Young and Pregnant
Gone
Alec
“Today marks the first day of the rest of your lives.” Sergeant Daniels walked before Alec and the group of standing uniformed figures in boots. “It’s when you sign your lives you away to the U.S. army. It’s when you throw away the worries of your lives and learn discipline.”
The sergreant’s eyes landed on Alec now. “Now I know that all of you have had things to face in these previous months or even for the entire past of your lives, but this is new and if you stick to it? You will come out a completely molded and capable person. Say your goodbyes. You’ve got five minutes.”
The large warehouse type place surrounded them with cement floors, photo and medal plastered walls, and buses not too far from them. Sergeant Daniels allowed the line of men to walk off and Alec swallowed and turned around, searching for the crowd.
I wish my parents could have at least come today. It would have made things so much easier.
He fished through the throng of bodies and anonymous loved ones that waited. He knew she had to be somewhere, just somewhere in the vicinity. A small boy went hurdling towards a man and wrapped his arms around the man’s head. The boy sobbed into the man’s shoulder and told him he didn’t want his daddy to leave.
Alec swallowed and tried to force back the tears.
“Alec.”
Alex turned, seeing the weakness in Cassandra’s crystal blue eyes. Her hair hung in auburn tufts along her shoulders and the baby bump showed. Her hand stayed rested on her stomach.
“You’re leaving.”
Her words were like echoed booms through his head. When you have a woman that you love, someone who’s carrying your child, and holds the fragility that Cassandra did, you hated to see them cry.
“It’ll be okay. I’ll be back in time and the baby will be okay and we’ll be fine. You just have to try and not worry.”
He’d rehearsed the words in his head, even repeated them in front of a mirror inside his mind. He’d anticipated their effect and hoped for the best. But Alec needed to do more. So he came forward, brought her face into his hands, and looked deep into her eyes.
“That night that we both loved each other, that was the best night of my life because it brought us where we are today. I love you, Cas. I’ll never stop.”
So they both leaned in and kissed for what seemed the shortest time. The world seemed ready to rip them apart, but the skin of their lips fused them together. He held her face soft and strong and felt her tears slip onto his hands.
They pulled apart and she buried her face into his shirt. He knew that she was breathing in his scent and just crying.
“Don’t leave me.”
“I have to go, for us.” he said.
The words once again felt like the right thing to say. They’d felt right when he and Jackson had said their temporary goodbyes at the apartment. They’d felt right when Jackson had told him how he knew that Alec would be a good father, just as long as he cleared his head first.
“Did you say goodbye to your brother?” Cassandra pulled herself back to face him and he knew that she was stalling, stalling the inevitable.
“I tried to call him, but…” Anthony had only cried when Alec had told him he was leaving. Anthony had told Alec he hated him, hated him for being a horrible brother, a horrible person, and not protecting him. “I couldn’t say much to help him.”
Sergeants and superiors were blowing whistles, shouting orders, and all the while he still held her hands. They still faced each other.
“Don’t leave.”
Alec parted his lips. “Wi-“
“Let’s go!” One of the superiors grabbed Alec by the arm and began to haul him towards the last bus.
Alec didn’t squirm. He merely dragged his feet and twisted his head to look back at the one girl he’d managed to love.
Will you marry me?
The ring still rested within his uniform’s pocket. He’d never managed to get the words out. He wished he could have found the strength to scream them, scream them loud enough for everyone to hear.
Cassandra
Cassandra stood frozen. Her feet rested plastered to the floor and a certain emptiness sank deeper into her heart. The tears and all the other bodies had long gone away , but she still stood in the large warehouse. She could still smell the starch and masculine cologne of his uniform.
Who would she talk to in her sleepless nights now? Who would wrap their arms around her and whisper little words in her ear? Who could be there?
Then the brilliance of the universe came plummeting down upon her. A thump resonated in her stomach and it was like a sign from a God she didn’t believe in, a sign that spoke those words that she wanted to hear.
I’ll be there.
“Thank you.”
But her last word was torn by the cough that erupted up her lips. Cassandra’s hand went to her mouth and caught the liquid that came up. She didn’t even have to look to see that it was blood.
So she walked outside of the army’s warehouse and drove home. Hopefully everything would be alright.
