Single Minded Purpose

Driven to Desperation

Warning: The next two chapters deal with the highly controversial subject of termination of a pregnancy, also known as abortion. If this subject matter is too personal or offends your beliefs in any way, then do not read this chapter and the one after it.

Author’s Note: I know that in the sequels, the time between “Reloaded” and “Revolutions” is only a matter of hours, but I had to use a little artistic license and lengthen the time between them to over a week so the timeline of Sarah’s pregnancy could fit properly into my story.

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For two successive mornings, Sarah had awoken nauseous and ill. As she hunched over the bowl of the toilet and vomited yet again, an idea of what was making her ill came to her mind and she forgot about her illness. Can I be pregnant, she wondered, a joyous smile suffusing over her face. I have to see Mother about this; she will know for certain. She quickly got to her feet and hurriedly brushed her teeth before leaving the bathroom. As she had expected, Seraph had already gone and Sarah dashed around the apartment finishing getting dressed and left.

“Mother,” Sarah said in the Oracle’s kitchen a short while later, “I’ve been a little sick these last two mornings and I was wondering…”

She raised her eyes to her mother’s face and the Oracle could see how desperately Sarah wanted her mother to confirm what Sarah herself had already suspected. I know what has been making you ill, the Oracle thought, and if you only knew the truth, you would not be so happy about it, believe me. But I will not be the one to shatter your dreams concerning the life you are carrying within you by telling you that Smith is the father of your baby, not Seraph.

“Yes, Sarah, you are pregnant,” the Oracle said solemnly, but Sarah neither noticed nor cared that her mother told her this news with a grim expression on her face. Sarah clapped her hands in joy and hugged the Oracle tightly.

“I’m so happy, Mother! I have to get home and tell Seraph! Won’t he be surprised when he finds out?” Sarah asked happily.

He already knows, the Oracle thought sadly. She put on a brave face and congratulated Sarah as convincingly as she could.

As Smith had once done to Bronwyn, he had one of his other selves station itself across the street from her place so he could be kept up to date of her whereabouts at all times. The clone had his orders; he was not to approach Sarah in any way nor was he to impede her movements. His instructions were to keep watch and report to his creator where Sarah went and with whom. He reported to Smith that Sarah had gone to see her mother and how long the visit had lasted.

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“Sarah, where were you?” Seraph asked as soon as she came through the door. Instead of responding, Sarah threw herself into his arms and embraced him.

“I just came back from Mom’s and she told me some wonderful news, Seraph. I just found out that we’re going to have a baby!” Sarah exclaimed. Her smile faded at the expression on his face. Instead of being happy, Seraph looked anything but. He did not smile or say a word; he merely turned his back so Sarah could not see the pain that wrenched his heart.

“I’m glad,” he said woodenly, doing his best to appear pleased by her announcement. Remember, the Oracle had told him, in order for Sarah to think the child is yours, you have to give the impression that you are overjoyed with the news. For if you allow your true feelings to be seen, Sarah will know that something is not as it should be and she will begin to ask questions about your lack of pleasure from her news. I know it will be one of the hardest things you will ever have to do, but you must be convincing enough so Sarah will not be suspicious.

“I thought you’d be happy,” Sarah said hesitantly. “I mean, it’s our first child, but you don’t seem to care…”

“I do care, Sarah, and I am happy,” Seraph responded, taking her shoulders in his hands. “This is wonderful news. It just came as a bit of a shock, that’s all.”

Feeling buoyed by his change of emotion, she took his hand and guided it to her belly. “I can’t feel any movement yet, but I should be able to very soon.”

Seraph jerked his hand away from her womb as if touching her skin burned him. I will pretend to be happy for your sake Sarah, Seraph thought, but do not ask me to feel his child move within you.

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To Smith’s annoyance, Sarah did not venture outside of her apartment for several days. Morning sickness, he surmised. Perhaps it is for the best; for I know that many female programs have lost their offspring during the first week of pregnancy and the longer she is pregnant, the stronger my child will be. I know that everything is progressing normally because of the communication between my child and me. I can wait to see Sarah, there is no hurry; besides, she won’t be going anywhere.

The next time Smith saw Sarah, his eyes were immediately drawn to her swelling waistline. Since Sarah was naturally slender in build, her pregnancy was obvious now to anyone who knew her. As with Bronwyn when she still was pregnant, Smith felt his offspring was aware of his presence. The child moved sharply within its mother and Smith watched as she put her hand against her womb when she felt it stir, smiling softly to herself as she did.

