Dating the Cold-Hearted Mayor

Chapter 1

Pregnant

I was biting my lower lip the whole time I drove to the hospital. I was anxious, scared, and feeling all the negative vibes I could harbor in a short period. I could already taste the metallic tang of blood. Sobrang diin ng pagkakagat ko sa aking ibabang labi dahil sa mga halo-halong emosyon na nararamdaman ko.

Kahit na medyo may kalayuan ang ospital sa bayan at binagalan ko na ang takbo ng sasakyan upang mag-ingat, it felt to me like I had arrived in less than a minute. Sa totoo lang ay ayaw kong pumunta. I did not want to know the truth. Kaya nga lang ay hindi pwede ‘yon. Kailangan kong makasigurado.

Paano kung buntis talaga ako? What if I’m really carrying Irwin’s child?

“Relax, Sheryn… Relax…” I breathed in and out heavily once I parked my car outside the hospital.

Nakatanggap na ako ng reply galing kay Millie. She told me she did not have any patients scheduled until lunch. Tinanong niya rin kung ano ang balak kong ipatingin sa kanya, but I wasn’t comfortable telling her anything through text message. Kaya naman sinabi ko na lang na papunta na ako at doon na lamang kami sa clinic niya mag-usap.

Once I got enough courage to carry on, I got my car keys, wallet, and phone before getting out of my car. I was being cautious every step I took on the way inside the hospital. I had a bad feeling. Pakiramdam ko ay hindi imposibleng pinapasundan pa rin ako ni Irwin sa mga tauhan niya dahil sa nangyari noon.

Although I made up an alibi and relayed it through Ishmael and Aryah, I still broke into a cold sweat. Natatakot ako na baka alamin niya kung bakit ako dumaan sa ospital, lalo na’t may nangyari sa aming dalawa.

“Sheryn!” Millie greeted me with a huge smile on her face once I entered her clinic. She got up from her seat and went to me for a hug. “I was surprised when you told me you’re coming for a visit. Umuwi ka pala?”

Hilaw akong ngumiti. “It was Ishmael and Aryah’s wedding yesterday. Kinailangan kong umuwi.”

“Oh, right! I almost forgot about that. Usapan nga ang kasal nila sa bayan,” sabi niya habang pabalik sa kanyang lamesa. “So, what’s up? Bakit ka napabisita? Are you feeling anything unusual?”

Naupo na rin ako sa harap ng kanyang lamesa. I glanced at her assistant. Nasa loob din kasi siya ng pinaka-office ni Millie sa clinic. I could try and trust her, but I didn’t want to risk it. Si Millie lang mismo ang gusto kong makausap.

Sensing my hesitation, Millie gently smiled at me, then turned to her assistant. “Stacy.”

“Yes po, doktora?” Her assistant, Stacy, immediately reacted upon her call. Inilipat niya ang atensyon kay Millie mula sa inaayos na files sa cabinet.

“Can you please head out first? You can eat your lunch early,” sabi ni Millie.

Umaliwalas ang mukha ni Stacy nang malamang mapapaaga ang break niya. She slightly bowed her head and smiled at me before she left the office. Agad naman akong napabuntonghininga nang maiwan kaming dalawa ni Millie.

“She’s gone now,” Millie told me. “I’m guessing this is something very private to you?”

Once again, I heaved a sigh and nodded. “I trust you, Millie,” I said. “You’re my friend kaya sa ‘yo na ako dumiretso. I’ll be more comfortable if it’s you who’d be testing me.”

When she caught my words, creases appeared on Millie’s forehead. “Testing?” she echoed, then her eyes wide open. “Don’t tell me…” Hindi niya maituloy, pero alam kong pareho lamang ang tumatakbo sa isipan naming dalawa sa oras na ‘yon.

Hindi ko alam kung pang-ilang buntonghininga na ang ginawa ko bago ako muling tumango sa kanya. I bit my lower lip hard, feeling the frustration intensifying inside me.

“Oh my God!” Millie blurted out. She couldn’t help but react exaggeratedly. “How?! I mean, may boyfriend ka na ba ulit? Or is it a one night stand?”

“I don’t have a boyfriend…” sagot ko.

“Then it’s really a one night stand?”

