CHAPTER 1
Sam had heard Tina's repetitive screams and rushed to her aid, finding her passed out on the floor and bleeding profusely.
"Tina, Tina, wake up! Tina, please wake up!" Sam shouted, and a female student came into the bathroom.
"Oh, my God, what happened?" she asked.
"Call 911! Please, hurry!" Sam pleaded, checking for Tina's pulse and her breathing.
"Is she alive?"
"She barely has a pulse and I'm not getting any breathing. Call 911, now!" Sam shouted, and she quickly brought out her phone to do so as he started giving rescue breaths. He barely heard the student giving the paramedics directions to the school, and it felt like an eternity before they finally arrived. Sam followed them and the other student as they put Tina onto a stretcher and into the ambulance, and soon they were off to the hospital.
"Are you friends of hers?" asked the paramedic.
"I don't know them. I just walked in", said the student.
"I'm her friend. She's pregnant with my child", said Sam between sobs, which he barely noticed.
"How many months is she?" asked the paramedic.
"Six, maybe around seven months."
"It looks like there has been self-abuse to her abdomen. She may have been trying to initiate an abortion. Do you have any contact information for her parents?"
"I brought her phone with me", said Sam, and he quickly dialed the number for Tina's mother, who was quick to answer.
"Mrs. Cohen-Chang, it's Sam. Tina's been hurt! We're on our way to the hospital right now."
"Is she all right? What happened?"
"I don't know exactly. I found her passed out and bleeding. We're going to the Kaiser Permanente. Please meet us there. Tina needs you", Sam cried.
"I will be there. Please, let my little girl be okay", said Michelle, and Sam could hear the despair in her voice before she hung up. Devastated, Sam bent over to caress Tina's head, staring helplessly at her unconscious face, performing Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" in Tina's favor.
INTERLUDE
At the Delphos Community High School, Blaine and the Music Masters were gathered in their choir room to discuss Regionals. Everyone was paying rapt attention to Vance as he addressed them.
"All right, everyone, it's Regionals time. Now, we know that the New Directions plan to perform Elvis Presley for Regionals, so I want to put it to a vote. Does anybody here want to pay true homage to the King of Rock and Roll? Please, a show of hands", said Vance, and everyone but Blaine raised their hands.
"Guys, Elvis is truly the King, but he's too good for us. Besides, I thought we were paying homage to Johnny Cash", said Blaine.
"Oh, come on, Blaine. You were on the bandwagon not too long ago. Why the change of heart?" asked Vance.
"I just think that someone like Elvis Presley is better suited for the New Directions. Honestly, it feels like ripping off their hard work in order to defeat them is kind of beneath us."
"Not to worry, Blaine. The New Directions have never had what it takes to become true performers, even in their own right. Only luck propelled them forward last year, in addition to, well, you. This year will be no different, and we can guarantee you that they will fall apart before they even begin to perform."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that we always have the home field advantage while we perform. We've been on the stage a lot longer than the New Directions and Vocal Adrenaline and the Dalton Academy Warblers combined. We have made it through sixty National competitions, Showcases, and National Championships, winning forty MVP awards in total, all because we worked together as one, showcasing everybody's talents under an equal spotlight, and putting our all into what we loved doing. The New Directions are miles behind us in every respect, so to feel any sentiment towards them will distract us from keeping up our success record. Am I clear, Blaine?"
Blaine had been listening to every word carefully, as it sounded more like a pep talk masking extreme self-righteousness than friendly competition.
"Yeah, I read you loud and clear", said Blaine, contemplating to himself that he had probably made the biggest mistake of his life.
INTERLUDE
Tina had been put under heavy medication following her surgery, and Sam was devastated to learn that the abortion had been successful. He sat at her bedside, tearfully watching her sleep. She had not woken up during the entire ordeal, making Sam feel guilty about being a part of what caused it. He couldn't shake the image of her parents sobbing uncontrollably as they awaited their daughter's prognosis.
Sam's train of thought was interrupted when Ian and Michelle came into the room, and he could see that they had not gotten any sleep.
"Sam, would you mind giving us some time alone with her?" asked Michelle.
"Uh, yeah, sure. I'll be right outside", said Sam, and he left the room and closed the door behind him. He then slumped back against the wall and heard Ian talking to Tina, and listened carefully.
"Baby, I'm so sorry. You needed me, and I let you down. I pushed you away for something that shouldn't have ruined your life. I know this wasn't your fault. Nobody is at fault here but me. The only thing I care about right now is that you… is that you are still alive. That's all that matters, Tina, and I just want to say that I love you. I love you, and I will never let you go again", said Ian, trying unsuccessfully to control his crying, and Sam watched as he took Tina's hand in his, gripping it gently and crying into the bed. Michelle was doing the same thing, even harder.
INTERLUDE
In the choir room the next day, everyone was silent. Nobody had spoken a word since hearing about Tina, as they weren't sure of what to say.
"At least she's still alive. That's the important thing", said Emily.
"We should do our best not to blame her. Even if we're secretly thinking it to ourselves, we shouldn't have that in mind", said Joe.
"I still can't believe she did that, though. What must have she been thinking?" said Amanda.
"That doesn't matter now. What we need to do in order to support her is be there for her when she needs us", said Alexander.
"She killed her baby. She could have killed herself. Doesn't anybody else here think that maybe what she did was a little wrong?" Amanda demanded.
"It was impulsive and dangerous, yes, but it wasn't necessarily wrong", said Matt.
"It's a woman's choice to do what she chooses to her own body. It may be something as harmless as a tattoo or something as dangerous as abortion. It was her choice, and her choice alone", said Hannah.
"Isn't abortion supposed to be against your religious beliefs? She just robbed a child of becoming a potential force of good for this world", said Artie.
"I'll say it again: it was her choice."
"Sam didn't have any say in the matter?" asked Rory.
"He didn't even know it happened until it was too late. Tina sent him a message saying that she was going to make things right", said Emily.
"She didn't give Sam a chance to express his opinion about it. The father must have some opportunity to say what must be done and what must not", said Matt.
"It's not the man who is going through the labor pains, or the pressure of carrying a few extra pounds around, or the things being said about it. Tina made her choice, and she'll have to do with it what she must", said Hannah.
"No, I detest this. Tina was being stupid and selfish. If she really wanted to make things right, she would have gone through with the pregnancy and became a normal person again", said Abigail.
"Not to sound distasteful, but who are you to dictate what is normal?" asked Amanda.
"I'm just another student trying to get by. I may not have known Tina that long, but I could tell that she had a fighting spirit and a good heart, until now."
"Guys, we shouldn't be fighting about this. Tina needs us to be supportive", said Ray.
"I still say she should have consulted Sam. If a guy were to learn that his baby was purposefully killed without his knowledge or consent, he would be scarred for life", said Matt.
"Woman's body, woman's choice", said Brittany.
"Well, you certainly followed that philosophy very well, didn't you?" Amanda sneered.
"I couldn't fight back because I was weak. But yes, I do stand by that philosophy."
Alexander stood up and walked away from the group, clearly fed up with their bickering.
"Where are you going?" asked Rory.
"To send Tina Get Well flowers", said Alexander, leaving the room without looking back. The others looked at each other and followed suit, with Matt helping Ray out.