Illusions of the island *A LOST fanfic*

Chapter 36: An untold story

     Juliet sat in a nicely decorated office in a high rise building in downtown Miami. If there was one thing she didn't like, it was therapists. Before she'd thought nothing of them. They helped people. They helped them get over a loss of a loved one, helped them deal with messy divorces that cause emotional pain, and baggage. Then she met Harper on the island. She hadn't trusted her from day one. Things had spiraled so out of control after that it became the rabbit hole and she was Alice wandering through Wonderland. A woman with round-rimmed glasses looked at Juliet and brought her out of her thoughts, asking her the one question that was painful to talk about.

"Tell me about your daughter Hayley?"

Juliet fidgeted in her seat and then froze. She felt hot tears stinging her eyes. Picking at the fabric of the pillow, Juliet spoke, but her words were soft.

"Hayley was a miracle. Before I went to the island I worked in the research facility at the university. I was developing new drugs to help women get pregnant. One day I made a breakthrough in my research. My sister had wanted a baby her whole life, but because she had cancer, it left her unable to bear children. I decided to test a theory I had. I would give my sister the injections of my serum, but I had to make sure they worked first. So I decided to try it on myself first. It worked..."

The therapist stopped writing and tilted her glasses down on the bridge of her nose.

"What did your ex-husband Ed think about all this? That you were pregnant?"

Juliet looked up at the ceiling and then the woman in front of her.

"He uh, never found out. I don't know why or how, he just didn't. He'd figured I was depressed about something and was eating my way through it."

The therapist continued writing on her white pad of paper. Juliet glanced out the window at the pale looking sun that looked like dawn and then turned her attention back to the therapist.

"What happened after that?"

Juliet took a breath and let it out slowly.

"I had morning sickness at night up until I was almost five months pregnant. I think some of my coworkers knew, but they never said anything. They were afraid of Ed. Everything seems to be a blur after that. I do remember the day I gave birth to her though. I was at work. Ed had been out sick that day. There was another doctor out on the floor I was good friends with, and the only one that knew my secret. I had only come into work to get a few print-outs of some numbers I was working on. I decided to make a trip to the restroom to wash my face. I remember thinking: I need to find some water. Doctor Jacobson, my good friend, David, he must have followed me to the bathroom. It was just a single restroom. I went inside and barricaded myself inside. A minute later, I heard a knock and then David's voice. By then I was in so much pain I was in tears. Unlocking the door, I let him in. Let's just say Hayley didn't wait to be born in a hospital. I ended up having her on that bathroom floor."

The therapist stopped writing once more and stared at Juliet.

"How did it make you feel? Giving birth to Hayley in that bathroom?"

Juliet's face turned a slight shade of red.

"I felt exposed, scared something would happen to me, or the baby. Everything else happened so fast and was a blur. Next thing I knew was David placing a screaming baby on my stomach."

The therapist switched gears and asked another painful question.

"How does it feel to see your daughter again after 9 years?"

The tears were now flowing down Juliet's cheeks and she grabbed for a wad of tissues.

"I feel ashamed of myself for leaving her with my sister. I should've never agreed to go to the island."

The therapist put down her pad of paper and took her glasses off setting them down on top of it.

"I think we've made some real progress today Juliet. Let's continue tomorrow."

To Be Continued...