A/N: I'm losing track of what month it is in the story, but I do believe it's about April.
Don't forget to go and vote in the Profiler's Choice Awards for 2015! Forever My Girl HAS been nominated for Best OC Driven!
Enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: As before.
It was getting harder and harder to walk around school every day.
While her bump was not big, it had reached the point where it was starting to show in anything she wore. Even though pretty much the entire school knew she was pregnant, Haven hated the stares and the whispers that came from the clusters of people she passed in the hallways.
Amber was always by her side, ready to jump to her defence if it was needed, but mostly, she was there to keep Haven's spirits up. It had made her late to her own classes several times, but it was a gesture that Haven was immensely thankful for.
The only thing that had made Haven's twenty fourth week of pregnancy more difficult was the fact that Connor hadn't shown up to school for the majority of the week. He had been in class on the Monday to receive the results for some of his tests, but hadn't shown up since then. However, with finals approaching in less than two months, Haven had tried to put the worry out of her mind to focus on her grades.
But as much as she tried, it was always there, always lurking in the back of her mind.
Walking up to the front door of Connor's house, Haven knocked purposefully on the heavy wooden door, trying to peer through the frosted glass pane to see if anyone was home. Thunder rumbled threateningly overhead, and the sky was darkening with every minute that passed, but all Haven cared about was speaking to Connor.
When no-one answered after nearly two minutes, she knocked again, pulling her phone out of her pocket as she did so.
The house remained still and silent.
Turning back towards the car, Haven dialled Connor's phone number. Pressing it to her ear, she climbed back into the driver's seat of the car, just closing the door as it began to rain.
"Come on Connor... pick up," she muttered as the phone rang repeatedly in her ear.
Before long, his voicemail answered, causing Haven to groan in frustration before dropping her phone on the passenger seat.
"Men," she grumbled, starting the ignition and backing out of the driveway.
Rain pounded on the windshield as she drove home, but all her thoughts were consumed with her boyfriend.
Why was he acting so strangely?
"We've got a barbecue at Rossi's next weekend, and then the weekend after that, my mom is flying in for a visit... and there's a message on the machine from one of your old buddies asking when you're planning on visiting New Orleans again," JJ rattled off as she scribbled notes down on the calendar by the phone. Haven was finishing up the dishes from dinner, quiet as her parents talked around her.
"I can go down for a week... maybe the week after your mom visits. I'll have a look online at flights later," Will replied.
"Henry might want to go with you, he loves New Orleans," JJ said thoughtfully, pulling the cap off her pen again with her teeth and writing one more note on the calendar. "And Haven, you have your glucose screening test tomorrow afternoon-"
A loud clang sounded from the sink followed by Haven's cry of pain.
"Shit!" she shrieked, clutching her hand and stepping away from the sink. "Ow, ow, ow!"
Dropping the pen, JJ grabbed some paper towel from the top of the microwave, grabbing Haven's hand and pressing it to the deep cut down the side of her pointer finger.
"It's alright, just breathe," she said quickly, seeing how rapidly Haven's face was paling; Haven never did well with deep cuts, and now, during her pregnancy, she was twice as sensitive to everything.
"What did you do, milagro?" Will asked, walking over and placing a supportive hand on Haven's back.
"I was cleaning the knife and it slipped," Haven said shakily. "Mom, I feel dizzy"
"Come and sit down," JJ said gently, guiding Haven to the kitchen table as Will went to grab the first aid kit. "You were on another planet there kiddo"
Haven nodded numbly as she sat down. "Connor's not at school. I went over to his house on my way home to see if he was there, but no-one was home, and he didn't answer his phone"
JJ took a deep breath, keeping pressure on the cut. "He might just need some space, milagro. Some time to think about everything that's going on. You guys are going to be parents in just over fourteen weeks. It seems like a long time, but it's going to go fast, and I bet Connor just needs a bit of time to let that sink in"
Haven thought about her mother's words for a moment, before nodding in reluctant agreement.
"I guess... I just... feel like something's off with him. I wanna make sure he's ok," she said softly.
"I know, sweetie, and it's hard when you don't know what's going on, but just give Connor some time, and I'm sure he'll come around," JJ replied, leaning in and pressing a kiss to Haven's forehead. Will chose that moment to return with the first aid kit, pulling a chair around to sit beside JJ and Haven.
"Alright, milagro, let's get that finger on the mend"
The rain was still pouring relentlessly as Haven lay awake in her bed in the early hours of the morning. Her baby girl was kicking her every few minutes, but Haven couldn't have fallen asleep if she wanted to.
All her thoughts were on Connor, as much as she wanted them to focus on something else. She knew it was overwhelming, the thought of being a parent in a few short months, but she also couldn't understand his sudden withdrawal. She was also faced with the same overwhelming feeling, and in a way, it got to her more since she was the one who carried their child with her every day.
Sighing, she rolled onto her side, noticing how the change in position immediately settled her little kickboxer.
"I don't know what's going on with your dad, little blossom," she said softly, rubbing comforting circles against the lower part of her belly. "It's all a bit too much for him right now... but he's going to love you. You're going to be the light of his life. And mine. You've made me a better person... and I'm going to work as hard as I can to make sure I give you the best life possible"
Her daughter's response was a tiny butterfly kick against the palm of her hand.
Haven managed a smile, her tired eyes beginning to droop as her body slowly began to settle.
"I love you too, little blossom"