!DISCLAIMER: I don't own Silent Hill 3!
Hysterical
Congratulations, Cheryl. You did it.
After killing the "god" in Silent Hill, Cheryl Mason's life seemed to go back to normal. A week passed. Then another, and another. She started to wonder why one thing in particular hadn't gone back to normal yet. Another week passed, and she panicked.
She hadn't gotten her period yet. She hadn't even had any premenstrual symptoms.
She wondered what to do. She didn't have any sex partners, nor did anyone try to bring the "god" back by killing another person that she loved... so why hadn't she gotten her period yet?
After throwing the proposition of sending Douglas out to shop for her out the window, she went to the grocery store and bought a box of pregnancy tests. To make her feel like she was still trying to be normal, she bought some other items as well: milk and cookies, some fruit juice, a block of copier paper, and napkins. She went to the nearest checkout lane and quickly dumped out her tiny bundle of groceries, but not even the noise in her head could drown out the sounds of a bawling toddler behind her. The toddler's heavily pregnant mother with an embarrassed, slightly older brother in tow was trying to comfort the child. The toddler's cries echoed throughout the store, drawing annoyed glances from aisles away. Feeling sorry for the thrice-mother, Cheryl scooped up her items, put them back into the basket, and went over to the next lane. The middle-aged cashier paid no mind to the box when she picked the item up and scanned it.
After paying for her items, Cheryl rushed back to the Daisy Villa Apartments as soon as she could and used one of the tests. As she waited for the result, she found herself sitting on the toilet seat, shaking and on the verge of crying. Eventually, the 10 minutes were up and she leaned over to see the result on the test resting on the edge of the sink.
A – was displayed on the test's window, and she breathed a tiny sigh of relief. Her scare came to an anticlimactic end.
The question remained: What happened to her cycle? If it was messed up by the "god" being inside of her, then that could have only meant that... it really was a fetus growing inside of her. The hatred that she developed towards Claudia actually transformed one of her eggs into the "god".
Nice going, Cheryl... Already having a child, and an abortion, without even having had sex first...
She threw the test into the wastebasket and put the box behind various medicines and vitamins on the highest shelf in the medicine cabinet, just in case.
She went to the doctor with Douglas after they returned from Silent Hill, but only for his sake; she didn't even go in for a basic checkup. She thought that she was fine looking after herself with the first aid kits that she had collected along the way in Silent Hill. Truthfully, she was too afraid and ashamed to see if harboring the "god" had done any more damage to her internally. After taking the test, she decided that she would just wait to see if her period would come as it should have. If it didn't, she would have to visit a gynecologist to see if something was seriously wrong. Even if she couldn't afford it...
Another two weeks of not having a period passed before the worst PMS of her life hit. In the middle of the day, she became very tired, thirsty, and hungry all at once. She lost all her vigor and sat in her bed for the rest of the day, very depressed. She felt like crying for no real reason, but she knew that if she gave in to that, it could lead to an avalanche of emotional distress.
The next week went just like that, until she was assaulted by a horrible headache and ghastly cramps. Not even relieving herself eased her pains. She tried to treat herself with aspirin, Midol, and a hot water bottle on her stomach, but it wasn't enough. Whenever she attempted to get out of bed, she felt so lightheaded that the first time she passed out.
Confined to her bed, she decided that she had to call Douglas for help. Like a sick little girl, she needed to be taken care of. She was pleased that he picked up.
"Douglas Cartland here."
"Douglas!"
"Hea-" He still had to catch himself from using her old name. "Cheryl... what's up? Is everything okay?"
"No, well... it's bad... it's normal, but it's bad... Could you please come over?"
"Okay. I'll be over as soon as I can."
She had fallen asleep in the time that it took for him to arrive at her apartment. She awoke with a start by his calling her name behind the door.
"Cheryl?" He started to knock.
Cheryl moaned. She figured that she had better open the door, lest he break it down. Blanket draped over her, eyes fixed to the floor, she slowly walked over to the door, unlocked the locks, and opened it.
"What-" Douglas seemed perplexed by the girl standing before him, wearing a blanket. "Um..."
"Douglas! I... need your help. Tea. I need... tea."
He cocked his head slightly. "Tea?"
"Yessss..." She didn't intend to hiss, but that's how her response turned out. She worried that he would think that she was playing another prank on him, like when she returned to him at the Lakeside Amusement Park after killing "god".
Douglas smirked and walked into the apartment. "Okay. What kind do you want?"
"Peach?" Still draped in the blanket, she made her way over to the couch and laid down on it. "Peach Passion? It's in the rightmost cabinet..."
Douglas found the tea, teapot, and teacups, and brewed some up for her. He set the teapot and cups down on the table
"Thank you."
"No problem," Douglas replied. "So... Are you all right? Did you catch a cold?"
