"Michelle Torres?" Called the young looking nurse from behind a slightly open pale brown door in the family planning clinic. I stood up shakily, nervous for my impending appointment. My mom and Alex were accompanying me to the appointment that my mom had scheduled for me the day after we had informed her of my pregnancy. A week later found us in our current position; sitting in the doctor's office being called in for what we were all certain would be the confirmation of my pregnancy.

"That's me," I muttered timidly to the woman, slipping through the gap in the door, followed by my mom and Alex. We entered a white room which looked extremely clean and was playing host to a computer, three chairs, a desk and a few posters.

"Have a seat, Michelle," She instructed me kindly, gesturing toward one of the two seats that were situated opposite the desk as she sat in her own seat. I nodded and sat down whilst my mom occupied the seat next to me, leaving Alex to stand behind me and lean against the back of my seat. "I'm Doctor Stevens; your mother tells me you need a pregnancy test?" She told me, adding the last part in a more questioning tone of voice. I nodded my head and attempted to swallow past the lump that had formed in my throat. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" Again, I nodded and she pulled a clipboard from behind her oak desk. "When was your last period?"

"January fifth."

"And you've already had a positive home pregnancy test?" I nodded silently, knowing that it wasn't really a question that required a worded answer. "Are there any other symptoms?"

"I… Sickness, constant nausea, slight cravings, fatigue, weight gain and missed periods." I told her simply, reciting the list that I'd noted down in my head and yawning as if on cue to prove my claim of fatigue. "I can't think of any more right now." I added quickly after yawning loudly.

"Could you give me an estimate of the date of conception?" She asked yet another question, making notes on her clipboard.

"I can give you it exactly…" I tried off nervously, playing with my fingers and admiring my long nails. I was thinking about how desperately I wanted to bite them to relieve some of my nerves but wasn't allowing myself the satisfaction. Doctor Stevens peered inquisitively over her clipboard, her dark blue eyes piercing my own, or maybe it was just me being paranoid. "It was January twentieth, between three thirty and four PM." I told her calmly, knowing that there would be more questions after that.

"Okay, well we'll get you tested properly but from what you've told me, I can pretty much promise you the result now. This is the slightly awkward part… Would you like to be tested for any STD's?" She asked gently, making a few final notes on her clipboard and placing it down on her desk. I shook my head quickly and firmly, startling the young doctor slightly.

"She's already been tested… Long story short, the way this baby was conceived is now a police matter. They ran all of the necessary tests the day after it happened; it was just too early for a pregnancy test, obviously." My mom spoke up, clearly sensing my discomfort. I sank in my seat slightly and Alex gripped my shoulders tightly, as if to remind me of her comforting presence.

I smiled softly and moved my hand up to encase Alex's in it. I gave it a light squeeze to show my appreciation. "Ah, right… I understand, I had a young girl here a few months ago in a similar situation. Let's get to the test, shall we?" She asked quickly, trying to avoid the clearly uncomfortable topic. I nodded, probably too eagerly, and stood to follow Doctor Stevens. "I'll only need Michelle for this, you two may wait in here." She turned to my mom and Alex before leading me out of the room, down a corridor and into another room.

Half an hour later we were back in the office, once again in the same position as we had been before, minus Doctor Stevens who was bustling around in her office, probably stalling to prevent herself from having to give me the news we all knew was coming. She was extremely young looking so she probably hadn't been in the profession for very long; she was probably still unsure of how to handle telling a girl who had dropped pretty large hints that she was raped that she was now carrying the rapist's baby.

Eventually she sat down opposite me again and looked at me with sympathetic features. "I have your results processed now," She began slowly, pushing her black, thick rimmed glasses back up to their proper position at the top of her nose. "I'm afraid it's probably not the results you wanted; you're fifteen weeks pregnant, Michelle." She concluded with a sad smile that reached her eyes.

