Racing out the door with Harlan, Sunny slid into the seat in his rig next to him as he fired up the engine then pulled out into the morning traffic.
“So, excited?” Harlan asked.
“You know it,” grinned Sunny. “Thanks to both of you again for putting this together for me. And let Red Heart know I said that too!”
“I will definitely pass that on. She’ll be thrilled for you. She considers herself a friend to you too, you know,” Harlan smiled.
“And I am so grateful for that. Thank you both for looking out for me,” smiled Sunny back. Leaning over against his arm she quietly enjoyed the ride to the clinic. From the oversized smile Harlan was sporting it was quite clear he was enjoying the moment too, content to let the happy silence between them stand.
Harlan pulled up in front of the clinic. Sunny leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Thanks, Harlan!” she smiled, scooping up her fanny pack and exiting his rig. Harlan grinned and waved as she exited.
Entering the clinic she crossed to the office door, trying it and realizing it was locked. She knocked three times.
“Anybody here?” she called out.
She heard footsteps approaching from the other side then someone fiddling with the lock. The door opened with the director smiling and welcoming her in. “Welcome, Sunny! Bright and early! Ready to get rocking?”
“Sure!” smiled Sunny stepping through the door as the director shut and locked it behind her.
She followed the director into her office to start her first day of work.
Sunny read through the two files on her desk, the paperwork for her first two clients on her first morning. Both were young women dropped off by their families, both now alone in the waiting room. Reading through their files she noted they were both much younger than her, unmarried, and both in less than ideal circumstances. Finished reading the last file she placed them both back on her desk in a privacy folder.
Rising, she walked to the waiting room, opening the door and calling out the first girl's name.
“Miss Marks? Rosy Marks?” she called out. A girl nodded clearly distraught, and rose, following her back into her office.
She gestured to the seat before her desk. “:Have a seat please. We have a few standard questions, then some paperwork to fill out. Standard procedure, I assure you,” Sunny comforted as she shut the door.
Sitting down behind her desk, she leaned forward, offering a kind smile to the frightened girl. “So, Rosy? What can we do for you?” Sunny asked.
“I need an abortion,” Rosy said, tears in her eyes.
“That is one of the services this clinic provides,” agreed Sunny. “Let’s start with a few basic questions, then we can start on the paperwork.”
Rosy nodded, so Sunny continued.
“First, how far along are you?” Sunny asked.
“I don’t know,” answered Rosy. “I missed two of my periods. Two months? I’m not sure.”
“And you’ve taken a pregnancy test?” asked Sunny.
“My mom bought one from the store and said I am,” answered Rosy.
“Okay. We’ll want to run our own test. The store tests are good, but ours are a bit more reliable. And it’s procedure. Do you know who the father is?” Sunny continued.
“It’s my boyfriend,” answered Rosy.
“And are you still together?” Sunny asked. “Rosy, I am going to ask you some questions about your boyfriend. I want you to know you are the one who gets to decide how you want to proceed. Not him, not your family, not your friends. You. You are under no obligation to tell him anything or to get his approval for anything. I am asking these questions because the information may be important going forward, but you are free to refuse to answer anything if you don’t want to. Do you understand?”
Rosy nodded.
“Okay. First question. Does your boyfriend know you are pregnant?” Sunny asked.
Rosy nodded yes.
“Did he offer to support the child, or to pay for any services you may need?” continued Sunset.
“He told me to get an abortion and he would pay for it,” replied Rosy, tearing up.
Sunny reached over and gently took Rosy’s hand, pushing over a box of tissues. Rosy dried her eyes. “Thank you,” she said quietly.
“Would you be willing to share his name and contact information with us, and can we get in touch with him for billing purposes?” asked Sunny when she calmed.
“Uh… yeah, I guess,” replied Rosy. She gave the information to Sunny, who wrote it in her file.
