I Need a Doctor – A story of the Girls

part 1: Aria- December 12/A Small Chapel

"Aria, are you alright?" I hear Hanna question me, and from the isle way, she squeezes my hand, to comfort me. This is like Déjà Vu, because all I can think is that Hanna did the same thing for me at Ali's funeral. It doesn't make any sense though, because this day is supposed to be a happy one. Hanna, Emily, and I are in a small chapel now, for Spencer's wedding rehearsal. Our best friend Spencer will be getting married next month, but not to the boy she's always loved. Toby will be a wedding guest, just like the rest of us, and the Groom will be a guy that Spence hardly knows. All four of us have parents who seem to be plotting to defeat our very happiness as we know it. Four arranged Marriages have been set up by these very same parents, to take place within the next six months. After Spencer, it's my turn, and I'd do anything in the world to free myself from this upcoming nightmare. I better give Hanna some sort of answer though.

"I'm fine." I tell Hanna, at last. She sadly smiles at me then, as if she knows exactly what's on my mind. My own inner demons threaten to consume me if I don't soon find a way out of this 'Arrangement', but I also worry about my three best friends. Emily is the one that worries me most. Our parents have set her up to marry my very own brother, Mike. Now, since all of us are under eighteen years old, there's nothing we can do about any of this. In Rosewood, however, parent-arranged teen marriages are legal. It's just my luck that the state I live in would be the only state in the U.S.A. to legalize this sort of conspiracy. Gotta love freaking Pennsylvania! Anyway, the real reason I'm so worried about Emily is that, well.. she could never love my brother, or any guy at all. Emily is a lesbian.

Yeah, Em 'came out' to her parents last year, and her mom has resented that part of her daughter ever since. I also admire Emily though. In some ways, I think she's stronger than Hanna, Spencer, and I combined. I mean, think about it, all this time, she's been hiding who she really is, and when she finally does come out, her mom blows up, but Emily still manages to be firm in what she feels. I wish I had that kind of courage. All of Emily's strength may be for nothing though, if she truly is forced to marry my brother. Ezra invades my thoughts as well these days. My English teacher, the man I really love. It fills me with intense grief that I won't be able to marry him. Sometimes life just isn't fair, Not to Ezra, me, Spencer, Toby, Hanna, Caleb, Mike, Emily, or the girl she might have come to love. Nothing seems fair now, to any of us.

Part 2: Spencer- December 20/My Room

I feel so alone today, so trapped in my own skin. Last week was my wedding rehearsal, and I'm supposed to be happy, but as I sit alone on my bed, in my room, I'm far from happy. Very far. My dad set me up with one of his students after mine and my friends' parents came to this 'Arranged Marriage' agreement. They say it will help us structure our lives. Don't they all mean.. tare our lives apart? I don't know, but my dad teaches at Harvard and this student of his is really smart. He's nice, too. So why don't I love him? Maybe because I love Toby. Ugh, I need my friends, I Think I'll ask them over.

Thirty minutes later, that same day.

"Thanks for coming you guys, I really need friends today." I say, as I open the door for Aria, Emily, and Hanna. "No problem Spence." Hanna replies. "What are friends for?" Emily chimes in. I lead them into my kitchen, where we all sit at the granite counter. "How are you feeling about this marriage thing, Spence?" Aria finally asks me. I sigh. "Horrible." I tell her. All three of them speak at once. "Me too." They say. "What are we gonna do, you guys?" Emily asks, after a moment. "There's nothing we can do, Em, we're not legal adults yet." Aria answers her. "Which is why we should not be getting married." Hanna chimes in. "Exactly, but try telling that to the freaking state of Pennsylvania!" I say. Aria laughs a little, and I can tell she was thinking the same thing. Hanna and Emily join in on the laughter as well. I have no idea where I'd be without those three.

