Golden Bird

“I know you’re right, but I can’t tell him. He just dismissed me David. He didn’t even have the decency to say good-bye. I thought he loved me, but he only used me. How can I tell him about this child? What if he tries to take it away from me. I couldn’t bear that, David, I just couldn’t. I love this child growing inside of me. From the moment I found out about it...”

Sara thought back to that day. Mom had been insistent that she see Doctor Fielding, their family doctor, and Sara had acquiesced, reluctantly, convinced her light-headedness and nausea were symptoms of stress ...

“What did you say, Doctor Fielding?” she asked, incredulous.

“I said you are pregnant.” he answered gravely. He mistook her shock for distress and continued, “Sara, I don’t know all the details of what happened to you, but I will understand if you want to have an abortion. I can make an appointment for you at the hospital in Burlington for sometime next week, if you want.”

“No!” she exclaimed. “Not yet, I don’t know, I don’t think that’s what I want to do, Doctor Fielding,” she said, then asked with concern, “There isn’t a problem, is there?”

“Oh, no,” he assured her, “it’s nothing like that. There’s no reason you shouldn’t give birth to a healthy baby in seven months, but I just thought that under the circumstances ...” his voice trailed off, embarrassed.

Sara patted his hand affectionately. “It’s OK, I know what you think, but ... it wasn’t like that. This baby was conceived in love, or at least the illusion of love, and that’s almost as good, so I think this baby wants to be born.”

“It won’t be easy, you know,” he warned, “raising a child alone. What will you tell the child about it’s father?”

“I don’t know.”

David’s voice brought her back. “...so I think you should marry me.”

She looked at him, head cocked, “What did you say?”

“I just asked you to marry me.” he repeated.

“Oh, David, we’ve discussed this before,” she said, not wanting to get into it again. “I just couldn’t do that to you. It wouldn’t be fair.”