Gynecological practice, Santa Barbara

I was immensely grateful to my Aunt Quinn that she didn't ask questions but called her gynecologist to make an appointment for me. It felt so good to confide my secret to someone and I finally wanted to know if the pregnancy test had shown the wrong result or if I was truly pregnant. I hoped for the first possibility. And now I was sitting with my aunt in the waiting room of the gynecologist's practice.

"It's going to be okay, Lydia. I'm here for you, no matter what the outcome will be."

I gave her a tight lipped smile as she took my hand and squeezed it. "Thank you, Aunt Quinn. That really means a lot to me."

"Do you want me to come with you?" She asked hesitantly.

I nodded as I felt my heart beating wildly against my ribs. I was usually someone that nothing could shock so quickly, but this time I was really scared of going to this treatment room alone.

"Lydia Scott please in treatment room 2."

When someone called my name, I got up with trembling knees and walked over to the room that had been assigned to me. When my aunt and I entered the room, the doctor was already waiting for us.

"Hello Mrs. Evans. And you are Lydia, the niece?" The doctor greeted us friendly.

I nodded uneasily. "Lydia Scott," I replied and took a seat. Anxiously and tense, I waited for what she would say next.

"You had to give a blood and urine sample before you went to the waiting room," she began hesitantly, straightening her glasses. "Well, the quick test has shown that you are in fact pregnant."

I wished so much that she would say that my first test had been wrong. Stunned, I stared at her, trying hard not to burst into tears. Davis's words flashed through my mind. With a small, reckless mistake I had ruined my whole life! And not just mine, his too. I felt Aunt Quinn stroking my arm comforting. But there was nothing that she could say or do that could give me solace in my present situation. For a short moment I wished I had drowned in the pool!

"I can imagine that this news must be a shock for you. Especially since you are very young," said the doctor quietly. "But you shouldn't panic right now. If you really don't want to keep the baby, there is always the possibility of... "

My head jerked up and I looked at her with wide open eyes. "I don't want an abortion!" I interrupted her. If I was sure of one thing, it was that. I wasn't a murderer!

"You didn't let me finish," said the doctor slightly irritated. "I wanted to say that there is the possibility to give up the baby for adoption."

I should go through the pregnancy, deliver it and give it away afterwards? Stunned, I shook my head. I had never understood how mothers could be able to carry a baby for months, then hand it over to someone else. It had often been a topic in movies I watched with Izzy and Sawyer years ago.

"So do I understand that correctly, that you want to keep the baby?"

So far, I hadn't even thought about it, until now. But being confronted with this question somehow made it real. I looked to my aunt for help.

"My sister Haley, Lydia's mother, also got pregnant at a very young age," she said. "Lydia will get all the support from the family she needs."

I looked at my aunt in surprise. Was she really convinced that my parents would help me?

"What about the baby's father? Will he take responsibility for it?" The doctor cut in.

I remembered Davis's words and shook my head slowly.

"How do you know that, Lydia? Does he even know that you're pregnant?"

I looked at my aunt thoughtfully. "No, he doesn't know," I confessed. "I lied to him and told him that I had gotten my period. But he seemed relieved after my confession. So I kept it a secret."

The doctor cleared her throat. "I would suggest to take a closer look at the embryo first."

How many times have I seen in various films and series this exact scene, where mothers and fathers had seen their baby for the first time and had heard the heartbeat. And every time they had been happy. Now I was in the same situation, saw my baby, who was just the size of a tiny bean, heard his heartbeat and started to cry. I couldn't even tell if it was out of desperation, fear, or maybe even a little joy. I noticed how my aunt grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

"If you want, I'll tell your mom," she said, smiling sympathetically.

I shook my head. "No, I think I should do that myself." The examination was over, I was given a maternity log and a first ultrasound scan and was dismissed. When I was back on the street with my aunt, my phone suddenly started to hum. I had turned it off in practice and just had turned it on again when the text message came. It was from Sawyer. "Call me - right now!" I read with a frown.

"Who is this from?"

"From Sawyer," I explained, rolling my eyes. "With three exclamation marks. She's probably mad that I just left Tree Hill without telling her."

"That was not your fault and not your decision," she pointed out.

I put the phone back in my pocket. "I should call her," I said.

"Let's go home, you can call her there," she suggested. "And later, we'll have a talk about what to do next."

"Can you imagine Mom's face when I tell her on the phone that she's going to become a grandmother?" I suddenly had to grin at the thought.

"We could skype her, if you prefer that."

"I don't think it matters how I tell her," I sighed. "She definitely won't be happy about it."

"I know she was very strict to you, but I know my sister. She will never let you down if you ask her for help. And she herself knows best what it's like to get pregnant at 17. Your parents love you, Lydia. Don't forget that. They just sent you away because they wanted to protect you."

"From Davis?" It slipped out. "It's too late for that now."

"Come on now, let's drive home."

I nodded and then followed my aunt to the car.