The Bearing

4. The Arrest

"Leah Heartbeat, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of an unborn fetus." The handcuffs close around my wrists tighter than I expected them to be with a resounding click. The two police lead me into the telecar and sit with me in the backseat, squishing my legs. One of them is larger than the other, with a mustache and thick eyebrows. The second one has a beard instead of a mustache, and I try not to cringe in disgust at the cookie crumbs hidden inside of it.

"Take us to the police station," orders eyebrows to the car.

The car starts automatically on his voice command. I stare out the window and whip my head around. I will not take my eyes off of my home. This will probably be the last time I'll see the life I worked so hard for.

Eyebrows and Cookie-beard lead me to the bottom of the police station area in the URA headquarters, where they hold people charged with the worst crimes. They push my back with a stick into one of the gray, barred cells. The upstairs cells are high-tech, like most things are, with some blankets and pillows for comfort. Down here, all of our technology is stripped away because they feel we don't deserve it.

I know I won't have bail. I try to come up with some sort of plan, but I know it's a fruitless attempt. What could I possibly say? I sit on the cold floor of my cell and cry. All of the other cells are empty. Nobody dares commit a crime like mine nowadays, for fear of the death sentence. Too bad. It would have been nice to at least have someone to talk to.

At this point, I've been awake all night, and I'm exhausted. What else is there to do but sleep?

I let myself succumb to the aching behind my eyelids.

"Wake up!" Mustache bellows in my face. "So, your court date is set for the day after tomorrow. We like to deal with these types of crimes as soon as possible. It's not often you see an abortion arrest. Most women know better." He eyes me up and down, towering above me. "I thought you would, too. You have disappointed all of your ancestors and the URA in committing your crime."

"Thanks," I spit. "I know."

He rolls his eyes. "There's more. Not that a murderer like you deserves it, but there is a way to absolve your crime. Give us the name of the father. We'll have him come in. If he agrees to marry you and forgive you for your crime, you are free to leave."

I sigh with relief.

Mustache stares at me impatiently. "So, what's the name?"

I try to think of some random name, anything to save myself. I look around me frantically, quickly. I can feel the time slipping away with every millisecond. I stared at the gray bars, the gray walls... Why was everything so gray? I blurt the only thing I was thinking about.

"Gray...bar...Bear!" I correct myself, hopefully not too slowly.

The guard eyes me up and down suspiciously. Shit, he knows.

"Gray Bear?"

"Well, you see, I call him Gray, it's his nickname. His real name is Grayson." I sound more sure of myself now and decorate my sentence with a strong nod.

He lets out a loud "hmph".

"Okay, Grayson Bear. Defining features?"

"Yes, uh, gray... eyes! And brown hair. Tall." He definitely knows I'm making this up.

Mustache purses his lips. "Okay, we will locate him and bring him into court the day after tomorrow. Be prepared."

"Yes, sir," I reply.

Mustache leaves, and I prop myself up against the wall, hanging my head in my hands.

I. Am. A. Total. Idiot.