A/N helllo thanks for sticking with me through this Journey :) I hope you enjoyed this and will read other stories I write in the future :)
One month later, after an unremarkable Maycomb Christmas except for the absence of Cousin Francis (jail again), and the presence of Dill and Clarence, Dill was back to his sad self and Atticus was on the decline. I found out I was pregnant on January 15th, and not even that news could cheer Dill up. I called Jem. He and Clarence were ecstatic. Atticus couldn't remember who I was.
I was back at my secretary job, but missing a lot of work to stay with Dill. He had started school, but stopped a couple of weeks in because it became too much. I found myself spending more of the work week at home taking care of Dill than actually at work. At first, the idea of our baby on the way had excited me. Now, I thought of it with dread. I spent so much time caring for Dill that I didn't know how I would have time to take care of another person too.
I began to think about something a girl I knew in Atlanta had done when she became pregnant illegitimately. I knew my pregnancy was completely legitimate, but I didn't know if it was in anyone's best interest for me to carry it out. She'd had to keep it very quiet, since it was technically illegal, what she had done. I think it was called absolution. No, something else. Abortion.
I talked to her about it the next time I saw her, and she wrote down the name of the place she'd had it done.
Without telling anyone, I went there the next day. It hurt. I cried. Because of the pain. Because I was losing the baby. I still paid them what was due. I went home. I cried. I regretted it.
Aunt Alexandra called the next day to see how I was doing and to tell me Atticus's memory was going fast and hopefully he'd make it to see his first grandchild. I cried. She asked me if I had lost the baby. I told her that I kind of had. She said that a lot of women have miscarriages. I told her it wasn't like that. She said, "Jean Louise Finch Harris you did not." I told her I did. I cried. She told me I was going to hell. I told her that I'd see her there and hung up. At this rate my entire family would be having a reunion in hell.
Jem called the day after to tell me he and Clarence understood and Atticus would have too but he didn't remember much these days.
The following day I packed Dill and myself up for good. We were both happier in Maycomb. We stayed at Miss Maudie's for a couple weeks until we found a place we could rent downtown. No one in Maycomb asked about the baby. They must have known. I was surprised I hadn't been arrested yet.
Dill didn't know not to ask. He did. I told him and cried. He told me it was his fault and he would get better. Eventually, he did. Atticus got worse and worse. He didn't remember anything and stayed in bed all the time. I started to stop regretting ending my pregnancy and as Dill got better thought about trying again.
Atticus died that summer. The whole town and more came to the funeral. Jem and I couldn't comprehend what life would be like without him, even though he hadn't been fully there in the last few months. We each found the other in his room, looking at his things constantly, and wondering, "Why?" One day we both looked at each other and said in unison, "We're orphans now," and cried. We eventually found closure, and Jem wore Atticus's watch everywhere.
Jem and Clarence moved to Montgomery in late September. Clarence was a radio announcer and Jem was still a lawyer. Dill and I moved into our old house. Dill was happy again, and said he would stay that way. I spent a lot of time talking with Miss Maudie about life. She was getting old and said she wanted to give me all the advice she could while she was still on this earth. She told me I would make a good mother. I gave birth to twins on July 31st the next year. One boy, one girl. We named one Atticus Arnold Harris-Finch (AA for short) and the other Adelaide Abigail Harris-Finch (she went by Scout Junior and wore overalls). They call me Scout and Dill Dill. Dill's been smiling since they were born and looks like he'll never stop.
A/N Yeah, I agree with you. It is a really abrupt ending. As I said in another note, I wrote this for school like six months ago, and ran out of time before the due date to tie up the ends very cleanly. Since it was so long ago, I don't think it's likely that I'll be changing anything or adding anything on. Also, looking back, Scout was probably the gay one, not Jem, but oh well. That's a different story for a different day ;) Also honestly what the heck was I thinking when I wrote this? None of it adds up? I feel like I tried a little too hard to include specific things, but I had a lot of fun writing it way back in the Spring of 2016, so... Also I'll probably write some more fanfiction at some point... Maybe Harry Potter, but I feel like most of those stories have been told already. I also have been browsing in the fairy tale section and i feel like all of those are super original... so maybe I'll write some fairy tale crossovers. I really don't know.