Don't Want to Split

Chapter 23 - Brother And Sister

"Benjamin Halley is my father too, Doctor" Zefanya said softly. His voice was more like a groan of pain.

"Ooh.... "

Doctor Sandra only let out a word of expression that could describe her deepest feelings. Zefanya could feel how doctor Sandra was looking at him in a completely different way to before. It was clear that the smart woman before him was comparing Zefanya's statement with every last fact he had observed so far.

"Tell me. Is Benjamin Halley a sinister figure who often appears in your nightmares these endings?"

The Zefanya jerked, as if aware of something.

"Yes, right. He is someone who is always present in my dreams. How do you know that?" asked Zefanya astonished. "Are the twins really similar to his grandfather?"

Doctor Sandra shakes. "I've never seen your children. But from your previous story I suspect that the figure in your dream is your father-in-law" replied Dr. Sandra softly.

"O'yeah?"

Doctor Sandra nodded. "You told me this over and over again, madam. In my understanding it's like someone is threatening you, giving you pressure or something like that. I don't know for sure."

Zefanya's tears poured out, flooding both of her cheeks.

"When I heard your story today, I realized that the nightmare was your fear of someone."

"Yes. And it turns out that what I've been calling Papa is not really my real father." whispered Zefanya with a sore throat.

Doctor Sandra put both hands into her blazer pocket, her face remained calm as if unaffected by the shock.

"Right now I'm drawing the conclusion that Benjamin Halley himself told you his secret right when you came back from your honeymoon trip. Is my conclusion right?"

"Yes." Yeah."

"So the reason for your escape is the story of your father-in-law?"

"Yes." Yeah."

"Benjamin Halley wants to uncover his biggest mistake."

"Yes." Yeah."

"He could hardly speak at the time because of his illness. Then with stammering, he admitted that he had had an affair with my mother. After that, a priest came to perform the sacrament of the petroleum."

Doctor Sandra embraces Zefanya. "Miss, I don't know how to express my sympathetic pain to you. If only there was something I could do to ease your burden." - Doctor Sandra.

"I'd rather die in that accident, Doctor."

"I understand how you feel, ma'am. You've loved each other since you were a teenager. After that you live together as a husband and wife even if only for a short time. It must be very painful to think of our loved ones as brothers."

Doctor Sandra sighed. "Now I know why you've forgotten most of what happened in the past. You want to avoid pain by thinking of Ezra as a big brother so that feeling suppresses your memory. Pregnancy and childbirth are erased from your memory."

"Yes, you're right, Doc."

Zefanya cried sobbing in the arms of her doctor. His voice sounded so slashing, his shoulders were shaken as well. For a few minutes, Sandra's doctor let Zefanya vent her emotions. His hands gently rubbed the backs of his beloved patients. This woman needs something that can make her comfortable.

"There are two babies waiting for the love of their mother. You must endure, Madam. Stay alive for them! Your children need their mother."

"I know, Doc. But saying and living is a different thing. Just talk easy, do it takes more difficult." denied Zefanya in between sobs.

"I understand your concern, Madam. Fathers and mothers who come from one father are feared to have a genetic disorder. But, Honey... It's not necessarily the case, there's still a small chance your two children are okay. If I were you, I'd have a discussion with their doctor. That would be better than you guessed - frantic and scared every day."

Zefanya blinked her eyes. "That's what I'm supposed to do, Doc. I'll see the pediatrician as soon as possible." she replied determinedly.

"Good then. But, Madam. You have to be ready for whatever you face. Yet all of it would be better compared to facing all of this without any uncertainties."

"Yes. I have been feeling uneasy since I returned from my honeymoon" Zefanya said in a small voice. It felt like how he was trying to overcome his fear.

"O'ya. One more thing... "

"Yes?"

"You should tell your husband everything. All! There's nothing you cover from him." adds Dr. Sandra seriously. His eyes stared at Zefanya deeply.