A light bulb suddenly clicks on in my mind. "You guys, we might not be able to change state law, but we can appeal to the logic of our parents." I Say. "What do you mean?" Emily asks me. "Did you just say 'the logic of our parents'? That already sounds crazy." Aria sarcastically chimes in. I'm silent for a minute, and then I speak to my friends again. "If we give our parents a reason to let us marry the people we really love, they won't arrange anyone for us." Hanna gives me a curious look. "And that reason would be?" They all want me to answer, and for a moment I look to my feet on the floor. Finally, I speak. "pregnancy. If we all get pregnant by the guys we love, our parents will want us to be with the fathers of our babies. Problem solved." After I say this, Hanna and Aria are completely silent. Emily asks "What about me?" I explain that part of my plan, hoping they'll agree to it.

Part 3: Emily-December 22/Hanna's Kitchen

I've never been so conflicted and scared in my entire life. Even deciding to 'come out' wasn't this hard. Now, Spence wants me to decide if I wanna have a baby, to keep myself from marrying someone I don't love. She says she knows this doctor—Hiltman, I think his name is—who will implant me with a donor sperm and someone else's egg, without telling my parents. I have no idea if I should do it. I mean, what if this Hiltman guy is a psycho witch doctor who wants to implant me with his own sperm in a plot to purify the human race? I don't know, maybe I've been watching too many Twilight Zone specials. Either way, I think I should talk to Hanna, that's why I'm in her kitchen right now. She should be down in a second.

Five minutes later, that same day.

"Hey, Hanna." I greet her, as she walks down the stairs and into her kitchen with me. "Hey, Emily, I'm guessing you're here to talk about Spencer's.. Idea." Hanna says, lowering her voice. I nod my head in conformation. "First of all, I don't know anyone who would donate their egg, if I did it.'' I whisper to Hanna. She's silent for a moment, and then I watch as a loving smile crosses her face. I suddenly know what my best friend is about to tell me. "I'll do it, Em, and you can marry me." Hanna tells me. I was right! I'm shocked! My best friend—Hanna-loves me? I feel… I don't know what. I take a breath in. "You would do that for me, Han?" I ask her. "Of course, love, you're my best friend, and … I'm starting to… love you, Em."

Just when I thought my lips couldn't get any more frozen, wham! It's then that I realize I'm starting to love Hanna too. Soon, however, I remember something. "What about Caleb?" I ask her. Hanna shakes her head. "He broke up with me, last night. Sorry I didn't say something before." She tells me. Tears begin to form in Hanna's eyes, and somehow, I can feel the Immense pain in my best friend's heart. I hug her tight. "Oh, Han, I'm so sorry. I know how much you loved him." I say sincerely. Just then, the most beautiful, unexpected thing happens. Hanna kisses me, softly on the lips. "Yes, but I love you more." She tells me, and happy tears turn the eyes of both of us to glass. I kiss her back, and flowing with passion, I know what I must do. It's time for me to have a baby with Hanna. It's time for me to marry her. Hanna and I agree to visit Spencer after Christmas, and move on with our plan.

part 4: Hanna-December 26/Spencer's Garage

Wow. Six days ago, Spencer informed us of her 'pregnancy pact' idea. Four days ago, Emily and I embraced our newfound love for each other. Today, we've all four decided to carry out the plan that could save us from the nightmarish arranged marriages that our parents are forcing upon us. So much already done, and so much left to do. Christmas day is behind us, and a couple weeks from now is when Spencer was supposed to be married, but not anymore. Now, Aria, Spencer, my Emily, and I, are all sitting in Spencer's garage, making sure for a final time that we want to go through with our pact. Spencer turns to me. "Hanna, you're sure you wanna donate to Emily?" She asks. I nod my head. "Yes, I'm positive." I say, smiling at Emily, the girl I truly am coming to love.