Moving quickly through the crowd of people, it did not take Smith long to reach her side. Coming up behind Sarah, Smith reached out and touched her lightly on the shoulder. As she turned around, the smile on her face disappeared immediately when she saw who it was.

“I suppose congratulations are in order,” he said in his usual drawling tone. “Who is the father?” As if I don’t already know, Smith thought smugly.

“Well, it sure as hell isn’t you,” she said happily, beaming at him.

“If that is what they told you, then all of them are lying through their teeth.”

“What do you mean by that?” she asked sharply.

“What do you remember of that day?”

“The day you hit me? I don’t remember much; images, really. Nothing more.”

“Would you like to know the rest? There are gaps in your memory about that time, isn’t there? You’ve had doubts if what they told you was true, right? Would you like to know what they’ve kept from you? The blank spaces that, despite your best efforts, still continue to elude you?”

Sarah hesitated. He was offering to fill in the holes of her memory. Memories that had been taken away from her. Memories, no matter how bad, that belonged to her and was still being kept from her. Sarah would not have admitted it to Smith for the entire world, but she had remained awake late into the night for several nights running, desperately trying to force herself to remember something other than the one jolt of prophesy that had been revealed to her on the morning after.

There is a very good reason for that, her mind told her. You will only discover pain and suffering if you persist in knowing everything that happened. Turn back now before it’s too late. Walk away while you still can.

“The child you are carrying is mine,” Smith said, “and I can prove it.”

He put his hands on either side of her head. To the outside observer, the movement resembled a “Vulcan mind meld,” but its purpose was far more sinister--for Smith was not interesting in knowing her thoughts; rather, he was bringing back memories that should have remained out of Sarah’s reach forever.

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A whirling maelstrom of images rushed before her eyes—of being forced down on the floor of her living room, fighting valiantly against the act she knew was going to be perpetrated on her… So that part with the gun did actually happen, she realized, a horrible wrenching, sinking sensation in her stomach being torn inside out or so it seemed. She could feel the nausea begin again and hoped she could keep it under control and not humiliate herself by vomiting all over Smith’s expensive Italian shoes.

“No,” she moaned, jerking herself out of Smith’s grasp, thus ending the dreadful montage of her memories. Smith was right; there was little or no chance that anyone other than himself could be the father of her baby since she had been violated by Smith’s other selves several times.

The odds were not in her favour for she had been intimate with Seraph only once. Still, all a woman needed to conceive was one time and Sarah clung to this thin ray of hope like a drowning person would cling to a weed. Determined not to believe what he was telling her, Sarah shook her head forcefully and negated the validity of the images Smith had shown her.

“No,” she repeated. “It’s not true. This child is Seraph’s, not yours. You and your assimilated goons raped me several times but Seraph and I were together once; and in case you have forgotten your basic biology lessons, once is all a woman needs to become pregnant. What counts the most is proper timing--quality not quantity, you egotistical bastard,” she sneered. She jutted her chin at Smith an insolent challenge, daring him with a haughty glare in her face and eyes to disprove what she still hoped and prayed was the truth in spite what he had shown her thus far.

A rush of anger coupled with desire for her surged through Smith and he prepared to snake a long arm around Sarah’s burgeoning waist and draw her close to him. She foresaw his objective and nimbly moved away out of his reach. Angered by her rejection of his advances, Smith clenched his hand into a fist and attempted to throw out a powerful left hook, but an instinct deep inside Sarah reacted for her since her mind could not, and without being aware of what she was doing, she easily dodged the punch.

Astonished at her new-found ability to move so quickly and successfully so that she could evade his intention of striking her, Sarah could only stare stupidly at Smith and he smiled smugly at her reaction.

“See? My powers have already manifested themselves in you through the child you are carrying; because only an agent has the speed and reflexes needed to dodge a blow like the one I just tried to deliver. My child, Sarah, and I don’t think you require any further proof of its paternity.” Smith started to laugh; an evil mocking sound of his enjoyment at her dilemma reverberated all around her, filling her ears and mind to the point where she attempted to block out the sound by putting her hands hard against her head, but to no avail.

