Saving Grace | ✓

Chapter Five

{ Chapter Five }

"Grace?" I hear Eliza's voice traveling up the stairs. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" 

It's been almost two days since the shopping trip gone wrong. Eliza brought back maternity clothes my size and some regular clothes that were a size bigger than my usual. They're okay.

I walk down the stairs slowly; I can feel the tension in the air. I think about retreating back to my room and locking the door, but she spots me before I can make my getaway.

"Come sit down, Grace. I want to talk about the other day. In the store?" She says, touching the dining room table in front of my chair.

I sit down across from her and cross my arms tightly on my chest. My hands are shaking. 

"Now, don't get mad too easily when I say this," she begins, sighing, "but I would like for you to take a pregnancy test just in case-"

"No!" I shout, standing up abruptly. Eliza's eyes grow wide and she leans back in her chair. "I'm not taking a stupid test, and I'm not pregnant. I may not be a virgin but we used pro-"

"Grace." I turn in the direction of the sound and see Michael standing in the doorway. "Sit down. Eliza, will you give us a moment alone please?"

She stands, glancing at me, and walks into the kitchen. Michael takes her seat and motions to my chair. "Sit."

"I don't want to-"

"Sit." He interrupts me, raising his eyebrows. I grumble and plop down on my previous chair.

"Now, I know that the possibility of you being-" I open my mouth, but he hushes me instantly, "-of you being pregnant angers you. But if there is even the slightest chance of you carrying a child, we need to find out sooner rather than later. So, just in case, will you please take the test?" He picks up the box of pregnancy tests and slides it over in front of me. 

I glare at the box and say, "I'm not pregnant."

"Grace." He says again in a fatherly tone.

I sigh and nod. Grabbing the box, I jog up the stairs and enter my bedroom, closing the door behind me. In the bathroom I open the box and set it on the counter, sitting on the toilet. After pulling out a test, I slide it under me and wait.

After about ten seconds, I pull it back out and wait. Either a plus or minus sign. Either a check or an x. Either a yes! or a no. 

Too soon, something fades up on the screen:

a big green plus.

Tears form in my eyes as I run downstairs, avoiding the dining room and kitchen altogether, and burst outside. My flip-flops make smacking sounds as they hit the pavement. I run for a long time, I think. My mind isn't focused on where I am headed or how long it will take me to get there. I just run.

Sooner or later, I find myself at a local park. A man walking past tells me that I am about a five minute drive from the Brians' street. I thank him and sit on a nearby swing, placing my hand on my belly. 

Am I really carrying a living creature in me? One of my friends from the club said that you never get pregnant on the first try. I believed her, but I used protection just in case. And I still got knocked up? That test must have been broken or rigged. There is absolutely no way that I'm going to produce a child in less than nine months.

I bury my face in my hands, leaning over as I start to cry. The phone Eliza bought for me buzzes in my pocket. It is most likely a call from one of the Brian's. I ignore it, clutching my hair in my hands and sigh. My head feels like I'm underwater and my eardrums are throbbing.

"Grace, what are you doing?"

I look up, despite my fast-growing headache, and sigh. "Hey, Caleb."

He takes the red swing hanging next to mine and rests his arms on his knees, giving me a once-over. "You look rough."

"It's a little early in our friendship for verbal abuse, don't you think?" I say, watching my feet.

He laughs and shakes his head. "Seriously though. What kind of person sits on a swing alone in a playground crying?"

"Probably one that just found out that she's pregnant and doesn't even know who the father is." I snap at him. I sigh, rubbing my face, and close my eyes. "I'm sorry."

He doesn't say anything. When I look up at him, he's staring out somewhere in the distance. "Caleb?"

"My mom told me." He turns his attention to me and shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Grace, but that was a stupid idea, having sex with some random guy."

My eyes well up with tears and I run my fingers through my hair. "How do you know?"

He sighs. "I had a friend that got pregnant about two years ago. Her name was Rachel." I hear him sniffle. "She was my best friend. I could tell her everything. Anyway, she went to a party the night her parents told her they were getting a divorce. She drank a lot. A guy started rubbing up on her and he took her upstairs. Next thing she knows, she wakes up alone in a bed. She took some pregnancy tests and they all came back positive.

"She wanted an abortion. She wasn't ready to raise a child, she was only sixteen. Her parents couldn't find out. So she convinced me to take her to the hospital and get the baby out.

"Her body was really weak. Her whole family got sick really easy. They gave her medicine to numb the pain, but the drugs were too strong." Tears roll down his cheeks. "It killed her."

I swallow and place my hand over his. "I'm sorry."

"That's why I think you should keep the baby. It's going to be tough to raise a kid. But you won't be doing it alone, alright? I'll help you. I know I just met you less than a week ago, but I know how hard it is. I'll be by your side. I won't leave you." He looks up at me and nods. 

I stand from my swing, tears flowing fast from my eyes. He stands to, opening his mouth, ready to say something. I wrap my arms around him and hug him tightly, my tears wetting his shirt. "Thank you." I say, my voice shaky with sobs. "Thank you."