Page 58 of Harmony Island Gazette
He was nothing but a memory etched into my mind.
I was strong enough to fight the urge to get in my car and drive after him. Instead, I spent the night eating ice cream and binge watching 90’s sitcoms on TV. I’d fallen asleep on the couch only to wake up at 2 a.m. with a sugar headache and a crick in my neck.
I forced myself up, brushed my teeth, crawled into bed, and slept until…
Nine?
I pulled my covers off my body and rolled out of bed. I was going to be late opening the store. I stumbled into my bathroom and started the shower. Once I was clean, I dressed and headed out to the kitchen to make myself some food. Nausea had a way of hitting me like a semi-truck if I didn’t eat religiously.
Just as I rounded the wall and headed into the kitchen, a familiar sight caused me to stop. Mom was standing at the oven and Dad was sitting at the table with the newspaper opened in front of him.
I blinked before rubbing my eyes and glancing around at them once more. “Mom?”
Mom turned, and suddenly the spatula was dropping from her hand and she was crossing the space between us. Her arms wrapped me up into one of her rib-crushing hugs.
“Juniper, I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispered, tears brimming her eyes as her voice cracked from emotion.
“You came back,” I said, tears brimming my eyes as well. This was exactly what I needed. But then guilt washed over me. “What about Aunt Christi?”
Mom waved away my comment. “She told us we had to go. She’s in good hands with her doctor, and I told her once things were settled here, we’d be back.” She held my gaze. “You need me here.”
The tears that I’d tried so hard to keep at bay started flowing. Mom was right. I did need her. I needed her here with me, or I wasn’t going to get though the day.
Mom started crying as well. But instead of taking care of herself, she wiped my tears, took my hand, and sat me down at the table.
I was too tired and exhausted to fight her. Dad was watching us. I could tell that he wanted to jump in, but he didn’t know what to say. So he just sat there. I smiled at him to let him know that I appreciated his presence.
Mom sat on the chair next to mine. She brushed her tears from her cheeks and focused on me.
My stomach growled, and I felt a wave of nausea come over me. There was no way I was going to make it through what I needed to say to her without some food, so I reached across the table and rested my hand on hers.
“Can I eat first?”
Mom sprang to life. She nodded as she stood and headed back over to the stove, where she had been making some pancakes. I sat, enjoying the familiarity of my parents in the kitchen. I needed this more than I’d realized.
Ten minutes later, Mom placed a plate in front of me and another in front of Dad. She poured me a glass of milk and got Dad a fresh cup of coffee. When she returned to the table with her own plate, I was in the midst of eating. But I knew if I didn’t say what I needed to say to them, I was going to lose my courage.
“I’m pregnant,” I whispered as I stared at the half-eaten pancakes in front of me.
Mom gasped, but Dad was quiet. I waited for them to say something, but there was no other response. I finally gathered my courage and looked up to see my parents staring at me.
“It’s Kevin’s. I just found out last week. I don’t want to be married to him anymore. He doesn’t know about the baby, and I’m too scared to tell him. I don’t want him or the Proctors to take the baby away from me, but I feel powerless to stop them.” The words tumbled from my lips. Every worry that I’d had over the last week left my mouth and hung in the air like a dark cloud on a rainy day.
Were Mom and Dad disappointed in me? I was married, and if I were in a normal, healthy marriage, a pregnancy would be welcomed. But because I was with Kevin, this baby wasn’t the wonderful surprise that it should be.
“Oh, Juniper.” Mom was out of her chair and came over to me. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close. “I’m going to be a nana,” she whispered.
I sat there, a little stunned by her reaction. I heard the sound of Dad’s chair legs scraping the floor, and a moment later, his arms were wrapped around Mom and me. “A baby is a wonderful blessing,” he murmured.
Relief washed through me. My parents were excited for me. They were excited for the baby. It was like I’d been in a deep sleep and I was finally able to wake up. With Mom and Dad behind me, I could do anything.
I wrapped my arms around them, and we just held each other. The past. Our history. It was healing in a way that I’d never thought possible. They’d wanted nothing more than for me to come home, and I wanted nothing more than to stay here until I healed.
Dad was the first to break the hug. Mom was sniffling as she pulled back. She placed her hands on either side of my face and held my gaze. “The Proctors will have another thing coming if they think they can swoop in here and take this baby. Your dad and I will fight alongside you and protect you, understand? You don’t need to be scared.”
I nodded, tears flowing down my cheeks. I heard Dad humph in agreement. “Thanks,” was all I could manage out.
Mom returned to her seat. “Now, tell me what happened with Boone.”
