FIFTY-THREE

Kamilla Lopez

The food drops like a bomb in my stomach, I don't taste it, I don't feel the crazed hunger I was feeling minutes ago. Nick took me by surprise, bringing Bianca into this house. I looked closely at her body as she ate in silence, there was no scratch, not even evidence that she was being tortured, I didn't know whether to be happy about it or not. I let out a sigh, I face Nick, he is beside me while surfing the Internet on his tablet, it's been a while since I've seen the news or gossip since he took my phone and deprived me of all technology that gave me the right to talk to people out there. My only distraction in this house was Erick, the television, and the food.

Erick is sitting next to Bianca looking at her while he eats, his curious eyes yearning to know what she is doing here, but knowing how his father is, he preferred to remain silent for the moment. After breakfast, Nick left the room without saying a word, the boy went for a moment to the backyard to see his dog, only us, I could approach her. With my eyes already overflowing with tears, I pull her into a strong and tight hug, she reciprocates in the same intensity, letting out a brief sob.

— I haven't seen you since that day at the beach, are you okay? — I ask, breaking the hug.

— Yes, I was worried about you when that man dragged you away, those bastards threw me into the bushes, but nothing happened when those men arrived.

— Did they hurt you?

— What? No, they took me to an apartment in the center, I was kept there in the company of an unbearable person and only today did they remove me from there.

— You know why?

— Accompanying you to the office, it's going to start with prenatal care, isn't it?

— Yes, but I'm nervous, Nick scares me, even more so after what he did to Dona Carolina.

— What did he do to her?

— Torturing her for my attempt to locate you, do you know if she's okay?

— I don't know, I haven't seen her since that day before we went to the beach.

— That's weird, I saw you on a table tied up and so did she. What does all this mean?

— Well, I don't know, but there's nothing we can do, your boyfriend is the king of the underworld, why didn't you think of telling me?

— I didn't want to put your life or Dona Carolina's in danger, but now I see that nothing helped.

— Now, it makes sense that you broke up with him, but the big guy doesn't care if you don't want him.

— My situation is tragic.

— I don't know whether to be sorry or laugh.

With Erick's return we went to the main room, there he was talking to both of us about school and how much he was anxious to know why we are going to an office. Minutes pass and soon Nick appears in long strides. He looks at me with his cold, indifferent eyes, straightening his posture, said:

— Come on, the car is waiting.

We got up from the sofa and went to the entrance of the mansion, there was a Mercedes, Erick and Bianca got in first, Nick opened the car door for me to get in, but before doing so, he stopped me and started to speak:

— I let your little friend go to the office with you, after all, it's your pregnancy.

— Thanks, Nick.

— Don't thank me yet, my angel, you'll reward me later.

As soon as I got in the car I released the sigh I was holding, after taking the wheel, the car headed towards the gates. In traffic, I realized that there were cars following us from the property, I realized that they were the security guards who were always protecting the famous Nick Ross. We stayed in silence until we arrived at the clinic. With the car parked, we got out of it and waited for Nick to approach us. Once inside, a woman in the clinic's uniform walks through a door and approaches us with a small smile on her face.

— Good morning, Miss Ross.

— Good morning. — greeting, ignoring the last words.

— Please, come with me, as soon as I change clothes, your husband and son will come in.

— Go with her, Kamilla. — Nick asks moving away with Erick.

I followed the woman until we went through the door, Bianca beside me, we sat down in a chair facing the doctor's table, as soon as she sat down I started asking her some questions.

— Do you know how many weeks you are?

— Six weeks.

— When did you find out?

— In the hospital when you faint.

— I see, Mr. Ross said that he still hasn't started his prenatal care, we'll start today, all right?

— Yes!

— Before we see your baby, I'm going to order a battery of exams to see if everything is okay, if it's feeding properly.

— All good.

— Perfect, I ask you to go to the bathroom and take off your clothes, there is an apron there, your friend will help you put it on.

