Christian eventually pulled back from the hug, his voice cracked and quiet 'why, Jess, why weren't you more careful?'.

'I was...'. Christian raised his eyebrows slightly 'clearly not careful enough'.

Jess looked hurt 'I'm on the pill and we used condoms every time, what more do you want from me?'.

Christian could see that she was being honest and sighed, touching her hand gently 'it's going to be okay Jess, we'll get through this'.

Jess nodded slightly before she burst into tears again.

By the end of the day Ana had more or less worked out what was going on, Jess's muttered explanation only confirming her suspicions.

Ana had simply sat with Jess as she cried, not having anything to say.

That night Jess was in her own in her room and trying to sleep when she glanced at the time seeing that it was 12.45, and officially the next day.

It was only as she looked at the date on her iPhone's home screen that she realised what day it actually was, and found herself dialling a number, waiting for the other person to pick up.

'Jess, are you okay?'

She was silent for a long time and eventually replied quietly 'Happy Birthday Caleb'.

He seemed lost for what to say 'thanks... Are you feeling better?'.

He only received a murmured affirmation in response and the pause stretched out between them for a while 'Jess, the only thing I want to know for my birthday is that you're alright?'.

Jess swallowed, blinking back her tears as her voice cracked with emotion 'I-I-I'm doing better Caleb, I'll be fine'.

He didn't sound convinced 'are you sure... I'm not giving up on you, by the way'.

'Goodnight Caleb, you should get some sleep, I'm sure you've got plans for your birthday. Night'.

Jess hung up without another word and put her phone on silent, turning on her side and curling up on herself, crying until she fell into an exhausted sleep.

In the morning Christian and Ana were both sitting beside her bed, looking worried.

'How are you feeling this morning?'. Her response was cold 'fabulous. Just fabulous'.

Christian glanced at Ana quickly before looking back at Jess 'Uh, my Dad has filed a protection order against both your mother and Marcus, they can't contact you or Harry again'.

Jess blinked but barely acknowledged the point, staring unseeingly at the tv opposite her, which was showing CNN news on a loop.

'I thought that was what you wanted Jess?'.

'What I wanted was a normal life and the ability to do my final exams... They start on Monday, and I won't be discharged by then... And my GPA isn't high enough. I won't graduate, so you've wasted all that money on a fucking school and I won't even graduate. Sorry'

Christian looked affronted 'you think I'm annoyed that you're not graduating? I just want you to get on your feet again Jess, I don't care about the money'.

She muttered something under her breath and it was clear that the conversation was over.

Hours later Grace was checking Jess's stitches, the two alone in the hospital room.

'Have you spoken to Caleb yet?'.

'It's his birthday today, I can hardly ruin his 18th birthday with the news that I've ruined his life'.

Grace looked shocked 'ruined his life? Whatever are you talking about Jessica? You are pregnant yes, but neither of you are in a bad financial situation are you, you're lucky with that. You are 18 in a few weeks, it might not be an ideal situation but we can get through it, as a family'.

Jess let out a derisive snort 'family, right. I'm not having this baby Grace, and I don't really see how as a 'family' we can work through this, I don't want your help but I certainly don't want your pity'.

Jess's eyes were large and sad as she glanced at Grace before pulling the blankets back over herself, turning over and away from Grace, as she had with everyone over the last few days.

Grace made sure the first thing she did was talk to Ana and Christian about Jess's mental state, fearing that she was depressed. She didn't mention anything about her comments on not keeping the baby as she wasn't legally allowed to disclose that information, but she was worried that the girl would make some rash decisions when she was clearly so low.

Christian called the only person he trusted with his daughter, and John Flynn was at the hospital within the hour, going into Jess's room alone.

He was in there for over an hour and a half, and by that time Elliot and Carrick had arrived to visit Jess. Everyone was aware by now that she was pregnant- except the McManus family- and the issues she had had with Marcus and her mother.

They all waited dutifully outside the hospital room for John to finally emerge.

John twisted his mouth, looking a little sad as he crossed his arms, leaning against the wall.

'Ah, so we talked for a while, she's falling off to sleep now, I think she's emotionally drained, it took a lot for her to even speak to me'.

John looked like he was searching for the right words for a brief pause 'she's depressed, that much is clearly evident. I can't tell the extent of it from such a short session, but she is incredibly low, which is worrying given her current situation'.

'Ultimately Christian, there is nothing you can do about her decision either way, she's old enough to legally male this decision by herself... You aren't allowed to influence it. She's 18 in two and a half weeks, and I think if you push her hard enough you're liable to be dealing with a runaway again... She's incredibly fragile and she's broken. You need to be there regardless of her decision, all of you do, regardless of your opinions on it. The last thing she needs is to be judged. What you all need to understand is that the last time she was pregnant it was an incredibly hard time for her, she was completely isolated, she had no one, and if she's made to feel like that again then... Well I wouldn't like to be the one to pick up the pieces'.

Elliot looked sad 'it's her 18th birthday soon, she's stuck in hospital, she's missing her son, her mum has been blackmailing her, the man who raped her has been trying to get back into her life, she has been forced to miss her final exams and probably won't graduate, she's got a pregnancy she didn't ask for... And you're all wondering why she's depressed'.

Carrick glanced between his sons, for once finding that Elliot was the one speaking sense. Christian simply sighed, looking completely lost.

'Caleb called me earlier... He wants to see her, either tonight or tomorrow... I can only assume that she'll tell him... God only knows how that is going to go'.