Status: slow updates for a little while :P
Something in the Water
Options
Sam waits for me at the corner of the intersection to go to gym class. He offers his hand to me when I get closer, and I'm suddenly conscious of how Sam and I holding hands would falsely clarify that rumor.
I don't want to hurt his feelings, so I shift my bag on my shoulder to occupy my hands.
"So how was chem?" He smirks, already predicting my answer.
"Painful." I grunt. "And stupid."
"Just like gym?" He guesses.
I nod in agreement. "Just like gym."
We start walking and he purses his lips. "I like gym."
"You're a guy." I remind him. "Guys like gym."
I slip into the girl's locker room as we pass it, but I'm halted at the entrance by our teacher. She's a very tiny woman, probably a full foot shorter than me.
She pokes her finger into my chest. "Nurse." She said curtly.
"Huh?"
"You're needed at the nurse's office." She tries to sweep me off of her locker room doorstep.
"Right now?" I ask, allowing her to push me out the door.
"Yes, now. I don't know why." She seems like a pushy woman - no pun intended - but she's just very to-the-point.
Sam is caught talking to someone at the door to the boy's locker room. I give him a tiny smile as I pass, but he ditches his friend to follow me.
"Skipping class isn't encouraged, Sully." He tells me.
"I'm not skipping." I insist. "I'm supposed to go to the nurse."
"For what?"
I pause mid-step, spotting the nurse's office up ahead. "What do you think?" I ask him, like the answer is obvious.
He glances down the hall to the office. "What do you think they want?"
Delaying the inevitable is making me anxious. "I don't know, but I have to go."
Sam hooks his fingers around the straps of my bag as I'm walking away. "Hang in there, 'kay?"
My smile is sincere. "I will." I watch him scurry off to the locker room before the bell rings.
The first thing I notice in the nurse's office is the awfully familiar smell of the hospital. It's challenging to walk through the entrance.
The nurse's plump secretary jumps up from her desk when she sees me. "Come this way, dear." She motions towards the incove past the desk.
I follow her hands and I'm surprised at what I find.
"Hi, Emma." Dr. Stevens greets me, wearing her pristine white coat.
"Hi," I say warily. "Um...is something wrong?"
"I've just cleared things up with your school nurse. She's up to date with you, so you can come here if you ever need anything."
I don't miss what's hidden under the surface. "So if I spontaneously go into labor, I come here?"
She doesn't expect my attitude. "If you don't feel well, or you have a question, yes." She's careful with what she says now. "So how are you?"
I realize where my attitude is coming from. "I'm fine. Ben's not."
She nods like she actually knows. "He had a bad reaction to the dye, but it's common for a fever to stick around for a few days."
It isn't directly her fault, but who
else do I blame? "So when is he getting better?"
"Actually, I plan to stop by and take a look at him after I'm done here. But you're eating and sleeping well?"
I can't decide whether I consider a corner of a sandwich and close to five hours of restless sleep 'eating and sleeping well'. I just nod to her.
"Good." She smiles with her shiny teeth. She's actually very pretty, if only she wasn't on their side in this. "Have you talked to Ben lately?"
"Yesterday." I tell her, smiling on the inside at the nice afternoon we spent together. Ben was having trouble staying awake, but it was nice to be next to him.
"Has he mentioned anything about...other options?" She lowers her voice incase the secretary becomes curious.
I don't like the way she's acting. "No."
She looks around her and sits herself in a chair. "Will you sit down?" She pats the other chair with her hand.
I'd honestly rather stand, but I plop myself down beside her. "What other options are you talking about?"
She sighs heavily and scratches the side of her nose. "Emma, I'm not supposed to alter your choice with my opinion, so you need to know that whatever you think is best is what you should do."
I stay quiet.
"I spoke with Ben when you were in the hospital, and I told him that you are cleared for an abortion."
The word gave me chills. "What happens with that?"
"The reason you are immune to the water is because of your genetic structure, and right now there isn't any way to get around that. But there's a way we can terminate the pregnancy through a very simple procedure. You just have to be willing to do it."
"Terminate?" I spit out the word in disgrace. "You want to terminate him? Are you kidding me?" The secretary peeks her head around the corner.
"Emma, it's your decision. I'm supposed to present it to you incase you -"
"What kind of human being would even offer that sort of thing?" I rise to my feet, enraged. "Do my parents know about this?"
"I haven't told them." She says sheepishly.
"Don't you dare say a word about it to me or to them ever again." I growl at her. "Okay?"
"I didn't want to upset you, but you need to know that you have options."
I shake my head, because she's foolish for saying anything to me. "My life might suck sometimes, but I would never end a life - an unborn baby's life! - because it would make mine normal again. That's awful."
She nods slowly, trying to console me. "Alright."
I'm disgusted, and I want to leave. I gather my bag and look at the doctor, watching me with a straight expression.
