High Priestess

3.6

June 18, 1978

Stevie knows and Christine knows that she's trying to get her out of there, and Stevie's just holding onto that hope and she has been for two months. When she wakes up in the morning, she knows electroshock is going to happen, so she makes herself get out of bed and go pee because she doesn't want to relieve herself while they're shocking her, she's done it before and it's not pleasant, to say the least. But when she goes to wash her hands and she looks down she can see that her oversized gray hospital gown was now tighter around her stomach and her hands fell to her stomach. 

"You're growing Emlyn. They're going to notice you today...I hope I can keep you safe." Stevie whispers to her stomach a tear falling out of her eyes. 

But as her hands cradle her stomach she can feel a movement within her almost like Emlyn was saying Hi to her also.

She's barely back in bed when Nurse Rat, Joe, and Christine walk in-right now Christine is Annie though, and she's going to be the one that sedates her-so when Christine walks over to her she can see her stomach, and Stevie just closes her eyes and Christine knows, so she clears her throat. 

"Um, Dr. Walsh I'm concerned," Christine says.

"Oh, why?" Joe questions.

"Well um...look at her stomach." Christine points keeping the needle out of her skin. 

Joe walks up to her looks at Christine and then looks at Stevie and then his hands find her stomach and she tenses, not wanting that sleazy man to touch her baby but he feels around, and then he turns around. 

"Um Nurse Rashad, please go fetch us an ultrasound machine. It seems that Mrs. Fleetwood either has a tumor or she has a baby in her stomach." Joe crosses his arms. 

When Nurse Rat returns Joe looks at the room, "Mrs. Fleetwood we're going to do a vaginal ultrasound. If this is a pregnancy that vaginal ultrasound will show us it better than the abdominal ultrasound." 

"Please do Abdominal." Stevie whimpers.

"Excuse me Mrs. Fleetwood, but are you the doctor?" Joe hisses.

"No." She closes her eyes.

"Therefore, what I say goes." He roughly grabs her legs and Christine resists the urge to wall off and smack him. 

She watches as Stevie fights against him and he finally pins her legs and yanks off the panties that she's wearing. It's when Stevie starts flailing as Joe goes to put her legs in the stirrups that he finally has enough and practically screams at Christine to sedate her, so she does unwillingly sedate her. It's almost instantly when her muscles relax and Christine can see the overwhelming heaviness in her limbs and then she willingly lets Joe open her legs. Christine will admit that even the way he shoved the piece of equipment up inside of her made her wince as Stevie screamed and cried out and something clicked in Christine but she held it back. 

Christine did however sigh in relief when a very loud, very strong, and very fast thump filled the room and she could tell that even though Stevie was clearly suffering she was relieved also that the baby seemed to be strong. 

"Well, um she's about eighteen weeks it's a little girl, had to have been conceived before she was admitted. I don't feel comfortable proceeding with her therapy today without contacting her husband. Nurse Rashad, Nurse Shackvie, I've never dealt with electroconvulsive therapy with a pregnant woman there's not much research on it either and I really don't feel comfortable with it. We'll leave her be for today and contact Mick this afternoon." Joe explains. 

The three people leave and Stevie relaxes almost instantly, simply because she heard her daughter's heartbeat and almost as if Emlyn is saying I'm okay mom, Stevie can feel her rolling around. 

The door opens relatively quickly after the trio left and Stevie, still not be able to move slightly looks to her left to see Christine.

"Is there something you've hidden from me? I saw the way you fought against him, what did he do?" Christine asks.

"I don't want to tell you what he did, just know that it involved hot wax and a lit candle. Well, he did it as soon as he had blown the candle out but it was still really hot. Can you please, put my panties back on me...i'd do it myself but I can't...I can't move." She sighs.

"I know i'm sorry, I was just doing as I was told." She sighs grabbing the facility provided cotton underwear. 

"They took my pretty lace ones away from me."She pouts.

"I'm sorry Stevie." Christing sighs once she has Stevie situated back under the blanket. 

"Can you, can you do something for me?" Stevie sighs.

"What?" 

"Can you...can you put your hands on my stomach, you're not going to feel anything, but she's moving around and the pressure of your hands is going to let her know that I'm here you know," Stevie asks sheepishly. 

"Sure, but she knows...I can promise you she knows." Christine nods sitting on the bed with her and placing her hands on her stomach.

"Down further...to the right..kind of like where my appendix is." Stevie states. 

Christine just chuckles and she does as she's told. They saw on the screen that that's where the head had been and as Christine's thinking about it, Stevie says, "That's where her head is. She's like headbutting me but I can feel, kind of close to the top some wiggling. Probably her feet or something." 

"Probably...or her little butt," Christine explains.

"Yeah or her little butt." Stevie smiles. "You never told me how Lindsey reacted when you told him." 

"He was so happy. Lindsey has always talked about having kids, but every girlfriend he was with before you had blatantly announced to the whole world that they would never be having kids together. But when I told him you were getting shocked he...he cried, he's worried about the two of you, you know." Christine nods.

"I'm more worried about me than her, she's strong...I think she'll be able to survive anything these people throw at me, even an attempted abortion." Stevie shrugs.

"Well, I think you both will be okay. I have to go, get some sleep. You'll have a day shock-free." Stevie smirks.

"Yeah, I will." Stevie nods. And she was, about a half an hour later she was lulled to sleep by her baby's movement within.