, slamming and locking the door. I turned the engine on and revved out of the parking lot, driving as fast as I could back home.

What just happened? How did he know? What was I gonna do?