Here comes Teddy

Her life's hanging by a thread (Prolouge)

Teddy PoV

I was in a hospital room, worry lacing my lungs, because my little girl was born 2 months early and on life support, I didn't know that worry could feel like I was drowning in sorrow.

Megan, my baby mama, walked toward me, the look on her face had me even more worried than I was before, her green eyes filled with unshed tears.

"Hey, uh, Teddy, I, uh, I have to tell you something"
"What is it then Meg?"
"Before I tell you, please don't get mad at me-"
"Why would I be mad?"
"I'm so sorry Teddy, I am so so sorry, but I lead you on about wanting to keep Rowan-"
"What?!"

Anger started to bubble inside my gut, my heart hammering heavily in my chest, swallowing a scream back, I looked Megan dead in the eye, straight after I did she looked away.

"How do you expect me not to be angry?"
"I couldn't find the words to say Teddy, I was already 3 months pregnant when we found out-"
"Don't, don't make excuses!, Fuck!, how could I have been so fucking stupid, how could you not tell me this before?"
"I, I, I tried, but you seemed so happy that I couldn't take that away from you Teddy, I love her, I really do, but I can't be a good Mum to her Teddy, I love yo-"
"Don't say that!, just, fuck!, if you're gonna leave just fucking leave already!"

Megan walked away sadly, and maybe I was a bit harsh, but I couldn't sit there and pretend that I was ok when my world seemed to be crumbling around me.

My Mum walked over to where I was sitting, and I was already ready for an argument to accrue between us, because that was the only way that we communicated anything.

"Teddy, I know that you love her, but maybe it's for the best if you put her up for adopt-"
"No, why the fuck would you suggest that Mum?!"
"Because your father-"
"Of course!, why didn't I think of that before?!"

I rolled my eyes, because of course my Mum would just parrot what my Dad thought, because she couldn't actually think for herself, or at least that's what I thought when I was 14 years old.

"Teddy, this is really not the time to argu-"
"I don't fucking care if you think that it's not the time to argue!, I can't leave Rowan to rot in foster care knowing what it's like in those fucking homes-"
"I needed time-"
"Convenient how Mollie wasn't sent into foster care when 'you needed time', it was just the rest of us, I mean Katie died thinking that her own mother thought of her as a fucking burden-"
"Hey!, don't say that!, look Teddy, I know that I have made some god awful mistakes-"
"Is that what you call it, huh, because everybody else would call it fucking favouritism, now I want you to understand that I will raise my daughter as a single Dad, even if it means that I have to move back in with Nana and never fucking talk to you again, because I'll be damned if I let my daughter have half as bad of a childhood as mine"

The look of hurt on my Mum's face surprised me, what surprised me more was the tears in her blue eyes that threatened to fall.

"Teddy-"
"What!"
"Teddy, if you really want to keep Rowan, I will help as much as I can, but you can't go out partying anymore-"
"I only went to parties because I wanted to avoid you after being sent to foster care"

My Mum was silent for a little while after I said that, probably because she didn't want to rock the boat too much, I didn't try to break that silence because I was still kind of pissed off with Megan and my Mum, so take that as you will.

"I haven't seen you this vulnerable in a long time Teddy"
"I haven't felt the need to be vulnerable to be perfectly fucking honest, but I know that my baby needs me, so I can't act like a fucking nonce anymore Mum"

Mum then left the hospital room and Nana came in and sat beside me.

"Hey Nana"
"Hey Sweetheart, how are you holding up?"
"I'm ok now that she's breathing, but I'm still worried that she might stop breathing again and-"
"Teddy, you need to breath, she's ok, did nobody ask you about how you were?"
"No, Megan left and isn't coming back, Mum just tried to talk me into putting Rowan up for adoption because Dad said that would be a good idea but I don't like the sound of that idea Nana"
"I know, I want you to know that if you ever need anything, you can ask me, ok?"
"Ok, thank you Nana"