*A/N: Welcome back, readers! This chapter delves a little bit into the past and contains medical scenes and bullying.
The first semester of her senior year was definitely a learning curve for Red. Between juggling her daughter, homework, and the occasional bullying there wasn't much time for anything else. More often than not Red found herself alone, maybe even isolated at times, but even when she wanted to be alone, there was that annoyingly bubbly blue-haired princess to bother her.
Well, "bother" was a loose term. As much as she despised the truth, Red found herself growing to enjoy Chloe's company. She became a new constant in Red's ever-changing life. Chloe was always there in the morning to take the fiery redhead to class or even after school when Red walled herself in her room to work on homework while her daughter played. It became part of Chloe's routine to go to Red's dorm after her daily Swords and Shields practice after school.
Ace had become somewhat of a problem for Red. After that first day of class she had switched out to a different elective to try and get away from him, but even in the hallways he sent her dirty looks, but one day everything became just too much for her to handle.
Red was standing at her locker between classes trying to gather her books and she quickly glanced at her phone for any possible messages from Chester. The redhead hadn't even heard anyone come up behind her until she felt his hand grab her ass.
She spun around to face whoever it was that had the audacity to touch her without her consent. In front of her stood a tall, muscular blonde boy who looked like he belonged in another world. Hyllus, the son of Hercules had just groped her and it was taking everything she had not to lose her cool on him.
"What the fuck was that for?" she bit out at him, anger running through her veins. Instead of being afraid of her, he just laughed.
"My buddy Ace said you were a good lay," Hyllus said, looking her up and down. "I was just trying to see if what he said was true."
"Get the fuck away from me," Red said, trying to keep her anger under control. As much as she wanted to lash out at him she knew it would just solidify her as one of the "bad kids" in everyone else's minds. She knew if she gave him a piece of her mind she'd most likely wind up in detention, and she couldn't afford that.
Hyllus got closer to her, the metal locker biting into her back as she tried to get away from him. "Come on, baby, don't you wanna get fucked by a literal god?" His hand floated up her side, leaving a burning trail in its wake, eventually stopping at her breast.
Red couldn't take it anymore. She shoved him away from her, but that only egged him on more. "Feisty. Just how I like my women in bed," Hyllus laughed, and it was like Red was glowing with anger.
"Hyllus," a familiar voice called out, capturing his attention, and when he moved away from her Red saw those blue curls she'd come to actually enjoy. Chloe was standing in front of him now, arms crossed upon her chest. He was taller than her by at least a foot, but he still acted as if she were in charge of him. "That's enough. If I catch you making her—or any woman for that matter—uncomfortable again, I'll have you running double conditioning at practice. Understood?"
"Yes, captain," Hyllus grumbled before sauntering away, leaving the two girls standing there staring at each other.
"Are you okay?" Chloe asked, moving to stand beside Red as she gathered her things, shutting the locker with a slam.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Red said, a hint of irritation lingering in her voice. "You didn't need to step in, I had it handled.
"I'm sorry, but your version of having it handled looked a lot like him continuing to assault you," Chloe said, her voice matching Red's irritated tone.
"Look, the point is I'm trying to stay below the radar. The more people I have in my business the more likely they are to find out that I have a kid," Red said, her voice low so only Chloe could hear.
A group of sophomore girls passed by then, laughing and talking loudly. "Oh my God, she's such a slut!" a blonde girl said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I wonder if she knows that we all see right through her."
"I wonder how many guys she's fucked already? Probably half the school!" a black-haired girl said, eyeing Red closely as they passed by. Chloe turns and is about to give the group of girls a lesson in respect but Red quickly grabs Chloe's arm, reining her in.
"Chloe, don't," Red said, biting her lip. "They're not worth it."
"But they were mean to you for no reason. You didn't do anything to them," Chloe said.
"Yeah, and you don't need to do anything to them, either. I'm fine. Let's just get to class," Red said, starting to walk off toward her fifth period history class with Chloe quickly following suit.
"So, how's your little pet doing?" Chloe's friend Sam asked once she'd settled in for class.
"What do you mean?" she asked, confusion evident on her face.
