Page 9

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A t precisely one o’clock, Gabby entered her car and drove to her doctor’s appointment. She checked the mirrors, monitoring if anyone followed her. Her nerves felt raw and on edge. When she parked at her doctor’s office, she felt relieved as she exited her car.

The friendly receptionist checked her in and she waited for the nurse to call her name.

“Gabrielle Hutchins,” the nurse announced as she opened the door. Following routine, she soon sat in the exam room.

The nurse frowned when she took Gabby’s blood pressure, causing her to take a few calming breaths. Dr. Wisner entered the office as the nurse took the last of her vitals.

“Hello, Gabrielle. How are you feeling?” He opened the computer, checked her vitals and weight before he turned his attention to her.

“Your blood pressure seems a bit high. Did you experience any stress since your last visit?” he asked.

“I accepted a new position at my job this week, but I’m taking the afternoon off,” she rushed to add.

“It’s important to keep the stress down. What about eating? Your weight went down,” he informed her, motioning for her to step up on the exam table.

“I’ve suffered from bouts of morning sickness in the afternoons. Sometimes, it lasts until the evenings. Other days, I feel fine,” she explained.

“Eat small meals throughout the day, drink plenty of water, and I’ll prescribe some medication to help with the nausea. If it doesn’t calm down, we’ll have to revisit. Set your appointments for two weeks from now on. Reduce the stress and use the meds. If you experience any other symptoms, I want you to call the office. Do you understand?”

“Yes. I’ll take it easy,” she assured him. “May I ask you a question?”

“Sure.” He took out the heart monitor and placed it on her belly. The swoosh of the rapid heartbeat filled the room and she smiled widely.

“My mom and my aunt both died during childbirth. Does it mean I might suffer from complications?” She swallowed. The fear of dying during childbirth terrified her, but she’d risk it to have a piece of Marcus with her.

“No, Gabrielle. I read through your mother’s records you brought in. She suffered an aneurysm. Don’t let this stress you. Do you suffer from headaches, or blurred vision? Additionally, many advances have been made since you were born.”

She gave him a relieved smile. “No. I read somewhere Black women have a higher mortality rate when giving birth.”

Dr. Wisner nodded. “You’ve experienced a model pregnancy up until today. You’re doing all the right things,” he assured her. “Make an appointment for two weeks from now for a weight check and keep your baby less stressed. Everything on your ultrasound appears on target. Do you want to know the sex?” he asked.

“No. I like surprises.”

“I’ll see you in two weeks,” he reminded her before leaving the room.

Gabby slid from the table and grabbed her purse. She made her next appointment and stuck the card in her bag.

Walking out of the office, she scanned the parking lot for anything suspicious before hopping into her car. Sighing, she took in the leather seats and all the buttons on the dashboard at her fingertips. From now on, she decided to use public transportation. The car might hold a tracker and she didn’t like driving home at night. Starting it up, she pulled onto the street and her stomach rumbled, letting her know she skipped lunch. With no signs of nausea, and hunger gripping her, she searched for the nearest tacos. It seemed the baby’s favorite thing to eat, even for breakfast.

Pulling through the drive-thru, she ordered three tacos and a water. She set the bag on the seat beside her, pulled her arms out of her coat and set the water in the cupholder before moving onto the street and taking the exit for the highway, cutting her trip down by ten minutes. Food and a nap sounded great. Checking her rearview mirror, she frowned when a speeding car appeared behind her. She put on her signal and switched to the next lane. The car sped up beside her and she let off the gas, hoping to let the person pass her. “Stupid road rager,” she muttered as the car sped up and swerved into her lane. Gabby shook her head and slowed down to put a distance between her and the car, unwilling to take a chance with her child, she let the idiot race ahead of her.

The smell of the tacos beckoned, and she pressed on the gas a little more, hoping to eat them while they stayed hot. The car which passed her slowed down a bit and soon she followed behind them. With her exit approaching, it wasn’t worth trying to pass. The car signaled they planned to exit, too. Great . She started on the turn when the car in front of her slammed on its brakes and sped backward toward her car. She turned the wheel sharply to the left when a truck behind her hit her from behind, sending her over the edge of the highway and down the steep hill.

She screamed as the car left the road and flew into the air as if in slow motion. Branches hit the vehicle on its descent. She gripped the steering wheel and held on tight as the car landed with a hard thud on the ground and kept rolling. She slammed on her brakes as she attempted to push the button on the car to activate the emergency response button. When she glanced up, the car collided with a tree, making the airbag deploy. A cloud of white powder filled the air as Gabby touched her stomach. “I’m sorry, little one,” she cried before everything went black.