She hated hospitals! Hated them. They were cold and they smelled so...sterile. She hadn’t even been born in a hospital, her mother choosing a home
birth, like almost every other woman in the Shore. No one ever came into town unless they had to and in the past few week it became more and more
apparent that Maleah had to. She still hadn’t gotten her period and all of the things that she swore were symptoms of some bug she cause a
week ago were still around...She was nauseous, tired, and she was peeing like freaking Seabuscit! She knew what all of that lead to but she refused to
believe it! She couldn’t be...
But she had come here anyway, telling her father she was sick and staying home today and leaving before Analu could come home. Oh, goodness. What
would Lu say if she was...ugh! She didn’t even want to think about it. She didn’t have to! This doctor was going to come in and tell her she had
caught something. She would chalk her missing period up to stress and she would go home and never mention this to anyone.
Especially not Analu.
You must do what you are ordered; for yourself and for your ohana.
The door opened and the doctor the nurse that had left her here to wait told her was coming entered, her file already open to what she hoped were
negative results. She really, really couldn’t be pregnant. Not only would her parents be devastated to learn that she was active before her
union, but the elders would give Analu hell about it. Damn it! She had really messed up this time...this wasn’t going to do anything but add to
Analu’s already overgrown mountain of stress...God. What were they going to do...But she was reacting before she knew for sure. She needed to wait.
Maybe the doctor would tell her exactly what she was hoping for and she could go home and forget this whole mess ever happened.
“Hello, Maleah-,” she began with a small smile that Maleah couldn’t bring herself to return, worry having taken her features. “I’m Dr.
Garrett and in-,” she was cut off as the door opened once more and a guy entered, apologizing for keeping Dr. Garrett waiting before turning his
attention to Maleah and introducing himself. Owen. He was so chipper. It kind of reminded her of her father and she might have smiled if she hadn’t
have been on pins and needles waiting to hear her results.
“Um, yeah...” she said slowly, “Sure, that’s fine, I guess-,” She honestly didn’t care as long as the two of them told her she wasn’t
pregnant and she could go home with that weight lifted. “So what’s the verdict Dr. Garrett?”
She crossed her fingers instinctively, her breath hitching as she waited to hear an answer, the phrase ‘not pregnant’ on repeat in her mind.
“You, honey...are going to be a mommy!” She looked at Leah as the news hit her and when she didn’t smile Dr. Garrett’s smile faded as well.
She couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t...oh dear God, what was she...oh God.
“Uh...That um...I can’t...-,” form a sentence? That was obvious. She wanted to say she couldn’t be pregnant, but apparently...she was.
You must do what you are ordered; for yourself and for your ohana.
You, honey...are going to be a mommy...It played over and over in her mind. That small, cheerful smile on the doctor’s face as she told her
what, for many others might have been happy news. This was anything but. Nothing about this was right. She and Analu weren’t married yet, he
wasn’t here to hear the news and make a fuss over her stomach while she giggled at how excited he was. None of this was right. Nothing was how she
pictured it! Ugh! She just wanted to start over! She wanted to go back to whenever this had happened and make sure it didn’t. But
there was no going back now. There was no way to take back a...a baby...She was having Lu’s baby...She should’ve been happy. She was carrying not
only their future, but the future of their tribe. The Ikaika descendant growing inside of her.
“How long?” she asked, quietly. Her words slowly but surely returning to her even though her thoughts were still moving a mile a minute. How was
she going to tell Analu? What would her parents think? How would the elders react? Gah! She couldn’t handle all of this! It was too much too...
“About a month, honey-,” she responded just as softly as the question had been asked. A month? A month...that made sense. She couldn’t remember
when she’d started feeling off, but she guessed it might have been a month...A month. Owen spoke, calling the news surprising and offering something
that they could not really give. Help. She didn’t need help, she needed the favor of the freaking Gods because she was going to have to tell Analu
when she got back. Help was so much of an understatement she could barely comprehend it...but the sentiment was nice. It made her feel
less...alone in this whole mess...Lu should’ve been there...
“I um...Thank you. But I uh-,” She paused slowly standing, still allowing her thoughts to overpower her words. Was she even making sense right
now? “I have to...I need to leave...” She had to get out of there. The walls were closing in and her breaths were coming in short huffs. She
needed air... more than that she needed water. She wanted nothing more than to get back to the shore and throw herself into the Pacific. She tried to
walk, but almost immediately stumbled, catching herself before she could fall, but man, was the room spinning.
You must do what you are ordered; for yourself and for your ohana.
She just wanted to get the hell out of that hospital, its white walls and glossy linoleum floors seeming to cage her, making her feel as if she were
suffocating. She had to get out! But her body wouldn’t cooperate. She was all off balance as she stepped forward, not making it anywhere near the
door of the hospital room before she stumbled a bit. She couldn’t keep making klutz moves like that if she was going to carry a baby to term...Damn.
