Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any songs performed in this story. This is purely a work of fiction.
Paige got the call at around 9 AM the next morning. She grumbled a greeting and her sister started sobbing. "Rachel?" Paige mumbled, half-asleep. "Why are you calling me?" Rachel cried harder and choked out, "I think I'm pregnant!" Paige was wide awake now. She sat up. "Oh my God!" she whispered. She slapped a hand to her head and tried to think. "Stop crying," she snapped. Rachel stopped sobbing and sniffled. Paige figured it was more out of surprise than obedience. "Paige, what am I going to do? I can't have a baby?" she whispered. "Why are you whispering?" Paige asked quietly. She didn't want anyone to know she was up. "Because Santana and Kurt are in the living room," Rachel answered. Paige bit her lip.
"How did this happen? When did you find out?" Paige asked. "I just found out a few days ago. I've been trying to process it, ya know? I don't know what to do." She started crying again. "And what's worse is I don't know if it's Finn's or Brody's. I'm such a whore!" The sobs started again. "Shut up! Shut up, would you!?" She exhaled loudly. "Look, here's what you're going to do. Are you listening?" "Yes." "You're going to go to the doctor. A very discreet doctor..." "I CAN'T DO THAT!" Rachel hissed as quietly as possible. "For the last time, shut up. I'm not saying you should get rid of it. I'm trying to tell you to find a doctor and make sure you're really pregnant. You should have started seeing a gynecologist as soon as you swiped your v-card," Paige told her. "I took a test!" Rachel replied. "A home test. It could be a false positive. They're not 100% effective 100% of the time. You need to make absolutely positive that you're knocked up before you start flipping out."
Paige could imagine Rachel nodding fervently in the silence while pacing back and forth. "Okay, but what do I do if the doctor tells me I'm pregnant?" she asked. "Call me. We'll figure it out together," Paige answered. Rachel sniffled. "I don't know what I'd do without you, little sister," she said. "I don't know either," Paige replied, biting her lip anxiously. "Oh, Dad and Papa can't know," Rachel said seriously. "Duh, what do you take me for?" "Thank you," Rachel whispered.
Keeping a secret this big from her dads was not going to be easy. She was terrified for Rachel and had never been that great at hiding her emotions. She silently prayed that it had been a false positive and that she would be able to act perfectly normal. She pretended to just be waking up around 10:30 and took a shower. She let the warm water soothe her and told herself to just be cool.
She called Ryder when her hair was somewhat dry. "Hey, you're up early for a Sunday," Ryder joked. "Not now. I need to talk to you. But absolutely no one else can hear this conversation so I'm gonna need you to come get me like we have plans or something. And don't raise any suspicions. Can you handle that?" "Yeah, I'll come right over. Are you okay?" he asked, worried. "I'm fine. I'm just freaking out a little. Just come get me." "Okay, I'm coming."
She waited a few minutes before heading downstairs. "Going out?" her Papa asked. "Oh, yeah, just gotta help Ryder with an English paper," she lied. "Oh, okay." "Won't take long, I think," she said as Ryder pulled up. "He's here. See you in a bit?" "Of course. Love you." "Love you, too." She opened the door and walked out casually. He took off as soon as she got in.
"So, what's going on?" Ryder asked as he drove off towards the park. "If I tell you something, do you swear you'll never tell anyone?" Paige asked nervously. "Of course," Ryder replied. Paige sighed anxiously. "Like if you even think of telling anyone, even Puckerman, I will have to kill you. It will be inevitable," she said. "Okay...obviously something is really wrong..." Paige couldn't find the words to tell him. She just sat in the passenger's seat, rubbing her thumbs together nervously. Ryder pulled into the parking lot in front of the park and cut the ignition. "What is it?" he asked gently. Paige swallowed loudly.
Ryder could see how anxious Paige looked and it made him extremely uneasy. He put his hand over hers and she looked at him. Her eyes were full of fear and tears. His heart sank to his stomach. "What is it?" "It's my sister," she choked out. "What's wrong? Is she okay?" Paige bit her lip as a tear finally cascaded down her cheek. "She might be pregnant," Paige told him. "Whoa," he said. Paige nodded. "She called me this morning. She's freaking out, she didn't know what to do. She doesn't even know whether it's Finn's or Brody's. She took a home pregnancy test a few days ago."