"Uh, no, not exactly..." Refreshingly, she couldn't remember the last time that she had a cold. But she had to repress memories of when she was so sick, that her dad had to take care of her.
"Oh. Well, how have you been, then?"He sat down on the couch after Cheryl scooted her legs up to make room for him.
She sighed. "Well... I've been fine."
"Have you been to the doctor yet?"
"...No."
Douglas scratched his right eyebrow. He didn't want to sound like he was judging her. "Don't worry if you can't afford it. I can help."
Cheryl recalled the story of how Douglas blamed himself for his son's death because he was a "penniless good-for-nothing". She doubted if his business was booming; after all, he had taken a job from a woman that most would describe as "flat-out-creepy".
Excuses, excuses.
"If I need help, Douglas, I'll call you. I have."
"All right, Cheryl. Just don't - hesitate to ask."
"...All right."
He stayed with her for a few minutes before leaving Daisy Villa and going back to work.
Later that night, as she tried to go to sleep, her period finally hit. She wore a pad to bed just in case. Within an hour, she had to change it. The pain and sensations were uncomfortable, but it was a relief to have her period at last.
She realized that this period was about as bad as her very first one. It came on particularly strong, much to her father's concern. She remembered how her father tried to explain the "birds and the bees" to her:
"Now, Heather... your body is going through changes. There are going to be a lot of changes over the next few years for you. These changes are preparing you for the day when – if – you decide to have a baby with someone that you love very much. Do you understand?"
The tired girl had a confused expression on her face, but still nodded.
"Okay, Heather. If you have any questions, I'm here for you."
Cheryl had some questions then, but he couldn't be there for her anymore.
After her period ended, Cheryl decided to schedule an appointment with an OBGYN. She had pressing questions that she wanted answers to. As the date of the appointment came closer and closer, she felt strangely saddened and ashamed. Was going to the doctor a show of weakness? Of fear that what happened to her could happen again?
Two weeks later, she went in for the exam from the slightly stern Dr. Unger. A week later, Dr. Unger brought her back to tell her that her system was perfectly normal... and that she was still a virgin. She shouldn't have any trouble carrying children in her fertile years. But Cheryl still had to tell her about the missing period.
"That's... unusual," the doctor replied. "Nothing... happened to cause the missing period?"
Cheryl couldn't tell her the truth... if that was indeed the case. "No."
"Well, maybe you just went through a hormonal imbalance. Did your diet become unusual?"
"No." Cheryl shook her head.
"Do you take any sort of.. are you undergoing hormonal therapy?"
"Heh... no."
Dr. Unger spun around in her chair to face Cheryl. "Doctor-patient confidentiality, Miss Mason. You can tell me anything."
Cheryl closed her eyes.
No, I can't.
"There was nothing – unusual or strange that happened to cause my missing period. Maybe I got more physical activity during that time, but... Can I ask you something, Doctor?"
"Of course."
"Is there a condition where a woman thinks she's pregnant but isn't?"
Dr. Unger looked puzzled. "We do have a name for it. Hysterical pregnancy. It can get so severe that it causes psychosomatic hormonal changes. It can occur in women who feel pressure to get pregnant, or are infertile... why, do you know anyone like that?"
"...No."
"Is that the only question that you have?"
"Yes, Doctor. Thank you."
Cheryl had a lot to think about when she got home. Never once did she consider herself "pregnant" with that thing. Perhaps she just didn't want to face it, though? No... but in her father's notes, it said that Alessa had a "fetus tucked in her womb". But how could he know?...
It hurt when the "god" was inside of her. She felt it grow as her hatred towards Claudia grew. But...
Psychosomatic.
That word was key. It didn't matter what Alessa or Cheryl believed, or what medical common sense believed. The power of the belief of Dahlia and Claudia and no doubt countless other members of the Order aborted all of that. Scraped it all out and flushed it down the toilet. Vincent probably knew what was going on, because there could only be one reason for Cheryl to go to Silent Hill like she did. That bastard.
Cheryl felt weak as she realized that. It would seem that as long as the Order had power, she could still become a victim. But there had to be something that she could do. After all, she was Saint Alessa. She could do anything.
Cheryl didn't know if she would have any children in the future. If she met the right man, anything was possible. But not for a long, long time, and she certainly didn't want to be a single mother.
One day, she would show them that what she was born with was meant to bring good into the world.
A/N: Phew. I don't know if this story was as good as it could be. I don't know that much about woman's health, and I fear it shows. I had the idea and tried to execute it. This was the result of several issues that I had with the story of Silent Hill 3, for I'm not alone in wondering how anyone could be "pregnant" but be able to throw up the "fetus". I think that the psychosomatic explanation is a decent one. I hope that no one thinks I'm perverted for writing this...
Pst. If you ever have the time, I highly recommend checking out Silent Hill fanfics with Heather and Harry or Douglas. There's some cutting stuff in there.