"John," Abby said.
"Hmm?" he replied, looking out the window, then to her gaze.
"I have something that I have to, uh," she fumbled with her hands nervously. "I have something to tell you."
He leaned back in his seat, then forward again. "What is it?"
She breathed out and closed her eyes. "I think I'm pregnant."
"What?" he asked. "How do you - "
"I'm three days late," she said.
"Did you take a test yet?" he asked, taking her hand.
She shook her head. "I can't believe this is happening."
"Whoa," he said, warming her hands with his own. "We don't know that anything is happening."
She took her hands and put her face into them. "Damn contraceptives. Don't make them if they don't work."
He chuckled.
"Its not funny," she said from the base of her hands.
"No, maybe not," he said. "But its nothing to cry over."
She didn't say anything. She breathed more harshly, but barely noticeably.
"It's a baby."
"Exactly," he said. "Its a good thing."
She looked up, a fainter side of doubt. "To married couples, John. To people in love, or engaged. We haven't reached any of those points."
He shurgged and took her hand from her face. "Come on," he said. "We can get through anything. We've gotten this far, haven't we?"
She shook her head. "Its not that easy, its a baby."
He smiled. "Yeah."
"How are you so calm?"
He looked at her worried expression. "Because it's gonna be alright. Sure, its different. Its a little scary. But, hey - we're having a kid. We can make it work."
"There's something else."
"Something else?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.
She looked away again, for a second. Her gaze met the table. "When I was married to Richard, I had an abortion."
His lips were barely parted as he heard her. Immediate feeling for her entered him, seeing the pained emotion on her face. She ran a hand through her hair.
"Oh," he stammered. He didn't know what to do. So he froze. He froze dead in one spot and waited for her to make the move. He wanted her to take control, be the adult until he knew exactly what to do.
But that was his job. "I didn't know, Abby - "
"No one does," she said quietly. Her hands met, near trembling, together in front of her. He took them and held them.
Closed eyes, he said, "God, I'm sorry." He was at a loss completely for words. He didn't know what to do, so he let his heart speak. Truly. "Um... why?"
She shrugged, upset. "My mom, you know."
"Her being sick," he said. Oh, God, he thought. No. "Its a baby, Abby."
Her head was still hung. She didn't move.
"You're gonna love it either way." He got up and slid over to her side of the booth. As soon as he sat next to her, she put her head in his shoulder. He rested a comforting hand on the back of her neck, and moved toward her. She balled her fists together under her chin.
Carter felt like crying.
"You're right," she said suddenly. "You're right. I'm still scared, but - "
"But you have every reason to be," he said. He rubbed her back. "Its gonna be okay though."
--
"What did you say?" the woman asked. "What's my girl got in her?"
Her daughter pulled on her own hair with a nervous hand. "Forgive my mom. She's a little out of it."
"I'm totally in," her mother responded confidently. "Think before you speak, Jen, haven't I always told you that?"
Carter watched as Jen rolled her eyes.
"Now," the mother continued. "What's she got in her?"
"Jen is pregnant," Carter said. "Just four weeks along."
Jen's mother shook her head. "No, she's not. Because she's not fat."
"She's only one month pregnant," Carter said. "You shouldn't see any weight effect for about another month or so."
"Are you sure?" Jen asked, hitting one hand with the other. Her mother pulled one arm aside, motioning for her to stop. "I only had, um, sex one time. And we used protection."
"You're lying, Jen," her mother argued. "Otherwise you wouldn't be pregnant."
"Actually," Carter said, knowingly, "contraceptives are sometimes only ninety-six or ninety-seven percent affective."
"Ew," her mother said at once. "You - " she looked around the room. "You *did it?*"
Jen rolled her eys and stuck her face in her hands. Carter saw her expression and asked Chuny to take her mother out of the room for a second. She reluctantly agreed and let Chuny escort her to chairs.
"She's so embarrassing," Jen whispered. She ignored her behavior for a second. "I hate it when she does that." She paused and cracked her knuckles on the left hand. "Do I have to kill it?"
"Of course not," Carter said, sympathetically. "But, you are thirteen. And its a hard decision to make. You could give it up for adoption if you don't think you're a suitable parent."
"My mom had four abortions," she said. "Said that it never hurt her."
"That may be true," he said. He didn't know if he really felt that way.
"What would you do?"
"Well," he sighed, "I'd go with my gut feeling. Whatever it told me, I'd do."
