Sic by Bill Tope

Sic by Bill Tope

“You don’t understand, Dr. Retzer,” said Jodi with some urgency, “just how important this baby is!”

Dr. Retzer, a 40-something African American OB-GYN, looked back at Jodi with a serious face.

“I’m afraid that you don’t understand, Ms. Sellers,” said Retzer. With anencephaly, the brainstem and midbrain of the fetus only partially develop. Often, a part of the skull is missing as well. It was fortunate that we did the ultrasound when we did,” remarked the doctor. “It’s routinely run between 14 and 18 weeks and, sure enough, the fetus was…”

“Damn it!” shouted Jodi. “Call it what it is…a baby.”

“I’m sorry to disagree with you again,” said Retzer, “but fetus is a medical term meaning an unborn child. And in this instance, the fetus will never become a baby…”

“You can’t know that!”

“Outside the uterus, the fetus–the child–will certainly perish. It’s a 100% certainty. The fetus…”

“The power of God,” murmured Jodi, not hearing the other woman.

‘If the child were to survive birth,” explained the doctor, “it would be profoundly disabled.”

“With a loving mother and family…” continued Jodi.

“The baby would not be able to draw a single breath unassisted,” said Retzer with finality. “Besides, if we do not abort, then your daughter will certainly die as well.”

Jodi was stunned into silence.

“We need to schedule the procedure, Ms. Sellers, and the sooner the better.”

“How much time do I have, Dr. Retzer,” asked Annie, Jodi’s daughter and the mother-to-be.

“I’d act within 48 hours, Annie,” said the doctor.

“Wait a minute, wait a minute,” interrupted Jodi again. “Why the rush? If the baby won’t live, why the haste? Keeping the baby inside her gives us more time to pray and…”

“I explained to you, Ms. Sellers, that Annie has preeclampsia, which is elevated blood pressure. The hyper-tension can result in a massive stroke, coma, organ failure and even death. Annie can always have another child, but if she’s gone, then that’s the end of it. Do you understand me?”

“I’ll sue you!” snarled Jodi, rising to her feet. “Let’s go, Annie.”

“If we don’t abort, Ms. Sellers, you daughter will die.”

Jodi and Annie exited the doctor’s office.

Four Months Earlier

The night that Annie Sellers was violently raped, ironically, also marked her first date with a boy. She had attended chaperoned parties and other outings, principally sponsored by her church, for a couple of years, but in this instance she had just turned 15 and her mother had eagerly agreed to her dating a young man.

Matt was 16 and had not been on a date before as well, or so he told Jodi, when he asked permission to date her daughter. Matt had a good reputation in the church community.

“He’s an up and comer, Jodi,” said Reverend Parnell, the youth minister for the congregation. “He’s planning on becoming an architect, you know. Works very hard at his studies. Straight-A student, you know.”

Jodi was sold. She didn’t want her only daughter to be backward around boys the way she had been growing up. She wanted Annie to be self-possessed and confident and responsible, of course, but to know her place as well. Jodi didn’t abide the feminism thing. Allowing Annie to date an ambitious boy like Matt Barr seemed a wise course to take.

Annie had been a little reluctant at first. When Matt had chatted up her mom, Annie thought that butter probably wouldn’t melt in his mouth.

“Mom, I’m only 15,” she’d told her.

“You have to start dating boys at some point,” insisted Jodi.

“Why?” asked Annie. “I’d rather just go out with my girlfriends.”

Jodi froze. This was not good, she thought. Her only sister, Maddie, was a “practicing lesbian.” When Jodi confronted her with this accusation again a year ago, Maddie had laughed at her.

“I don’t need to practice anymore,” she told her sister. “I think I got the routine down by this time.” She smirked.

Jodi frowned. “Sis, you’ll never get into heaven if…”

“If I don’t let some man stick his dick in me?” Maddie finished the sentence for her. “Jodi, the sole purpose of sex is not procreation. It’s also fun. And women,” she said, “do it much better than men do.”

“But what about our folks?” asked Jodi out of nowhere.

“What about them? They raised me to be an independent, clear-thinking woman who can make her own choices. I’m not a semen repository, Sis. Besides, they’re not around to care. And I don’t think they would.”

“If only you’d come to one of our services,” said Jodi, referencing her thrice weekly church meetings.

“Carl Marx called religion the opiate of the people,” Maddie pointed out. “If you want to be drugged out on that nonsense, then that’s your choice. I just hope you don’t subject my niece to that shit as a strict diet.”

“Annie is learning to be a young lady, Maddie,” said Jodi sharply. Then she sighed. This was an old argument and neither side seemed likely to bend.