Ryder wasn't sure how to react. He felt bad for Rachel, but he couldn't see why it would be affecting Paige so much. "So, if she's the one who might be pregnant, why exactly are you freaking out?" he asked, trying not to sound insensitive. "Because! She's my sister! And this is a big deal. This could effect her entire life and I have to help her. I have to keep this secret from reaching our dads and I have to figure out what to do if she's pregnant." Ryder was still confused. "But it's not your responsibility to figure out what to do if she really is pregnant," he said.
Tears were flowing steadily now and Ryder noticed Paige's hands were shaking. "Ryder, she's my sister! As much as we argue, my siblings and I have always been each others rocks. I couldn't let her deal with this on her own. If it were me in that situation, she'd help me." She angrily wiped away some tears. "It's okay. It's going to be okay," Ryder told her gently. "What if it's not? I mean, what if she's pregnant? There are only a few ways this could go. One option is completely out of the question. She wouldn't do it. The second option is unlikely given the whole crazy situation she had with her birth mother. And the third option would completely ruin her life." Ryder didn't know what to say. He felt like he should be more supportive, but what could he do?
He sat stroking her hair in silence as she leaned on him and had a mini melt down. He couldn't help but think of what would happen if it was Paige who might be pregnant. At sixteen he was ill-prepared to handle parenting. He could only imagine how terrified Rachel must feel and hoped for hers and Paige's sakes she wasn't pregnant. Clearly it was too much for Paige to handle.
"So what did you tell her exactly?" Ryder asked when Paige had calmed down a little. "I told her to find a doctor and get them to confirm or deny that she is, in fact, pregnant. And then if she is I told her to call me so we could figure it out together," Paige answered. Ryder nodded. Paige could see that the reality of the situation was sinking in. She took his hand gently. "See why it's best if we wait? I'm terrified of this happening to me. I can't bear to think I might end up stuck in this town, married at 18, with a kid I wasn't ready for. It's the whole reason I was hesitant to date you..or anyone," she said.
Ryder frowned. "You don't think I'll get out of here?" he asked. "That's not what I meant, Ryder. I don't think you're a Lima loser. You're really talented and you have options. You could choose to follow your voice or you could be a professional football player. I absolutely have faith you could do anything. But think about it. The likelihood of either of us doing anything with our lives if we had a kid in high school and got married is basically none. And I really like you, but I'm not willing to risk my future on a guy." Paige bit her lip as Ryder remained silent. She hadn't meant to offend him.
"I would never ask you to give up your dreams for me," he said seriously. Something in his voice was intense and she wasn't sure if he was angry or just hurt. "I didn't say you would," she replied. "No, but that's what it sounds like you think will happen. I'm not just some guy. And I don't want to be just another life experience to you." Paige didn't know what to say to that. She really did like Ryder and while part of her was scared of her feelings for him, the other part really wanted things to work out.
"What is your dream anyway?" Ryder asked. "I want to make music. Not for the fame or for the money. I want to make music that people can relate to. I want everyone who has ever been called weird or a freak or anything negative to know that they're okay. That being who you are and owning it is more important than what anyone thinks about you." Ryder nodded. "So you'll want to live in L.A.?" he asked. Paige nodded. "Not really want to, but that's the best place to be to break into the music industry, I think." Paige was just glad the conversation had turned around a bit. It was still tense in the cab of Ryder's truck, but he didn't seem angry.
"I know you can do it," he told her. She shrugged. "Fingers crossed," she said. "What do your dads think of it?" She smiled sadly. "They want me to go to college, of course. They love me unconditionally and think I'm brilliant, but they also keep it real. Talent isn't everything anymore, unfortunately. I'm probably not star quality. But I'll never stop trying." "You'll make it. Trust me," Ryder said. Paige smiled in spite of herself. "Can we go play on the swings?" she asked. Ryder looked surprised but smiled. "Yeah, sure," he said. Paige gave him a sly smile and said, "race ya!" She bolted out of the truck, laughing as Ryder chased behind.
Swinging side by side, holding hands with Ryder, had been just what Paige had needed. The stress seemed to melt away the higher she got. That ended when Paige got a second call from her sister. "The doctor can't see me until next week," she said, sounding scared. "Take a deep breath, Rachel. Everything will be fine," Paige told her. "I haven't told Brody yet," she said. "Good. Don't." "Santana and Kurt know," Rachel told her, getting more nervous. "Stop. Shh. Listen to me. Did you ask them not to tell?" Paige asked. "Yes, but Kurt thinks I should tell Brody and I just don't know about Santana..." "Santana's trustworthy," Paige assured her. "She went through my stuff, that's how she knows," Rachel argued. "I'm sure there's a method to her madness. Listen, she won't blab. I'll talk to her. And tell Lady Hummel if he spills I'll castrate him." Rachel chuckled a little.
