Chapter 52: I Promise
She was a little desperate. Her eyes were full of helplessness and despair. It was like being pushed to the edge of a cliff. Scarlett walked a step closer to Niki and asked calmly, “You really made up your mind?”
“I’ve got no choice. I thought he would be responsible. But after I told him the news, he just froze and ran away without saying anything. Can you believe it? He ran away and disappeared! I was desperate and cried every single day… Then he texted me the other day…you read it yourself.”
Niki took out her phone and handed it to Scarlett.
The text read, “I’m sorry, Niki. But I’m not ready to be a father. I’m sorry.” Scarlett threw the phone on the bed, “Asshole.”
“I know, I was so stupid to believe him when he said he would love me forever and do anything for me. It was all some fucking bullshit. All lies…”
Scarlett thought of Francis. Luckily, he never had excessive requests and always remembered to wear a condom.
She came to a step closer to Niki and patted her back, “Which clinic did you schedule the abortion at? Do you have enough money?” Niki wiped the tears off her face, “Hmm, the money he gave me can cover the fee. In Wisetown Women’s Hospital… Scarlett, we won’t meet some acquaintances or friends there, will we?” Niki was afraid other people would find out.
Scarlett smiled, “Who else would be as stupid as you are?” Nike sat up straight to stare at her. “It’s enough to be stupid once. Promise me there won’t be the next time.” Scarlett gazed into her eyes and said with sincerity. Niki nodded her head repeatedly as she muttered, “I promise.”
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As soon as the door of the hospital room opened, Scarlett ran up to check on Niki. Scarlett had been waiting outside patiently, worried that something would go wrong with the procedure.
When Scarlett entered the room, she saw Niki was lying on the bed, and her face looked hauntingly pale. She was still unconscious because of the anesthesia. Scarlett figured it would take some time for the anesthesia to wear off and Niki to wake up finally.
Seeing Scarlett walk into the room, the doctor finished scribbling on her notepad and then came up to Scarlett. “I assume you’re Niki’s friend? Is it… Scarlett?” Scarlett nodded. The doctor went on,
“It was a successful operation, and everything went smoothly. But the girl must be taken care of for the next few months. No manual labor and a healthy diet. You know, I have a daughter who is around your age. I must tell you, I wouldn’t say I like this job. It kills me to see young girls like you in so much pain. I feel so bad when I have these young women coming to me and crying and going through the great panic of the abortion. It hurts, for them, and also for me. Tell her it’s time to learn a lesson. You get a second chance in love. But there is not always a second chance for health and for life.”
Scarlett nodded and thanked the doctor for her kind words. She held Niki’s hand and accompanied her to the ward with the nurses.
After they arrived at the ward, Niki was still unconscious. Scarlett held her hand tightly as she was listening attentively to the doctor’s instructions for Niki’s postoperative nursing.
Not long after the doctor and nurses had left, Niki woke up and cried out in pain.
Scarlett sat on the chair beside the bed, letting her screech out loud and grasp her hand tightly. If having an abortion was just a decision as any decision she had made before, now she’s feeling it for real. She tried to curl herself up to ease her pain, but that slight movement just hurt her harder. She fell into great panic, both physically and emotionally.
“I hate him!” At this moment, the hatred for her ex-boyfriend was like a vine crawling over her body.
“I have to remember how I am at this moment! how anguished and how ugly!”
“There’s no need for that, babe…It’s over now…I don’t want you to…”
“I won’t let him off the hook! I’ll kill him!” Niki’s eyes turned abnormally red, and the blue veins on her forehead were bulging wildly. Scarlett bent down as she wiped the sweat and tears off her face.
“Niki, calm down. Nothing matters more than yourself, your family, and your friends. He doesn’t deserve you– he never did. The person who loves you will sympathize with your pain and be there for you no matter what. But the person who doesn’t love you will not shed a tear– not even if you died. You’re better off without him, Niki. Trust me. You’re better off without him.”
Scarlett patted her back tenderly.
“Niki, don’t think about him anymore. It’s not about him. This is about you. We just gotta make sure that you take care of yourself and listen to the nurses, okay?”
“Scarlett, it’s not that simple. I can’t forgive him…I can’t…” Her eyes were filled with resentment, as well as despair.
“I laid on the operating table, and the cold machine pierced through my body and crushed my first child to death… I saw it. I watched my dear child fly out of my body! A ghost… I could not keep my child! I killed my baby! Scarlett, don’t you get it? I killed my own child. I’m a murderer… And where’s that bastard?! He went away and left me here to suffer! Why? What did I do to deserve this?”
Scarlett wanted to comfort Niki, but she knew that she could not understand exactly what Niki was going through no matter how hard she tried. She would never really know the depth of Niki’s despair and pain. She would never know what it was like to lose one’s child…
Scarlett slid out of the quilt when her phone rang loudly around midnight. She found that Niki had finally fallen asleep quietly next to her bed and felt released. So as not to wake Niki up, Scarlett tiptoed out of the room and gently closed the door behind her.
“Hey.” Scarlett leaned against the wall outside the room and whispered into the phone.
Scarlett slid out of the quilt when her phone rang loudly around midnight. She found that Niki had finally fallen asleep quietly next to her bed and felt released. So as not to wake Niki up, Scarlett tiptoed out of the room and gently closed the door behind her.
“Hey.” Scarlett leaned against the wall outside the room and whispered into the phone.