"Pure As The White Driven Snow"
Chapter 1
For the fourth time in a week Mingming dashed to the bathroom in the early morning hours with a horrible feeling in her stomach. As she stumbled over to the toilet she just managed to get her head over the bowl before she felt herself getting sick. It was a nasty feeling that left her feeling drained and weak after each intolerable episode. Yet it wasn't so much the nauseas feeling in her stomach that made her body feel so tired and weak, it was thought of what was happening to her. She sat there with her head hung over the bowl hoping, even praying that these horrible mornings were more or less only a nagging bout of the stomach flu. Though in the back of her mind she knew that was not true and as she sat there she could feel the anxiety and fear begin to grow deep inside her.
"This just can't be happening." She whispered softly as she gazed at her reflection in the water below her face. She looked tired and so pale, like she had just run a few miles or finished a four-hour concert. Her eyes were puffy from the uncontrollable tears that seeped from beneath her eyelids. All she wanted to do was go back to bed and forget everything. She sat there for a long time just thinking and not moving a muscle. She laid her head on her arm that rested on the edge of the bowl. Softly she closed her eyes as emotions swept through her. Emotions that she had no clue how to handle, or what to do with. She really wasn't ready for this, and as she sat there with fear and uncertainty running through her heart she began to wonder what was going to become of her, then more tears came.
Twelve-year-old Aiden sat on the bed next to the wall, his ear pressed up against the walls surface as he strained to hear what was going on in the next room. His curious gaze turned to one of bewilderment, while the long silence continued for several minutes.
"Is she done already?" His friend Nick asked as he sat a few feet away and strained to hear as well.
"It sounds like it," answered his eleven-year-old sister Oriana. "She must have made it in time today, she was really upset a lot yesterday when she missed the toilet."
"Yeah." said Nick with a laugh. "She was really bad yesterday, I don't think I've ever heard anyone puke so much."
"She must be really sick." Oriana said with a concerned look on her face.
"Yeah." Nick said with a sly smile. "She's really sick alright." He added, as he looked Aiden who nodded knowingly.
"You don't really think?" Aiden started to say, but Nick interrupted him.
"I don't think. I KNOW. I mean really, what else makes you toss your cookies every morning and has you feeling great around mid-day."
"Hey." Aiden said as he pressed his ear against the wall again. "I think she's going to puke again." All three of them listened intently.
"You three are sick," thirteen-year-old Tanny said as she sat on the bed across the room with her arms folded. "Why don't you all just leave her alone?"
Nick made a face and waved his hand at her to be quiet. Tanny frowned deeper and rolled her eyes at her younger brother for being such a jerk.
"I think she's crying." Oriana said softly.
Suddenly the door opened and Garland stepped into the room. All three of the kids against the wall leaped away from it like it was boiling hot and would burn them at any minute. He stared down at them, with a deep frown on his face.
"What are you all doing in here?" He demanded.
"Nothing." Nick said with a big supposedly innocent smile on his face.
"Nothing my ass," Tanny snapped sharply. "They came in here so they could listen to Mingming throw up again." Garland turned angrily toward the others and frowned at them deeply.
"You all need to leave Mingming alone." He said firmly. A frosty silence followed as Oriana softly spoke up.
"What's wrong with her dad? Is she OK?" Nick glared at Oriana.
" She's knocked up." He said flatly.
"Nick!" Garland snapped sharply. "Don't say that, we have no idea what is wrong with her. She could just be ill."
"Yeah and she could just be knocked up." Garland's face shadowed with anger as he spoke.
"If you say that again, I'll tell your father how his Jaguar ended up abandon down on the beach and that it wasn't the work of the teenage neighbors." Nick's eyes grew big and his voice unsteady.
"You wouldn't do that, would you?" Nick asked with a look of fear on his face.
"Yes I would." He said flatly. Nick frowned as Tanny smiled with satisfaction.
"That goes for all of you. Leave Mingming alone and I don't want any of you being disrespectful to her. Obviously she is quite ill and the last thing she needs is you guys making fun of her."
An awkward silence followed interrupted by the sound of sobbing coming from the bathroom.
"All of you get downstairs, your breakfasts are ready and you need to get ready for school." Quickly, before he could say anything else they scurried past him and out the door.
Silently, Garland turned and walked out the door behind them, stopping at the bathroom door while the others hurried downstairs. Lightly he knocked on the door.
"Mingming? Are you OK?" He could hear her sniffle and blow her nose as she slowly got up and came to the door. He was shocked when she opened it.
"Mingming! Are you alright?" He asked with a deep look of concern on his face.
She looked very pale and her face was red and streaked with tears that she was trying to mop away with a shredding Kleenex.
"I'm fine." She said shakily. "I think I just have a case of the stomach flu." She added quickly. Gently he took her hand.
"Then you need to be in bed, and I think we might need to call the doctor."
"NO." She said sharply. "I don't want to see the doctor. I just need some rest." She said as she gently pushed past him and headed down the hall toward her room. She was almost there when she felt dizzy suddenly and began to fall. With one quick movement Garland swept her up and carried her to her room.
"I really think you need to get to the doctor." He said as he laid her down on her bed and brought her a cool cup of water.
"NO, I told you I just have case of the stomach flu."
"OK. So you have the stomach flu. I still think you really need to see the doctor. You are pale, and thin, and very weak. You need to keep your strength up to fight this, and you're starting to get dehydrated and that could lead to trouble." Mingming closed her eyes and tried to blink away the tears.
"I just need to rest." She said softly. Slowly he stood up.
"OK, you rest. If you change your mind please let me know and I'll call and get you into the doctor. In the meantime I want you to stay put and if you need anything, anything at all just let me know." Silently she nodded as he quietly left the room and went downstairs to see the kids off to school.
