My Olive Branch

Copyright © 2013 by Adonica Schultz Aune.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-4836-9166-4

              Ebook           978-1-4836-9167-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Rev. date: 08/29/2013

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Contents

I   The Arrival

II   Family Stories

III   Family

IV   Hurling

V   Danger

VI   Jacob

VII   Gun Safety

VIII   Blooming

IX   Sig 38

X   Lunch Date

XI   Boston Marathon Bombing

XII   First Date

XIII   Due Date

XIV   My Guide

XV   Sinners

XVI   Mothers

XVII   Friendship

XVIII   Yulia

XIX   Choices

XX   Oh-Oh

XXI   Birthing

XXII   Introspection

XXIII   Father

XXIV   Olivia

XXV   Leaving

XXVI   Warroad

XXVII   T With Flowers

XXVIII   Wolves

XXIX   Mouths Of Babes

XXX   Another T

XXXI   Birthday Surprise

XXXII   Maki

XXXIII   The Big T

XXXIV   Missing

XXXV   Shanny

XXXVI   Paparazzi

XXXVII   Pedophile

XXXVIII   Search

XXXIX   Hunt

XL   Forest People

XLI   Advancing

XLII   Capture

XLIII   Pancakes

XLIV   Serena

For all my family and friends~~

I wish them well.

It can’t be! It can’t be! It can’t be.

I was screaming at the top of my lungs.

My screams echoed against the tile walls.

It said pregnant so there was no doubt.

I started to cry because of what I had to do.

I

THE ARRIVAL

I WAS AT MY desk waiting for a call from my Aunt Joan. She was arriving around noon at Minneapolis International Airport. Flying in from Florida, she planned to stay with me for a couple of days and nights before going further. She had a brother to visit in Minneapolis and children in North Dakota.

Joan was my favorite aunt, but she was arriving at an inopportune time. I had already signed out for the afternoon. I told my boss that my aunt was arriving and I’d spend the afternoon with her. However, I’d have to tell Aunt Joan that I had a check up with my doctor. AND that was true. In a way. But I’d have to lie. I hope I didn’t have to lie too many times.

The phone rang, Hello.

Susan?

Hi, Joan. Have you landed?

Yes. I’m still on the plane. They haven’t opened the doors yet, but I thought I’d let you know I was here. I have only my carry on so I should be able to meet you right away.

Okay. Go down to the baggage area and I’ll meet you there. You’re on Northwest, right? I’ll be outside at the Northwest gate in about twenty minutes.

I gathered my purse and jacket. It was March and still cold and it was snowing. I started my car with the remote so it was getting warm when I got in. By the time I got to the airport, it was toasty. I pulled over and saw Aunt Joan shivering with the crowd of passengers waiting for rides. She hurried over carrying her bag on one shoulder and her computer and purse on the other. I unlocked the door and pushed it open from my seat behind the wheel. Hi!

Hey. Susan!! You look marvelous. Look at you. She threw her things over the seat into the back. Hugs?

We hugged quickly and then I turned to take off with the traffic when I found an opening. How was the flight?

Smooth. Really not a problem at all. I slept or read all the way. It’s nice to be in a cage with only a book, she laughed.

My aunt, the author, who loved to read and write. Boy, did I have a story to tell her, but I couldn’t do that. I did say, I’m going to bring you to my apartment, but I have to go to the doctor this afternoon so you’ll have to take care of yourself for a few hours.

I don’t mind that. Is everything all right? Are you sick?

No, I’m fine, the first lie. I went on, It’s just my annual checkup.

Great! Do keep healthy! Those annual checkups are worth a lot even when you do pay for them. Of course, you have great insurance with your job. Not every single gal is as lucky as you are. I mean you have done so well and when you landed this job at the hospital…

Aunt Joan carried on about my accomplishments, but I was not listening. I just nodded and smiled. I had other things on my mind.

I entered the office of Dr. Abrantes. She had been my regular physician for several years and I did trust her. I signed in and the receptionist said I would be called as soon as Dr. Abrantes arrived from lunch.

