There’s a Fork in the Road

 

Whilst Connor and Amillia went on their first date, Cameron found his way to level eight of the hospital.

He saw her in there as he did the day before, except now in different clothes. She was looking out the window as if wishing she were elsewhere and it near broke his heart. He knew if Andrea had said the real reason of her being held was because she had been talking to a spirit, who now is half human and was the father of her unborn child, she would probably never leave the mental ward…

For some reason, even though he knew he would hurt over him being the reason she was being detained here, it hurt more then he expected…It was like he wasn’t just angry at himself but angry at…Something else too…

 

Being let in, as it was a time for visitors, he walked straight over to her and pulled up a chair. “Andrea.”

Andrea looked at him and smiled, just as fast, she was in his arms and he could hear her think that she should be out today.

Cameron had nearly forgotten about his good news, with Piet somewhat destroying his hopes, as now being with Andrea put him up in high esteem again. “I am glad, we have been lost without you. Piet came by and told us some information, he is said to be a ‘spirit’. Did you know that?”

 

Andrea shook her head with raised eyebrows, she of cause knew that Cameron and Amillia were spirits but Piet being one had never crossed her mind. “No, wow, you serious? Did he say anything about what is going on?”

Cameron wanted to say the easy information first, “Yes, he filled us in on several bits of information. Where have you seen me Andrea? He said that there were about three locations he used to see his wife, if we can at least get those places out of the way…I know of two places, obviously ground floor of the hospital and Roma Street Parklands. I have a feeling fourth floor of the hospital as well.”

Andrea dropped something she had in her hand and Cameron started to panic, but her thoughts were of a picture, it was only shading with trees and windows, and something else.

 

Andrea looked at Cameron and then picked up the item she dropped and showed him, it was the picture Amillia drew before she had died from cancer. Andrea remembered the day, not too long ago, that the picture had fallen to the floor with other items and she had to clean it up.

That’s right, she thought, everything started to happen after this picture fell…

Cameron looked at her and wondered if she had figured it out. Cameron heard her think that she was sorry to stay away all that time when he was gone, that had made her think about the links between them more and she figured it was something to do with the picture. She remembered that she saw Cameron in the garden, fourth floor and in front of the hospital, which was what was drawn on the piece of art paper in front of her.

To a certain degree it made her scared upon how her own sister could draw a picture two years ago and it seems to be some sort of way of telling them where a spirit can teleport!

 

Andrea started to cry, she was a mess inside, he could see that she had nearly lost hope again and gone back to her way of thinking before she had met him. She had been in a zombie state back then and he saw that she had wished recently to not feel so much. The mixed emotions made his head swirl and he wondered if reading her mind, as Amillia can read Connor's and his, was going to make him dizzy.

Cameron held her and made sure that she knew that he was here and that he wasn’t going anywhere. He had to let her know this!

He will do anything he could to make things better for her, he just didn’t really know how to go about it…

 

Some time passed and then she said, “I love you Cameron. I…Although it sounds weird, I feel like I’ve been put here for a reason when you’re around. And now that Amillia is also here, it’s like I’m whole but when you are not here and Amillia’s gone, I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore. It scares me.”

Cameron seemed to have free reign inside her head and saw that she can’t even remember much of the last month, it was somewhat blurry with only a few things clear, one being her fight with his father…Connor had stood out just as clear in the same scene and it made Cameron happy to see his father in any way, even if it was fighting with his brother…

 

When he and Amillia were being held by the Azulious, Andrea and Connor had obviously gone to see how his father was going. Cameron believed, like Connor, that Andrea yelling at him couldn't have been helped as his father was down Connor's throat even on the phone. He didn't understand why Connor had such a sore spot, he still wanted their father to be proud of him and devoted a lot of effort in the past to try and accomplish that.

Sadly, in the memory from Andrea, all he saw was his father yelling instead of talking openly with his son…But seeing everything else as somewhat blurry did worry him…

“I see it Andrea, you were not yourself.” He said, which made her breathe in and hope that she wasn’t going to cry again. Andrea looked down, she was getting sick of being such a cry baby.

 

Andrea looked at him, “I’m such a wreck aren’t I, how could you possibly like someone like me?”

Her sarcastic laugh and smile made him feel hurt, “How could I not Andrea, you have a beautiful mind, you are up front with who you are, and you like me in return.”

Andrea smiled again, this time it was genuine, and Cameron felt better. He kissed her head and said, “Some people we know are getting married, I believe you are related to one and me the other. Any idea who that would be?”

Andrea stood up, maybe a tad too fast as she got a slight head rush and put her hand over her mouth, but he could see that she was happy, “Really? Wow, oh my god I’m so happy for them.”