"I'm going to be going insane for a week. I don't know what to do. Should I tell Brody? And what about Finn? I mean, it's most likely Brody's but still..." "Okay, listen, do not say a word to Brody until you know for sure. I don't trust him anyway. I don't like him. As far as Finn goes...mum's the word until you've seen the doctor. No matter how small the chance that the baby in question is his, he should know. If you are pregnant and there's even a slight possibility it's Finn's, I'm sure he'll want a DNA test and if it turns out to be his, he'll want to be involved," Paige said. "You think so?" Rachel asked. "Of course! He can be an idiot and he's a man-child, but he loves you and he would do anything for you. And if that baby is his he'll feel like he has to step up...or have flashbacks from the whole Quinn sitch." They both shared a laugh about that.
Rachel took a deep breath. "I'm really scared," she said. "What have we always done whenever we felt anything?" Paige said. "We sing about it," Rachel answered. "Yep," Paige replied. "What am I supposed to sing? Even I am stumped for this situation," Rachel sighed. Paige bit her lip. "Will you sing me something?" Rachel asked. She sounded so weak, Paige couldn't have said no. "Um, okay...Sure..."
Paige turned her back to Ryder. For some reason he was making her nervous. She knew what she wanted to sing, though, and hoped it would give her sister the strength she needed.
"When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisom
Let it be
And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be
Let it be
Let it be
Let it be
Let it be
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be..."
Rachel was sniffling on the other end.
"And when the broken hearted people
Living in the world agree
There will be an answer
Let it be
For though they may be parted
There is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer
Let it be
Let it be
Let it be
Let it be
Let it be
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be..."
Rachel started singing along quietly.
"Let it be
Let it be
Let it be
Let it be
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be
Let it be
Let it be
Let it be, yeah
Let it be
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be
And when the night is cloudy
There is still a light that shines on me
Shine until tomorrow
Let it be
I wake up to the sound of music
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be..."
Paige jumped as Ryder put his arm around her waist. He didn't sing, but watched her as she comforted her sister.
"Let it be
Let it be
Let it be, yeah
Let it be
There will be an answer
Let it be
Let it be
Let it be
Let it be, yeah
Let it be
There will be an answer
Let it be
Let it be
Let it be
Let it be, yeah
Let it be
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be.."
"Thank you," Rachel said with a sniffle. "No problem," Paige replied, squeezing Ryder's hand. "I'll talk to you soon," Rachel promised. "Okay." Paige hung up at the same time as Rachel and looked at Ryder with worry in her eyes. "I need to call Santana before I go home. I don't want to risk my dads hearing," she told him. He nodded and gave her some space.
Santana sat down with her latte as her phone rang. "Hello?" The voice on the other end was familiar. "Hey, Santana." "Paige? To what do I owe the pleasure?" "I know you know about Rachel," Paige said. Santana rolled her eyes. "Mmhmm, I sure do," she said. She studied her nails. "I have to say, I never pegged her for the type to get knocked up by some drug dealer. Or possibly her ex-boyfriend, but probably the former." "Look, you really can't tell anyone. She's terrified as it is and..." "Relax. I'm not gonna tell anyone. Why does no one trust me?" Santana ranted. "I do trust you. My sister doesn't." "Why not? I'm her friend," Santana replied, outraged. "Well, you weren't always. Just let her know that I talked to you so she'll feel that much better," Paige pleaded. "Sure. Everything okay with you?" Santana asked, changing the subject. "Yeah," Paige replied. "Still seeing that guy from the wedding?" "We're official now," Paige told her.
"I'll talk to your sister. Try not to stress too much," Santana said. "Okay, thanks," Paige replied. She hung up and went over to where Ryder sat on the swings. "Everything okay?" he asked. "Everything's fine for now," Paige assured him. "Good." She shuffled her foot. "Well, I should go home. I have homework." "Yeah, me too," Ryder sighed. He stood up, took her hand, and led her back to his truck.
Thanks for reading! And to those who reviewed, thank you very much! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter.
Song:
"Let It Be" - The Beatles