The donations were up to a little more than nine and a half million dollars. After spiking during the interview, in the past week the money had been slowing down. She caught herself thinking about the very real possibility that she might have to get an abortion. Although that was the outcome she wanted, the outcome that would prove her point, she couldn’t help thinking that all this work would seem like a waste if the pregnancy was terminated. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, however, she rejected it as the work of her hormones. She sat up and scratched her breasts. They had become itchy with regularity as they grew in size. As she reached down to scratch her stomach, which was also increasing in size, creating visible stretch marks near her belly button, she felt something jarring inside. It was unmistakably a kick. She quickly put her hand over the spot where she felt the movement and waited for several seconds, but it did not repeat. She gently rubbed her stomach and hoped she wouldn’t have to endure many more experiences like that.
