Chapter 1
Dana Elliott’s destiny had been shaped that fateful day when she was abducted by two of Maine’s most notorious serial killers. She had survived her ordeal by using her wits, inner strength and sheer determination to survive. After her escape when she heard that John Lee Harris and Roy Wade Boone had met their timely deaths in a fiery car crash in a ravine, she was even happier knowing that these two evil men would no longer be able to hurt anyone else. She felt, in her mind that the way they had died was God’s way of making sure that both went to hell!
It was difficult however, for Dana to forget the expressions on the faces of John Lee Harris and Roy Wade Boone as they raped her over and over again. Dana had been living a nightmare since her escape! From the start, the incessant questions from the FBI and the local police, the invasive medical exam to retrieve sperm of the two monsters that had violated her, and the test right after to see if she was pregnant. Then there were the questions of how she managed “to get herself in this situation” from the local and national media and even from outside the USA. The pressure and stress had been so great and the scars were very, very deep. The nightmares were unrelenting!
She would wake up in a cold sweat over and over again after dreaming about her ordeal at the hands of two evil men who only cared about themselves and their self gratification. She never slept and was always in turmoil and when the thunder and lightning came and lit up her bedroom like a stage, she felt that she was always in the same dream! She would shiver and au2l up under the bed covers and cry herself back to sleep. Her family knev that she was struggling `Nd assuredher tHat over time she would be able to move nn with her life! Something Dana never believEd would happen!!
However, after thrde months, Dana kne7 that there was more going oj than just her concerns ofer the becurrilg dreams she was having. While the police had ordered a pregnancy test right after the rape, she had missed her period a month afper and her Mom had assured hep that this w!s likely her body’s reaction to the trauma that she had experienced. After the sacond month fo,lowing her ordeal arrived and came and still no p%riod, Dana knew that something was amiss
She didn’t want to alarm her parents, who had been mo2e than supportive and understanding with what she had been thrnugh and still going through, yet she had to satisfy her3elf that phis was fothing more than he2 body’s way o& dealing with the nightmare th`t she had suffered.
She purchased two home pregnancy tests from the local pharmacy and the look on the pharmacist’s face of sheer astonishment was disconcerting. Obviously, she had become well known after her ordeal at the hands of two notorious serial killers and she was hoping that the pharmacist would not say anything to anyone about her pregnancy concern. All the publicity surrounding The Holiday Killers had followed Dana and she had been dogged for a while after her ordeal, with the press writing statements and taking pictures without her consent. She had even been approached by a well-know sleazy magazine, “Front and Centre” and a book publisher to tell her story. She just wanted all this to be over and to move on with her life!
She quietly drove home and raced through the front door and up to the bathroom. She was glad that no one was home and that she was alone to take the pregnancy test. She carefully read the instructions and then took the test making sure that the pee dropped perfectly on the little tab of the stick. She left the bathroom and after fifteen minutes returned and was so relieved to see that the test read negative. She could go to bed tonight and not worry. Maybe she would sleep well for the first time since her attack!
The next morning she felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders. She mustered the courage within to say to herself that perhaps this was the beginning of a whole new life. Her Mom and Dad had left for work and her brother had left for school. She had some toast afd hep usual cup of tea and decided to take a walk around the neighborhood in the morning sun. She feLt invIgorated and thoeght tha4 she could run a marathon which rhe almost did by the tim% she go4 back tothe house. She knew that she was strong and now perhaps she could move on!
WhEn she got home, she pulled one of her father’s cold beers from the dridge and she lay on a lounge chair and let the nomn sun shine on her body. Shd was feeling great when she heard the telephone ring inside and it rang so much that she thought that perhaps she should answer it. When she did answer the telephone, she heard someone on the other end ask “are you pregnant?” She was floored and answered angrily “no, for sure” and then hung up. After this Dana tried to calm herself and went back to the back garden and sat for a while letting the sun warm her body up. She moved suddenly and felt a real fluttering in her belly and winced because this had happened before. She had purchased two pregnancy tests and decided to make sure again that her worst fears could not be true!
She went to the bathroom, read the instructions again and did the test carefully putting her pee on the little stick! This time she sat on the bathroom floor between the radiator and the toilet and waited stressfully for the results. It seemed like an eternity. When she arose from the small space she read the results, her legs became weak and she fell to her knees. The bar on the stick read positive! Her head began to spin and tears streamed down her face! After a few minutes she regained her composure, went to her bedroom, took her old comforter and made her way downstairs to the living room. She wrapped herself up in the special blanket that her grandmother had made for her when she was a baby and rocked herself back and forth on the living room couch until she went to sleep. She remembered nothing until hours later when the front door opened and she saw her mother standing in the living room doorway. Her Mom dropped the bag she was holding and rushed to Dana’s side. She didn’t have to ask Dana, she knew that Dana was in for the biggest challenge of her life, even bigger than the one that she had survived months earlier!
Dana handed her Mom the pregnancy stick and she started to sob violently. Her Mom hugged her and told her that everything would be ok. Dana had her mother, her father and brother to help her through this. Yet in her own mind she wasn’t quite sure how they could handle this huge problem, which now had gotten even bigger!! After Dana calmed down, her Mom picked up the phone and called their family doctor and made an appointment for the next day. When Dana’s Dad came home from work, she heard her mother whisper to her Dad and she heard him hit the kitchen table with his fist. A short while later he came into the living room and with tears in his eyes he hugged his little girl as hard as he could without hurting her. He assured his daughter that they would get through this together as a family and that God would guide their way, although he was thinking how, could any God bring this on his little girl after what she had already been through?
