Chapter 10

Coruscant 21 BBY

(Noon)

Lubov felt herself rise into a cold room surrounded by people. She was unsure of where she was or what had just happened. All that she knew was that the doctor had told her something that had made her faint. Was she still in the hospital?

The light became clearer as her vision came back to her. She found herself staring at a room with Artier, the doctor, and her parents in the room. They were all talking about something she could not hear from so far away. How did her parent's end up here so fast? And when did Artier forgive her? Why were they not paying attention to her? Was she dead and this was a spirit form of herself thinking and seeing? No, she needed to be more realistic.

"What happened?" Lubov said in a rather rough voice.

"Oh, Thank goodness you are awake," Her parents said as they both practically ran across the room to hug their daughter.

Her mother kissed her face and hugged her tightly while her father talked to her about how worried they were and how they had been forced onto an emergency transport when they learned of what happened the day before. They talked of how she had overreacted as always to silly things and now how she had gotten herself stuck in a hospital for the next week for observation. They were even thinking of putting her into a mental hospital just in case.

As her parents calmed down Artier was allowed to get near her once more. He had a horrible look to his face, his eyes were red, his face was pale, it looked as if he had gone through Hell and back during however long she had been out. She felt her guilt rise... this was her fault for telling him that she did not feel for him. She should have lied and told him that she loved him and that she would do anything to keep their friendship permanent. But it was too late, now here she was back in a hospital bed with her worries rising ever so slowing up.

"I'm sorry," Lubov whispered, feeling her eyes water.

This was her fault. She should have lied. She should have lied. How could she have done this to someone?

"It's all right," Artier said softly, grabbing hold of her hand. "This is my fault really,"

"No, it's not," Lubov countered. "It is my fault for getting so worked up. I am sorry I promise not to over work myself any longer."

Artier just smiled slightly. "I meant about the other reason why you are here?"

"What other reason?" Lubov asked curiously, feeling her anxiety rise suddenly.

Was she dying? Was she headed to the mental hospital? What was going to happen to her? She had to calm down, she might pass out again. She had to calm down before something bad happened to her. She had to calm down.

Artier smiled and kissed her cheek. "You can't remember can you?"

"What?" Lubov asked. "Am I being sent to the mental asylum?"

He laughed slightly at her worries. Why was he laughing at her? Was she going and he was just trying to down play the issue? No, there was something he was hiding from her! Whatever it was he was going to get it out of him before he kept playing these silly games.

"No," Artier said through a laugh. "You are going to sure feel like you are crazy in a few months. Lubov you are pregnant."

Lubov stared at him for a long moment. The room was silent other than her parent's and the doctor's whispers in the corner of the room. She could not respond to this. She was pregnant... how was she going to support this child? She could afford it yes, but this was going to be a horrible time for the child to grow up in. She would have liked to at least wait until the end of the war... or at least after she had released the videotape. No, she would rather have never gotten pregnant in the first place. She did not want children, and this child had been of course conceived at the most incorrect time in the galaxy.

"Force." Lubov muttered. "How can they tell?"

"Hormone check, and this weird stick thing they stuck up your..."

"No!" Lubov said attempting to slap his shoulder before he moved away from her hand.

"Ha-ha," Artier said. "I have the upper hand!"

Lubov smiled. "Not when I get out of this bed you don't!"

The pair laughed for a second things appearing to go back to normal for what felt like only minutes. Her parents came over and began to fuss over her and they knew she would end up with a man. They kept telling her about how happy they were about becoming grandparents. While Lubov herself was unsure of how she was going to be a mother. She had plenty of experience caring for her younger brother, however, this was different. She could not just hand the child over to her parents when she got tired, this was permanent. And there was no way to think any differently.

"So have you both thought about marriage?" Her mother asked at last.

"Yes," Lubov answered before Artier could but into the conversation. "I think what would be best is if we get married after the baby is born. This way I am not a pregnant emotional wreck for all of you to deal with."

They laughed at her comment. She was unsure of why, she was being serious in fact. How were they not supposed to know that she had no plans on getting married while pregnant. She wanted to wear a normal wedding dress, not one meant for fatter women.

"I agree," Her father said at last. "Plus we don't want to have anything going wrong for you, you are under enough stress as it is."

Artier said nothing other than just kiss Lubov on the cheek, smiling widely when she had agreed to get married to him. He wanted that, and he was just thankful that at last she wanted that too. It was rather sad that they had to get married for the sake of the child, however, it did not matter, they were to be married and he would wait until their baby was born to get married its mother.

