A/N I'm trying to keep this story going, updating once a week at the least. This story will be only about Paige's pregnancy, with (hopefully) sequel(s). Even though I may be writing this story to the breeze, I love it, and want to keep writing it. E-mail me with any questions or concerns. ALSO, minor changes have been made to the first few chapters.
"Well, Paige, you have a few options. You can either get an abortion or carry the baby to term, still leaving two choices. You can have your baby, and keep it or give it up for adoption. If you want an abortion, you would need to decide within the next 2 to 3 weeks. Adoption would need to be decided by the middle of your 3rd trimester to file all the paperwork required." Paige nodded, thinking the nurse was done, but she continued. "I also have some pamphlets for you to take. One each about adoption, abortion, and teen parenting. Also one for each month of your pregnancy, plus labor and delivery. There is also one for the local alternative school, and the paperwork should you choose to enroll there."
"Alternate school?!" Paige screamed, confused. "Nobody said anything about switching schools. I'm staying at Degrassi until they drag me out." 'And in a few months time, that won't be so easy' she added to herself.
"Some schools require alternate schooling for a pregnant student, but that varies school to school. That may be something you'd be interested in looking up. Now," she said, changing her tone from encouraging to business like. "You were here about 10 weeks ago, on July 17. Do you know if you were pregnant then?" Paige shakes her head, and obeys the nurse's next order, to take off her sweatshirt and get on the scale.
Watching the nurse fiddle with the scale, Paige becomes uneasy. "Well, Paige, according to my records, you weighed 110 pounds, and now you weigh 118. That's more than the average woman gains in 8 weeks, but because you're so young, you may just be filling out."
Paige looked down at her stomach, unwilling to believe she had failed to see earlier that evening. She blinked, thinking her eyes had something in them, and then walked back to the examination table, still staring at the bulge under her shirt. The bulge made her feel fat, indecent, and bloated. It was an odd feeling.
Suddenly images flashed through Paige's head. The first was herself, at around 8 months pregnant, 3 times her current size. The second was her face, contorted into labor pains. 'I don't know if I can go through with this-it seems really hard. It will change my life forever...' Paige was walking with her mother to their van, and deep in thought. 'I need to go to Hazel's' Paige suddenly spoke, startling her mother. "Mom, can I go to Hazel's?" Her mom nodded, and they were silent until her mother spoke again.
"Paige, sweetie, I think you should get an abortion, but I'll support you whatever you do. I just think that being a 15 year old and having the child of the man that raped you might be a little hard on you."
"Well, mom, I don't care. I'm not having an abortion, or going to alternate school!!! I'm going to stay at Degrassi and have this baby! And nothing and nobody is stopping me from that! I don't care what people say, okay? I did before, but this changes everything,"
"That's exactly what I'm talking about! It changes everything for you!!!" Paige's mother cut her off, "You can't do this. And Paige, sweetie, you're starting to show now, at 8 weeks. That can't be good."
"Mom, I'm NOT showing," Paige insisted, staring at her little bulge the entire time. She poked it, knowing that if it were fat or muscle, she would be able to squeeze it. It was rock solid.
"It's your children, Paige."
"Children? Mom, no one said anything about more than one kid here. Now I'm in way over my head. And I'm still not getting an abortion." Paige denied once again, although she felt a sinking feeling with allowing her mother's words to sink in.
"Paige, you wouldn't be showing that much if you were pregnant with one child. You are having twins or more, and with that stomach I would guess more. And while you were in your daydream world, I got you another appointment, for this time next month. You'll be showing more then, and get your first ultrasound. Then they'll be able to tell how your baby is doing, how many there are, how you're doing. It should be good." She stopped the car and Paige got out to ring the Aden's doorbell.
"Hey, Paige. You're here sooner than I expected."
"Yeah, Hazel. Look at this; it's really freaking me out. I'm only 8 weeks. 8 weeks pregnant, and scared to death." She said all this quickly and in one breath, while taking off her sweatshirt to show Hazel the bulge in her abdomen. "Hazel," she added after she released her shirt, "I need to see those pictures, because I don't think this is normal."
