The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 866 Keep The Baby

The heavy weight on Peggy's chest was lifted as soon as Sue decided not to call the police. The anxiety was transformed into exhilaration and joy as Peggy started to wonder who the father was. She asked Sue excitedly, "My dear, tell me, is Anthony the baby's father?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" snapped Sue. She had just managed to get her mother off the topic of Anthony. With this pregnancy, she knew that her mother's secret hope that she and Anthony might get married someday had been rekindled. At the moment though, she didn't even want to hear his name, so she told Peggy, "Mom, I'm tired and need rest. Can you leave me alone for a while?" "Not until you tell me the truth first," Peggy insisted, not willing to let go of the topic. She grabbed Sue's arm and latched on. refusing to let go.

"Get out!" Sue shouted, unable to tolerate her mother anymore. "Leave now before I call the police and tell them that you and your son assaulted me, to the point that I almost lost my baby. I wonder what the police will think about that and what action they will take."

"You..." Peggy sputtered. She was enraged by Sue's words. But Sue had hit on her weak spot, one of her biggest fears and she knew there was nothing she could do. Sue knew that Peggy would do anything to protect her son and herself, and therefore, sure enough, her words had the desired effect.

Reluctantly, Peggy left the room slowly, trying to figure out her next move. Judging from Sue's reaction, Peggy was confident that baby was indeed Anthony's. She couldn't let this golden opportunity slip away. But before that, she had to be 100% sure that he was the father. As soon as she left the room and was out of earshot, she took out her phone and gave Sheryl a call.

Sheryl was doing some work when the call lit up her phone. She glanced at her screen and was surprised to see Peggy's name. Even though she had never expected to receive a call from Peggy at that hour, she picked it up anyway. "Aunt Peggy? Why are you calling so late? Is everything okay?"

"Sher, I'm so sorry to bother you at this hour, I know it is already quite late." Peggy's words seemed almost sincere, although her tone said otherwise. All she wanted at the moment were answers. "No, not at all," Sheryl answered politely. "What's the matter, Aunt Peggy? Has something happened to Sue?"

"You two really are close. You certainly know her well, almost better than I do." Peggy smiled bitterly. "In that case, I'll go straight to the point. Sher, please be honest with this old lady. What exactly is going on between Sue and Anthony? Are you sure they are just friends or is their relationship more than friends?"

"Aunt Peggy, what do you mean by that?" Sheryl asked curiously. Since she didn't know about the pregnancy, she didn't understand why Peggy was suddenly asking such questions and had no intention of divulging any information. Peggy seemed to sense Sheryl's hesitance and informed her, "Sher, please. This is important. Sue is pregnant."

Sheryl froze at those words. It took her a few long moments to recover her senses and she quizzed Peggy, "Where are you now?"

Smiling triumphantly, Peggy gave her the name of the hospital. Her plan was working! In less than twenty minutes, Sheryl arrived at the hospital.

Peggy rushed over to Sheryl as soon as she saw her, eager to replace out who the father was for her own selfish reasons. She asked, "Sher, do you have any idea what happened? Sue says she doesn't even have a boyfriend. How can she suddenly be pregnant? You two are so close. You have to at least know something."

"Aunt Peggy, don't worry. Take a deep breath and we'll figure this out." Sheryl tried to comfort Peggy, even though she herself was both baffled and worried. She told her honestly, "I have no idea what happened either. Let me check on her. I want to see how she's doing. If she's okay, then I'll try to replace out the truth from her."

"Okay, dear," Peggy agreed. Then she caught sight of the time and realized she should be leaving to check on things at home. She told Sheryl sheepishly, "You know, there's another pregnant woman waiting at home."

"No problem," Sheryl said with a nod. She understood instantly that Peggy wanted to go home so she could take care of Doris. "Aunt Peggy, you don't have to worry about Sue. I promise I will take good care o her. Just leave things to me. It is already very late, you should go home anyway."

"Sure, sure." Peggy beamed at Sheryl happily. She had said exactly what Peggy wanted to hear. "Well, I'll be off then. So sorry for troubling you. Do give me a call if there's any update."

"Don't worry, Aunt Peggy," Sheryl reassured Peggy again. As soon as Peggy was a safe distance away, Sheryl entered Sue's room. Sue was looking out the window, lost in her own thoughts. Hearing the door open, without even turning her head to see who it was, she shouted immediately, "Didn't I tell you to leave me alone? What is it now?"

"It's me," Sheryl answered quietly, as she entered the room and approached Sue's bed. Recognizing Sheryl's voice, Sue turned around in surprise. She seemed momentarily stunned to see Sheryl there, staring as if she couldn't believe her eyes. Finally, she asked, "Sheryl? Why are you here?"