Horrified by the indisputable truth of her baby’s parentage, she turned and fled away from him, not looking back and running as fast as she could, as if distancing herself now from him could physically alter what was growing inside of her. Her stomach churned, and Sarah barely had time to turn sharply into a dead-end alley before helplessly dispelling the contents of her stomach onto the ground where she had the least chance of being seen by other passers-by.

Shaken and still nauseous, Sarah wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and waited until the feeling passed. Fumbling in her purse with one hand, she searched for the package of bubble gum that was buried at the bottom. When she found it, Sarah popped it into her mouth, chewing it quickly to rid herself of the taste of vomit.

The enormity of her situation overcame her and she hunched against the filthy brick wall, despair and anguish filling every circuit and every pore of her being. She gave in to her grief, holding back nothing, not caring who heard her or what they might think if they saw her—a well-dressed, pregnant young woman huddled in a darkened alley and sobbing as if her heart was breaking; when any other woman in her condition would have been happy and overjoyed by the thought of the life growing inside of her.

It was a long time before Sarah felt capable of moving. She was aware that a powerful headache was building behind her right eye and it would only be an hour or more before her migraine would become full blown in its extremity. She was physically and emotionally exhausted—the outburst of emotion she had just experienced robbed her of strength and the willpower to move, but Sarah forced her body to stand upright. Putting one foot in front of the other, she left the relative privacy and seclusion of the dirty alleyway for the busy and open thoroughfare of the shop-lined street.

What do I do now, she wondered, coming to a stop in front of a large department store’s display of the upcoming season’s newest fashion trends. She caught a glimpse of herself in the highly polished and spotless windows that reflected her image back to her. Instead of looking like a glowingly healthy expectant mother, she looked haggard and drained.

Why didn’t I see I should have seen it before, she thought, as she continued to stare at her reflection. All of them knew who the father of this baby was—Mom, Dad and Seraph, but they didn’t want me to know the truth. They didn’t tell me! Instead, they all lied to me as if I were a child that had to be protected from the big bad world and everything that was rotten in it...Every one of them lied to me, she thought angrily. The three of them conspired with one another to keep the truth from me!

Tears of betrayal coursed down her cheeks. If any of them—Mom, Dad or Seraph had cared anything about me, they would have told me the truth from the very beginning, but they chose to compound this lie. Any time during the last few days, they still could have been honest with me.

It all makes perfect sense, why didn’t I notice the signs of Seraph’s odd behaviour earlier? Every time I even mentioned the baby, he would grow quiet and distant. Now I understand why whenever I felt the baby kick, he was very reluctant to feel it for himself; I nearly had to force him. And when he did touch me, it was almost as if he was uninterested and unresponsive. I initially put it down to a case of nerves of being a new father, but he knew whose offspring I am carrying.

After that day, Seraph could never bring himself to touch me, and when I tried to instigate any intimate contact, he pulled away from me as if even the thought of being with me was repugnant in some way. I suppose that if I were in his shoes, I would probably do the same. In his eyes, I am tainted, infected with a revolting virus that makes him turn away in shame whenever he sees me. However, once I get rid of this thing inside of me, perhaps Seraph and I can go back to what we were before all of this nightmare happened.

I wonder how Bronwyn felt when she discovered she was also carrying Smith’s child, Sarah thought to herself. Did she feel as I do, sickened and disgusted or was she happy when she learned the news? Did she ever, even for a moment, consider getting rid of the life that was growing inside of her and how did Jones feel about her pregnancy? When he felt the baby move inside of Bronwyn, was he as disgusted as Seraph seemed to be when he touched me? Or was Jones able to realize that the child, like its mother, was another innocent victim of Smith’s actions? But most important of all, was he able to care and have feelings for the child even though it was not his own?

As if in response to her musings, the child within her kicked sharply. Annoyed that her thoughts had been interrupted, Sarah jabbed her belly harshly in retaliation. I hate what is growing inside of me, Sarah thought looking down at the swell of her distended abdomen. When I thought you were Seraph’s child, I loved you more than anything. Now that I know the truth about your paternity, I hate and despise you; I want you out of my body and out of my life, you vile parasite, she cursed. You are the fruit of Smith’s violation of my body for his own twisted perverse desire and amusement and it is you who will pay for the sins of your father. But how?

