lose you, part II

February 1981

Ninette Dupont is 24 (Rina Inoue is 33, Halette Simon is 30, Fabrice Roux is 27, Eliot Martin is 19, Desiree Fournier is 19)

She sees many more people waiting at the line to the clinic. Some of them have clear bruises or pregnancy bellies and some are coughing their lungs out but some, like her, don't seem to have anything at all. She wonders what's their reason and if they wonder what's hers.

'Hey I'm Rina, I think I saw you somewhere once.' The woman next to Ninette says. She can't really do much but blush. 'I'm pregnant, if you can't tell.' Rina says. At this point she's redder than ever. 'Do you know who's the father?' Ninette asks. 'So stupid,' she thinks, 'since when am I that inappropriate?' she sighs. 'Yes, it's my boyfriend's, Fabrice. Are you Ninette Dupont? I think he told me about you once.' She doesn't really want to answer her question but she hurries to speak before she'll ask her why she's there. 'Um, yeah, I know Fabrice. He's my, um, my friend.' Fabrice has never told her about anybody named Rina, she wonders why. Just when Rina opens her mouth Ninette quickly interrupts her. 'How's being pregnant?' She makes weird hand gestures. She never talks with hand gestures, what's happening to her? 'It really sucks. I hope it all pays off once that little creature comes out!'.

'Oh, it does!' a young girl sitting next to them shouts. She looks about 18 but she's got a little kid playing on her feet. 'I'm sorry, I'm Desiree Fournier. This is my boyfriend Eliot and my baby Hamilton.' Eliot looks at the other ladies with a bitter face and doesn't say anything. 'So far it doesn't seem like it's worth it.' Rina replies. 'Trust me, you have it easy. I'm carrying twins here!' Desiree says to her with excitement. 'I was never even sure I'd have one kid and I'm about to have three before I'm even 20!' Desiree says while Rina and Ninette look at her in shock.

'Once Hamilton came out though, I found out how great being a mom is. I'm sure it'll be the same with the twins!' Ninette is still shocked. How can such a young girl be so happy being pushed to family life? Doesn't she care about her education? Ninette could only think about finishing her degree at that age.

After Rina goes  to the doctor another woman joins them. Ninette recognizes her, obviously, it's her older sister Halette. 'Hey Nini, what's up?' Ninette quietly nods to Halette. 'I actually had pretty good pregnancies so far. It's the birth that terrifies me.' She tells the other girls. Her son Lyle is also playing on her feet, mostly picking his nose. 'On Hamilton's birth I had a terrible time but the doctor told me the second birth is usually easier.' Desiree says. Ninette looks at her watch. She should be next.

'Hal, did mom tell you anything yesterday?' Ninette asks, just to make sure she could tell her sister the news herself, if they're true. 'No, what's the matter?' Halette asks, looking confused. 'Ninette Dupont? Doctor Fars is waiting for you.' Ninette takes a deep breath, trying not to faint right there, and starts walking to the office she hoped she won't ever have to walk into.

'It's a baby alright. I'd say you're 7 weeks in.' Ninette wants to scream at herself right now. She shouldn't have been so irresponsible. Who cares if she didn't have sex in 14 months, she shouldn't have done it with two guys! 'Do you know who's the father?' Ninette shakes her head with embarrassment. Dr. Fars sighs and gets up. 'Do you want to keep it?' Ninette thinks a bit and shakes her head. 'But I don't want to have an abortion. I never believed killing a baby because of his mother's mistakes is right.' Ninette tells him boldly. 'Are you sure you're doing the right thing? A baby should be brought to a loving household. Will you raise it by yourself?' Emilio asks her with a worried look on his face. 'I will take care of it and love it, I promise.' The promise being more to herself than to the doctor. 'I will love it.' She thinks, she has to.

Before leaving, Ninette takes a look at the nursery. There's only one baby there, not of anyone she knows. 'All babies look the same at birth,' she thinks, 'this one may as well be mine.' She looks at the waiting room again to find her sister gone so she just leaves the building.

She goes to her car, thinking. Thinking about everything, baby names, where she can move to, if the baby will love her back, if the father will help her.

She's just standing there, thinking, and she hears someone creep up behind her. From the strong smell of men's perfume she can tell it's Fabrice. 'You came here with Rina, right?' Ninette asks him.

She turns around to look at him and bursts into tears. 'I'm going to have a baby, and it might be with you. You're a cheater, you cheated on her, with me!' she yells at him. He half hugs her, ready to let go if Rina comes out. 'Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be great as a mother. I assure you, whether it's mine or Saber's, I will take good care of it.' She doesn't really like him right now but she lets herself believe him.

When she gets home she starts watering the plants outside her apartment. They're having an easy winter, she was afraid it'd start snowing and ruin them but this winter was very sunny in Verre Tranquille.

She hears someone behind her, and supsects it's Fabrice again, but she doesn't smell anything. She turns around to see it's Eliot, Desiree's boyfriend. 'What are you doing here?' she asks him. 'I live down the street at that little red house. I saw you from the window and I wanted to see if you're the same woman from the clinic this morning.' She half smiles at him, only trying to be polite. 'Anyway, what happened to you? Why were you at the clinic?' her smile turns to a frown. 'Are you sick?' he asks her, innocently. She doesn't know what to do, so she just nods. 'Is it serious?' she starts to cry and he hugs her. Not the kind of hug Fabrice gives her, and not the kind of hug her mother gives her. Just a simple, friend kind of hug, and somehow it makes her happier.

She returns  to her apartment and lays down on her bed. 'I should start looking for bigger apartments.' She tells herself.

* * *

the cake goes to Nikki for guessing what happened to Ninette :)

it was an ROS, the woohoo right now one and she did it with Fabrice and Saber so I don't know who's the father either.

more notes and outtakes will come tomorrow ;)