When Mr. and Mrs. Miller finally left to go home, Darren and Amber looked at each other and smiled. What a relief. All had gone well, even much better than expected considering that they had no time to prepare or rehearse their stories for a meeting with Peggy’s parents like that.
“Okay, Peg. Time to get back to that treatment. We don’t want to disappoint the doctor, or your parents. The treatments do make you feel better, don’t they?”
Peggy nodded.
“Good,” said Amber. She helped Peggy get comfortable on her bed, got the machine in place, and started the routine. “Just relax now, Peggy. Take a little nap if you want.” Amber turned off the lights in the room. The curtains were already closed so there was only a small amount of light seeping into the room through the curtains.
Before leaving the room, Amber removed the palm screen from Peggy’s purse and held it hidden in her hand. After closing the door to Peggy’s room, Amber went out to the front room and sat beside Darren. Bryan had been napping since before the Millers came and was still quietly sleeping in their bedroom. They finally had a few minutes to relax together.
“That was close,” whispered Darren.
“Why do you say that?” asked Amber. “I thought I answered all their questions perfectly.”
“You did. But Peggy could have totally messed things up if she had opened her big mouth and said some of the things she’s blurted out to us in the past.”
Amber thought for a moment. “Yeah, she can be a real pill at times. I guess we’re lucky this wasn’t one of those times. The treatments really seem to help her stay stable.”
After talking for several more minutes, Amber went to check on Peggy, and found her standing beside the bed holding the 4M machine’s plug in her hand. She’d unplugged in from the wall.
“What are you doing, Peggy?”
Peggy spun around and faced Amber. “I know what you and Darren are up to,” she said. “You’re giving me 4M treatments so you can make me give up my baby. Just because you think you have my mom and dad on your side doesn’t mean it’s going to work. Now where is my purse? I’m going home.”
“Darren,” Amber shouted. Darren was at the room in a few seconds. “Keep her here,” she whispered to him as she walked past him out of the room, “while I go get some love potion. We’re going to have to take her to the clinic for a strong treatment this time.”
Looking at Peggy, Darren tried to have a soothing tone while he asked, “What’s wrong, Peggy?”
“What’s wrong is this: you guys are keeping me here against my will. I had no idea what you were up to until I began to wonder about why you had this machine and why you were giving me doses every day. So last week I decided to unplug it after you left the room, then plug it right back in so you wouldn’t know. I’d pretend to nap.”
She continued, as Amber came back into the room. “After about four or five days without treatment my head started to get clearer. And I wondered why you were doing this to me. I’ve overheard you talking at times and I think I’ve finally figured it out. You want to use my baby for the Class Advance program or something like that.” She was getting more agitated now, her voice escalating higher and louder. “Why don’t you use your baby for that, Amber? You don’t really have an adopting family lined up, do you? Why don’t…”
Just then Amber pushed her down hard onto the bed and jumped on top of her. It looked pretty comical considering they were both eight months’ pregnant. Peggy thrashed around and tried to hit Amber. When Peggy started to scream, Amber slapped her hard across the face. Peggy tried to scream again and Amber slapped her hard again. Peggy stopped screaming and started crying. “Why? Amber, why?”
“Hold her arms,” Amber whispered to Darren. With one hand squeezing Peggy’s face and holding her jaw open, she used her other hand to place a finger with some date rape gel on it into Peggy’s mouth, rubbing it inside her cheek where Peggy could not bite down on her finger.
Then she held Peggy’s jaw closed. Peggy continued to thrash and moan. “Peggy, you can’t raise a baby. This is best for everyone. We’re just trying to help you so why do you keep fighting it?”
Within thirty seconds, Peggy was knocked out. Amber got off of her and said to Darren, “I gotta wash this off my hands or I’ll be next to drop.”
As Amber left the room, Darren got the 4M machine in place and started a treatment routine again. This time, Peggy wouldn’t be pulling any plugs. And from now on, they’d have to watch her like a hawk.
After a few minutes, Amber returned to the room. “Bryan slept through the commotion.” Looking at Peggy, she said, “When she revives enough to walk, we’re going to have to take her in for a stronger treatment at the clinic. We should do clinic treatments more often, too. We’ll have to take shifts watching her twenty-four-seven until the baby comes. Let’s set up a camera in her room. She’s on to us.”
Returning to the front room, Darren and Amber sat down on the sofa again. Darren looked over at Amber. “Do you still think we’re doing the right thing?” he asked.
“Part of me feels sorry for her. I really do feel for how hard it must be to have a baby then give it up. It would be like me, right now, having to deal with giving up our baby,” Amber said as she looked down at her belly and rubbed it gently.
“But another part of me knows that Peggy can’t possibly raise a baby on her own. She’d have a hard enough time just supporting herself, let alone a baby too. And I’ve gotten the impression that her parents really don’t want to take on any of the responsibility either. So, it really is best for all.” Amber paused. “She’s not going to fuck this up for us.” She looked unsure of what she just said.
“It’s one thing to help her give up her baby to an adopting family,” Darren continued. “But to give her 4M treatments and trick her into a curtain delivery and State handover? Have we gone too far?”
Amber didn’t reply.
“Is she going to remember you slapping her?” Darren asked.