“You should want for her to think for herself,” said Maddie. “That’s what Mom and Dad did for me.”

“And look what happened to you,” muttered Jodi.

A dark cloud passed over Maddie’s face. “Okay,” she said sharply, “what did happen to me? I met a girl and we fell in love. We’ve been together for 11 years, Jodi. And we’re married. Where’s your partner?”

Jodi winced. That hurt. “I’ll talk to you later, Sis,” she said abruptly, and snatching up her purse, she made a bee-line for the door.

“I can hardly wait,” murmured Maddie, not loud enough for Jodi to hear.

& & &

Annie let herself back into the house with her key and, finding her mother had already retired, drew an exhausted breath and walked upstairs. Divesting herself of clothes, she went into her bathroom and took a scalding shower. After toweling off, she showered again. And then again. Drying off for the third time, she regarded herself in the mirror over the sink. Her chubby face was red from the hot water. Tears seeped slowly from her green eyes.

Ten Weeks Later

“Annie’s pregnant?” asked Maddie in surprise.

Jodi nodded. “She wasn’t feeling well and I bought a home pregnancy test and she was positive. We got back from my gynecologist just today. I’m going to be a grandma!”

“So, I guess you got what you wanted,” suggested Maddie sardonically.

“That depends,” said Jodie, “on whether Matt and his parents will do the right thing and support their marriage.”

Annie suddenly appeared in the doorway. “I’m too young to think about marriage,” she said adamantly.

Maddie said dryly, “This is where your mom says ‘you made your bed, now lie in it.’ ” She ached for her niece.

“Is that what you’re thinking, Mom?” asked Annie.

“Well, you had to know what you were getting into, Honey,” her mother told her. “You were sexually active and you weren’t on the Pill.”

“Birth control is illegal in this state,” said Annie. “And I didn’t intend to be sexually active.”

“Maybe you should’ve considered that you might lose control,” said Jodi. She could barely conceal her pleasure.

“I lost control alright,” snapped Annie. “Matt stripped my clothes off me and raped me. You’re right: I had zero control.”

Jodi blanched. “I don’t believe you!” she said. “Reverend Parnell told me that Matt is a fine young man. He wouldn’t do anything so–reprehensible.”

Watching from the other end of the sofa, Maddie remained silent. Her eyes were troubled.

“And now Matt’s telling all his jock friends at school how he got a piece of ass!” shouted Annie, out of character in her fury.

Finally, Maddie intervened. “Jodi, you have to take Annie to the police.”

“The police? Even if what she said did happen, she didn’t do anything criminal,” said Jodi.

“No, stupid,” said Maddie. “She needs to file a police report on the rape.”

“She wasn’t raped,” said Jodi stubbornly, averting her eyes. “Young boys have needs, and…”

“Yes I was!” said Annie. “Do you want to see the bruising where he did it?” she asked.

“You’ve still got bruising?” asked Maddie. “Proof of the rape?”

“We are not going to the police,” said Jodi decisively. “It would only cause embarrassment to us and to Matt and to the church.”

“Embarrassment?” shouted Maddie. “How will you feel in six months when she’s walking around sticking out to here? You know that little pecker’s not going to marry her. And anyway, why would you give your daughter to the pervert who assaulted her? This teenage prick didn’t step on her foot on the dance floor, Sis. He held her down, and jammed his cock into her! Come down to earth and face facts!”

“This is none of your concern, Maddie,” said Jodi cooly. “Get out.”

When Maddie had left, Annie sequestered herself in her room and would not emerge, even for supper. At 1am, she unlocked her door, stepped quietly out of her room, padded down the stairs and exited through the front dor. At the end of the walk, a silver Lexus idled at the curb. Pulling open the door, Annie slid into the passenger seat.

“Your mom asleep, Babe?” asked Maddie.

“Uh huh.”

The car sped away. Hours later, Maddie dropped Annie off at her home, leaned over and bussed her cheek. “Remember what the lieutenant said, Annie. Don’t talk to that boy. Don’t give him a clue what’s in store for him.”

Annie nodded. “Thanks, Maddie.” She climbed out of the car and sneaked back into her own home.

The next day

Annie’s English Composition class was taught by Mr. Draper, a pear-shaped, middleaged man who, rumor had it, was to become the principal the following year. Unusual for a high school teacher, he held a Phd in his field and was much loved by the boys who enrolled in his class, but by the girls not so much. He was notoriously sexist, which seemed to suit the philosophy of the largely evangelical population of the surrounding communities. Maddie, who had attended the same school back in the day, referred to it wryly as the Missionary Position Academy. Draper had been giving off a weird vibe to Annie ever since her date with Matt. Draper had always seemed a little creepy, but now he was worse.

