Clara had fallen back asleep after writing her last journal. She stayed asleep for a couple more hours before she woke up feeling suddenly ill. She immediately sprung out of bed and took off towards the bathroom while trying to cover her mouth. She felt like she would throw up at any second as she shut the door and locked it.

Before she knew it, she was puking her guts out in the commode. She threw up until there was nothing left and she flushed the toilet while taking deep heavy breaths. Clara didn't know how she would have gotten sick. She did not recall eating anything bad. As she pondered in her thoughts, something hit her. She remembered her stomach was a little bigger and she also recalled that she and Aiden didn't use protection.

Clara felt like her whole world stopped at that moment once she came to a conclusion. Could she be...pregnant? A rush of fear overwhelmed her. All the evidence had to be there. She and Aiden slept together without protection not once, but twice, and Clara had been feeling out of place over the past couple of weeks, like she would get angered easily or she'd suddenly feel a sudden rush of fatigue. This was the first time she had thrown up and she definitely didn't think it was just because of sickness.

"Oh no," she muttered.

"Clara are you okay?" She heard Aiden's voice through the bathroom door in concern.

This caused Clara to panic a little. She needed to take a pregnancy test just to be sure, but she also needed to tell Aiden what was going on. "Yeah," she said while trying to sound as calm as possible. "I'll be out in a moment."

"Alright," Aiden replied.

As Clara sat there trying to get her breathing under control, she couldn't help but feel like she was about to go nuts. She didn't want to scare Aiden with news that might not he true.

"It's gonna be fine, Clara," she thought to herself, not wanting to believe she was pregnant. "Just tell Aiden that you're getting a pregnancy test and it'll be false. I'm just sick."

But it was easier thought than said. Clara wanted to believe so badly that she was just sick and there was nothing more to it, but she feared that if the inevitable was true, Aiden could possibly leave her. How would he react? He most likely didn't expect this and neither did she. She got up and wiped her face with a cloth. It was now or never.

Clara took a deep breath before opening the door slowly only to be greeted by Aiden looking at her with a worried look. "Not feeling good?"

Clara tried to look anywhere else but him. She couldn't look him in the eye. She sighed, "No, and...I don't think it's because I'm sick."

Clara peeked cautiously up at Aiden, who appeared as of he was trying to figure out what she meant. It took a few seconds before realization hit him. Clara saw the expression change on his face to...surprise? Fear? She didn't know.

"Aiden...I-I might be pregnant..."

Aiden's mouth gaped open and he physically tensed. He was quiet for a moment before replying, "Do you know this for certain?"

"I don't know one hundred percent, but I need to take a test to be sure."

"But what if you're just sick?" He added. Clara could tell he didn't want to believe she was pregnant either.

"Aiden, think about it. We had unprotected sex twice," she spoke, her voice sounding a little shaky. "What if I am pregnant?"

Aiden sensed her fear and walked up to her almost with caution. "Clara...it's okay. Just take the test and we'll find out if you're really pregnant or nor. You might not be."

Clara sighed nervously. "Alright, I'll get a test, but I'm just...scared," she said the last word quietly.

Aiden placed his hands on her shoulders and gently squeezed them, his eyes not leaving hers. "I know you are," he said softly, "But I'll be with you the whole way. Alright?"

He was trying to be careful with his words. He didn't want to make Clara feel any more nervous than she was now. Clara gazed into his eyes and she nodded slowly, seeming to process what he was saying.

Aiden exhaled, "Okay, let's go."

Soon after, they made their way towards a local store to get a pregnancy test. On the way there, Clara was as anxious as hell and Aiden did as best as he could to keep her calm. He could even admit that he was a bit nervous as to what was to come. The thought of him being a potential father made him uneasy, but he needed to be calm for Clara. If he sounded the least bit panicked, it would put Clara on edge as well.

Once they had bought a test, they returned to the hotel. Clara went to the bathroom to take the test. After she was done, she and Aiden waited anxiously for the results. So many thoughts went through Clara's mind. If the results came back positive, what would she do? She knew she wasn't ready to be a mother and she also knew that Aiden wasn't ready to be a father.

What if Aiden left her? What if he wanted nothing to do with her if she was pregnant? Minutes felt like hours until finally the results popped up. Clara was the first to see it, and once she did, she felt like her heart stopped. Two lines; she was pregnant.

She clasped her mouth with one hand while holding the pregnancy test shakily with the other. Aiden saw it too and he was just as shocked as she was. They were speechless. Clara uncontrollably began to tear up and she didn't know if it was because she was afraid or if she was sad. Possibly both. She was afraid because she wasn't even close to being ready to become a mother, and she was also nervous and upset about the thought of Aiden possibly leaving her on her own.

"Shit," she heard him mutter under his breath.

Clara didn't know what to say or do as more tears formed in her eyes. Aiden stood up, causing Clara to panic. She saw a look on his face that clearly showed he was stressed and worried as well.

"Clara," he began while running his fingers through his hair, "I'm not...ready to be a father."

Clara didn't want Aiden to leave her side so she grabbed his arm softly and looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Aiden..." her voice was slightly off because of her tears.

He looked down at her and frowned once he saw her crying, "Clara...I'm not going anywhere," he said with a sigh, "Look...do you want this baby?"

She lowered her head and bit at her nails appearing to be thinking. Shd glanced down at her stomach before looking back up at him. "Yes...yes, I want the baby"

Aiden looked off into the distance and let out a worried sigh. He ran his fingers through his hair once more, looking as if he was struggling to make a decision. After a few minutes of dreadful silence, Clara was the first to speak, "Aiden, it's clear that we're both not ready to be parents, but I don't want to get rid of the baby. Maybe...we can put the baby up for adoption or we can try and work it out."

He looked at her before releasing another sigh, "Maybe, but we need to be sure about this," he said as a frown appeared on his face.

Clara wiped a few tears from her eyes before saying with a sniffle, "I know, and we can work this out, right?"

Aiden interlocked his fingers with hers before nodding. "Yeah," he said before sitting back down beside her, "It's just that I wasn't expecting this."

"What? To knock a girl up?" Clara said with a faint chuckle.

"Well...yeah," he said as a small smile appeared on his lips, but it only lasted for a second.

They gazed into each other's eyes before Aiden wrapped his arm around Clara and pulled her in for a hug. "We'll figure this out," he said as his chin rested on top of her head, "Okay?"

"Okay..." she said before nuzzling her head into his chest. Clara was actually surprised by Aiden's reaction. She expected him to walk out the door, but instead he was willing to stay. At least for now. As Clara got lost in her thoughts, a sudden realization hit her. How was she going to tell her father?

Journal #18

Well...I just found out that I'm pregnant. I took a pregnanct test and it came back positive. Aiden already knows and he was just as nervous as I was, but we've decided to keep the baby. We aren't entirely sure if we'll try to raise the baby on our own, or pur it up for adoption. Honestly, I still feel...well...anxious.

I'm eager to know if it's a boy or a girl, but am I really ready to give birth to a baby? From what I've seen on tv and from hearing other women's stories about giving birth, it's sort of terrifying. Hell, the whole idea of being a mother terrifies me.

Another thing I'm worried about is telling my father. I mean he has to know at some point, but maybe...not right now. I'm already stressed enough about what we're going to do about the baby. Maybe I'll wait a couple of days...or weeks. It all depends on what we do.