“I will point out again, we will not contact him without your express permission. And we will not share any information with him. That is for you to do or not as you see fit. We do not share any information about you or your pregnancy with anyone aside from the medical professionals involved in your care. Do you understand that?” Sunny asked.
Rosy nodded again.
“The same is true for your family. Beyond the basic information that you are in our care, we do not share any further information with them. Anything you wish to share is yours to share or not as you decide,” continued Sunny.
“You mean my parents don’t need to know all the details?” asked Rosy, surprised.
“Not unless you want them to,” agreed Sunny. “Now, almost done.
“Rosy, we provide other services besides abortions here. If you decide not to have an abortion today, we can sign you up for these services. In addition to medical care from the clinic, these services include maternity care, childbirth classes, help signing up for government services you qualify for, and support counseling,” Sunny continued.
“I want an abortion. My mom said I am getting an abortion,” replied Rosy.
“And again, we provide that here as well. But Rosy, some of the things you’ve said raise some red flags. Not for you, you’re not in trouble. But I need to clear something up.
“Rosy, we will provide you with an abortion, if that is your choice. But I hear from you that at least two people have instructed you that you will have an abortion. Rosy, that’s not their call. If you don’t want to terminate your pregnancy, you can choose that. No one gets to make that choice for you. You choose, Your choice. Not your mom’s. Not your boyfriend’s. Yours.
“And if you’re afraid of the consequences of not doing what they said, we can help you there too. We can give you shelter, a place to live while you’re pregnant, and help with services and resources after you give birth. You’re not alone. So, take a minute to decide what you want to do, and know that no matter what you decide, no one here will judge you, and we will fully support you no matter what,” Sunny finished, still holding her hand.
Rosy nodded, her eyes tearing up again. She shut her eyes tight and took several deep breaths. Sunny gently rubbed her hand as she calmed herself.
A minute later she opened her tear stained eyes. “Can I really keep my baby?” she asked hopefully.
“If that’s what you want, yes. We will help you with your choice whatever it is,” agreed Sunny.
“I want that. I want my baby,” answered Rosy, clutching Sunny’s hand.
“Okay. So let’s start with the tests and get you going. I’ll bring you to the nurse for a quick examination, then we can begin on the rest of the paperwork,” nodded Sunny. She rose from her desk, and taking Rosy by the shoulder, she escorted her to the nurse’s examination room.
Returning to her desk, Sunny sat, feeling spent.
She was shocked by how deeply that affected her. Shaking, she reached up, only just realizing she was crying. Taking one of the tissues from the box on her desk she dried her eyes then blew her nose.
Closing her eyes, she took a few deep breaths, calming the shaking and clearing her mind.
A few calm moments later she rose and washed her hands in her office sink. Drying them, she picked up the next folder and returned to the waiting room for her next client.
“So, Miss Troublée, what can we do for you?” Sunny asked kindly of the young woman seated before her desk.
“I want an abortion,” Troublée answered immediately.
“We do provide that service along with others. Let’s start with a few basic questions, then we can start on the paperwork,” assured Sunny.
“How long is this going to take?” Troublée asked, annoyed.
“Plan on being here for the better part of the day,” replied Sunny. “So the first question..”
“I just want the abortion and to leave. Can we skip all this?” asked Troublée.
“No, sorry Miss Troublée. Policy states I have to make you aware of your choices and allow you to make an informed decision…” replied Sunny.
“I already told you. I want an abortion now!” replied Troublée.
“Okay. Just hear me out, answer my questions, then we can continue,” reassured Sunny. “First question, how far along are you?”
“Does it matter? Too far. I missed three periods. I took the test. I’m pregnant. I want to not be pregnant. Can we just move things along,” answered Troublée irately.
“So I will put down three months. The exam will tell more certainly,” replied Sunny. “So next…”
“I don’t need an exam, just an abortion,” Troublée replied.
