Anna Ivanova, a 20-year-old nurse, sat by the window, her eyes tracing the patterns of snowflakes against the glass. Her hands rested on her swollen belly, which seemed to grow heavier with each passing day. "I wonder if today will be the day," she murmured to herself, feeling the familiar flutter of anticipation turn to concern.
Anna moved slowly through the ward, her uniform straining against her burgeoning belly. Colleagues glanced at her with a mix of admiration and worry. "Anna, when are you due? You seem... larger than before," a fellow nurse commented gently. Anna offered a tight smile, her mind preoccupied with the impossibility of her situation.
The doctor, Dr. Nikolai Petrov, adjusted his glasses as he studied the scale. "Anna, this is extraordinary. The baby is already 35 pounds," he stated, his voice a mixture of disbelief and concern. Anna struggled to rise from the exam table, her balance wavering. "What... what should I do?" she asked, her voice trembling with fear.
Anna's steps were labored, each movement a testament to her determination despite the burden she carried. She paused frequently, resting against lampposts to catch her breath. Her oversized dresses, once accommodating, now clung awkwardly to her form, strained beyond their limits.
Anna sat heavily in a chair, her hands cradling her aching back. Her colleagues passed by, offering sympathetic smiles and whispered encouragement. "I can't keep going like this," she confessed to herself, the enormity of her situation pressing down as heavily as the child she carried.
Anna walked slowly, her breath visible in the cold air. She gazed at the snow-covered benches and leafless trees, seeking solace in the quiet. The weight of her decision settled within her, as inevitable as the changing seasons. "I must do what's best for both of us," she whispered, her voice resolute.
