Leap OF Fate

Serene's physically and emotionally exhausted body demanded its respite. As soon as her back touched her bed, Serene felt her eyelids become heavy and sleep took over her. It was a dreamless night for her. She's too exhausted to even dream. She slept like a baby. The warm light from the window, filtered by her curtain, woke her up. Red shadows played on the back of her eyelids as the curtain danced from the outside breeze. She rubbed her eyes and sat on her bed. Hugging her knees and resting her face on them, she could not help but recall the recent events. A gentle pain in her lower abdomen extending to her lower back made her get out of bed and go to the bathroom. She washed up and changed into comfortable clothes before going down to have breakfast with her parents.

Conrad and Carol were already eating at the round dining table when she arrived. The two simultaneously looked at her. Their eyes filled with love, pain, and pity. Serene bit her lips at the sight of her parents. She hated seeing them pained so much more if the reason for their pain was because of her. She forced a smile out of her lips and joined them.

"Good morning, Mom, Dad," she greeted and gave her parents a peck on their cheeks.

"Slept well?" Conrad asked as he buttered a toast for her and placed it on her plate. "Yes." she answered, then bit on the buttered toast.

The Ellis's tried to have a normal breakfast. Her parents, doing their best to not bring up Justin or to ask her about him. By now she knew that Conrad already gave Carol the details. As usual, mealtimes at their household were lively and filled with stories. The couple tried to keep the subject of the conversation away from anything that concerns Hyacinth Bay as much as possible. Carol kept harping about the latest drama series she was watching and how much she adored the cast.

While Conrad talked about how their business is growing. Serene just went with the flow and enjoyed the rare moment she got to spend breakfast with her parents.

When she finished, she got up from her seat. A sharp pain stabbed her lower back and abdomen, then she felt a streak of blood trickle down from her private part down to her legs.

"Mom! Dad!" she called her parents, panicked. Her hands held on the edge of the table and her eyes bulged out their sockets.

"What's the matter, babe?" Conrad was first to react. His daughter's pained face was drained of blood. He got up from his chair to go to Serene when he stood frozen on his track.

Blood streaked down Serene's legs. Two long trails of blood jumped in contrast to her pale legs. Carol saw the fear in her husband's expression. She immediately bolted out of her chair and went to her daughter's side. Like Conrad, the sight of blood flowing out of Serene's legs shocked her. But unlike her husband, she was quick to recover and hurried to her daughter's side.

"Conrad, what are you standing there for? Hurry and get the car!" she shouted at her dumbfounded husband. Carol's commanding voice pulled him out of his shock and ran out of the dining room to ready the car.

"Don't fret, Dear. Dad's getting the car now. We'll go to the hospital." she said, trying to make her voice steady as she stroked Serene's back.

Serene felt an excruciating pain centered on her feminine parts. Her face scrunched as the pain in her abdomen intensified.

"Mom, what's going on?" she asked her mother through gritted teeth.

"You'll be fine, baby. Dad's on his way," she soothed her. She steadied her voice, but her heart was beating wildly in her chest. What's taking Conrad so long?

Conrad rushed to Serene's side and carried her in his arms, leaving his wife trailing behind them.

"You'd be alright, Babe. Just stay calm, ok?" he said as he placed her on the back-passenger seat. After a while, Carol was beside her, embracing her.

Conrad drove the jeep like a madman. He arrived at the hospital in record time after beating several red lights. He carried his daughter to the emergency room where the nurses and doctor immediately attended to her. In a short while, the nurses wheeled Serene out of the emergency room and brought to the Obstetrics and Gynecology section.

Serene woke up the following day, feeling dazed. She's lying on the hospital bed, her parents on her either side.

"M-mom..." she called.

"Mommy's here, Dear." Carol said, taking her hand in hers. Conrad stood beside his wife and looked at her daughter with a pained expression.

The room's door opened and from it a doctor came in.

"Hello, Serene. I'm Doctor Marieta Reed. I'm your attending doctor. How do you feel?"

"Better. What happened to me?" she asked in a weak voice.

"You had threatened abortion. But don't worry, your babies are strong, they are safe and sound," Doctor Reed explained, her tender eyes smiling at her. "B-babies?" she asked, confused, her brows knitted together and her eyes searched the middle-aged doctor's face.

"Yes, you are 6 weeks pregnant to twins. Don't worry, both have strong fetal heartbeat despite your threatened miscarriage, but you need to be extra careful. You have what we call placenta previa, which makes your pregnancy delicate. I've also run some blood tests for you to see if there are conditions we need to be wary about..."

The doctor explained the precautions she needed to observe and the diet she needed to follow, but her words just became a blur to Serene's ears. I'm pregnant. She repeated it in her head countless of times while she stared in a daze in the space before her, not even noticing that the doctor had already left.

"Shen," Conrad's gentle call broke her trance.

"Dad..." she croaked, looking at her father with unsteady eyes. She could not keep her eyes on Conrad's eyes. She bit her lips then bowed her head. "I'm sorry."

Conrad held his daughter's hand. His heart ached at the sight of his daughter. "A child is a blessing, princess. So much more that we're having two," he smiled at his daughter.

Serene's eyes welled at the tenderness and understanding she received from her father. This was not the scenario she imagined when she'd tell her parents they'll be grandparents. She imagined breaking the good news to them on a joyous occasion along with her husband.

Husband. She inwardly sneered at the word. Now, she joined the statistics of single parents. Touching her flat belly, she felt warmth spread through her being. She vowed to do everything in her power to protect and take care of these tiny heartbeats.

Having them in her life - especially at this chaotic time - brought inexplicable happiness and peace in her.

She stayed in the hospital for three more days to wait on her tests and to regain her strength. In those three days, the Lewis's had visited her. Each one of them was livid when they learned the things Serene had gone through.

The siblings wanted to storm to Rain International to berate Justin, but she told them to let it go. With the twins in her life, she had already accepted the fact that she and Justin were just fated to meet each other but not end up with one another. All that mattered to her now was bringing her children to the world safely and raising them as best she could.

While in the hospital, she also learned that she had an autoimmune condition called antiphospholipid antibody syndrome that added complication to her pregnancy. The doctor explained her condition made her prone to blood clotting which could inhibit the oxygen supply to the placenta and eventually lead to miscarriage. To prevent such an event, she'd need to inject blood thinner to her belly every day.

In the end, her family decided that when she's strong enough to travel, it'll be better for her to stay abroad. Away from all the chaos and reminders of Justin. Given her delicate condition, having a happy environment would be good for her mental and emotional health. Serene no longer thought about herself, but for her twins. She'd like them to grow up in an environment filled with love and security, away from any potential hurt Justin and his family could inflict if they learn about their existence.

She decided to keep the children to herself after all, Justin said he had nothing to do with her anymore and wanted her out of his life. Didn't that extend to the children she's carrying? She promised herself that she'd do all she can to protect them from him at all cost.00000000000