Katherine walked into her bedroom. She sat on the edge of her bed, tears still falling from her eyes. How could this be happening? How could her daughter have ended up in this situation? John Kennish came out of the bathroom. He was smiling at first, until he saw the look on his wife's face. "Sweetie, what's wrong? You look like you just saw someone run over your puppy." He joked. Katherine managed a half hearted smile but it was all she could muster. "John, I…I think we need to talk." She said, her voice soft and sad. John knelt down in front of Katherine. "Is everything okay?"
Katherine was unsure of how to answer this question. Everyone was okay. But was this situation okay? She began to speak and then stopped. She didn't even know how to put what she wanted to say into words. And she knew John would overreact. "Is it one of the kids?" He asked, taking Katherine's petite hands into his own large hands. Katherine nodded. John waited patiently for Katherine to find the courage to say what she needed to say.
"John, I need you to be as level headed as you can about this. For me…and for Bay." She said. John now looked deeply concerned. His forehead wrinkled with worry. He did not speak. Katherine took a deep breath. Her heart was racing, her palms were sweaty. "She's pregnant." Her voice cracked. Tears poured down her cheeks. John stood up quickly, gritting his teeth. He cleaned his fists and hit the wall. "How?! How could this happen?!" He boomed. Katherine tried to quiet John down. "Honey, please. She's so scared. Don't do this." John was red in the face. He was furious. "Who? Who did this to her?" He demanded. "I don't know. I didn't ask. Emmett, I'd assume. But maybe Tank? I don't…I don't know." Katherine stuttered.
John stormed out of their bedroom. "BAY MADELINE KENNISH." He boomed as he opened Bay's bedroom door. Bay shrank back on her bed with tears in her eyes. "Dad-"She began to explain, but he silenced her. "All I want to know is who. Right now, young lady." He said through his teeth. "Emmett. The father is Emmett." She spat out. John took Bay by her arm and stood her up. "Hey! What are you doing?!" Bay demanded. But John paid no attention to her. He led Bay down the stairs, grabbed his car keys, and took her outside.
He lifted Bay into the passenger seat and shut the door as he walked to the driver's side and got in. "Fasten your seat belt." He said sternly. Bay obeyed. "Dad, where are we going?" Bay asked, her voice shaking, her hands folded protectively over her little belly. "We're going to go talk to Emmett." John shoved his keys into the ignition and took off. "Dad, we don't need to do this. Stop!" Bay said. John clutched the steering wheel tightly with both hands. His knuckles were white with tension. His eyes did not stray from the road. "If he did this to you, then he's going to face me like a man." John spoke, his voice eerily calm.
John pulled into the Bledsoe's driveway and shut the car off. He got out of the driver's seat and walked over to the passenger's side to get Bay. Bay unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car, following John up to the front door. "Dad! It's like 11 o'clock at night! We can't just barge up to their house like this!" She insisted. John paid her no attention as he rang the doorbell repeatedly. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for someone to answer the door. "Dad, please. We can do this later when you're not on the verge of killing my boyfriend!"
The door opened finally. Melody Bledsoe stood in the doorway in her robe and slippers with a very confused look on her face. "John? Bay? It's very late. What are you doing here?" She signed. John's face scrunched in anger. "I need to see Emmett." He signed as he spoke to her. Melody, again, looked very confused. "Emmett has school in the morning. And so does Bay." Emmett walked up slowly behind Melody. He was in a pair of flannel pajama pants, a grey t-shirt and his hair was wild. John slid past Melody and grabbed Emmett by his shirt, pinning him to the wall. Bay yelled out in horror. Melody quickly pushed John away from Emmett and placed herself in between them. Now, she was angry. "What the hell?! You come into my home at 11 o'clock on a school night, and then you assault my son?! Start explaining before I call the police." She signed and then placed her hands on her hips. John stuck his finger in Emmett's face. Emmett flinched. "Your son got my daughter pregnant." John said, clenching his teeth. Emmett turned bright red, his jaw dropped ever so slightly, and he looked down to his feet.
Melody looked at Emmett with disbelief, her mouth wide open. "Emmett, what did he just say?" She signed slowly. Emmett ran his fingers through his hair before looking his mother in the eyes. "Bay is pregnant. She's having my baby." He signed shakily. Melody pressed her temples, pursed his lips, and turned away from Emmett. She turned to look at Bay, who was nearly in tears. John kept his eyes on Emmett. If looks could kill…
Melody held her hands up. "Okay…we obviously have something we need to deal with. But it's late. I will bring Emmett over tomorrow and we can have a nice, long discussion about this." John nodded, clenching and unclenching his fits. Bay looked at Emmett with tears in her eyes. Emmett did not dare take a step closer to her. Instead, he simply signed that he loved her, and she signed it back. Melody shut the door behind John and Bay. And then she turned to look at Emmett.
"How long have you known?" She signed, unable to look Emmett in the face. "About two months. She's a little over ten weeks pregnant." He replied. Melody sat down at the dining room table and rubbed her temples. She knew when she saw Bay with the pregnancy test that something was wrong, but she could not bring herself to believe it. "Emmett, you are eighteen years old. You're in high school! What about your college plans? What are you going to do?!" She signed harshly. Emmett shook his head and held his hands up. "Mom. Bay and I are both going to graduate. And I am going to work and take care of her and my baby. College can wait." Melody stood up swiftly and got a little too close to Emmett.
"College is IMPORTANT. You are too young to be a father! And she…she is too young to be a mother. None of this should be happening!" Her head was spinning. Emmett put his hand on his mother's tiny shoulder. "Mom. It's late. Let's sleep on it. We can talk tomorrow. I love you." He kissed her on the cheek and turned to walk to his room. Melody sat back down at the dining room table and wept softly into her hands.