Cameron got up and put his arms around her, where she belonged, “They are, at this very moment, on their first date.”

 

Andrea let out a laugh, she pictured Connor when she first met him and now. Cameron saw something he had to talk to his brother about, “He flipped you off!”

Andrea didn’t lose her smile, if anything she laughed again, “Yeah, ha, that’s right he did!”

Cameron was just thrilled that she was so happy that he didn’t realize that a doctor had come up to them, “Excuse me, I would like to check on the young lady if you don’t mind.”

Cameron let go of Andrea and stepped back, nodding at the doctor, “Not a problem, is there a chance that she will be able to return home today?”

 

He heard Andrea think of home before the nurse said, “We will see how things will go. She was admitted staying here for a minimum of a day and so far, we haven’t seen anything wrong with her. Pregnancy has made this more of predicament then a placement. We will see how the baby is going and have her talk to the psychiatrist and go from there…Are you the baby’s father?”

Cameron smiled, “Yes, yes I am.”

The doctor smiled, “Well then let’s get this going, this way Andrea. She won’t be long.” And they left Cameron there, still smiling.

The memory of Piet talking last night stayed in the background of his mind, trying to make a surface of unknowing sadness, but Cameron still could not believe how lucky he was. Now that he remembered his time on Earth before becoming a spirit, he was certain that this time he was happier than that of any past that he had beforehand…And it unquestionably felt right, like the path that he was supposed to be on…

 

Andrea followed the doctor to a room that looked close to her normal doctor’s room. She had been to another room yesterday…When they had found out about her pregnancy the doctor had been able to lower her prognosis to minimum security and luckily she wasn’t able to take medication, in which she would have only minutes after the check-up.

The doctor sat down and started, “How are you feeling Andrea?”

Andrea shrugged, “I guess, still in a way…I don’t believe it.” And she still couldn't, she had only once thought that her emotions are going sky high because she was pregnant, every other time she thought that she was just going crazy! A few times she believed that she was actually in the right place, here at the hospital and in the mental ward! As much as she knew of the term ‘baby brain’ and doing silly things when pregnant, she felt like she really was going through something weird and strange. Was it because the father of the child is a spirit? Could it be normal for her to feel like this?

 

Andrea had never been pregnant before so…She wasn’t sure upon whether to tell the doctor that it felt like sometimes she blanked out…

Thinking of this, Andrea decided that she needed to talk to her sister in law, surely, she’d know…Yet…What if she doesn’t? What if Andrea could not talk to anyone simply because she had a different type of child growing within her?

…A sense of loneliness washed over her then…

The doctor let out a small laugh and said, “Yes, it can give people that impression sometimes, but you will begin to believe a couple of months in, when you start getting a bump and little kicks. Normally, it’s the father that doesn’t believe it until the child is laying in their hands…How are you feeling health wise?”

 

Andrea looked at her hands to think, “I, uh, feel ok. I think I have been stressed a little but nothing I can’t deal with. The worse was getting sick before I came here about four weeks ago, but I told you that yesterday, so yeah…Not much of a change since then.”

The doctor nodded, “Ok, well we’ll get a urine sample from you and check the heartbeat. If you’d like to do that now that would be great. Do you think the father would like to come in and hear the heartbeat?”

Andrea smiled, “Yes, he would!”

The doctor turned back to his computer and said, “Ok, you go do that for me and bring him back with you, I will see you when you return.”

The doctor then started typing, so she left with a little bottle.

 

Making her way back to the main area, where Cameron was waiting, she skipped to be in front of him. “Did you want to hear the heartbeat?”

Cameron was delighted, what a fantastic thing that they could do with the unborn. “Yes, of cause!”

Andrea put up the cup, showing Cameron what deed is to be done, and said, “Uh, I’ll be right back.”

Cameron couldn’t believe it, he knew his old memories included things like this, but he never really used to think of it much. He wasn’t going to have children back then…His work left him heartbroken for children and always thought that if he were to ever want children one day, that he would adopt instead.

 

Cameron remembered other thoughts of his old ways, of thinking of children out there that were hungry and only making another that needed food should not be the right method, that it had never mattered if it would have been his or not, and that…He had felt an immense want to look after all of them…

It did worry him to bring in yet another child when there were so many out there that needed help and support.... Cameron felt, for a moment, that he was a hypocrite and that he didn’t deserve to be a father, yet, at the same time, he felt an overwhelming feeling of being on the right path…

This child…It had to be born and he knew that but didn’t know why…

But with Andrea coming back, hiding her cup behind her back, he couldn’t help but smile.

He just wanted to be happy, even if it was for a short time!

He grabbed her hand and said. “Let’s go!”