Chapter Nine

Catherine and her mother took a trip into the main town to buy her a pregnancy test. Catherine's father demanded to know where they were going and insisted on driving them there. Thankfully Annie was able to argue that she and Catherine needed some quality time together and that if they all went there would be no one to watch the shop. "Are you okay?" Catherine's mother asked her as they drove out of the village.

"Yes." She nodded slowly. "I was a little sick this morning but Dad was in the shop."

Annie nodded. "I made sure he was working early." She quickly glanced at her daughter, before looking back at the road. "How far along do you think you are?"

Catherine gritted her teeth for a moment, this was something she didn't want to admit. "3 months. I think. It was the last time I saw Fred." Tears fell quickly, she quickly wiped them away.

"Where has he gone? You need to tell him, Kate." Her mother said sternly, as she continued to drive. "He has a right to know."

Catherine continued to cry. Her heart was breaking. She couldn't tell her mother the truth, so she would have to bend the truth a lot. "He's in the army and he's training in Germany. He won't be back for another 3 months."

"Did he give you an address?"

She shook her head. "No. He said he would be really busy." She started to sob. "It hurts, Mum. It hurts to be away from him." She looked out of the window. "I really love him."

"I know you do." Her mother said calmly and continued driving. "I just wish you knew a way to contact him. He will be back in three months and if you are 3 months pregnant, he'll come back to find you at your 6 month mark."

Catherine sighed heavily, she thought about what Fred's reaction would be. He'd be shocked for certain. Would he be angry? She didn't know. She would go for her walk tomorrow and walk in the direction of Fred's family home. She would at least try and get an address for Fred. She had to tell him that she was pregnant. "How did I not notice? I've been sick for a while. Now that I've noticed, I've missed two of my periods."

"Oh Kate." Her mother sighed. "I am a little disappointed. A little angry. But I know you'll be fine." She reached over and patted Catherine's knee. "I will be beside you, no matter what your decision is." Removing her hand from her daughter's knee and placed it on the steering wheel. They reached the town and her mother parked the car. "Come on. Let's get this over and done with. Put both our minds at rest."

Catherine nodded as the two of them climbed out of the car. They walked to the nearest pharmacy and picked up two pregnancy tests. Catherine's mother paid for them. Once they left, they went to the nearest public toilets. Catherine had drank lots of water to be ready. It didn't take her long to pee on both sticks. They walked back to the car to check the tests in private. "I can't look." Catherine was holding both of the sticks and her eyes were closed to stop her from looking at the answers.

"Kate. You are going to have to at some point." Her mother reassured her.

Catherine turned them over and they were identical. Two blue lines. "They're positive." The tears fell down her cheeks. "I'm pregnant."

Her mother sighed heavily. "Well, we should talk about this. I can't believe you were stupid enough to have sex. I'm even more surprised that you forgot to use protection."

"Right now! I don't care!" Catherine's anger rose. "I'm more worried about trying to find Fred and tell him he is going to be a Dad!"

"So, you're going to keep it?" Her mother stared at her.

"I am." Catherine nodded slowly. "I can't, Mum." She began sobbing hard. "I can't tell Dad. He'll kill me!" She stared at her Mum, her tears streaking down her cheeks.

"Ok. We'll get through it somehow." Her mother reached over to her, pulling her into a hug. "Don't give up."

"Can we leave? Can we leave Dad?" Catherine begged. "Please Mum! You'll know what will happen if he finds out about me and Fred and then the baby."

"I won't let him!" She held her daughter tightly. "We will wait a little while before we tell him. If he gets violent, we will leave that very minute. I promise." She held Catherine, who sobbed violently in her mother's arms.

The drive back was awkward. Catherine did not know what to say to her mother about her baby. In her mind, she thought about what Fred's baby would look like. The baby would obviously have red hair. But she wanted the baby to have Fred's eyes. She could only dream. Instinctively she placed her hands on her stomach. She was a little bit podgier around her stomach but nothing too obvious. "You best not do that when we get home." Her mother warned her, as she turned onto the road, which led down to the village.

"Oh sorry." she blushed and moved her hands away. "I just wanted to feel it."

Her mother smiled slightly. "I did the exact same thing as you when I found out I was pregnant with you. Your father was the same. If we were watching television together, he'd place his hand on my stomach. It was the same when I was pregnant with Harry. We just loved the feeling that we had the two of you."

Catherine smiled. She always liked hearing nice stories about her dad. To hear stories before he began drinking and became obsessed with going to church. "It's nice to know." Smiling still. "Fred and I never talked about what would happen if I did get pregnant. He knows what Dad is like." She sighed heavily. "That's when he started staying the night. To protect me. He said that if Dad ever hurt me again, he'd take me away from home and take me to London."

Annie smiled. "It sounds like he loves you."

"He does." Catherine smiled brightly. "And I love him too." She blushed lightly and looked out of the window. "What shall I do about school?" Her smile disappearing, replaced by more fear.

"Ah!" Her mother bit her lip, as they drove into the village. "We'll talk about it tomorrow." She reached over and patted her daughter's hand. "Now, act calmly. I'll tell your Dad that you want to rest for the rest of the day."

Catherine nodded as her mother parked the car at the back of their house. "Thanks Mum. What happens if I am sick again and Dad hears it?"

"I'll tell him you have a stomach bug." She said as they climbed out of the car. "Don't worry. We'll get through this." They walked in the back entrance of the building. "Go to bed, Kate. I will be up in five minutes to check on you."