Draper said, “Norman Mailer, that great 20th century American writer, once said, and I quote: ‘A little bit of rape is good for a man’s soul.'”

The boys all laughed and most of the girls sat silently. Across the room, Matt caught Annie’s eye and winked rakishly. Annie’s face crimsoned and she looked away.

“The sexual paradigm that confronts us today,” said Draper, “leaves the male with little choice. So many damn women are Sapphic that it’s hard to find a good piece of ass.”

“Who said that, Dr. Draper,?” asked one of the boys, Joey Kinsella, raising his hand.

“I said it,” said Draper dryly. “Just now. Didn’t you hear me?” Kinsella, who was effeminate, was constantly trying to curry favor with the notorious Dr. Draper. Joey seemed to wither and collapse in on himself. “Next quarter, maybe we’ll study Oscar Wilde, Kinsella,” Draper teased him.

“While modern literary sensibilities eschew adverbs and exposition and elaborate dialogue tags,” Draper went on, “they adore metaphors and trenchant nicknames. That’s why the esteemed Mr. Mailer called his penis ‘the Retaliator.'”

More laughter from the boys, more silence from the girls.

“What would you do…Ms. Sellers,” he said, picking Annie seemingly at random, “if a man were to introduce you to his Retaliator?”

Annie replied with dead eyes, “I’d say ‘hello there, meet my razor blade.'” The classroom grew silent but for a few girls, who dared to snicker.

Drake regarded Annie with a theatrically cocked brow, lifted a stack of papers off his desk and passed out the day’s exam. When he got to Annie’s desk, he leaned forward and whispered, “Gettin’ any, Ms. Sellers?”

Stone faced, Annie took her exam and began writing.

& & &

Annie was confronted two days later by Matt in the cafeteria at school. Uninvited, he sat down at her table and slammed his tray into hers. Annie’s two friends hurriedly abandoned her.

“Freakin’ cops came last night,” he said without preamble. “What’d you tell them?” he demanded.

“What makes you think I told them anything?” Annie asked, spooning up a bite of green Jello.

“Who else?” he asked. “One of your fat, skanky friends?”

“You must’ve told every boy you know that you got laid by the fat chick,” she hissed at him.

“Well, you wanted it,” he whispered back at her. “They made me do a DNA test!” he said.

Annie stared at her rapist. “Do you really believe that, Matt,” she asked, “that I wanted it?” When he didn’t reply, she said, “I begged you to stop, to take me home, but you had to prove you were a man or something. Why did you pick on me?” she asked. “You’re one of the popular boys and could have any girl you wanted. Why?” she asked again. Annie began to softly weep.

Matt picked up his tray and left without another word.

& & &

“Jodi,” said Maddie one day, weeks later, “I think that Annie should see someone.” Maddie’s role in taking Annie to the police to report the rape was known to Jodi now and it lay as a bone of contention between the sisters. Jodi seethed with resentment. But she held her tongue. Since their parents had perished in an accident when they were both teenagers, Maddie, older by three years, was all she had, besides Annie, for family.

“She is seeing someone,” replied Jodi. “She saw your OB-GYN, just like you suggested.”

“How’s she doing?” asked her sister.

“Good,” said Jodi. “The doctor recommended some tests.”

“What sort of tests?” asked Maddie.

“I dunno,” replied Jodi. “Just routine. An ultrasound? I’m only seeing this new doctor as a favor to you, Maddie. I liked my old doctor, Dr. Burns. He said Annie was healthy as a horse. Natural breeder, he called her.”

Maddie rolled her eyes. “She’s not a horse, Sis. And there has to be more in store for her than being breeding stock. What I was talking about was her mental health.”

Jodi furrowed her brow. “Mental? She’s fine, Maddie. She’s adjusting nicely, looking forward to becoming a mother.”

“She talks to me and Candy all the time,” said Maddie, “and I don’t think she’s doing all that well.” Candy was Maddie’s parter, and like her, an attorney, whom she had married a decade ago. “You need to encourage her to talk with kids her own age. It’s important for teenagers, particularly pregnant girls, to socialize. She’s getting a lot of pressure from her friends, ridicule from students and her teachers, she’s embarrassed…”

“Annie doesn’t really have that many friends anymore,” explained Jodi, not really hearing her sister. “She doesn’t seem to want them. She’s always been a quiet girl. Which is good, when you think of it. She’ll need to devote herself full-time once the baby is born.”

“How about her school work?” asked Maddie. “She has to graduate from high school.”

