Take My Breath Away

"Okay. Take care, and don't tire yourself." The doctor spoke with Chantel at length about all the things that she needed to pay attention to, and she listened attentively and tried to remember them all.

He had even suggested that she be put on record in their hospital so that prenatal checkups would be convenient for her. However, she was nervous, and so, she refused.

After leaving the hospital, Chantel wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck and took out her phone to message Erica. "Rika, the doctor said I'm five weeks pregnant."

Chantel nervously checked her phone several times, but she received no reply from Erica. She guessed that she hadn't seen the message. So, she placed her phone back into her pocket and took a bus to school.

As soon as she found a seat on the bus and sat down, her cell phone rang. She took it out and glanced at the caller ID. She was so scared that she almost dropped the phone.

It was Gifford!

Wide-eyed Chantel glanced around as though expecting him to be nearby. When she didn't see him, she closed her eyes, breathed a sigh of relief, and answered the call. "Hello, Gifford. What's up?"

"Where are you?" he asked.

"Um...I'm at school." Since she ought to be at school at this hour, that was the first answer that slipped out of Chantel's mouth.

"Why didn't I find you?"

"What? Where are you?" 'Crap! Did he come to school to look for me? But why?' she wondered.

Gifford leaned against the car as he answered, "I just stepped out of the school building. Now I'm at the school gate. I've searched everywhere for you. You aren't at school. So tell me, where are you?"

Guilt surged through Chantel as she tried to think of an excuse. Finally, with a tremor in her voice, she answered, "Well, I came out to buy something. Now, I'm on the bus back to school. Gifford, do you have something urgent to say?"

Her voice was trembling, and she was stuttering. He knew that she was lying, but he didn't know what she was hiding from him. He didn't even question her. Flatly, he replied, "Mom asked me to bring you some food."

He hadn't wanted to come, but Blair had scolded him. She had even gone so far as to imply that he didn't care about Chantel. Finally, he had given up arguing and made the trip to her school.

"Well, can't you leave it at the guard room? It may take me more than ten minutes to return to school." Since he was always very busy, she was sure that he didn't have time to wait for her. This way, she could avoid seeing him altogether.

"I see." Gifford abruptly ended the call.

There was a traffic jam on the route the bus took. Half an hour later, she arrived at the bus stop near the school. E

e believed that Chantel was more obedient than Erica.

However, a smile tugged at the corners of Matthew's mouth as he turned to Gifford and said, "You're going to join them soon." After all, he had to be responsible for Chantel sooner or later.

Blair was even more confused now. Wesley, who stood beside them, fixed his pensive gaze on the two men. Even though they were speaking vaguely, he had a feeling something big was going to happen.

As soon as the door to Chantel's room closed, Erica grabbed the hem of Chantel's shirt. "Hurry up. Let me see my nephew."

Chantel blushed and shyly pressed down on her shirt. "You can't see it now..."

'Yeah. The baby is like bean-size...'

Erica gingerly placed her palm on Chantel's belly. Her voice was full of awe as she said, "Wow. To think that my nephew is inside. Aren't we awesome?" She and Chantel had made this pregnancy happen many years before it would have.

Erica felt proud, as though she and Chantel had made this child.

Chantel smiled. She whispered as she asked, "Erica, do you think I should tell your parents?"

She had struggled with this question for as long as she had known about her pregnancy.

She was sure, however, that she would not tell Gifford as she feared that he would ask her to abort the baby.

Erica held her hand and sat on the edge of the bed. After some contemplation, she said, "I believe you can tell my parents as I know how happy the news will make them. No matter what my brother wants to do with the baby, he wouldn't dare to go against my parents."

She was confident of the advice she was giving Chantel, as when in Y City, it was only because of Carlos' and Debbie's support that she could challenge Matthew! So she knew how submissive men could be in front of their parents.