"If it is positive..." Mark began but Hannah shook her head and cut him off. Her eyes were all puffed up and her cheeks were red after she had cried when Mark had left her.
"No" she said sternly "wait and see..."
"The agony is killing me" Mark complained as he and Hannah sat on the edge of the bathtub, peering at the stick which was resting on the sink, feeling like it was some of form of bomb about to go off. Hannah remained silent and peering at the stick. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach that she knew what the result would be. She couldn't help but be confident about it for some reason. But the thought of having a child when she was eighteen just scared her completely. She couldn't do it. She knew her dad and mum were young when they had her but they had jobs, her mum was a trainee nurse and her dad was already in the force. Her and Mark were just college kids who were studying for a good career and then they would start to think about having a family. But not now.
"Hannah" Mark said "it's time"
The two of them stood up quickly and rushed over to sink. Hannah peered down onto the stick, looking at it quickly and then turning away, her hand flew to her mouth in horror and she dropped to the floor as her vision turned blank for a moment. Mark remained stood up, looking at the stick as he shook his head;
"It can't be" he said and Hannah began to cry "how?"
"Obviously we weren't careful enough" Hannah spat out and Mark took a seat on the edge of the bath, his eyes wide in disbelief as Hannah continued looking at the wall.
"Hannah...what...what now?" Mark managed to ask his girlfriend who just shrugged
"I don't want to be pregnant" she whispered "I don't want this"
"So..." Mark began cautiously "you...you...want...to get rid of it?" his voice was small and Hannah just looked down at her stomach and her tears fell down onto her lap as she rested a hand onto her clothing.
"I...Mark...I can't do that...have an abortion...it isn't something I feel comfortable with" she whispered "but I don't want this"
"So you're not going to get rid of the baby?" he clarified, a little relieve if he had to be honest. He couldn't let her get rid of the child knowing she had taken someone else's life.
"No" she said sternly "what do we do Mark?"
"There's adoption" he whispered and Hannah didn't make a move at all. Instead she remained seated on the floor, thinking about what Mark had just told her "I mean...there are people out there who would make better parents than us...but...then again...there aren't"
"Mark" Hannah interrupted him "how do I tell my dad?"
...
"Telling your parents first...I can't do it" Hannah said as he grasped her hand tightly and led her up the pathway to his house. Hannah remained grounded where she was and looking at Mark, shaking her head quickly;
"Yes you can. They're going to know sooner or later when you start to show" he assured her "and I'll be with you when you tell your dad"
"He's going to kill me" Hannah whispered and Mark began to pull her back to his house;
"He's going to kill both of us" he whispered and led Hannah into his home. The hallway was quiet and Mark went through the hallway and into the living room where he found his father reading the New York Times and his mother polishing the coffee table.
"Oh Mark...and Hannah...you two kids okay?" his mother asked them and Hannah squeezed Mark's hand as he shut his eyes slightly and shook his head, managing to look at his mother.
"You might want to sit down mother" he suggested and Mrs Clarke simply looked at her husband, Geoff, before taking a seat on the armchair next to his.
"What's this about son?" he asked and Mark looked at Hannah who simply nodded, trying not to hyperventilate.
"Well...the thing is...me and Hannah...we have something to tell you" he stammered "and we don't know you'll react to it...well...I do...I think"
"What is it Mark?" his mother worried
"Hannah...well...we...Hannah's pregnant" he blurted out "it's our child"
"What?" Mr and Mrs Clarke spat out
"You're sure it is yours son?" Mr Clarke asked and Hannah looked at her boyfriend's father;
"I haven't slept with anyone else if you're implying I would cheat on Mark" Hannah said and Mrs Clarke shook her head;
"We know that Hannah" she said sternly "how...how long have you known?"
"Since yesterday" Mark whispered "Hannah took a test"
"And so what do you intend to do?" Geoff stood up and asked the two teens
"We're...keeping it...we can't get rid of it" Mark said and his father shook his head and pinched his nose shut
"Do you have any idea what you've gotten yourself into Mark? You had a future...a good one at that..." he shook his head "and now...you've chucked it away..."