The sight of her bloated, coarsened figure in the glass sickened her and Sarah continued to wander along the street in a daze, not caring where she went, her mind desperately trying to come up with a solution for her dilemma. The angry blare of a car horn permeated her thoughts and angry oath from the driver awoke her from her contemplations.

“Jesus Christ, lady, watch where you’re going! You wanna get yourself and your baby killed?”

Inadvertently, she had not paid attention to the traffic light that had turned red by this time and she found herself in the middle of the intersection, several cars weaving their way around to avoid hitting her, horns blaring as they went past her.

She murmured an apology and hastened to step onto the safety of the sidewalk on the other side of the street. Of course, she thought, that’s my solution—I can get rid of this baby and be free of Smith forever, for his sole claim on me will be gone.

However, in my present condition, no certified ob/gyn will even consider doing a second trimester abortion, she thought. Because of the ridiculously short gestation period for female programs, it is already too late: for one of the principal laws governing programs in the Matrix is that after the first week of pregnancy, it is illegal to terminate a program’s fetus regardless of the circumstances. If I can’t do it with the consent of the law, then I will just have to get rid of this baby illegally. The method for the termination of an unborn child is the same as it would be for human mothers and if I can’t find a licensed ob/gyn, then I will just have to find an unlicensed one, Sarah thought and there is only one person who can help me find the one I have in mind…Max would know where she is.

Sarah directed her steps towards to the dingy club where she had once sought refuge from the upgrades—the same place where she and Smith had met a lifetime ago. Sometimes, knowing the rats who run in the sewers can be useful, she thought to herself with a wry smile.

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“Max, do you know where I can find that doctor friend of yours?” Sarah asked abruptly. “You know the one I mean, the one who can’t practice medicine anymore.”

His eyes scanned her figure with a surprised look. “Jeez, Sarah, it didn’t take you long to get knocked up did it?” His eyes narrowed as he looked at her.

“It’s not yours, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Sarah snapped. “Can you help me or not?”

“Yeah, I know where she is; she’s in hiding again.”

“She got caught doing another procedure, didn’t she?”

“Uh-huh. So she may not be anxious to hear from me.”

“Tell her I will make it worth her while. I’ll pay her whatever she wants.” Sarah sensed his hesitation and took his arm. “Please, Max, for old time’s sake, will you convince her to see me at least? I wouldn’t ask, but it’s important.” When he still did not answer, Sarah knew what she had to do and she got to her feet. “Fine, Max, you won’t help me, then I’ll go down to Oak Street and let everyone there know that girls who live in the west end can’t get help from you when they need it, they will now have to go uptown. And they will, too, taking the protection money they would have given you so you could hide them…”

“You don’t have to do that,” Max said hurriedly. Jesus, he thought, if she goes to my rival especially in that neighbourhood, that a helluva lot of money I can’t afford to lose. “Don’t go, Sarah, I’ll bring you to her; down here, we take care of our own.”

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“How far along are you?” the former physician asked Sarah, examining her with a light but competent touch.

“Almost a week,” Sarah answered truthfully. She knew that the doctor was a program and lying to her wasn’t going to solve anything—she knows the gestation period for our kind as well as I do. “If it helps any, the father is an agent, or was one.”

That means that the pregnancy is going to be accelerated exponentially, the doctor thought. She didn’t give me his name, but I don’t need a degree in rocket science to figure that one out—from the three original agents, Jones and Brown have been deleted leaving only one name left. Smith.

Like all beings that no longer served their original purpose and were now running shy of the upgrades, she had heard all about the exploits of the former agent. If he ever finds out that I am the one who terminated the pregnancy of the woman who carried his child, the treatment I get at the hands of the upgrades will be tame in comparison to what he will do to me.

In human terms, she is in already in her second trimester, and because Sarah is a program, it is already too late to do it with authorization and I can’t give her a name or two from my still-practising colleagues that I have a rapport with. “Because you are already in your second trimester, there are increased risks.” That’s an understatement, the ex-doctor thought to herself. I have never done this on a female program who was this far along—why the hell didn’t she come to me earlier, when she first found out she was pregnant instead of now, when with every passing moment, the task she wishes me to perform increases the risk to her life several times over?

But, she reflected, she is no different from any of the other frightened young women—human or not—that I have served in the past. Their pregnancies do not become real to them until they feel the first fluttering movements within themselves that announce the presence of the life they are carrying. And it is only then that they realize that they will become mothers in due course; thus resulting in the frantic search for any doctor who is willing to remove the life that is growing inside of them and enable them to resume their lives.

