Liar's Moon

Fifteen

An old white house stood tall in the Louisiana air. The trees, once warm and vibrant, were now bare-branched with not a sign of a leaf in sight. Lively birds chirped outside, giving the scene a comforting atmosphere. Inside the house was an office where an older gentleman worked. He sat at his desk next to three square windows where fresh greenery could be seen. Footsteps could be heard and a woman entered the office, approaching the man.
"There's a Dr. Black calling long distance from Texas. He says it's important," she spoke.
The man nodded, and the woman left. When the closing of the door could be heard, the man picked up the shiny, black phone beside him and held it to his ear.
"Yello, this is Dr. Mullen," he greeted. He waited before continuing the conversation.
"Oh yes! Did you get my request for Ginny's medical record?"
The man waited again, and his calm face contorted at the other doctor's response.
"What?" he reacted, "Are you sure?"
He waited for Dr. Black's response and nodded, "Yes, the test is also positive. She's pregnant, alright."
The doctor nodded at the response and thought while Dr Black spoke on the other line. After a while, he responded.
"I guess that's the only thing we can do.. as soon as possible."
His eyes widened and he thanked Dr. Black before putting the phone down. He stayed still for a second, taking in the information. He looked at the large, wooden door to his office.
"Mary!" he called, "Get Ginny Duncan over here right away!"

Moments passed and Ginny sat excitedly in a chair as she looked at Dr. Mullen. He had a somber expression as he began to talk to her.
"Ginny," he began, "I'm afraid I've got some very bad news for you."
Ginny's expression of excitement quickly changed to fear, and thought started running in her head.
"I'm not pregnant."
The doctor shook his head, "No, trouble is you are."
A hint of excitement shown on Ginny's face mixed with a look of concern.
"I am? I don't understand."
Dr. Mullen nodded. He spoke cautiously, his eyes altering from his folded hands and his patient's face.
"I don't know how to say this, but.. You cannot have this baby. Because your father, Alex Peterson, is also the father of your husband."
Ginny's brows furrowed and her expression grew distressed. She looked down and glanced around the office.
"No.." she said weakly. She shook her head slowly as she looked at the doctor.
"Doctor, I love my husband.. I wanna-" her voice broke more as she continued to speak, "I wanna have a family.."
She thought for a moment before continuing, staring at the older gentleman.
"You're lying.. You're lying! My daddy put you up to this, didn't he?"
Dr. Mullen shook his head.
"No. I wish to God I was lying, but I'm not."
Ginny cried more, still shaking her head.
"Can't you do something? Can't you fix it so that I don't have any more babies so I can stay with my husband?" she pleaded, "Please?"
The doctor responded, "In Louisiana, only a few things are illegal. But incest is certainly one of them. And we're going to have to terminate the pregnancy, and then you can see about annulling the marriage."
Ginny's clear, white skin grew red, and she nodded.
"I have to talk to Jack," she told him, "I have to talk to my husband."
"Since you're underage, he's going to have to sign the forms anyway," he explained, "Tell you what: I'll give you a couple of hours while I can set up for the operation over the clinic. That's all the time we can have because you're almost three months pregnant and it gets more dangerous for you every day."
Ginny nodded and spoke with a broken voice, "I'll go talk to my husband. Okay? I'm going to talk to Jack."
She stood up from the chair and exited in sorrowful sobs.

As Ginny walked home, news of her pregnancy played on and on in her mind. She sobbed louder as she thought of it, and she walked helplessly back home. During her slow tread, a large black booth caught her eye, and she made her way to it. She stepped into the tall, shiny black booth and picked up the phone as she entered a number.
"Hello," she sobbed, "Dr. Black, please."
The operator responded, and Ginny eventually heard the low, kind voice of the doctor.
"Hi! Doc Black? This is Ginny Peterson."
It was troubling for her to speak as she felt a blockage in her throat with every word between sobs.
"I have to know.. Did you talk to a Mr. Mullen?"
She waited for the doctor's response.
"Is it true?" she asked.
Her face contorted at his response. "Is it true?" she repeated.
The doctor answered, and she put the phone down, crying silently.
Ginny continued with her walk home, though she had the strength to go faster. She ran across the bridge near the forest area where she and Jack frequently visited. She stopped at the middle of the bridge, and she rested her hand on the railing. Her cries grew louder, feeling weaker with each moment. With her crying, she eventually lowered and sunk to the ground in helpless sorrow.