I knew that I was pregnant before but the confirmation that it was all real and it wasn't just a huge coincidence made it ten times scarier. I was going to be a mother.

"Fifteen? How?" I asked curiously, still unsure of how I could possibly be fifteen weeks gone when it happened thirteen weeks ago (it was kind of hard not to keep track of how long ago something as life changing and traumatic as that had happened,) "I was raped thirteen weeks ago." I added to show that I wasn't simply in denial, I genuinely wanted to know.

"It's calculated from the date your last period started," She informed me kindly, handing me a slip of paper with my basic details typed onto it, alongside the word 'PREGNANT' in capitalised lettering and how far along I was written next to it. "If you turn that over there's a list of contact numbers for any help you may need; there are a number of abortion clinics, private and public, alongside a few adoption helplines, they can guide you along the process… There are also some single parent support groups there; one of them is specifically aimed at young people and teenagers." She explained to me as I gingerly turned the paper over in my hands, still feeling as if everything was a little surreal. Sure enough, there was a long list of contact numbers and support group names, all organised into subcategories to which option they were incorporated with; the first was adoption, the second abortion, and the third was single parenting.

"I'm keeping it; I won't be a single parent." I told the woman firmly, not giving her an option to add anything else to her probably well-rehearsed speech. She looked between the three of us quizzically, probably hoping for one of us to elaborate.

"I'm going to be raising the child with Mitchie; there's no need for a single parent support group or guidance on adoption and abortion because we will be keeping the baby and I won't be letting her do this alone," Alex announced proudly as she walked slowly around my chair and sat on the armrest, placing her hand on its new favorite resting place; my stomach.

"That's very valiant of you, but you both need to consider where you'll be in a few years; you may not still be friends and Mitchie will eventually have to cope alone. It will be much harder for her to get into a relationship with a baby so she won't always have support, you may think that you'll always be around but you need to look at the big picture here; your friend is having a baby and whilst you may think now that you will always be here for her, you need to remember that circumstances change." The doctor informed us both sweetly, trying oh-so-hard not to offend either of us.

"Actually, I'm already in a relationship…" I trailed off nervously, placing my hand on top of Alex's. "Lexi and I have been together for around seven and a half months, I know we're young but we've both discussed our options and we want to raise the baby together." Doctor Stevens' sympathetic smile faltered slightly at my words before quickly re-establishing its position on her face.

"I'm sorry; I just assumed that you were friends… If you're both adamant that you want to raise this child together then it is not my position to try and change your minds," She apologised kindly, looking to my mom for something which it appeared she found as she continued speaking. "Normally by now you should have already had an ultrasound scan to monitor the baby's progress, which is usually done between ten to twelve weeks. As you're past that point I need to check the baby's condition as part of standard procedure, an ultrasound is an option for you but next week you will be at the sixteen weeks milestone where I can tell you the sex of the baby and show you how well it is developing. It is up to you whether you would like an ultrasound now and next week or whether you'd like to wait." She explained to me, leaning back to a presumably more comfortable position in her white leather chair.

"What should I do, Mom?" I asked my mom who until now had been mute during the serious conversation. Her head snapped up at the mention of her name and she smiled at me sadly, much like Doctor Stevens had been doing the entire time.

"Would it be more beneficial for Mitchie to have both scans or can you tell everything you need to know without having one now?" My mom turned to Doctor Stevens, her tone laced with curiosity.

"Hearing the baby's heartbeat will be sufficient enough for now until her scan next week," She responded instantly, probably having been asked that question multiple times before. "It's merely an option; it won't make a difference to monitoring the child."

"In that case I'll leave it for today and just have the important one next week." I decided, not bothering to see what Alex and my mom wanted me to do. "I… Since it happened I've had a really bad relationship with food, I've barely eaten… Will it affect the baby?" I asked her nervously, biting my lip. If my own selfishness had harmed the child that over the week of knowing about it, I had grown to start loving, I wouldn't find it easy to forgive myself.

