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Wednesday - September 15

Aunt Ruth looks at her and with a loving, gentle smile she whispers to Claire, "Dear, it's all right. I know about the baby."

Stunned by what Aunt Ruth said, Claire stutters, "You what... what? You know? How do you know?" Claire releases herself in disgust from Aunt Ruth's arm and begins to head for the bathroom.

Following Claire, Aunt Ruth says, "Dear, please, do not be mad. I know everything. I know about your parents, Gerald, Daniel, and even Raymond."

Claire turns around with bits of vomit and saliva falling from her robe, and says, "What? You know about Mom and Dad? You know about Gerald, Raymond, and Daniel?" Not understanding how Aunt Ruth knows anything, Claire, totally pissed off, takes a step towards Aunt Ruth, and giving her a cold, hard stare says, "And you know about..."

"Everything," Aunt Ruth interrupts, "especially the baby, because it was planned, Claire. Gerald, Raymond, Daniel, your parents, myself, and others have been waiting for this time to come. We've worked immensely hard to make sure everything goes smoothly, and that you, John, and the baby will be immune from what's happening to the many lost souls out there," she explains, as she points out the window.

As Claire continues to stare at Aunt Ruth, she can only shake her head no. She takes a glance at the mess on the front of her robe, turns around and enters the bathroom. Before closing the door, Claire turns her head sideways to give a harsh, repulsive look to Aunt Ruth, and then slams the door shut.

Walking towards the sink, as she steadies herself by holding onto the counter, Claire looks at her reflection in the mirror and says, "What in the hell? She knows! Aunt Ruth knows! Who else knows?"

Knowing that her reflection is unlikely to respond to her questions, Claire begins to disrobe herself to get ready for a much needed shower. She sets the timer for ten minutes. The government's standard is five; but today, she could care less about the government and its standards.

Testing the temperature of the water, Claire is anxious to step in to wash away the morning sickness that she appears to be experiencing a lot more lately. Standing still, she comfortably enjoys the shower jets of clean water as they wash away the upheaval of her breakfast. Millions of people don't have the luxury of water, or even eight ounces to drink daily. She thinks to herself how lucky she was to have parents who provided such luxury for her. Beginning to feel guilty about her selfish thoughts, Claire opens the shower door and sees that by standards she only has three and a half minutes left. She closes the door and starts to wash more vigorously.

Turning off the water, Claire steps out of the shower and notices she went over government standards by one minute. "Who cares?" she says, as she continues drying. "I feel so much better!" When she finishes drying, Claire stands in front of the mirror and turns sideways. She runs her hand over her tummy to see if her pregnancy is noticeable. "Not yet," she mutters. With her tummy flat, she takes in a deep breath and exhales, pushing her stomach muscles outward, holding it for a few seconds as if she were in her second trimester, she rubs her hand over her tummy. After a few seconds, her stomach muscles relax, returning her tummy to her youthful figure. Knowing that her tummy will eventually expand, she begins to wonder how she's going to hide her pregnancy. Claire's thoughts become interrupted by a knock on the bathroom door. She looks for her robe, but remembers it was soiled by this morning's catastrophe. Looking for something to wrap around her, she quickly reaches into the closet and snatches another towel. Hurrying to get decent, Claire accidentally scratches herself on her arm, and says, "Damn!" out loud.

"Claire? Claire, its Aunt Ruth. Are you all right, dear? Do you need any help?" she asks through the bathroom door.

As she secures the towel, Claire manages to blurt out, "I'm fine. I'm drying off. I'll be out in a few minutes, Aunt Ruth."