"I'm glad you disapprove." She says.
I huff at her and stalk out of there. Screw gym class - I'm going home.
. . . . . . . .
BEN:
I hear her voice arguing with my mom to get in my room. She wins.
Her hair is hanging in her face, and her face is flushed red. She looks like she's been on an angry rampage.
"Hey." I say weakly, cautious of how she'll react. It's only one in the afternoon. She should still be at school.
I see her bottom lip quivering, and she won't look directly at me. "Do you want me to get an abortion?"
My stomach is in knots because the doctor told her about it when I was supposed to. "No." I say honestly.
"Then why didn't you tell me? It's been a week since we've been there! Why wouldn't you say anything?"
I support myself on my elbows until I can sit myself up straight. "Come here,"
She holds her arms around her middle to keep from falling apart. The second her head touches my shoulder, she lets out the tears she's been holding in for who knows how long.
"I could never do it," She cries. "I don't want to."
"You don't have to." I remind her, rubbing her back with the arm that isn't encased in hers.
"But Ben," She sits up enough to see my face. "We can't raise a baby. I have no idea how! And what will happen to me if they make me have surgery? This is our only baby, and they want to take him away like he never existed?"
"Emma, you're only two and a half years away from twenty. It's not that much time, and it wouldn't make a difference if you were pregnant then or now. Nobody knows how to raise a baby until they have one." I peel the strands of hair off of her sticky face.
"He's right."
Emma clenches her teeth to prevent herself from kicking her out.
"Hi, Dr.Stevens." I say politely, but without much enthusiasm.
"Emma?" She says bravely, but gently. "Shouldn't you still be at school?"
"I'm pregnant." Emma says. "I can do whatever I want."
I kind of chuckle at that, but hold it in. It looks like it makes her feel better, though.
"I've seen people twice your age feel like they were clueless just weeks before their baby was due." She approaches us.
"But those people decided to have a baby." Emma points out. "We were just thrown into this."
The doctor shrugs. "Another reason to cherish it?"
Emma draws her eyes to me, a sleepy and worn out look in them. I just look back at her.
"Would you like to know what I think?" The doctor asks the both of us. "I think what you have on your hands is a miracle, and you should start looking at it that way."
Emma traces the lines in my hands. "A miracle?" I don't miss the small smile.
"I'm really glad it's the two of you that get to experience this." The doctor grins. "Both of you are caring and responsible, the best a baby like this can ask for. I'd be surprised if they didn't pass you in the Evaluation."
"Thank you." I tell her, because I don't know what else to say.
I don't want to hurt his feelings, so I shift my bag on my shoulder to occupy my hands.
"So how was chem?" He smirks, already predicting my answer.
"Painful." I grunt. "And stupid."
"Just like gym?" He guesses.
I nod in agreement. "Just like gym."
We start walking and he purses his lips. "I like gym."
"You're a guy." I remind him. "Guys like gym."
I slip into the girl's locker room as we pass it, but I'm halted at the entrance by our teacher. She's a very tiny woman, probably a full foot shorter than me.
She pokes her finger into my chest. "Nurse." She said curtly.
"Huh?"
"You're needed at the nurse's office." She tries to sweep me off of her locker room doorstep.
"Right now?" I ask, allowing her to push me out the door.
"Yes, now. I don't know why." She seems like a pushy woman - no pun intended - but she's just very to-the-point.
Sam is caught talking to someone at the door to the boy's locker room. I give him a tiny smile as I pass, but he ditches his friend to follow me.
"Skipping class isn't encouraged, Sully." He tells me.
"I'm not skipping." I insist. "I'm supposed to go to the nurse."
"For what?"
I pause mid-step, spotting the nurse's office up ahead. "What do you think?" I ask him, like the answer is obvious.
He glances down the hall to the office. "What do you think they want?"
Delaying the inevitable is making me anxious. "I don't know, but I have to go."
Sam hooks his fingers around the straps of my bag as I'm walking away. "Hang in there, 'kay?"
My smile is sincere. "I will." I watch him scurry off to the locker room before the bell rings.
The first thing I notice in the nurse's office is the awfully familiar smell of the hospital. It's challenging to walk through the entrance.
The nurse's plump secretary jumps up from her desk when she sees me. "Come this way, dear." She motions towards the incove past the desk.
I follow her hands and I'm surprised at what I find.
"Hi, Emma." Dr. Stevens greets me, wearing her pristine white coat.
"Hi," I say warily. "Um...is something wrong?"
"I've just cleared things up with your school nurse. She's up to date with you, so you can come here if you ever need anything."
I don't miss what's hidden under the surface. "So if I spontaneously go into labor, I come here?"
She doesn't expect my attitude. "If you don't feel well, or you have a question, yes." She's careful with what she says now. "So how are you?"
I realize where my attitude is coming from. "I'm fine. Ben's not."