“Today marks the first day of the rest of your lives.” Sergeant Daniels walked before Alec and the group of standing uniformed figures in boots. “It’s when you sign your lives you away to the U.S. army. It’s when you throw away the worries of your lives and learn discipline.”
The sergreant’s eyes landed on Alec now. “Now I know that all of you have had things to face in these previous months or even for the entire past of your lives, but this is new and if you stick to it? You will come out a completely molded and capable person. Say your goodbyes. You’ve got five minutes.”
The large warehouse type place surrounded them with cement floors, photo and medal plastered walls, and buses not too far from them. Sergeant Daniels allowed the line of men to walk off and Alec swallowed and turned around, searching for the crowd.
I wish my parents could have at least come today. It would have made things so much easier.
He fished through the throng of bodies and anonymous loved ones that waited. He knew she had to be somewhere, just somewhere in the vicinity. A small boy went hurdling towards a man and wrapped his arms around the man’s head. The boy sobbed into the man’s shoulder and told him he didn’t want his daddy to leave.
Alec swallowed and tried to force back the tears.
“Alec.”
Alex turned, seeing the weakness in Cassandra’s crystal blue eyes. Her hair hung in auburn tufts along her shoulders and the baby bump showed. Her hand stayed rested on her stomach.
“You’re leaving.”
Her words were like echoed booms through his head. When you have a woman that you love, someone who’s carrying your child, and holds the fragility that Cassandra did, you hated to see them cry.
“It’ll be okay. I’ll be back in time and the baby will be okay and we’ll be fine. You just have to try and not worry.”
He’d rehearsed the words in his head, even repeated them in front of a mirror inside his mind. He’d anticipated their effect and hoped for the best. But Alec needed to do more. So he came forward, brought her face into his hands, and looked deep into her eyes.
“That night that we both loved each other, that was the best night of my life because it brought us where we are today. I love you, Cas. I’ll never stop.”
So they both leaned in and kissed for what seemed the shortest time. The world seemed ready to rip them apart, but the skin of their lips fused them together. He held her face soft and strong and felt her tears slip onto his hands.
They pulled apart and she buried her face into his shirt. He knew that she was breathing in his scent and just crying.
“Don’t leave me.”
“I have to go, for us.” he said.
The words once again felt like the right thing to say. They’d felt right when he and Jackson had said their temporary goodbyes at the apartment. They’d felt right when Jackson had told him how he knew that Alec would be a good father, just as long as he cleared his head first.
“Did you say goodbye to your brother?” Cassandra pulled herself back to face him and he knew that she was stalling, stalling the inevitable.
“I tried to call him, but…” Anthony had only cried when Alec had told him he was leaving. Anthony had told Alec he hated him, hated him for being a horrible brother, a horrible person, and not protecting him. “I couldn’t say much to help him.”
Sergeants and superiors were blowing whistles, shouting orders, and all the while he still held her hands. They still faced each other.
“Don’t leave.”
Alec parted his lips. “Wi-“
“Let’s go!” One of the superiors grabbed Alec by the arm and began to haul him towards the last bus.
Alec didn’t squirm. He merely dragged his feet and twisted his head to look back at the one girl he’d managed to love.
Will you marry me?
The ring still rested within his uniform’s pocket. He’d never managed to get the words out. He wished he could have found the strength to scream them, scream them loud enough for everyone to hear.
Cassandra
Cassandra stood frozen. Her feet rested plastered to the floor and a certain emptiness sank deeper into her heart. The tears and all the other bodies had long gone away , but she still stood in the large warehouse. She could still smell the starch and masculine cologne of his uniform.
Who would she talk to in her sleepless nights now? Who would wrap their arms around her and whisper little words in her ear? Who could be there?
Then the brilliance of the universe came plummeting down upon her. A thump resonated in her stomach and it was like a sign from a God she didn’t believe in, a sign that spoke those words that she wanted to hear.
I’ll be there.
“Thank you.”
But her last word was torn by the cough that erupted up her lips. Cassandra’s hand went to her mouth and caught the liquid that came up. She didn’t even have to look to see that it was blood.
So she walked outside of the army’s warehouse and drove home. Hopefully everything would be alright.