章 2: Chapter 2: Ought to be Forgotten
7 weeks later...
Ria gaped at the doctor, her eyebrows squished together, her hands sweating, her ears ringing, and her head aching like a grenade just blew up in her face.
"C - Come again?" She stuttered as her nails dug into her palms, waiting for the doctor to repeat what she told her 3 seconds ago.
"Congratulations, Mrs. Walters. You're 6 weeks pregnant."
"What?"
Those words instantly tilted her world upside-down. The hell? She's pregnant?
Ria's complexion paled and her stomach clenched as she took the news inside her head, the words repeating over and over again in her mind like a broken record.
Oh, God…
She felt like throwing up again.
"C - Can I have some of that?" She asked the doctor, her fingers pointing at the jar full of gummy bears that was being displayed on the doctor's desk.
Seemingly understanding what she's going through, the doctor gave her a kind smile and offered the whole jar to her. "Here, you can take it."
"Thanks." She nodded slowly. She was grateful for the doctor's silence, because right now she was panicking inside her head.
Placing the jar on her lap, Ria remembered something and added, "And please, call me Ms. Walters. I'm not married so..."
"Oh..." The doctor blinked, embarrassed by her mistake. "My apologies, I didn't mean to..."
"It's okay," Ria smiled, not letting the doctor finish as her lips pressed together in a tight line. She really wanted to puke really bad at that moment but she stopped herself.
"It was completely understandable." She added, opening the jar and started eating.
Ria's mind began to race. In all honesty, she's been expecting this outcome ever since she first had her morning sickness at her workplace, 3 days ago. She's been spilling her guts out everyday after that, and then rumors of her so-called pregnancy started spreading like wildfire in the school with the headline.
MUSIC TEACHER PREGNANT, DADDY UNKNOWN!
Ria groaned inwardly at the situation she's found herself in, because it was a mess. Good thing the school didn't take the rumors that seriously, and then she went to the hospital to get herself properly checked. She couldn't bear to do a pregnancy test since she needed to know, if she was 100% pregnant or she's simply being neurotic.
News flash!
It was her first guess; she was pregnant!
Tadah!
Her shoulders slumped. She can't believe this is happening to her, she thought, unknowingly caressing her stomach.
Suddenly noticing what she was doing, she stopped. Ria felt hesitant to get back to rubbing her still flat belly, but the mix of awe and horror made her worry for the small jelly bean growing inside her stomach instead.
She became pregnant as a result of an unremembered one-night stand, which sounds irresponsible, especially for a teacher, but it happened. She has a bun in the oven, so she'll have to accept that truth sooner or later. This pregnancy was beyond her control, and she had to accept that fact or else her life would get more difficult as it is.
In any case, she doesn't remember much of what happened that night. But there were other things she remembered, such as his lean yet athletic build, his silvery gray eyes, and three strange symbols tattooed on his wrist.
It would've been nice to remember the face of her baby's father, but it was always blurry when she tried to remember his face.
It would've been better if they'd talked after that night, but remembering what happened that day...
***
7 weeks ago...
10 hours after she got drunk...
Ria came into consciousness, groaning, and with a searing headache that was literally digging holes into her brain.
She clutched her head. God… Why is her head hurting this much? Of course she remembered drinking herself to oblivion last night, but this is the first time she ever experienced a hangover this awful. She thought her head was splitting in half.
Ria moaned, but it came out as a croak so she cupped her throat in confusion. What the—
"My voice," she said, but the words that came out of her lips were muffled— almost like a whisper.
Her throat felt as dry as the Sahara and she tried to soothe it by swallowing, but it hurt.
Water. She needs water. She sat up, gently getting out of bed in an effort to prevent her headache from getting worse. But despite her best efforts, she felt a sharp ache in her head, which caused her to groan while pressing a finger to her temple.
Shit.
She didn't think she'd have a hard time with just a bottle of vodka— No wait, it wasn't just a bottle. No, she actually drank more than one. Ria groaned at that realization. God help her.
"I should really start reading labels from now on," she said, chastising herself.
She was no longer allowed to drink vodka and was removing it from her drinking list— not that she had a list in the first place, but anyway. Vodka was off limits. Period.
Now, turning her attention around the room, Ria noticed the logo on the pillow she slept on. Seeing the familiar blue logo of the Brooke State Hotel stitched on it, it should be right to assume that she never left the building.
She also saw a stainless pitcher by the window. It must have drinking water in it. Great! She needs a drink anyway…
Ria stepped out of the blankets and then came to a halt again.
"Holy Shit!" she screamed, jerking herself to her feet, and then her back screamed in pain at the sudden movement that she cursed.
