Chapter 5 Pregnancy

"Are you feeling better, Lisa?"

"Still a bit dizzy."

On the other side of the curtain, Lisa sat before Dr. Suga's desk with a pale face. The man looked very serious while reading the report in his hand.

"Why, you're so serious!"

"You're pregnant, aren't you? Why are you wandering the streets?" Suga exclaimed.

Lisa was surprised to hear Suga's words. Her lips were half open and her eyes glazed over.

"I'm... pregnant?"

Dr. Suga nodded, but didn't show a smiling face like other doctors who would always be happy to give the news to the expectant mother.

"Yes, it's already the sixth week. You didn't know?"

Lisa even wanted to scream with happiness. This was the first time she was pregnant under normal conditions. Previously, she had tested positive for pregnancy through IVF.

"Thanks God."

"Do you have a problem with your uterus, Lisa?"

"Yes, when I was young, I had a cyst and one of my ovaries was removed. After treatment, it turned out that there was also a problem with my uterus. I've been married for almost ten years and haven't had any children. Four years ago, I joined an IVF program, but I miscarried at the age of four months because my uterus was not strong enough to carry a child. During this time, I underwent treatment because of my husband's encouragement, and now I'm really happy to be pregnant again. I can't wait to tell him."

A little angel is coming to make the Wijaya family happy. He will be a little angel for Arka who has been longing for a child.

"Thank you for ...."

"You should abort him immediately," Suga advised.

Lisa's face was still in shock and surely Dr. Suga wasn't joking.

"W-what do you mean?"

He opened the medical report in his hand. He had to be as calm as possible to give Lisa an understanding.

"Your uterus is not strong enough to carry a pregnancy, Lisa. You're also not young enough to get pregnant. The fetus will keep growing and your uterus can't bear it. Or even if you force yourself, your life is in danger. You can't keep the fetus. It's best to abort before the 12th week."

Lisa's tears fell relentlessly. She held her stomach and didn't want her future baby to be taken away from her.

"I don't want. This is Arka's, I won't lose him. This is our love. Do something, I can survive," Lisa whimpered.

"I can continue to give you womb-strengthening drugs, Lisa, I'll try everything. However, the chances of the fetus surviving are only fifty percent. Serious therapy will only burden you and risk your life."

"In that case, I also still have fifty percent hope, right?"

Lisa tried to convince Suga that she wanted him to find another way for her to keep the pregnancy. There was still a way, she was sure of it.

"Trust me, Lisa, you'll get weaker as your fetus gets older. Even if your husband knew, he wouldn't let you get pregnant."

Lisa wiped away her tears and bit her lip to stifle a sob. Arka had wanted a child for a long time, it was unbearable if Arka knew a child would be taken away from him.

"You're right. If he knew this, he would ask me to abort, but for the rest of his life, he would cry because he lost his future child. I don't want to trouble Arka anymore. Do me a favor."

"I know it's hard, but I don't want to jeopardize you. I'm not just a doctor, I'm your friend. I can't watch you suffer that much, Lisa."

"If you're my friend, do whatever it takes to help me survive. Don't say anything to my husband. I'll do everything. I'll be more careful, not to move so much. I'll also take all the medicine you gave me. I'll do whatever it takes until I can give birth to Arka's child, Suga."

Suga nodded. He wrote down the prescription on paper and tore it up for Lisa to pick up at the pharmacy. He gave in to the decision of a mother who desperately wanted to keep her fetus.

"I'll do whatever it takes, but please don't push yourself. It will be more difficult when the womb gets bigger, whether your uterus can be strong or not. But I don't want your life to be at stake," said Suga.

"No one knows the future, Suga. Who knows if we can both survive? Or at least I can hold this fetus until it's old enough. I'm okay as long as you save him and not me," said Lisa with teary eyes.

"That's what I don't want. I wouldn't be able to face that difficult situation, having to choose you or your baby. Your husband would also be sad if he had to choose."

Lisa began to smile to encourage Suga to take more risks with her. This was a sacrifice of love that she had to make for Arka.

"This is Arka's child. Arka has been waiting for his arrival for so long. I never gave him happiness, but he stayed by my side. He always smiles and says it's okay, but I always see him crying when he thinks about this. And also... this is for my adopted son, Farrel. If my father-in-law finds out I'm pregnant, he won't be so rude to Farrel."

Her heart was filled with happiness, not even thinking of the slightest fear for her safety if the fetus was retained.

