OffSpring | ✎

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Chapter Six | Unknown Visitor
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THE NEXT COUPLE of days trickle by in phases, my thoughts keeping me occupied, living each day programmed. Caught within the tendrils of my mind, I can do nothing more then fall victim to the mist that clouds it, seeping from the crevices. It consumes me whole, hungry to take over completely.

Hours pass swing by, filled with fiddling and twitching of my limbs as nerves swim through my veins. My fingers twitch with an unforeseen decision until finally I grab my phone and dial the number I've saved the day before.

"Thank you for calling Planned Parenthood, how can I help you today?" the receptionist over the phone greets.

My heart skips with anxiety at the sound of the woman's voice. "Hi, are there any available spots for a consultation?"

The sound of shuffling papers echo through the other end of the speaker, "What is the consultation for?"

My teeth finds my lips, knowing on it as I drag my hand down my pants leg to get rid of excess moisture. "An abortion."

The lady hums through the phone, the noise echoing around the base of my skull and consuming my thoughts. She types away at the keyboard completely unfazed by my request, something that was abnormal to me.

"We can either take you this coming afternoon or next week, those are our only available spots that we have open."

Her lingering words further adds fuel to the war that wages internally, a unforeseen battle between what was right and what was needed. I shuffle away from the window, dragging my feet along the carpet as I make my way to the sofa; the phone still pressed to my ear.

"Today would be fine," I tell her, a sinking feeling building in my gut, my backside making contact with the cushion of the couch.

Tapping among keys is heard, her fingers flying across the keyboard and shuffling the mouse around with occasional clicking.

"All right, can you give me your name sweetie?"

"Kaitlyn Monroe."

"Okay now," she pauses, "I have you in the system for today at four o'clock. Once you arrive be sure to have your ID and insurance card."

"Alright, thank you, see you soon."

The call ends as my thumb hovers over the red button until the device falls from my hand and onto the sofa cushion. I'm left in the solitude of my apartment, allowing its silence to weigh on my shoulders as the rising and previous events take action. My gaze cuts over to the clock on top of the cable box beneath the television, the numbers reading back two twenty-five in the afternoon, the minutes angling closer to my appointment time.

My stomach twists with anxiousness. Maddie's name arises, her absence felt tenfold. The differences of our schedules making itself prominent of how often I am able to see her. Though, I still check my phone frequently for at least a message of her well-being; the events of our last conversation replaying. It wasn't long before a more pressing matter began to surface. This baby still rested inside me, and within the next couple of hours there won't be anymore— my hands instinctively moves to hold my stomach, the simple stray of thoughts sending my gut twisting.

This seemed to be my only logical course of action. It was better without me.

I refuse to become like her, to walk in footsteps that I scorned myself to never walk down. Not was I prepared to take care of another life when I could barely keep mine from falling apart. A frown marred my face at the direction that my mind intended to dive, its haunted path haven't been visited in years. Before I could indulge deeper, a knock at the door startled me to reality.