“I’m not sure if you can call that a one night stand…”

“Bakit? Oh my God!” Millie looked horrified. “Don’t tell me hindi lang isang beses ninyo ginawa? Is he a fling or what—f*ck buddy?!”

“No, Millie…” I realized that I had to stop beating around the bush if I wanted her to understand clearly and not get the wrong ideas. “Hindi ako sure kung one night stand ba ‘yon because I didn’t f**k a stranger. I don’t have a fling nor a f*ck buddy. You know I don’t do those things.”

“Oh, I don’t know what a broken heart can do to someone, Millie. Sorry if I expected the worst,” she explained blatantly.

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” sabi ko na lang at ibinagsak ang aking mga balikat.

Ngumuso si Millie at natahimik. For a moment, it seemed like she pitied me for being in a f*cked up situation. It didn’t take long for her to get a grip of herself, and she suddenly appeared professional.

“Before I decide what we should do, I need to ask you a few questions first,” she said.

“Go ahead.”

“How many times have you had intercourse in the past three months?” Millie asked objectively.

“Once.”

“Isa lang?” ulit niya, parang hindi pa naniniwala sa akin.

“Yes.”

“What makes you think that you’re pregnant?”

“I’m delayed for a week already. May nangyari din sa amin ni Irwin almost two months ago, and I woke up to my morning sickness earlier.”

Millie gasped when I spilled the beans. Muli siyang nawala sa professional ego niya. “Si Irwin?!”

“Yes, Millie,” I helplessly confirmed to her. “That’s why I want our talk to be private. Ayokong may ibang makaalam. You know he has a lot of eyes and ears here in Santa Catalina.”

“Grabe… That’s like the most unexpected thing ever…” she said. “I thought hindi na talaga kayo magkakabalikan.”

“We’re not back together.”

“But you had s*x with him?”

“That was a mistake,” I corrected her. “Nawala kami sa sarili naming dalawa. I didn’t want that to happen.”

Muling ngumuso si Millie. Parang may gusto pa siyang sabihin ngunit pinigilan niya na lang ang sarili.

“Anyway, I guess you want to know the results as soon as possible kaya hindi na blood test ang gagawin ko sa ‘yo dahil ilang hours pa ang hihintayin mo,” sabi niya at may kinuhang pregnancy test kit mula sa drawer niya. “I need you to pee on the stick first. This one’s a good brand, so don’t worry. It’s ninety-nine percent accurate.”

“Ninety-nine percent?” I was skeptical because I wanted everything to be right. Kahit one percent pa ‘yan ay hindi ko papalagpasin.

“Chill, Shen,” Millie consoled me. “If it shows that you’re positive, I will do an ultrasound right away para makumpirma. I just don’t want to waste resources. Magandang may mas matibay na basehan muna tayo.”

“Okay…” sabi ko na lang dahil wala na akong mailalaban pa. I got the pregnancy test kit on her table, then stood up.

“There’s a powder room inside the clinic. Huwag ka na lumabas,” sabi niya. “It’s the other door on the left.”

Tumango ako. “Thanks. I’ll be right back.”

I was relieved to know that Millie had a private powder room inside her clinic. Natatakot din akong lumabas at baka talagang may nakamasid sa akin. If someone who knew me saw that I was carrying a pregnancy stick with me, I was surely done for.

Mabilis akong umihi sa pregnancy stick. I made sure to do it right para hindi magkamali ang result. After that, I immediately covered the tip and went out of the powder room after washing my hands.

Hindi na ako nag-abala pang hintayin ang resulta sa loob. I covered everything with toilet paper before returning to Millie’s office. She was writing on a blank patient record. Nang makita niya ako ay inilapit niya sa akin ‘yon.

“Fill this up for me, please,” she said, then offered her hand to get the stick in exchange. “Magsulat ka muna diyan habang naghihintay tayo ng result.”

Agad ko ‘yong ibinigay sa kanya na parang ayaw ko namang talaga makita ang resulta. Inabala ko ang sarili sa pagsusulat ng personal information ko sa patient record. Nilagay ko rin doon kung kailan ang huling period ko. It took me more than three minutes to accomplish everything, and after that, I needed to face reality again.

“You done?” Millie casually asked once I dropped the pen on the table.

