I'd just like to thank BlazeTheWolfie for giving me this idea :)
Also, I have to admit that I haven't stopped fangirling since yesterday after I found out that ROSIE MARCEL IS PREGNANT! I can't believe it! And I'm so happy for her! Anyway, thanks for reading :D
Friday 5th October 2029, 7am
"Mum I-" Ella was just about to inform her mother that she had cleared the kitchen up from last night's dinner and found her mother's watch on the side when she noticed that she was sitting on the edge of her bed with a white stick in her hands whilst her father was in the ensuite taking a shower. "Oh my god, are you having another baby?" Ella asked excitedly.
"What? No, Ella you weren't meant to- I mean I... Look I don't think I'm keeping it." Sam admitted eventually.
"What? You're going to have an abortion?"
"Well I'm not sure yet. I need to speak to your dad first."
"But why?"
"Because I'm old and I'm happy with you and Daniel. Besides, I've already started menopause, and that means that my body is no longer capable of carrying a baby safely so the risks of complications and deformities at this age are much higher." Sam explained. "Look, keep it to yourself for now okay. I need to decide what I'm going to do. Just go and get ready for school." Sam ordered so Ella slowly backed out of the room as she didn't want to upset her mother who had rapid mood swings because of menopause.
Sam was sitting on the edge of her bed, just waiting for Tom to come out when finally the door clicked open and Tom exited the ensuite with just a towel around his waist.
"We need to talk." Sam ordered shakily as she held the stick in her hands and after glancing at it, Tom closed the bedroom door to prevent any earwigging.
"How? I mean I..."
"I don't know." Sam shrugged. "I hadn't had a period in 8 weeks and I'd thought that I'd stopped my periods altogether and that was it but I started to feel a bit sick yesterday morning and it just got me worried." She explained nervously. "Tom we can't keep it, I can't have a baby at my age." Sam said pleadingly.
"Alright, alright. Calm down."
"I mean, there's the risk of it having Von Willebrand disease or of it being a carrier. And then there's the risk of an atrial septal defect. What if-"
"Sam Sam Sam Sam Sam, will you calm down!" Tom ordered softly as he placed his hands on her upper arms to prevent her from pacing around the room. "You don't have to convince me. I think we both agree we're too old and settled to have another baby and we both know the solution don't we? Do you want me to book you an termination?" He asked and Sam nodded. "Alright, I'll ring up the clinic and see what I can get, I take it I'll be allowed to come with you yeah?" He asked.
"Yeah, I want you to come with me." Sam nodded.
"Alright, everything's going to be okay." Tom said reassuringly as he pulled her into his chest.
Thankfully, after speaking to Zoe but without giving her the specific reason, Sam and Tom made their way to gynaecology and obstetrics for the appointment. And Sam found it so ironic that on the same ward, babies were born into the world, but they were also taken away too.
"Mrs Kent?" A friendly doctor greeted Sam and Tom before they both went to the consult room where the couple sat before a desk and discussed her situation, her health, her gestation and finally, her options. "Right Mrs Kent, with no disrespect, at your age and because you have already begun menopause, I'm afraid it would be recommended that you don't have a medical abortion, which involves using medication to dispel the foetus because your uterus may not be capable of getting rid of everything that it needs to." She explained whilst Tom held Sam's hand tightly. "What I would like to offer is a surgical aspiration abortion. It involves inserting a tube into the uterus through the vagina and removing the pregnancy using suction. It'll be carried out under a general anaesthetic. And most women go home a few hours later." She explained.
"When can it be done?" Sam demanded.
"Well, if I have a look at the clinic's schedule now, I'll see what's available."
"I want it done as soon as possible." Sam stated. "And if I can't be fitted in for weeks then I'll go private." She added and Tom gave her hand a squeeze to show her that he support her decision because he knew her mind was set on what she wanted.
"Well the earliest possible elective surgical aspiration, would be on Monday, at 9am." She stated.
"That's fine."
"Mrs Kent, are you sure that you're not rushing in to this? it's a big decision and-"
"With all due respect doctor, we're both doctors too; we know about the risks and what the procedure entails, we know about the ethics of this area but we know that this is what we want." Tom said on behalf of his wife.
