Calleigh sat on her couch and cried. She had always been told that life was unfair, but no one warned her it could be cruel. She pulled herself together and got off the couch. She wasn't hungry, but the nurse said she had to eat. The baby, or fetus, or whatever, was depending on her. She made herself a sandwich and sat down at her computer. She started thinking about her options. Abortion; no, she couldn't do that. She was always pro-choice, but now that is actually affected her, she was damn sure it was wrong. Adoption; She couldn't go through life wondering where her child was, or is it was safe, or if one of bodies she came across was her child's. Keep the baby. It was the only thing to do.
She started typing on the keyboard. She didn't quite know what she was looking for, but it certainly wasn't in Miami. She reached over and picked up her cell phone. Her fingers knew the number without any direction from her brain. She didn't want to call… It was ringing. Crap.
"Hello?" She heard on the other end of the line.
"Hi Mama," She was trying so hard to be strong, but a mother always knows when her baby is hurting.
"Calleigh, darling, what's wrong?"
"I messed up. Really bad. I don't know what to do; I just have to get out of Miami. I can't be here anymore. It hurts so much here." She began to cry again. She tried so hard to hold it in, but the pain was just too strong.
"Please come home, honey. I miss you, and you said that you want to leave Miami, it think you should…"
"Mama…"
"At least for a visit…" There was a moment of silence, and she knew her daughter could reason that request away easily as she had always done in the past. She just hoped she wouldn't.
"Okay, mom. I'll be there in the next couple of days." Calleigh resigned.
"Thank you! Oh, sweetie, I can't wait to see you."
"Bye, mom."
Calleigh pushed the 'end' button. For the first time she set her hand on her stomach and felt the tiny bump that had risen there. She had a tiny life inside her. A tiny life that she would bring into the world. A tiny life that she would raise. A tiny life that would grow up and leave its own mark on the world. A beautiful little child. She had never been so scared, and yet filled with so much hope. She went to her room to pack.