Before Sheryl could answer, Sue put two and two together. "Let me guess, she's the one who called you?" She laughed bitterly, slightly annoyed that she hadn't anticipated Peggy's move.

"Let's not bother about that for now," Sheryl responded. She frowned slightly as she took a seat next to Sheryl's bed. Concern was written all over her face as she asked, "Sue, what happened to you? I didn't even know you were sexually active. Even if you were, I know you're the careful type. How did you end up pregnant? Is... This baby you're carrying, is it Anthony's?"

"Who else could it be?" Sue smiled bitterly. She herself was still in shock that there was a tiny human being growing inside her, and was totally unprepared for what was to come. She asked Sheryl, "Sher, I'm scared. What do you think I should do now?"

The baby's existence was both a curse and a blessing at the same time.

On the plus side, the baby could serve as a good turning point to save their almost broken relationship. It would bond them by providing them with a common goal and shared responsibility. They would have to sit down and talk like adults to talk about how things would be from that point on. She knew both of them still cared very deeply about each other, and the baby could be the start of a strengthened relationship. The unfortunate side of it was that Peggy had found out about the baby. She would definitely make a mountain out of a mole hole and interfere in every aspect that she could. With her mother giving unnecessary pressure, she was worried that things between her and Anthony would get even worse and she would end up being a single mother with a child born out of wedlock.

"Don't worry about it," Sheryl comforted Sue gently. "Listen to me. The baby is a gift from God. It is a blessing. Let's forget about Anthony or Peggy. Just think about yourself. No matter what Anthony says, I think you should consider for yourself whether you want to keep the baby or not. At the end of the day, you're the one carrying the baby and it's your own choice to make."

"There's no decision to make. I know I want this baby." Sue rubbed her tummy and smiled gently. "I don't care whether Anthony wants the baby or not. It's my choice, and I'll raise him or her alone if I have to. This little thing is own my flesh and blood, and as you have said, a gift from God. What kind of person would I be if I return the gift back?"

"Sue, let's not rush things. You have to think rationally," Sheryl cautioned Sue. She too had been pregnant before and could put herself in Sue's shows. But... Sue wasn't married yet. Not only would she have to face the judgement of society, it could also have a heavy toll on her financial state. The child too, would be deprived of a father's love and care. These were all issues that Sue would have to consider before making up her mind. It was obvious that her decision was purely emotion based and not fully thought out yet.

"Sue, I know exactly how you feel, but you have to consider some realistic problems here too, not just the child but for yourself as well. Just think about what will happen once you are a mother, and a single parent on top of that. You have to imagine how your future will be if you give birth to this child. First of all, Are you planning to marry?"

"Marry?" Sue scoffed at the suggestion. "No, marriage has never crossed my mind," she stated firmly. "Regardless of the problems between Anthony and I, this baby is in my tummy, and therefore mine and mine alone. I don't need anyone's help to raise a child. I'll just consider it as another life goal to keep myself motivated."

"Oh, Sue." Sheryl sighed, but didn't continue her sentence.

They had been friends for many years now, and Sheryl knew Sue very well by now. She knew how strong-headed and determined Sue could be, and most importantly, once she had made up her mind, nothing in this world could make her change her mind. That was why Sheryl ended holding her tongue, even though she disagreed with Sue's thinking.

"But..." Glancing at Sue worriedly, Sheryl added, "Unfortunately, Peggy knows about the pregnancy too. There's no way she'll stay out of this. I have a feeling that she's going to tell Anthony about this. If he is totally unaware about your pregnancy, then you can give birth quietly without anyone's knowledge. But if he does replace out, things are definitely going to get a bit messy."

"I have a feeling it's going to be a lot more than 'a bit' messy," Sue joked. Then her expression turned serious and she told Sheryl determinedly, "Like I said earlier, the baby is mine and I don't care about what he has to say. I'm only worried about my family. How can I get my mother and Allen to stay out of this?"

Sue sighed helplessly. "If it weren't for them, for the accident, they wouldn't even know about this pregnancy. Even if they suspected it, they had absolutely no proof and I could have avoided them until the baby is born. But now they know for sure that I am pregnant, and they'll definitely investigate my relationship with Anthony. And when they replace out, they're definitely going to exploit him. What..."

"Sue, stop worrying. Relax," Sheryl interrupted quickly, seeing how worked up Sue was getting. "They can't move that quickly. We still have time to intervene and prevent their actions. All we need to do is make sure we get to talk to Anthony first."

"But..." Sue frowned. She was lost in her thoughts, being engulfed by one worry after another. Sheryl looked at her face and a playful thought popped into her head. It was the perfect way to distract Sue. "Hey Sue, try to stop worrying for now, okay?"

Sheryl grinned at her. "You said you want to keep the child, right? Welcome to the first step of motherhood. For the sake of the baby, don't stress too much."