"Well, we can get planning on the wedding later," Lubov said at last. "I think it is more important to plan for the kid first at this point."

"Yes," Artier agreed. "We also need to think about living arrangements and whether or not you want to have the child here on Coruscant or Hapes."

"Hapes," Lubov said quickly. "I want to be somewhere I believe is safer. Coruscant is not a place for children anyway."

"All right," Her parents said. "And you are going to quit your job here and move back home?"

"Yes," Lubov said thinking back to her resent discovery.

Her child would grow up wealthy when they released the videotape to everyone in the galaxy. The thoughts were exciting, making her long to get it done as quickly as possible and have the money before the child was bigger than a bean. She could not help but smile at the thought of her wearing clothing even the Queen Mother would be envious of. She would own a lovely house on Hapes and three or four others on random other planets. All she needed now was release the video, if and only if Artier would let her work on it that is.

(evening)

"We are going to keep you over night again just to make sure we don't have to send you to another facility." The doctor stated giving her a run down of what was going to happen to her. "If all checks out we can send you home, though you will be on bed rest for a while."

"All right," Lubov nodded to the doctor as he left her a chart that allowed to see what types of medications and treatments he was recommending she take for her anxiety and pregnancy.

The list was not long, though she already could see her medical bills racking up. And this was only the beginning of course, she would have to spend more on getting ready for the baby, then paying hospital bills, and finally paying for doctors visits for the child after it is born. Of course she could just put that cost towards Artier, and ignore all else.

"Sweetheart, we are going to be staying at your apartment this evening if you do not mind." Her father interrupted her thoughts. "We should be back in the morning before you check out of here all right?"

"All right," Lubov said smiling at her father as he ruffled her hair in a playful way. "Though please be mindful of the mess in the fresher, I have not had a chance to clean in about two weeks. So don't be surprised if you see any random hairs lying around."

Her father smiled at her and left the room leaving her alone with her mother and Artier as company, her mother of course had to stay to say good bye to her daughter. After their conversation the only person left would be Artier and he was already fast asleep in a hospital chair. He was tired from staying up late into the night panicking about Lubov and all the while pacing like she had done the day before. At least now he knew that Lubov was in good health and would be on medication for her worries for a while to come.

"I am so glad you finally met the right man." Lubov's mother stated quickly, sitting at the end of her hospital bed. "I was beginning to think you were letting your fantasies of other girls get into the way of what is important in life..."

"Mother," Lubov interrupted. "Please understand that the most important thing in my life is my job and education. That is what girls are supposed to be focused on, not finding a husband like you seem to think. Your view on Hapan culture has always been terrible and this has proved my point of view that you think things should be backwards."

"Don't talk to me like that," Her mother countered. "I am well versed in this so called, 'Hapan culture' there is no culture, the only thing there is, are a whole population of women too focused on education rather than what is truly important in life..."

"Like finding a husband." Lubov stated rolling her eyes at her mother. "Mother your views do not fit and your thoughts on women are incorrect. Women are much more capable of what you give us. No not us, every female but you. You seem to think that it is the only desire of every woman to have children and to get married. And sadly in your case, though perfectly fine in everyone else's, is not what every woman wants. Mother please rethink what you believe in before trying to make a case. Women are more capable of doing things than men, and if you think we need to be subordinate to males then you are incorrect. Then again most of what you have always told me has been incorrect. Why am I even bothering with this conversation?"

Her mother stared at her daughter hard for barely a second before leaving as if her statement hurt her. What was she going to do? Go crying to her father? He knew Lubov was right, he was brought up with the knowledge that women were better and here was his wife wanting to be the lesser of the two sexes. Completely against tradition yet her father loved her for whatever reasons it was.

Lubov sighed as she say her parents talking outside the door of the hospital room. Her mother of course was pissed off and yelling at her father about what she had said to her. While her father was just pretending to listen as was always the case. Her relationship with her mother was a complicated one, though she loved her, she was not one to be likened to. Even on Hapes she got into these arguments of culture so often that they basically shunned her at parties in fear that she would make them spend all of the time with their husbands, rather than with their same sex.

She looked over at Artier one last time before deciding to go to sleep her. He seemed to be at peace with himself. And he would hopefully stay that way for the rest of the week or at least until she got caught working on gaining fame.

Just had to update the grammar on this. Goodness, I have a software on my computer that is supposed to filter out grammar mistakes. It doesn't work as well as I thought. Anyway, not going to be getting a new update soon. Exams are coming up for me and I have to study Chemistry. There is still a chance I might pass! :D Anyway, may the force be with you!