“Yes…” My voice came out like a whisper, even when I did not intend it to.

“Let’s check the results now. Gusto mo bang ikaw na ang unang tumingin?”

I kept my lips shut as I shook my head.

Millie heavily sighed. She then picked up the stick from the table and carefully removed the toilet paper wrapped around it.

Trying to guess the result through her reaction, I stared intently at her face. Kaya nga lang ay wala akong nakitang pagbabago sa kanyang ekspresyon. She just blankly stared at the stick before lifting her gaze back to me.

“W-what?” My lips trembled.

“I think you should see this for yourself,” sabi niya saka inilapag sa harapan ko ang stick.

Feeling the weight of her tone, my eyes dropped on the stick right in front of me. The word shown on the small screen was all in capital letters: PREGNANT.

Initially, I did not feel anything. Hindi ako nalungkot o natuwa. But then, there was a build up gradually rising inside me. Pabilis din nang pabilis ang pagtibok ng puso ko at kahit wala akong ginagawa, unti-unti rin akong nahirapan sa pahinga.

“Millie, please do an ultrasound now,” I told her, almost sounding like I was begging.

Mabilis na tumango si Millie at kumilos. She prepared everything at the speed of light and asked me to lie down after I got changed in a hospital gown. She also applied a warm gel on my belly before using the transducer to begin the procedure.

“You are…” Millie sighed. “You are really pregnant, Shen.”

My heart skipped a beat at the confirmation. I slowly looked up at the monitor in front of me. Although it was still a bit small, I could clearly see the sac inside my belly which made me clench my fists tightly.

“You are already five weeks pregnant to be exact,” she added.

Tears suddenly brimmed in my eyes. When Millie saw me getting emotional, she stopped moving the transducer over my belly and took a step back to give me a moment.

I couldn’t believe I was really pregnant. I knew I had already expected that outcome, but I still clung to the hope that I was just overthinking things. I could not exactly tell whether I should be happy or not. For the second time around, I was lost and I did not know what to do.

I’m happy to bear a child with the man I love, but that same reason makes me feel more terrified.

“Are you still going back to Manila?” Millie asked once we were done with the ultrasound.

It took me a while to recover before I composed myself, but I was still a huge mess inside. Gulong-gulo pa rin ako at hindi ko pa tuluyang natatanggap ang naging resulta.

“Yes. I have work…”

“Graveyard?”

I calmly nodded.

“I hope you know that the first trimester is the most dangerous stage of pregnancy, Shen,” Millie reminded me. “It’s safe to travel, but working in a graveyard shift… I also know how tedious your job is. We still don’t know if you will have a safe pregnancy or not. Might as well test the waters first and get a break.”

“I’ll think about it…” sabi ko na lang at tipid na ngumiti. “Anyway, don’t worry about me too much. I can take care of myself. I’m a doctor, too, you know.”

Ngumuso si Millie na parang hindi kumbinsido. However, she still nodded in the end and gave me a few more reminders.

Once done with the check-up, I finally bid goodbye to Millie. She said she would recommend me to her OB friend residing in Manila if I had no plans to stay, pero kung sakaling magdesisyon akong manatili, she was very willing to be my doctor.

Sa totoo lang ay gusto ko rin ‘yon. I would rather have someone I trust guiding me through this journey that I still have yet to adjust to. Kaya nga lang ay marami pa akong kailangang ayusin sa Maynila. No matter what, I still had to go back.

Nahihiya pa ako dahil kakalipat ko lang ay mukhang aalis na agad ako. I did not want to use my father’s connections, but I knew I had to lift a finger to make things happen.

I clutched hard on the envelope I carried with me, along with my phone and wallet. Millie still developed the ultrasound pictures for me, even when only a sac could be seen. She said that was her congratulatory gift to me.

Dealing with a huge dilemma, I walked back to my car with my head hung low. Nang mapansin ko nga lang na may nakatayo sa gilid ng aking sasakyan ay agad akong napaangat ng tingin.

What the hell is he doing here?

A soft gasp escaped my lips when I locked eyes with Irwin. His SUV was parked beside mine. Nang makita ako ay agad siyang naglakad palapit sa akin. As he gradually came closer, my heart went wilder and faster.