It was almost ten o'clock when Mingming came down to the kitchen where Garland was just putting the breakfast dishes away.
"Feeling better?" He asked with a light smile. She nodded silently and slowly sat down.
"I made an appointment with Dr. Johnson at three o'clock." She said as she looked down at the table.
"OK, I have a meeting at one, but we'll get you down there in plenty of time."
"Are you sure, I don't want to put you out, I can drive myself and..."
"Don't be silly, it's no trouble at all. We'll get you in there and taken care of and we can pick up any prescriptions on the way home."
"Thank you." She said softly.
"You want to try and eat something? I can make some eggs and toast if you like." He asked softly.
"No thank you." She said as she began to wring her hands together. She looked very upset and nervous. He could not help but be concerned about her. She was always so happy and active. It was hard seeing her like this. Silently he went over to the counter and poured two cups of hot water. Then he dropped a teabag in each and walked over to the table.
"Here," he said kindly as he sat down across from her. "Some tea would do you good." She looked down at the tea and closed her eyes, unable to keep the tears from running down her cheeks.
"Mingming, what is wrong? Please talk to me." She looked up and shook her head.
"I will be OK, I just need to get myself together." She mumbled. Then silently she began to busy herself with drinking her tea.
"Look I have to get going, I have some things I have to do. I will meet you back here at 2:30 and we will get you right over to the doctor's office."
"Ok." She said as he gathered up his things and headed toward the door. He stopped for a moment and turned back to her.
"If you need me, you have my cell phone number. Just call and I will come." She smiled slightly and nodded as he turned and left. Then as she sat there with her thoughts she felt more tears spill down her cheeks, as she wondered just how she was going to get through this day.
The visit at the doctor's office took a lot longer than expected. Garland sat patiently in the waiting room, hoping that everything was OK . Mingming had said very little on the ride there, other than to thank him for taking him and apologize for being such a burden. He reminded her it was no trouble at all and she needed to concentrate on taking care of herself and stop worrying about being a bother. He looked up as she came out of the office with some papers in her hand. He waited contently while she spoke to the receptionist then smiled as she headed on out to the car. Although she had a look of bewilderment upon her face, the tears had stopped and the color was slowly returning to her cheeks.
"So was it as bad as you thought it would be?" He asked as they got in the car. She did not answer. An uneasy silence settled down heavily as he started the car. "Are those your prescriptions?" He asked, trying to ease the tension she seemed to be feeling. "We can stop at the drugstore on the way home."
"No." She said softly. "Let's just go home." Silently he nodded as he backed out of the parking space and headed home.
Mingming sat at the kitchen table, her hands clutching each other nervously as she stared down at the table's surface. She looked as though she wanted to speak, but couldn't find the words. Finally after a long silence he spoke up.
"Mingming, talk to me, please." Though he had a pretty good idea of what was wrong, he could not understand why she was having such a hard time talking to him about it. Did she think he would think ill of her? Suddenly that thought made a lot of sense and he decided it would be best if he took things into his own hands. Gently he reached out and took put his hand over hers.
"Are you pregnant? Is that why you are so upset?" She looked up at him in shock and surprise.
"I'm a parent, I know the signs." He said as he looked at her with great concern. Tears started to stream down her face as she sat there unable to hold back her emotions any longer. Quickly he got up walked over and took her into his arms. She sobbed uncontrollably as he held her. "Come on now, it is not that bad."
"Yes it is." She cried burying her face in his chest. "It is bad as it can get," she added with a scared look on her face.
"That bad? Really, Mingming you act as though no one has ever had a baby before. Now come on, dry your tears and talk to me." He said as he pulled a chair over and sat down right next to her. "OK, now just calm down. Too much anxiety is not good for you, or the baby." She looked down at the floor for a long moment then back up at him.
"I cannot believe this is happening to me."
"Why? You think you are the only person this ever happened to? People have babies every day."
"Not people like me." She said miserably. Garland frowned deeply.
"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked sharply.
"You read the papers. Once this gets out they press will be having a field day. Everyone will be talking about me and what a slut I am." He gently grabbed her shoulders and glared at her.
"Don't you ever say that again." He said firmly.
"But it's true, everyone talks about all the lovers I have had and how loose I am. Not much of a pure image left to try and protect is there?" Garland was angry. So much so he stood up.
"When you're ready to talk like a responsible adult you let me know." He said as he started to leave.
"You wanted me to talk to you, why are you so angry."
"WHY? Why do you think? I wanted to know why you were so upset, and you tell me you are upset because of what other people are going to think about you having a baby. Forgive me for sounding a little blunt here, but I never thought you could be so shallow as to worry about such crap!"
"Garland, you don't understand. My fans mean a great deal to me." Garland frowned.
"More than your baby?" He stopped a moment then looked right at her. "What about the father? Does he mean anything to you at all, or is it just like the papers say that you're a slut who got caught?" Abruptly she got up and started to leave the room. "If that is what happened, then why don't you just get rid of it discreetly, like all the other Hollywood sluts do?" She stopped and the tears began again. He stared at her for a long time, then he walked over and looked at her.
"There is no way in hell I believe anything that they have written in the papers, I know you too well." He stopped and gently touched her chin. "You're not going to get rid of your baby, because you love your baby, AND you love his father." Mingming's eyes grew big.
"Sit back down and relax. You have your future to think about and a baby to care for. You don't have time to worry about anything or anyone else." He stopped and smiled as he saw the grateful look in her eyes. Slowly she turned and walked back to the kitchen table where she calmly sat down and slowly began to think more clearly than she ever had before.