There was nothing to do. The TV in the corner of the room only had shitty stations like the news and the weather. The windows were always drawn closed so Emma couldn't see outside. The nurses only came in to check her vitals and her IV, never talking during these visits.
Emma was bored and worried and scared.
After the second day, a doctor came into the room.
"Miss Decody," he greeted her. Emma nervously nodded back. "I see you were in a little accident."
"I don't really remember much of what happened," she admitted.
He sighed. "Well, what we do know is that you and the driver were both above the legal blood alcohol limit, seeing as you both are under 18." Emma lowered her head in shame. "But I didn't come in here to lecture you."
"How is he? Gunner? The driver?" she said quickly before he could say anything else.
The doctor shook his head. "He's still in California and I cannot release information on his condition to nonfamily members."
Emma sunk into her pillows again. What was the point of anything if they were separated?
"Now we really need to talk about what happened. Your injuries weren't fatal luckily but the risk of miscarrying is still high-"
"Wait, what?" Emma choked out. A slight ringing was in her ears.
"You weren't too severely injured to miscarry but we still need to watch you just in case. You cannot be released until the fetus is completely stable again and even then, I must remind you the dangers of drinking while pregnant."
She couldn't take anything in. He wasn't talking to her. No, this couldn't be possible.
"As for your lungs, they should be fine. Just make sure to keep up your oxygen intake and try not to exert yourself too much."
"P-pregnant?" she whispered, her eyes blurry from tears.
The doctor stopped talking and shuffled through his papers. "Yes, five weeks. Very early and therefore easy to miscarry so you need to be careful, Miss Decody." He looked down at her in sympathy, putting all the papers back in her chart. "I know this has been very jarring so please maintain a stable and safe lifestyle until this baby is born, alright."
She absently nodded and the doctor was gone before she realized it.
Pregnant.
What?
Her father was shaking her arm with food in his hands, trying to snap her out of it. "Darling, what's wrong? Aren't you hungry?" She couldn't even look him in the face.
"I'm sorry, Dad." For so much. "I'm not hungry," she whispered.
Since her voice was so quiet, he couldn't hear her voice break. "I'll leave the food over here for when you want it then, love," she heard him say but she didn't move to see. "Are you alright?"
"I need him."
Her father wrapped his arms around her. "I know how it feels to be young and in love but after what he just pulled, putting my baby girl in danger, I think this distance will be good for the both of you," he said, putting his chin on the top of her head.
"No, but I need him right now," she began crying, thick hot tears running down her face.
He seemed surprised. "I'm sure you'll be able to see him by the end of the school year, alright? But right now you need to focus on your studies and getting better."
She closed her eyes and shook her head, quietly sobbing as he held her.
Things didn't get much better the next few days. Spring break was drawing to a close and the doctors agreed to let her out for school as long as she promised she wouldn't be driving (not a problem since she didn't have a car) and she would be resting as much as possible. She was discharged quickly and her father drove her home in silence. Emma was afraid to talk to her father lately. She was scared she would blurt out her secret and he would disown her. While the possibilities of that happening were slim to none, it was not something she would like to take a chance on.
At home, she checked her phone for the seventeenth time that day. Still no text from Gunner. She had texted him every day, simple things such as are you okay and I'm so sorry for what happened. If he had only texted back…
But what? Would she tell him over the phone? Over a text? Something this life changing?
Emma had no idea what to do. She was scared to tell her father, scared to tell her boyfriend, she had no mother to talk to and no girl friends to confide in.
While Norma was the closest thing to a mother that she had, she just couldn't tell her. Norma judged the hell out of Gunner and his relationship with Emma, no doubt Norma would tell her to abort the baby and break up with Gunner immediately.
Norman wouldn't know what to do. He would probably immediately go to his mother, starting the previous cycle again. Or worse, he just wouldn't care. He would shrug and go drool after Bradley again.
Who else could she talk to?
After a miserable day at school, she went up to the motel to tell Norma she couldn't work there for the next few months. While knowing she may desperately need the money soon (the thought made her feel dizzy), she knew she wouldn't be able to get the rest she needed for her (and the baby) while dealing with the crazy shit that happened at the motel.
"Norma?" she called as she opened the door to the office. A pair of blue eyes that didn't belong to either Norma or Norman shot up to her.
"She's not here right now. Um, they both went out to do their creepy Mother-Son bonding," Dylan rolled his eyes from behind the desk.
Emma froze in the doorway. "When will she be back?" she asked timidly.
Dylan shrugged. "What do you need her for?"
"I have to quit."
"Why?" he furrowed his eyebrows, finally taking in the bruises and the careful way she held herself.
"I was in an accident… when I was with Gunner… in California," she absently said. Her thoughts were racing a mile a minute.
"Wow, I'm sorry about that. I'm glad you're okay. He's okay too, right?"
She stared deeply into his eyes. "Dylan, I'm pregnant."
He wheeled back in his chair, his eyes widening. "Whoa, what? Are you… What?"
She closed her eyes as tears started to fall. "I'm sorry to just throw this on you but I don't know who else to tell. My dad would kill me, Norman wouldn't care, and Norma already hates him, you know? And I don't have any other friends or anything and you seem like a neutral party who knows both of us."
Dylan slowly nodded his head. "Does Gunner know?" he asked lowly.
"No, I just found out myself and I don't know what I'm supposed to do. He still hasn't been responding to all of my texts and I don't know if he's too hurt to do it or if he's moved on or what. Like we won't be able to see each other that much and I don't know if he'd want to keep our relationship going like this. And seriously, what am I supposed to do with a fucking baby?" she cried almost hysterically.
All she could see in his eyes was pity and it killed her. That's all anyone looked at her with; pity, pity, pity. "I don't know what you expect me to do," he said honestly.
"Can you just help me?" she whimpered. "Try to contact Gunner or something. I don't know. I don't know what to do with my life anymore. This wasn't part of the plan."
The tears started again and Dylan stood up from his seat to pull her into an embrace. "Okay, I can do that. Anything you need, just ask, okay? I don't know if this will work out for you guys but I'm here for you."
"How am I supposed to pay for everything?" she asked rhetorically but he answered anyway.
"I can help you, okay? I just got promoted and I don't know, maybe if Gunner is into it I can get him to take my old job up here. You'll get through this, alright?"
Emma nodded and hugged him tighter. Even though everything was falling apart and her boyfriend wasn't answering his phone, it was good to know she had at least one person to count on in the world.
I'm sorry for this chapter. I just really wanted to update by now. I had this planned since the beginning and I promise next chapter will be better.
