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SELENA watched as her daughter scooped a spoon of the vegetable soup she had prepared for her into her mouth, then few minutes later, rushed into the bathroom to throw up.
Selena took a deep breath, and exhaled, she relaxed more into her seat. This was beginning to become more than just a fever.
Two days ago, the “fever” had started, it started with a slight headache, from school. Then resulted into a serious one. Initially, she and Rina had thought it was a slight fever and had opted for aspirin.
But it later escalated, and Rina visited the clinic for some drugs. She was given, but still, that didn’t help to salvage the situation.
No one knew about the fever, save for her mum. The thought to tell Raghav and Zaina about it had come, but she waved it aside, stating she doesn’t want to bug them with her problem, besides, they were both studying. It was just a minor fever right?
It was a Saturday, and Selena ought to be at the supermarket, but because of Rina’s health conditions, she decided not to go, it kind of deterriorated that she feared leaving Rina behind.
So she stayed back home to make her some vegetable soup, insisting they were medicines used in preparing the soup. Now, she sat facing her eat, and in a flash, she had run into the bathroom to throw up, the third time since today.
No, no, no. This wasn’t fever, Rina should come and explain herself, she waited.
Rina came out cleaning up her mouth and weakly sat down on her seat to continue eating.
“When last did you see your menstruation Rina?” The question came like a bomb, hitting her hard on the chest.
What! Rina looked up at once, staring at her mother and looking befuddled. Why the hell would she ask such question? Like, why?
“I don’t get mum, I’m just sick, not… not”, she refused to complete the word.
That wasn’t Selena’s concern, she knew what she was thinking and was determined to do what was on her mind.
“Go into the room and get prepared, we are heading for Nurse Ila’s clinic now”, she said and left the dining. Rina watched her with her mouth ajar.
***
They got to Ila’s clinic within thirty minutes in a cab. It was just like a stone’s throw from their house.
They met her at the entrance verandah talking to few women who carried babies. The smell of her apartment filtered into Rina’s nose and she wrinkled it, she hated the smell, like the smell of a hospital.
Ila was an AN, an auxiliary nurse. Her home was her clinic, well equipped though, and that was where most of the locals do come to deliver their babies, especially those who couldn’t afford a hospital.
The more she thought about the reason they had come there, the more fear filled her heart, and the more she got scared.
“Namaste”, they greeted each other as soon as they got to them.
Ila finished up with the women and they left, then she took Selena and her daughter inside the house.
They got inside and sat down. Ila took a permission to go get something and Rina watched her leave. She studied her, she was a chubby woman and averaged height. She was even wearing a kind of a nurse uniform.
Soon, Ila came out. Then she took a seat opposite them.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.
“Selena, what is the problem?” She asked and Selena narrated her problems, leaving no one untouched.
“Hmm, we have to take a test on her before we can conclude”, Ila said after listening to Selena.
“Okay”, she replied, nodding.
The nurse got up and went to a place at the corner of the room, and took out some instruments in order to run the test. She set the apparatus.
“Come over dear”, she said and Rina got up, then walked up to her. Her blood sample was taken, and then they waited for the result.
It was a moment of anxiety for Rina, she was so expectant that she didn’t even know what to wish for. She wished to be pregnant because for sure, the baby was gonna be Raghav’s, and then she wished not to, because she was young and not married and still schooling, and all that. She was just so worried as they waited.
Soon the nurse came out with the test result, and she looked at them.
“The result is out”, she said and they both fixed their eyes on her.
“Yes nurse, what does it say?” Selena asked, looking agitated.
“Well, your daughter here is one month and three weeks gone”, she dropped the bombshell.
What!