R5
Pregnant
By Rosehill
Chapter 3
The journey lasted only a few hours and she landed far away from the Bandar territory. Having good night vision and great orientation skills, she found her way quite easily. She didn't feel sad or worried, not at all. She just had a slightly weird feeling.
She remembered something Soala had told her and she stopped at a small river to wash her face and hands. Kitha rubbed her head at her knees and she patted her. Then she got up and walked until she reached a small clearing. In the middle was standing a tree covered in red leaves and white flowers.
Jedda remembered how women who did the 'blood ceremony' were supposed to say something before. She kneeled and thought about it. Then she said:
"Hello, I wish to make the little thing in my body leave me. I'm asking for the spirit of the red tree to help me. Please, take the thing inside me and take the energies that would have made it grow. Transmit these energies to the living things around me. Release this to-be soul and… accept my prayers."
Jedda wasn't even sure it was the correct thing to say. However, she felt the tree was actually listening to her and approved – or at least, didn't disapprove. So she walked slowly, tore a leaf delicately and started chewing.
It tasted bad. Jedda swallowed and knelt to pat Kitha, who seemed to understand what was happening and put her head onto her lap. Jedda ate more leaves and waited until she felt a slight pain, like a painful period. Then she felt wet between her legs.
I remember all the ceremonials when a baby was born. People would say there were invisible souls all around us and one of those souls chose the baby to live inside. Now maybe I'm releasing a little soul and it will be born again later. Have a nice journey, little soul!
Jedda waited for some time, and then she decided to walk back to the jet. She was starting to feel hungry. Suddenly, she felt a presence not far from her. She stopped and braced herself. It was either a Bandar or…
"Come with me."
Her father. How did he find her? She stepped forward; there was no point in trying to hide anyway. It felt so weird, being there with him in the middle of the night.
"You weren't visiting your mother, were you?" he asked.
Jedda tried to think very fast. He had probably found her jet with everything she believed she needed: pads, paracetamol, chocolate and even a first-aid kit. There was no point in lying.
"No."
"Then what are you doing here in the middle of the night?"
"Father, I was pregnant."
For a split second, his face went to at least a dozen different expression: surprise, fear, doubt, denial and so on. Then he asked:
"Are you sure?"
"Definitely. Please, don't blame me."
"Was it consensual?"
That's my father! His first concern is always my safety. OK, let's tell him not to worry.
"Definitely. There was a… condom accident, that's all."
He sighed and rubbed his head before asking:
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Well… I believed you would tell me to carry on the pregnancy. I'm not ready for being a mom, you know."
"I understand."
"I still need to wait for… wait, what?"
The Phantom embraced his daughter and kissed her forehead. Then he loosened his hug and glanced at her belly.
"Is it painful?" he asked.
"Not too much. It feels a bit like periods on a bad day. You mean you're not mad at me?"
He shook his head slowly.
"Not at all. Did I ever tell you in which circumstances you were born?"
"No. Was I an unwanted baby?"
"You were an unexpected baby. I was only 18 and your mother was hardly older when she told me she was pregnant. She really wanted to keep you and I believed it was her choice so I tried to support her as much as I could. You know she died a few months after you were born and it was a shock for me. I tried to raise you as well as I could but sometimes I feel I was too young and too immature to be a good father."
"Don't worry," Jedda said. "You're a wonderful father."
"Thank you. I don't wish you were never born. I just wish you were born a few years later so I understand you prefer to wait."
"So," Jedda asked slowly, "you're not mad at me?"
"I'm mad at you for not telling me exactly what you were up to! Running away in the middle of the night. What were you thinking?"
She laughed nervously. She felt like laughing and crying at the same time and she also felt a bit stupid for underestimating her father's open-mindedness. Oh, this was so emotional!
"Sorry," she said. "I ran into anti-choice activists and they said horrible stuff so I felt a bit upset."
"I understand. Let's go back to central City now."
"No, please! I heard I shouldn't leave Bandar soil before the ritual is over. Can we just stay for a few hours?"
She knew she probably sounded superstitious but he nodded and they found a comfortable place to sit and wait. She eventually dozed and he had to wake her up at sunrise. Surprisingly, she just felt a bit sad about leaving the place. They hadn't spent time together for some time, after all, and it had been a nice binding moment.
Chapters
Jedda relays startling news to Rick.
Seeking information, Jedda visits a hospital, and has a more jarring experience than expected.
Jedda returns to her homeland.
The finale, set several years later.
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