Disclaimer: I don't own Secret Life of The American Teenager and I never will. No copyright infringement intended.
Warnings: A description of childbirth, mention of abortion.
Adrian groaned in pain and gripped Ben's hand as she struggled to push the unborn baby out of her body. She wished Amy and her mother had explained how much labor hurt before.
"Come on, Adrian. You can do this," Ben encouraged. He backed off upon seeing a glare directed his way.
Adrian gasped when she felt the baby slip out of her a few seconds later. "What it is?" the exhausted teenager asked.
"It's a little girl, Miss Lee." The doctor gave her a sad smile.
"Would you like to hold her?" a nurse asked them about fifteen minutes later, after Adrian and the baby had been cleaned up.
Adrian and Ben looked at each other. "Sure," she answered. The adoptive parents were out of town, and wouldn't be arriving for a few more hours. The nurse handed the baby over and left the room.
"She looks just like you," Ben told Adrian. He still couldn't believe he and Adrian had a baby. Giving her up for adoption was the best choice in their situation, though.
"Really?" Adrian thought the baby seemed to be all Ben.
He nodded. "Of course she does." It was not weird not calling the baby by anything, but she didn't have a name yet. Her adoptive parents hadn't chosen one.
"I can't believe we actually made her." Adrian had a hard time believing this little girl was a part of her and Ben. She had a daughter. That was very weird to think about.
"Me neither," Ben admitted. A year and a half ago, he never would have believed this could happen with Adrian Lee.
"Why don't you go down to the cafeteria, Ben? We've been awake for over twenty-four hours. You have to be hungry." Truthfully, Adrian just wanted to spend a little time with her daughter before she gave her up.
"Okay," Ben agreed. He smiled at Adrian and the baby, and then left the room.
Adrian looked down at her daughter and smiled. "You're beautiful, little girl. I can't believe you're mine. Well, not for long. Your adoptive mommy and daddy, Nick and Nancy, are on their way. You'll love them, little girl. They'll raise you right. But don't ever forget that I love you. I carried you inside me for nine months, and I'll always remember that." She sniffled and wiped tears away.
Ben returned about an hour later. "How are you feeling?" he questioned.
"Tired and sore, but I'm okay." It had not been an easy decision for Adrian to go the adoption route after deciding against an abortion. The pros and cons had been weighed for weeks.
"That's good." Ben took the baby off Adrian and let her go to sleep. He was okay with giving his daughter up for adoption, but it wasn't going to be easy. Ben was going to have to deal with the consequences of his and Adrian's actions for the rest of his life.
A few hours later, Nick and Nancy Haller walked into Adrian's room. "She's perfect, Adrian," Nancy whispered when she saw the baby.
"Thank you both so much for letting us adopt her." Nick would forever be grateful to Adrian and Ben.
"You're welcome. Do you have a name for her yet?" Adrian was glad to see Nick and Nancy with the baby for the first time. They were a family now.
Nick and Nancy exchanged looks. She spoke up. "Since you did all the hard work, we decided that it's only fair that you can name her, Adrian. First name only, though."
Adrian sighed. "I can't believe it. I'm glad you're letting me name her. I actually think she's an Abigail. It's the one name I can't stop thinking about." She loved that name.
"Welcome to the world, Abigail Leigh Haller," Nancy whispered to her daughter. She couldn't stop staring at the baby.
"Wait, her middle name is Leigh?" Adrian couldn't help but be surprised.
Nick nodded. "It's spelled L-E-I-G-H. Not like your last name, but we figured we should honor you in some way."
"Thank you. I know Abigail is going to a good home." Adrian was really glad that she and Ben picked Nick and Nancy now.
The next day, Adrian and Abigail were both discharged from the hospital. Abigail was going home with her adoptive parents, while Adrian was going home with her own parents. She couldn't help but miss her daughter, though.
"We'll see her in six months," Ben assured Adrian as Ruben pulled the car up to the hospital entrance.
"I know." Adrian smiled, gave Ben a kiss on the cheek, and went home with her parents.
Adrian and Ben never regretted their decision to give Abigail up for adoption. It was the right choice for them.
Adrian went on to marry a doctor she met in the supermarket when she was in her thirties. They eloped to Vegas. The couple had two sons together. Abigail was a frequent visitor and a part of the family.
Ben and Amy were on and off for years in their relationship. Amy had a hard time forgiving Ben for having a baby with Adrian. They married in their twenties, after Amy got pregnant. Ben and Amy ended up having two daughters and a son together.
They were divorced six months after the birth of their third child. They couldn't work through their problems together, which had been an issue since their first try at a relationship.
Ben got remarried to a teacher he met at the school only a year after the divorce from Amy. The two had fallen in love rather fast. Ben and his second wife had three sons together. They loved their family. Abigail also visited her biological father and stepmother whenever she could. Ben's family was crazy, so she preferred to spend time with Adrian.
Abigail never had a problem with Ben and Adrian giving her up for adoption. She understood why they made the decision they did, and was fine with it.
Adrian and Ben were happy with their lives, and they wouldn't change a thing.
