Andy's Nightmare

7. Missing Husband

Andy walked back to the hotel and took a nap before meeting Kim and Kyle early this evening. She had talked to Kim on the phone the day before but still had so many things to discuss and wanted to see how she and Kyle were together.

Andy decided to lay down for an hour and was thinking about the man she had met in the coffee shop. Still puzzled as to why she should feel this comfortable with this stranger. She found herself looking forward to the next time she would see him. She closed her eyes and saw his face as she drifted off to sleep.

She woke up, got a hot shower and stood before the small closet trying to decide what to wear to dinner. It was late afternoon and there was a slight chill in the air. She chose a loose-fitting short-sleeved dress with yellow and purple spring flowers along with a white sweater.

Andy realized that she was going to have to buy new clothes soon. She wasn’t going to be able to continue to wear clothes that were a couple sizes too big, but was going to have to break down and buy maternity clothes. She had been putting that decision off. Unconsciously thinking that once she bought them she would have to accept that there was a baby growing inside her. A baby that should not be there.

She had been a virgin until that fateful night when everything was taken away from her and forced her into this situation.

He had not only taken her purity, but also her trust in those around her. She jumped any time someone came too close, especially if a man accidentally touched her in passing. But he also gave her a child. A r****t’s child is not one that she wanted, but she couldn’t bring herself to kill it because it was innocent. The baby had done nothing to her. She knew she could not keep it, but couldn’t live with the guilt of an abortion. She had always held strong feelings that abortion should not be used as a contraceptive measure. It should only be used if either the mother or baby’s lives were in danger.

Andy decided to walk the few short blocks to the restaurant where she was supposed to meet Kim and Kyle. She had spoken to both of them on the phone, and they seemed like a stable and happy couple who would make good parents to this baby.

As she walks into the restaurant, Andy sees Kim talking to the hostess. She approaches and waits for her to turn around to introduce herself.

Kim was a small rotund lady barely over 5 feet tall. She was not what Andy would consider obese, but was slightly heavy. Long, wavy brown hair, hazel eyes and a smile that could light up the darkest room.

Kim seems to be relieved when she turns around and sees Andy standing there.

“I’m sorry Andy, but Kyle isn’t able to make it tonight. He got a last-minute call to meet with a client and had to go take care of a few things at the office. I hope you don’t mind it being just us tonight?” Kim said apologetically.

Andy answers, saying “That’s fine. I was a bit nervous anyway. This may be a little less formal and more relaxing."

The hostess approached the ladies and asked if they were ready to be seated. Andy had spoken with both Kim and Kyle on the phone but had still been apprehensive about meeting them both tonight. She was still cautious around men even now, months after that fateful night.

While Kim was talking about the client that Kyle was meeting with, she saw how animated Kim was about him.

Soon, Andy’s thoughts returned briefly to the coffee shop earlier today. She smiled when she remembered how she had felt with Linc.

“Andy, are you still with me?” she heard Kim asking, bringing her back to the present.

“I’m fine, why do you ask?” She replied.

“You just looked so far away.”

“Just thinking about everything going on lately.”

The ladies talked, getting to know each other throughout the meal. Kim explained that they had been trying for a couple of years to get pregnant. She eventually found out that she was unable to conceive. And then, after going in for more tests, they found a tumor and eventually had to have a hysterectomy in her early 20s. They discussed either finding someone to be a surrogate or adoption. They had met with a lawyer who was friends with Ms. Fredricks around the same time that Andy had come to her saying that she wanted to give the baby up.

Ms. Fredricks had tried to talk her out of giving the baby up for adoption. She told her that she would regret her decision down the road. Tried to tell her all of the negatives about giving up the baby. But Andy stood firm on her decision to give up the baby.

She knew that she couldn’t love this child but also felt that it deserved to be loved. Despite how it was conceived, the baby didn’t deserve to be treated badly. The baby didn’t deserve to be neglected, which is what she felt she would do if she were to keep him or her.

The baby had no control over how he or she was conceived and deserved to be loved. And there were couples out there who wanted children that couldn't have them for one reason or another.

Andy already had multiple chances to find out whether it was going to be a boy or girl, but she chose to remain in the dark. She felt that might change her outlook. She wasn’t heartless, but she also didn’t want to become attached to a r****t’s offspring. She had met some other couples, but something kept her from committing.

When talking to Ms. Fredricks about the adoption, she told her that she wanted to be able to meet the prospective parents. Even though she didn’t feel she could love the baby, she wanted him or her to be loved and cared for unconditionally. Two other couples had their own children. She felt they might love the child but thought they would unconsciously treat him or her differently.

Then she read Kim & Kyle’s profile and her heart went out to them. High school sweethearts that got married young. But when Kim was 23, she was told that she had a tumor that had attached itself to the uterine wall and it needed to be removed. They ended up having to do a complete hysterectomy, and she was devastated that she would never be able to have a child of her own.

She worked with children at the hospital as a nurse. She had put most of her focus on her work since she could not carry her own child, but always yearned for a baby.

Kyle worked for an advertising agency. They made more than enough together and had invested since graduating from college. Kim didn’t need to work so her pay was being invested or saved each month. She would be able to stay home and care for a baby and he or she would be well taken care of.

Andy was enjoying the conversation with Kim. She listened to some of her stories about kids at the hospital. Kim was so animated when talking about certain kids. She could see that Kim had a love for those children even though they weren’t hers.

Even though she had only just met Kim, she was confident that this was the right couple for this child, but still wanted to meet Kyle to be 100 percent positive. She could imagine how Kim would love and care for this baby no matter what.