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Gabi hears the phone ringing but her eyes feel like they have lead weights on them. "Stop!" she says to the phone as if it will obey. She starts to roll over when she realizes that, for the third night in a row, she has fallen asleep on the couch. She reaches out and manages to grab the phone by the cord. Yanking it off the table, she scrambles to answer it.
"Hello...hello," she says groggily. She hears a familiar voice on the other end. "Gabs!! Thank God. Where in the heck are ya? Dave is busting a gut, Gab. You better get your butt in here," Julie is almost yelling into the phone. Gabi rubs her eyes and searches for the clock. She hasn’t adjusted to her new surroundings yet and can’t find it for a few seconds. "Oh my God, it’s 9:30!!" Gabi jumps off the couch and is overcome with dizziness. She sits back down and clutches her head. "Duh, hello! Gabi you’re two hours late! Come on, I covered for you again, but Dave is getting a little ticked." "Thanks Julie...I owe you. I’ll be right there." "Yeh, well my IOU box is getting pretty full there, Gab. See you soon." Julie hangs up before Gabi can say goodbye. Gabi composes herself on the couch. She can’t quite put a finger on how she is feeling. She hasn’t felt right since she arrived here three weeks ago. She just assumed she was stressed out over her decision to leave Sunset Beach. She knew she hadn’t been sleeping well, but the last few nights she found herself exhausted and passing out the minute she got home. Snapping out of her thoughts, she jumped in to the shower and dressed in a flash. She grabbed her keys and headed to work. THE RESTAURANT Dave had calmed down a bit, but demanded that Gabi work late with no pay. "Great," she thought, "that will help pay the rent!" She heads off to find Julie. "Hey, Julie. I was just wondering...do you know of any good doctors?" Gabi didn’t want Julie to get worried, but she didn’t know anyone else in town to ask. "Sure, Gab. You okay?" Julie was concerned. She liked Gabi...she had spunk. "Yeah, I just haven’t been myself lately. I’ve been dizzy and really, really exhausted. I’m probably just stressed, but I thought I should get it checked out." "Here, let me give you her number." Gabi was relieved to hear it was a woman. She didn’t like strange men seeing her in that vulnerable way. It brought back vicious memories of her father. "Here you go. She’s pretty easy to get an appointment with." Gabi heard Dave calling her. "Thanks, Julie. I owe..." She stopped herself as Julie put up her hand. "Don’t even go there, girlfriend." Gabi laughed and headed off. THE APPOINTMENT Gabi sat uncomfortably on the examining table. The room was chilly. "Why can’t they turn up the heat in here?" she said out loud. The paper gown she was wearing just wasn’t doing the trick. There was a knock on the door and a nice looking woman in her early 40s came into the room. "Hi, Gabi. I’m Dr. Sanders. You can call me Sydney." She extended her hand and Gabi was immediately calmed by her demeanor. "I’m just going to ask you a few questions and then we will get started." She sat down and began rambling through a list of the standard questions that Gabi answered quickly and surely. Birthdate, are you married, any allergies, currently taking any medications, any family history of illness, what are your symptoms, when was your last period?" "Hmmm. Uhh..." Gabi searched her mind. Sydney glanced up from her chart to find Gabi’s eyes scanning the calendar on the wall. A small smile crossed her lips. "Gabi?" "Let me see. Well," she began ticking off her fingers nervously. Suddenly it occurred to her, it had been almost two months since her last period. She had been so stressed out with everything that happened in the cave-in, Ricardo being shot just days later, his pushing her to get married immediately after he was released from the hospital, planning a wedding so quickly and...Antonio. Her head began to spin and she clutched the sides of the table. Sydney put her chart down quickly and grabbed Gabi’s arms. "Whoa. You okay, Gabi?" Sydney steadied her and waited for her eyes to focus again. "Just relax. Let me take a look before we jump to any conclusions." She helped Gabi lie down on the table and began to examine her. Sydney helped Gabi sit up and walked to the desk. "Well, Gabi. It looks like you are about two months pregnant." She studied Gabi’s reaction. Gabi stared at her feet dangling from the table as tears began to well in her eyes. Sydney chose her words carefully and spoke gently, "I take it this is a surprise?" Gabi looked up as the tears leaked down her cheeks. "Yes," she said quietly. "Yes, it is." "Well, Gabi, it seems you have some things to think about. You have options, you know?" "Options?" Gabi repeated, somewhat confused. "Yes, if you aren’t ready for this baby, you are still early enough in the pregnancy for an abortion or there are many adoption alternatives." Abortion, adoption - the words made her dizzy and she closed her eyes. "Gabi, just take some time to think things through. Give me a call in a few days and we’ll talk." Sydney patted Gabi on the shoulder and started to leave the room. She stopped and opened a cabinet pulling out a bag with reading materials in it. She laid it down on the desk. "Take this with you and take your time. I’ll talk to you soon." Gabi sat perfectly still for a long time. It hadn’t yet begun to sink in. She numbly got dressed and started out the door. She glanced at the bag on the desk and slowly reached out her hand to pick it up. She put it in her purse and left the room. THE BEACH Gabi walked along the now quiet beach. There were only a few loving couples walking hand in hand near the water for the sunset. Gabi found a spot and plopped down in the sand. Setting her purse down, the bag fell out. She picked it up and held it in front of her. She stared blankly at the materials inside. Her head hurt. She hadn’t eaten anything, nor had she wanted to. She thought for a moment of heading off in search of food, but she couldn’t take her eyes away from the waves of the ocean crashing against the sand. "Two months, two months" ran in circles through her mind - the day of the cave-in. She closed her eyes and he was immediately there. "Gabi, we have to get out. Now!" There was a loud blast and the next thing she knew, they were trapped in the rubble. His strong arms comforted her and kept her warm. Antonio desperately searched for a way out. The concrete continued to shift as the gravity of the situation set in. She confessed her love to him and they began to kiss, first passionately and then more tenderly. The scene played slowly in her conscience. They lay down together and gave themselves to each other as they had both longed to do - their bodies and souls as one. It was intense, burning passion that could not be denied. Afterward, Antonio had promised that his love for her would never die, ever. Her thoughts shifted to Ricardo. He pulled a silk rose from the vase and opened it, revealing a beautiful diamond. He sank to one knee and professed his love to her. "Say you’ll be mine forever. Say you’ll be my wife. Say you’ll marry me." She could remember the feel of his cheek as she brushed it with her hand. The love in his eyes was so clear, so undeniable. She had done the only thing she could and accepted his proposal, right there in front of Antonio. Later, they made love by candlelight. Making love with Ricardo was so different than with Antonio. What Gabi felt for Ricardo was a deep respect and admiration for the person he was. The way he forgave her and accepted her as his friend. She felt love for Ricardo, but it was almost more of an indebtedness. With Antonio, the love she felt was almost spiritual. They were true, undeniable soulmates. Making love to him felt so right, so good, as if there were no one else in the world who understood her the way he did. He could see into her innermost being and loved and accepted her for who she truly was. As for which one was the father of her baby, Gabi was most certain. She and Ricardo were very careful when they made love. Ricardo knew that his brother, the priest and his mother would completely disapprove of any ‘accident’, so he was always extremely cautious - no matter how hot the moment. Antonio - well, as a priest, he wasn’t in the habit of having protection on hand and they had been certain their lives were going to end that night in the cave-in. They made love with pure unabandon, sure they would die in each other’s arms. She couldn’t think about it anymore. She rose quickly from her spot in the sand. She could feel her exhaustion set in as she headed home to get some rest.
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