“I don’t care about the risks—just take this thing out of me!” Sarah snapped, jabbing her fingers hard into her stomach. “I don’t care what you have to do to get it out—use the end of a goddamn coat hanger if you have to! I will pay you whatever you ask and I won’t open my mouth afterwards. No matter what happens, I won’t sue you if anything goes wrong. Satisfied?”

The woman nodded.

“Can we do it today? Now?” Sarah asked hopefully.

“Not today, but tomorrow I can.” The gleam of hope that shone from Sarah’s eyes caught her by surprise. She must really hate the father if she is willing to risk her life like this, the former physician thought. She has felt the child inside of her move; even I was able to do that during my examination. By the way she is carrying on, one would think that this poor girl is carrying the spawn of Satan himself. But considering who the father of her child is, she is not that far off the mark.

“All right,” Sarah said grudgingly. “Where should we do this--do you have an office somewhere?”

“No, but I know this little out of the way motel that will serve my needs—it’s on the outskirts of town and the owner doesn’t ask any questions. However, there is the question of my fee…”

Sarah’s jaw nearly dropped when she heard the amount. Where the hell can I get even half that sum, she wondered, desperately thinking of someone, anyone, who had that much money at their disposal. Her face brightened when she realized that there was one person in the Matrix to whom money meant little, but that did not mean he did not reach for any money he could get his greedy hands on, always seeking more but never satisfied with the wealth he had already amassed.

“Money is no problem. When we meet tomorrow, you shall have it all in cash, I promise. But one more thing, should anything go wrong, I am going to ask that you do not make any intention to save this baby whatsoever. If my life has to be sacrificed in order to do this, then so be it. For if I do manage to survive,” Sarah said with a steely glare, “then I will let the local police and the upgrades know where they can find you and let them decide what is to become of you. Either way, you will face deletion or imprisonment.”

When the former doctor still hesitated, Sarah burst forth angrily, “if this child does manage to live, I will tell Smith exactly where to find you and you can deal with him.”

The woman swallowed, and Sarah watched as all the blood in her face drained, leaving it a sickly white colour, as she thought of what judgement she could expect at the former agent’s hands. She nodded her acceptance of Sarah’s terms and hastened away.

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It seems like a long time since I was here last, Sarah thought to herself, looking around at the opulent office of the Merovingian. He may be nothing more than a pompous French pouf, but he certainly knows how to decorate a room with taste and elegance.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Sarah,” the Merovingian said as he entered, indicating that she should have a seat. Sarah did so and glanced at Persephone who entered shortly after the Frenchman did and took her place at his side.

“I don’t mind, but I don’t have a lot of time.”

“I understand you need a loan?”

“Yes I do. It’s for…”

He smiled and waved her to silence. “I know why you are here—anyone who has eyes can see that you are carrying a child. And not just anyone’s child either; someone with whom you undoubtedly had intimate relations with and now that you find out it is his child, you seek to get rid of it.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Sarah snapped. “I need to know now if you will give it to me or not.”

“And why should I give you such an exorbitant sum, just like that?” he said, snapping his fingers.

Sarah leaned forward angrily. “Because Smith fu--screwed you just like he did me, that‘s why! He promised to give you the eyes of the Oracle when you told him where to find me, but he didn’t follow through on his end of the deal, did he? No. He took what he wanted from you and that was the end of it. Well, how about this: what better way can you demonstrate to him the price he has to pay for breaking his word than by giving me the means to kill his unborn child?”

The Merovingian sat back in his seat and steepled his fingers as he pondered Sarah’s argument.

“She has a very good point, my love,” Persephone said, glancing at her husband. “He did renege on his bargain with you, after all.”

“Yes, that he did,” the Frenchman said thoughtfully. “All right. I will give you the money and we will be even.”

Sarah sighed in relief. “Thank you,” she said gratefully.

“One more thing, Sarah,” Persephone said, “you and I have had our differences in the past, but I feel I must ask if you have found someone reliable to do this procedure? I mean no disrespect, but you are quite far along and it could be dangerous.”