"No I haven't" Mark said "I can still go to law school"
"And support your child? You stupid idiot...getting her knocked up like that...did both of you not think what you was doing?"
"We were careful" Mark said
"Clearly not" his father retorted "I expected better from you...getting a girl pregnant"
"Hannah isn't just some girl dad" Mark sounded disgusted "she's my girlfriend and I love her"
"And if she loved you she would think about getting rid of this child!" Geoff demanded from her "she's ruined your future"
"It takes two to make a baby" Mark reminded his father whilst his mother sat in a corner, pale white.
"And it takes one to get rid of it...honestly Mark...can you not see she is nothing but a cheap whore who let you have your way with her and now you pay for the consequences"
"Don't you dare!" Mark roared "I am as much to blame as Hannah is!"
"So why is she insisting on keeping it?" he looked at Hannah "draining your finances whilst you struggle to get through college..."
"Because we can't go through with an abortion" Mark told his father "it's not right"
"And you think me and your mother will help you get through this?" his father asked sarcastically "you've shamed our family!"
"So what, now I'm being disowned?"
"No" his mother said and she stood up, glaring at her husband "you're not kicking him out...they made a mistake...but you're not pushing our son away" Geoff remained silent as he looked at his wife who then turned to look at the young couple "you two need to leave...I need to speak with my husband"
...
"He had no right to speak to you like that!" Mark snapped when he was driving Hannah back to her house that night where her father and Jess were due back.
"Maybe he was right" Hannah whispered "I'm nothing but a whore"
Mark suddenly swerved his car from the suburban road so that it was on the footpath slightly and he looked at her with narrowed eyes.
"You're not a whore Hannah" he told her, grasping her chin with his fingers and making her look at me "you're an amazingly beautiful, clever girl who just happened to be involved in a mistake...you're not a common prostitute, do you understand me?"
"I feel like one" she whispered "I feel dirty and cheap...and...worthless now that I'm pregnant"
"To me you're still my Hannah...we'll get through this...we have to"
...
"Hey baby" Don said when he saw Hannah walk into the kitchen. But she didn't smile back at him. She didn't even return his embrace; instead she cowered away from him and felt instantly sick as she looked at Jess and Don in the kitchen. Mark walked into the kitchen as Hannah stepped back and held onto his hand.
"We need to talk" she informed him and he raised a brow "you may want to sit down". Don did as she had asked and he took the stool next to Jess' who was just looking at Hannah in worry. She couldn't help but think she knew what it was about. There was no ring on Hannah's finger so she wasn't engaged and there was only one other thing that it could be possibly be for the two teens to look so morbid.
"What is this about Hannah?" Don asked her and she took a deep breath before preparing to go through it again.
"I'm..." she stuttered a little before taking a deep breath and deciding to get out into the open "I'm pregnant dad"
Don and Jess remained silent for a second. Jess closed her eyes for a moment and pursed her lips whilst Don looked ready to rip someone's head off. And he already had the perfect target.
"It's Marks" Hannah clarified and Don stood up;
"I should hope it is unless you've been screwing around with anyone else?" he snapped at her and Hannah felt her eyes water at hearing her father speak so harshly. But she knew she deserved it.
"How long have you known?" Don demanded
"Since yesterday" her voice was small
"You stupid girl" Don shook his head "You naive, stupid little girl...do you realise what you've done?"
"I know" she said
"You think you'll be able to go to college with a baby? Become a doctor? You've thrown away your whole future!" he roared at her, his face turning red as he walked towards her, gripping onto her shoulders and shaking her before he grabbed onto her arm and dragged her into the living room. Hannah cried harder at his grip as Mark and Jess followed hurriedly, Don stopped in front of the fireplace where a mirror hung above it. He stood behind, squeezing onto her chin, making her look at their reflection.
"You see that Hannah?" He pointed at her "that was my little girl! My little girl who could do no wrong! Who was smart and beautiful! Who had her future in front of her! But now...now...she's gone and chucked it! She's not my little girl anymore!"
