Erica decided to leave her baby at the hospital and refused to consider her husband’s feelings. But later Erica got what she deserved.
“I don’t want to be a mother! I had this baby because it was too late for an abortion. When I get through this C-section, we’re leaving without it!” Erica told her husband, Dean.
“It’s our baby, Erica. I get a choice in this too!” Dean snapped back.
No! You knew how I felt when we discovered I was pregnant! I don’t want to breastfeed. I don’t want my life ruined, and I don’t care for this baby. It’s already hard enough that I’ll have to work to get my figure back,” Erica added.
“At the very least, we should’ve been looking for an adoptive family for the baby, but you kept putting it off! I mentioned it a million times, and you always said ‘later.’ I honestly thought you had changed your mind because of that,” he explained angrily.
“There’s no need for all that hassle when we pay taxes so that this country has social services. The hospital will find parents for the baby, and I don’t want to hear another word of it.” Dean didn’t want to fight anymore.
A few hours later, Erica was wheeled to the operating room for her scheduled C-section. Meanwhile, in the maternity ward, another woman was going through a completely different situation. Geri’s baby was born prematurely
The doctors were doing everything to save her daughter, Lilli, but they told her it wasn’t looking good. Geri looked at her daughter through the incubator when her favorite nurse brought another healthy baby girl into the ward.
“At least, a happy family is celebrating their daughter,” she told Nurse Morris.
“Well….” the nurse began with a frown.
“What?” Geri asked, confused.
“I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I saw the wife and husband fighting about their baby. She doesn’t want to keep her, and the husband couldn’t make her see sense,” Nurse Morris explained.
“Oh. Well, I guess it’s a valid choice. But did they find adoptive parents already?” Geri questioned again.
“No. That was part of the fight. The husband thought his wife had changed her mind about keeping the baby because she wouldn’t take steps toward adoption,” Nurse Morris said. “Oh, I gotta go. I’ll see you later, Geri.”
“Thank you, Nurse Morris,” Geri told her. She couldn’t believe that someone would be so irresponsible. Geri’s baby had not been planned, but she was so excited about becoming a mother.
A few moments later, a man walked into the ward and held the baby. “You must be her father,” Geri said tentatively.
Technically, yes. But I don’t know if I’ll get to keep her. My wife is… difficult. She won’t even breastfeed her once,” Dean answered.
“I hope it works out—” Geri began, but her daughter’s monitor started ringing, and doctors rushed into the ward. They took the incubator and went into surgery. Sadly, Lilli didn’t make it, and Geri cried in the maternity ward.
“I’m so sorry about your loss, ma’am,” Dean told her. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
“No. Well…looking at your daughter actually makes me feel better. Have you thought of a name?” Geri asked through tears.
I was thinking Marina, after my grandmother,” Dean replied.
“That’s lovely,” Geri said and smiled teary-eyed. Dean and Geri talked all through the night and bonded while looking at baby Marina. In the morning, Dean came to a decision and went out.
But back at Erica’s room, she was ready to leave. “Do you know where my husband is?” Erica asked Nurse Morris.
“Oh, ma’am. I saw him go out, but he said he would be back soon,” the nurse answered.
“Ah, well. He’ll probably be back soon. Let me get dressed and go with him. I’m tired of this hospital, although I’ll be back for some plastic surgery to get rid of this disaster once and for all,” Erica added.
Ugh….” Nurse Morris muttered. In her head, she was judging this selfish woman.
Erica reached the hospital entrance and saw her husband approaching with a bouquet. She smiled, thinking that Dean had come around and accepted her decision. But he walked right by her, and her smile dropped completely. “Where are you going?! Dean! Dean!” she yelled.
But Dean kept going as if he didn’t hear her. Erica followed and saw him handing the flowers to Geri.
Nurse Morris was there and witnessed the whole thing. “Why is he giving that strange woman flowers?” Erica asked the nurse.
“I think this baby experience is not the only thing you’ll have to forget,” Nurse Morris said snarkily. She was right. Dean divorced Erica, and he married Geri a few months later.
What can we learn from this story?
You have choices but also responsibilities. When it comes to pregnancy, a woman can choose what to do, but she needs to follow her choice responsibly. Erica didn’t want any hassle, and she lost everything.
Someone else might value what you want to discard. Erica didn’t want her baby, while another woman suffered. Geri saw a treasure, whereas Erica saw a burden.