Spencer turns to Aria next. "Aria, you know what to do with Ezra tonight, right?" Aria nods her head. "Yeah." She says. Spencer pauses for a moment, then continues. "And as for me, I'll have to.. seduce Toby." Spencer tells us, and we're all silent again, just for an instant, as if to remember the minute before we agreed to the pact. "Hands in, you guys." Spencer tells us, and one by one, we pile our hands on top of each other, an official sign that we're ready for this. My Emily is the last to officially agree, and as she lays her hand on mine, I can tell she is scared, but sure about this in every way. When we lift our hands off, Em gives voice to those very fears. "Spence, what if this doesn't work and Hanna's egg doesn't stick?" She asks. "Em, I promise you, it will. Dr. Hiltman is the best in all of Pennsylvania." Spence answers her, reassuringly. Soon, I kiss my Emily, for the second time, and I have an amazing feeling that the others will support Em and I, in everything we do. I guess you can always lean on your friends, that's what makes them friends.

part 5: Aria-January 1/Spencer's Yellow Hummer

Well, I guess it's time. I shouldn't be nervous, this is Emily's insemination day, not mine. It's also the first day of January, and maybe, the rest of our lives… yeah, that's why I'm scared. Early this morning, Hanna, Emily, Spencer, and I, packed into Spence's Hummer for a three hour drive to The Hiltman Clinic, in Philadelphia. Gee, this guy even has a clinic named after himself. Fancy. I really hope we're doing the right thing here, this procedure costs one thousand dollars. Luckily, Spencer snuck into Ali's college fund and stole the money. What? It's not like Ali's gonna be needing the cash anytime soon, she's dead.

Speaking of that, I really miss Ali. Sometimes I wonder if she's still out there somewhere, waiting for us to find her. That's impossible though, we attended her funeral last year, as sophomores in high school. The whole town bid Ali farewell after the cops found her body in a ditch across from Spencer's house. Still, nobody knows who killed her. It's been an entire year, but me and the other girls are still having trouble putting our Ali to rest. She was our best friend, and we found out later that she was also Spencer's half sister. It was a huge shocker for Spence, who still can't believe that her dad had a secret romance with Ali's mom. I guess that's enough strolling down memory lane. Today, we have a much bigger agenda to carry out.

I sure hope Emily is ready for this. I mean, if everything goes as planned, in a couple of weeks, she'll be pregnant. Wow, that's even hard for me to believe. I also hope this Hiltman guy knows what the hell he's doing, I don't want Em's life to be in danger. If something happens to her, the guy better fear for his own life, because I'll be after him. I'm sure it'll be fine though, Spence says he's the best in all of Pennsylvania. She better be right.

Anyway, I finally made love to Ezra last night, the man I truly love. It was as beautiful as I'd always imagined, and more worth it than I'd ever dreamed. The only fear that resides in me now is the pregnancy that I'd planned for. I'm not sure if I'm really ready for this myself, but in less than a month, I'll know for sure if there really is something to be ready for. Just thinking about finding out sends chills down my spine.

Part 6: Spencer-Same day/Thirty minutes till clinic arrival

"Emily, are you nervous, girlie?'' I ask her as I continue to drive along the freeway. She looks up at me, from the back seat, and smiles. "I'm okay..I guess…this is all gonna be for the better right?" She says. Brave little solider, Emily is. I really don't think there is anyone on earth whose bravery and strength I admire more. She's one young girl who's not afraid to be her true self. How I wish I could say the same about me, but I'm desperate for my parent's approval, if I disappoint them, I feel as if I'm a failure. I can't help it, it's how I've always been.

Anyway, it looks like Em isn't without someone to love in this whole thing. Hanna seems to be falling in love with her, I can see it in their eyes, they both love each other. I think it's sweet, and I'm glad they have each other. Love is one of your greatest assets in life, or at least that's what Shakespeare has always said. That's also why the other girls and I agreed to this pact. We want to be with the ones that we truly love, not suitors who are arranged for us. In any case though, I'm a little scared to have a baby, even if it's with Toby. I really love him, but we're so young. I'll know in about a month if I'm pregnant due to last night's events. Until I know for sure, I guess I should stop worrying, there will be plenty of time for that later.

