When the bough breaks

One

I wake up to a screaming sound. It gets louder and louder. I lift my head from my pillow and find out that the screaming noise is just my alarm clock.

I look at the time; it's 8:30 in the morning. I gasp and jump out of my bed, but fall when a strong arm pulls at me.

"Zander, let go! We're going to be late!" I whine to the tan boy in my bed.

"What? Babe, it's seven in the morning." He says, pulling the covers back on his shirtless chest. I grab my alarm clock and put it to his ears, so that the blaring noise fills his ears.

Zander opens his eyes and stares at the time. He pulls me up off the bed and screams, "We're going to be late!" as he's throwing on a grey tee and dark jeans.

Suddenly, I feel the urge to throw up. I run to the bathroom and double over in the toilet. I feel a presence come behind me and hold my hair back.

"This is the third time this week. Something isn't right." I say as I brush my teeth, only to puke again.

"After college orientation, we can schedule an appointment. Then maybe we'll know why you've been sick." Zander says, coming behind me and wrapping his muscular arms around me.

"I have to get dressed. Go downstairs and eat breakfast with Dalton and Trent. Mom and Dad are at work and Sam's in..." I try to finish the sentence but double over in pain. I scream as a sharp pain shoots through me.

"Erica?" I hear Zander whisper before I black out.

I wake up to a bright light and the smell of hospitals. I look over and see Zander staring at me, biting his ip.

Once he sees that I'm awake, he gets a doctor from the hall. "So, Ms. Madison, how are you feeling?" the doctor asks, as he's jotting down notes on a notepad.

"Like crap. Why am I here?" I ask, looking at the IV in my arm. "You blacked out after you experienced a sharp pain. We know why," the doctor says, looking at me. I look at the doctor and then at Zander, who's avoiding my eyes and clenching his jaw.

"Why?" I ask, but it comes out in a whisper.

"You have stage three Leukemia," the doctor says. I shut my eyes and feel tears come down my face.

"How long do I have?" I say, but feel my voice cracking. "Anywhere from six months to a year. I'm so sorry." he says, and walks away. I look at Zander and start crying.

He curls beside me and says, "There's something else." I look at him and move a piece of his hair from his face. "What?" I say and feel him tense up.

"You're pregnant." As soon as those words leave his mouth, I cry even harder. And he holds me as we both cry.

The news was such a shock, from learning that I'm dying and then learning that I'm pregnant. I spent a couple days in the hospital, but really just wanted to go home.

A few days later, mom stands in the hospital room, a tight frown on her face.

"Honey, you need to eat." Mom says, putting a piece of egg in my mouth but I just spit it out.

"Look, it's your favorite. Pancakes and-"

"No, mom! If I eat it'll just come back up!" I yell but then immediately regret it when she puts her head in her hands and starts crying.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." I say, and hug her.

"It's just... my baby is dying. It's not fair, it's not. You had your whole life planned and now you won't get to do any of that." she says, stroking my hair.