***
Kayla took in the grimness of Dean’s expression and knew that he meant every word that he said. She could feel herself trembling, her legs beginning to shake…so much so that she leaned against the pillar she was standing close to. After taking in a deep breath, Kayla nodded her head. She felt numb all over. It felt like she was standing outside herself watching the whole scene unfold.
“I understand. I’m very sorry it had to end this way.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“That child in there is mine,” Dean said in a deep voice. “I’ll take care of it. You will never need anything as long as it remains alive. I’ll…”
That stung. Did he think she was going to kill her child or something, Kayla fumed silently. “We don’t need anything from you, Dean.” Kayla cut in firmly. “We’ll be just fine. I’m not exactly a pauper. I’m twenty-four years old, and quite capable of bringing this child up on my own. I certainly don’t need your money to do that. I’ll get my things.” With that, Kayla turned towards the stairs.
“Kayla…” Dean growled.
“Don’t worry Dean. I understand. With the way you’re feeling about me now, this relationship can never work. For what it’s worth, I enjoyed every moment shared with you. Oh and just for the record, I changed my decision before I even went to that hospital today. So it’s not some gadgets or some fear of pain that made me stop.” Kayla turned and continued climbing the stairs.
She had only gone to see the doctor that afternoon, to cancel the abortion. She had meant to call and cancel that morning but had overslept. When she’d finally gotten through to the hospital at noon, she was told Dr. Hawk was busy so she had decided to go to the hospital personally and cancel.
She had thought long and hard about what she was about to do after that impassioned plea by Dean the night before. She hadn’t been able to sleep. The idea of having a little boy or girl with its father’s sweet looks and sense of humour was just too fantastic to destroy. She had pictured the three of them together having fun, her and Dean showering the little angel with so much love. Somehow, even before the night before, Kayla felt like that unborn baby, had in a way become part of her life. It had suddenly become clear to Kayla in the wee hours of the morning that she couldn’t kill her baby even if it was just a clot of blood.
She was ready to look after the baby herself if Dean wasn’t ready to be part of the baby’s life when she told him at dinner that evening as she’d planned to. Kayla planned on loving the child with all the loving that she hadn’t had as a child. And she had a feeling Dean would love it too once he got used to the idea. Unfortunately, things hadn’t gone as planned. If she hadn’t panicked when she got the news, things would have gone differently, she was sure. But she had panicked and acted wrongly. Now she had to suffer the consequence.
Kayla knew Dean was hurt as he had every right to be but his words had cut her to the core. She just had to be strong, not just for herself but also for the baby. Her plan was to defer her finals till after the baby was born because she really couldn’t see herself passing her exams with the way she was feeling. Dr. Hawk had assured her that the way she was feeling was normal so she didn’t have anything to worry about. She would rather use her remaining leave days to rest. She was going to sacrifice for her baby, have a good rest, and just concentrate on bringing the little angel into the world, healthy. The two of them were defiantly going to survive. Touching her stomach, Kayla silently vowed to the growing baby inside her womb, to ensure it was safe and loved at all times.
After quickly calling a cab with her cell phone, Kayla put her things together. Her things were not much as she hadn’t fully moved into Dean’s home. What she had was what she’d brought over during her recent leave, prior to her finals. Everything fit into just one bag. By the time she got downstairs with her bag, the cab was already in. Dean’s chauffer entered the living room and took Kayla’s bag outside into the cab.
“You don’t have to leave, Kayla,” Dean said with so much anguish in his voice, Kayla turned to look at him.
“Dean, it’s for the best. We…we’re no longer in a relationship, right? I can’t be under your roof. You should know me better than that.”
Dean pinched the bridge of his nose with a torturous groan. “You didn’t have to call a cab. I’ll drive you home. Rick will drive your car over so…”
“Dean, I don’t want the car. Thank you very much but like I always used to say, it was too extravagant a gift. Your kid will be fine. In as much as you think I’m a monster and might harm your kid, be assured that…I already love it too much to see any harm come to it. I know you don’t trust me but I guess you don’t have any choice but to take me for my word. It will be fine.”
With that, Kayla stepped out of the house and out of Dean’s life.