Bound To You.

The News.

Chapter Three.

Vivan_

I woke up with my body sore and my legs weaker than ever. “Fuck." I winced in pain as I tried to stand up from the bed.

I fell back to the bed, my legs grew weaker than ever, I saw an envelope on the bed but before I could pick it up my phone rang.

I picked it up and answered the call. " Hi bee.”

"Viv, where are you? I have been looking for you, you just disappeared from the bathroom last night." She sounded really concerned.

“Uhm, I don't…I don't know what happened, but I am in one of the rooms right now, I don't know how I got in and my body aches so bad.” I responded.

"Where exactly, I'm coming to get you." She said and I could hear her key jingle.

“I don't know the room number, but I'm half naked and my head hurts so bad."

“Half naked? How? Don't worry, I'm coming now." She said then ended the call.

I looked around, the room still carried a faint smell of cologne, my gut screamed at me that another person was in the room before now. I turned around, trying to look for a cue but my eyes kept falling on the envelope on the bed.

I picked it up and tried to read what was in the letter just then Brooke's voice broke the silence. “Viv, where are you? Can you hear me?” She said, sounding as low as she could.

"Bee, I am in here." I dropped the envelope as I tried to stand up and wrapped the blanket around my body.

"Where?” She asked, her curiosity also echoing.

"This room.” I tried to scream but I noticed I have lost my voice.

"Found you…I'm coming now." She responded as she walked into the room, she rushed to me immediately she saw me.

“Bee, I can't remember what happened last night..I woke up with no clothes on." I tried to explain as a tear escaped from my eyes.

“Come here." She pulled me in and hugged me before taking me back to the bed and sat me down. “Dont cry, we can check the CCTV footage to know who checked into this room and I'm sure you might just be overthinking this.” She said,

I couldn't stop my head from overthinking the worst case scenario. Brooke helped me to the bathroom, bathed me and got me dressed, my legs were still sore and my p***y hurts more than normal.

I tried not to think much about it as I wore my dress and walked out of the room, totally forgetting the envelope. She booked a ride for me and promised to check in after she was done with work.

“I will stop by yours once I check the CCTV footage and I finish up at work.. okay?" She said and I nodded.

“Make sure you eat something when you get home okay?" She advised me.

“Okay mummy, I'll do that..see you later"

“And don't you dare cry or think too much about anything okay? I love you."

“I would try, and I love you too." We bid each other goodbye and the driver drove off.

The car screeched off in front of the house, I got down after thanking the driver.

"Thank you.” I said before walking off, pushed the mini gate open. Got to the door, took out my keys and opened the door.

The house reminded me of so many memories and I tried so hard not to think about anything or even shed tears for him cause now I realize he is not even worth it.

I did little chores before making myself something to eat, but I barely touched the food. My mind kept wandering back to that room, the smell of cologne, the envelope I never got to read, and the pain in my body that refused to disappear.

I tried distracting myself by cleaning the house, folding clothes, and organizing a few things, but nothing worked.

A few hours later, the doorbell rang.

I opened the door to see Brooke standing there with a small bag of snacks and two bottles of sparkling juice.

“You look terrible,” she said bluntly before pulling me into a hug.

“Thank you for the compliment,” I muttered weakly.

She walked inside like she owned the place and dropped the bag on the table.

“Girls night,” she announced.

I raised an eyebrow. “Girls night?”

“Yes. No crying, no overthinking, no depressing thoughts. Just us.”

I couldn't help but smile a little.

We sat on the couch, eating snacks and talking about random things. Brooke eventually turned serious and looked at me.

“I checked the CCTV footage.”

My stomach tightened.

“And?” I asked slowly.

She sighed.

“That’s the strange part. No face was clearly seen. Whoever entered that room avoided the cameras perfectly.”

My heart sank.

“And the name used to register the room…” she continued, frowning, “it didn’t make sense. It looked fake.”

“So we have nothing?” I whispered.

Brooke held my hand.

“Listen to me, Viv. You cannot spend the rest of your life worrying about one night you can't even remember.”

“But what if something happened?”

“Then we deal with it when we know for sure. For now, you need to focus on your life. Your peace. Your happiness.”

I stared at her for a moment before nodding slowly.

“Okay.”

She clapped suddenly.

“Good. Now come dance with me before I force you.”

She turned the music on and dragged me to the middle of the living room.

We laughed, danced, watched movies, and talked until late into the night. For the first time since that morning, my chest didn’t feel so heavy.

________&&________

Three weeks later.

Something felt wrong with my body.

I had been feeling nauseous almost every morning. My mood shifted so quickly that I couldn't even understand myself.