We're getting close to The Hiltman Clinic now. It's only thirty minutes away. I know Emily is in good hands with this doctor, but I can't help worry for her. I know pregnancy will be tough on her, especially since she's only a teenager. Okay, all four of us are teenagers, but Emily, she's… so much more childlike than the rest of us. I think her innocence is what makes her so brave. She's not really afraid of the world yet, because she doesn't very well know how cruel it can be. It makes sense when you think about it. How can you be afraid of something if you don't really know much about it? You can't. Everything else aside though, I hope Em will be able to handle this pregnancy. She's the one that worries me the most.

part 7: Emily- Same day/ The Hiltman Clinic

Well, Spence's Hummer is in park, I guess we're here. I have no idea how to feel right now. Should I be scared, anxious, or happy? I've never been under anesthetic for anything in my life. I hope it won't hurt. Oh, what am I saying? If this insemination works, I'll be pregnant in a few weeks, I'm gonna feel pain sooner or later, no question. Part of me is hoping this doesn't work and Hanna's egg doesn't stick, because if it does, I'll be a teen mom with no swimming scholarship. Swimming is my life, and no team will except me with a baby at practice, even if I decide to dorm. On the other hand, If I don't get pregnant in at least six months, before the end of the summer, my fate is sealed. If I don't get pregnant, I'll be forced to marry a guy, and the person I really love is Hanna.

A few minutes later, inside of the clinic.

This place sure is small, but the patients look friendly. I guess this clinic also sees little kids, because there's a pediatric room to the left of the sign-in desk. A little girl is looking at me, and smiling. I should probably smile back, even if I am scared to be here. Hanna's next to me now, holding my hand and stroking my slightly messy black hair. "It's okay, Emmy, I'm right beside you, love." Hanna tells me. Emmy. I like that. The only one who has ever called me that is my dad, and it makes me feel special. It's my Hanna's nickname for me now though, and I'm glad. "Babe, where are the others?" I ask her. "Oh, Spence found out that our parking spot was for employees, Aria's helping her find another one." My Hanna tells me.

Aria and Spencer found the entrance, but they look horrible. I wonder what happened out in the parking lot. "Some idiot in a pickup truck stole our spot, we had to go all the way to the back of the building to park." Spencer tells us, as soon as she opens the door to the clinic. Then, something comes to my mind. "Pickup truck…doesn't Jason have a pickup truck?" fear rattles my mind. Jason is Ali's brother, and if he knows we're here, we're completely screwed. "Em, that guy wasn't Jason." Aria insists. "But what if he followed us?" My Hanna chimes in. Spencer is resolute, her face is strong. "Just drop it, okay, you guys? It's not Jason." Spence demands. After a few moments, we let the subject go, waiting for the nurse to call us back.

"Emily Fields and Hanna Marin, the doctor will see you now." When I hear the words, I freeze, suddenly nervous beyond belief. I can't believe it's actually time for the procedure. As I stand up and follow the nurse down the long corridor, I realize that this place is much bigger than I thought. I squeeze my Hanna's hand as she walks next to me, and kisses my cheek. I'm falling more deeply in love with her by the minute, and it's the most beautiful feeling that I've ever had. I know Hanna and I will be together forever.

Finally, the nurse brings us to a swinging door that says, OR on the front. Operating Room. I'm suddenly terrified. I'm way to young for this, I just can't do this. I want to run, hide, but I'm stuck. I'm stuck walking forward. As we enter the room, Hanna senses my fear. "I'm right here, babygirl, I won't let anything bad happen to you, ever." She tells me, and I slowly relax. "Oh, Hanna Bear, I wanna marry you so much, I love you." I reply, sincerely. Happy tears again consume the eyes of us both. Hanna speaks to me. "Emmy, sweetie, I will love nothing more than to marry you. I love you." She says. Soon, the doctor comes in, and separates my Hanna and I. Before I know it, we're both on beds, and my world is turning black.

