Thanks for all of the awesome reviews! They are all welcome and appreciated. I'm trying to keep Jay as true to his tv character as possible, while still having his feelings for Emma shine through. Let me know if he's not living up to his rep.
Disclaimer: I own nothing Degrassi.
Emma spent the next few days just staring at the plastic ATM card Jay had given her. When she got home from telling Jay, she'd propped it on her dresser, as one would a picture, and glanced at it often, trying to decide what to think of Jay's act of kindness. He'd been saving this money for years and in one moment, he had given it all away. For his baby. Emma laid back onto her bed and let the tears slowly fall down her cheeks onto her pink pillow case. She had never felt worse than she did right at this very moment. And all for a guy she thought she hated.
"Em?" called Manny's voice as she bounded down the stairs in her typical light-hearted way. "Omigod!" she screeched when she saw her friend. Running over to the bed, she asked, "Emma, why are you crying?"
Emma tried to smile, but found that the muscles in her face just wouldn't form one. "Oh I don't know. I'm pregnant. I'm alone."
Manny smiled weakly at her friend before hopping onto her bed and hugging her. "You are not, and never will be, alone. You have a great family. You have me. And you have Jay."
Just the mention of his name, brought forth another flood of tears. Manny was looking curiously at Emma when she finally composed herself. "Jay's not that bad, you know."
"I didn't mean it that way," Emma explained. "It's just that you, the spontaneous one, have your life all mapped out. I'm organized and oriented. I'm supposed to know exactly what I'm doing, but where is my life about to head? At least you know that you're spending the rest of your life with someone. You're getting married."
Emma was sobbing heavily again. If Manny didn't know better, she'd almost think that Emma was jealous. "Em? Who did this to you?"
Emma shook her head. "He's not in the picture, Manny, and he isn't going to be."
Manny got to her feet. "Tell me his name. I'll crush him."
Emma finally found a genuine smile. "It's okay, Manny. I don't need him. When we hooked up, we both knew it wasn't the beginning of anything. It was just something crazy that happened."
"So that's it? You're writing him off and letting him get away free as a bird? What about support?"
Emma's eyes flashed to the bank card on her dresser, but Manny failed to notice her stare. "He's willing to help out financially. I haven't decided if I'm going to let him or not. I mean, if he's not in the baby's life, why should he have to pay?"
Manny rolled her eyes. "You're not talking sensibly right now. Are you sure this isn't just hunger talking?"
Emma suddenly realized that she'd spent her whole day thus far wallowing in self pity and trying to reach some kind of monumental decision. She hadn't showered and she certainly hadn't eaten. She placed a hand on her stomach and rubbed it gently. She had to be more careful now that she was responsible for this new life. No more skipping meals just because of time constraints or memory lapses. Her precious cargo was now depending on her. And if she was ever going to convince Jay that his child would be safe with her, and only her, she had to start taking care of herself.
