The Family Reunion Part 2

Diagnosis

I sat on the floor of my bathroom between the toilet and the tub, with a glass of wine sitting on the edge of the tub and the diamond ring that Mark wanted back in my hands. I stared off into space seeing my mom walking down an aisle wearing a wedding dress and holding a bouquet of pink roses. She was smiling brightly as her future husband stood where there watching her come towards him….that was my dream…only I wasn't in it.

My eyes were all dried out from the constant crying I had done when I got to the apartment that night. I put my daughter to bed and just cried and cried…and cried until there were no more tears to offer. This was it. I had finally cracked from all the hell everyone had put me through. The only thing I could do was sit there and hope for death. However, I had my baby to worry about…who would take care of her while I was gone. Pure anger clouded my mind as the sight of Mark and my mother picking my baby up from the orphanage clouded my mind. No. I couldn't allow this to happen. I had to get him back and this time I had to keep him on my side. On the other hand…how could I possibly pull that off when the man has already made up his mind that I had betrayed him?

I sat there lost in thought through the morning…

One Week Later

"Girls let's go! You're going to be performing in a few minutes and none of you are backstage!" Bill boasted as he stepped into our dressing room. I sat at my mirror, feeling even worse than I did the week before, but still determined to go out on that stage.

"Candy? Is everything alright?" he asked me.

I nodded and backed away from the mirror so I could stand up. "I'm fine, just taking things one day at a time you know?"

He nodded and then hooked his arm with mine. "Come on, I'll walk you to the stage."

I smiled at him as we headed out of the dressing room and went down the hall. My vision became blurred when we were halfway down the hall. I also felt slightly lightheaded and ready to puke my guts out at any given time. I thought about my baby and knew that I couldn't give up for her.

"You sure you're ready?" he asked. "You look sick as a dog Carmen,"

I rubbed my forehead and sighed, "Bill I'm fine. Besides I've performed under worse circumstances before."

He shook his head, "You're so stubborn…but I guess that's one of the reasons I like ya kid."

I giggled and gave him a hug before stepping on stage to sing and dance with the rest of the girls. I was feeling fine until I did a spin during the routine. The move left me dizzy and even more lightheaded than I was before. I stopped singing as my heart rate picked up and my temperature rose. The crowd began gasp as I fell backwards…falling until I crashed through a table and was out like a light.

The entire time I was unconscious I saw flashes of myself with Mark when we had finally started getting along. I remembered him kissing me for the first time and telling me how much he loved me. I relived the night we first made love…the burning passion between us was hard to forget. I then saw my mother's wedding and how more secrets came out that led to me and Mark once again making love. My eyes popped open when I realized I hadn't had a period since the first time that happened.

I sat up and found myself in the hospital with a cannula tube on my nose and an IV in my left arm. Anna was sitting by the window sleeping while holding my sleeping child in her arms. I sighed with relief and laid back down before pressing the button to see the nurse.

"Well hello there Carmen, how are you feeling?" the nurse asked me when she came in the room.

I sighed and looked around, "Confused actually…when did I get here?"

"Yesterday afternoon." She answered. "Your boss said you passed out on stage and fell through a table."

I closed my eyes and sighed, "Oh yeah…well am I ok to leave? I'd like to get my daughter home."

"That would be up to the doctor actually. He'll be right in shortly." She said as she fixed my blankets and turned to leave.

Not even two minutes after she left, the doctor came strutting in my room with a big smile on his face. "Hello Miss Haystings. I'm Dr. Barton."

"Hi." I said.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked. "You took a pretty nasty fall off that stage."

I chuckled, "I've been through worse I'm sure."

"Well lucky for you nothing is broken, but we did do an ultrasound on your lower abdomen." He said as he looked at my chart. "Did you know you're about 10 weeks along in pregnancy?"

I sat up with a gasp. "N-No….are you sure?"

He nodded and then handed me a picture of the ultrasound. I almost cried at the sight of my next child being formed inside of me. "This is the second time I've been pregnant and didn't know."

He smiled, "Well the baby is doing well, you however need to rest. You've been putting too much stress on your body with all the work you've done. I've already issued a medical excuse to your boss and he agreed to give you a vacation with pay."

I sighed and gave him a nod. "Ok."

"Do you know who the baby's father is?" he asked.

I closed my eyes knowing I hadn't slept with anyone since Mark and I had sex. "Yes I do…but I don't want him contacted."

"Ok ma'am. I'll let you rest." He said before touching my leg and leaving my room. I had no idea how this was going to change things, nor did I know if I should tell Mark that I was pregnant with his child.