"Hm...." Hazel pondered. "I moved to Somalia at 7 weeks, and starting at 8 we took one front view and one side view picture each week..." Hazel trailed off, then jumped off her bed to start rummaging through her desk. She pulled her head up looking victorious, holding a photo binder, the kind that holds 2 pictures and a title per page. She opened it up, revealing the label written carefully in Hazel's own writing 'Hazel's Baby Days.' Anyone besides the Adens and Paige would believe it to be pictures of Hazel when she was a small child, not Hazel with a child.
Paige flipped the page, seeing a normal Hazel at 8 weeks. She flipped again, and again, not seeing Hazel showing as much as she currently was until 14 weeks. '14 weeks? That's almost twice as much as how much I am. I must be having...' "Look, Hazel, can I borrow this book, I don't think you want me banging down the door all hours of the night to see it, do you?" Paige tried to look pleading and desperate, and obviously succeeded, because Hazel gave in. "Look, I'm going to call home and get a ride, I'll see you at school tomorrow? 'Kay?"
As Hazel nodded, Paige left the room on her cell phone. "Dylan's coming in 5 minutes??" Paige repeated back to her mother, "Okay, so I'll wait at the corner. Bye."
'Dylan's coming? But I don't have my sweatshirt; I left it at Hazel's! He's going to see it!!! This is bad, this is very bad.' Suddenly Paige was woken from her thoughts by a car horn.
"Hey, Paige, what's wrong?" Dylan asked her, oblivious. Paige then realized Dylan couldn't see her stomach until she opened the door. "And don't give me the old 'it's nothing' because you're my little sister, I know something's wrong."
Silent and scowling, Paige opened the door, and Dylan's eyes widened. "Paige," he said in a soft, angry, and disappointed tone, "have you been doing things that we aren't aware of?"
Even though he didn't add 'with Spinner,' Paige knew it was an accusation. "Dylan, it's Dean's." she defended her boyfriend, while adding to herself, 'the closest to naked I've seen Spinner is when he takes off his shirt when they win a soccer game!' She then started crying again.
"Paige, don't worry, it's okay, for now."
"FOR NOW? WHAT DO YOU MEAN FOR NOW? WHEN WILL IT STOP BEING OKAY?" Paige screamed at her brother, exasperated.
"Paige, you're going to have a baby, do you think you can be a mother? I believe in you, but do you think any one else will besides mom? And you've always cared a lot about how you look and what people think of you. If you're pregnant, you can't wear the clothes you wear now..."
Paige cut off her older brother. "Look, Dylan, this evening has given me some very new perspectives. See this photo album? Well, it's proof that I'm not the only unmarried person I know who was pregnant." Paige then covered her mouth, realizing too late that Hazel's pregnancy was supposed to be a secret.
"And who's secret past did you just dig up here?" He snatched the album out of Paige's lap, opening it up. "Hazel? Hazel Aden? And how old was Hazel and why have we never met her child?"
"Dylan, she was just 13 when the baby was born, and she gave him up for adoption. Remember when I was in grade 7 and Hazel left for all those months? That's why she left. Now give that back!"
Dylan looked shocked, but gave Paige the album back and decided to try and carry on the conversation. "Look, Paige, you cut me off before, and I didn't get to finish telling you why it won't always be okay. Look, what are you going to do when dad gets home?"
Paige and Dylan's father had been gone for 6 weeks, and when he was home life was so hectic, that he didn't even know that Paige was raped. "I'll just...hide it. Yeah, that's it, I'll hide it!"
"Hide it? How will you do that? If you keep growing the way you are now, you'll be huge by the time you're nine months, too big to hide."
"Well Dylan, I'll figure that out when we need to. Right now, I don't need to think about that, since dad won't be back for 3 more weeks."
A/N: I'm just kinda stuck now, but I'll update as soon as I come up with more!!! P.S. I'm really busy right now, so I don't know if updates will come as quickly as I said!!!!! P.P.S. If you review it, review it at Chapter 5, please. AND REVIEW ME WHETHER IT'S COMPLEMENTARY, OR CONSTRUCTIVE. NO FLAMES PLEASE UNLESS THE HELP ME IMPROVE MY STORY OR THE WAY I WRITE.
