Peace

Chapter 20: Eternal

The smell of disinfectant in the hospital reminds Bright of the bad times in his life. He paces back and forth in the hallway. His gaze is fixed to the slate grey floor. He hates waiting. It makes him think of the unthinkable and he is scared of the consequences. Cold sweat is dripping down his back. His hands begin to shake. To avoid people from seeing it, he slips them into his pockets.

"Bright," Wanchai calls. Win's family is also waiting outside the emergency room where Win is still in. Mantana is crying softly, thinking about her son's condition. Before Bright can say anything, the metal door slides open and a doctor comes out. He and Win's family rush to her with so much anticipation. "How's my son, doctor?"

The doctor nods a little at them as a greeting. "I'm Doctor Napasorn, Khun Metawin's doctor. First of all, his blood pressure is very low. I've administered some IV fluids in him. It should bring the pressure back to normal soon. Secondly, from the blood test, we discovered that Khun Metawin is four weeks pregnant," she breaks the news.

Everybody gasps in shock. Bright stiffens, not knowing how to react. "Bright, do you know about this?" Mantana asks. Mintra, Mesa and Mick look at each other in disbelief.

Bright shakes his head. "I don't, mama," he whispers. How could he? He has been so oblivious about Win's condition, his cravings, and his sensitive nostrils all this time. He thought it was just another phase for him. They are having a baby-a baby from the drunken sex they had that night.

Doctor Napasorn smiles. "His pregnancy is still at an early stage. The baby is looking good. We ran a few tests to confirm. It turns out Khun Metawin is, in fact, very capable of carrying a child. Right now, he is being moved to a room for recovery. He has woken up for a while now. May I know who the other father of the baby is?"

Bright comes forward. He can't find himself to utter a word of confirmation to the doctor's question, but deep inside, he knows the baby is his.

"Alright, may I see you in Khun Metawin's room? There are a few things that we need to discuss together," Doctor Napasorn makes a gesture for Bright to follow her.

"Hold on, doc. When can we see our son?" Wanchai asks.

"After I'm done discussing with the parents of the baby," Doctor Napasorn patiently replies to the father. "We won't take long, ka."

The next thing Bright knows, he enters a hospital room with Doctor Napasorn. Win is lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He hears some footsteps approaching, so he turns around on his side. When his eyes meet Bright's, the younger man is sucked into a pool of never-ending sadness. He places his hand on his flat belly, thinking about the baby—his baby.

"Now we have both parents in the room. I'd like to say congratulations," Doctor Napasorn enthusiastically smiles at the men. She is completely oblivious to the tight tension in the room. Bright stands quite far from the bed, afraid Win would want to throw up again if he stays near him. "What I'd like to discuss with you is the baby's progress. I'm a gynecologist in this hospital. Male pregnancy is rare and of course it's a little different from female pregnancy," she begins. "However, with advanced technology that we have now, we're able to lower the risks of everything."

Win unconsciously rubs his belly, thinking about the journey that he is about to embark. "Doctor, I have a question," he quietly says.

"What is it, Khun Metawin?"

The young man glances at Bright for a second before moving his gaze back to his doctor. "Bright and I were drunk when we had se—the intercourse. Will something bad happen to our baby?"

"You mean FASDs or the full name Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders?" The doctor pauses for a moment to let the new parents digest the fancy name. "Okay, let me explain to you about the disorders. It is usually caused by heavy drinking during the pregnancy. If you do that, your baby will highly likely have problems such as poor growth, birth defects like problems with their main organs, behavioral, coordination, or maybe delayed problems. In your case, did you only drink alcohol before the intercourse? What about after that?"