"What's wrong with her?" Her father growled.

"I think she's got a stomach bug." Her mother said calmly, taking off her coat. She hung it on the coat stand and walked into the front of the shop. "She just needs some sleep." She spoke gently but sternly to her husband. He may frighten her sometimes but she could also have the last word in an argument.

- - - - - – - - - - - - - - - - - - – - - - - - -

Catherine was now 4 months pregnant and was slowly growing. She still hadn't told her father. She was terrified to. Neither had she found Fred nor his family home. Her hand gently rubbed her stomach, where her baby lay safely nestled inside. She was lying on her bed with her books around her. Thankfully it was the Easter holidays, which gave her time to tell her Dad and finish school. She knew she would never be able to go to school and look after a newborn baby.

She had her biology textbook open beside her and her hand on her stomach, her fingers gently rubbing it. That was it happened. She felt the first fluttering of her baby moving. She had asked her Mum what it felt like and she told Catherine that she would know. Catherine giggled softly when she felt it again. "Amazing."

"Kate." Her mother's voice came followed by a knock.

Catherine removed her hand from her stomach and quickly sat up, placing her textbook in her lap. "Come in, Mum."

Her mother opened the door, closing it behind her, once she was in the room. "Are you all right?"

She nodded slowly. "I can feel it moving." Smiling a little. "I know that face." She watched her mother's expression. "You think I should tell Dad instead of just leaving." Her room was half full as most of their things were hidden in the garage, to be ready to pack into the car.

Her mother nodded. "You can't hide it any longer. You are getting a little bigger and he will notice." She sat next to her daughter, looking down at her book. "How's revision going?"

Catherine shook her head. "I can't concentrate." She sighed heavily, tears forming in her eyes.

"What's going on?" Her father burst into the room. "Annie I need..." He cut off when he saw Catherine crying. "What's the matter?"

"There's nothing wrong." Her mother said quickly. "She's just upset."

"No!" Catherine said angrily and stood up. "I'm perfectly fine!" She glared at her father.

"Don't you talk to me like that!" He shouted at her, striding up to her and glaring down at her.

"I will talk to you anyway I like. After I have told you this, I am leaving this house! For good!" She continued to glare at her father. "If you would like to know, Dad!" She emphasised on his name. "I'm pregnant."

"You what?" He glared at her, gripping her upper arms tightly. Her mother stood up quickly. "You little whore!"

Catherine scoffed. "I am no whore. The father of my child loves me dearly and I love him!" Catherine was surprised with herself, she had never stood up to her father like this. "He's the best man I have ever known. He will be more of a father to our child, you ever were to me!" She pulled her arms out of his grip. "Don't you dare touch me! I hate you! I hate the way you treat us all. If we feel like we have done something wrong, we tremble in fear."

"You are not my daughter. She would never speak to me like that!" He grabbed her arms again.

She only pulled away. "I've grown up, Daddy!" She glared at him. "I'm having my baby, not matter what you say."

"Get out, Karl!" Her mother stood beside Catherine, wrapping her arm around her daughter's shoulders. "We're leaving soon and we'd like to pack." Catherine had even more appreciation for her mother.

"You two are not going anywhere." He glared at them both.

"Yes, we are!" Her mother shouted at him. All our stuff is already packed in the car. She saw Harry lingering at the door. "Harry, you are welcome to come with us."

Harry shook his head. "Sorry, Mum. I don't want to go." He gave her a small smile. "I want to stay with Dad."

Annie nodded slightly. "That's fine. We'll be Auntie Ruth's." Catherine picked up her backpack, abandoning her school books. Annie led Catherine out of her bedroom. They stopped and Annie looked over her shoulder. "I will send David over to fetch the rest of our things. If he finds anything missing, you'll be sorry." She glared at her husband and she and Catherine left the house.

"Mum, I just want to go and say goodbye to Mrs Taylor."

"Of course. I've already told her that we are leaving. I'll fetch the car." She kissed her daughter's cheek and the two separated. Catherine went out the front of the shop and her mother left through the back. Catherine moved to the house next door and knocked on the dark blue door.

The door opened. "Oh hello Catherine." Mrs Taylor smiled broadly. "Come in."

"I can't. Me and Mum are leaving." She smiled sadly. "We have to."

"Because you're going to have a baby." Mrs Taylor smiled softly. "I know these things. You'll make a wonderful mother. Young but a good one. You have a good heart."

"Thank you." Catherine smiled. She reached into her bag and pulled out an envelope. In two months, there will probably be a young man, who will come here, looking for me." She held out the letter. "Could you give this to him? Tell him to read it before you tell him I've gone. Also, could you not tell him I'm pregnant? I want to tell him myself."

"Of course, dear." She smiled. "Now, come here. Give me a hug." Catherine smiled and nodded. She stepped forward and hugged the elderly woman tightly. "You best come back and visit soon."

"I will." Catherine spoke quietly as they continued to hug. Catherine stepped back and smiled. "Take care."

"You too." Mrs Taylor smiled gently. She watched Catherine climb into her mother's car and continued to watch them drive away.


A/N: Wow! Quick uploading here! :D Fred will reappear in the next chapter. The Story might be longer than the planned 10 chapters.

Responses from chapter 8:

Alina Maxwell: Thank you! Hope this was soon enough for you! :D A few hours after the last chapter! Hehehe!