The Island of Love - Chapter Eight Part Four

She went to see her doctor the next morning as planned. She told him how she felt.

"I see. It sounds as if you're pregnant. Could you give me a specimen and I'll have it tested just to be sure?"

She didn't know what to think. Could she be pregnant? Thinking about it, she realised she hadn't used any form of contraception when she'd been with Demetri. How could she have been so stupid? It was terrible. What would she do?

"But how far gone would I be?"

"When was your last menstruation?"

"Oh, I'll have to think about that."

It had been ages since her last period. In fact, she realised she must have missed one last month.

"I have missed one last month, so I would be roughly eight weeks if I was pregnant."

"Yes, that would be correct."

"But what could I do about it, if I didn't want it?"

She couldn't bare to think about it. Being pregnant was the worst situation she could be in right now.

"We'll cross that path when we've found out for definite."

"Okay Doctor. But how long until I can know for sure?"

"If you want to put your mind at rest and find out straight away, then I'd advise you to buy a pregnancy test in the chemist. They're always accurate and give an instant result. When I have the result from the test here, I'll call you straight away."

"How long will that take?"

"Three days to five days at least, but I assure you it is one hundred per cent accurate. Also, just to be on the safe side, I think you should have some blood taken just as a precaution, so that we can test it for anything else. Okay?"

She went along with the Doctor's opinion. She needed to find out if she was or not. She was scared and felt more alone now than she had done before.

Once back at work, she pushed herself into being busy, but she couldn't concentrate. She knew it was a sign. She wanted to put it off and out of her mind, but she couldn't. It would be Demetri's baby and that was something she could look forward to and love. How could she give up his own flesh and blood. She still loved him no matter what and she knew she would love his child even more.

Her heart still ached whenever she thought of Demetri. She realised that if she was pregnant, she would never be totally rid of him in her thoughts. She would see him in their child and she wasn't sure if this pleased her or not.

She was so engaged in her thoughts that she didn't hear the telephone ringing on her desk. Her mind was too distracted to work. She just wanted to go home and forget everything that had happened to her.

When the day eventually ended, she was pleased to leave work so she could rest. She needed to sort out what she was going to do. Thinking about it, she knew what the outcome of her decision would be if she was carrying his child. She would have it. There wouldn't be any doubts now and the more she thought of it, the more it appealed to her. It would be wonderful to have Demetri's baby even if he didn't know anything about it.

She decided she would wait for the Doctor's result instead of buying a test for herself to do. She wanted to put it off for as long as possible and didn't want to know until she had given some thought on what she was going to do.

Once at home, she checked her answering machine messages and saw that there was one waiting for her. She pressed the play button and listened.

"Hello, Phillipa. It's Jake. I'm just ringing to see if you're all right. You left Cyprus without saying a word and I wondered if something had happened over here to scare you off. Were you running away from that Greek guy?"

There was a short pause in the message that made her nervous.

"Anyway, I know it's none of my business, but I just rang to see if there was anything I could do to help and of course to tell you about my sudden wedding plans. Speak to you soon."

Jake had sounded very happy with himself. He seemed concerned for her and she was beginning to wonder if he knew something. She hoped he didn't. It was impossible for him to have found out or even come across Demetri whilst in Cyprus. There wasn't a chance that they could ever meet or at least that's what she was hoping for.

She relaxed in a warm bath and decided to have an early night. She slept peacefully and went to work as usual. The rest of the week went slowly for her and it was soon time for her to visit her parents' home. She would go later in the afternoon and stay for just a couple of hours. It would be enough for her, as she knew she wouldn't be able to control her mother's curiosity about her personal life.

Demetri was constantly in her thoughts every day now, since hearing that she might be pregnant. He was haunting her day and night. She kept wondering how he was getting on without her in his life and it bothered her to think that he might have found someone else. There wasn't anything she could do if she was pregnant with his child. He still wouldn't want her back. She would just have to go on without him even if she did have his child to bring up.

Her mother was happy to see her again when she arrived later that day.

"Phillipa, you look peaky. Are you feeling all right?"

She panicked on hearing her mother's question. She couldn't know or guess how she was feeling. She hadn't told her parents anything since coming back to England.

"I'm fine mum."

"You don't look it. Have you been eating properly?"

"Of course, I have."

Phillipa sighed deeply to herself, thinking how she hated it when her mother hassled her about her every day life.

"I'm sorry dear to have to question you about your eating habits, but you don't look in the best of health to me. Is there something you're not telling me?"

"No. There isn't. What do I have to do to make you see that I'm okay?"

"I suppose you could eat the dinner I've made for us all today. Come on. Sit down and I'll dish it out."

"Oh, are we eating now mum?"

"Yes. Is that all right with you?"

"Of course it is. I didn't realise we'd be having dinner straight away."

