Rules of Friendship | 18+

𝘛𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘛𝘸𝘰 ♡

𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦

➵➵➵➵➵➵➵♡➵➵➵➵➵➵➵

My finger gently traced the shape of Serenity's sleeping face.

We had been moved up to the third floor, finally out of the chaos of the emergency room, and I swore even in her sleep Serenity relaxed. My girl is fearless on many things, she'll climb mountains and call out injustices, but stick her into a hospital and everything comes crashing down. She doesn't even know why she's so scared of them, but while she's terrified of them, I downright hate the place. Since I was a teenager, the only time I've ever been in this building was because of the girl in front of me. The mother of my child.

I'm going to be a father.

That realization made me pause my tracing of her beautiful face, only for a moment though, because my finger soon returned to tracing the slope of her precious nose. God, out of all the people I've been with, Serenity being the mother of my child was right, she's right. And my child will grow up watching me love their mother and have an example of real, pure love.

A knock on the door drew my attention away from Serenity, my mother leaning against the frame, watching me. "May I come in?"

"Of course, you never have to ask momma."

She walked in silently, her hand falling on my shoulder and I couldn't help but lean into her side. The polyester fabric of her scrubs rubbed against my skin. I used to be annoyed by the feeling, and how my mother still doted on me. But right now, when my whole world got flipped upside down in a matter of minutes, I was thankful for the comfort. I was thankful for the hand that was rubbing up and down my arm and for the familiar smell of hand sanitizer and rose. And then I watched as she reached forward, taking Serenity's limp hand in hers, holding both of us. "You okay?"

I shook my head because I wasn't okay. I wasn't okay that my girlfriend was in the hospital, that she was wheezing every time she was awake. When her glassy gray eyes landed on mine I saw how much fear she was swallowing because her world shifted too. And I was trying to be a pillar of strength for her, I didn't let her see the way my hands trembled when she was asleep, or how I watched her chest to make sure her breaths were deep, or how I kept placing a palm on her stomach trying to wrap my head around the fact that I'm not just a college student anymore, I'm a father to be. "I'm scared. And I'm sorry."

My mother raised me better than how I've been acting, for the past six years she's watched me throw myself into self-destructive habits to avoid the torment my brain put me through daily, the reminder of my father passing, the reality for so long that I could never have Serenity. But not once did she ever judge me. No, Sarah Rogers just hugged me when I came home, kissed my forehead, and acted like nothing changed. I was a disappointment to her, not that she ever said that or thought that, I just knew it in my heart and soul that I was.

"Why are you sorry?"

There was genuine confusion in her voice, and when I looked up, the confusion in her blue iris' took the breath out of me. There was no trace of disappointment in her, just pure confusion and dedicated love. But I swallowed the lump in my throat, looking towards Serenity again, her breaths short but plentiful, "I got her pregnant before I graduated college, that's the one thing you asked me not to do."

"No that's not what I asked," I blinked at her, watching as my mother lowered into the chair in front of me, "I asked you not to get someone pregnant you didn't see your life with because it will forever be entwined." She took my free hand in hers, cold hands making me jolt and causing a smile to break across her face. "Serenity is your person, son, she always has been, she's always calmed the noise in your head. Why do you think I let my sixteen-year-old son bring her home to sleep in his room?" I chuckled, shaking my head, "You came home for her every summer, you carry a photo of her in your wallet, and she's the only person I've ever seen you be at peace with. So, no son, I'm not mad. I was surprised, but not mad."