She had to carry a baby...She wasn’t ready! It wasn’t time! Leah and Lu were only 20 they still had things they wanted to do together, they
couldn’t have a baby now! Oh God...What if he felt the same way? He wouldn’t leave her over this would he...? Of course not! What was she
thinking?! This was Analu! Not...his father. Oh no...
Somewhere in the sea of her thoughts, tears had begun to fall. She was losing it. She needed to just stop and pull herself together. She would never
be able to tell him if she was all panicy. Her panic would only cause him to panic and her to panic more... She just had to calm down...and as if
reading her thoughts Owen came to her side, his arms reaching out to steady her as he lead her back to the exam table placing her gently atop it
before turning back to Dr. Garrett who spoke, “Maleah, you have to calm down, honey. Just rest for a second-,” She couldn’t be calm here! Why
didn’t anyone get that? “I’ll get someone to bring you some water. If you drink that for me you can go-,” she said sweetly. Good. Yes, leave.
Leaving meant she could probably sneak out before the good doctor came back. She nodded as Owen spoke up again, killing her plan. Dr. Garrett nodded
to his request before he was out of the room and the two of them were alone.
“You don’t have to stay, y’know? I’m-,” she swiped at the tears on her face figuring she should probably sell the look if she was going to
say she was okay. “I’m fine. Really-,” her voice cracked at her final word and it became obvious that she wasn’t as fine as she said she was.
“I just don’t know what I’m going to do.” Her words were whispered as she looked to his face, foolishly hoping to find the answer there. She
was absolutely hopeless.
You must do what you are ordered; for yourself and for your ohana.
I want to. That was new...Well not really. Foreigners always wanted something, but this guy was going about it differently. He
wanted to stay with her because...he wouldn’t feel right leaving her? That was nice, she guessed. A good change of pace from what she usually got
from foreigners, but it still didn’t help her current situation. He kept talking, saying that he knew what she was going through and that she could
talk to him. Ha. And tell him what? That was pregnant with her boyfriend from birth’s child and that he was the entire future of her people and her
being pregnant could fuck everything up for him? Of course not! Sharing even that with this outsider would end in her certain death. He wasn’t
family; he wasn’t Mokukeiki...but she did need a friend. He was right about that.
She didn’t have to tell him her story to figure out what to do right? Actually, he seemed more than willing to share his which was yet another plus
for this outsider...Of course he could be like all the others and be feeding her a crock of shit to get in her pants...but he didn’t seem the type.
Time would tell, because it seemed she really had no choice but to stay and not speaking to him at all would only make things awkward...She did have
questions right? So why not?
“So, you know what I’m going through, huh?” she sniffled a little, her hands coming to wipe at the tears still in her eyes. “What did you do
when you found out there was a person growing inside you?” Oh look. She was calm enough to make jokes. And with that joke came a small polite smile.
The first since she’d gotten there.
You must do what you are ordered; for yourself and for your ohana.
Leah tried not to be that person. She hated confrontation of all kinds and she saw no problem with talking to people who weren’t Mokukeiki. They
were still people and as long as they stayed respectful, she did. She liked to think she treated everyone the same regardless of where they were from,
so when she fed him that sarcastic little comment she hadn’t meant any harm by it really. In her defense, none of her words were her own right now
as most of them were just a reaction to the shock. She didn’t mean to be an ass about things, especially not when he was being so friendly. She
smiled a little to clean it up and it seemed to pass for a silent apology.
He smiled back at her, a small laugh accompanying it as he ran a hand through his hair. He leaned in closer as he complimented her smile with a smirk
of his own. Well, wasn’t he sweet? Leah wondered how many other times he had gone through this with expectant mothers that didn’t take the news
well. How many girls were out there just like her, terrified of their bodies and even more afraid of what their boyfriend would say when she had to
tell him...Damn. As much as she was telling herself not to focus on that right now, she couldn’t help herself. Analu wouldn’t be happy
about this and...that was probably what killed her the most. She knew the only reason would be because the elders would tear him a new one, but she
didn’t care about the reason. She had always imagined the news of their first being something he could be proud of. Something he would want to shout
from the top of Nui Mu...She knew that wasn’t going to be the case and the fact that he was going to be disappointed was what crushed her.
But she couldn’t dwell on that now. She couldn’t. And Owen was doing a pretty good job of keeping her mind off of it for now, his words of
experience telling her that he had reacted the same way when he found out his girlfriend was having a child. Lost, scared, and unsure of what was
coming next, but he’d made it through. Somehow things had worked out and he survived. And she could too...“You really think so?”
For the first time that day, she felt a sliver of hope creep into her being. Maybe Owen was right...maybe she’d go home and things would
just...workout. But how? There was no win in sight the way she saw things. She was pregnant with the baby of a future elder and they weren’t married
or hell, even supposed to be sleeping together. She had promised her father that. She had promised him that living with Lu didn’t mean they’d be
having sex...What would she say to him now? Ugh...