"What would it tell you?"
"You know," he said, "How about a I bring your mom in here?"
"I don't want to talk to her."
"You're going to want to be close to your mom," he said, reasonably. "Whatever you choose, your mom is going to help you."
Jen nodded. "Maybe."
"Maybe your mother can help you make a choice."
She shook her head. "You said 'go with your gut.'"
He shrugged and nodded.
She smiled. "I can raise this baby," she said. "My boyfriend and I are in love."
Oh, no, he thought. Thirteen and her boyfriend was going to raise a baby with her? Something had to go wrong every once in a while.
"I can't give this baby away," she said, in tears. "I love it."
He nodded. "Then," he said, "why don't I bring back your mom here and you can talk to her about your decision, okay?"
"Thank you, Dr. Carter," she said.
He smiled and walked out of the room. Throwing a clipboard casually to the desk, he continued to the lounge. Before he could reach the knob, Abby appeared inside, opened the door and dragged him inside.
"Whoa," he said. "Hey."
She smiled. "I, um, I - "
"Took the test?" he asked nervously.
She nodded, anxious, and looked past him. Bringing her eyes back, she said, "I'm not pregnant."
A brief silence and then, "Oh."
"Yeah," she said.
"Well," he said. He didn't know what to say again. Maybe there wasn't anything to say this time. Maybe nothing in words could sum up what he was feeling. But, then again, what was he feeling? Was he happy, because there was no baby? Or, maybe he wasn't so happy. He hadn't been looking forward to it, had he?
There wasn't anything he could say. And neither could she. He pulled her into a hug. She put her face into his arm.
--
I really listened to the people on this one. I went back and read it. I hated this chapter. Otherwise, I wouldn't have changed it. I barely **ever** change my stories, but looking back, I completely despised it. It was too fake, and Carter's illegal way was more Doug. (Even Doug wouldn't have done it, probably.)
Another person noted that my 'apparently' might lead to something.
Oh, you funny, funny people. ;)
Also, I goofed up with chapters. This chapter was supposed to be number fifteen, so I just inserted the other meaningless one before this one. I hope you all caught that. (Don't know how you wouldn't, seeing as the number of chapters change...) But if for some reason you came to this one, read the one before to be officially caught up.
-me
"Hmm?" he replied, looking out the window, then to her gaze.
"I have something that I have to, uh," she fumbled with her hands nervously. "I have something to tell you."
He leaned back in his seat, then forward again. "What is it?"
She breathed out and closed her eyes. "I think I'm pregnant."
"What?" he asked. "How do you - "
"I'm three days late," she said.
"Did you take a test yet?" he asked, taking her hand.
She shook her head. "I can't believe this is happening."
"Whoa," he said, warming her hands with his own. "We don't know that anything is happening."
She took her hands and put her face into them. "Damn contraceptives. Don't make them if they don't work."
He chuckled.
"Its not funny," she said from the base of her hands.
"No, maybe not," he said. "But its nothing to cry over."
She didn't say anything. She breathed more harshly, but barely noticeably.
"It's a baby."
"Exactly," he said. "Its a good thing."
She looked up, a fainter side of doubt. "To married couples, John. To people in love, or engaged. We haven't reached any of those points."
He shurgged and took her hand from her face. "Come on," he said. "We can get through anything. We've gotten this far, haven't we?"
She shook her head. "Its not that easy, its a baby."
He smiled. "Yeah."
"How are you so calm?"
He looked at her worried expression. "Because it's gonna be alright. Sure, its different. Its a little scary. But, hey - we're having a kid. We can make it work."
"There's something else."
"Something else?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.
She looked away again, for a second. Her gaze met the table. "When I was married to Richard, I had an abortion."
His lips were barely parted as he heard her. Immediate feeling for her entered him, seeing the pained emotion on her face. She ran a hand through her hair.
"Oh," he stammered. He didn't know what to do. So he froze. He froze dead in one spot and waited for her to make the move. He wanted her to take control, be the adult until he knew exactly what to do.
But that was his job. "I didn't know, Abby - "
"No one does," she said quietly. Her hands met, near trembling, together in front of her. He took them and held them.
Closed eyes, he said, "God, I'm sorry." He was at a loss completely for words. He didn't know what to do, so he let his heart speak. Truly. "Um... why?"
She shrugged, upset. "My mom, you know."
"Her being sick," he said. Oh, God, he thought. No. "Its a baby, Abby."
