Chapter 283 - Pregnant (1)

At the hospital, Mimi absently stared out the window.

"You're more quiet than usual." Henry Hirogori's voice broke her from her dazed state.

She looked back and quirked up her lips. "That makes you very happy, doesn't it?"

He just grunted, his answer unclear to her surprise. But she was sure it was in agreement. Nonetheless, she felt the urge to tease him.

"Oh? Are you perhaps starting to enjoy my company?" Her brows raised.

"Did the doctors tell you how long it will be before I die?" He grumbled.

Mimi clicked her tongue and sighed. "No. But if you would like assistance to leave this life early, I'm sure any member of your family will gladly volunteer."

The withered man on the bed stared daggers at her. With a light laugh, Mimi reverted her gaze to the window.

"Time really has changed in such a short amount of time. It's a little scary." Her voice was soft.

"You? Scared?" Henry Hirogori's brows raised. His voice was filled with doubt. Clearly remembering the time had put her through days of simulations.

She chuckled. "Of course. I am human, after all. It's normal to be scared."

The older man just humphed. Laughing softly, Mimi stood up to leave, only for her to stumble, knees buckling to the floor. Shocked, Henry Hirogori jolted upright, but seemed to stop himself upon registering what he had done.

He watched the girl stabilize herself on the chair and frowned.

"What was that?"

"It's nothing. I think I just ate something bad. Hospital food isn't the best quality, you know." She still joked, despite her somewhat pale face.

Not saying anything more on the matter, he sank his head back into the pillow. Upon arriving at the door without any sign of the former incident, Mimi suddenly smiled.

"You know...for a moment there, you looked a little worried for me." Despite the tease in her tone, her eyes were amused.

"If that's what you thought, then you're a fool." Her father snapped.

Sighing, Mimi left the room and took the elevator to the bottom floor. Outside the hospital doors, she stopped. A breeze rustled passed, a shiver coursing through her spine. Glancing over her shoulder, her eyes fixed on the large building.

Drawing in a deep breath, she closed her eyes. Once opened, she turned around and walked. Back inside the hospital walls.

...

Tobias came back home as usual. But this time, everything was quiet. The lights were on, female shoes were at the front door, but there was silence. No girl came out to welcome him back, nor the scent of burnt food.

Taking off his jacket, Tobias looked around the apartment, and to his surprise, still no sight of the girl in the living room.

"Mimi?" He opened the closed doors and finally came upon the bedroom.

All the lights had been turned off. Straight away, he was able to see the figure lying on the bed in a fetal position. He breathed a sigh of relief. He crawled on the bed, and brought the girl into his embrace, carefully hugging her.

"I'm home." He whispered and kissed her cheek.

Rather than responding to his affection, Mimi was silent. She nestled obediently in his embrace. She didn't move and didn't say anything. Tobias was quick to notice something was wrong.

"Mimi?"

Slowly, Mimi turned around to face him. Her expression was dull as wood.

"What's wrong? Are you sick?" The man gently placed his hand in her soft forehead. He frowned. No fever.

He placed another hand on her soft cheek and found it to be a normal temperature. But the glazed, almost expressionless look on her usually bright eyes worried him.

"Tobias..." The girl's surprisingly hoarse voice called him.

"What? What is it?" His hand reached up to stroke her cheek, gently tucking the hair behind her ear.

Mimi blanked out for a few seconds before she licked her pink lips to speak again.

"I went to the hospital today."

Tobias's brows furrowed. "Did something happen with your father?"

She shook her head and slowly rose on the bed. Tobias followed her, a hand resting on her thigh in comfort.

"I went there to see him. But after...I went to take a test." She said in a low voice.

Tobias looked at her. "What kind of test?"

Looking up into the man's dark, deep eyes, Mimi hesitated.

Her head lowered and in a hushed almost unheard voice said, "A pregnancy examination."

Tobias's entire body froze. The hand on her thigh grew stiff.

After a moment of silence, he asked softly. "And?"

Mimi stared down at her fingers, fiddling with them. "Well, it first started with me getting tired more often. But then I thought that was normal."

"Mhm," Tobias grunted.

"Then I also noticed I was getting hungrier than usual, which I also thought was normal."

"Mhm."

Mimi pouted and whispered, "I even gained a few pounds."

"I haven't noticed." He said simply.

She faintly smiled at the man's remark, but her expression turned serious once more.

"But then...I've been feeling nauseous lately. And...I missed my period."

"Mimi," Tobias's voice was slightly shaking as he continued, "Are you pregnant?"

She looked up at him, hesitant. Finally, she nodded her head.

"I'm pregnant."