Together with Bianca we went next to the bathroom, there she helped me take off the dress and held the piece in hand, the apron I put on by myself. Back in the room, the doctor approached a table starting to prepare a syringe to collect my blood, after doing so she approached me to a table. I lay down on it and let the doctor lift the apron. She took a gel and put it on my belly.

— Our. — I muttered.

— It's cold, but you get used to it.

With everything ready to start, the door is opened by Nick, he goes through it accompanied by Erick, when he sees me, his worried eyes make his small legs quickly approach me.

— Is Mom having surgery, Dad?

— No, kid, it's just exams. — he answers.

— Why all this mystery?— Why suddenly this exam?

— Because I'm pregnant, my love, I'm expecting a baby.

— The boy didn't know? — Bianca whispers.

— No. — I whispered back.

There is a brief silence from the boy, he gets closer to me and looks at the screen where the doctor is looking.

— Am I going to have a little brother?

— Or a little sister.

— Did you know about this dad?

— Yes.

— I suspected, mother was always very nauseous, I noticed that she stroked her belly a lot.

— Clever.

— Congratulations, Mommy.

— Thank you, my love.

Nick comes a little closer, with his hands in his pockets he looks at me, a small smile draws his lips, he seems happy to be there, watching me do my first ultrasound. The doctor puts a device on my belly and starts her movements to find the baby, a few seconds pass, and she turns the monitor towards me. With a few clicks on the keyboard, she smiles and points at the monitor.

— Look at your baby over there.

Everyone follows the doctor's finger, I stare petrified at the small dot, my eyes overflow with tears, my heart warms deeply, a smile draws my lips.

— It's my baby.

— Our baby.

I stare at Nick's silhouette, strong, serious and relentless, the satisfied expression doesn't disappear from his face. So beautiful and beautiful, I love him, but I can't forget what he did to Dona Carolina.

— My God.... — Erick murmurs with wide eyes.

— Do you see, my love? It's the baby over there. — I said in joy.

— It looks like a bean, that's a mommy bean, not a baby.

— He's still small, soon he'll be huge.

— Is your belly going to grow a lot?

— We do not know yet.

The doctor started talking about the baby's stability and talked about the proper care I should have, but knowing that my baby was fine was priceless. Remembering the bleeding, I asked:

— Is it normal to have bleeding?

— Bleeding at the beginning of pregnancy can arise, the low amount means that the embryo is settling in the uterus.

— Right.

'Your baby is healthy, we'll know more when the results of the blood tests are ready.'

— All good.

— Is ready?

— For what?

— To hear the baby's heartbeat.

— Can we hear yet?— Bianca asks.

— We can hear since it's the sixth week, but it's not for sure, we'll try.

Pressing just one button, we heard a strong noise echo through the room, for a moment I held my breath, the strong sound of my baby's heart sounds like a drum, a smile of happiness escapes my lips. With the consultation over, Nick and Erick left the room, Bianca helped me put the dress back on, and we left the bathroom, saying goodbye to the doctor with a brief smile.

— See you in a week, Miss Ross, all right?

— Just call me Kamilla, and that's fine.

— Okay, but before I go, I'll give you vitamins to take until the end of the pregnancy.

— He is well.

With the recipe in hand we left the room, at the entrance where Nick and Erick were we approached him, we saw that in his face the evidence that something had happened, standing in front of him I asked:

— Did something happen?

— The appointment is over, your friend is going back to where she was.

— What?

Security guards enter the place and hold Bianca's arm, I look scared at the scene where she is taken out of the office, I try to intervene, but Nick holds my arm, Erick looks at the scene scared.

— What are you going to do with her, Nick, don't hurt her.

— She came to accompany you to the appointment, now she's going back to where she was, did I make myself clear?

— Yes.

— Great, your will is done, now you go home.

Taking me to the parking lot, he hands the vehicle keys to a security guard who quickly takes the wheel, with Erick already inside the car, he says:

— At dusk I'll be back at home, until then get ready my angel, I'll demand the kindness I showed you.