Chapter 7 - The road ahead
Spencer's POV: Around the strike of midnight, Toby and I return to his apartment. Two bags of takeout are on the kitchen counter but the thought of eating makes me nauseous. "Hungry?" Toby asks as he sits down beside me on the couch. "No. I can't even think about food right now." I say as I cover my face with my hands. "Spencer--when did you find out?" I knew this question was coming and I dreaded it. I uncover my face and struggle to look Toby in the eyes. "About a week. I was late so I had Hanna get me a pregnancy test." Toby's world should be crashing down around him but he's still watching me intently. "I cried for hours when the test turned out to be positive. It was late that night--I got the text..." "The -A text..." Toby interrupts and I nod my head. "Toby--I'm sorry. You must think..." I begin but Toby interrupts me once again. "Spencer, I think you're scared. I don't think any less of you. Don't go there." he says as he takes me in his arms. "I was going to kill our child. How could you NOT think less of me?!" I question and I pull away from him. I stand up and walk into Toby's bedroom. Shortly thereafter, I hear footsteps behind me before Toby turns the corner to face me. "Sit down." he orders and I take my place on his bed. I feel tears rushing down my cheeks as he kneels down before me and takes my hands in his own. "Spencer Jill Hastings, LISTEN to me." he begins. "Right now, my head is spinning so fast that I can hardly make sense of anything. But one thing rises above every other thought that's ever in my mind. I LOVE YOU. You may make spontaneous choices. And they may not always be the right ones. But your issues are my issues. We will work this out...together." "We don't have the money to raise a baby, Toby. I just got out of high school and your job doesn't bring in much. We're not prepared." I sniffle. "All of these things--they're material. I'll figure it out. I'll protect you and this baby" I listen to his words then look up at him. "How far along are you?" he asks. "Two months." I whisper. " Seven months. We have seven months to figure this out. But you have to be willing to keep the baby." "I can't lose you." I interrupt Toby. "You won't lose me. I'll handle -A." I hear Toby's words but I'm so tired that I can barely sit up straight. "Can I sleep on it? I'm tired." Toby fulfills my request by kissing me on the lips and tucking me into bed. "Goodnight." Toby says as he begins to walk out the door. "Toby?" I whisper and he looks back at me. Before I can say another word, he comes back to the bed and lies down beside me. Almost like he can read my mind, he spreads his arms and shelters me with them. I soon fall asleep to the sound of Toby's heartbeat...
