Disclaimer: This story is based on the NBC television series The Facts of Life, which as far as I know, is the property of Embassy Television, Columbia Pictures Television, and Sony Pictures Television. No infringement is intended.
To those who like to keep up with my work and have supported me through the years, I just want to say thank you so very much. If you've read my profile page, you already know that I've been on hiatus from writing since 2023 because I've been struggling with severe insomnia for years and I've badly needed rest. I was able to complete a few small stories in a series I was writing in the Star Trek: Voyager fandom in April of this year, but I'm still not able to do very much writing because I still haven't completely recovered from the great physical and psychological toll that the years of insomnia have taken on me. I'm not saying this to get sympathy or anything. I just want to let you guys know why I haven't been able to write as much. For those of you who are interested, I recently completed a small story called Wings in the Keeping Up Appearances fandom under my second account, WarriorPrincess8402. I've written two other KUA stories under that account as well, just in case anyone might like to read them.
As for this story, I have been mulling it over recently, and I greatly regret the fact that I did not take as strong of a stand against abortion as I could have and should have in my story Willow Trees, and I do believe God is calling me to do this little one-shot to correct that. It is a very tough and very sensitive subject, and the last thing I ever mean to do is to hurt or offend anyone, but so very many innocent babies are being brutally tortured to death by this evil practice every single day, and the truth must be spoken. If you are triggered by this subject matter, I STRONGLY suggest you take it to Jesus and ask Him if it's a good idea for you to read this or not. Please remember to read responsibly, everyone.
This is not easy for me, because I love writing so very much, but after much wrestling with the good Lord over this, I think I can safely say that this one-shot is going to be the last story I will be doing on this side of heaven, especially considering how crazy close the Rapture probably is. Again, to everyone who has supported me over the years, I love you and I thank you with all my heart and soul, and I pray that Jesus abundantly blesses you and your loved ones. It has been a great privilege to get to do this. And to those who hate me and my work, I love you as well and I pray that Jesus abundantly blesses you and all your loved ones also. (((BIG HUGS))) from Jesus and me to everyone who needs one in these utterly insane times, and again, may Jesus abundantly bless you all.
One last note to all my brothers and sisters in Christ, please, please, PLEASE, ALWAYS remember to differentiate between salvation and discipleship when preaching the gospel, as failure to do so results in a very confusing false gospel of faith plus works that cannot save anyone. While we certainly SHOULD obey Christ's call to discipleship after getting saved, that is NOT what saves us or keeps us saved. ONLY faith in Jesus, in His shed blood at the cross on our behalf to pay for all our sins, does that. After we are saved, WE ARE kept and protected, NOT by us or our own works, but by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time, as it says in 1 Peter 1. Again, much love to you all, and God bless.
Apple
Edna Garrett Caden smiled as she watched her husband Howard sitting in the rocking chair in their living room, rocking their three-month-old baby girl, April Ann. Both Edna and Howard were in their fifties when they were wed a year ago, and to say the least, their daughter's conception and birth was a medical miracle. When Edna first learned that she was expecting, Howard was less than thrilled. He was very worried about the potential toll a pregnancy would take on his wife's health given her age, and he'd even wanted her to get an abortion. But now, as he held his sleeping baby girl in his arms and lovingly rocked her, Edna could easily see how mesmerized he was by their daughter, and rightfully so. April was a pure, utter miracle from God, and with the exception of their eternal salvation through Christ, April was indeed the greatest gift He'd ever given them.
A couple of minutes later, Howard got up and took April upstairs and laid her down to sleep in her crib, and Edna went with him. And after kissing her little cheeks and turning out the lights, the couple came back downstairs to their living room and sat down on the couch together. Edna then began to sense it that something was really bothering Howard.
"Is something wrong, Howard? You seem so serious all of the sudden."
"I've just been thinking, Edna."
"Thinking about what?"
