Back in the ward, when Dr. Oliver arrived to follow up on her discharge, asked him for a favor.
The past days of their interaction brought them closer and she began to see him as a friend. She also realìzed that Oliver was from a wealthy family. He was basically a runaway rich boy.
She told him that she needed to leave the area — probably the country in order to avoid any stressful encounters because she did not know why she was even in a compromising situation that led to her being in a hospital.
Something in her being told her that whatever happened to her was no accident — even though she had no memory of what happened.
She just found it odd that something that could've just been a simple robbery or even a kidnapping led to her being attacked. She felt that if Oliver hadn't arrived, she probably would have been dead.
He nodded then walked out of the room to make a phone call before coming back in to tell her that he got her a ticket to Japan.
"Your flight is tomorrow at 6pm", he said typing something on his phone as he also informed her that she would go there with a friend of his.
"Her name is Erica Owens and she's going to be very noticeable".
The next day, by 4pm, Ariana sat on one of the seats in the airport, looking around for 'the most noticeable person'.
Just then, a woman wearing a fitted neon pink coloured tracksuit with her hair held in a high ponytail. She sported a pair of wsneakers, dragging a big white suitcase.
'Is she the one?'
Just then, the woman looked at her and waved at her. She walked to her and Ariana stoodup revealing her full outfit.
************
A few months later...
In a hospital in the capital city of Japan , a woman lay writhing in pain on the hospital bed.
The next moment, she was more relaxed with a nurse standing next to her the look on her face was purely comical.
She was obviously contemplating a very interesting/serious issue.
"When would they come out of me?", she looked at the nurse next to her wearily sounding very exhausted. She had been in the ward for nearly 2 hours.
"Well, you are dilated 3cm", the nurse said.
Eyes wide with disbelief, she glared at the nurse, her her hands clenching the sides of the bed as she felt another wave of pain.
After a very long time, it was the moment she had waited longest for — it was time to bring her babies into the world.
As she had a natural delivery, she was constantly told to 'Push'.
Everytime she heard that word, she pushed almost to the point of believing that shei might push out her organs.
Then, the was the first cry depicting a healthy baby.
'Waaaa'.
It was a boy. A wrinkly little boy who cried at the top of his lungs to announce his arrival. She looked on as the nurse carefully handled the baby.
Just as she sighed with relief, she felt that familiar pain in her abdomen before being encouraged to push some more.
Seven minutes was all it took for the second baby a bouncy girl to be born. Another wrinkly figure who was slighlty amaller than her brother.
She had a slightly weaker but still loud cry and when she cried, her brother stopped his crying.
Although drowsy, Carissa Williams forced herself to stay up just to hold them. After they were cleaned, each was placed on her chest — at her left and right and she placed her hands on their backs with a tired smile and tears in her eyes.
She felt something shift in her chest, her heart warming as she felt the little lives in her arms.
As she grew more and more tired yet refused to let go of her kids, the nurses brought their incubators to her bedside and placed them there for her to rest.
In the middle of the night, she woke up to the sound of her babies crying. Knowing that they were hungry, she pressed the call button and waited for a nurse to carry her babies to her.
Then recalling all she had studied from her pregnancy classes, she fed her children.
It was an experience. She watched their faces which somehow seemed less wrinkly and more profound as they greedily ate.
Each with little appetites but requiring constant feeding, she wondered how she was going to do it.
Although she had been in Japan for a few months now, she had already started something for herself. She had started a food business.
It was something she focused on while she studied business on the side. She wanted to establish herself and have enough money to raise her children especially after she discovered that raising a child was costly, not to talk of two.
A week after, she was discharged and finally walking into her apartment with two little humans.
She was not alone though, Erica Owens, who had come to Japan with her helped her settle in with the children, having already claimed the position of their godmother.
Yes, Carissa Williams is/was Ariana.
With the help of Oliver, she managed to get herself a new identity.
As she settled in, the following months seemed like he'll to Carissa.
She had to somehow balance between her job, her education and raising two babies. Her paranoia about random strangers raising her children made everything worse.
Even though somethimes, Erica tried to help out, she knew she needed to find a balance and so, she she hired two new workers and focused more on her education and children.
She was only seven months away from getting her certificate and she could then have more time for herself.
Erica constantly brought her food she made herself — after constant guidance from Carissa, though not perfect, the gesture was heartwarming.
The months passed and each milestone of her babies was recoded by Carissa and treasured dearly. Their first rolls, their first crawls, their first laughs, everything.