Pariah of the Town

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious

A/N:

Chapter 25 (A Beautiful Day)

The flight attendant announced their arrival at the airport in twenty minutes. Jade blinked a couple times before waking up. It was still dark outside, but she knew that had to do with the time zones in effect. It would likely be daylight in Ukraine right now. She cleared her throat and reached over, shaking Trina. "Hey, Trina, wake up. We're here! We're home! Or well, you're home, but either way, wake up."

Trina's eyes opened and she looked outside, "Oh of course it's still dark. Great. Did we pass by any sun at all? Remind me not to be surprised next time I fly across time zones. Which I'm hoping, of course, will not be anytime soon. I want to get home, cuddle up with my hubby and devour a pint of chocolate ice cream while forcing him to watch a cheesy chick flick." Jade laughed and visualized the scenario. She wasn't sure what was funnier, though. The visual, or the fact that Trina referred to Sinjin as her hubby. "I'm serious, I'm ready to touch land. I'll bet you're glad we don't have to go through baggage claim."

"Yeah, that's true." Jade swept her hair from her face and sat up in the chair. "So, what's our next step? The hospital? There was this woman in the cargo, she worked at the hospital as a nurse. Maybe she'll be there, we can get that baby of yours checked out. How far along are you, really?"

She set her hand to her stomach and breathed in. "About nine weeks. Counting time in captivity."

"Did they ever hit your stomach?" Trina shook her head, a joyous sign.

"Thankfully no. I never let anyone close enough to my stomach." With that, Jade felt a little more confident in the baby's survival. "Brandon, even when he knocked me unconscious, I could tell he only beat my face and struck my arms." Trina lifted her shirt to show her abdomen. "No bruising or scarring ever hit anywhere near my body. I'm praying for miracle, to be honest with you."

"Do you want to call Sinjin? Not that he'll answer my phone number probably…" She knew Trina's concern was for her family or loved ones being put at risk, so chances were likely it would be just the two of them hitting the hospital. "It might be better not to, though, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah. I just want to get to the hospital and wait. When we know for a fact if my baby's alive, I'll be happy. When we go after Jesse, I'll call dad. Only when we find him, though. I know I am not going to put anymore risk on my child. The plus is, I will admit, that boat ride was relaxing. That was good."

That was a surprise to hear, but a pleasant one. "The crew left you alone?"

"Pretty much. Except the janitor on that first day. Other than that, I couldn't have had it any better. Nothing too strenuous on my body and any time they hit me with a tranquilizer dart it seemed to be pretty high up." They also didn't hit her with too many doses or a lot of it, and what they were using was Benzodiazepine, which wouldn't cause too much damage in small dosages if not commonly used. "There were only three times they had to use a tranquilizer gun on me. Maybe just twice. Either way a full body checkup will be good too."

"I don't know why we didn't do that in Ukraine."

"Hello, I don't know any doctors there or have Ukrainian money. Not to mention, I wanted to get the hell out of there, and the hell back into the states." There was no arguing with that, Jade was glad she was back, and she was elated to have fulfilled her promise to Mr. Vega. "You know it'll be good to see the sunrise, I haven't seen the sunrise in what feels like forever."

"It is a beautiful sight. Maybe we'll see it while we're out."

Indeed they did, by the time they got out of the airport and into a taxicab, the sky was turning pink and orange. There was a small orange dot rising up where the land met the sky. Jade gazed at Trina, who was leaning into the warm morning breeze and holding her hair back as the wind blew it. A look of serenity came over Trina's face, and she knew she was home.

Jade led her into the hospital after several long minutes. Even inside, she kept looking at the sunrise. "Jade, that is the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen in my life. I cannot explain the magnificence, the beauty…I love it."

"Amazing isn't it? And to think, you're sharing the moment with the last person on earth you could ever imagine yourself sharing a moment with." Trina looked at her and began to grin. Jade was taken by surprise when the woman hugged her. She was so startled that it took her a second to bounce back, but when she did, she hugged her tight. "I'm glad you're okay, Trina. I really am. I wish I never met Jesse. I hope your baby is okay, we could use the good news, and you deserve some happiness after all that hell."

"You and me both, sister. Can I see your phone?" Jade handed her the phone and watched as Trina walked back outside and snapped a picture. She smiled softly and waited for Trina to return. "Great. You know, Jesse confiscated my phone. Wish I had it back, but I don't see that happening anytime soon."

"Yeah." She heard the sound of a clipboard falling to the ground and twisted herself around to see Regina standing in the doorway. Her eyes were wide and her lips were turning to a grin. "Regina! Hi! I'm back, with Trina, and we're here to see the doctor." The waiting room was empty, so the wait couldn't be that long.

"Oh my god, yes! Sign in, sign in and I'll let the doctor know! Are you guys okay? I'm so glad to see you made it safe."

"We did," Trina stepped forward and nervously rubbed her stomach. "I need to know my baby did too." Regina's eyes widened as Trina gazed down. "My fiancé and I…well, I'm about nine weeks along. I have to know if my baby is safe. I need a check up too since we just got back. I have insurance and everything. If something happens to my baby, I don't know what I'm going to do."

Jade hurried to the front desk and signed Trina down. There wasn't anyone in front of them, and Regina confirmed this when she went to check. "Okay come with me. We'll get some lab work done, and maybe the doctor can give you an ultrasound."

"I have a primary doctor that I've seen. Dr. Neela?" This was still the emergency hospital, not Trina's primary clinic where her doctor would be.

"Yes, she's on call to come to the emergency clinic. You're in luck she's in her clinic early today, I'll signal her that you're here…Trina, right?"

"Yes ma'am. Vega, Trina Vega."

"Okay, it will be just a moment."