After another half hour with Doctor Stevens, she gave me the all clear and told me that the baby had a very strong and healthy heartbeat, not without commenting that I was incredibly lucky and should be eating three proper meals a day at least. I left with Alex and my mom, who drove us home in silence, probably deep in thought about how much my life was about to change; I'd be lying if I said I wasn't too.

She also, thankfully, gave Alex and I the go-ahead to start having sex again, providing it was what I wanted (I'd asked my mom to go and get me a drink at this point.)

"Sonny, could you drop us off at my apartment please? I know I was supposed to come over for dinner and I will do a little later but I need to speak to my parents first." Alex asked quietly from the back seat of the car as we neared closer to the fork in the road, one way which would lead us to Alex's apartment and one way which would lead us to my house.

"What are we going there for?" I asked before my mom had chance, instead she simply indicated that she would be turning right towards Alex's apartment. I turned around in my seat to face Alex, which was kind of difficult because of the restraint that my seatbelt had on me.

"I'm ready to tell my parents about us." She told me simply, smiling slightly when she realised that I was looking at her. "If we're serious about taking this baby on together then my parents need to know that they're going to be grandparents."

"Oh, God. Mitch, you're making me a grandmother before I'm forty!" My mom commented with a slightly bitter laugh. I was suddenly infuriated by that comment; she was saying it as if she was pissed at me for it.

"Oh, I'm very sorry, it's totally my fault I got raped." I sarcastically replied with a venomous edge to my words. Before my mom got a chance to apologise, assuming that was what she was planning to do, I looked around and saw that we were only a ten minute walk from our planned destination. "Stop the car, we'll walk from here." I decided as I noticed a pull-in area. My mom ignored me and shook her head and shared a look with Alex. "What?!" I yelled, getting more and more agitated by the second.

"Hormones," both my mom and Alex said in sync before laughing together. I shot a glare at them both through the mirror in the front that Alex seemed to catch. "Oh, come on, baby. You know your mom didn't mean it like that, she was just joking with you." She flashed a charming and caring smile at me through the mirror and I instantly calmed down, knowing that she was right.

"Sorry," I muttered ashamedly, causing my mom to burst out laughing again. "What now?" I asked her, trying my best not to become irritated once more, although truthfully I was still a little peeved at her original comment.

"I think someone's mood swings are kicking in," She replied in singsong, turning the corner to the parking lot of Alex's apartment. "I'll see you girls later, dinner will be on the table at five but don't rush this talk, I know from experience that they may have a lot of questions. If you're going to be late just text me so I know. Good luck!" My mom told us kindly, pressing the button to unlock the doors so we could exit the vehicle. "Mitchie, remember, no smoking!" She called to me after we'd left the car. I rolled my eyes as I remembered that quitting smoking was going to be a part of my pregnancy.

We both said goodbye to my mom and made our way up to Alex's apartment, noticing that Max was running the substation alone. Alex and I were supposed to be working but it didn't take a lot of convincing for her to get us the day off, she simply told them that I had an important follow-up doctor's appointment from when I was raped (which they knew about because they'd had to be informed to grant Alex the permission that she needed to leave school that day), and that she would explain more when we were home after dinner.

"Mom? Dad?" Alex called questioningly into the seemingly empty apartment. It took a while but eventually they appeared from upstairs and took a seat opposite us on the couch after instruction from Alex. "I need to speak to you about some things… it's important." She told them, an air of confidence around her which made it seem like she knew they would be okay with what she was about to tell them. Her parents allowed her to do what she wanted, they didn't care as long as she was happy, and she and I both doubted whether it would be any different over this.

"Go ahead, Honey. We're all ears, what's up?" Theresa said with a kind smile as she picked up the coffee mug she must have previously left on the coffee table.

"Should I start with your news first or our news?" She asked, looking down towards my stomach discreetly when she said my news.

"Whatever you prefer," I whispered breathlessly, a lump forming in my throat because I was so nervous, although I didn't know why.

