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“It wasn’t me. That still doesn’t tell me why I have no rights over the child.”
“Given where we are, it’s a failsafe to assure life. Your child will not be yours until after birth, and only if the Main Master approves.”
“That is not what my contract states.”
“I’m just the doctor and telling you what I see in the file. The pregnancy is locked and cannot be stopped unnaturally. If that were to happen, charges would be brought against the responsible party. That could range in death, to time in Hell Row. I wouldn’t risk any of it. Fc thirteen-fifteen’s previous pregnancy was riddled with complications when she got here. It wouldn’t be smart to start this pregnancy off with them as well.”
I glanced at Madeline but came back to the doctor. “What complications?”
“Pre-term labor, Sir. She arrived here at thirty-one weeks. Almost immediately we had her on the strongest dose of magnesium sulfate to stall contractions. She was practically off and on in a coma for a week. It worked but it wasn’t long before we had to stop them again. She had her son just short of thirty-seven weeks. Early, but long enough the child came out healthy. In my opinion, it is too early for her to conceive again, but it can be done if she’s taken care of properly. She’ll just be considered high risk until I can see how the pregnancy progresses.”
My fists clenched, and I wasn’t sure if I was angry from the fear of losing my child, or that the Gardens put Madeline at risk too soon. Either way, I was going to be put to the test on my temper. Especially since it was already ramping up at the thought that she’d tried to abort my child behind my back.
“You hinted the baby could be in danger. What of Madeline? She’s been dizzy, lately. She passed out a few weeks back and almost again as we were headed here.”
“I read about the first episode in her chart.” The doctor let out a deep breath. “I also saw the condition she showed up in. Complications can happen. Factors such as stress can play a large role. My guess after what she’s been through is that the episodes are PTSD related, but it could be that along with the fluctuation of hormones. There’s a lot happening with her body right now. We’ll do what we can for tests and monitoring, but the biggest part will be her home life. As long as she takes it easy and keeps up with the proper prenatal care, I’m hoping she’ll make it through without any significant issues.”
The doctor gestured to the bed, and Madeline climbed on. The first thing he did was lift her chin to check her neck, where I’d had her. Red skin. No bruising that I could see. He moved down her arms, checking her stitches on her wrist.
“Lay back and lift your shirt enough to expose your stomach. You’re right at six weeks along. Let’s see what we have going on.”
The doctor headed for a machine, and Madeline quickly waved me over to the other side of the bed as he pushed it closer. I had no idea what the hell was happening, but her excitement didn’t escape me. It had me walking to take my place.
“Alright. Let’s see here.”
My jaw flexed as he motioned for her to unbutton her jeans. Gel was squirted on her lower stomach, and my eyes shot open wide as static and whooshing filled the room. White outlines began to form and take shape on the monitor, but I had no idea what I was looking at as he moved the hand piece around. The static sound was loud, but it was changing. Becoming…familiar. Within seconds, Madeline squeezed my hand. All I could do was stare into her eyes as my entire reality altered with the beating of a heart. A heart I’d help make. A heart that had somehow reached mine when no one but its mother had. That should have made me happy, and it did, but something else was there too. Fear?
“There we have it. Look at that. Just beautiful. As you can see right here, we have a strong heartbeat.” He pointed to a quickening inside a bean shape. “That’s your baby. Do you see it, Master?”
Was I nodding? I was. But was I even here right now? I felt as if time was altered. The moments didn’t move. They were suspended within a miracle of a split second.
“Right here is the gestational and yolk sac. Everything looks to be progressing very nicely. Congratulations you two. I’ll just get a few pictures for the Main Master, and we’ll be done.”
My…baby. My child. It was right there on screen. Right there within the woman who I was going to start my life with. This was real. It was more than just angry words thrown at my mother, or a title or condition encompassing a slave. This was happening, and Wilfred wouldn’t be right. Madeline and I would make this work. Shewouldlove me or she wouldn’t love anything at all.
The sound faded as he turned and began to clean her stomach. It was all so fast, I wanted to tell him to go back and do it again.
“Since she’s such high risk, I would like Madeline to come in every two weeks for an ultrasound just so I can monitor and make sure the pregnancy is going as planned. Other than that, I think we’re finished.”
“Two weeks? That’s it? She doesn’t have to do anything? We just…wait, now?”
The doctor smiled. “We wait.” He left the machine, heading to toss the gloves and wash his hands. “In the meantime, Madeline, I want you to get plenty of rest. Don’t lift anything heavier than a few pounds. No strenuous activity. Walking is good, but don’t shoot for a marathon. Take it easy.” He looked at me. “Try to keep her stress free. The more stress she is under, the harder time she’ll have. If she’s not good, neither is your child. The Gardens will not take kindly to anyone putting it at risk. Just a warning, Master. Keep her safe.”
Safe. I could have argued. I wanted to. I could have told him to mind his fucking business and not worry about what the hell I did to her, but he was right. The fear and growing uncertainty told me that. Madeline might not be good because of PTSD, but I wasn’t so sure I was either. My temper was a bomb looking for a spark. Without a kill under my belt, combined with how unstable I was after my mother, I wasn’t good. I was happy with the news, but I didn’t function well under pressure outside of work. There, I could bury myself in a project. Go to the gym. Return to work. Without outlets like Whitlock or the Gardens for the darker stuff, I didn’t know how to cope. That was an issue. My child needed to be safe. Even from me. No,especially from me.
FC1315
Icould almost believe fate was in my corner. That somehow with the doctor’s words a part of me had been saved. Edward couldn’t hurt me without consequences. He couldn’t try to kill this baby, not even if he truly wanted to. There was relief in that. Almost…peace. But what about me? What about the pills the nurse had silently and stealthily slipped in my pocket when she’d sent Edward to get me a water? She didn’t have to say anything for me to know what it was, which was nothing but a safeguard, so I’d have a choice. But I wasn’t sure at the moment what that choice would be. My upbringing said it was simple. That was murder. My right as a woman said the answer was easy. A child didn’t deserve this life. The two choices left me more unsure than ever. I needed time, and the pills I’d hidden in our bathroom gave me that.
“That is not what we talked about when we went over the contract.” Anger was thick in my Master’s tone as he paced with the phone to his ear. “It is not, Main Master. You told me what I decided to do with a child was my choice.Mine.Now, I have this doctor telling me to get my hands off my slave because she’s locked into the system. He even said I was the one who could get in trouble if something were to happen to the child.Me, in trouble.”
He got quiet, continuing to pace. When he jerked to a stop, I sat up in the chair even straighter.
“Then it’s true.” His face hardened. “But I didn’t give the fucking go ahead. I said I wasn’t ready to abort the child. That I needed to think.” A pause. “No, I don’t want—That’s besides the point! It should be my choice, not the Gardens.”
He hit a button, putting the phone on speaker as his steps grew angrier.
“The contract clearly stated the child would become the Gardens until birth.
