Life After Dark: Book Two of the Dark Series

Chapter 16

"Hi. Mama? Are you sitting down? Well, I think you should...No, nothing's wrong...Not really...Well, not in the sense that the house has burned down or the car was wrecked...Well, what I have to tell you is...I'm pregnant."

Nope. Not over the phone, Dawn thought. It wouldn't be fair. Her mother deserved better than that.

But how, she wondered. How did she tell her mother that although she and Nikolas made sure to use condoms each and every time something went wrong...

"No, not wrong," Dawn said, with a tender smile, as she patted her abdomen. "You may not have been planned, but you will always be loved. I promise."

Dawn sat on her bed and glanced at her bedside clock. Nikolas would be back in an hour. Earlier, he left to go to a meeting with his uncle. He didn't want to leave her, but she insisted. His uncle was expecting him, she had told him. She reminded him that it would be better to just meet with him and get it over with than cancel it and have Stefan come down on him. Besides, she needed a little time to herself to come to terms with her pending motherhood and she was sure he needed some time alone, as well.

After he dropped her off at home, she tried to take a nap, but she was too restless. She grabbed the keys to her mother's car and went to the public library. She checked out several books about teen pregnancy and pregnancy in general. Now, as she sat on the bed, her hand blindly reached for one, and she began to flip through the pages. The more pages she saw, the more nervous she became, and she threw the book down.

How do I tell her, she asked herself. When? As soon as she walks through the door? "Hi, Mama. How was your trip? By the way, while you were gone, I found out that I was pregnant. Oh, and yeah, DJLS got the headliner spot."

Damn! The headliner spot! What kind of band has a pregnant teenager as its lead singer? Great, she thought. Finally, after all this time and all the hard work, my singing career was over before it had a chance to begin. That's just perfect.

Her eyes began to overflow with tears. "Stupid hormones," she muttered, as grabbed the box of Kleenex and blew her nose.

Clutching her favorite teddy bear to her chest, she curled into a ball and gave in to her tears.

~*~

"Nikolas, you're late," Stefan said, looking over the rim of his black framed glasses.

Nikolas ignored him and went to the bar. He poured himself a glass of water and drank it all down. When he was done, he poured himself another glass.

"The Jensen household doesn't supply you with refreshment?" Stefan asked. When he saw Nikolas stiffen, he continued, "I know you didn't come home last night. This type of behavior is unacceptable."

"I am not a child, Uncle. You can't keep me on a leash forever."

"It is not my wish to restrain you, my...nephew. My only wish for you is that you are happy."

"Dawn makes me happy," Nikolas replied, as he turned to face his uncle.

"Now. She makes you happy now. I haven't voiced my feelings in regard to your association with this young lady, but-"

Nikolas raised his hand to silence Stefan. "Stop. Don't say any more."

"But I must. I love you, Nikolas, you know that. I only want the best for you, and I can't help but wonder if this Jensen girl is. Since you've become associated with her, you've been attacked in the park, involved yourself in an escapade beneath the city and now, you've added missing important business meetings to the ever growing list. I think you should spend less time with her. You've indulged your curiosity, sowed your oats as the Americans say, and now, it's time for you to move on."