Motherhood 7
Beth's first day of school back was horrible. Her mother had been wrong. People may not have tortured Quinn after she had Beth and kept her, but the bullying was worse since she had her girls, especially since word had gotten around that Melanie had Down Syndrome. The kids didn't like that. They said a retard girl gave birth to a retard child. Beth desperately wanted to walk up to them and slap them across the face when they called her daughter a retard. How dare they!
Her second day of school, she was sitting, at her desk, in Spanish, when the intercom came on. "Beth Puckerman, can Beth Puckerman come to the nursery, please."
Beth became alarmed. She was being called to the nursery! But why? She hoped it was something as simple as her daughters missing her and wanting to see it. But Beth had a feeling that wasn't it.
She gathered her stuff and looked at Mr. Schue. He nodded at her, dismissing her. She got up from her desk, and began to hurry towards the nursery. Luckily, the hall was empty, so nobody could see the tears trickling down her face at the thought of something being wrong with her daughters. She looked at the lockers. Red and chipped.
Just like her heart.
Even though she hated getting pregnant and going through hell for nine months, and missed being the head Cheerio who everyone wanted to be, she wouldn't give her daughters up for anything. She loved them too much.
"What's the problem?" Beth asked, hurrying into the nursery. The woman was sitting in the rocking chair, holding Melanie.
"Something appears to be wrong with your daughter, but we don't know what it is. We've already called your parents and an ambulance. Please go to your class and locker and get your things, then come back here. You can drive to the hospital, but you can't ride in the ambulance. Your mother is going to come here to pick Abagail up so your full attention can be on Melanie."
The news hit Beth like a sharp knife. She grabbed at her heart. She looked at Melanie, all cradled up, and then knew she had to be strong for Melanie. If she couldn't be that strong, she should at least cry away from her daughters.
She turned around and bolted out of the room. She hurried, running down the hall. She stopped at her locker. She got all the things she'd need, and then she ran back to her Spanish class.
When she got there, Mr. Schue hurried over to see what was wrong.
"What is it, Beth?" he asked.
"Oh, Mr. Schuster!" Beth sobbed as she fell against him. "It's my Melanie. She's sick. Very sick. And she has Down Syndrome and…"
"It'll be alright," he whispered in her ear, rubbing little circles on her back.
She got off his chest and looked up at him.
"Mr. Schue, can I talk to Charlotte for a little bit out in the hall?"
Mr. Schue nodded, and then Beth beckoned for Charlotte to follow her out into the hall. Charlotte got up, and followed her.
When the two girls were out in the hall, Beth told Charlotte about how Melanie was sick.
"Will you get my homework for my last four classes?" Beth asked her.
She nodded, and said, "We'll visit you in the hospital. And we and my mom will probably stop by your house to help your mother with Abby and we'll probably bring over dinner for your parents."
Beth nodded, and then Charlotte said, "Don't worry, Beth. You'll get through this."