"Well then. I shall see you on Monday, at 9am."
Monday 8th October 2029
They'd both taken the day off of work for the procedure but, like any other, they had showers, got dressed and ready, waited for the kids to leave for school and them left for the hospital but not for the emergency department because they hadn't told their kids what was happening. Ella had been wanting to ask her mother what she was going to do, but she was worried about Sam snapping so she had left it, and Daniel was none the wiser.
"I'm not gonna leave your side today. I'm going to be right by you, I promise." Tom said reassuringly as he lifted her bag out of the boot that contained a change of clothes, a few other bits and bobs and of course sanitary towels for any spotting or bleeding after the procedure, though it was expected to be minimal.
"Except when I go into theatre and you won't be allowed in with me of course." Sam quipped.
"Well yeah but I'm going to be with you when they put you to sleep, and I'll be with you when you wake up so it'll be like I've never left." He stated as he held her bag in one hand and Sam's hand on the other as they made their way into the hostpital via the patient's entrance, rather than the ED because the last thing Sam needed was questions from her colleagues. "Are you sure you don't want to take off more time from work? One day is-"
"All I need Tom. There will be minimal bleeding, cramps which I can deal with and that's it. It's not like it's open surgery or anything."
"But that's the physical side Sam."
"Tom I know you're worried about what's going on in my head but you needn't worry. Admittedly if I was several years younger and I hadn't started menopause then maybe, yeah, I'd feel a bit guilty or selfish. But I'm not just doing this for us, it's for the sake of the baby who could have god knows how many complications. And if anything, I'm going to feel relieved once this is all over." Sam explained. And that seemed to put Tom at ease as he remained silent on the rest of the way up to the ward.
10am
Slowly, Sam opened her eyes to find herself staring at a dull white ceiling, but within seconds, it was replaced by her husband's face as he leant over her.
"Hey." He whispered. "Everything went to plan, you were in and out of theatre within half an hour. The nurses in recovery said you started to wake up but then you went back to sleep again. Which was probably because you were up so early this morning." Tom smiled sadly.
"I couldn't sleep." Sam mumbled as she lifted her hand from under the sheet and then rubbed her eyes slightly.
"Well you can get some rest now, and after you have a quick chat with a consultant about aftercare and all that crap, I'll probably be able to take you home early this afternoon."
"I'm hungry." Sam croaked.
"Well you haven't eaten since last night so I'm not surprised. The nurses came around offering food earlier but you were out of it so they missed you out. Do you want me to go down to the cafe or shop and get you something to eat?" He offered.
"No. No stay here, please." Sam said quietly as she moved her hand around to try and find his again but before she began to panic, Tom put both of his hands around hers and kissed it.
"I'm not going anywhere." He smiled.
Later on, Sam was curled up in the armchair under a blanket watching a film in the living room when the front door flew open and her kids came in.
"How many times have I told you to take it easy with that door Daniel?" Tom protested before a loud bang proceeded because Daniel had also slammed the door shut before his dad had said it to him. "It's gonna fly off its hinges one of these days." He added. "Right, it's nothing to worry about, but your mum had a bit of a fall at work after she took a punch in the stomach from a patient, so she needs to take it easy alright?" Tom said quietly as that was what he and Sam had agreed to tell the kids. Well, Daniel anyway.
"Did she punch 'em back?" Daniel asked eagerly.
"No she didn't." Sam replied from the living room so both kids went in there to see their mother forcing a smile.
"Are you okay?" Ella asked worriedly as she thought that if her father was telling the truth, then she could've lost the baby.
"I'm okay. Actually, I need to have a word with you Ella so can you two give us a minute?" Sam requested. Tom then went into the kitchen because Sam had explained to him about Ella walking on on her with the test, and Daniel went upstairs leaving Ella alone with her mother. "Dad's just making that up so Daniel doesn't know okay, I did have an abortion." Sam admitted. "But don't worry at all because I'm just relieved that it's all over and we can get on with our lives."
"Did it hurt?" Ella asked eventually.