"Okay so… you know about what happened to Mitchie a few months ago…" She trailed off, scratching the back of her neck. As if it was rehearsed, both Theresa and Jerry looked at me with sympathetic facial expressions and nodded slowly. "Well… She'll need some time off work in a few months and I'd like for her to not be on her feet as much as possible, please." She stated at first, avoiding what was coming next. I rolled my eyes at her. I loved that she cared and was being so protective but there was really no need yet.

"Lexi, I'm not an invalid, I'm perfectly capable of working the way I do for now," I told her softly, not wanting to offend her whilst she was being so sweet and considerate, a side of her that I knew only I got to see on a regular basis.

"No. I don't want you walking around in your condition, you will sit behind the cash register and take payments from now on or you will have a seat in the kitchen to make sandwiches." She told me firmly, half-growling to show me how serious she was. If it wasn't for what had happened a few months ago, her newfound aggressive tone would have seriously turned me on.

"What is going on, girls?" Theresa asked, clearing her throat and checking her watch; clearly she had somewhere to be. "I have dinner plans at four thirty." She told us, probably noticing the curious look on my face.

"Mitchie's pregnant…" Alex breathed out quietly, once again placing her hand on my stomach and tracing small circles on it.

"Mitchie, honey, that's terrible… is it his? Are you keeping it? Oh gosh, if you need anything you are always more than welcome here, okay?" Theresa gushed in shock, abruptly getting up from her seat and enveloping me into a much needed hug. I was so emotional lately. Discovering that I was carrying a rapist's baby whilst still in high school and college-bound, alongside the hormones that clearly came with the pregnancy, was making me an emotional wreck. I suppose the actual rape didn't help my state of mind either.

"Thanks, Mrs. Russo. Yes, it's his and yes, I am keeping it." I told her as I hugged back, sharing a look with Alex.

"Mom, there's more so could you sit down again?" Alex basically instructed her mom with the rhetorical question. Theresa nodded and sat down next to her husband again, who seemed to be deep in consideration.

"Mitchie, you can take all the time off that you need and like Alex, I would prefer you to sit when possible during your shifts. I'll hire someone else when you finish since I'll be trying to replace Alex as well when you go off to college." He said eventually, reminding me and Alex as well that it wouldn't be time off, I would simply be quitting earlier than the planned date of August twenty fifth.

"There's more, guys…" Alex said again, louder this time, probably feeling like she had been ignored. "Mitchie and I have been dating for a long time now and we're going to be raising this baby together." She rushed out as quickly as she could; probably trying to act like it wasn't a big deal.

I looked up to Theresa and Jerry; Theresa looked shocked with a mix of confusion whilst Jerry's facial expression was a little unreadable.

"I'm sorry… What?" She asked shakily as she picked up her coffee mug and held it, not even making an attempt to drink it.

"I love her, Mom… I know we're young but we're both going to get through this together because I love her and I don't want to live without her." Alex admitted softly, pressing slightly harder onto my stomach as she massaged it, relieving some of the discomfort that was residing there.

"Absolutely not," The masculine voice of Jerry sounded, shocking us slightly because he always seemed to be the more lenient, accepting one out of him and his wife. He began to shake his head vigorously and stood up to pace around. "No. Alex, your mother and I will put up with everything you throw at us, but not this. You can smoke and drink until your heart's content. As long as you're being careful you can do what you want as long as you're happy… Not this. No. My daughter is not a… a… dyke." He hissed out the last part, shooting daggers at Alex and I as he looked between the two of us, desperately seeking some hint of a joke. "Michelle, you need to leave." He told me firmly after he didn't find what he was looking for.

"What?! No! Dad, I love her, I'm gay… I didn't get a say in the matter, it just happened!" Lexi shouted, a mixture of anger and sadness crossing her face. Her voice cracked on the final word and I noticed tears building in her eyes, she looked simply distraught. "Please tell me you're kidding…" She trailed off quietly, choking back a sob that was fighting against her.

