Susana's eyes flutter open slowly, her mind a blank canvas for a few seconds before the recollection of recent events floods in. As she surveys her surroundings, she propels herself upright when she notices two pairs of eyes boring into her intensely.
"Miss Susana, how are you feeling?" Dr. Anibal offers a reassuring smile as he assists his patient in easing onto the small sofa that graces his office.
"Have some water!" A kind staff member approaches swiftly with a glass at the ready for consumption.
"I... I'm okay." Susana accepts help from Dr. Anibal, sitting with immediate poise. "Thank you!" She accepts the water from the assistant and, with one quick gulp, lets the liquid soothe her parched throat. "It was just the shock... I really wasn't..." She trails off, a blush spreading across her cheeks, finding words hard to swallow. "I wasn't expecting that kind of news."
"It happens," Dr. Anibal chuckles lightly. "Don't worry, you're not the first, and you certainly won't be the last to react like this here — believe me." He saunters over to his desk to fetch the medical report and prescriptions for the vitamins his patient needs to start taking.
"I believe you, yes..." Susana hands the empty glass back to the staff member and then stands, facing a clearly more upbeat doctor compared to herself. She's at a loss for words, uncertain about what to feel. Excitement about the pregnancy was doubtful, but the shock, the sheer panic, was undeniably real.
"Read these carefully." Dr. Anibal, still smiling warmly, hands over several documents to Susana. "Here is everything you need to know about your pregnancy and what you should start taking. Congratulations to the future parents."
"Ah... yes... thank you, Doctor." Susana stammers her gratitude as she walks almost in a daze out of the office. Dr. Anibal's words echo in her mind. She was going to be a young mother, but the baby's father — how old was he even? As she steps through the glass doors of the clinic, she takes a deep breath of street air and exhales. Repeating the process, she attempts to calm her body, her heart, her soul — but how?
Her thoughts race at a frenetic pace, and she's clueless about what to do next. Scanning her surroundings, she realizes she's outside, people bustling past, engrossed in their daily routines, and she wonders if any of the men occasionally glancing her way could be the mystery man from that night. She couldn't even bring herself to share the news. And if she could, how would he react?
Shaking her head, Susana quickly tries to ground herself and think about her next steps; there's so much to decide, to plan. And the first thing is to figure out how to break such news to Andre... to her mother... even to Nicole.
"Nicole!" Susana nearly shouts. "That's it!"
Nicole would know the identity of the stranger; she could recognize anyone who was at that party, having been a fixture at every festive scene. Fumbling for her phone, Susana dials her friend's number, nervously biting her nails while waiting for Nicole to pick up after the fifth ring... "Damn!" She disconnects as the call goes to voicemail and tries again, nearly jumping when Nicole finally answers.
"Easy there," Nicole exclaims with a huff as she picks up her phone that had been ringing nonstop on her living room couch. "I was in the bathroom," she adds dismissively, glancing at the screen. "What's the emergency?"
"Right here!" Susana blurts out, panic-stricken. "And it's not just a fire, it's a raging inferno threatening to consume everything around me."
"Good Lord, Susana." Nicole raises an eyebrow, already running through countless schemes to facilitate her "friend's" fall from grace. "What's going on?"
"That night, Nicole…" Susana lets out a deep sigh. "You plied me with drinks, but you must also remember who was at the party."
"Not this again." Nicole clenches her teeth, fearing Susana remembered the true nature of that night. "The past is past!" Andre would never forgive her if he discovered her orchestration against his girlfriend. "Just forget about that night, once and for all."
"No, I can't." Susana lets her emotions surge, shouting with exasperation. "Now it's impossible to forget, because I'm pregnant!"
"What?" Nicole's mouth hangs open for a few seconds. "Pregnant?" The word echoes repeatedly in her head, her smile growing with each iteration. "But how?"
"Exactly... I don't know." Susana exhales in frustration, pacing among the pedestrians, phone pressed to her ear. "You must know what happened."
"I don't know a thing!" Nicole replies instantly, seizing her handbag with giddy anticipation. "Wait. Where are you?" She shuts her apartment door behind her, heading for her car.
"I'm in front of Clinica Aveirense, Dr. Anibal's office." Susana stops in her tracks, glancing at her phone. "Why?"
"Don't move!" Nicole responds with palpable excitement, accelerating her car. "I'll be there in a minute."
"Okay." Susana takes a deep breath, ending the call. Maybe Nicole did know who the mysterious, bright-eyed, golden-haired man from that night was, if she had the courage to tell the truth about that night.
With a shake of her head, Susana stands waiting for her friend, hoping Nicole might truly be the support needed now more than ever. With yet another sigh, she realizes she's utterly lost in the gravity of her situation — her plans for the future, her aspirations to attend drama school and break into the film industry, to become an internationally acclaimed actress. How could she achieve all this with a child in tow?
Gazing at her stomach, the idea of a living being growing inside her is unfathomable. Lost in these thoughts, she jumps as a car approaches at breakneck speed, tires screeching as it halts right in front of her.
Susana manages a smile as she recognizes the exuberant Nicole stepping out of the driver's side. Despite the unsettling feelings, Susana returns the smile, advancing towards her friend. However, that smile fades instantly as she notices Nicole isn't alone; Andre appears from the passenger side, his brow furrowed, his demeanor slightly irate.
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