Phillipa watched as her mother dished out the roast chicken, potatoes and vegetables. She felt suddenly ill at the thought of eating the dinner that was placed in front of her. Her stomached churned at the sight of it and as she started to swallow some of it, she became dizzy. When she had eventually finished, she knew she was going to be sick and she rushed away from the table and into the bathroom upstairs. After she had thrown up the entire contents of her dinner down the toilet, she panicked at what her mother might say.

"Phillipa, what's going on?"

She knew she would have to tell her parents eventually and now was the time.

"I'm sorry mum, but I can explain."

"I hope so. Are you ill?"

"I don't know why I was sick, but I've seen my Doctor and had some blood tests done. I'll get a call in a few days about the results."

She felt sure that her mother wanted to know more and she knew she must tell her everything, she thought, as she sat down next to her.

"What were the blood tests for Phillipa?"

"I don't exactly know, but when I was in Cyprus, I met someone over there called Demetri and we were going to get married, but it didn't work out and that's why I came back to England. I didn't want to talk about it before, so I apologise if I was being secretive."

"I knew there must have been someone over there. Are you in love with him?"

"Yes."

"Did you...I mean...could you be pregnant dear?"

"Maybe. Like I said, I'll find out in a few days."

She could feel her mother watching her.

"Phillipa, you'll have to tell him if you are. You can't have a baby on your own."

She knew her mother would give her a lecture on what to do next. She began to wish she had kept it all to herself.

"I'll come to that conclusion when it happens. Right now, nothing is certain."

"What will you do then if you are pregnant?"

"Look, lets just change the subject mum."

Phillipa got up and moved away from the table and stood in front of the window that overlooked the back garden. It was raining outside and it hadn't stopped since she'd got back from Cyprus.

"I know you're upset Phillipa, but aren't you going to sort it all out?"

"There's nothing to sort out yet."

"When you find out, you must go back to Cyprus and find him. What's his name?"

"Demetri."

"Then I will help you. I'll call Jake at his hotel and ask him to find Demetri for you."

"No! You mustn't do that. Please, just stay out of this mum. I'll deal with it in my own time and I don't want you involving Jake in my affairs. Do you understand?"

Her mother had looked hurt, as her expression turned shallow. Phillipa wanted to say something to her, but she just didn't want her to get the impression that it would be all right to sort her problems out for her. Instead, she said her goodbyes to her parents and left.

On returning home, she saw the answer machine flashing. She thought it must be her mother ringing to apologise, but when she played it and heard a man's voice, her body stiffened. "Hello Phillipa. It is me, Demetri. I must speak to you urgently. If you are there pick the phone up...otherwise I will call again."She went to see her doctor the next morning as planned. She told him how she felt.

"I see. It sounds as if you're pregnant. Could you give me a specimen and I'll have it tested just to be sure?"

She didn't know what to think. Could she be pregnant? Thinking about it, she realised she hadn't used any form of contraception when she'd been with Demetri. How could she have been so stupid? It was terrible. What would she do?

"But how far gone would I be?"

"When was your last menstruation?"

"Oh, I'll have to think about that."

It had been ages since her last period. In fact, she realised she must have missed one last month.

"I have missed one last month, so I would be roughly eight weeks if I was pregnant."

"Yes, that would be correct."

"But what could I do about it, if I didn't want it?"

She couldn't bare to think about it. Being pregnant was the worst situation she could be in right now.

"We'll cross that path when we've found out for definite."

"Okay Doctor. But how long until I can know for sure?"

"If you want to put your mind at rest and find out straight away, then I'd advise you to buy a pregnancy test in the chemist. They're always accurate and give an instant result. When I have the result from the test here, I'll call you straight away."

"How long will that take?"

"Three days to five days at least, but I assure you it is one hundred per cent accurate. Also, just to be on the safe side, I think you should have some blood taken just as a precaution, so that we can test it for anything else. Okay?"

She went along with the Doctor's opinion. She needed to find out if she was or not. She was scared and felt more alone now than she had done before.

Once back at work, she pushed herself into being busy, but she couldn't concentrate. She knew it was a sign. She wanted to put it off and out of her mind, but she couldn't. It would be Demetri's baby and that was something she could look forward to and love. How could she give up his own flesh and blood. She still loved him no matter what and she knew she would love his child even more.

Her heart still ached whenever she thought of Demetri. She realised that if she was pregnant, she would never be totally rid of him in her thoughts. She would see him in their child and she wasn't sure if this pleased her or not.

She was so engaged in her thoughts that she didn't hear the telephone ringing on her desk. Her mind was too distracted to work. She just wanted to go home and forget everything that had happened to her.

When the day eventually ended, she was pleased to leave work so she could rest. She needed to sort out what she was going to do. Thinking about it, she knew what the outcome of her decision would be if she was carrying his child. She would have it. There wouldn't be any doubts now and the more she thought of it, the more it appealed to her. It would be wonderful to have Demetri's baby even if he didn't know anything about it.

She decided she would wait for the Doctor's result instead of buying a test for herself to do. She wanted to put it off for as long as possible and didn't want to know until she had given some thought on what she was going to do.