"If you're determined to be this way…" Jerry began slowly, shaking his head in pure disgust as he eyed me as if I were something he stepped on. "Then I want you out of my home." He finished firmly, causing Alex, Theresa and me to all shout in protest. Jerry quickly turned to his wife, an eyebrow risen, daring her to argue against him.

"Jerry, you can't do that… She's our little girl, whether she's gay or not." She told him calmly, trying desperately to keep the peace.

"I can do what I want. Leave, Alex. You can go and fetch your things now and then leave instantly because right now, I can't stand the sight of you." He hissed at her, meaning every word.

Alex burst into tears, quickly pulling me close to her for a comforting hug. It felt strange, me being the one to comfort her. Usually she was taking care of me. If we were to go by the assumption that one of us in the relationship is 'the guy' we both knew it would be Alex, so me comforting her and stoking her hair whilst she cried freely on my shoulder whilst still receiving a look of disgust from Jerry and a sympathetic pat on the shoulder from Theresa, was extremely out of the ordinary.

"Mom…" She whimpered after pulling away and locking eyes with her shell-shocked mother.

"Come on, we'll talk in your room." She said, ushering Alex and I up to her bedroom before Jerry could argue against it. Once we reached Alex's familiar bedroom, Theresa closed the door and Alex sat on the bed, pulling me with her and once again cuddling me for comfort which I was happy to supply. "I don't like this, Alex… I don't like this one bit. You need to be with a guy, you're going through a phase," she began to say as she sat next to Alex on the comfortable bed. "However, you're still my little girl and I still love you, gay or not. If this turns out to be a permanent choice then I'll still love you, but for now I think you're confused. I did not see this one coming, at all. Your dad, on the other hand, voiced his suspicions to me before. I brushed them off completely, not believing it." Alex pulled away from me and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, probably thinking how grateful she was that she wasn't the type of girl to wear makeup that could have ran. "Alex, your dad hates homosexuality because he was brought up being taught that it was wrong. I am going to try and change his mind but I doubt I'll be able to, so it's in all of our best interest if you do leave. I know that you're strong, Alex, I know you'll be okay." She finalised her mini-speech by standing up and leaving the bedroom once again, closing the door behind her.

Once Alex calmed down a little we collected the majority of her clothes and all of her important things into the suitcase that was hidden underneath the bed from when she last went on a family vacation. After she'd packed everything that she really needed we walked hand in hand down the rickety metal stairs into the living room, where Jerry was sitting with his head in his hands, making a point of ignoring us, and Theresa was applying makeup ready to go out.

As soon as she spotted us, Theresa smiled sympathetically and walked over to us, handing Alex her car keys. "I convinced your dad to let you keep this since you love it so much." She said simply, smiling sympathetically at us both. "I don't like this, Alex… but I'll try to accept it if it really makes you happy. I'll call you, okay? I'm not abandoning you. Good luck with the baby, Mitchie, I know my daughter will go out of her way to help you." She said as she pressed her lips to my forehead softly then stepped back to look at Alex with tears in her eyes. "I love you. I'll see you soon, I promise." She whispered, enveloping Alex into a motherly hug that lasted for several seconds before kissing both of her cheeks.

"Bye, Mom." Alex replied, probably entirely lost for words.

"Goodbye, girls."

Just as we were leaving, Jerry's voice piped up and pulled us both from our concentrated thoughts. "Girls?" He called quietly, knowing we'd hear but not particularly making much of an effort to make sure. We turned to him, Alex getting an extremely hopeful glint in her eyes. "You're both fired."

Okay, guys, I haven't bothered to proofread this one because I'm tired so I apologise for any mistakes. BUT you guys don't have to worry about the possibility of ever being left hanging with this story; I just finished up the last chapter of it. It's ages away yet so don't worry but I just thought I'd let you know; it's all written out!

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