After some strenuous blood work, and other lab tests to make sure Trina was fit and healthy, the nurse led her and Jade into an examination room. Trina took a seat on the exam bed while Jade sat on the chair. "Regina, how have you been?" Jade asked. "Have you kept in touch with the others by any chance?"

"Yes, we're all good friends. You don't go through something like that with someone and not come out friendly with one another. We were all worried when you didn't show up. What happened?"

"Well. Let's just say I didn't make it to the auction in time and had to board a ship to Ukraine. I found my mom though!"

"More good news! I'll let them know you and Trina are all right. They will be happy to hear that. Now…" Regina turned to Trina and smiled reassuringly. "Dr. Neela will look over all your lab work when she gets in, and she will be able to give you the ultrasound. She sounded very happy to hear you were okay."

"Thank you." It was going to be another long wait before Dr. Neela got there, but that was fine. Jade watched as Trina tapped her fingers on the edge of the bed while kicking her legs forward. "Wait until you meet Dr. Neela, Jade, she's the most amazing doctor."

"I'm looking forward to seeing her. Among other things I'm looking forward to seeing, like getting you back to your family."

"Yeah, my family." Trina moved up against the wall and looked her way. "You know, I was thinking. When you go to see your dad, I'll be there to help you out, all right?"

"You don't have to, Trina."

"Well I want to. Besides, I know what abusive people are like. They're cowards, insecure and selfish. They just want all the power and control they can get. That woman at that place? Yeah she's a selfish, greedy little bitch. You deserve some happiness, and you're going to get it. Even if I have to drag your ass all the way back to Ukraine where your real mom is." Jade started to laugh and looked away as a tear ran down her cheek. She was speechless, as this was more appreciation than she ever expected. What was amazing was, it was all from Trina. More than she deserved.

Soon the doctor was in. She was a short Hindi woman and had a very warm, pleasant smile. She was delighted to see Trina and immediately checked off all the lab work. "Okay Trina, it appears you are in good condition. Your body is in full swing, working to stabilize you and your baby. You're in good health, but I want to see you more often from now on. We are going to need to monitor your progress as you heal from your experience."

"All right, I can manage that." Trina lay down on the bed as Dr. Neela began to prepare the ultrasound. "If my baby's okay, I'll come in every day if I have to."

"Tell me Trina. Were you able to avoid strenuous activity?"

"I tried to. Sometimes I fought, but I didn't exert myself. The hit me a couple times, but not anywhere near the stomach. There were two occasions they hit me with tranquilizer darts, but a low amount. I'm praying for a miracle Dr. Neela…I don't feel anything wrong."

"All right then, let's have a look at your baby."

Jade and Trina looked at the monitor as Dr. Neela began to apply the gel to Trina's abdomen. Trina swallowed hard and reached out to Jade's hand, grabbing it fiercely. Jade was taken aback and looked down to Trina's anxious eyes. She reassured the woman by squeezing her hand. Trina held her breath and winced as the monitor lit up.

Jade felt a little guilty that Sinjin wasn't here to share this moment, to be there for Trina, but a mother's concern for her baby came before that of the father. At least, that seemed to be where Trina's thoughts were.

She'd never seen an ultrasound before in her life, and was stilled the moment she saw the precious baby inside Trina's womb. "T-Trina…your baby…" It was a breathtaking sight. The baby's eyelids were shut, it was forming earlobes and fingers, and there was a bit of flickering in the chest. She heard Trina's breath and saw the monitor shake just a bit.

"Well Trina, I have good news," Dr. Neela said while monitoring the ultrasound, "It does look as though your baby is doing just fine." The doctor pointed to the flicker and smiled confidently. "You see that is the baby's heartbeat. Nine weeks along and your baby is still growing." Jade looked to Trina and put her hand to her chest. Trina was eyeing the monitor with a soaked face. She began to weep, overjoyed with the news. "I want to see you regularly however. Because of the stress endured on your body, I am concerned if it has affected your baby at all, so I want to go through constant monitoring. That means more prenatal visits each week, understand?"

"Y-Yes Dr. Neela. Thank you…" Jade grunted as Trina's hand clenched down on hers. "Oh god. Sinjin's going to be so happy. Our baby's okay…she's okay, Jade. I can breathe again."

Jade slowly reached over and hugged Trina. All the emotions were finally coming out, all in one sitting. It was a bit much for her, but she understood them. Trina had been acting so strong, doing the best she could not to break down, and now she knew she and her child were safe, it was okay for her to break down and cry.

"I'll return to my family clinic, okay Trina?" Dr. Neela felt of her head and Trina nodded while wiping away her tears. "I want you to get some rest this weekend, for both you and your baby, and first thing Tuesday morning, I would like to see how your baby is progressing."

"Okay. I'll call your clinic and make that appointment…"

"Good." Dr. Neela shook her finger and Trina's eyebrows rose. "Now I cannot stress enough, no strenuous activity. Do not exert yourself, and stay away from any drugs. As you know, drugs and medication get into the blood stream and it can have an impact on your child. Tranquilizers are known to cause defects, such as a cleft lip, but since you say they only used a couple shots on you and at a low enough dosage, we may not have to worry. Still, as I said, I want to keep closely monitoring the baby's progress."

"Okay. Thank you. Thank you so much, and thank you for coming out so early from your clinic."

"You're welcome. I heard them say it was you, so I had to. I know how important those appointments are for you, dear."

"Yeah, very…"

So some very good news, and the girls can stop holding their breath. Of course, this means when they go after Jesse, they're not going to be alone. If Regina was here, I wonder who we know in the police force that might be willing to help Jade and Trina out. Well tell me your thoughts on this chapter. For you to understand how truly of a miracle it was, one must understand that with all that Trina went through, there was a high chance of miscarriage. She and the child lucked out, but that baby might still have some issues when it is born.