You Drain The Life From Me.

"Hey, um, mom?"

My mother turned to me and smiled. "What is it, honey?"

"Dr. Clarke called. It's time for my check-up. Could you take me?"

"Doesn't John or Garrett usually come with you?" she asked.

"Well, John's getting his car fixed, and Garrett's not really an option..."

She caught on immediately and grabbed her keys. "Let's go."



"Leigh O'Callaghan?" the nurse called. I stood from my seat, sucking in a deep breath and letting it out.

"I'll be here if you need anything," my mom assured me, knowing I was terrified of doctors.

But she had no idea what was going through my mind at that moment and what she was going to find out. I almost didn't want to tell her. I didn't want to break her heart, or get her angry. She was such a loving woman.

I had to do this.

I walked into the room that the nurse led me into, hopping up onto the examination bed. "So, today's the big day, huh?" she asked.

I nodded.

She smiled warmly. "Best of luck to you, sweetheart. I'll get the doctor."

I swung my dangling legs back and forth, waiting anxiously for Dr. Clarke. Soon, my hands were rubbing together and I was tempted to pace back and forth.

The door opened and I let out the breath I had been holding in. "For fuck's sake," I mumbled under my breath, suddenly angry with Dr. Clarke for taking so long.

What I didn't know was that she really hadn't taken that long. I was just being a moody pregnant teenager.

"So, has your morning sickness started yet?"

I nodded. I had had an episode of violent vomiting this morning and the previous two mornings. The first morning, I had been at Stephen's house. The second, my mother and father had been at work. But this morning, I had no such luck. John told them it was food poisoning.

"Who have you told?"

"Um, Garrett and Stephen, of course."

"Do they know that it might not actually be theirs?"

I scratched the back of my neck. It was a habit that Garrett and I both shared, something we did when we were unsure or ashamed of something. "Not exactly...I mean, Garrett knows it might be Stephen's. But Stephen thinks it's his..."

"Why are you letting him think that?"

"Because I kind of...want it to be his."

I could see her shaking her head. I guess I deserved it, but I couldn't help but be annoyed with her.

"Who else knows?"

"John, Pat, Kennedy, and Jared."

"And your mother is finding out today, correct?"

I nodded.

"Alright." Dr. Clarke stood from her seat and walked over to the door, opening it and poking her head out. "Mrs. O'Callaghan? We need you to come in for a bit."

My mom probably had a confused expression on her face as she got up to walk into the room. I could tell she thought something was wrong.

She took a seat on one of the three chairs in the room, and Dr. Clarke did the same.

"Leigh has something to tell you."

She turned to me. As I predicted, her eyes were clouded with worry. "What is it, honey?"

"Mom, I...a month and a half ago, I--"

My voice broke and I knew I was going to lose it. "I found out that I'm pr-pre-" My breath caught and I started to hiccup and sob.

"I'm pregnant, mom."

She gasped, much like Jared, Kennedy, and Pat had. Then she stood and wrapped her arms around me. "Leigh O'Callaghan, I'm disappointed in you. I'm extremely disappointed that you weren't careful. But I'm going to be here for you every single step of the way."

I cried even harder. I didn't deserve any of the support that my mother, or anyone, was giving me. I was a liar. I lied to Stephen. I lied to my best friends.

"Who's the father, sweetheart?"

Both of the women in the room realized that I was crying much too hard to utter a word, much less an entire sentence, so Dr. Clarke filled my mom in.

"We actually don't know that. You see, Leigh took part in intercourse with two different people in a short span of time, and we actually cannot find out who the father is until the baby is born."

She shook her head. I knew she was angry with me. But my mother had a habit of never actually getting physically angry. She never yelled at us, or anything. When she was angry, she was quiet. John was usually like that as well, unless someone drove him over the edge.

"Leigh, how could you?"

"I'm-I'm so sor-sorry mom. I d-didn't know wha-what I was doing."

"Who else knows about this?"

"The boys, and Stephen."

Dr. Clarke cleared her throat in order to grab our attention. "I've got to attend to other patients. I'll leave you two alone now."

"Thank you, Dr. Clarke," my mom said.

"You're welcome. Now, you'll have to come back in two weeks for another check-up. And if you feel odd for whatever reason, do not even think twice about calling or walking in. We don't want to take any risks."