"The new girl? The one with a bad history? I know you're not hanging out with her because you actually like her," Sam said. Chloe looked over at Red who sat in the front of the classroom, doodling in the margins of her notebook like she always did before class started.
"Sam, that's mean," Chloe said. "Besides, if you got to know her you'd know she's not like everyone says she is."
"You can't be serious, Chloe. I mean look at you, you're almost perfect and she's so…bad," Sam said, glancing over at the redhead.
Chloe shook her head as if she were trying to clear her mind. She knew what Sam had meant when he said "almost perfect." If she were straight she would've been perfect, but she wasn't. "You just don't know her like I do," Chloe said.
A flash of movement at the front of the classroom caught Chloe's attention. Red was suddenly packing up her things, hurrying out of the classroom. The teacher called after her, telling her she couldn't leave, but that didn't stop her from bolting out of the room.
Sam laughed and turned to Chloe, "I wonder who she's meeting up with now."
"God, Sam, just shut up," Chloe said before the teacher caught everyone's attention.
Red practically ran back to her dorm, barreling through the door once she finally arrived. Inside she found Chester and her daughter who looked miserable.
"Mommy!" the child cried, immediately reaching out to Red. As soon as she touched the child she was mortified. Her daughter was burning up and shivering.
"What happened?" Red asked Chester, her voice panicked.
"I—I don't know," Chester stuttered. "She was fine and playing and then she just started acting weird and then she threw up. I didn't know what to do so I called you."
"Did she eat anything new? Was she with other kids?" Red asked, frantic. What she didn't realize was that her phone was ringing; Chloe tried to call her to make sure she was okay.
"Uh yeah, she was on the playground with a couple other kids. I gave her this new applesauce packet I thought she would like."
Red walked into the bathroom, taking the thermometer out and sticking it under the child's arm. Sure enough, her daughter had a fever and Red pulled out a bottle of Children's Tylenol. She quickly read the instructions and drew up the cherry-flavored liquid in a syringe.
"Open up for Mommy, baby," she told her daughter. "It'll make you feel better." Hattie does what her mother says and she makes a disgusted face as her mom squirts the medication into her mouth.
"I don't feel good, Mommy," Hattie cried, reaching out to her mother again and Red took the child in her arms.
"I know, mija. Mommy's here, I'll always be here," said, soothing the toddler as she headed back to her bed. The redhead set Hattie down as she went to the fridge and prepared a cup of diluted apple juice for her. She pulled up some cartoons on her phone and handed it to her daughter, who now cuddled into her mother, drinking the juice from her sippy cup.
"She probably has a twenty-four-hour stomach bug that's been going around," Red said. "I'll stay back from class tomorrow to take care of her so you don't get her sickness, too."
"Are you sure? I don't mind watching her, even if she is sick," Chester said.
"Yeah. My attendance has been near-perfect all year. When she goes to sleep I'll call Uma and let her know what's going on. I'm sure she'll understand," Red said, gently rocking Hattie.
"Okay," Chester relented. "It looks like you have everything covered for now. Is there anything you need me to pick up for you guys? I can bring you some food later if you want?"
"Nah, we'll be good here," Red said, glancing down at the sick child. "I'll just be here enjoying some time off with my baby girl."
"See you in a little bit," Chester said, opening the door and leaving.
Red spent the rest of the afternoon cradling her daughter, enjoying the peace and quiet for once. Her interaction today with Hyllus and then those girls was enough to irritate her to no avail, but when Chester texted her saying there was something wrong with Hattie, she had to leave class. What kind of mother would she be if she didn't take care of her sick baby? She would be like her own mother, and that was unacceptable in Red's mind.
She didn't understand how her mother could be so cold, so cruel when she was growing up. And now as Red held her own daughter a certain melancholy draped itself over her. She remembered her own nights as a sick child, wanting nothing but her mother who just shooed her away like a fly. Red would be different, she would love her child. It was the only hope she still had left.
A soft knock on the door woke Red up from a late-afternoon nap, but Hattie slept through it. She got up from the bed, opening the door to see Chloe standing there with a worried expression on her face. Red glanced at the clock on the wall; it was right after Swords and Shields practice was finished and Chloe was right on time.