"I had a general anaesthetic so I was asleep when they did it. But it was just like period pains when I woke up and I'm fine now because dad's been looking after me." Sam smiled.
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
"No, I'm fine thanks. Tell you what, why don't you go upstairs and chose a movie we can watch down here because this one has nearly finished." Sam suggested. "And tell your dad that we'll be needing popcorn, and lots of it." Sam smiled and Ella returned the expression before she went into the kitchen.
Tuesday 9th October 2029
The next day, Sam went back to work with her husband and she had just been given a patient who had been brought in after collapsing at home when she saw that on the bed was a heavily pregnant woman holding hands with her husband or partner.
"I'll deal with this one, you take my case. Elderly lady in bed four." Tom whispered as he slipped the notes out of Sam's hands and Sam was relieved as she really didn't want to deal with that on that day so she walked over to bed four to get on with her job.
Fletch was just walking into the staffroom to make a cup of tea, when he noticed that Sam was leaning against the counter with a hot water bottle against her abdomen. She wasn't in too much pain but she knew that if she caught the cramps before they got any worse, then she would be alright.
"You do realise it's extremely obvious that you're menstruating right?" He grinned as he flicked the kettle on.
"You do realise that you've just made a fool of yourself because I'm not on my period right?" Sam scoffed.
"What? What's with the hot water bottle then?"
"I um... Me and Tom... Tom and I..."
'Spit it out, it's alright I won't tell anyone." Fletch chuckled softly.
"I fell pregnant. But... I'm too old for a baby Fletch."
"What so, you're miscarrying?" Fletch asked worriedly.
"No, I had a termination yesterday. That's why I was off of work."
"And does Tom know?"
"Yeah, he came with me. He's looking after me."
"Good. I mean not good but... Well I don't know what to say."
"Well I feel relieved to be honest, I just want the pain to go and then I'll be fine."
"Okay. Well is there anything I can do for you?" He offered.
"A hot chocolate wouldn't go amiss." Sam admitted sheepishly.
"I'll make you my perfect pick-me-up hot chocolate, with whipped cream, marshmallows and cinnamon sprinkled on top."
"Sounds incredibly unhealthy but hey-ho, I skipped breakfast." Sam smirked.
"I still don't understand how we conceived another baby because I can't think of a time that we didn't use protection." Tom aired aloud as he and his wife sat on the sofa whilst their children were up in their rooms.
"I suppose if you think about it, it could've been conceived when we went on that holiday in Cornwall. The dates add up." Sam stated.
"But even then, we used a condom every time didn't we?"
"Well yes but, condoms are only 98% effective so maybe that time we were just one of the 2% that it wasn't effective for." Sam shrugged. "It's gotta happen to someone otherwise they'd be 100% effective."
"I suppose." Tom nodded. "How're you feeling now?"
"Fine, ibuprofen did the trick." Sam smiled.
"And what's the bleeding like?"
"I wouldn't really call it bleeding to be honest, it's just spotting every now and then."
"Well I think that procedure was probably better than having a medical abortion by taking pills anyway because then you would've been bleeding properly. It's good that you can talk about it y'know? And if you want to talk about it more then-"
"Tom I know you're there for me but there's really nothing to talk about. I had the abortion, that's it. We just need to move on from it."
"Okay." Tom nodded. "Do you want to go up to bed now?" He suggested.
"Yeah, I'm exhausted. That elderly lady that you gave me was a right cow, I would've rather dealt with the pregnant woman if I'd have known how stroppy she was." Sam said sulkily as she got up and locked the back door.
"Didn't she had a problem with her pituitary gland?" Tom questioned.
"Yeah but I don't care if she had a reason for it, she was still annoying." Sam grumbled and Tom chuckled before he followed her up the stairs and they went to bed.
Coming up: Ella investigates her sexuality for the first time, and Daniel brings a girlfriend to his house - will Sam and Tom refrain from embarrassing him? And is it a serious relationship or just a fling like his father used to have?
Thanks for reading! Please review :) My Auntie had an abortion because of those kind of factors (health risks, age etc) and I was actually quite surprised to find out that some women are relieved after having an abortion when it's under certain circumstances. Sorry if it upset anyone reading x