“We can think of that later,” said Jodi in a dreamy voice. “The baby comes first.”

“If she doesn’t talk things out and meet with other kids, then you don’t know how she might turn out. She could be emotionally damaged, like…”

Jodi looked up at her sister. “Like me, you mean?” she asked crossly. “Not everyone is college material, Maddie. You liked it, but that doesn’t mean that everyone will.”

“My God, Jodi, you’re just 33. You can go back to school anytime you want. You know Mom and Dad’s estate will pay for it. Like they pay for your home and your car and your groceries and…”

“Why are you shouting?” scolded Jodi. “I’m not saying that Annie can’t go to school, even college, once everything has calmed down.”

“When will that be?” asked Maddie. “When the baby turns 18?”

Jodi smiled serenely, and Maddie peered closely at her. “Are you alright, Sis?” she asked cautiously.

Jodi ignored her sister’s question. She said in a confidential voice, “You know, I had been concerned that I’d soon be an empty-nester, that Annie would leave and I’d be all alone.” She looked down at her lap and began picking at imaginary threads.

“When is Annie’s due date?” asked Maddie, abruptly changing the subject.

“Feb. 14th. Valentine’s Day,” replied Jodi. She smiled. “Won’t that be fun?”

Present Day

“Sit down for a minute, Annie,” said Jodi one morning early in Annie’s fifth month of pregnancy. The appointment with Dr. Retzer had been only days ago and Jodi refused to talk about it. Annie had a date to talk to her aunt and Maddie’s wife that evening.

Annie dropped into a chair at the kitchen table. “What is it?” she asked. Her mother was driving her crazy with her nesting behaviors.

“Your father is going to be in town this week,” Jodi told her.

Annie regarded her mother impassively. “Why?” she asked.

“Well, to see you, of course. To visit. You haven’t seen him in some time,” Jodi pointed out.

“Five years,” murmured Annie dully. “What does he really want, Mom, money?”

“Hmm?”

“The last time he was in town you gave him a check for $10,000. I saw it, made out to Elliott McAfee, my so-called father.”

“Why do you say so-called?” Jodi asked.

“Because,” said Annie, “a real, honest-to-God father wouldn’t visit his supposed daughter only four times in her life.”

“But, he is your father, Annie,” said Jodi.

“Doesn’t matter. I don’t want to see him. Whoever it is you hired to fill in for the sperm donor who is my real father, just tell him to piss off…”

“Annie!” cried Jodi.

“The last time I saw Elliott McAfee, I was ten years old. Before that, I was eight. It was a different man, Mom. Do you think I’m so stupid that I couldn’t tell them apart? One of them was about five-nine and the other guy was a six-footer. Christ!”

“Don’t curse,” scolded Jodi. “I’ll just tell him to cancel his visit,” she said unhappily.

Annie shook her head in disgust. “Do that.” she said.

A week later

A cluster of people gathered on either side of a small conference table in a meeting room at the county courthouse. Along one side sat Annie, Jodi, Maddie and Candy Schwarz, the court-appointed sexual abuse victim attorney for Annie. Schwarz, by no small coincidence, was also Maddie’s partner. On the other side of the table sat Matt, Reverend Sewell, Matt’s parents and a high-powered personal attorney representing both Matt and the church. Rounding out the coterie was Judge Lessup, who had been assigned to the case.

“Having read the depositions from both sides, I thought a pretrial conference, prior to any courtroom mischief, was indicated,” began Judge Lessup good naturedly.

Annie, now showing a little, and feeling conspicuous, glared with hatred at the boy who was making all this happen to her. Matt wouldn’t meet her eye.

“We have a case of sexual assault, with penetration, admittedly perpetrated by another minor.”

Annie glanced at Jodi, but she seemed to be elsewhere. There was a small smile playing over her features.

The judge recounted times, places and events, the lurid nuts and bolts of the case, which served to make everyone feel uncomfortable. Finally he said, “now comes the matter of motive.”

Annie stared at Matt again. If anything, he now looked indignant.

“The minor child Matt,” said Lessup, “when deposed, swore that he was paid by Ms. Jodi Sellers the sum of $5,000 to impregnate Ms. Sellers’s daughter, the minor child Annie.”

On Annie’s side of the table, only she gasped.

“This is a photocopy of the cancelled check that we obtained from your bank, Ms. Sellers,” said the judge, laying a document on the table before her. Jodi said nothing.

“It’s true,” snapped Matt from across the table. “You paid me, bitch! You wanted to pay me just $1000, but when I told you I didn’t dig fat chicks, you upped the ante.” Matt’s attorney laid a restraining hand on his arm.

