Perfect Storm

Chapter 12

"I did what now?" Pregnancy? I was pregnant? That can't be; I'm on the pill. "How is that possible? I'm on contraception." I was as confused by what the doctor had just told me as he was to hear me actually speak to him.

"It's true that the pill works wonders at preventing pregnancies, but that doesn't mean they can't still happen. Your hormones are messed up by the pill, so when this rare thing happens, your body experiences a wide range of changes. Most of the time, women who get pregnant while taking birth control can carry their babies to term. However, sometimes your body can't handle the rush of hormones, and you miscarry. And sometimes, like in your case, that needed to happen." Now I was even more confused than I had been before, and the doctor soon got on to this fact; he continued with a pained sigh as he explained things to me. "Well, after we made the necessary checks, we realized that yours was an ectopic pregnancy. An ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilised egg implants itself outside of the womb, usually in one of the fallopian tubes. If an egg gets stuck in them, it won't develop into a baby, and your health may be at risk if the pregnancy continues. An ectopic pregnancy is fatal for the fetus and the mother if it's not treated quickly." He took a brief pause to make sure I was still with him. "So if your injuries weren't fatal, your pregnancy would be."

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Henry and Anya spend an hour of their time combing over the paperwork in an effort to figure out what is going on. Mia had several surgeries over the course of her life, but with the exception of one that took place when she was 14 years old, they all took place when she was a much younger child. It was a godsend that Mia had already translated everything before she started making more frequent trips to the doctor once she moved to the UK. But they weren't interested in the surgeries. Rather than the repeated hospitalizations for suicide attempts and evaluations in the psychiatric ward. Both of them grasped the situation with only a single glance, and they knew exactly what to watch out for. So at this point, Anya was going over each of the discharge papers while Henry was searching the safe for any further records that might be there.

"The earliest one I can find is "Suicide attempt by drowning, psychiatric examination required, and that was in March 2013. But the evaluation said little, basically saying that it is only a phase." Anya was reading the document in her hand before handing it to Henry to have him look it over more closely.

"Yes, that was the first time. That happened in Greece. Did the rest happen here?" Henry turned to Anya, who held the remaining discharge paperwork. She nodded as she cast a short glance in his direction. "Give me some." Henry put out his hand in a commanding manner, as if he already had an idea of what he was looking for. "Have a look to see if you find any diagnosis, and if there are, what has been prescribed."

Anya did not waste any time and immediately got to work, and once again, it was she who was the one to find what they needed. "January 7th, 2017: Mia Wall was institutionalised after a suicide attempt by pill intake. After evaluation, she has been diagnosed with depression, PTSD, borderline personality disorder, and dissociation. I guess they prescribed Zoloft after she was discharged. But wasn't the prescription from May? That means she was there for at least 3-4 months. Why so much?"

"I think I found why." Henry drew attention to the piece of paper he was holding. "It says here that during her time in the institution she would be aggressive towards the staff because she wanted to be let out. She would sneak into the staff room to break windows to either escape or cut herself. She would experience hallucinations and psychosis. She would not eat for days at a time, and when she did, she would make herself throw up. When she first got there, she wouldn't talk to anyone for about 25 days, and that's when all the episodes happened." Henry didn't understand what had happened until he read it out loud for the first time. He was unaware of Mia's past. He had no idea how much she was struggling. It was as if she was a completely different person when she was in front of everyone. In a flash, his heart rate increased, and he found himself hunched over with his back against the wall and his knees on his chest, sobbing hysterically. Anya was still in disbelief as she sat on the bed, trembling and mumbling to herself.

Anya stopped from allowing herself to feel bad because she was aware that Henry desperately needed comfort. She had to give it to him because Mia couldn't be there. Given that he currently needs someone to be strong for him, she would not let him see her as being weak. After all, he must keep his strength for when Mia wakes. She decided to check the rest of the hospital records on her own. She was aware that Henry needed time to process this situation and that speaking at this time would only make things worse. She waited for him to calm down a little before giving him comfort. As she looked over the files, she learned that after Mia was released from the psychiatric facility, she had to be hospitalised four more times due to suicide attempts. The last one was three months before the first season of The Witcher began filming.

So she was already struggling with it when we met her, and no one seemed to notice.

Anya quickly resisted the urge to analyze. She decided that they needed evidence right now and that she should save her thinking for when Henry stopped crying in the corner.

And that's when she spotted a folder. It was sealed, but it belonged to Mia, and that alone raised suspicions. So she made the choice to open it. When she opened the folder, she discovered a Polaroid of a newborn. It appeared to have been pulled from Google, but it was also dated February 27th, 2019.

However, the folder appeared to be too heavy for only one Polaroid, so she looked around inside and discovered three positive pregnancy tests.

So that baby in the photo I saw earlier is hers?!

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How the fuck the rarest thing needed to happen to me made no sense at all. How did I not realise I was pregnant? I've been here before, so I should have known. I unintentionally began stroking my stomach. How can I miss something I didn't even know I had?

My thoughts were interrupted once more by the doctor. "Ms Wall I understand that this is a tough time for you, but I still have to ask because of your medical history." He took a brief break to check that I was responding as expected. "Was it an accident, or did you throw yourself in front of that car intentionally?"

After everything that he had just revealed to me, I could not believe that he was actually asking that of me at this very moment. My eyes widened in shock. "Do you really think that I threw myself in front of that fucking car?!"

"Ms Wall considering your mental health history and the fact that police is involved I have to-"

"If I was really going to kill myself like that, I would have at least waited until morning when the road is as busy as fuck so that if one didn't hit me, I'd have other chances!" A sharp ache raced through my ribs as a result of the small voice lift I gave him. I immediately regretted it. But I stayed quiet. Even if it were a doctor, I would go to hell and back before I showed weakness at this exact time. I tried to keep Lucy a secret from him, though. Even the thought of what she might do makes me sick. Yes, there are police involved, but seeing her as she was earlier, she won't go down unless she drags someone else with her.

"The fact that you had already considered how to do it, Ms. Wall, says a lot." He rechecked my history and sighed in desperation before setting it down next to me on the bedside table. "You hurt yourself so badly that we will have to put you back in the mental hospital."