"I got a little worried when you bolted out of class today. And you never answered any of my calls or texts," Chloe said nervously.
"Shit," Red said, running a hand through her hair. "I didn't even realize you were trying to talk to me. Hattie's sick, but she's sleeping now. If you want to risk it you can." Chloe stepped inside the dorm, moving over to Red's desk and settling in like she normally did, but this time there was something else that caught her eye.
There was a bulletin board hung up on the wall by her desk that wasn't there before. And on it were a few pictures. Red caught Chloe staring at and she walked over to the blue-haired girl.
"Are these you?" Chloe asked softly, afraid of waking the sleeping child.
"Yeah," Red said, the same quietness in her voice. The first picture Chloe looked at was a picture of Red with a small baby bump in the clothes from the detention center—the redhead couldn't have been more than fifteen in the picture. Next to it was a picture of the same girl, only this time the bump was much bigger, possibly closer to her due date. And the last one was a picture of Red in a hospital bed, staring down at a tiny baby wrapped in a pink blanket.
"Wow," Chloe breathed. "You were so young. I—I can't even imagine what that must've felt like."
Red let out a quiet laugh, "Think about how you were at fifteen, now add pregnancy and a baby to the mix."
"What was it like?" Chloe asked, curiosity in her eyes. She wanted to know more about the girl before her. Even though Chloe had come to think of Red as a friend, there were still so many walls up between them and it had been months. "I mean…what was it like to…you know, have a baby?"
Red plopped down onto her beanbag chair as Chloe settled in at the desk. "It's not fun, I'll tell you that much. The first three months were hell—I was sick everyday and couldn't stop puking."
"When I first interviewed you, you said that they didn't take you to the hospital until it was almost too late…" Chloe started, trailing off before she could finish her sentence.
Two nurses moved about the hospital room, one trying to put an IV in while the other was checking the teenage girl's dilation. Red moaned in pain with each contraction, they kept getting worse and worse, and they got closer together. She felt like she would be ripped apart from the inside out. Thunder roared in the dark night outside, lightning soon after illuminating the busy room.
"Do you know how far along you are, sweetie?" the nurse asked, her voice kind and soft.
"Thirty-nine weeks," Red bit out between clenched teeth as the needle pierced her arm. "And six days."
"Can you page the midwife for an imminent delivery? She's fully dilated and the baby's engaged," The blonde nurse asked her coworker, who was trying to keep the redhead's arm still to put the dressing on the IV. Once she was done the other nurse nodded, quickly leaving the room.
"I need you to take the handcuffs off, please," the nurse asked the CO who stood in the corner of the room.
"I can't ma'am, it's policy that she stays handcuffed to the bed for your safety," he said gruffly.
"You're interfering with my ability to take care of my patient. She's in labor about to give birth, I hardly think my safety is compromised. Remove the cuffs. Now," the nurse responded, holding her ground. The CO just groaned and moved over to the hospital bed, taking out his keys and removing the handcuffs from the girls wrists and ankles.
"The warden better not find out about this," he grumbled to Red, who only nodded in response.
Another contraction struck Red's body, and this time she thought she couldn't take it anymore. Fat tears slid down the girl's cheeks as she struggled to remember how to breathe through the pain, "I can't do it, I want my mommy," she cried, even though she knew her mother would only tell her she deserved every ounce of pain she was feeling. "I don't know what's going on and I'm scared."
The blonde nurse softened at this, moving up toward the head of the bed so she could speak to the crying girl. "Can I be your momma for a little bit?" she asked, brushing a stray hair off the girl's sweaty forehead and tucking it behind her ear. Red nodded, suddenly taking comfort in this woman. "I'm gonna take care of you okay? I know you're scared and you're in a lot of pain, but guess what? I'm not scared, and that's a good thing because that means everything is happening as it should."
The nurse from before came back into the room, and so did another woman, this one with dark hair tied into a bun at the nape of her neck. "That other blonde lady? That's Kara and she's gonna take care of your baby when they're born. She's not scared either. That lady with the black hair? She's the midwife that's gonna deliver your baby, and I'm gonna be right here with you at every step okay? Now in a couple of minutes you're gonna have a sweet little baby to snuggle with, so are you ready to have a birthday party?"
