***
“Say something, dude,” Jean growled.
Why the fuck was his brother silent, Jean wondered. He’d waited till morning to tell Dean the news in his office since it had been too late by the time he’d left the club with his pals the night before. It was obvious Dean hadn’t even known about the pregnancy. The news about the impending abortion had instantly caused all the blood to drain out of Dean’s face. He looked as white as a sheet. But why was he so quiet. That was so not like Dean.
Dean shrugged. “What do you want me to say?” He finally asked quietly, looking up from where he sat, behind his desk, at his twin brother. “I can’t even think.” He added in a whisper.
Dean felt so much heaviness within his chest. His heart was pounding so hard his breath quickened. He felt like he was drowning. His mind was blank. The feeling in his stomach felt like when he was told that his grandmother was dead. Dean had been the favourite of their grandmother because he was the baby of the family. He’d been just a kid. But that feeling in his stomach had been so unpleasant and unsettling, he prayed he never got that feeling again. What he was feeling at that very moment in his office, was even worse than how he’d felt all those years ago.
“Call her, Dean. Stop her. You can’t allow her to go through with it.” Jean sounded desperate. “Dean…” He growled when his brother got a dazed look in eyes…as though he didn’t even know where he was.
“Allow her to do whatever she wants,” Dean said in a hoarse voice.
“What?” Jean bellowed.
But Dean only shook his head and cleared his throat. “Jean, I mean what I’m saying. If she actually does that, then I’ll know that our relationship wasn’t meant to be.” He said quietly.
“Bullshit! Can you hear yourself right now?” Jean was furious.
“If she can actually snuff that life out, without telling me, giving me that say, that respect…then I don’t think we belong together. It’s my child but it’s her body. We’re not married, Jean. She can do whatever she wants if she’s determined.”
“So convince her that it’s not right,” Jean argued.
“You’ve not heard a word I’ve just said have you? in as much as I love her, I don’t think I can live the rest of my life with someone who is capable of doing what she’s about to do. I’ll be better off without her. So…allow her to do as she pleases.”
“At least let’s go to the hospital. Get to know firsthand immediately it’s done. So she can’t deny it. For…for all you know Cyril is wrong.” Jean added in a whisper.
Dean gave a humourless chuckle. “You mean there’s another Kayla who looks just like her out there huh? Don’t bet on that.”
Both men went quiet for a while till Dean’s sudden explosion not only startled Jean but broke the silence as well. “Fuck!”
“Dean…”
“All the signs were there,” Dean muttered shaking his head. “The sensitive boobs, the increase in appetite and weight, the…worry…”
“She was worried?” Jean asked, sitting down heavily on the couch.
“There definitely was something on her mind. I’ve been asking her to tell me what’s worrying her but she keeps saying, she’s fine. Fuck, the burden she must be carrying around…”
“Don’t you dare go feeling sorry for her, Dean.” Jean growled.
“But…”
“There’re no buts in this, dude. She made her own choice. She could have chosen another way. Don’t make her out to be the victim here, ’cause she isn’t.”
Dean nodded. “I should have known she was pregnant? But I never saw her have morning sickness like expectant mothers are supposed to. She never got sick in the morn…”
“Not every pregnant woman gets morning sickness, dumbass. Whilst most don’t have an appetite for food in their first trimester, some would kill for food. Your Kayla is obviously not part of the ‘loss of appetite’ group.” Jean said, making quotation marks with his fingers.
“How could she do this to me?” Dean groaned, burying his face in his palms.
“Is it…” Jean started but stopped. Then he took a deep breath and plunged ahead with his question. “Is it possible there’s someone else? That the baby isn’t yours?”
“If she’s really pregnant, then it’s mine, asshole.” Dean glared at his brother. “I was her first. Besides, she’s no slut.” Dean growled.
“Just thought I’d ask. Sorry.” Jean drawled. “Wait a minute… did you say…” Jean’s eyes widened in surprise when Dean’s words about being Kayla’s first finally hit him.
“Yes, Jean,” Dean said with a sigh.
“Wow! We have to confront her, Dean. I understand that you want to allow her to do as she wants, see just how far she would go, but we have to be in that hospital. Maybe she will see us and change her mind…”
Dean shook his head vigorously. “I would only confront her after the time scheduled for the abortion. I don’t want to stand in her way. Much as I want that kid, I want to see just how far she would go. I love her Jean. This is a woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. Don’t you think it’s important I know what she’s capable of?”
“At the expense of your child?”
“What can I do? Lock her up in a room? She has to want it. I don’t want to force her to want her own child. Do you understand me?”
Jean gave a deep sigh. “Alright, how are we going to do this?”
“We’ll do it your way. Confront her at the hospital. But only after she’s done. You said Cyril said it was going to be this afternoon right?”
“Yep.”
“So we’ll be there. Hopefully, she won’t go ahead with…fuck…” Dean muttered as his hand went to his chest.
“Hey…” Jean stood up.
“Please get me some aspirin from the bathroom, Jean,” Dean muttered, putting his head on the desk. The pain inside his chest was robbing him of breath.
“Fuck!” Jean swore as he dashed into the en suite bathroom.
When Jean came back to the office, he grabbed a bottle of water and shoved it into Dean’s hands. Then he stood back and watched as Dean swallowed the drug. Kayla had better not go through with her plan, Jean thought darkly. Because knowing his brother, he was never going to recover from such a blow.
“The bitch had better disappear from the face of this earth if she actually does it…” Jean muttered.
“What?” Dean asked, putting the half-full bottle of water down.
“Nothing. Let’s get going. We don’t wanna miss the show.” Jean sneered, turning towards the door. “I’ll drive.”