Her head was still hung. She didn't move.
"You're gonna love it either way." He got up and slid over to her side of the booth. As soon as he sat next to her, she put her head in his shoulder. He rested a comforting hand on the back of her neck, and moved toward her. She balled her fists together under her chin.
Carter felt like crying.
"You're right," she said suddenly. "You're right. I'm still scared, but - "
"But you have every reason to be," he said. He rubbed her back. "Its gonna be okay though."
--
"What did you say?" the woman asked. "What's my girl got in her?"
Her daughter pulled on her own hair with a nervous hand. "Forgive my mom. She's a little out of it."
"I'm totally in," her mother responded confidently. "Think before you speak, Jen, haven't I always told you that?"
Carter watched as Jen rolled her eyes.
"Now," the mother continued. "What's she got in her?"
"Jen is pregnant," Carter said. "Just four weeks along."
Jen's mother shook her head. "No, she's not. Because she's not fat."
"She's only one month pregnant," Carter said. "You shouldn't see any weight effect for about another month or so."
"Are you sure?" Jen asked, hitting one hand with the other. Her mother pulled one arm aside, motioning for her to stop. "I only had, um, sex one time. And we used protection."
"You're lying, Jen," her mother argued. "Otherwise you wouldn't be pregnant."
"Actually," Carter said, knowingly, "contraceptives are sometimes only ninety-six or ninety-seven percent affective."
"Ew," her mother said at once. "You - " she looked around the room. "You *did it?*"
Jen rolled her eys and stuck her face in her hands. Carter saw her expression and asked Chuny to take her mother out of the room for a second. She reluctantly agreed and let Chuny escort her to chairs.
"She's so embarrassing," Jen whispered. She ignored her behavior for a second. "I hate it when she does that." She paused and cracked her knuckles on the left hand. "Do I have to kill it?"
"Of course not," Carter said, sympathetically. "But, you are thirteen. And its a hard decision to make. You could give it up for adoption if you don't think you're a suitable parent."
"My mom had four abortions," she said. "Said that it never hurt her."
"That may be true," he said. He didn't know if he really felt that way.
"What would you do?"
"Well," he sighed, "I'd go with my gut feeling. Whatever it told me, I'd do."
"What would it tell you?"
"You know," he said, "How about a I bring your mom in here?"
"I don't want to talk to her."
"You're going to want to be close to your mom," he said, reasonably. "Whatever you choose, your mom is going to help you."
Jen nodded. "Maybe."
"Maybe your mother can help you make a choice."
She shook her head. "You said 'go with your gut.'"
He shrugged and nodded.
She smiled. "I can raise this baby," she said. "My boyfriend and I are in love."
Oh, no, he thought. Thirteen and her boyfriend was going to raise a baby with her? Something had to go wrong every once in a while.
"I can't give this baby away," she said, in tears. "I love it."
He nodded. "Then," he said, "why don't I bring back your mom here and you can talk to her about your decision, okay?"
"Thank you, Dr. Carter," she said.
He smiled and walked out of the room. Throwing a clipboard casually to the desk, he continued to the lounge. Before he could reach the knob, Abby appeared inside, opened the door and dragged him inside.
"Whoa," he said. "Hey."
She smiled. "I, um, I - "
"Took the test?" he asked nervously.
She nodded, anxious, and looked past him. Bringing her eyes back, she said, "I'm not pregnant."
A brief silence and then, "Oh."
"Yeah," she said.
"Well," he said. He didn't know what to say again. Maybe there wasn't anything to say this time. Maybe nothing in words could sum up what he was feeling. But, then again, what was he feeling? Was he happy, because there was no baby? Or, maybe he wasn't so happy. He hadn't been looking forward to it, had he?
There wasn't anything he could say. And neither could she. He pulled her into a hug. She put her face into his arm.
--
I really listened to the people on this one. I went back and read it. I hated this chapter. Otherwise, I wouldn't have changed it. I barely **ever** change my stories, but looking back, I completely despised it. It was too fake, and Carter's illegal way was more Doug. (Even Doug wouldn't have done it, probably.)
Another person noted that my 'apparently' might lead to something.
Oh, you funny, funny people. ;)
Also, I goofed up with chapters. This chapter was supposed to be number fifteen, so I just inserted the other meaningless one before this one. I hope you all caught that. (Don't know how you wouldn't, seeing as the number of chapters change...) But if for some reason you came to this one, read the one before to be officially caught up.
-me