One moment I was calm, the next moment I felt like crying for no reason.

And the worst part…

My period was late.

Very late.

I stared at the calendar for the tenth time before grabbing my phone and calling Brooke.

She picked up almost immediately.

“Viv?”

“Bee… I think something is wrong.”

“What happened?”

“My period is late. And I keep feeling sick.”

There was a small pause.

“Viv…”

“What if I’m pregnant?” I whispered, my voice shaking.

“Okay, calm down,” Brooke said gently. “We can’t assume anything yet. We’ll test first.”

“I’m scared.”

“I know. I’m coming over with pregnancy test kits, don't make assumptions without confirmation.”

An hour later Brooke arrived with a pharmacy bag.

“Alright,” she said, trying to sound calm. “Let’s just check.”

My hands were shaking as I took the test into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, I walked out slowly holding the stick.

Brooke looked at me.

“What does it say?”

I handed it to her.

Two lines.

She checked the second one.

And the third.

Every single one said the same thing.

I am pregnant.

My legs gave out and I dropped onto the couch as tears burst from my eyes.

“I don’t even know who the father is,” I cried. “How am I supposed to do this?”

Brooke immediately wrapped her arms around me.

“Hey… hey… breathe, slowly..”

“I can’t do this, Bee.”

“Yes, you can and I know you can.”

I kept crying while she rubbed my back.

Then she suddenly said, “Well… this might be the worst timing to tell you this.”

I sniffed. “Tell me what?”

She hesitated before placing a hand on her stomach.

“I’m pregnant too.”

I blinked.

“What?”

She laughed nervously.

“Yes. Wayne and I just found out.”

For a second I stared at her, then I laughed through my tears.

“You’re serious?”

“Very serious.”

The mood in the room slowly changed. We were still shocked, but somehow it felt less lonely.

“Looks like our kids will grow up together,” she said.

Just then my phone rang.

I picked it up and frowned. It was an official message.

My heart dropped as I read it.

“What is it?” Brooke asked.

“They’ve scheduled my service… I’m expected to report within the next two years.”

Brooke looked worried.

“What about the baby?”

“I don’t know,” I said quietly.

She squeezed my hand.

“Whatever happens, you won’t go through it alone.”

“Thank you bee."

“You're welcome, you know what? Let's go out and celebrate ourselves.. let's leave behind this moment and forget it for a split second."

Later that evening Brooke dragged me out to celebrate.

We went to Wayne’s club, where he was already waiting for us.

The moment he saw the pregnancy test kits in Brooke’s bag, he raised his eyebrows.

“Wait… both of you are pregnant?”

“Yes,” Brooke said proudly.

Wayne immediately took the drinks away from us.

“No alcohol for either of you.”

“A little won't hurt,” Brooke protested.

“Nope,” he said firmly. “Not under my watch.”

We laughed and spent the night dancing instead. Wayne kept scolding us anytime we moved too much.

“Careful with the babies!”

By the end of the night, we were tired but happy.

____________________

Nine months later.

Brooke and I had been going for constant checkups, taking our medications, and preparing for our babies.

My due date was only two weeks away.

That morning I was cleaning the house and organizing the nursery I had prepared for my child's arrival.

I was wiping the dresser when the doorbell rang.

“Coming!” I called out.

I walked to the door and opened it.

No one was there.

I frowned and stepped outside, looking around the compound.

“Hello?”

Nothing.

Then I looked down. A basket sat by the door.

Inside it was a baby, my heart skipped.

“Oh my God.”

The baby was wrapped in a soft blanket, quietly staring up at me.

Underneath the baby was a folded letter.

I quickly carried the basket inside and picked up the letter with shaking hands.

As I read it, tears began to blur my vision.

The baby belonged to my late brother. Greg.

His wife had found out she was pregnant after his death. She said she couldn't bring herself to terminate the child, but she also couldn't raise the baby alone.

She begged me to raise the child as my own… especially because she knew I once miscarried.

By the time I finished reading, tears were streaming down my face.

The baby reached out and grabbed my finger, smiling softly.

That broke me completely. I burst into tears.

Later that night I called Brooke and asked her to come over.

“Hi bee, can you come over?"

When she arrived, I told her everything.

She listened quietly.

“So what do you want to do?” she asked gently.

“I… I don’t know.”

“Whatever you decide, I’m with you.”

I looked at the baby sleeping peacefully.

After a deep breath, I said, “I’ll raise her.”

Brooke smiled warmly.

“That’s the Viv I know.”

I looked at the baby again.

“I’ll call her Malia.”

Brooke laughed softly.

“You know what? This might actually work out perfectly.”

“How?”