“All procedures require an exam. It’s for your own safety. If we can keep moving, we can finish these questions. Then I just need you to sign a few forms and we can start. Can we do that, Miss Troublée?” asked Sunny.
“Fine,” sighed Troublée. “What else do you need to know?”
“Do you know who the father is?” asked Sunny.
“No, and don’t care. Asshole said he had a vasectomy,” replied Troublée.
“Okay, any other information you want to provide about the father?” asked Sunny.
“No. Next question,” answered Troublée.
“Next, I want to assure you we will not provide any information about you or the care you may have received from us…” stared Sunny.
“Damn well better not! Nobody else’s business what I do here!” replied Troublée.
“Exactly,” agreed Sunny. “The one exception is your parents. As a minor we are required to inform them we have seen you, but nothing else. That is the extent of any information we will give out.”
“Fine,” Troublée stated.
“We have other services we offer here…” started Sunny.
“Don’t care. Just here for an abortion,” Troublée cut her off.
“We are required by law to be sure you are making an informed choice. I need to make sure you are aware of your choices and the resources available to you…” Sunny started again.
“Yeah, got it. I know my rights and choices. Just give me the stuff to sign and let’s get going. I have to be somewhere tonight,” Troublée agreed.
“We strongly suggest you take it easy for a few days after the procedure, as it can be very taxing on your body and you will need time to recover,” continued Sunny as she passed over the paperwork for signature.
“Sure, got it. Where do I sign?” asked Troublée, scanning the paperwork.
“Here, here, then your initials here,” provided Sunny, pointing them out. Troublée signed and passed them over.
Taking the signed forms and placing them into her file, Sunny led Troublée out to the examination room.
Returning afterwards to her office, Sunny sat at her desk, tears streaming from her eyes as she thought again of her missing daughter.
“Crap, this is harder than I thought,” she sniffed, blowing her nose into another tissue. “I don’t know who is going to use these more, me or my clients.” She dried her eyes again and after a few calming breaths tossed the used tissues into her trash and washed her hands again.
There was a knock on the door, and the intern poked her head in.
“Miss Sunny? Your client Rosy has finished her examination and is ready for you. She’s in exam 1,” she informed her.
“Thanks Cadie, I’ll get her now,” replied Sunny, following her out.
Sunny knocked on the door to exam 1 and poked her head in. “Hi Rosy, how are you doing?” she asked.
“The nurse said she was done, I just had to wait for you,” answered Rosy.
Entering, Sunny took her by the hand. “Okay. Let’s go get that paperwork started and discuss what services you need.” She led her back to her office and just the door.
She sat with Harlan and Red Heart in the back of the small deli, the three of them chatting over their drinks and sandwiches.
“Thank you again for referring me for the job,” said Sunny, taking a bite of her sandwich.
“So how are you holding up? I know working there can be emotionally exhausting,” asked Red Heart.
“I don't know who is crying more, me or my clients,” sighed Sunny. Tears slipped from her eyes. “And dammit, there I go again.” She took the napkin Harlan offered as he pulled her into a one armed hug.
“The crying will pass, but I can’t say it ever really gets easier,” comforted Red Heart. “Just know that you are making a difference in these girls’ lives, and that’s what matters.”
“That’s exactly what matters, and that’s why I’m doing it,” agreed Sunny, straightening back up and smiling at Harlan then Red Heart. “And I’ll keep doing it as long as I have any strength left in me.”
“Glad to hear it,” smiled Red Heart.
The afternoon wasn’t much easier, but Red Heart was right. The tears did stop eventually even if the hurt didn’t.
By the time the day was over, she was ready for a break. Harlan was working a double shift today, so she hitched a ride from the director. Kicking her shoes off at the door, she plopped down on the couch to think about the day, drifting to sleep.
When Harlan returned home late that night he found her sprawled out on the couch sound asleep. Carefully lifting her in his arms, he carried her to her bed and tucked her under her sheets. Smiling, turned out her lights as he went to prepare for sleep himself.