Tuesday August 24, 2038

"Cassandra, go sit down while I go sign you in, okay?"

She nodded and sat down. I walked over to the receptionist. "Hello, how can I help you?"

"Hi, my daughter has an appointment at four. Her name is Cassandra Walsh."

"Is it her first time here?"

"Yes."

"Okay, she'll need to fill these papers out and then you'll be called back shortly."

"Thank you." I was handed the papers and I walked over to sit with my daughter. I started to fill the papers out since she is a minor. "Honey, when was your last period?"

"Mom!"

"Cassandra, this is information the doctor needs to know."

"I don't know… beginning of last month I guess…"

"When was the last time you had sex?"

She gave me that innocent look. "No comment."

I sighed and left that blank. Cassandra and I waited for fifteen minutes before she was called back. Once she was, we followed a nurse to her room and Cassandra was given a hospital gown.

"Mom, I don't see why I need to wear this. Don't they do an ultra sound on your stomach?"

I chuckled. "You have to be about eight weeks to be able to have it done on your stomach otherwise you get to do an inside one."

"What, does that mean…?"

I smiled. "Yeah… The doctor will put the ultrasound wand up your vag." Cassandra suddenly became uncomfortable and repositioned herself on the chair. "Good luck."

Cassandra and I waited about five minutes before a middle age, woman came in. "Hello, I'm Dr. Wellens."

"Hi, I'm Teddy and this is my daughter Cassandra."

"It says Cassandra is pregnant?" The doctor asked.

"Afraid so… We need to find out how far along she is so we can discuss our choices for her."

"Very well… Cassandra please place your legs here." The doctor said pointing to the leg guards. "I'm going to have to do an inside ultrasound.

I could tell from Cassandra's facial expression, she didn't like this one bit and felt embarrassed. I mean I can't blame her. She's only 16 and having someone getting all close up and personal with her. I looked over at the screen when I heard the baby's heartbeat and smiled.

"Well you are indeed pregnant, about five weeks. You see the flutter on the screen? Well that is your baby's heartbeat. It is about the size of a pea right now."

"That's your baby." I whispered to her.

"I understand you are only 16 and may want an abortion, or not, but you have until you are ten weeks along to make that big decision. You can also always choose adoption if you don't want the baby or want to kill it off. In the mean time, I'm sure your mother will help you take care of yourself and have you take prenatal vitamins. In the meantime, if you decided to keep the baby, I would like to see you back in eight weeks and you'll be thirteen weeks. You may be able to find out the gender at the appointment."

Cassandra nodded and didn't say one word.

"You said ten weeks right, for abortion?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Okay, thank you."

Once Cassandra got dresses, I made her an appointment and then we went home after we made a quick stop at a drug store to buy some prenatal vitamins.

"Mom, I want an abortion."

"Honey, I know it's your choice, but I think you should at least do adoption. You heard the heartbeat today which means your baby is alive, it has a soul. Can you really kill it off?"

"But mom, I'm only 16. I can't have a baby." She cried. "I can't carry a baby for nine months, I just can't."

"I know exactly what you're going through. I mean I got pregnant at 18 while attending college. I was going to get an abortion, I was going to abort your brother but do you know what stopped me?"

She shook her head. "No, what?"

"Hearing the heartbeat. I realized if I aborted the baby, then I would be killing the baby and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did. Today I'm happy I didn't abort Brendan because I can't imagine him not in my life and I think because of him, your father and I are together and you are here because of that."

"And then I wouldn't be 16 and pregnant if I wasn't here." She started to cry again.

I hugged her. "Oh, no, no, honey. My point is because I kept Brendan, I married your father and now I have you and all your siblings which may or may not be a reward." I laughed. "I'm kidding. You guys are no matter how you all act."

Brendan's POV

"Brendan, you're late." Amanda said when I walked through the door. "My parents are already here."

"I'm sorry, Hun." I gave her a kiss on the cheek. "There was lots of traffic. I literally left like two hours ago."

She rolled her eyes at me. "You could've at least called or texted me but whatever, dinner's ready. We were just waiting on you."

"Well I'm here now, so let's eat." I followed Amanda into the living room where her parents were. "Hi, James and Cora. How are you both?" I asked.

"We're well and you?" Amanda's mother asked.

"Same a bit tired though. I was in traffic for a miserable two hours. That is actually why I'm late and I am very sorry for that."

Everyone gathered into the dining room and sat down around the table. I sat beside my fiancé and her parents sat across from us. The food was in the middle of the table so everyone could serve themselves easy.

"Hey Brendan, how come we never met your family before after what, four years of dating?" Cora asked. "Why don't we all get together for dinner?" She suggested.

"Uh, my parents are very busy. They have four kids at home, one getting ready to leave for college and a 16 year old daughter who is being very rebellious. And then my dad is getting ready to be in a movie and my mom is in mourning because her mother died recently. They just have a lot going on this moment."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother. How did she die if you don't mind me asking?" Cora asked. "Or was she just old?"

"She wasn't that old… She was just what, 66 I think. She was in a car accident but my grandfather on my mom's side died from cancer when I was ten I think. He was only in his forty's but developed it when he was in his thirty's. You can totally tell it affected my mom badly."

"Oh my…"

"Not that bad…" Amanda said.

"I mean when I was growing up. Now she's sort of over it, I'm not over it but moved on. But I guess you can't fully move on from it."

"How's the wedding planning going, sweetheart?" Her father asked changing the subject.

"Good, I guess. Kinda overwhelming and stressful."

"Why don't you let your mother help you?" He asked.

"Because I don't want her help, daddy."

Teddy's POV

"But Spencer, that was different. She wasn't my daughter, Cassandra is and I really think she should at least put the child up for adoption."

"Teddy, do you really want her to experience that pain you endured having five kids plus the pain of giving up the child?" Spencer asked. "Do you really want her to be called names at school because she is pregnant? She wants an abortion so let's let her get one."

"Mom…" Cassandra said.

"Where you eavesdropping on us?" I asked.

"Sort of, not really but the only reason why I want an abortion is because Troy dumped me and I don't want anything to do with him or any part of him anymore. And this baby would be a part of him… I would feel bad to abort it but the baby would have his DNA and look like him."

"See Spencer, she doesn't want an abortion! I'm sorry he broke up with you, sweetie."

"And the worst part is my so called best friend is now dating him. I don't want something that is just going to constantly remind me of him. I really do want to abort it…"

"See, Teddy, let's give our baby girl what she wants."

"Are you one hundred percent sure, Cassandra?"

She nodded. "I don't want this baby nor want to carry it mom."

"Very well…"