The First Week of School: Thursday
Cate woke up suddenly. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She curled up in fetal position and held her belly.
She breathed a sigh of relief when the pain lessened. She lay back down and closed her eyes, wanting to go back to sleep. Her stomach cramped again when she'd just managed to get comfortable.
She sat upright, panicking. "Mom?"
No answer.
"Mom!" Cate yelled as loudly as she could.
No answer.
Cate sighed. She got up and hurried toward her mother's bedroom. As she moved, another sharp pain stabbed her side. She winced in pain, holding her side. "Mom!" Cate cried out in frustration.
No answer.
Laverne wasn't in her bedroom. Cate hurried downstairs. Her mom was nowhere to be found.
Cate frantically dialed her mother's office. "Is Laverne there?"
"Cate, is that you?" Ruth, one of Laverne's co-workers, asked.
"Yes. Is my mom there? I really need to talk to her," Cate tried again.
"No, hun. She's not coming in today. Is everything OK?" Ruth replied.
"It's fine. Bye," Cate said shortly, hanging up before Ruth had a chance to respond.
Cate sank down on the couch. She didn't know where her mom was. She didn't know what to do.
Cate fought back tears. She didn't know who else she could call. There was no one, she realized. She was alone.
Cate pulled her knees to her chest as another contraction seized her stomach. She looked at the phone helplessly. She bit her lip as she dialed 9-1-1.
Cate slammed the phone down in frustration when she heard a busy tone. How could 9-1-1 be busy? This was an emergency!
Laverne kissed Jimmy goodbye on the front porch. He'd taken her to breakfast that morning. She turned her key in the lock and opened the door, sighing.
Laverne heard Cate's sobs and rushed to her daughter's side. She found Cate curled in a ball crying. "What's wrong?"
"I think I'm in labor," Cate managed in between sobs.
"Oh my gosh!" Laverne said.
Cate's eyes widened. She'd thought if she could just find her mom, everything would be OK, but Laverne seemed just as frantic as she was.
Laverne noticed Cate's distress and took a deep breath to calm down. Laverne began moving around purposefully. She got Cate's packed bag from Cate's bedroom and put it in the car. Then she called the doctor to let her know they were on their way to the hospital.
Laverne held a cool washcloth to Cate's face, mopping her sweaty forehead. Cate had been in labor for several hours. It had been a difficult birth.
The nurse, Julie, hadn't been very sympathetic. She'd fixed Cate with a judgmental glare the moment she stepped foot in Cate's hospital room.
"How old are you?" Julie asked, her tone conveying disdain.
"Seventeen," Cate replied quietly.
Julie nodded knowingly. "You must still be in high school? Or did you drop out already?"
"I'm a senior," Cate mumbled, fidgeting with the sheet nervously.
"But, you're not in school right now," Julie pointed out, her tone almost triumphant.
"People don't usually have babies in classrooms," Cate retorted, getting sick of the nurse's attitude.
Julie frowned. "Teenagers who get pregnant don't usually graduate."
"I will," Cate said firmly.
Julie stared at Cate doubtfully.
"Cate has a 4.0 GPA. She's in all honors and AP classes," Laverne beamed proudly.
Cate smiled.
"Are you going to watch your granddaughter while your daughter is in school?" Julie turned to Laverne.
"No. Cate's giving the baby up for adoption," Laverne explained.
Julie's bedside demeanor left something to be desired throughout the long day.
Cate cried out in pain as she pushed. "Can I get a painkiller?"
"No, it's too late for that," Julie replied unsympathetically.
Cate's knuckles turned white as she gripped the bedposts with all her might. She really didn't know if she could do this. She was so tired. Her eyelids felt heavy. She had no energy left.
Laverne stroked Cate's hair back off her face. "You can do this. You're almost done."
It took all Cate's strength to push one more time. It felt as though she was pushing a boulder out of her, not a little baby.
"Congratulations, Ms. Cassidy. It's a girl," the doctor, Dr. O'Brien, said, as she bundled Cate's daughter.
Cate squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see her baby. She knew if she saw her daughter, she'd want her.
"Ms. Cassidy?" Cate heard the Julie's snotty voice.
"Yeah?" Cate asked.
"Don't you want to hold your daughter?" The nurse asked.
"No," Cate said firmly, shaking her head. She knew if she held her daughter, there would be no going back.
"She's your daughter," The nurse pointed out, her tone accusatory.
"No, she's not," Cate said simply.
"But-" The nurse began to protest.
"Get her out of here!" Cate cut her off.
Cate didn't open her eyes until her daughter was long gone.
Cate felt weird. She felt hollow inside. Her hands made their way to her now empty stomach.
"Are you OK?" Laverne asked tentatively.
"Yeah," Cate lied.
"Do you want anything?" Laverne asked.
"I just want to be alone," Cate said.
Laverne hesitated. "If that's what you want."