A/N: This one is graciously longer than the first and in much better format.
Take care,
-SugarLandBabyGirl
PART TWO
'Is doing the right thing, actually doing the right thing?' The caramel haired woman wondered as she robotically folded towel after towel. After years of repeating the same tedious routine, the art of folding everything from shirts to towels was permanently imprinted into her brain. Sometimes she swore she could even fold them in her sleep.
Mia's muted gaze traveled around her modest yet well-kept surroundings. Arnaud was successful but not a wealthy man by any means. He owned a furniture shop where every item sold was hand-made. He had inherited the business from his father, who had passed on only a year before they met.
She wouldn't lie to herself and say that everything was perfect moneywise, because they were anything but and sometimes they had to cut back on what little luxury they rarely indulged in, but Mia didn't mind. As long as Aniela was happy and wanted for nothing, then Mia didn't mind not having pricy clothes or jewelry.
There had been a time, not so long ago, when she would have scoffed at the notion of living in such a homely environment. But with age comes wisdom, and she was much wiser than her younger self had even been and much more reserved. Her reckless nature was the cause of many a trouble, not only for herself but for others as well.
Her loving husband knew not the truth of her black past. Had he ever had the misfortune of meeting the woman she had once been he wouldn't have recognized her. She couldn't even recognize herself anymore. That girl she had once been was excessively confident, utterly selfish, highly conceited and completely incapable of understanding true, selfless compassion for another.
Still, she remembered all too clearly the day that it all changed. The day that her fantasy world crumbled down around her and left her alone to face the true unforgiving nature of the real world. It was the day she found out that unlike her eccentric housemates, whom she both admired and loathed, she wasn't invincible. It was ironic that something that started off no bigger than a pea would be her undoing and simultaneous salvation.
A young woman in her early twenties huffed as she glanced over the never-ending shopping list her housemates had so kindly given her earlier that day. "Lazy bastards," She mumbled under her breath before she stuffed the list back into her jacket pocket. The aged, cobblestone Italian streets were cloaked in a light blanket of snow. Delicate, white flakes still fell in a slow, steady sprinkle as she trudged on deeper into the town.
If it weren't so cold she might have actually enjoyed the simple pleasure of the quiet snowfall, like the many laughing children playing along the side of the street. Unfortunately she had other things on her mind, other than the pressing cold that had already begun to sink into her bones. She knew her body and its common functions so well that she could put a doctor to shame and lately she hadn't been feeling well. Not sick, just… off.
It was more of a gut feeling she had, but she was determined to find out just what was wrong, just in case. Hence the reason she had volunteered to go shopping alone and in the cold. Being part of a group of assassins she knew of a small, private clinic that didn't discriminate if their clients wanted to remain anonymous.
Several subordinates of the Varia used it when they were injured, and now so was she. The best thing about the clinic, besides the anonymity, was that you didn't need an appointment. You just had to show up. She brushed her loose caramel hair out of her face and sighed heavily when she spotted the one place she wished that she didn't have to visit.
Instinctively her muscles tensed in uneasiness as the warm oak colored door closed behind her. The clinic wasn't busy, but there were a few people waiting. Most of them were chatting friendlily to each other as if they were old friends. She highly doubted that they were though, but at least the clinic was warm. However, she would've much rather been curled up in her warm, queen size bed sleeping the day away.
"Welcome," The young receptionist smiled kindly as the caramel haired woman slunk her way up to the front desk. Dark sapphire eyes regarded the younger woman coolly for several moments, before the older woman tilted her head forward in a silent greeting. The receptionist's smile widened as she handed the caramel haired woman a clipboard, "If you'd please fill out this form, the Doctor will be with you shortly."
She took the clipboard and read over the surprisingly short patient information form, before she laid pen to paper. She quickly filled out all of the important questions, but left one noticeably blank. Her dark eyes stared at the empty space for several minutes. She tapped the pen against the side of the wooden board thrice, before she finally jotted down the only thing that came to mind.
She blinked slowly, taking in the meaning of the thick black ink she had scribbled next to Surname, Given Name. Mia Rossi; a simple, common name for a not so simple or common woman. She had given a name that wasn't even her own. But that was to be expected. She stared at the pseudo name she had given herself, unaware that just days later she would abandon her true name and become the very woman she had pretended to be.