You’re her first patient this afternoon so she’ll want to see you immediately so she doesn’t get too far behind schedule. She really does like to keep to her schedule, smiled the receptionist.

Dr. Abrantes was good that way. It was rare that I had to wait for her. I appreciated that with my tight calendar. I had taken on a second part-time job in my apartment complex. Besides the position as Hennepin County Hospital Human Resource Director, I was now one of the agents showing apartments to prospective renters. Rentals in the complex were sporadic, but it seemed there was a great deal of traffic. Most of the showings were in the evening so it didn’t interfere with my day job at the hospital. However, I was really tired lately and short-tempered.

Susan Schultz, I heard my name called and turned to see Dr. Abrantes’ Physician’s Assistant at the door to the inner sanctum.

I rose and went to her.

Hi, Susan.

Hi, Marie. How are you? Busy, as usual?

Always.

Marie led me back to the room marked R3, opened the door and led me in. What are we doing today, Susan?

I missed my period and I believe I’m pregnant. I’d like to know for sure and, if I am, I need to abort.

Marie didn’t even blink, I’m sure, even though I couldn’t see her eyelids as I was looking toward the ceiling.

Okay, have a seat. Have you checked with the home pregnancy test? She started to scribble on my chart.

Yes, it was positive, but I want to check here to be sure.

Our lab will be able to determine your condition with a simple blood sample. Let’s get your vitals first.

Marie put the blood pressure cuff on my arm and began to pump the bulb at the end of the tube. She put the stethoscope to her ears and listened as well as watched the gauge on the cuff. She unhooked everything from my arm and picked up the ear thermometer and stuck it in my ear. When she took it away from the ear canal, she sat down and scribbled some more. Efficiently, she stood and turned to leave, Dr. Abrantes will be in shortly.

I sat back and started to read a magazine I took from the wall rack. Wouldn’t you know it? Parent Magazine. I flipped the pages and the magazine fell open to a beautiful baby. Oh, my, it was chubby and cute and smiling and playing with its toes. My eyes filled. I shut the magazine and put it back in the rack.

The door opened just as I sat again and in walked Dr. Abrantes. She hugged me.

Marie tells me you would like to have a pregnancy test. Is that all we are doing today?

Well, would you be able to abort the fetus if the test is positive?

I can. How far along are you?

I’ve missed one period and am missing the second this week. I’m quite regular.

Okay. I’ll send you down to the lab. They’ll draw a vial of blood and they can check it immediately. I’ll do a quick check on your vitals no matter what the test. Marie will lead you to the lab. I’ll send her in again and then I’ll come back with the test results.

She left and Marie came back immediately. They sure are efficient here. I wonder if… No. I know that all clinics are not this efficient.

The technician was a handsome young man and he smelled nice too. As a single gal at the age of thirty, it seemed that the good looking guys just seemed so young. This one too. He sure was easy on the eyes – just too young. Well, I’m not a virgin, but I’m not in any condition to flirt. But I did smile at him and caught his eye as he stuck the needle in my arm.

Hurt? he asked.

Not a bit. His gloved hands were cool, but he was gentle with my arm and the needle did not hurt. He attached the vial and I watched the blood rush into the tube. It was over and I walked out after being excused. I almost sat down, but Marie came around the corner and said, Come with me back to R3.

I was waiting a bit longer for Dr. Abrantes this time. I went to the rack and pulled the magazine that I had seen before. It opened to the same page. I looked carefully this time. It was a blue eyed baby. My baby would not have blue eyes. They would be brown and the skin would be dark. I’m blue-eyed and light, but Ali is black.

I started to think about Ali. He was a Black Moslem. I thought we could be together, but I am Christian. He was secretive about his private life. I guess he knew we would not actually be together either. My eyes filled with tears again. No one ever said that life was fair.

Ali was a doctor at the hospital where I worked and we had met at staff meetings. After a few months, we did go out without much to talk about except the hospital and my position, and his. It was almost automatic when he took me home after a nice evening with drinks that he followed me into my apartment and took me in his arms. It only took one time with him for me to get