She sits in the doctor's waiting room, waiting quietly for the doctor's assitant to call her name. She smiles to herself as she feels her unborn child kick inside of her. Although she is single, she is never alone. This beautiful child growing inside of her is always by her side. More importantly, for the time being, it would never judge her. It would never turn on her and abandon her in the way that Matt did. The young woman is Bella Vienzweit (a name with which nearly everyone proved incapable of pronouncing correctly; for she was of Circoian descent, and their language was widely ignored here in Galbadia. She was weary of being mistaken for a Vine-Zweet, and constantly corrected people that she was, in fact, a Vin-Svay). After impregnating her, the young man had left him (if her strict religion did not frown upon cursing, she would have been able to find a more suitable word to describe the animal), claiming that he no longer wanted anything to do with her or her unborn child. Last she heard he was out banging up some young blond he had met in Leidon while vacationing in Liedine. She tried to convince herself that she had forgiven him long ago, but her clenched fists told her otherwise.
"Forgive me, Merclaedos," she whispered as she flipped through the May issue of Home And Gardening Monthly. As a Pertennist, Mercaedos was her one and only God, a gentle and loving being of great power who watched over his children and would lead his followers to De Vozweit, an eternal paradise. Pertennists were required to pray to Merclaedos twice daily. They believed one should only marry their true love, and to divorce is a sin to the great one. But Bella had struck out so much in her life that she had begun to question the existance of her true love. She longed for a kindly, understanding man, one whom would accept both her dedication to her religion, and her unborn daughter.
The door opened and a short blond doctor's assitant stepped out and glanced at her clipboard. "Bella?" she called, her eyes scanning the females in the room.
She rose carefully, her hand resting on her stomache, which had now bulged to more than twice its normal size.
After taking height and weight measurements, she led her into a tiny tiled room at the end of the hall.
"So how're things coming along?" the assistant asked, closing the door behind her.
"Oh, slow and steady," she replied, smiling.
After some basic health questions and examinations, she rose from her stool, tucking her clipboard under her arm.
"Doctor Hamilton should be right in," she said, opening the door. "Feel free to read some magazines while you're waiting, we've got quite the collection there," she said gesturing to the wicker basket beside her feet.
In other words, Doctor Hamilton will be in in about an hour, Bella thought to herself, reaching for a copy of Parenting Montly, hoping to get some early tips.
Halfway through an article on breast feeding, a blood-curdling scream coming from the waiting room caused her to drop the magazine, her heat hammering widely against her ribs. Just as she was about to go see what the problem was, the door opened and a woman stepped in, quickly closing the door behind her. She was tall and beautiful with long blond hair and blue eyes, a typical east Liediner. Anglecian, perhaps.
"Hi there, Bella," she said, extending her hand to the startled young woman. "Doctor Hamilton couldn't see you today, so I'll be your doctor for today. My name's Ann Smith."
"What was that awful scream out there?" Bella asked, shaking the woman's hand absently.
"Oh, that's nothing to worry about," she said, pulling the stool up and resting her clipboard on her lap. "A woman in the waiting room saw a spider, that's all. She has a terrible phobia. They're sedating her now."
Bella suddenly realized that she couldn't hear a peep outside the door; it was as if they were the only ones in the building.
"How come Doctor Hamilton couldn't see me?" she asked curiously.
"Oh, one of his patients is running overtime," she replied absently.
"So..." she said, her eyes scanning the clipboard. "You're three months in, correct? A girl?"
"Yes," she replied quietly. Something didn't seem right. Something about this "Doctor Smith" didn't seem right.
"Terrific," she said, flashing her a bright smile. "That's all I needed to know."
"Excuse me?"
"You're free to go," the woman said, ignoring her. "But first I want to give you a little something for being such a good patient."
Something told her to jump up and bolt for the door, but she was frozen to her seat, seemingly meserized by the woman's voice.
"You see," she said, reaching into the pocket of her white coat, "I usually give out stickers to good patients. But I thought that I'd give you something a little more interesting."
Before Bella could move, the woman's hand flew from her coat and plunged a syringe deep into the young woman's forearm.
She gasped, her eyes glazing over, clutching her arm. And "Doctor Smith" watched in amusement as the young Circoian fell sideways off the chair and onto the tile floor.
"Forgive me, Merclaedos," she whispered as she flipped through the May issue of Home And Gardening Monthly. As a Pertennist, Mercaedos was her one and only God, a gentle and loving being of great power who watched over his children and would lead his followers to De Vozweit, an eternal paradise. Pertennists were required to pray to Merclaedos twice daily. They believed one should only marry their true love, and to divorce is a sin to the great one. But Bella had struck out so much in her life that she had begun to question the existance of her true love. She longed for a kindly, understanding man, one whom would accept both her dedication to her religion, and her unborn daughter.
The door opened and a short blond doctor's assitant stepped out and glanced at her clipboard. "Bella?" she called, her eyes scanning the females in the room.
She rose carefully, her hand resting on her stomache, which had now bulged to more than twice its normal size.
After taking height and weight measurements, she led her into a tiny tiled room at the end of the hall.
"So how're things coming along?" the assistant asked, closing the door behind her.
"Oh, slow and steady," she replied, smiling.
After some basic health questions and examinations, she rose from her stool, tucking her clipboard under her arm.
"Doctor Hamilton should be right in," she said, opening the door. "Feel free to read some magazines while you're waiting, we've got quite the collection there," she said gesturing to the wicker basket beside her feet.
In other words, Doctor Hamilton will be in in about an hour, Bella thought to herself, reaching for a copy of Parenting Montly, hoping to get some early tips.
Halfway through an article on breast feeding, a blood-curdling scream coming from the waiting room caused her to drop the magazine, her heat hammering widely against her ribs. Just as she was about to go see what the problem was, the door opened and a woman stepped in, quickly closing the door behind her. She was tall and beautiful with long blond hair and blue eyes, a typical east Liediner. Anglecian, perhaps.
"Hi there, Bella," she said, extending her hand to the startled young woman. "Doctor Hamilton couldn't see you today, so I'll be your doctor for today. My name's Ann Smith."
"What was that awful scream out there?" Bella asked, shaking the woman's hand absently.
"Oh, that's nothing to worry about," she said, pulling the stool up and resting her clipboard on her lap. "A woman in the waiting room saw a spider, that's all. She has a terrible phobia. They're sedating her now."
Bella suddenly realized that she couldn't hear a peep outside the door; it was as if they were the only ones in the building.
"How come Doctor Hamilton couldn't see me?" she asked curiously.
"Oh, one of his patients is running overtime," she replied absently.
"So..." she said, her eyes scanning the clipboard. "You're three months in, correct? A girl?"
"Yes," she replied quietly. Something didn't seem right. Something about this "Doctor Smith" didn't seem right.
"Terrific," she said, flashing her a bright smile. "That's all I needed to know."
"Excuse me?"
"You're free to go," the woman said, ignoring her. "But first I want to give you a little something for being such a good patient."
Something told her to jump up and bolt for the door, but she was frozen to her seat, seemingly meserized by the woman's voice.
"You see," she said, reaching into the pocket of her white coat, "I usually give out stickers to good patients. But I thought that I'd give you something a little more interesting."
Before Bella could move, the woman's hand flew from her coat and plunged a syringe deep into the young woman's forearm.
She gasped, her eyes glazing over, clutching her arm. And "Doctor Smith" watched in amusement as the young Circoian fell sideways off the chair and onto the tile floor.