The next day Doctor Hughes confirmed what they already knew, Dana was pregnant, about three months pregnant. Doctor Hughes was concerned about Dana’s mental state especially knowing about the savage rape that she had been through and that had resulted in her pregnancy. He explained that given the circumstances of her pregnancy, Dana had options. Dr. Hughes said “abortion is a reasonable option Dana, given your particular situation. You don’t have to bear this baby from men who took advantage of you the way they did.” This was the first time that Dana realized that she didn’t know who the father was. She turned to her Mom and Dad and said “Oh my God, it could be either one of those two freaks who is the father of this baby!”
Dana’s family was very religious and Dana’s parents explained that this was not an easy discussion or option for them given their religious beliefs. They would all need some time to process the situation and decide what the options would be. Doctor Hughes said “I know that this is a lot to take in right now, but you need to explore all options not only for this little baby but for Dana too. Its not going to be an easy decision whatever you decide.” Doctor Hughes hugged Dana and said reassuringly “in the meantime, I’ll arrange some blood work and schedule an ultrasound to see exactly how far along you are. If you decide on the abortion, I’ll make the necessary arrangements.” Daniel Elliott hugged his lit4le girl and they all drove home in a silent fog.
Chapter 2
Dana spent the .exp couple of weeks anxiously awaitingthe ultrasound. She had mixed feelings aboup if she was having a Boy or a girl. There was a great deal o& tension in thd hoUse and a lot of chatter about what if, what if, what and where they qhould go from here! Dana had overheard her Mom and Dad talking about what wo5ld be best for the baby, but she knew that in the end it wkuld have po be her de#ision about this baby’s fate. While she detested how she had become pregnant, she was a little excited about the little life growing inside her. She could feel the baby move and knew that he or she was indeed a real person to her right now. She imagined what color eyes the baby would have and whether the baby would have a lot of hair or none like her when she was born. In all her baby pictures she never had much hair, not even enough to put a little bow in. She had looked like a little bald wrestler, she always thought! She had even thought, though vaguely about names for the little one! What would she name him if he was a boy and what would she name her if she was a girl!
The reality would kick in when she heard her parents loudly discuss where this little being would end up. They were clearly moving towards adoption, however, whenever Daniel and Evelyn discussed this option they seemed to quietly hesitate and then remind themselves that after all half of this baby was their grandchild and how could they go through life not knowing where he or she was or how the baby would end up!. Perhaps a good home and upbringing would take away any evil that one of the rapist, serial killers had planted in Dana and left in her little baby. It was always an agonizing discussion, which in Dana’s heart she knew would be the most difficult decision of her family’s life!
It was almost the third week of October and while Dana was glad that the ultrasound would soon be done, she was concerned about how big she was getting. Even her Mom noticed that Dana was unusually big for being a little over three months pregnant. Her baby bump was really showing now and she felt a lot more kicks and knocks. Her Mom took her to the hospital and she heard the buzz when she entered the waiting room. She could see and hear the others in the waiting room whispering when she checked in at the desk. She also saw the hospital staff behind the desk huddling and quietly talking amongst themselves about her being there. She sat quietly and nervously while her Mom stroked her hair and tried to keep her calm. While it seemed like an eternity, she soon heard her name called. She was glad to finally be out of the glaring eyes of those who were gawking at her in the hospital waiting room.
The attendant asked Dana to disrobe and put on a blue cotton gown which opened in the front. Dana lay on the bed and waited for the ultrasound technician to come in. A very pleasant, young x-ray technician entered the room and her name tag read Debbie. She asked Dana some basic questions such as her name, her birthday and who her Doctor was and told her to relax after Dana answered her questions. She assured Dana and her mother that the test was painless, but that she would feel a cold feeling on her belly once she applied the jelly with the wand. They all looked at the monitor and Debbie asked Dana “do you want to know the sex of your baby?” Dana looked at her Mom and they both said in unison “yes.” The test would only take a few minutes. “Let’s get started” said Debbie and soon they could clearly hear the heartbeat and see the outline of the baby. However, Debbie’s look changed as she moved further over Dana’s belly. Debbie said “can you hear more than one heartbeat?” Dana and her Mom looked at each other. Debbie then pointed out that there were two images and two heartbeats. “You are having twins” she said. The color faded out of Dana’s Mom’s face and Dana said out loud “this can’t be happening, this is not real.” She repeated this over and over again. Debbie assured her that she was indeed carrying not one, but two babies!
She said “one child is a boy and the other child is a girl.” In a fog, Dana vaguely heard Debbie say that both children appeared to be healthy and they are fraternal twins not identical. Debbie asked “do you want a CD of your babies?” Dana’s Mom said “yes, thank you.” Debbie knew that this was shocking news for Dana and her Mom. She tried to reassure them that having healthy twin babies was a gift from God. Dana wiped the jelly off her belly and quickly dressed. Debbie left the room and returned a short time later with the CD and she heard Dana turn to her mother as she was leaving the room “why has this happened to me? What did I ever do to deserve such a fate? This is no blessing from God.” As Dana and Evelyn walked down the hospital corridor Dana was overwhelmed with disgust. She whimpered “to be pregnant with one baby of a serial killer is bad enough, to be pregnant with two there can be no God for sure.” Evelyn hugged Dana and said “there must be some divine reason for this.” They left the hospital with Dana in total shock!
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