Minus Something Great (Sequel to Adopted By One Direction)

Chapter 5: It's A Girl

[ANNABELLE’S POV]

What would a good mother do if their child ran away from home? And before you answer that keep in mind that home is a tour bus, and I am not positive that she ran away. Because kids who run away leave a note, and she didn’t leave a note.

Right?

“Annabelle?” I heard Liam call out to where I sat at the back of the bus. “Anna have you finished your smoothie?” I curled my lip as I looked at the empty glass in my hand. The health smoothies Liam had started forcing on me tasted as awful as they looked. They were like thick, radioactive, lime green slime. Liam and I had yet to talk about the pregnancy, but he kept insisting on keeping an eye on my nutrition. It was just horrible. The man threw out my chocolate stash. “There you are. Oh thank goodness you finished the smoothie. You need the vitamins.”

“Of course,” I smiled. “Thank you for thinking about my wellbeing.” And the wellbeing of the pavement outside the window of the bus where I had dumped that lousy smoothie. “Did you need something else?”

“Louis wants us all to get together and come up with a plan. He has resigned to El being missing so we need to decide how to live on this bus without killing each other. He is worried about Angie.” He should be since I’m pretty sure she had already bolted from the bus in the middle of the night. “Angie should come too. Is she still sleeping?”

“A—Angie?” I froze. This was my chance. I was going to be a mother whether I was ready or not. Time to decide how a real mom would handle a missing teen—no adult. Angelica was eighteen now. She could make her own decisions. Maybe she just went for coffee. Yeah---she liked coffee. That had to be it. “She’s not here.”

“She’s not?!?” Liam worried out loud. “Is she safe? Where did she go?” Dang it Annabelle! She’s not here? Of course he would worry. Angelica could be forty, and they would all be worried. What to do? What to do?

“She went for coffee. I was just going to join her,” I stammered out. Liam relaxed before glaring at me.

“Caffeine isn’t good for you—in your condition,” Liam flushed.

“My condition?” I shot back annoyed by Liam refusing to talk about it. Where was the shouting and anger at me hiding such a secret from him? Didn’t he want to know if I had been to a doctor? Or maybe talk about our plans for the future?

“You know--,” he stammered. “Cause you are—you’re—with child.”

“Damn it Liam! Just say it! I’m pregnant! With your baby! How hard is that to say? Do you not want to claim the child as your own? Is this punishment for me hiding it from you?” 

“I—I didn’t say that.”

“No Liam. You didn’t say anything, but you are wondering aren’t you? You want to know how if I really loved you I could keep this pregnancy—this sign of our love—from you? Because it doesn’t fit into the plan Liam.”

“I never insisted on a plan Anna,” he half whispered.

“No,” I breathed out suddenly exhausted. “You never did. Instead you shout out ultimatums which sent me into terror when I realized you would either have to do as you said or change your mind. And Lord knows, Liam Payne has never changed his mind. I used to love that about you.”

“U—used to?”

“I’m going to meet Angie at the Starbucks on the corner. I am having a tea because I am not an idiot and realize the effects of too much caffeine on my unborn child. I am never drinking those disgusting smoothies so stop serving them to me. Oh and I might have a steak later on! Because I’m hungry!”