~ After two days~
Stephanie arrived in Italy very early in the morning. Luckily, her father could help her get an apartment there, after she explained all that happened with Sebastian.
They tried to talk her out from running away, but she had made up her mind already. She needed to stay far from him, from everything. Maybe then, she would be able to think and feel better.
She got into the living room and looked around the apartment. It wasn’t very big but was perfect for a single lady like her.
The furniture was covered with white clothing, and the polished floor looked clean. She began to remove the clothes from the table and chairs when her phone began to ring.
It was Danielle calling. She smiled widely and answered the phone.
“Hi, Danielle. I thought of calling you after I finish cleaning the house. I didn’t know you would do the calling first.”
Danielle giggled and responded.
“Well, isn’t that good? What if you forgot to call me?”
“I can’t forget that kind of thing, Danielle. You and my parents have been on my mind since I got to Italy.”
“Hm, that’s very good. How is the apartment over there and the weather?”
“The apartment is nice. All thanks to my dad. The weather isn’t bad either. I can cope.”
“And your health? Are you okay? I hope you haven’t been overthinking. You know how bad that is for your health.”
“I know, and I’m not overthinking, okay? But, I don’t know what happened on the plane. I felt nauseous. I believe it is the stress though.”
“Are you sure? Let me switch to Video call. I want to see your face. You are in a new environment. It is very possible your health would want to adapt.”
They both switched to video call, and when Danielle saw Stephanie’s face, she knitted her brows.
“What? What’s wrong?” Stephanie asked.
“Why do you look pale? Stephanie, have you been sleeping at all? You look so pale.”
“Really?”
Stephanie touched her face and took a look at herself on her screen. She then noticed she looked truly pale.
“And you told me you haven’t been overthinking.”
“It’s the truth. I haven’t been overthinking. This is probably just stress.”
“You haven’t been working, have you? You sat on the plane, you didn’t have to work. I would advise you to go to the hospital. You don’t look good, girlfriend.”
Stephanie sighed and bounced her head.
“Fine. I will. But can I at least take care of the apartment first?” She asked, and Danielle shook her head.
“No! Go now. I’m worried about you. Have you talked to Sebastian since you left?”
“Of course not. I have cut any means he could use to get to me. I don’t want to talk to him for now. I want him to sort things out too. When it’s time, I'll talk to him.”
“Fine. You understand best. But, please leave the house now and head to the hospital. You don’t look good at all. And make sure you call me as soon as you know what’s up with you.”
Stephanie bounced her head and smiled.
“Thank you for everything, Danielle. You are the best.”
Danielle covered her face with her hand shyly and they both giggled.
“Thank you for everything too. You have been so amazing. I can’t wait to see you again.”
“And I can’t wait for you to introduce your man to me.”
Danielle scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Maybe in the future. Though Thomas has been acting so weird lately.”
“Weird? Is this what I’m thinking? Why didn’t you tell me about it!” Stephanie responded, sounding very excited.
“Oh, please. I don’t think it’s something. That’s by the way! You should go to the hospital now. I’ll call you back after an hour, if you don’t call me, Okay?”
“Hmm.” Stephanie nodded and waved at her camera. Danielle did the same thing and even blew her a kiss before hanging up.
Stephanie quickly went on the internet on her phone and searched for hospitals in Bologna, where she was. She found the S. Orsola-Malpighi Polyclinic, it was closer to her house.
She picked her handbag and headed out of the house again. She locked the door and threw the keys into her bag.
She headed down the street in no time, looking for a taxi to take her to the hospital.
***
Stephanie sat in the waiting room, waiting for the nurse that attended to her to call her. They had carried one or two tests on her, and she anxiously awaited the result.
She hoped it was just fatigue and nothing worse than that. It was her first time in Italy, and she was visiting the hospital already.
She pulled out her phone from her bag and put a call across to her mom.
“Hi, Mom! Good morning.”
“Stephanie. How are you? Are you in Italy now?” Sarah asked.
“Yes, I am. I’m in the hospital as we speak though.”
“Hospital? Why? Is something wrong?” Sarah began to fidget.
“No, Mom. I’m fine. I guess I’m just stressed out and need a lot of rest.”
“Then make sure you rest, okay?”
“Okay. I will. And how is dad? Is he there with you?”
“No, he isn’t. Sebastian dropped by the house again so he walked him out.”
“How many times has he visited since I left the house?”
“I can’t count, Stephanie. He keeps coming and coming, hoping we would tell him where you are. But we haven’t told him anything. I feel for him though, he looks so sad.”
Stephanie exhaled and lowered her head.
“I’m not happy either, mom. But, this is the best decision I believe I can make.”
“No matter what it is. I will support you, okay?”
“Stephanie Taylor!”
The nurse that attended to Stephanie called her name and she sprang to her feet.
“I am called, Mom. I have to go.”
“No! Don’t hang up! I want to know what is wrong with you too. I’ll listen from here,” Sarah responded, and Stephanie agreed.
She followed the nurse to an office. It was the office of a doctor. She sat on the chair in front of his desk and placed her phone on the desk.
“Good morning, sir,” She greeted.
“Good morning, Miss Stephanie Taylor. How are you feeling?”
“Still weak. Nothing has changed,” She responded, and he giggled softly and bounced his head.
He picked up an envelope from his table and stretched it to her.
“Here are the results of the test we carried out. Congratulations, Miss Stephanie.”
“Congratulations?” She and Sarah chorused at the same time.
“Yes, Ma’am. You are two weeks and two days pregnant.”
“What?!” Stephanie and Sarah screamed.