Page 4 of Jake and Conner
Almost fine, anyway.
When I heard Laurence scream on the backseat, I floored it, and finally, the hospital came into sight.
Thank God.
I didn't stop the car until I got as close to the entrance as possible, and then I turned and barked at Aaron to get his mate out and inside, but he was already unbuckling their seat belts and helping Laurence out of the car.
Good.
Once the two of them were making their way into the hospital, Aaron's arm hooked around Laurence, I found an actual parking spot, killed the engine and just sat for a moment, the tension of the day falling off me as I promised myself that at the earliest convenience, I would get myself an emergency OB-kit to stash in my car.
I let my gaze stray toward the entrance. In a minute or two, I would follow my friends inside and wait for their new little one to be born. And I would try very hard not to wonder about when and if I was ever going to be a dad myself.
2
Conner
"You're pregnant?"
The teenager sitting before me nodded, his eyes downcast, his hands in his lap picking at a piece of lint.
I looked over his file, which lay in front of me on the desk. Mark Bradley was seventeen, still in high school, and probably unable to care for a baby by himself.
"My boyfriend said maybe you could help me," Mark said meekly.
"We'll try," I promised. "But I'd like to hear a little more about your situation. Is that okay?"
Mark nodded, but didn't offer any words, so I had to dig.
"Do your parents know yet?" If we had his parents support, things would be a lot easier.
Mark shook his head. "They wouldkillme."
That was a no then. I made a note on the legal pad on the desk before me. "Okay, we can think of ways to let them know gently when you're ready for that." By law, I had to inform his parents, but the laws weren't always written in favor of omegas, and I wasn't going to betray this kid's trust unless I was forced to. We weren't at that point yet.
"How far along are you?"
"Not far. I think."
I shot him an expectant look, hoping he would say more without my prodding.
"Maybe two or three months?" he suggested. "I don't... I mean... I don't sleep around or anything."
"This is a judgement-free zone, okay? If you sleep with one or ten people once a week or every night, that's none of my concern. You're a free omega." And omegas could enjoy sex just as much as everyone else did. No matter what anyone said.
"I know that," Mark claimed, even though his cheeks still went red.
"Just making sure." I jotted his estimate down on my legal pad. "Have you given any consideration as to what you might want to do about your pregnancy?"
"I'm not sure what my options are."
"You could keep it, or you could terminate, or you could give the baby up for adoption," I said matter-of-factly. "Remember, we're not going to judge you no matter what you choose to do. We also can't pick for you."
Mark chewed his lower lip. "I don't know."
"You should take some time to think about it." I opened the uppermost drawer of my desk and pulled out a couple of flyers that I handed to Mark. "Read through these carefully and then come back next week so we can talk a little more, okay?" Whatever decision he was going to make, he couldn't make it right now.
Mark stuffed the flyers into the backpack he'd lowered to the floor beside his chair upon entering my office and then he got up. "Thank you, Mr. Hayes."
