Kidnapped

It was a Saturday night, and the pub was packed with people, but it didn’t take Adrianna long to find the person she was looking for.

“Will? William,” she called. He continued to walk away, pretending not to have heard her. Finally, being smaller in stature and hence more agile in the crowd, she caught up with him and grabbed the hood of his jacket. He stopped and turned around, annoyed. “What?”

“I’m pregnant,” she said, with a defiant expression on her face.

“It’s not mine,” William said immediately. He looked around nervously, hoping no one overheard. “Whore,” he added under his breath.

“Unlike you, I haven’t slept with anyone else other than you since we’ve been together. If you want it to be like this, fine. When it’s born we can get a DNA test, and we’ll see who’s right.”

“You can’t be serious. You want to keep it? What do you want me to do? Marry you, buy a house and raise it together?” he asked sarcastically. “Get an abortion.”

“What if I say I want this baby?”

“Then I’ll get someone to push you down the stairs,” he grinned cheerfully.

* * *
“Baby. I’m so sorry. I was so drunk last night – of course I didn’t mean what I said!”

Adrianna stared at the man before her, who was practically on the verge of tears, begging for her forgiveness. She knew her own weakness well. She always had a thing for bad guys, guys who looked like they were from Hell’s Angels, guys who went beating other people up for the fun of it, guys who one moment told you they loved you and the next treated you like dirt. She knew it was not healthy, but no matter how many times they made her life a living hell, she always came back. She wanted to take care of them. She wanted to be those girls that these boys would transform themselves for, the one person these seemingly heartless people would care for. It was never her, but she always thought that maybe if she hung in there long enough, maybe if she kept trying…

She also knew what two-faced bastards many of these men can be. She loved this man, but she know she could not trust him. They can be sweet and charming all right, but when you piss them off…she shuddered.

“But Ari – look. Let’s face the facts. You’re nineteen. I’m twenty two. We’re so young – why let this baby ruin our lives forever? You know what’s going to happen, aren’t you? I’m going to have to find some boring old job, so that I can make ends meet, and you’re going to be at home, devoting all your time and energy to this thing – “ he pointed at her tummy and grimaced. “Besides, I’m doing it for the baby too. We have no idea how to raise one. Why bring it to the world just to let it suffer? And of course – your parents won’t be too happy about it either.”

“I know. But it’s still a life, Will. It’s mine – it’s ours. It’s alive, and it’s inside of me – I can feel it. We can’t make the decision for it – we can’t. It’s not fair. It should have the chance to live like everyone else.”

A look of anger flashed across his face, but a moment later it was gone, and Adrianna wondered if she had imagined it. “Just think about what I said, okay?” he said.

* * *

“Is there anything wrong with the pasta tonight, dad?” Adrianna asked.

“No, it’s fine. I just have no appetite,” he sighed.

“What’s wrong? You don’t seem quite right today. Tell me.”

“I had to do another abortion today. I thought I would have gotten used to it by now, but…” he held his head in his hands. “I just don’t understand. She was so young too. Just fourteen. FOURTEEN, Ari, and she had to go through an abortion. And the guy wasn’t even there. Apparently he spun some bullshit – sorry – to his parents about him being bullied in school and everything, and they moved to New Zealand. He didn’t even say goodbye, she had to find it out from his friends. Sure, she should have been more sensible in the first place, but – she was standing there, looking at me, frightened out of her mind…that poor thing. The physical and emotional pain she had to go through. And her parents. They just looked so confused, so disappointed, almost like they were about to break down…promise me you’ll never, ever put me through that, Ari. Promise me.”

“O-of course not, dad,” Adrianna stammered. “Of course not.”

* * *
“A-are you sure this is safe? Look at the state of the house…”

“Of course it’s safe. Don’t be silly,” though he did not look convinced himself. “A mate of mine set me up with this, he told me his girl had gotten it done several times, and she was perfectly fine.”

“I don’t think I want to do this, Will. Maybe we should just go to a proper hospital after all…”

“But then your dad will find out. All the doctors in this stupid ass town – they all know each other. It’ll get back to him somehow. And he’ll find out.” And so will the nurse working with him, who happens to be my girlfriend, he thought. “It’s going to be fine, Ari. I’ll be by your side the whole time, okay?”

A man wearing a sweatshirt and slippers suddenly emerged from one of the rooms. He looked no older than thirty.

“Excuse me, where’s the doctor?” Will asked.

“You’re looking at him,” he replied in surprise. “Come on, let’s get started,” he said, pulling several stained metal tweezers and a surgery knife out of his pocket.

“I-I think we’ll go…” Adrianna said, slowly turning white.

“No, you’re staying here,” Will said firmly, and pushed her into the room.

* * *

“You could have just gone to me. You could have just gone to me, and everything would be alright,” her dad said bitterly. He tried to calm himself by breathing deeply, but it didn’t work. He tried to help everyone, and yet he could not help his own daughter. His job was to save lives, but at that moment it took all the strength in him to stop himself from murdering the young man standing on the other side of Adrianna’s bed.

“What is it?” Adrianna asked trembling in fear. “Am I going to die?”

“Of course not, dear. But,” he glared at the man again, trying not to let the tears spill over, “You will never be able to have any children again.”

* * *

“I’m so sorry,” Brian didn’t know what else to say.

“I don’t know why, but telling you all this – it makes me feel a lot better,” Adrianna smiled a little sadly. “There’s more…but I think I hear them. Another time, maybe.”

“I’ll be there for you any time you need me.” Brian promised.

“You know what the most fucked up thing is? After all that, I think I still love him.”