I’m trying to remain calm, but I find myself sobbing and shaking as my butt is perched on the seat. My cell phone is in my purse by the front door, so I do the only thing I can think of: scream for my mother as loud as I can until she comes inside. It’s probably less than a minute, but it feels like hours before she hears my cry for help and comes running.

She knocks on the powder room door. “Presley Anne, what on God’s green earth is going on?”

“Mom, open the door,” I cry, thankful that I didn’t lock it. “I need help.”

She cracks it open and looks at me in confusion. I’m sure I’m a hot mess, sitting here with my panties around my ankles and mascara running down my face. She spots the blood and thinks she’s figured out the problem.

“Oh, honey, did you just start your period? I thought your cycle was at the end of the month. No need to get so upset. I’ll just run upstairs and grab a tampon with some new briefs.”

Before she can leave, I shout, “I’m not on my period, Mom. I’m pregnant!”

She whips around so fast it would be comical under different circumstances. “What did you say?”

“I’m four months pregnant,” I sob. “We were going to tell you tonight. Something’s wrong with the baby, isn’t there?”

My mother gives me a sympathetic look and says in a surprisingly calm voice, “Okay, honey. This is what we’re going to do. I’m going to head upstairs to get you a maxi pad and some clean briefs. Then, you and I are going to take a quick trip to the hospital, just to be sure everything’s okay.”

I nod, making a futile attempt to wipe my tears away. “Okay.”

She must’ve run because she’s back with the items she promised to deliver in no more than thirty seconds. “I’ll meet you out in the kitchen once you’ve cleaned up.”

“Mom, I need to call Beck. My phone’s in my purse.”

“You can call him on the way, sweetie. I’m sure the baby’s fine, but you can never be too careful in these situations.”

“Okay,” I repeat.

The baby’s fine, I tell myself. The baby has to be okay. I clean myself up and meet her by the front door. She already has her car keys in hand and my purse slung around her shoulder. She’s unbelievably stoic right now. I look at her in question when I see that my dad’s truck is no longer in the driveway.

“I sent him to the school,” she explains. “To drive Beck to the hospital to meet us.”

I get into the car and buckle my seat belt on autopilot. “What did Daddy say? Is he mad at me?”

She waves her hand dismissively. “Oh, don’t worry about your father right now. Just close your eyes and take some deep breaths. We’ll be there in no time.”

I dig through my purse to grab my phone. “I need to call Beck first.”

“Of course, honey.”

My call goes straight to his voicemail, so I try again but get the same result. I dial his dad’s number, thinking maybe his battery died, but there’s no answer there either.

“He’s not answering.”

My mom glances at me. “Presley, just breathe and do your best to relax. Your father will get him there.”

I lay my head back and do my best to follow her instructions. She’s right; my dad will come through. Beck will probably get to the hospital right after we do. After about twenty minutes, we’re pulling into the Tri-County Medical Center lot. My mom parks close to the emergency entrance and guides me inside.

“May I help you?” the woman at the counter asks.

I try speaking, but the words won’t come out, so my mother does it for me in a hushed tone.

“My daughter is four months pregnant. She started bleeding about thirty minutes ago, so we think we should see a doctor.”

“Of course,” the woman says, flashing me a sympathetic look. God, I’m getting really sick of those already.

I hear the lady asking my mom questions so she can check me in, but I’m not really paying attention to what they’re saying. Everything is hazy as I’m ushered into a room and asked to change into a gown and hop on an exam bed. I guess that’s one good thing about this—small-town hospitals don’t make you wait very long. While we’re waiting for the doctor to arrive, I snap out of my daze.

“Have you heard from Daddy?”

Source: www.seynovel.com