Mommy, Where's Daddy? The Forsaken Daughter's Return novel Chapter 2

Standing by the balcony of a residential flat, a girl in her early twenties was gawking at the Christmas lights.

Her elegant face forced a smile, seeing the busy streets of Monroe City. Her blue eyes gleamed, visualizing how happy she would have been with her father and grandmother.

For a moment, it reminded her of how her father had practically disowned her, how her stepsister took her father's attention from her, and how the same person stole the affection of the man she had loved for two years.

Samantha Davis made one mistake, and it led to her downfall. Not even her grandmother's pleading was enough to revive her standing within the Davis household.

The pain of being dragged outside her own home came rushing back, and it warranted a tear to fall down her cheek.

She sniffed away her sadness and wiped the wetness on her delicate face. Her nose flared, and she sighed. "Grandma, I miss you."

She looked up at the heavens and said, "Mom, I wished you did not leave me."

Her mother supposedly died when she was just a young girl, resulting in her father remarrying. A tragic car crash took her mother's life, burning the vehicle and her mother's body to ashes.

As the air blew against Samantha's golden hair, she looked down at her growing belly and traced the melon shape with both her hands.

Yes, life was living inside of her, and she was reminded of the wonderful blessing she had received. Some women could not bear a child, while she had two coming. Her grandmother, Matilda, repeatedly advised her of this.

A few hours before midnight on the twenty-fourth of December, Samantha sensed nostalgia, recognizing a kick in her 35-week-old belly.

For nearly nine months, she carried the fruits of her misreading. Despite the pressure coming from her father not to keep the babies, she made a motherly decision. Back then, something deep inside of Samantha convinced her that the babies she carried were hers to keep.

Sadly, however, her grandmother could not stay with her. Her father advised against helping Samantha, but Matilda, being the caring grandmother that she was, did so either way, in secret.

Samantha had been living with her aunt from her mother's side in Monroe city for six months. It was there that her grandmother sent her after being forsaken.

Her father, General Winfield Davis, was the appointed general in the country's military forces. Much was expected from him and his daughter that upon hearing that she fell pregnant before completing the military academy, Samantha became the talk of the town.

In her father's view, she smeared the name of the Davis family.

Many questioned how the great general was unable to educate his daughter and how Samantha was such a capricious girl for a cadet.

General Davis wanted Samantha to replace him in the military ranks. Despite having a dream of her own, she gave up on all her aspirations, so she could follow in her father's footsteps and continue the legacy of the Davises.

Yet, regardless of Samantha's previous sacrifice, it was not enough to cover for the dishonor she had brought her family. After being dismissed from the military academy, it was clear that the same tradition was bound to end.

In a blink of an eye, gone was Samantha's old prestige. The formerly known beautiful and desirable daughter of the General became branded as a disgraceful woman.

Clayton Brown, her boyfriend, a senior cadet from the same military academy, naturally did not own up to her pregnancy as he was not the man she shared an intimate night with on one disastrous night.

She fell pregnant at the age of twenty-one, and she knew nothing about the man she slept with.

While pondering about the horrors of her past, she heard her aunt Diana call out to her from the living room, "Sam, it's cold out there. Come inside. It's nearly midnight."

Samantha nodded and said, "Yes, aunt."

Her aunt aided Samantha as she took her seat in front of their small dining table, where they meant to share a glazed ham for their Christmas Eve dinner.

She suddenly recalled the lavish display of food their house used to prepare for such a day, and it made her wonder if her father ever thought about her. Just as she was thinking of this, she noticed water dripping down her legs. She felt chills down her spine when she realized her water just broke!

"Oh, no, aunt!" Samantha placed her hands on her belly and said, "The babies aren't ready yet!"

"Oh, dear," said her aunt. "We - we need to go to the hospital."

The next few hours were a mix of anxiety and perplexity for Samantha and her aunt.

On Christmas Eve, getting a taxi alone to the hospital was a struggle. The hospital, it being a holiday, was understaffed, and her gynecologist was unreachable for some time upon Samantha's arrival.

Contractions kicked in after just an hour of being brought to the maternity ward. From where she was settled, Samantha could hear the concerns of the nurses and the midwives as she cried in pain in each minute that passed.

"Dr. Wilma is already coming."

"There is no ventilator available for the babies."

"They may be able to breathe on their own. We'll see."

"What's going on? Please! Please tell me," Samantha cried her heart out, worried for her babies' sake. While her doctor warned her that twins often come out early, her recent check-ups suggested they were healthy.

Still, her doctor made advance preparations in case her twins would be delivered before reaching 36 weeks old.

The head nurse came to speak to her, warning her about her premature delivery. Samantha was told, "Miss Davis. Since the babies are coming out soon. We just want to let you know your babies may need mechanical ventilators to breathe - "

"No, I was - I was." She shut her eyes close, trying to bear the pain."Ahh!"