However, Ria chose to ignore the pain because her back pain was the least of her worries. She was naked, her clothes were scattered all over the floor, and there were a lot of red patches all over her skin.
"Hickeys…" she grumbled under her breath. Hickeys. Of course she knew what they were. But why are there so many of them?
To be more specific, she had hickeys all over her thighs, stomach, and chest. She believed she had some all over her neck too. She just simply couldn't see them without a mirror.
She took a little step forward and her back reacted again. Gosh... Ria buried her face in her hands in embarrassment.
How wild did she do it last night that every fiber of her muscles were screaming in pain.
She slept with someone under the influence of alcohol, and the bad news is that she couldn't remember what happened. Her mind was blank.
Dammit.
Ria wrapped the covers around herself before she started panicking over the situation. Overreacting can wait for later, even though she wanted to vent her frustrations on herself. She needs to get a drink of water first, then the other things can follow.
With her shoulders pushed back and her chest thrusted out, Ria took her first step towards the table. She stumbled across the room at first, because balancing herself on weak shaky legs turned out to be a challenge.
She figured it out eventually, and was able to limp her way to the window to get herself a glass of water. Her throat rejoiced when the cool liquid soothed the dryness inside her mouth, and she poured herself another one, followed by a third one. She was really thirsty, and the fourth one was the last she took to make her throat feel better.
Now lowering the glass on the table, Ria sighed. Much better. It was then that she thought, "Okay, now what?" Her clothes were scattered everywhere, including some clothes that obviously didn't belong to her.
Picking a dress shirt from the floor, she studied it.
"These must be his clothes," she said to herself.
The shirt was larger than her, and it smells good too, she thought after bringing the shirt to her face for a quick sniff. It smelled cool… and musky, with a hint of cigarette, she concluded. Hmm. Her nose is still as sensitive as ever.
And it was quiet. The hotel room was quiet; no whistling sounds inside the shower; no note, no money on the bedside table, and no male presence whatsoever. Just her.
Ria's shoulders loosened at that thought. That means he left. Which is good... If not, it would've been awkward considering that she had no recollection of what happened last night.
Possibly, she would have screamed at his face in shock, with her voice hoarse and raspy of course, and she blushed at that thought.
Anyway, this wasn't her first rodeo. She already had her fair share of sexual experiences to be called experienced.
But none of them compared to what her partner gave her last night. He must've been a God beneath the sheets to make her legs this weak .
"Hmm." She bit her lip. Suddenly her spine tingled, feeling the ache between her legs.
Oh well, that is last night's memory, one that is bound to be forgotten.
Plus, she needs to leave. She hadn't checked the time yet, but it was clear that it was already past noon, which means she has to go home, or else her best friend will worry.
Seeing an empty note and a pen on the bedside table, Ria suddenly thought of leaving that person a message, but she stopped herself.
Seeing that he wasn't here when she woke up, it was proof enough that he left and was not coming back. Leaving a note was useless.
And so, gathering her things, Ria got herself dressed. Afterwards, she went for the door to leave, but her steps haltered.
She looked over her shoulder, giving the hotel room a final look.
Bound to be forgotten huh, she thought.
Shaking her head, Ria smiled to herself. Clearly that's not a hard thing to do, considering her memories.
And with that final thought, she turned around and left. Closing the door to last night's encounter; and treating it as a mere dream.
***
That's what happened, Ria thought, her eyes staring right in front of her, her memories of that day coming into a close.
"It doesn't matter." Ria murmured to herself, shaking her head. She's going to be a mother soon, and she has the resources to do this alone.
Should she tell her parents? Nope. She shook her head. They'll freak for sure…
"Any second thoughts?" The doctor's words broke through Ria's musings.
"No," she said. She didn't even consider her answer. It was instinctual, and it was the truth. "I'm keeping the baby."
The doctor smiled. "That's good," she said, her posture relaxing. "Having a baby is a blessing."
She nodded in agreement as she rubbed her stomach, like it was the most natural thing to do.
"Indeed."
Even though the child was a surprise to her, she never thought of it as something she'd come to dislike or regret. Plus, she's mentally prepared for this... she has to be. She's not a fan of abortions, and keeping the baby would prove to be a challenge. But it was a challenge she's willing to take.
She's stable enough to be a single mother, and everything's going to be fine, she assured herself.
"It's just you and me now, huh," she said gently, caressing her stomach.
She's not sure if the baby heard her, but her intuition told her that he or she did. And in response to her words, a warm sensation spread across her chest. She sensed the baby was communicating with her, telling her that he or she felt the same way.
Good, she nodded.
She just has to look at this situation in a different light.
To be continued...
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