•Pride•

Busses and Infants (20)

Jan's POV

This strange pain was really starting to freak me out. My headaches would become extremely severe, causing me to drop what I was holding and fall to the ground, clutching my forehead in pain.

I walked out the door of my house, grabbing my bus passes and running through the pelting rain to the bus stop around the corner. I waited for a few minutes, every time a car would come by it would slice through the muddy water in the groove next to the street and depending on the drivers level of care, splash me wet to the bone. The bus finally appeared and I was grateful for the warmth and shelter as soon as I hopped in. I presented my bus pass and found a seat next to a woman around her early thirties holding her small infant. She was trying to smile at her sleeping child but I saw the tears running down her face before she could wipe them away.

"Hello." She croaked, and proceeded to once again hide her face from me.

I felt sorry for the woman, she obviously didn't deserve to be feeling this way.

"She's beautiful, your baby. I can see she gets it from you." I smiled. "I'm January, by the way."

The woman let out a small laugh.

"Thank you, January. I'm Sierra, nice to meet you. And this is Stella." She said, gesturing to her baby, whom I actually did find quite beautiful.

"Hello Stella. How are you this fine morning?" I addressed the slowly awakening child.

"Well actually, Stella is far from well at this point, I fear. She has just been diagnosed with celiac disease." Sierra seemed to choke on her words. "And she's only 3 months."

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry to hear that. I hope all goes well." I was dismayed by the outline of this child's future, she seemed so young and deserving of a free life like anyone else. "Do you have a spouse?" I asked, trying to subtly change the subject but immediately regretted it.

"Actually, me and my..." She hesitated. "My wife and I were just married four months ago." She said, turning away to hide the redness swelling in her cheeks.

"Congratulations, I'm so happy for you!" I said and then without much thought said "I hope that blessing will arise on me soon." I said, pulling out a small box from my coat pocket and opening it to reveal a small, plain silver ring engraved with the word 'Jade' on the inside.

"I'm only sixteen, seventeen in, well, January, so next month, but this is basically a promise ring for my girlfriend, and a promise that I will never break." I said, smiling and rubbing my finger across the engraving. Adria and I had been going out for five months, but we'd known each other since sixth grade.

"Whoops, that's my stop." Sierra said apologetically, rubbing a dry tear from her cheek. "and im sure you have nothing to worry about." She smiled.

"The best of luck to you, your wife, and Stella!" I waved, and heard a small 'thank you' before slipping the case in my pocket and watching her exit onto the rainy wet sidewalk

And that's all I remember before I blacked out.
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