I hope and pray you are not going to see whom I think you are, Persephone thought fervently. For every female program of childbearing age in the Matrix knows her name by now—that once-brilliant physician who lost her reputation and career in order to feed her addictions to one kind of painkiller or another. How many women have lost their lives because of her I cannot begin to count.

“Yes, a friend of mine is helping me,” Sarah said, “but I don’t know if reliable is the word I’d use, but she was the only one I could find. However, she is my only hope to rid myself of this...” she said, pointing to her swollen stomach. “I don’t care what I have to do, but I’m not going to carry this thing one day longer than I have to.”

The Frenchman glanced at his wife and she gave him the slightest of nods. With that unspoken acknowledgment of her approval, he reached into a drawer, pulled out the necessary amount and gave it to Sarah. Giving him a heartfelt smile of gratitude, Sarah took the money and left.

Once the door closed behind her, Sarah heaved a huge sigh of relief. A great load had been lifted from her shoulders in more ways than one--for not only would she soon be rid of the horrible incubus that was now growing inside of her, but during her search in her handbag for the gum, Sarah had discovered a long-forgotten bottle of powerful painkillers that had been hidden in the innermost and seldom used pocket.

Now that she knew the child was Smith’s, Sarah had no second thoughts about taking several of these drugs to ease her throbbing head. Considering what is going to happen to you tomorrow, she thought, grimacing slightly as she swallowed the pills dry, the effects of these pills on you now do not concern me in the least. I feel nothing towards you: no maternal instincts, no love and especially no remorse about what I plan to do with you. By this time tomorrow, I will be free. Sarah closed her eyes and welcomed the numbing sensation that spread through her system as the narcotic properties of the pills began to take effect.

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Both husband and wife were silent until the door had closed behind their visitor.

“For her sake, I only hope it’s not too late for the procedure to be done safely,” the Merovingian said, looking sideways at his wife waiting to see what thoughts she had on the subject.

“It is already too late,” Persephone said sadly. “She waited too long before coming to us. There is nothing good that can come out of this, you can be sure of that.”

“Will she die?” her husband asked quietly.

“No, but she will wish she had once Smith finds out what she tried to do. Sarah will unfortunately discover that inciting his wrath is not a wise thing to do.”

“Will he hurt her in retaliation?”

“Physically no, but there are other ways to make someone feel pain and anguish other than by physical means and you can be sure that Smith will never forgive her.”

“If he won’t harm her using force, what will he do then?” the Merovingian asked, perplexed.

“He will enslave her,” Persephone said. “Just like he did with Bronwyn. For a price, he will allow her to have contact with Seraph, but on his own terms and under his own set of conditions; and the only way she will ever be free again is if The One accomplishes a miracle and defeats him. Only then will she be free. Unfortunately, that will probably never be the case.”

“Why not?”

“Because with each program Smith assimilates, his power and strength grows. Whatever was in their programming will now become his—information, abilities, you name it—he will use to his own advantage to defeat Neo. Haven’t you sensed his growing powers?”

“I have,” her husband agreed dismally, “it’s like a storm cloud on the horizon, becoming darker and more ominous with each passing minute.”

“He knows he will be a father again soon and he’s making preparations.”

“For what?”

“It is called ‘nesting.’ He is taking over the Matrix so he can have this world exactly as he thinks it should be when his child arrives. And because the mother is a program, like us, that will be much, much sooner than the one he would have had with Bronwyn.”

“That is something I was never able to understand—the offspring of programs come in less than four weeks, but with Ms. Delaney, he had to wait the entire nine months. Why is that?”

“That’s because the mother was a human and he had to work around the confines of a normal human gestation period. But, despite the fact that the mother was human, his child would not have been. She would have been rejected by both us and the humans the moment she was born.”

“Was there something wrong with her?”

Persephone nodded. “Anything from the seed of Smith would be as evil and twisted as he is, no matter who the mother and I hope that Sarah can rid herself of her burden before it warns Smith what she is doing to it.”

At the Merovingian’s startled look, she continued with a wan smile. “It tells him by some means I do not understand, what she is feeling but not, fortunately, what she is thinking. Smith and his unborn child have a powerful connection. If the doctor Sarah has procured for herself anesthetises her, the child will be incapacitated as well and unable to send Smith a warning of any kind. That is Sarah’s only hope to get rid of this child and with any luck, emerge from that woman’s blunderings and be able to live a long and happy life with the man she loves.”