Chapter 3
"Your parents have been poking around school," Sarah told Ruthie in a whisper.
They were having their weekly conversation. This time it was an urgent call from the school pay phone. Sarah always called with updates from Glen Oak. That way Ruthie would know what was going on without having to go back. But there was only so much Sarah could tell her.
"He found out you and Jimmy were hanging out at that party," she continued. "He started asking me questions about it. All I could do was say I had no idea what he was talking about. Its hard lying to a Reverend. He's a freakin' man of God, you know."
Ruthie curled into a ball on the living room couch. "Has he talked to Jimmy?"
"No," Sarah answered, lower then before. She heard students passing by while Sarah was quiet. "No. Jimmy hasn't been in for a couple days."
"Where is he?" Ruthie asked.
Sarah was quiet as Ruthie heard more students. "My guess is as good as yours. But knowing Reverend Camden, he knows."
Ruthie bit her lip. Knowing her father he had already found out Jimmy and her had slept together. By now he had probably pieced it all together. Within the next week he would be looking into homes like John's house. Sooner or later he would show up on the front step demanding to see her.
"Lets hope he doesn't," Ruthie sighed.
There was a knock on the living room door. Ruthie put the phone to her shoulder and looked behind her to see Emily smiling. It was time for her weekly session with her. The one thing Emily asked for was for them to talk to her, well, and do chores and help keep the house clean.
"Sarah, I have to go," Ruthie told her. "I'll talk to you later okay."
"Bye," Sarah said and hung up.
Ruthie hit the off button on the phone then put it onto the receiver. She stared at it for a moment. Then she stood up and walked toward Emily's office at the end of a long hallway. Emily was sitting behind her desk with Ruthie's thin file in front of her. She had the same wide smile on her face.
"Close the door," she told Ruthie.
Ruthie did as told. Then she sat in her normal seat. Emily opened the file and pulled out a piece of paper. She reached forward and handed it to Ruthie. It was her missing flyer, obviously faxed into John's House. Ruthie studied her school picture and the information provided.
"So what are you going to do?" Ruthie asked, sitting up.
Emily sighed. "We've had many run away girls over the years. My dad has always recommended that you would call your family and tell them what's happening. That way you can let them react and see how the situation plays out. Most times parents become very helpful."
"My parents would," Ruthie told her.
"Then why not tell them?" Emily asked.
Ruthie folded her arms over her stomach. "I can't disappoint them like that."
"Its understandable," Emily said. She sat back in her chair. "Reverend Camden is a highly respectable man who has helped many people including teen mothers. Ruthie, you are not a disappointment to your father no matter what you do. Trust me on that. You're just a girl who made a mistake."
"A big one," Ruthie noted.
Emily nodded. "You should call him."
After that the session went as normal. Emily asked how she was feeling and if she were craving anything. She concentrated on the baby and the pregnancy. After the session Ruthie went upstairs to her room. Rachel was lying on her bed reading a mothering book Emily had given to her the week before.
"Hey," she said and closed the book when she saw Ruthie.
Ruthie fell back onto her bed. "Emily knows I ran away."
"I knew she would eventually," Rachel said. "The police send her possible runaway flyers just to see if the girl is here. Emily never says anything without your consent though. She and her father always made you call first and tell your parents before anything."
Ruthie stood up and walked over to the mirror. She had started to pop out. She lifted her shirt and stood to the side so she could get the full affect. Rachel laughed and shook her head.
"You've got to stop watching your stomach," Rachel said.
Ruthie shrugged as she dropped her shirt. "Its strange how my stomach just grows."
"There's a baby in there," Rachel said.
Ruthie nodded. "I know. I guess its just starting to hit me."
Rachel's face turned soft. She probably remembered the first time it actually hit her. She smiled and turned back to her book. She was now getting huge. Her stomach was a big lump. Many teased her and said she had a hidden twin. She just told them her baby ate everything that went down there.
"So, what do you think, Adam Raymond if it's a boy," Rachel started, "and Kristina Lacey if it's a girl?"
"You're having a boy," Ruthie laughed.
Rachel shook her head. "No, that's our uneducated guess. If I am going to be surprised, I may as well be prepared with both names."
Down the hall a baby started crying. Kat's son. The boy had a set of lungs. Emily always let the girls stay after the baby's were born if they still wanted help. That way, Kat could get her life together and the girls would have baby practice. It was actually a smart idea. Ruthie had gotten to know a little taste of what motherhood was like. Although when she had her own baby it would be a lot different.
"Is it okay for Emily not to tell that I'm here?" Ruthie asked.
Rachel shrugged. "I'm not sure. I know you sign a privacy agreement on the way in. There's probably something about it in there."
Ruthie sat on the bed and watched as Rachel continued to read. "Jacey Lynn if it's a girl and Eric Martin if it's a boy."
"Eric is your dad and Martin is that boy you told me about," Rachel said, suddenly interested. "The one you're head over heals for."
Ruthie smiled shyly and nodded. "Yeah."
"I like it," Rachel told her.