This is a short one…
Meant to Be Together
Chapter 9: Paloma
Merciful rain comes down, warm drops falling on us, destroying the fire and the stench of death all around us. I'm so happy as I watch Charity and Jake embrace and the doll-boy comes running to hug Charity. The fright of the whole thing has destroyed me and I faint, dead away.
~*~
(three days later)
I wake up to the walls of
Charity and Miguel's guest room in the house where they live together on the
island. The light green walls are comforting and the smell of apricots is in
the air. I gaze around and see Jake looking down at me. "Prima."
He whispers. "Charity! Miguel! Everyone! She's
awake!" He yells. I hear footsteps on the steps but no-one enters the
room.
"What
happened?"
"You
fainted. It's been three days!" He smiles at me. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
"Paloma, what's wrong?" he asks.
"Nothing," I say. Then the door opens and my whole family comes in:
Sheridan and Luis with Katie and baby Noah, Theresa, Ethan, Charity, Timmy,
Miguel, Mamma, Jessica, the Bennetts, and Faith
Standish.
"My baby!" Mamma says, tears spilling down her
cheeks. She holds me close and rocks me back and forth, and we sit like that
for a while.
Everyone leaves but Jake.
"I thought you were gone. Paloma, you just
crumpled." Tears streak his face and I kiss them away.
"I would
have held on," I say. "For you."
"Paloma, do you realize it's your birthday?"
"It is? It's
June, isn't it?"
"Yes, you
are now eighteen years old, Paloma."
"Finally!
Oh, I just want to dance, and sing, and dance, and sing, and kiss you..."
"You'd
better not dance," he warns me. "But you can do all the other stuff. Especially the last one." He smiles and flops down on
my other side and we surrender again to our passion.
A month passes, and I wake up
with a weird feeling. I make my way to the bathroom and there I throw up,
knowing right away what has just happened. I'm pregnant. Jake must have heard
me puke, because he comes running towards me. "What's wrong?"
"Oh...Jake. I'm... I'm... I'm pregnant."