Kathryn sitting on the couch across from her felt awkward for Sarah. The fact that she had been invited to sit on the couch felt wrong. However, if she and Kelly were going to adopt her baby, some contact would be needed, especially when it came to ensure the health of the baby.
Kathryn seemed elated that Sarah and Kelly had agreed to the adopting. They were her first choice and while she had claimed that she would understand if they turned her down and forced her to look elsewhere for a suitable family, they were certain she was banking on them saying yes. If Sarah hadn't been so excited to become a mother, she would have been disgusted to know that she made Kathryn so happy when her mother – biological only – had never done anything for her.
"You do understand, we have a few conditions," Sarah told her, and Kathryn nodded her head. Using the word condition when talking about their own child's future felt very strange, but Sarah knew she needed to be firm and clear with Kathryn if there was any hope of her prioritizing the wellbeing of the baby over her addictions and lifestyle. "You aren't going to like them, but they aren't for you, or even us. They're for the baby."
"Whatever you need," Kathryn said. "I meant it when I said I wanted to do right by the baby this time. Whatever you think is right, I'll do it, I promise."
"When was the last time you used… anything?" Kelly asked.
"Not since right after I found out," Kathryn answered. She seemed honest, and Sarah and Kelly both felt that if she was going to lie, she would have told them the last time she used was before finding out. Kelly made a note of Kathryn's answer, just to be sure they had it on record for when they visited the doctor.
"Alcohol?"
"Not since finding out," Kathryn said. "Honest."
"Not even a sip?" Sarah asked. "Not even while high?"
"Not a sip or a sniff," Kathryn assured her. "Just the drugs. Just to help me deal with the news. I did drink before I found out but… I didn't know."
"We'll want medical records," Sarah said. "Blood tests, anything the doctor suggests to get a good history for you and the baby. If there's anything we need to know, we want to know as soon as we can."
"It won't… You won't back out if there's something wrong, will you?" Kathryn asked.
"We'll cross that bridge if we get there," Kelly answered. It was what she and Sarah had agreed to say about all of Kathryn's doubts. She was still a drug addict and an alcoholic. She was still prostituting herself to make money. She would have to quit all that cold turkey now that she was pregnant. While Sarah and Kelly had decided to take the baby regardless of any health issues or developmental issues, they didn't want Kathryn to think that she could let herself go, even a little bit. They wanted her to worry her life would completely crumble if she gave in. They wanted to make her think twice about doing anything that could harm the baby.
"So, no alcohol, drugs, or sex with strangers…"
"Sex period," Sarah said. "You're in recovery at least until after the baby is born. You need to focus on keeping yourself and the baby healthy. There's not a person in the world who should come before that."
"Are there any other conditions?" Kathryn asked.
"You'll show up for every doctor's appointment," Sarah said. "On time and ready to answer all of their questions honestly."
"And you'll let us be in the room with you every time, for every second. Good news, bad news… whatever happens."
"Done," Kathryn nodded. She would have to work hard to keep that promise, especially the punctuality part of it. She had never been on time for anything in her life.
"You'll get a job," Kelly told her. "You'll work unless the doctor tells you, you can't."
"There's a job waiting for you at Grid Battleforce," Sarah said. "Since Zoey left the laundry department, there's been a need and they need someone to help out. It's hard work, but it'll keep you busy during the day, and tire you out enough that once you get home, you won't want to go anywhere except to bed."
"Is that safe for me…"
"You're tossing clothes into the wash and folding them. It won't hurt the baby," Kelly said. "Zoey assured us that the worst of it was being on your feet all day and getting no appreciation."
"Already an improvement from sleeping with strangers," Sarah remarked. Kathryn nodded her head.
"You won't live here," Kelly told her. "You're not invited in our home unless it has anything to do with the baby. After what you did to Sarah… we can't have you around."
"I have a place already I can…"
"You'll live in the break room on the first floor of Grid Battleforce," Kelly said. "Commander Shaw already approved it. It's got a bed, there's a hospital wing in the building in case there's an emergency with the baby, and you'll have access to showers and three meals a day."
"Healthy meals," Sarah insisted.
"It'll also mean you're on time for work," Kelly added. "And, if you honour our conditions, Commander Shaw agreed you could live there rent free. That means you don't pay to stay, you don't pay for food, water, electricity, none of it."
"So why work?"
"To keep you busy," Sarah said.
"We've also got you into Narcotics Anonymous meetings. You'll go at least twice a week…"
"At least," Sarah emphasised. "We'll start with one a day."
"And one of us has to go with you, just to make sure you're attending," Kelly said.
"We'll give you a little breathing room here," Sarah told her mother. "We'll walk you into the meeting and walk you out, but what you do and say in that room, we won't hear it. We won't ask what happened, we'll just trust that you're helping yourself with it."
Kathryn was a little happy to hear that. While she didn't like the restrictions, these conditions were placing on her, and the drastic change in lifestyle she would have to endure until the end of the pregnancy, she knew this was what she had signed up for. Somehow, Sarah had turned out to be a wonderful, smart, thoughtful, caring human being and Kathryn wanted that for her newest baby. If these were the steps, she had to take to ensure that she was going to give it her best shot.
No, she was going to do it. All of them. She would be honest, clean, and take steps towards recovery.
"Finally, once the baby is born, we'll keep in touch long enough to make sure you're okay," Sarah said. "But once you get the all clear from the doctor, that's it. The baby is ours. We're their mothers, not you. They won't know your name, what you did, or even who you are, until we decide they're ready."
"Closed adoption," Kelly said. "You don't get to check in. You don't get to make sure everything's okay. You leave them with us and disappear."
"Fair enough," Kathryn nodded. That was what she wanted anyway. She couldn't be a mother to the baby and didn't think for a second the girls would let her have any part in the baby's upbringing. "I stay clean, I attend meetings, I work, I go to appointments on time, I'm honest… anything else?"
"How far along are you?" Kelly and Sarah asked.
"Five months," Kathryn answered. Their jaws dropped. Kathryn had always been thin as a result of her drug use and the abuse her body took. She never took care of herself and it showed, but she didn't look anywhere near five months pregnant. Already the girls were concerned.
"But you… you just found out," Sarah asked.
"Let's just say the time of the month… wasn't a monthly occurrence for me… well, ever," Kathryn said. "And given my age, when it just stopped, I thought I'd finally hit that menopause thing. Turns out, I'm still very much fertile. Whether that's good or bad… I can't tell."
Sarah and Kelly turned to each other, unsure of what to say. Kathryn shrugged.
"Every body is different. My liver's on its last leg but my uterus is still going… I guess."
"I think we should have added hysterectomy into the conditions," Sarah whispered to Kelly, who shrugged.
"I don't think that's legal but… might be a good suggestion down the road."
"My odds of having another kid are pretty nonexistent now," Kathryn assured the girls. "The doctor did say this baby beat the odds. Hopefully that means it'll be okay."
"We'll check in with the doctor at our appointment tomorrow. 8:00 am sharp," Kelly told her.
"You can spend the night here, tonight only, just to be sure we're all there on time," Sarah said. "The couch is comfortable."
"I will do right by this baby," Kathryn promised the girls as they started to get ready for bed.
"This is your best shot," Sarah said. "You screw this up, there is no helping you."
Author's Note: I wanted to share with you a story that I wrote over on FictionPress. Check out my account (Lily Hanson) on that site to read my latest story "They Don't See". Feel free to check out any other stories over there that you haven't read.