Part 8: Hanna- Same day/ The Operating Room

I feel like my world is closing in, I'm getting very sleepy. The anesthetic is quickly taking effect. I'm completely ready to give Emmy my egg now, I love her so much. It'll biologically be our baby, wow! The things modern science can do. I hope we'll be good mommies. I hope our baby will love us. I hope our own parents won't kill us for this. I hope all of it as I peacefully fall asleep… the anesthetic has overtaken me… I know it now.

Hanna's Dream

The pitch-black in front of my eyes is slowly turning to green as the meadow appears. I'm in a different setting now, and Ali is walking up to me. I'm shocked to see her. "Alison! I thought you were dead." I yell to her. "I'm right here, Hanna. I've come back, just for Emily." She tells me, sitting down in the grass, next to me. "Emily? I remember she loved you, but you love her, too?" I question, afraid of the answer, but needing to know. "Yes, rejecting her in middle school was the biggest mistake I've ever made. I love her more than anything." Ali tells me, her tone is sincere.

A piece of my heart breaks in that moment. I thought Emily and I would be together forever, but now her true soul mate has come back for her. Only one more question remains in my mind. "When will you be back to see her?" I ask. Ali smiles. "Tomorrow, after Emily awakes from the procedure, I'll visit the hospital, and confess my sweet love for her." Ali answers me. I force a fake smile. She looks at me with sympathy in her eyes. "Oh Hanna, I know you love Emmy, too, but I need to be with her. I hope you can understand how much I care about all four of you girls. Emily is my soul mate though." After Ali says this, I nod in acceptance, hug her, and Ali vanishes as quickly as she came.

part 9: Aria-Same day/ Two Hours Till Midnight

I'm sitting next to Spencer, on a comfortable bench in the clinic's waiting room. I can feel the energy draining from every part of my body now, and all I can think is that I hope they'll let us stay here overnight. I don't think Spence can drive anywhere tonight, it's too late and dark. Speaking of that, where will we all go after we get outta here? None of us can go back to Rosewood, or our parents, until we all take pregnancy tests in a month or so. I hope this pact was the right move. Oh, well, no time for resentment now, that train left the station the moment we all agreed to this.

Twenty minutes later.

I'm just about ready to clock out , sleep right here. Oh, wait, here comes the lady from the front desk. "Excuse me, but which one of you is Ms. Hastings?" The lady asks. I see Spencer nod and stand up. "That's me." She answers. The lady hands her a stack of papers, and speaks again. "You'll need to read these and sign for the bill, also, consent to transfer to a hospital." The lady tells Spencer. "Transfer to a hospital? Is our friend in the procedure alright?" Spence asks, with slight fear in her voice. "Your friend is fine, it's just standard practice to send our patients to the nearest hospital for an ultrasound." The lady explains, as Spence nods in understanding.

"Oh, and one more thing." The lady says, pausing. "Since you're under eighteen, Ms. Hastings, we'll need someone older to call in to this clinic and approve your payment of the bill." This is the last thing the lady says before she walks back to her place at the front desk. Spence looks at me, and I say the first thing that comes to my mind. "I didn't know Em would need an ultrasound this early." Spencer nods. "Yeah, the nearest hospital to this place has state-of-the art technology, we'll know if she's pregnant in five days." Spencer tells me.

Well, Emily's stay at the hospital will be longer than expected. Scratch that, it wasn't expected at all. A lot of things have been happening recently that aren't expected. Wow, I'm hearing Spence murmur Melissa's name now. Spencer's sister is the only person over eighteen we would even think of asking to approve Spence's payment of Emily's medical bills. Soon, Spencer texts Mellissa, and Mellissa agrees. The call comes into the office at eleven-forty-five, fifteen minutes until midnight.