Chapter 10: What Baby?
Four weeks had passed since their mother’s funeral. The house was quieter now, but not as peaceful as Bella had hoped. It was the kind of quiet that pressed against her chest, suffocating in its stillness. She tried to keep busy—sorting through bills, handling paperwork, cooking meals Rachel hardly touched—but the grief clung to her like a second skin.
That morning, Bella and Rachel sat at the dining table eating, and even though Bella barely ate anything, she still felt nauseous.
Rachel glanced at her worriedly. "Are you sure you won’t go for a check-up? You’ve been feeling sick for the past few days," Rachel asked with a frown.
Bella shook her head. "It’s nothing serious. I’m sure it’s probably just a fever or maybe the flu. I’ll be fine in a few days," she said, waving it off.
"Are you sure?" Rachel asked again.
Bella flashed her a reassuring smile, knowing that Rachel’s concern stemmed from the fear of losing her like they’d lost their mom.
"I’ll be fine, trust me," she said, forcing herself to eat a few more.
After the meal, Rachel took the dishes and Bella followed.
"I’ll help rinse them while you wash," she said, and Rachel nodded.
But as Bella stood at the sink rinsing out the plates, the world tilted. A sudden wave of dizziness washed over her, and her legs buckled.
"Bella!" Rachel’s scream cut through the haze just as everything went black.
When Bella opened her eyes again, she was lying in a hospital bed. The sterile white walls closed in on her, the faint hum of machines echoing in her ears. She blinked, confused, until Rachel’s worried face came into focus beside her.
"Thank God," Rachel whispered, clutching her sister’s hand tightly. "You scared me half to death."
Bella tried to sit up, but the nurse at the foot of the bed shook her head. "You need to rest."
Then came the doctor, clipboard in hand. His expression was calm, professional, but the words he spoke shattered her world all over again.
"Ms. Howells, you need to take good care of yourself and rest properly, especially now that you’re pregnant. Otherwise, you’re going to be risking your baby’s life."
Hearing that, Bella froze. For a moment, she thought she had misheard him. "What?" Her voice cracked.
What baby? What pregnancy? It didn’t make sense to her.
The doctor repeated it, gently this time. "You’re pregnant, Ms. Howells. You’re about six weeks along. You need to rest properly at the first trimester....."
Rachel’s mouth fell open and she interrupted even before the doctor could finish. "Pregnant?" she whispered, turning to Bella, knowing that this wasn’t going to be anything good to Bella.
Bella’s stomach twisted violently. The room blurred at the edges as reality crashed into her. Pregnant. How could she be pregnant after everything?
Jake’s voice replayed in her mind like a cruel echo: "Don’t worry. I can’t get anyone pregnant."
Why did he have to lie to her about that? What was his plan? To get her pregnant and ruin her life?
Her hands clenched the thin hospital blanket. Anger surged inside her, white-hot and bitter. Anger at Jake—for lying, for making her believe she was safe. Anger at herself—for not taking precautions, for not getting the morning-after pill even when the thought had crossed her mind. Or maybe she had been too lost in grief, too numb to think clearly.
How could she ever navigate this? It was too much to bear.
Rachel touched her arm carefully. "Bella... is it... is it his? Do you... know the person?"
Bella’s throat tightened, the question stabbing into her. The weight of shame, regret, fury—it was too much. Without answering, she ripped the covers back, swung her legs over the side of the bed, and ran.
She didn’t know where she was going but one thing she knew was that she needed to leave there. She needed to be alone. She needed sometime off and she wouldn’t get it with everyone here.
"Bella!" Rachel’s voice echoed after her, panicked.
She knew the doctors and nurses must be staring at her strangely, she didn’t care. Bella couldn’t stop. She just ran out of the ward, through the hospital corridors, past the automatic doors that whooshed open at her approach.
The cold air hit her face, but it wasn’t enough to cool the storm raging inside.
Her phone buzzed and buzzed in her hand—Rachel calling, then Chloe. She ignored them both, clutching the device so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Pregnant. Her life, already shattered, had just been twisted into something unrecognizable. What would she do? How could she carry this child? What would it mean? The thought of Jake—his smirk, his lies—made her blood boil. And yet, beneath the fury, something else stirred, something she didn’t dare name.
By the time evening came, Bella’s feet had carried her back home. The lights glowed softly through the curtains, a beacon of familiarity she desperately needed.
She pushed the door open. Rachel was on the couch, her face drawn tight with worry. She jumped to her feet the moment she saw Bella. "Where have you been? I’ve been calling you all day!"
Bella’s lips trembled as she whispered, "I’m sorry." She crossed the room and sank onto the couch. "I just... needed time. How did you manage to sort out the bills?"
"Chloe helped," Rachel said, and Bella nodded.
Rachel stand beside her, her hand taking Bella’s. "So... what are you going to do about it? Have you decided?"
"I still need time to think about it," Bella said and then without another word, she went straight to her room.
Bella’s mind raced with different thoughts as she wondered what to do.
Should she abort this reckless mistake that had now become a child, a life growing inside her or should she just keep it?
What would become of her and the child? Could she keep the child of a stranger? What if she went to abort and then dies?
"Oh God, what should I do?" she asked even though she wasn’t exactly expecting an answer.
Bella stayed in her room all night, pondering on her decision. One she knew could alter the course of her life if she made the wrong one or if anything were to go wrong.
The next morning, after thinking all through the night and coming to a decision, Bella stepped out to see Rachel sitting just outside her room.
Immediately after Rachel saw her, she stood up and approached Bella.
"I’m sorry I’ve not been the best sister to you since all of this started....."
Rachel shook her head stopping Bella. "Please, Bella. Don’t say sorry. I know you’re the best sister I could ever ask for. And I know you’d turn the whole world upside down for me if you’d have to. I’ll support whatever decision you make," Rachel said softly.
Bella lifted her gaze, her eyes shining with tears but steady with something stronger. "I’ve decided that I’m keeping the baby."
Rachel blinked. "Are you sure?"
Bella gave a small, broken smile. "Maybe... maybe it’s Mom coming back to us. Maybe this is her way of not leaving completely. Maybe this is her way of giving us a new hope. Something to hold on to. I just want to have another purpose apart from you. I want to feel what it felt like for mom being there for us."
For a moment, Rachel just stared at her. Then her own tears spilled, but this time they weren’t only from grief. She pulled Bella into a hug, her voice trembling but firm. "Then whatever you decide, I’m here. After all..." She gave a small, shaky laugh. "It’s me who’s going to be an aunt, not you."
Bella’s chest ached, but for the first time in weeks, a flicker of warmth bloomed inside her. She leaned into Rachel’s embrace, allowing herself the smallest smile.
Perhaps, just perhaps, she could find strength in this—through her sister, through the tiny life growing inside her.