After handing the form back to the smiley receptionist she returned to her seat, not bothering to pick up a magazine or acknowledge her peers. Her mind was buzzing and yet confusingly blank as she sat there, hiding away in the furthest darkest corner of the clinic. She scarcely breathed; her dark eyes unfocused as they stared blankly at her drying shoes.
She was unaware of the world around her, until she heard a new voice break the dull roar of conversation. "Miss Rossi. Mia Rossi?" The young woman blinked, her mind slowly catching up to the present as the woman Doctor holding her information form glanced around the small waiting room. Mia stood to her feet a moment later and nodded to the smiling woman when she stood in front of her.
"It's nice to meet you Miss Rossi, I'm Dr. Greco. Please follow me." The woman Doctor's smile was inviting and patient as if she could see straight through the young woman standing before her. As the door closed behind her with a soft click, Mia took a seat on the edge of the bed, still unusually quiet. "Now what seems to be the problem?" Dr. Greco asked as she took a seat in one of the chairs closest to the uncomfortable paper covered bed.
It was then that the caramel haired woman finally spoke. She explained everything, feeling foolish for even coming, but somehow encouraged by the Doctor's smile. When she was finished and Dr. Greco examined her, the Doctor didn't seem discouraged by the lack of evidence of true illness. "Would you object to having a blood test?" The Doctor asked after checking everything possible.
"No," Mia shook her head. Her lips parted but she paused a moment. "How long until you get the test results back," She asked hesitantly knowing that if she had to sneak out of the Varia headquarters she would be labeled a suspicious person. "Oh, it will only take a few minutes." Dr. Greco told the nervous woman with a smile. Mia nodded her head and waited in silence.
True to her word, the test results were back within ten minutes. The Dr. came back in with that patient smile Mia was sure never left her lips or eyes. "Well, you'll be glad to know that you're not ill." Mia was confused and voiced her question. "Then what's wrong with me?" Dr. Greco gave her a different kind of smile and Mia was unsure of how to take it. "Nothing is wrong with you Miss Rossi." Mia sighed in relief and stood from the cold bed ready to leave.
"However," The Doctor's voice stopped her dead in her tracks, "I would like for you to come back in a few weeks for another check up." When she turned with a blatantly confused expression on her face, the Doctor explained herself. "You're pregnant." Mia felt the blood drain from her face, but remained frozen in place. Her dark eyes wide in a mixture of horror and shock, "How," She croaked. It felt like her throat was closing in on her. "How is that possible, I've been taking pills to prevent that?"
"It happens sometimes Miss Rossi, please come sit back down." The older woman ushered the confused woman back to the bed. Mia felt nothing, as the Doctor continued to explain how it happened and how she would need to comeback for more checkups if she decided to keep the baby. Even in her unfeeling state, Mia knew that she would keep the baby. There was no if's, and's, or but's about it. She may have lived with assassins and even killed more than a few people herself, but killing an innocent child was not within her.
"Thank you," Mia told the Doctor quietly before she slipped out of the clinic and into the snow covered world around her. She inhaled the crisp evening air, tears threatening to fall, as she clenched the papers the Doctor had given her like they were her very lifeline. She sniffed, pushing back a thick lump that had formed in the back of her throat. The numbness was long gone, now she only felt fear and a small spark of happiness. She was unsure of how to feel at the moment.
"Momma," A high pitched voice giggled and her eyes snapped up to watched a little girl run into her mother's awaiting arms. The little girl hugged her mother and then pulled back to kiss the basketball sized bump she had hugged. The small spark of happiness quickly grew, melting the fear into nothing as she watched the child and once again mother-to-be walk away hand-in-hand towards a smiling man waiting for them.
Her free gloved hand hesitantly moved to lie across her smooth stomach. A small smile curled at the edges of her lips, as the tears finally fell. She was going to be a mother. As soft laugh left her lips and she wiped away the tears of joy. She was so elated that she quickly headed towards the store, not even allowing the thought that the loudmouthed father might not even want children or letting the cold truth of her situation cross her mind.