“You can just tell people both babies are twins.”

I laughed so hard as I stared at her for a minute.

“Do you wanna see a movie?" I changed the conversation quickly.

“Yes, let's watch some prison break." She said.. apparently that happened to be her favorite series.

“I know you were gonna say that." I responded as I turned on the TV and connected to it.

After I decided to keep the baby, the house felt different.

It was no longer just quiet….it was full.

Full of tiny cries, soft breaths, and the constant sound of small movements from the little girl who had suddenly become part of my life.

The first night after Brooke left, I barely slept. I kept waking up every few minutes to check if she was breathing. I had placed the basket beside my bed, but somehow that didn’t feel close enough.

So I carried her into my arms and sat on the bed, staring at her tiny face.

“Hi…” I whispered softly.

Her eyes fluttered open for a moment before closing again.

I smiled through my exhaustion.

“You really chose the most dramatic way to enter my life, didn’t you?”

The next morning Brooke came over again with Wayne. She carried bags filled with baby supplies while Wayne struggled with a baby crib box.

“You cannot raise two babies with just vibes and determination,” Brooke said as she walked inside.

“I wasn’t planning to,” I replied.

“You absolutely were.”

Wayne dropped the box down and looked at the baby in my arms.

“So this is Malia.”

“Yes,” I said softly.

He leaned closer and smiled.

“She’s cute.”

“Don’t start getting baby fever,” Brooke warned him.

Too late.

Within minutes Wayne was already assembling the crib and moving furniture around the nursery.

The nursery that had been prepared for one baby was now being rearranged for two.

Over the next few days, my routine completely changed.

Between my pregnancy and taking care of Mila, every hour of the day felt full.

Sometimes Malia cried in the middle of the night and I had to slowly walk around the room rocking her while rubbing my aching back. Other times she would stare at me with wide curious eyes as if trying to figure out who I was.

“I'm your aunt…” I whispered one night before pausing.

Then I smiled softly.

“No… I'm your mom now.”

Brooke visited almost every day despite her own pregnancy.

Some days we would sit on the couch eating fruits and talking about baby names, baby clothes, and the terrifying reality that we were both about to become mothers.

“You know,” Brooke said one afternoon while holding Mila, “this whole twin story might actually work.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“How?”

“Well,” she said, adjusting the baby blanket, “your baby will be born soon. Mila is already here. When people ask, you can just say they’re twins.”

I laughed.

“You're unbelievable.”

“I'm serious. Same age, same house, same mom. It works.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“But I’m also brilliant.”

Wayne walked in at that moment carrying groceries.

“What are you two plotting now?”

“Nothing,” Brooke said quickly.

I shook my head and laughed.

Despite everything, those two weeks became some of the most peaceful days I had experienced in a long time.

For the first time in months, my life felt full of something other than fear.

One evening while I was folding tiny baby clothes, Malia grabbed my finger again and giggled softly.

The sound made my heart melt.

“You know,” I told her gently, “you saved me too.”

Because she had.

That little girl arrived at my door at the exact moment I felt most alone.

Two weeks passed faster than I expected.

My stomach had grown heavier and moving around the house was becoming more difficult. Brooke wasn't doing much better either.

“Why are we this huge?” She complained one afternoon while trying to sit down.

“Because there are humans growing inside us.”

“I regret asking.”

We both laughed.

Three nights later, I woke up in the middle of the night with a sharp pain in my stomach.

I sat up slowly, rubbed my hand on my stomach.

“Okay… that didn’t feel normal.”

Mila was sleeping peacefully in her crib beside the bed.

Another pain hit.

Stronger.

I grabbed my phone and called Brooke.

She answered after the second ring.

“Viv?” she responded with a sleepy voice.

“I think… it's time.”

“What time?”

“I think I'm in labor.”

There was a loud noise on the other end.

“Oh my God. Wayne! Get the car!”

Within thirty minutes Wayne was at my house helping me into the car while Brooke carefully carried Mila.

The hospital ride felt like it lasted forever.

Between contractions I could hear Brooke groaning in the seat beside me.

“Wait,” I said, looking at her. “Why are you breathing like that?”

She stared back at me.

“…because I'm having contractions too.”

I blinked.

“You’re kidding right now.”

“I wish I was.” she groaned.

Wayne looked at both of us through the mirror.

“You two seriously chose the same day?”

Apparently we did.

A few hours later, after pain, screaming, and a lot of exhausted breathing…

our babies were born.

Just a few hours apart in arrival, but brought into the world under the same strange, beautiful circumstances.

And as I held my newborn baby in my arms while Malia slept nearby, I realized something important.

The Universe has also given me a family.