She is pregnant

Doctor Mitchell walked to her and examined her face up close "I don't think so. Come, we need to run some tests on you to make sure you are okay. Can't have you sick when your mother is yet to recover." the woman already had her suspicion but she wanted to confirm it before giving the young girl the news

Ariella wanted to disagree but she knew that if she fell sick it wouldn't do her mother any good, "Okay," she agreed

"Come with me," doctor Mitchell gestured for Ariella to follow her as she walked out

After different tests were run on her, Ariella stood outside waiting for the test result. She caught herself wriggling her hands together which was something she only does whenever she is nervous. She stopped and instead fisted both hands

"The results are out," doctor Mitchell walked up to her with a grim expression

Ariella stood up "What is wrong with me doctor?" she knew it was something bad from the look on doctor Mitchell's face but she hoped that she was not dying because who will take care of her mother if she did?

Doctor Mitchell arranged her glasses before opening her mouth to speak, "From the looks of the test result it appears that you are one month pregnant"

Ariella staggered back and fell back on the seat behind her. Pregnant. She was pregnant from that just that one time. She was pregnant with that man's child. She was pregnant for her friend's boyfriend

It kept playing in her head over and over again like a broken track record; she was pregnant.

"Are you okay? Do you want me to maybe call the man responsible?" Doctor Mitchell placed a hand on her shoulders, her eyes filled with pity for the young girl.

Ariella was shaking her head "No, no, you don't have to worry. I will contact him by myself," or not

Ariella stood up from the chair and nearly stumbled to the ground but she caught herself and waved doctor Mitchell away when the woman tried to help. She moved away, her small frame shaking and her face pale because of the news of her pregnancy.

She moved in the direction of the elevator trying to ignore the looks of some nurses who passed by her or patients. She nodded weakly to people that asked her if she was okay.

She quickly pressed the elevator button waiting with her heart in her mouth for it to open and when it finally did she stumbled into it and used the walls of the elevator to hold herself up, her eyes glassy with tears

"Hey wait up, hold the elevator" a loud feminine voice yelled

Ariella's head that was looking up at the elevator's roof looked down as she stared between the closing elevator door. She saw a middle aged woman and a man rushing towards the elevator

The woman was the one that asked her to hold the elevator open. She found herself moving to obey the woman as she stretched her hand out to stop the elevators door from closing

"Thank you," the woman gave her thanks as she got into the elevator with the man

Ariella did nothing but nod her head and move back to a far end to allow them to come in. She looked up to hold her tears and keep them from falling as she was no longer the only one in the elevator. She did not want the strangers to feel uncomfortable when she started to cry.

"Are you okay dear?" The woman was the one that asked

Ariella wanted to nod her head but instead, she found herself bursting into the tears that she has been holding back from the woman's voice which was filled with concern

When was the last time anyone cared enough for her to ask her this question? Five years ago when her father fell ill? Or was it two years ago at her father's funeral when he finally died? She could not remember.

"Oh dear," she felt the woman's arms coming around her to envelope her in a hug, "It's okay to cry."

And that was exactly what she did. Ariella cried and cried. She cried for herself who had no father, she cried for her mother that was laid out in the hospital bed fighting to be well and then lastly she cried for the innocent baby in her womb that she was so sure she would not keep.

Ariella finally stopped crying and left the woman's arms when the elevator got to the floor she was going to. She thanked the woman and moved to step out.The man and the woman followed after her

The woman held her hand out to Ariella "I am Gladys Patrick but just call me Gladys. Do you care to share what was making you cry?"

Ariella wanted to say no but when she met the woman's kind eyes she found herself saying yes instead. Maybe she could use a listening ear and the woman was a stranger who knew nothing about her so there was absolutely no harm in sharing

"I am pregnant. Pregnant for a man that hates me.” Ariella told the Gladys

"Oh dear," Gladys led her to a chair and sat her down. "How are you so sure that this man hates you? Even if he did, he surely won't hate his child, right?"

"I don't know, I also don't love him myself," Ariella's mind went back to the face of the man who'd glared at her coldly while calling her a cheap woman, a shudder racked her small frame.

"It doesn't matter. Believe me, you don't want to kill a poor child without giving him or her the opportunity to come into this world, you would forever live in guilt. Why don't you contact this man and tell him. Maybe both of you will work things out for the child and even get married." Gladys released a sigh

"I absolutely cannot get married to him" she immediately refused the idea. She could not tell Gladys that the man in question was her friend's boyfriend

Gladys might immediately walk out on her and also think she was a bad person for trying to ruin her friend's relationship.

"You can, just give him a call. No man in his right senses will reject his child," Gladys pressed her.

When she put it like that Ariella nodded. Maybe she really should contact him for the sake of the child. She could not provide everything the child needed but his father was rich enough to do so. He might hate her and think she wanted to use the child to hold onto him like she tried to use Hannah to get to his bed. She did not care, if she was going to give birth to this baby, she was not going to allow her child to suffer.

"I will do that. I will call him."

"That is good then," Gladys sighed in relief