She nods like she actually knows. "He had a bad reaction to the dye, but it's common for a fever to stick around for a few days."
It isn't directly her fault, but who
else do I blame? "So when is he getting better?"
"Actually, I plan to stop by and take a look at him after I'm done here. But you're eating and sleeping well?"
I can't decide whether I consider a corner of a sandwich and close to five hours of restless sleep 'eating and sleeping well'. I just nod to her.
"Good." She smiles with her shiny teeth. She's actually very pretty, if only she wasn't on their side in this. "Have you talked to Ben lately?"
"Yesterday." I tell her, smiling on the inside at the nice afternoon we spent together. Ben was having trouble staying awake, but it was nice to be next to him.
"Has he mentioned anything about...other options?" She lowers her voice incase the secretary becomes curious.
I don't like the way she's acting. "No."
She looks around her and sits herself in a chair. "Will you sit down?" She pats the other chair with her hand.
I'd honestly rather stand, but I plop myself down beside her. "What other options are you talking about?"
She sighs heavily and scratches the side of her nose. "Emma, I'm not supposed to alter your choice with my opinion, so you need to know that whatever you think is best is what you should do."
I stay quiet.
"I spoke with Ben when you were in the hospital, and I told him that you are cleared for an abortion."
The word gave me chills. "What happens with that?"
"The reason you are immune to the water is because of your genetic structure, and right now there isn't any way to get around that. But there's a way we can terminate the pregnancy through a very simple procedure. You just have to be willing to do it."
"Terminate?" I spit out the word in disgrace. "You want to terminate him? Are you kidding me?" The secretary peeks her head around the corner.
"Emma, it's your decision. I'm supposed to present it to you incase you -"
"What kind of human being would even offer that sort of thing?" I rise to my feet, enraged. "Do my parents know about this?"
"I haven't told them." She says sheepishly.
"Don't you dare say a word about it to me or to them ever again." I growl at her. "Okay?"
"I didn't want to upset you, but you need to know that you have options."
I shake my head, because she's foolish for saying anything to me. "My life might suck sometimes, but I would never end a life - an unborn baby's life! - because it would make mine normal again. That's awful."
She nods slowly, trying to console me. "Alright."
I'm disgusted, and I want to leave. I gather my bag and look at the doctor, watching me with a straight expression.
"I'm glad you disapprove." She says.
I huff at her and stalk out of there. Screw gym class - I'm going home.
. . . . . . . .
BEN:
I hear her voice arguing with my mom to get in my room. She wins.
Her hair is hanging in her face, and her face is flushed red. She looks like she's been on an angry rampage.
"Hey." I say weakly, cautious of how she'll react. It's only one in the afternoon. She should still be at school.
I see her bottom lip quivering, and she won't look directly at me. "Do you want me to get an abortion?"
My stomach is in knots because the doctor told her about it when I was supposed to. "No." I say honestly.
"Then why didn't you tell me? It's been a week since we've been there! Why wouldn't you say anything?"
I support myself on my elbows until I can sit myself up straight. "Come here,"
She holds her arms around her middle to keep from falling apart. The second her head touches my shoulder, she lets out the tears she's been holding in for who knows how long.
"I could never do it," She cries. "I don't want to."
"You don't have to." I remind her, rubbing her back with the arm that isn't encased in hers.
"But Ben," She sits up enough to see my face. "We can't raise a baby. I have no idea how! And what will happen to me if they make me have surgery? This is our only baby, and they want to take him away like he never existed?"
"Emma, you're only two and a half years away from twenty. It's not that much time, and it wouldn't make a difference if you were pregnant then or now. Nobody knows how to raise a baby until they have one." I peel the strands of hair off of her sticky face.
"He's right."
Emma clenches her teeth to prevent herself from kicking her out.
"Hi, Dr.Stevens." I say politely, but without much enthusiasm.
"Emma?" She says bravely, but gently. "Shouldn't you still be at school?"
"I'm pregnant." Emma says. "I can do whatever I want."
I kind of chuckle at that, but hold it in. It looks like it makes her feel better, though.
"I've seen people twice your age feel like they were clueless just weeks before their baby was due." She approaches us.
"But those people decided to have a baby." Emma points out. "We were just thrown into this."
The doctor shrugs. "Another reason to cherish it?"
Emma draws her eyes to me, a sleepy and worn out look in them. I just look back at her.
"Would you like to know what I think?" The doctor asks the both of us. "I think what you have on your hands is a miracle, and you should start looking at it that way."
Emma traces the lines in my hands. "A miracle?" I don't miss the small smile.
"I'm really glad it's the two of you that get to experience this." The doctor grins. "Both of you are caring and responsible, the best a baby like this can ask for. I'd be surprised if they didn't pass you in the Evaluation."
"Thank you." I tell her, because I don't know what else to say.