“How did you tell them? Your parents. Did they take it okay?” she hadn’t really thought about her line of questioning before she spoke. She was
aking him for too much, something too personal, “Sorry. I don’t mean to pry, y’know. It’s just...” her words stopped as her eyes found her
shoes. Could she leave yet?
You must do what you are ordered; for yourself and for your ohana.
Analu had always told her she was too trusting. Too quick to please and smile at the oppressors of her people. But she didn’t see them as that. She
knew the history just like he did; she’d heard the legend and she respected the beliefs of her people, but she just couldn't bring herself to judge
people based on a history they probably didn’t even know about. Sure, tourists could be pains when they wanted to be, but a lot of them treated you
like people if you treated them the same way. Owen was one of them. He didn’t see her as some local he had to speak pidgin to in order to gain her
trust. He saw her as the scared girl she was and acted to ease her nervousness. He was friendly. A nice change of pace from some of the men
she ran into in the diner, who had somehow mastered the art of pervy-friendliness, rather than the genuine kind...She could trust Owen.
To talk about her current problem anyway. Even as he again complimented her smile in response to her question, she didn’t find it the least bit
creepy. It was actually really cute. It was the smile he gave as he said it. There was nothing mischievous about it, it was just...genuine. He
didn’t want anything but to make her feel better and he was doing a good job of it, her smile growing a bit wider at his playful compliment before
he gave her a serious answer to her question. She’d come here all by herself...yeah, she had, but it was mostly because she had no choice in the
matter. She couldn’t exactly tell anyone she might be pregnant. Even her friends that knew she and Lu were sleeping together couldn’t know that
she could be carrying the tribe’s next descendant and she didn’t want to burden Analu with it before she was sure; he had enough to deal with
without her might-be pregnancy adding to the mix...only now it wasn’t “might-be”.
But Owen seemed to think she would make it through this okay. He was so optimistic about the whole situation...because he had been there. He had a
kid; and when he’d had to tell his parents, of course they weren’t pleased, but they still loved him. In fact, they helped him through
it...and he wouldn’t take any of it back. He would never want to picture his life without...Charlie? Oh wow. She hadn’t even thought
about names. Would it be a boy or girl? She’d always wanted a little girl. An adorable baby girl with dark curls and her father’s eyes.
She couldn’t feel the weight there anymore. She didn’t know when it had lifted, but somewhere along the line, while this guy was telling her how
strong she was and how everything would work out for her...the weight had been lifted. Her chest wasn’t as constricted and she could feel her
breaths coming normally again. He had calmed her, but more than that...he’d excited her a little bit. She was having her first baby. She
was bringing an adorable little life into the world and she was going to get to raise it with the only man she ever loved. Owen was right...She was
going to be okay. Things were going to work out. She smiled at the thought as her eyes came back to meet his.
“Y’know-,” she paused trying to gather her words so that what she said next made sense, “Thank you. I mean it. You didn’t have to stay and
you didn’t have to tell me your story or anything, but you did so...thanks.” She meant it. Leah felt a lot better than she had when she got the
news. She was far from okay, but at least she could breathe again.
You must do what you are ordered; for yourself and for your ohana.
He’d done a lot more than he thought he had. Instead of walking away and leaving her alone to wallow in her misery, Owen had been a decent human
being. Something a lot of his foreigner counterparts knew next to nothing about. He hadn’t tried to talk her into any kind of date in hopes of
getting more after and he hadn’t seriously hit on her to see how far he could get. He was just a nice guy. A nice guy who’d gone out of
his way to make sure he was okay before she left the hospital. It was more than any doctor would probably ever do and it was more than she could have
asked for.
So, yes. She was thanking him. He didn’t have to say any of the things he had, but she felt better because of him. She couldn’t change what was
happening, she could only make the best of things and if she could get Analu to see that the same way Owen had gotten her to see it they would be
perfectly fine...she hoped. Analu was under a lot more pressure than she was and adding fatherhood to his many responsibilities would be pushing it,
she was sure. But like Owen said, they would deal...They would make it.
But she had to get out of here and tell him about it before anything could be done. Owen had been a blessing from the Gods, really he had, but she had
to go. And he figured it was time too, verbalizing her thoughts before she could and offering her...Aww. She giggled a little as he pulled the
lollipop from the box, her hand reaching out to take it from him a quiet thank you on her lips as she stood. He spoke again offering to call her a cab
or find her a ride or...take her home?
“Owen, please. You’ve done more than enough already-,” she smiled, stepping closer to him as she hugged him before he could protest. She was
probably crossing the boundaries of personal space, but she didn’t care right now. She was too grateful. “I’ll be fine-,” she said as she
pulled away slowly, a small reassuring smile on her lips.
You must do what you are ordered; for yourself and for your ohana.
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