“Harry, love,” my mum cooed as she shook me from my slumber. “I’ve got breakfast waiting for you downstairs.” I groaned out loud once mum left my room and quickly looked at the clock that was sitting beside my bed. [i]10:36am[/i]. I squeezed my eyes shut before rolling out of bed. I didn’t bother with putting sweatpants on because it was just my mum and stepdad, so my briefs would do just fine. I walked downstairs and into the kitchen where there was a plate with eggs, toast, bacon and a bowl of fruit and also a cup of tea. I plopped into the chair and started shoveling the food in my mouth. My mum sat down across from me and looked on at me with concern, I’d been here for 4 days and I still haven’t told my mum how I fucked up big time. In fact I haven’t really uttered a word since I got here.
“How long you stayin’, sweet?” Mum asked as she lifted her eyes from the morning paper.
“Forever?” I sadly asked her as I took the last bite of fruit.
“As much as your dear, old mum would love that…you and I both know you can’t.”
“I know, I’ll probably just be here a couple more days,” I told her as I took a long swig of tea.
“Harry, you know I love you and I love your random visits, but you need to tell me what’s going on,” my mum said and when I looked at her she had that motherly, concerned look on her face.
“You wanna know why Abby and I really broke up?” I asked my mum, and after giving me a confused look she nodded her head. “Abby was pregnant.”
“You guys, mutually, broke up because she was pregnant? Was it not yours?” Mum asked and I quickly shook my head.
“No, it was mine. And we didn’t mutually break up. I gave her an ultimatum and well it went from there,” I told my mum as I looked at the kitchen table.
“What was the ultimatum, love?”
“You’re going to hate me,” I told her and kept my gaze on the table.
“I could never hate you, dear.”
“I told her to get an abortion or we were over, guess which one she chose?” I said, looking up at my mum and I could instantly tell she was hurt.
“Harry, I just don’t know what to say. I thought I raised you better than that,” mum softly said and my already broken heart started to crumble a little more knowing my mum was upset with me.
“You did. But the only thing I could think about when Abby told me was her and I’s careers and our futures. We’re both too young and just getting started with our careers and a baby would have slowed both of us down. I wasn’t trying to be cruel,” I said and a single tear fell down my cheek.
“Oh, my baby,” mum said as she got up and occupied the seat next to me and pulled me into a hug.
“And the worst part of it all, she was going to keep it, like carry it to term before she decided whether she’d keep it or give it up for adoption, but she had a miscarriage the night I came here. I came straight from the hospital,” I cried to my mum, as she rocked my back and forth.
“Oh, Harry,” my mum told me as she ran her fingers through my hair, something that always helped calm me down. “It’ll be okay.”
“No it won’t, this is all my fault. If I didn’t tell her to get an abortion and if I was supportive the baby would still be growing in Abby’s belly and I’d probably be getting ready to propose to her and we’d both be happy and in love still.”
“Harry, this isn’t your fault! Don’t you ever say that. Miscarriages, they happen quite often. Her’s could have been the result of anything, now don’t go beating yourself up about it,” mum told me as she wiped my tears away.