*

The sound of a car engine could be heard entering the yard. Arka's car. From the second-floor room, Lisa drew the curtains and was very happy that her husband was home.

Yesterday she had gotten the news of her pregnancy but had ignored the fact that the pregnancy would endanger her.

"Welcome, Prince!"

Lisa had no intention of going out to greet Arka. She wanted to savor the thrill of that happy beat in this room and witness a long love story. She reached for a long box on the table and couldn't wait to give the gift to Arka.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Arka had arrived and found no Lisa to greet her. Only Frans and Wendi looked relaxed enjoying lunch.

"Arka, you didn't tell me you were coming back this afternoon," said Wendi.

Arka smiled and poured herself a glass of water. "Sorry, I forgot, Mom."

"You must have told Lisa, but she didn't tell us. Right?"

Frans replied sarcastically.

Arka understood and wondered why Lisa didn't come down.

"Instead of welcoming her husband home, she's lazing around in her room," Frans exclaimed.

"Maybe Lisa is cleaning the room. After preparing lunch, right, she immediately entered the room. She wanted to wait for Arka to eat," defended Wendi.

Arka nodded. He was already looking forward to meeting his wife. Farrel hadn't come home from school yet, as his extracurricular program was scheduled for this Wednesday.

Arka opened the door knob and saw his wife standing by the bed. Her face was very beautiful, adorned with light make-up and tiny lips. Lisa had always been beautiful. He threw his bag on the sofa and loosened his tie. He opened the top two buttons to release the sultry sensation.

"Husband comes home immediately greeted by a beautiful and fragrant wife. What a naughty temptation!" Arka exclaimed.

Lisa stood right in front of Arka and draped two arms around her husband's shoulders.

"I miss you," Lisa said.

"Me too."

Arka gave Lisa a brief peck on the cheek. Lisa couldn't contain her happy outburst. Her eyes looked teary with a perpetual smile.

"Which souvenirs? I want Bogor pickles," Lisa whined.

Arka was annoyed. He scratched the side of her nape. "You didn't say. That's what I brought as a souvenir, anyway. There's also Dodol Garut and Tofu Sumedang."

"What? You're from Bogor, right? You should never forget that."

Lisa looked annoyed as she folded her hands. She turned around and turned her back to Arka. Arka scratched his head because he couldn't understand his wife's sudden spoiled attitude.

"You never liked Bogor pickles. Last year, when I went to Bogor, you didn't even touch the pickles."

Lisa sighed. She'd been craving Asinan Bogor since last night, thinking she didn't need to say anything because Arka never forgot to bring it.

Lisa looked down slightly and saw her stomach, "You're naughty!" she whispered.

Just as Arka was about to hug her from behind, Lisa pulled away and quickly picked up the rectangular box on the table. Her face was still pouting while thrusting the pink parcel.

"You're the one who left, but I gave you a gift. Open it!" Lisa scolded.

Arka didn't speak and tore open the parcel. She found a red box. When the lid opened, Arka was surprised to see a white object with two red lines in the center. Arka's hands shook and she looked back at Lisa.

"This is ...."

Lisa pursed her lips and rubbed her stomach. "Your baby wants Bogor pickles, Pa."

Arka was speechless. There was shock and happiness in his eyes. The man sat limply on the bed with a shocked face. Lisa came over and sat beside him.

"Honey ...."

Arka immediately moved into his wife's arms. Lisa smiled and could feel that Arka was crying with emotion. How happy and grateful he was to have a child.

"Thank ... t you," Arka whispered.

Lisa was surprised and could no longer hold back her tears. She quickly hugged Arka's shoulders. They were finally getting good news at their age. The hug grew tighter with gratitude.

"Thank you, God," Lisa continued.

No more words came out for the next five minutes. Arka began to wipe away her tears and felt Lisa's stomach. There was new life hidden inside. His and Lisa's love would be perfect soon.

"Thank you for coming, baby," Arka whispered.

Arka touched Lisa's cheek and gave her a sweet peck on the lips. Lisa was very happy with the love Arka gave her. Afterward, they hugged each other to release their gratitude. Behind Arka's back, Lisa's face turned shady, though the smile on her lips did not fade.

'Did you hear that, dear? Your papa wants you to come quickly. Hold on, ya! You have to be strong and be born into this world, even without Mama by your side,' Lisa thought.

The presence of a child was what Arka had been waiting for until this moment. How she wanted to be the perfect father. Lisa released her embrace and got up from her seat. A white envelope was handed to Arka.

"Here are the test results," Lisa said.

*