I nodded. This wasn't new information. She told me this at the end of every appointment. I had calmed down, and I wasn't sobbing anymore.

She sat down next to me on the examination bed and placed a hand on my knee. "Sweetheart, how could you let this happen?"

I didn't answer, simply because I didn't know.

"Who are the possible fathers?"

"Garrett and Stephen."

"And you're about a month and a half pregnant now, you said?"

I nodded.

"That's why you've been throwing up and getting warm and extremely moody. I thought it was your period. Man, I was off." She sighed and jumped onto her feet. "Time to go tell your father. I imagine he won't be as calm as I am."

I dreaded telling my father more than my mother. I knew that he would be angry, even ballistic. He would not take it lightly, that was for sure.

My mom drove back home. She gathered my brothers and my dad for a family meeting. As John and I waited in the living room, he asked, "She knows?"

"Yeah. She's disappointed and angry, but at least she didn't yell like dad's about to..."

He patted me on the back. "It's okay, I'll be here for you, alright?"

"Okay, Ross, Shane, dad. I have something to tell you guys."

Ross snickered. "Who's the dad?" I knew he was joking. He was always one to joke about serious stuff. But never in my life did I think that joke would ever be true.

"Son, I don't think that was appropriate--" my dad started to say, but I cut him off.

"Stephen. Or Garrett. I don't know yet." I tried my best not to cry. I wanted to stay strong in front of my dad.

There was a huge block of silence. No one said anything. Shane's eyes grew wide. Ross' mouth dropped. My dad's facial expression was one that I couldn't describe. It was angry, disappointed, and sad all at the same time. I had to look away.

"You're...you're pregnant?" he asked quietly at first.

"Yes, dad. I'm pregnant."

He opened his mouth, then closed it, and opened it again. He was at a loss for words, and certainly not in a good way.

"You had...sex...with two different guys?" his voice started to grow in volume.

I nodded again. He stood.

"Leigh Michelle O'Callaghan! We raised you better than that!" he barked at me. "I expected more out of you."

A tear escaped the corner of my eye, but I held my composure. I wasn't going to break down in front of my father. Not while he was angry. Then he would just get angrier.

"Look what you've done to yourself! You've basically ruined your entire life!"

"You know that's not true," my mother defended, speaking for the first time since we sat down.

"It is, though!" my father continued, "You're supposed to be going to college! You're supposed to start a life for yourself at ASU and become whatever it is you wanted to become. But now you've got a baby! And now your life is going to be put on hold for at least, two or three years! Next thing you know, you're going to decide not to go to college anymore. And you're going to become a screw up."

I knew he didn't say it, but I knew he was thinking it. A screw up like John.

As I looked at him, I knew John knew what my father was thinking as well. My dad couldn't stand having one college drop out in the family, but now he had two. I understood where he was coming from, but he didn't have to bring John into this. That wasn't fair.

Everyone knew that John and college would never go hand in hand, but they expected him to at least finish. They thought he would like college, and the parties, and the college baseball, and the freedom. But here he was, sitting at home, still living with his parents. In a band. With no job.

And my dad thought I would end up the exact same way, except instead of being in a band, I would have a baby.

All of a sudden I was angry. I didn't know if it was because of what my dad said or because I was having a mood swing, but I stood up as well.

"I can't believe you would think of me like that. How you would think that I wouldn't even try to live my life as well as take care of this baby. I thought you raised me better than that," I said, using his phrase from before, "I thought you had more faith in me than that. I know that you want me to go to college, and major in something great, and go on to have a nice job and marry a wonderful guy, and go on to have a beautiful family. But who says I can't go to college anymore just because I have this baby? I never said I wasn't going to go. I never said I didn't want to go. You're jumping to conclusions, dad. I know that you think not going to college for right now could end up in disaster, but I've seen it happen. I've seen someone not go to college, and they're still one of the most amazing people, ever. I'm lucky to have him in my life."

Then water started pouring down my dad's cheeks.

"Just because I don't go to college right now doesn't mean I won't go. I want to make a future for myself too," I basically whispered. But my dad heard me.

He walked towards me and wrapped his arms around my frail body. "I'm so sorry, Leigh. I'll be here for you, whatever you need. But you need to promise me that you'll go to college."

I nodded. "Honestly, the thought of not going never entered my head. I just thought about not going for a little bit so I can get my life with the baby on track."

"I love you, Leigh."

"Love you, dad."