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“I’m pregnant.”
The words were a slap in the face. I was only twenty-seven and not ready to settle down and have kids. I didn’t even have a boyfriend. But the yearning was there. I had a lot of love to give.
And yet, Alma was pregnant?
Whenever we’d spoken about kids, she’d always told me that they were a burden she never wanted to have. She thought they’d ruin her social life, something I’d never understood. And yet, she was pregnant . . .
But it wasn’t the time to feel jealous. My sister had been abused by her husband. Right or wrong I felt a pang for the baby I’d wanted but would never have.
“It’s going to be okay. I’ll come home. We’ll get you away from him. You and the baby will be fine.” My heart pounded.
“No. He said if I ever got pregnant, he’d toss it in the street.”
It.The baby wasn’t anit.
“We won’t let him.”
“I’ve made an appointment.” She sounded stronger now, though she still spoke as if she didn’t want someone near to hear.
“I’m sure the baby is healthy, but that’s good. You need to—”
“I’m ending it.”
No.
Something ripped my chest wide open. As if the baby in Alma’s womb were in mine.
“Don’t do that.”
“He’ll kill me for getting pregnant. He won’t let me keep it anyway.”
The baby is not an it.
“I’ll take the baby.”
“What? I’m already getting fat. He’ll know.”
My mind spun. I was about to set off on a journey to save whales from being killed. What kind of woman was I if I didn’t try to help my sister and niece or nephew?
“Come to Australia.”
“I can’t do that,” she said as if I’d suggested something foul.
“We’ll put you in a beautiful beach resort. A private one where you can sun and have massages and be pampered. After all you’ve been through, you deserve it.”
“A private beach resort?”
Part of me felt wrong, but I knew exactly how to get my sister to do things. If she saw them as an advantage to her, she was in.
“Yes. You can tell him I need you.”
“He wouldn’t care about that.” Where were the tears and the fear? “I’m just going to keep the appointment.”
“Maybe if you’re away for a few months, he’ll miss you. He’ll see how wrong he’s been.” Or better yet, she’d realize she didn’t need him. That she could find someone who would love and appreciate her. But that wasn’t the way to present the situation to her.
“You think he would?” There was a vulnerability in her tone that made me soften.
“I’m sure of it.” I didn’t have any idea how he’d feel in a few months. I just wanted to protect my sister and the baby.