"Y—yeah," the teenager said, her voice shaky. The midwife settled at the foot of the bed, the two nurses on either side of Red, helping to hold her legs. With every contraction and push, the nurse whispered soft praise and encouragement to the girl, gently rubbing her arm and holding her hand.
Nearly ten minutes later, a shrill cry echoed out in the room. Her baby was here, and the wave of relief washed over her body. It was like she was in shock, she was just sure she was about to die, and now her pain was almost entirely gone. The midwife placed the baby on her chest—a tiny baby girl. It was like her entire world changed. All the hate she felt for Ace and what he did to her, it was all gone. Well, maybe not gone, but it was dulled now. She had a daughter to care for, and she would come first now.
"Congratulations, mama," the nurse said, smiling at the teen. "Happy birthday, little one."
"Oh my God," Chloe breathed out when Red was finished recounting her story. A stray tear fell down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away, hoping the redhead didn't notice. "That must have been awful."
"The nurses were the only ones who treated me like I was human. Everyone else acted like I was just a drug-seeking teen mom. If it weren't for them I wouldn't have any pictures of me in the hospital with Hattie," Red said, finishing her story.
Red let out a dry laugh, "It's weird, you know? It's a terrible thing that happened, but I get a little girl to love out of it. Like yeah her birth was hard and being pregnant sucked, especially that young, but I'd do anything for her. And her dad…I had so much hate for him, and then when she was born I knew I couldn't focus on that anymore."
Chloe was surprised she'd gotten this much information out of Red. Normally it was always Chloe who wound up venting or letting out her emotions, but this time it was the opposite. Opposite felt kind of nice every once and a while, Chloe thought.
"You're a good mom," Chloe said sincerely. "And a good person."
Red shakes her head in disagreement, "No, Chloe. I'm not a good person. I sold drugs. I lied, cheated. I stole things. Good people don't do that."
"But look at how far you've come from that. You're not the same person you were at fourteen anymore. You've changed in a good way. You know that what you did is wrong. You were a hurt child and you looked for love and attention in any way you could find it. Give yourself some grace, you're not that person anymore," Chloe said.
Red's expression changed at Chloe's words. No one had ever said anything like that to her. Sure Chester was supportive and her Nana loved her, but they hadn't seen Red's emotions like just had. Chloe's words made her feel…real. She felt validated, like everything the girl had said was right, and that she was able to just exist and not have to justify it to anyone.
"Thanks, Chloe," Red said, averting her eyes to the floor. There was a sudden tension in the room, and Red couldn't bring herself to look Chloe in the eye. Sensing the tension, Chloe cleared her throat before speaking again, reaching for her bag that sat at her feet by the desk.
"I brought the assignments and homework from the classes you missed today," Chloe said, handing Red her copy. The two girls worked on their homework in their usual silence, but Chloe was finding it hard to focus on the words on the paper. Her brain kept going back to the girl beside her.
"Can I ask another question?" Chloe blurted, unable to take the silence anymore.
Red groaned in response, throwing her head back in slight irritation, "Do you ever stop thinking for two seconds? And besides you just asked a question by asking me that."
"You know what I mean," Chloe argued.
"Fine," Red relented. "But you better not be telling anyone about this."
"How did you take care of her? Like you said you got to keep her for a little bit," Chloe asked, staring at the redhead for an answer.
Red blew out a sigh before answering Chloe's question, "I mean the first month was the hardest. I was so young and I didn't know how to take care of myself, let alone a baby. There were some other girls there who were pregnant or had their own babies with them and they helped out some. A lot of sleepless nights, that's for sure. And sometimes both me and the baby were crying."
"And then you had to just give her away…" Chloe trailed off, staring at her paper again.
"Yeah," Red's voice cracked. "I mean I was lucky someone in my family would take her because if my Nana hadn't then she would've ended up in the system and I would've never gotten her back. But that was the worst day of my life, giving her up."
"I can't imagine," Chloe breathed. It seemed that with every story Red told her Chloe's heart cracked even more and more.
