Chapter 3: Expecting the Heir
1078 Words
One year later…
Cravings, nausea & vomiting, frequent urination…these have to be the early symptoms of pregnancy right? Audrey thought to herself.
She had noticed some changes in her body and those were some of the symptoms that stood out for her.
“Oh my God, am I pregnant?” She wondered with her hands on her tummy.
Still in doubt, she took her phone and googled ‘early symptoms of pregnancy’. The first result she saw reads:
If you are currently experiencing some of the following changes at the moment, then congratulations, there might just be a chance that you are pregnant and expecting a baby:
Nausea & vomiting (often called morning sickness but may occur anytime)
Fatigue
Missed period(s)
Urinating more frequently than usual
…..
“It's true, I’m pregnant.” She muttered to herself. “How do I tell chief?”
While she was still in her thoughts, she heard a car horn and looked through the window. Mr. Keen just returned from a trip.
“I have something to tell you chief.” Audrey finally breaks the air of silence at the table during dinner time.
“What is it about? Go ahead.”
“I think I might be pregnant.”
Mr. Keen paused chewing the food he had in his mouth and raised his head up. He wasn’t quite sure he heard her well.
Everyone’s eyes went in her direction.
Uh oh, did I say something bad? She wondered feeling awkward.
“Are you sure?”
Audrey nodded. She saw how he was trying hard not to show his excitement at the news.
“How old is it?”
“I’m not quite sure. I just found out today.”
“We’d go to a hospital tomorrow to find that out. It better be a boy!”
As she lay on the bed that night, she thought about everything that could happen if the baby turned out to be a girl and not a boy as he was expecting. How would Mr. Keen react to it?
“You are welcome Mr. Keen, it's good to see you again.” Doctor Gonzalez said as they firmly shook hands.
They had arrived at the hospital for Audrey’s examination. Doctor Gonzalez was one of the few doctors Mr. Keen trusted. He was one of the best.
“Shall we proceed with the examination?”
“Oh yes, please proceed.”
Audrey was led to the examination room where the scans and tests were to take place.
“These are the results of the tests, Mr. Keen.” The doctor said to pass some documents to him.
They were already back at his office after the tests were concluded.
“That won’t be necessary, just tell me what it says. I don’t have all the time in the world.”
“Well, the pregnancy is already 2 months old, and you are expecting a male child, congratulations!”
“Yessssssss…” Mr. Keen said jumping on his feet with excitement.
Audrey sat there quietly and was surprised. It was the first time ever she saw him that excited. Now she understood why it meant so much to him.
She was finally going to give him a male child; the only thing he had wanted from the beginning.
Everything suddenly changed for her from that point on. She now seemed to receive more kindness than everyone else from Keen Pager. He made sure she was comfortable, undisturbed, and enjoyed almost anything he had.
A part of her enjoyed the current treatment. It seemed to be working in her favor. She was already forgetting how she felt at first about the marriage because it no longer felt the same.
She now had one of his cars attached to her for periodic movements to the hospital for checkups and a few other things. No other wife of his enjoyed this privilege including the first and eldest. It felt like ‘Heaven on earth’.
‘Billionaire Keen Pager finally expecting a male child from his 4th wife, Audrey.’ That was the headline that caught her attention as she went through her phone.
What? It is now in the news? She thought.
7 months later…
Audrey was already in her 9th month of pregnancy. Her tummy had protruded and was already obvious.
“Pusssshhhh…you can do this.” one of the midwives in the labor room told Audrey.
She had been rushed to the hospital earlier after her water broke & she was already in pain.
Mr. Keen sat outside the ward listening to screams and noises coming from the room. He was finally going to have a son to look after his empire.
“Mr. Keen, we’ve noticed an abnormal positioning of the baby, so we have to do a caesarian section right away.” Doctor Gonzalez said rushing out of the labor room.
They had been trying to get the baby out for hours.
“Do what you have to do but get my child out, doc.” Mr. Keen responded in urgency showing his desperation.
“Relax, we’d do our best Mr. Keen.” The doctor said again rushing back inside the ward.
The obstetrician arrived almost immediately, and they were ready to start the procedure in a couple of minutes.
Audrey was already weak and spent from the previous hours of rigorous activities involved in the delivery.
Mr. Keen was already becoming impatient as he still stood outside waiting for the doctors to come out. Then all of a sudden, he heard the cry of a baby.
His eyes lighted up with excitement and beams of smiles. He had never experienced such a feeling in a very long time.
He turned to see what was happening as he heard footsteps approaching. It was the doctor. He ran off to hug him in excitement.
But something seemed off. The doctor’s face didn’t seem lightened. It was as though something bad had happened.
Why is he not smiling? Was that not the cry of a baby he just heard?
“Talk to me doc. Is there something wrong?” He asked with his hands on the doctor’s scrub.
“Not really. The procedure was successful, both the mother and child are doing just fine.”
“Okay? Is there something else you are not saying?”
“Unlike we expected, It’s a gi…”
“It’s a what?” Mr. Keen interrupted, not allowing him to complete his sentence.
- Writer
