Dr. Pitt sighed. “Ms. Smith, I know you’re absolutely devastated, but you really can’t keep the baby you’re
carrying. It’s your responsibility toward your child. You don’t want your child to be subjected to people’s
scornful looks when he or she is born, do you?”
Natalie said nothing as she clutched her stomach tightly with both hands. A chill engulfed her.
Argh! Why did this happen? Why would such a misfortune befall my child? I didn’t eat anything I
shouldn’t have eaten!
Her eyes gradually turned red as her heart twisted in agony.
At her grief-stricken expression, Dr. Pitt lowered his eyes a fraction to mask the guilt in them. He again
persuaded her, asserting, “Ms. Smith, your pregnancy is less than two months now, so this is the best
time to abort the baby. If you were to abort during a later stage in your pregnancy, it’d affect your
health. If you’re amenable, we can perform the operation for you right away.”
Hearing that, Natalie shot to her feet. “No! I’m not going to abort…”
“The baby is deformed,” Dr. Pitt interrupted, his voice solemn. “If you insist on delivering the baby,
missing organs and limbs is the least of your concerns. There’s also the possibility of the child being born
comatose or stillborn in more severe cases. Do you understand that?”
What? Comatose? Stillborn?
Natalie’s lips trembled, and she could no longer say that she wanted to keep the baby because she
couldn’t accept either of those possibilities.
Even the possibility that the child would be missing limbs or organs wasn’t something she could bear. It
wasn’t that she disdained the child, but she was afraid that the child would grow up with low self-esteem
and despise himself or herself.
A greater fear was the fact that others would discriminate against the child.
Thus, she really couldn’t keep the child. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to consent to aborting the child
either.
All at once, she plunged into a dilemma.
Noticing her reluctance, Dr. Pitt didn’t continue persuading her.
After all, it would only arouse suspicion if he were to come on too aggressively.
“I don’t think you can make a decision right now, so why don’t you go back and consider it carefully, Ms.
Smith? Come back when you’ve made up your mind,” he murmured with a gentle smile, placing his
hands on the table with his fingers interlocked.
Forcing a smile, Natalie nodded. “Sure, I’ll do that. Thank you, doctor.”
“You’re welcome,” Dr. Pitt replied smilingly.
Natalie trudged out of the examination room with her head hung low to meet with Sally outside.
The moment Sally spotted her coming out with a dejected air about her, a sense of foreboding rose
within her.
“What’s with the gloomy face, Nat? Don’t tell me your child is really…”
Sally didn’t finish her utterance, but her meaning was already more than apparent.
Natalie stared at her a moment before hugging her and wailing, “What should I do, Sal?”
Seeing her fragile state, Sally patted her back in anguish. “It’s okay, for everything will be fine. I’m here
with you, so don’t be afraid.”
Natalie buried her head against her shoulder and wept mournfully.
After sobbing for a few minutes, she slowly ceased her tears.
Dragging her out of the hospital, Sally seated her by the flowerbed and bought two cups of hot milk at a
nearby milk tea shop.
“Here.” Sally handed one of the cups to Natalie.
Natalie took it from her before thanking her weakly.
Subsequently, Sally sat down beside her. “Nat, what exactly is the problem with the child?”
Natalie cradled the cup of milk. It was very hot and warmed her palms, yet the warmth couldn’t penetrate
her heart at that moment.
Taking a deep breath, she answered in a voice colored with pain, “The doctor said that my baby is
deformed. If I insist on delivering it, he or she will either be missing limbs or organs. Worse still, he or she
might be born comatose or end up stillborn. The doctor advised me to abort the baby.”
“What?” Sally was entirely stumped.
Oh my God, I didn’t expect things to be this bad!
“Have you consented, Nat?” she inquired, her eyes fixated on Natalie’s stomach.
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