"I hope you never have to," Red said softly. The sleeping child stirred on Red's bed, waking up when she found her mother wasn't laying with her anymore.
"Mommy," Hattie whined, getting up and walking over to her mother, scattering the homework onto the floor.
Red sighs as she looks at the mess of papers around her. Everything would be due tomorrow, and then she'd have the homework from missing a full day's worth of classes on top of that. "I guess homework will just have to wait."
"I can hold her," Chloe said, the words coming as a surprise even to herself. "So you can get some work done. If you want."
Red bit her lip as she thought about it, "I don't know if she'll let you. Normally she doesn't like other people touching her and she's even more clingy when she's sick, but we can try."
"Mi amor, do you want to sit with Miss Chloe for a little bit? Mommy will be right here," Red asked her daughter. The child just grumbled in response, not giving a yes or no answer before she fell back asleep. She stood up, cradling the child and walked over to Chloe, her arms open to take the sleeping girl.
"Be careful," Red said, "She can get heavy when she's sleeping." Chloe cradled the child close to her, just like how she saw Red do so many times. She couldn't help a smile crossing her face when Hattie snuggled her face into Chloe's curls.
"Huh," Red said in surprise. "Normally she would've been screaming by now."
"Maybe she likes me?" Chloe said quietly, suddenly aware of every move and noise she made. She didn't want to wake Hattie. Red needed to finish her homework, and Chloe didn't know how much time she would have to hold the child.
Red sat back down on her beanbag chair and gathered her homework. It didn't take her long, maybe an hour at most. Hattie slept comfortably in Chloe's arms. Red kept a watchful eye on the two. Not that she didn't trust Chloe, but it was strange for her to see someone else other than her or Chester holding her daughter.
"How did you finish that so fast?" Chloe asked when Red was shoving the assignments into her bookbag.
She shrugged before answering, "I don't know. It just kind of comes easy to me, I guess."
"But that was quantum theory and calculus," Chloe said in disbelief. "Even I struggle with that and I'm the top of my class…"
"I had this tutor back home—his name was Maddox Hatter—and when I wasn't high or drunk he would teach me things and he already taught me this stuff," Red said, nonchalantly. "I can help you if you want."
"Maddox Hatter?" Chloe asked. "Is that where Hattie's name comes from?"
"Yeah. He was the only one who saw me as more than a lost cause," Red said wistfully. "He doesn't know about her, though."
"Are you ever gonna tell people? I mean you'll have to eventually," Chloe said, glancing down at the child sleeping in her arms.
Red sighed at this, knowing that Chloe was right. But she didn't want to tell people about Hattie. Having Hattie be a secret made their moments together feel even more special. And this way she didn't have to worry about what others thought of her. Her classmates already thought she was a "bad kid" and if they knew she was a teen mom on top of her very public history they would only bully her more. She was already halfway through her senior year, maybe she could handle the judgmental looks just a little bit longer. The world would have to find out about Hattie eventually, especially since she would be in line for the throne of Wonderland after her mother. There was no doubt people would immediately ask questions about Hattie's age when Red became queen.
"I don't know," Red said. "I mean I know if I tell people about her I won't have to hide anymore, but that just opens me up for more judgement and bullying."
"I think you'd be surprised to see that they might not be as judgmental at all. They might see you as someone who changed from their past," Chloe suggested.
"I don't know," Red said, shaking her head. The thought of other people knowing about Hattie made her nervous, she wiped her palms on her jeans nervously.
"Will anyone come see you on Family Day?" Chloe asked, trying to change the topic.
"I hope not," Red scoffed. "I mean I'll be happy if my Nana comes, but she'll probably drag my mother with her and I'll have to spend the whole day hearing her passive-aggressive comments about my life."
"I'm sorry," Chloe said. "I'm sorry you had to grow up with someone like her. I don't know why nobody from Auradon tried to intervene."
"It's okay," Red said. "The only thing I need is in your arms right now."
"You really love her, anyone can see that. If they want to talk, let them talk. You know you're a good mother and this little girl loves you," Chloe said, smiling at the redhead.
"Thanks, Chloe. Maybe one day everyone else will think that, too."