By Appointment Only

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Hours had gone by since Stacie went inside. Raylin knew it shouldn’t be taking this long, but she had strict instructions not to enter the building—under any circumstances. She was to stay parked down the street, or around the corner. No lingering in front of the building. If anything went wrong, they would call her.

Out front, the building was advertised as a night school for adults. Inquiries and interviews available by appointment only. The front door couldn’t be opened without a code. There was always a folder next to the handle with pamphlets full of information about the different classes available, and a number to call for more information. Many people were asked to come in for interviews—but they were never instructed to present to this location.

Inside, there were no classrooms, computer lounges, or libraries. There was a maze of hallways and locked doors that hid medical equipment, operating rooms, and recovery areas. It was run by an underground community of doctors, nurses, and assistants that knew how dangerous it would be for women to start trying alternative options for terminating pregnancies.

They knew abortions wouldn’t stop. Everyone knew that, regardless of the laws that were being passed and the punishments women could face. Everyone knew because they knew the reasons that women sought out abortions wouldn’t go away.

Raylin didn’t even want to think about Stacie’s reasons. It hurt her every day that she couldn’t take away Stacie’s pain. But she could help with this. This was the one thing she could do.

Stacie would have to spend the next couple of nights with her—someone had to be with her just in case. Raylin tried not to think about the “just in case.” It would be almost impossible to get help right away if something went wrong. The clinic was too far away and they wouldn’t be able to just show up at the emergency room. They would never be able to tell anyone about this…

Raylin scrolled through some apps on her cell phone again, trying to push the negative thoughts from her mind. This was going to be hard enough without her imagining the worst-case scenario every few minutes.

The clock on the dashboard confirmed that it had been almost three hours since Stacie went inside. Raylin did a mental scan of all the information they had been given a couple of weeks ago of what to expect. They said she would be out in an hour…they said they would call…they didn’t say…

Finally, Stacie appeared. She rounded the corner just as Raylin was making up her mind to walk to the building in search of some answers. Raylin didn’t ask why it took longer than expected, she was just relieved that Stacie was alright.

They drove back to Raylin’s house in silence. Tears flowed from Stacie’s eyes, but she didn’t make a sound. Raylin caught a glimpse of her face, and the relief she’d felt only a few moments before disappeared. The worst of it wasn’t over, it had just begun.

Written By: S.M. Grady

© 2019 S.M. Grady

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