"Mr Flack...please...you're hurting her" Mark begged Don as he saw Hannah cry quickly at Don's hold on her. Flack let go of her and turned to face Mark.
"Don" Jess warned him but he wasn't listening as he advanced on the boy, grabbing him by the sides of his jacket and shoving him against the wall.
"Don't you dare tell me how I should treat my daughter in my home!" he roared at the boy "it's your fault that she's pregnant! MY Hannah would never have done anything like this!"
"Dad...no...leave him alone..." Hannah begged him but he ignored her as Mark gasped for breath and Don's eyes bore into his;
"Couldn't keep your trousers on Mark, is that it?" he spat "just couldn't wait to have her for your own...make sure you were her first to score points with the guys?"
"It was not like that" Mark said quickly "I love Hannah"
"No!" Don snapped "don't even say that...you got her pregnant! You!"
"I know that" he said
"You've ruined my daughter's life!" he yelled "so what now...you're going to leave her...she gave you the good time you wanted and now that's it?"
"Don't you get it?" Mark tried his luck and he pushed Don away from him and straightened out his jacket "I love Hannah and I'm not leaving her to do this alone"
"Maybe if you could have just kept it in your trousers than this wouldn't have been a problem"
"We made a mistake! We were careful! We don't want this!" Mark snapped back
"But you've got it, haven't you Mark? You screwed my little girl and ruined her life!"
"Dad" Hannah complained through her tears whilst Jess stood silently in the doorway
"Shut up!" he yelled at her "I'll come to you later"
"I love your little girl Mr Flack! I didn't screw her as you so harshly put it" Mark spoke "me and Hannah both wanted to do it"
"Hannah doesn't know what she wants" Don shook his head
"I'm not a child" Hannah interjected "I'm as much to blame as Mark is"
"You're eighteen!" Don turned to her "you're still a child"
"I'm old enough to know my own mistakes"
"No you're not" Don shook his head
"I'm not abandoning Hannah, Mr Flack" Mark warned him and Don shook his head;
"I don't want you anywhere near my daughter Mark" he warned the young adult who remained stood where he was.
"I'm not going anywhere" Mark said and Don gritted his teeth;
"Get out my house" Don said slow and deliberately "now!"
"I'm not leaving Hannah" Mark said and Don stormed towards him, wondering where he had put his gun as he went. He grabbed Mark by the collar and began to drag him into the hallway, elbowing off the advances of his daughter as she grabbed onto his elbow to try and stop him.
"Dad!" Hannah yelled "stop it!"
"You ever try and go against me then I swear it will be the last thing you do" Don promised Mark as he opened the door wide and pushed the boy into the night "and stay away from my daughter!"
As soon as he shut the door he locked it and turned around to see Hannah stood near the bottom of the stairs;
"Go to your room Hannah" he told her but she remained stood where she was and Don turned a deeper colour of red;
"Go to your room Hannah! I have nothing to say to you at this moment in time!" he roared and she quickly took the stairs, running into her room. Jess followed Don back into the kitchen where he pulled out a bottle of whiskey and a glass.
"Don" she began "drinking won't solve the problem"
"It will help" he said and drank down one glass whilst Jess watched him
"Don" she snapped at him and withdrew the bottle from him and began to pour it down the sink;
"What did you do that for?" he snapped at her
"Because you drinking yourself silly won't solve matters!" she yelled at him "Hannah and Mark have been stupid but you getting out of your face won't take this away"
"Nothing will take this away" he grumbled at her
"You're right" she agreed "but you're going to think about this and then tomorrow you're going to talk to Hannah about it"
"I have nothing to say to her" Don spat
"Yes you do" Jess contradicted "she's your daughter"
"My daughter wouldn't be so stupid"
"Well she was Don" Jess said immediately "and she knows it...she is still your child Don. Regardless of anything"
...
Quite a long chapter there I have to say so myself! Bit of a shock too I imagine. Runner043, you're predictions were correct about Don and Mark and head ripping from shoulders. And thank you to SM-FA-RaiNtrain, yeah, I feel a bit bad for Hannah and Mark I guess, but I kind of knew Don would react like he did when she told him.