“I didn’t tell you to rape her,” said Jodi calmly. “I only told you to date her, to make her fall in love with you, and then to do what came naturally.” She didn’t raise her voice.

“That’s not what I remember,” insisted Matt. His attorney cautioned him to say nothing more.

“Jodi, quit talking,” said Maddie.

“Ms. Sellers,” said the judge, addressing Maddie, “this information is news to you?”

“I knew nothing of it first hand, your honor,” said Maddie shrewdly.

The conference ran on for 30 minutes longer, before the judge issued a preliminary ruling. “I am ordering Ms. Jodi Sellers to be taken into custody for possible prosecution for abetting the sexual assault of a minor.” Looking at Maddie, he added, “I am ordering a test for mental competency as well. Don’t fear, justice will be served.”

Maddie nodded.

The judge continued, “The minor Annie will be placed in foster care for the present. Ms. French, attorney ad litem for Annie, has petitioned the court in absentia for an emergency examination of the minor respecting her health and pregnancy status. This will be done immediately; today.”

Maddie sighed with relief.

Moments later a policewoman suddenly materialized and placed her hand on Jodi’s arm, drew her to her feet and steered her to the door.

Annie watched her mother go. “Maddie?” she said in alarm.

“I’m here for you, Babe. Candy is petitioning the court to remand you to my custody until all the legal shit is over. Go with this lady,” she said, nodding at a Family Services worker who appeared at the table.

“What’s going to happen to my mother?” Annie asked her aunt.

“It’ll be alright,” Maddie assured her. “We’ll talk.”

& & &

Two weeks later, Maddie picked Annie up from school and drove back to Maddie’s place, which had been designated by the judge as Annie’s residence for the foreseeable future. Maddie was petitioning for full custody of her niece. Candy met them at the door. They sat around the kitchen, drinking herbal tea, talking about the case against Matt, about the case against Jodi, about Annie’s future. Annie had undergone a D&E abortion almost immediately following an examination by a court-appointed physician, two weeks ago.

“What’ll happen to Matt?” asked Annie.

“That little shit-biscuit is claiming undue influence against Jodi, against his youth minister, against his English comp teacher, the works. But, to answer your question, he’ll get off with 12 months probation, it looks like.”

“I hate Matt,” admitted Annie, “but I can’t hold him completely responsible for what he did. His family doesn’t have any money, and $5,000 probably looked like an unbelievable fortune to him. Still, I do hate him. I think he enjoyed hurting me,” she murmured.

Maddie squeezed her shoulder. “What do you think about Jodi?” she asked Candy who also held a doctorate in psychology.

“To speak in the parlance of the profession, Jodi is really messed up,” said Candy. She glanced at Annie. “Sorry, Doll. By the time the state shrinks are done turning her inside out we’ll know the whole story. I’ve got some of it for you now, but you’ve got to keep it under your hats. Proprietary information, you understand?”

The other women both nodded.

“When Jodi was 17 she was gang raped,” revealed Candy bluntly.

“Did you know, Maddie?” asked Annie, turning to her aunt.

Maddie shook her head sadly. “No. But I think it explains a lot. I don’t think that Jodi ever dated,” she said, remembering.

Annie said, “Oh, my God. That explains the big mystery about my father, I guess. But, why did she pay Matt to do what he did?” she asked.

“Jodi wanted you to become pregnant, Annie,” said Candy. “That way she would tie you to her for at least the foreseeable future. Then, following your ultrasound and diagnosis, she figured that, if you died in childbirth, then at least she’d still have her grandchild. She was terrified of being alone. Even if your child were profoundly disabled, then at least she’d never be alone, ever again.”

“So tragic,” murmured Maddie. “What’ll they do to her, with her, do you think?” she asked her wife.

Candy just shook her head.

“Will I be able to stay with Maddie and you?” Annie asked her next.

Candy replied, “Yes. You know I practically live at the courthouse. Word came down today. They stripped Jodi of her parental rights and the court almost always chooses to grant custody to a relation. Since Maddie is your sole living relation, I can practically guarantee you’ll be moving in permanently.”

“How do you feel about that, Babe, really?” Maddie asked her niece.

“Does it mean I have to become a practicing lesbian?” teased Annie.

“No,” answered Candace. “Your aunt’s been practicing for years and she still ain’t got it right.”

Maddie turned and punched Candace in the arm.

“That’s good, because I’m hetero,” said Annie with a grin.

“That’s fine,” said Maddie.

“That’s right, Doll,” said Candace. “But there goes the neighborhood, I guess.”

* * * * THE END * * * *
Copyright Bill Tope 2025

Image Source: Dey from Fictom.com