Emma sat on her bathroom floor, curled up in a ball, her back against the door. She waited anxiously for the alarm on her phone to go off. She only had about two minutes until she found out, if she was going to be a mom or not. She didn't dare to move. She thought about the last few months she had with Neal. She thought about every time they were together. They were careful, weren't they?
Beep beep. The alarm on her phone went off, pulling Emma from her thoughts. Emma slowly got up from her spot and made her way over to her phone, turning the alarm off. Taking a few breaths, Emma took the pregnancy in her shaky hands, unable to look at the results. Building up her courage she looked down and saw it.
She saw a tiny plus sign staring up at her. Emma felt every emotion at once. Still staring at the test, hoping at any moment the plus would turn into a negative, she walked out of her bathroom into her bedroom. Her legs were so shaky she was unable to stand anymore, so she sat down on her bed, finally looking up, realizing she was alone. She remembers she sent her friends away, not wanting them to know she was taking a pregnancy test. She wished someone was there with her now. She didn't care who.
Not knowing what else to do, Emma placed the test on her night stand and crawled under her blankets. Once she was all bundled up in her blankets she let the tears fall. She had no idea what to do. She knew she needed to tell Neal, but emotionally she couldn't face him. Her parents would be so disappointed in her. She remembers the relief in her mother's voice when she told her she was not pregnant a week ago. At least she would have her friends, wouldn't she.
Emma had no idea when she fell asleep, but she woke up to the sun beaming in her room. Everything felt normal, Emma thought for a moment that today was going to be a normal day, till she got out of bed and looked over and saw the test sitting on her night stand. Emma looked at her phone and saw she had an hour before class, and her phone had 12 missed messages from her friends. Sighing, She got up to shower.
Thirty minutes later Emma was showered and dressed. Normally she would skip breakfast, but she began wondering if she should eat something. She wasn't hungry, but she began to wonder if she should eat because of her situation. Emma wouldn't let herself think of the word. She grabbed a granola bar and made her way out the door.
Emma made it through her day of classes and now felt extremely tired, wanting nothing more than you lay down in bed, but her stomach had other plans. As soon as she walked through the door and dropped her bag, she felt an intense hunger running through her.
Emma finally decided she would get food, then sleep, when her phone went off. Taking her phone out of her pocket, she noticed it was the group message she was in.
Regina: Emma?! You haven't answered us all day! Are you okay? Are you alive? You have to talk to us at some point.
August: Regina! She is going through a hard time. She may have shut her phone off. Let her move on in her own time.
Sighing, Emma knew that Regina was right, she shouldn't be shutting out her friends, especially now.
Emma: Yes, I am very much alive. Sorry, I just got home from class. I was thinking of getting dinner. I am STARVING. Do you guys want to come with me?
Regina: Hey! Look who is alive! I am down for food.
Ruby:Emma! We have missed you! Yes dinner sound wonderful.
August: When shall we meet?
Emma: Let's meet now.
Emma quickly grabbed her jacket and headed out the door, without waiting for her friends to respond. When she made her way downstairs, she saw her friends were making their way out of their dorms. She felt tears starting to form in her eyes, she quickly scolded herself for being emotional.
"Emma!" Ruby squealed, as she ran to Emma, pulling her in for a hug.
"Nice to see you too Ruby, but it's only been a couple of days." Emma said, releasing Ruby, only to be pulled into another hug from August.
"We know, but we also know that this has been hard on you. When you said you wanted some space we got worried you were pushing us away." August answered, holding her tightly for a moment.
Emma cringed remembering when she asked them to leave one night. When they left, she ran out and bought a pregnancy test, hoping to take it that night. She cursed herself for being a coward and not being able to take it. After two days she was able to work up the courage to take it. The proof was still sitting on her night stand.
"I'm sorry guys. I know it's not fair to you, that I just vanished for a couple of days, I just needed time, but I will always need you guys." Emma said, meaning every word.
"Well it's good to have you back, shall we go to dinner?" Regina asked, smiling and grabbing Emma's hand, her own form of comfort.
"Yes! I am starving." Emma announced smiling at the comfort she was receiving from her friends.
When they all were sitting down with plates of food in front of them, Emma felt her phone vibrate, confused on whom it was Emma pulled her phone out. She felt her stomach drop as she read the name that came across her phone.
Neal
"Everything all right?" August asked, noticing Emma's face went pale.
"I... I don't know. N… Neal messaged me." Emma stuttered out, unable to keep her voice even.
"Want me to text him for you?" Regina asked, sticking her hand out, ready to take Emma's phone.
"No, It's okay. Just one moment." Emma felt better, knowing her friends were there for her. Clicking on the message, Emma's heart began to race.
Neal: Emma, I am sorry for how we ended things, and if you will, can we please talk. I saw you in the Dining hall. I am outside.
Emma reread the message a few times before taking in a shaking breath.
"I will be right back you guys." Emma announced getting up from her chair.
"Want me to come with you?" Regina asked, also standing up from her chair, ready to stand behind Emma no matter what.
"No, it's okay. This shouldn't take too long." Emma turned and headed for the door.
When Emma made it outside, she saw Neal standing with his back to the Dining Hall. Smoke was coming from him, Emma figured she was smoking a cigarette.
"Neal?" Emma said, her voice was quiet, but he turned around and smiled.