Once at home, she checked her answering machine messages and saw that there was one waiting for her. She pressed the play button and listened.

"Hello, Phillipa. It's Jake. I'm just ringing to see if you're all right. You left Cyprus without saying a word and I wondered if something had happened over here to scare you off. Were you running away from that Greek guy?"

There was a short pause in the message that made her nervous.

"Anyway, I know it's none of my business, but I just rang to see if there was anything I could do to help and of course to tell you about my sudden wedding plans. Speak to you soon."

Jake had sounded very happy with himself. He seemed concerned for her and she was beginning to wonder if he knew something. She hoped he didn't. It was impossible for him to have found out or even come across Demetri whilst in Cyprus. There wasn't a chance that they could ever meet or at least that's what she was hoping for.

She relaxed in a warm bath and decided to have an early night. She slept peacefully and went to work as usual. The rest of the week went slowly for her and it was soon time for her to visit her parents' home. She would go later in the afternoon and stay for just a couple of hours. It would be enough for her, as she knew she wouldn't be able to control her mother's curiosity about her personal life.

Demetri was constantly in her thoughts every day now, since hearing that she might be pregnant. He was haunting her day and night. She kept wondering how he was getting on without her in his life and it bothered her to think that he might have found someone else. There wasn't anything she could do if she was pregnant with his child. He still wouldn't want her back. She would just have to go on without him even if she did have his child to bring up.

Her mother was happy to see her again when she arrived later that day.

"Phillipa, you look peaky. Are you feeling all right?"

She panicked on hearing her mother's question. She couldn't know or guess how she was feeling. She hadn't told her parents anything since coming back to England.

"I'm fine mum."

"You don't look it. Have you been eating properly?"

"Of course, I have."

Phillipa sighed deeply to herself, thinking how she hated it when her mother hassled her about her every day life.

"I'm sorry dear to have to question you about your eating habits, but you don't look in the best of health to me. Is there something you're not telling me?"

"No. There isn't. What do I have to do to make you see that I'm okay?"

"I suppose you could eat the dinner I've made for us all today. Come on. Sit down and I'll dish it out."

"Oh, are we eating now mum?"

"Yes. Is that all right with you?"

"Of course it is. I didn't realise we'd be having dinner straight away."

Phillipa watched as her mother dished out the roast chicken, potatoes and vegetables. She felt suddenly ill at the thought of eating the dinner that was placed in front of her. Her stomached churned at the sight of it and as she started to swallow some of it, she became dizzy. When she had eventually finished, she knew she was going to be sick and she rushed away from the table and into the bathroom upstairs. After she had thrown up the entire contents of her dinner down the toilet, she panicked at what her mother might say.

"Phillipa, what's going on?"

She knew she would have to tell her parents eventually and now was the time.

"I'm sorry mum, but I can explain."

"I hope so. Are you ill?"

"I don't know why I was sick, but I've seen my Doctor and had some blood tests done. I'll get a call in a few days about the results."

She felt sure that her mother wanted to know more and she knew she must tell her everything, she thought, as she sat down next to her.

"What were the blood tests for Phillipa?"

"I don't exactly know, but when I was in Cyprus, I met someone over there called Demetri and we were going to get married, but it didn't work out and that's why I came back to England. I didn't want to talk about it before, so I apologise if I was being secretive."

"I knew there must have been someone over there. Are you in love with him?"

"Yes."

"Did you...I mean...could you be pregnant dear?"

"Maybe. Like I said, I'll find out in a few days."

She could feel her mother watching her.

"Phillipa, you'll have to tell him if you are. You can't have a baby on your own."

She knew her mother would give her a lecture on what to do next. She began to wish she had kept it all to herself.

"I'll come to that conclusion when it happens. Right now, nothing is certain."

"What will you do then if you are pregnant?"

"Look, lets just change the subject mum."

Phillipa got up and moved away from the table and stood in front of the window that overlooked the back garden. It was raining outside and it hadn't stopped since she'd got back from Cyprus.

"I know you're upset Phillipa, but aren't you going to sort it all out?"

"There's nothing to sort out yet."

"When you find out, you must go back to Cyprus and find him. What's his name?"

"Demetri."

"Then I will help you. I'll call Jake at his hotel and ask him to find Demetri for you."

"No! You mustn't do that. Please, just stay out of this mum. I'll deal with it in my own time and I don't want you involving Jake in my affairs. Do you understand?"

Her mother had looked hurt, as her expression turned shallow. Phillipa wanted to say something to her, but she just didn't want her to get the impression that it would be all right to sort her problems out for her. Instead, she said her goodbyes to her parents and left.

On returning home, she saw the answer machine flashing. She thought it must be her mother ringing to apologise, but when she played it and heard a man's voice, her body stiffened. "Hello Phillipa. It is me, Demetri. I must speak to you urgently. If you are there pick the phone up...otherwise I will call again."