"About how I reacted when I first learned you were pregnant. Looking back on it now, I'm so ashamed of myself. If I had gotten my way and convinced you not to go through with the pregnancy, our precious baby wouldn't be here today. Thank you, Edna. Thank you so much for standing your ground and not letting me talk you into getting an abortion. I can't imagine my life without my baby girl in it. Life just wouldn't be worth living without her."
"It certainly wouldn't be," Edna wholeheartedly agreed. "She's the apple of our eye, and she always will be."
"Yes, she will. You know, I joked around a lot during the pregnancy about making 'Pebbles' her nickname, but now that I think about it, I think 'Apple' is much more appropriate. I think that should be April's nickname from now on, because she'll be the apple of our eye forever."
Edna smiled and said, "I couldn't agree more."
"Now that I've become a father, I can't imagine anyone not wanting or loving their own baby. I can't imagine actually wanting to end your own baby's life."
"Neither can I. Abortion is an unbelievably cruel thing. It literally is torturing innocent babies to death. Unborn babies suffer so much when they're murdered by abortion. I don't always like to talk about it because it's such a tough and emotional issue, but the cold, hard fact of the matter is, abortion is the murder of innocent babies by torture, and nothing can excuse such a cruel and evil act. Even if a woman gets pregnant from rape, not even that can justify torturing a baby to death, because it is not the baby's fault how it was conceived. The rapist deserves to be punished without a doubt, but the baby is innocent, and the baby hasn't done anything to deserve death, especially such a torturous and traumatic death as death through abortion.
"And abortion doesn't do any favors for the woman, either. Many women suffer terribly after an abortion – many women who got pregnant through rape suffer terribly after getting an abortion – but the feminists love to pretend that those women don't exist, and all the people who claim to care about women and women's issues so much aren't anywhere to be found when a woman is battling crippling depression post abortion. Some women even become infertile or sterile as a result of an abortion. But again, the feminists aren't going to utter one single word about them. It's sickening."
"Maybe it's like that because if they did face the cold, hard truth about how inhumane abortion really is, both for the baby and for the mother, if they actually acknowledged the fact that there are a lot of women out there suffering terribly because of an abortion, they would have to admit that they're wrong to support it. So any woman who loses her fertility because of an abortion, or spends the rest of her life suffering PTSD or crippling depression because of an abortion, just doesn't exist in the eyes of all the so-called 'feminists' who supposedly care so much about women."
"It's such a bitter irony, isn't it? The movement that's supposed to champion women's rights actually hurts women so much through the lies they tell so that they can support abortion. They tell women that they can have another child later on. They tell women they can go through with an abortion with no physical or emotional consequences. It's downright disgusting how the very movement in this country that's supposed to be promoting equality and rights for women and girls hurts not only women, but millions of innocent baby girls just like April who are cruelly and heartlessly butchered to death in abortions every single year. I said this the last time we were talking about this, and I'll say it again, that the women's movement really shot itself in the foot when they decided to attach abortion to it. Because when people with a conscience cannot support something as cruel and evil as abortion, they are then seen as being against equality and equal rights for women, when nothing could be further from the truth. It's just a cold, hard fact that you cannot support something like abortion that cruelly butchers millions of innocent baby girls to death each year and causes horrific psychological and sometimes physical consequences for women and support women's rights all at the same time. The two things are diametrically opposed to each other. It's like saying you want to help prevent people from getting lung cancer while telling people that it's okay to smoke. It's like saying you want to help people stay fit and healthy while being a couch potato and encouraging others to stay lazy and eat junk food all the time. It just doesn't work."
"No, it doesn't. But I'll tell you what does work."
"What?"
"Jesus and you and me and our priceless little miracle upstairs."
"Ain't that the truth," Edna said happily, and then she leaned over and gave her husband a long, passionate kiss.
"Thank you for giving me the apple of my eye, Edna. Thank you so, so much."
"You're more than welcome, my love," Edna told him truthfully, and then he put his arm around her shoulders, and she rested her head on his chest, feeling more contented than ever before.