"Emma! Thank you for coming out. I think we should talk about this. Listen, we can wait to move. I will wait till you graduate! I will find a job up here and see if the job down there will extend their offer." Neal started rambling off his ideas on how they could work things out. When he finally took a breath it was Emma's turn to talk.
"Neal, listen. I don't think it will matter if we fixed things right now, because we are just going to end up right back here." Emma confessed.
"What? Emma no, I promise we won't! I realized I was an idiot, I realized that I don't want to lose you." Neal said in a softer tone, taking a step towards her.
"Did you realize this before or after you hurt Regina." Emma said defensively.
Neal's face fell almost immediately. "She, she told you."
"Yes, she told me. I also know that you lied about selling drugs. You have been doing it the entire time we have been together. You are also doing them!" Emma started to yell.
"Emma, I … I uh… I don't know what you want me to say." Neal stuttered, running his fingers through his hair.
"I want you to stop lying to me! I don't trust you anymore! Neal, what would happen if I did move down there with you and you continued to lie to me." Emma remembered her situation she was in and wanted to know what his reaction would be. "Neal, what if you were doing this and I got pregnant. Do you understand how dangerous that would be? What if a deal went bad, and they hurt the baby. What if…"
"A baby? What kind of selfish person would want to bring a baby into this world." Neal interrupted.
Emma suddenly felt like her whole world came crashing down, she felt tears running down her face. "I'm tired, Neal. I don't want to have the same fight over and over again. I am done."
"Well, if that is how you feel then. I … I guess I wish you the best." Neal said, turning around and walking away.
Emma watched him walk away, unsure of how to feel. When she could no longer see him, she took a couple of deep breaths, feeling a burning sensation in the pit of her stomach, and turned around, ready to head back to the dinning hall. As soon as she did, she saw Regina standing at the door, her face full of wonder.
"Regina! How long have you been standing there?" Emma asked.
"Around the time you mentioned me. Against August's suggestion of keeping my nose out of this, I wanted to make sure that you were going to be okay. I had a feeling that things were going to get heated between the two of you." Regina said, her voice sounded almost cautions.
"Oh, well thank you!" Emma said, trying to make her way through the door, before Regina stopped her.
"Emma, wait." Regina protested. "I know you were unsure, but from what I heard with you talking with Neal… Emma are you… Are you pregnant?" Regina asked, holding Emma's face in her hands.
Suddenly Emma's breathing started to become more rapid, to the point of hyperventilating. "I… I…yes." Emma confessed. She placed her head on Regina's shoulder and began to cry. She felt Regina's arms wrap around her, hoping to comfort her.
"When did you find out?" Regina asked, pulling away slightly, but keeping her arms around Emma.
"Last night. I haven't gone to the doctor or anything, but I have all the signs, including a positive pregnancy test that is sitting on my nightstand." Emma said, feeling better, being able to tell someone.
"Oh Emma, I know this is not the most ideal situation, but I promise you it's going to be okay. No matter what you decide, you are going to have all of us here for you. I promise you that."
Emma nodded as a response, sniffling slightly. After a moment, they heard a low growling noise coming from Emma's stomach.
Both of them giggled slightly. "Come on, lets go feed that little one in there." Regina said smiling, followed by Emma.
"I should tell the rest of them." Emma said, nodding towards the table, where Ruby and August sat waiting for them to return.
"When you are ready." Regina reminded her.
"Okay, I think I am ready to tell them. I am going to need a lot of support though." Emma said.
"And you shall receive it." Regina said, moving part of Emma's bangs away from her face.
Emma took a deep breath in and headed for the table, remembering how hungry she was when she saw her plate of food still sitting there.
"There you are, we thought we were going to have to call the cops because Regina had killed Neal and you two were hiding the body." Ruby joked.
"He is not so lucky." Regina joked back, sitting back down in her chair, before looking at Emma who smiled slightly.
"Really though, are you okay?" August asked grabbing Emma's hand as soon as she sat down.
"Yeah, I am okay, actually I need to tell you guys something." Emma confessed, looking down at her plate.
"Everything okay?" Ruby asked.
"I don't know how to answer that. I guess I should start off by just pulling off the band aid." Emma said, looking up.
"You can do it." Regina encouraged.
"I'm pregnant." Emma announced, her voice unwavering.
There was a few minutes of silence at their table. Emma began to wonder if it was a mistake to tell them that they were not ready to hear that.
"Oh Emma!" Ruby got up from her seat and hugged Emma, crying on her. "I am so sorry." Was all she could get out.
"Nothing to be sorry about. I knew this could happen and it did. I brought this upon myself." Emma said, rubbing Ruby's back.
"What are you going to do? Are you thinking of adoption, keeping it? Raising it? Getting rid…?" August began to ask.
"I don't know, but I do know that I can't get rid of it. There is a reason for everyone to be here and I don't want to take away a life that could have been," Emma said, interrupting August's last question.
"Well, I guess we can say Congratulations." August announcement.
"Yes, Congratulations Emma. " Regina said, smiling.
"Congratulations." Ruby mumbled into her lap.
Emma felt her phone vibrate again, and realized she was going to have to tell her family and eventually Neal. She didn't know how he would handle it, or even acknowledge this. She felt panic begin to rise as she thought of his reaction, or her parents. She began to think of better jobs to get, but she knew she was going to at least finish school.