NEWSBREAK

and so it goes...

My fidgety wait time seems like hours

while chaotic thoughts wiz through my mind

alas there is a soft knock on the door

it opens slowly, and a man in a starched white coat

with a broad smile moves into the examining room

he introduces himself as Dr. Snell

which I find quite amusing

we shake hands, I tense up, mine feel clammy

I sense that he is gentle in his mannerisms

 

We talk for quite a long while

he asks me questions, many of which are fully intimate

to be honest, down right unpleasant

he motions me to lay down on the examining table

to performs certain tasks

presently, he presses on my belly in different places

thereafter he sets the stethoscope  in various  positions and listens intently, all the while I am  extremely sweaty and uneasy

 

Silence for a lengthy time

then the nurse walks in and orders me to dress

silence

this enhances my curiosity

finally, the nurse shows me into the doctor’s office

forthwith the doctor’s white coat disappears

and he is presently wearing a shirt and tie

more relaxed, I assume

He smiles and begins to speak

it goes without saying my anxiety peaks

he calls me by name and spills the news

rather swiftly

he relates that I am about three months pregnant

my jaw drops to the floor

the affirmative causes me to jump out of my chair

yet I try desperately to remain calm by holding tight

while a trillion messages tangle in my brain

he asks me about family support, as he did previously

I disclose that my fiancée is my only support

 

The doctor advises me that I must have monthly visits

as I progress in my pregnancy

I nod, my mouth speechless

he renders his professional card

I thank him and proceed to the door

I walk wobbly to retrieve a cab

 

Upon return to the hotel

once there I cannot help my bawling

on the hostess’s shoulder

she does not yet comprehend why

tears like a waterfall stain her dress

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

"AT BRIDGES END" Thank you for reviewing!

Reviews

[Thomas W Case]

Excellent work Betty. You paint the scene well.

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you Thomas for a kind review!
Warmly, B

[Vol]

Betty,
Well, don't look at me... I don't even know where you live... Good luck, though.
WAIT... I've read the other reviews... seems something is going on in front of my back!
Vol

[Betty Hermelee]

No I won't, don't worry....thank you for your review Vol....the story gets complicated!!!
Warmly, B

[Vol]

Nothing matters as long as you keep writing!

[Betty Hermelee]

I will and it get better!

[Ayvid N]

Dear Betty,

Delighted to read the chapter that I had been eagerly waiting for and as expected, the lady is in the family way and 3 months progressed. Relief floods the readers as the child is of the solder and not the result of the brief interlude on the ship.

Here comes the interesting part now. After hearing the news, the lady should have been overjoyed, over the top and totally suffused with bliss but hey, instead, she just feels aghast, even dismayed. This is confirmed in the concluding part of the chapter where she breaks down and cries.

Many questions arise to my mind as to why she would feel so. Part of it could be that she's pregnant yet unwed in the early 1900s which was still a Victorian time but.....still when a woman is in love with her child's father, the first and spontaneous reaction would be a whoop of joy, which was very significantly missing here.

All the above make the plot deeper and more complex and interesting to read. I'll be eagerly waiting to see where it goes from here.

Once again, loved the read.

[Betty Hermelee]

Dearest Divya
You would think the she would be overjoyed…. But remember she hasn’t see nor heard from her fiancee in a living time and doesn’t really know the condition he is in yet, so who knows what his reaction may be!!!
Thank you dear friend for a very thoughtful review
Warmly
B

[Ayvid N]

Indeed, dear Betty. I must also think of his reaction, given those times. Really looking forward to the next part.
You're most welcome!

[Patricia Wedel]

Whoa… another Chapter … the edge of my Chair is not Comfy… gently, Pat

[Betty Hermelee]

Don’t fall off dear Pat and thank you so much for your support!
Warmly B

[Poetic Beauty]

This poor woman. My heart is breaking for her. She truly did not want to hurt anyone and for crap circumstances and feeling all alone she now has to face the fact that she is indeed pregnant and not by her soldier.

I have many questions running through my mind and during that time affairs on women’s part were did not typically go well nor did trying to support and take care of a baby on your own. The world if they knew the truth shunned and ostracized them.

Great work that keeps holding my attention. I keep coming back to find out what is happening for this poor woman and where the road leads next.

[Betty Hermelee]

Dear PB...so happy you are enjoying the melodrama!!! Makes me feel good!!!
Thank you for a perfect review!
Warmly, B

[Poetic Beauty]

Continue to write. This story is well thought out and pulls at the heart strings.

[emmajoygreen]

Near enough shock and horror, your thoughts confirmed. Such a quandary! What now?

The precise description of your emotions, the examination and then the doctor's change of clothing.. all necessary but relevant to the event. Near too cool, too calm. Yet your fears before and now must be a jumble of emotions and thoughts that need be sorted.

As ever, food for thought: clues and and a highly relevant move into what?

Those last three stanzas are the core of your ongoing tale of woman adventurin.. Now I need to wait..

[Betty Hermelee]

Dearest EM, a perfect review and well understood I should say....now whatever slips out of my mind, we will continue the melodrama!!!
HUGS
B

[Stella Armour]

Thankful tears of relief, that the child is that of her soldier and not her lover.....
I am so happy for her but what of her lover now ?
I still feel she will be with him again you know, and will her soldier recover and be happy... and will she be happy with him after finding a new lover?
So many questions, i would hate to have to foretell her future Betty ...only you know that :)

[Betty Hermelee]

Dearest Stella
Thank you so much for your informative review...i can tell you are a supportive reader!!!! only i know, but maybe not quite yet!
Warmly, B