“Good, I’m holding you to that. I love you, S.”
“I love you more, B.”
We sit in silence for a long beat and then Sierra says, “So, this guy… Keegan…”
“We spent some time together… ended up hooking up.” I shrug. “I was okay leaving without exchanging numbers, but after he left, he came back and practically begged me to give him my number. So, I did.”
“And, he what? Never called?”
“Nope, not a single call or text.”
“Okay,” she says with a nod. “First things first. We have to figure out where to go from here, and then, once you make a decision, we’ll figure out how to find him. We live in a technology-obsessed world. How hard can it be to find someone? What’s his last name?”
When I don’t say anything, instead chewing on my bottom lip, Sierra groans. “Don’t tell me you don’t know it.”
I shake my head. “I don’t know it.” How could I not have gotten his last name?
“Do you know where he lives?”
“Yes!” I exclaim, happy I at least know that. “Carterville. He said he lives and goes to school there.”
“All right, well, that’s a start. Let’s go talk to Dr. Peterson.”
Sierra grabs a few tissues out of the holder and hands them to me. “I’ll wait for you in her office, so you can get cleaned up.”
“Okay.”
She walks away, but before she opens the door, I call out her name. She turns around, and it’s in this moment, I’ve never been more grateful to have my sister by my side.
“I know these last few years have been rough, but thank you for coming with me today. For coming back to me. I really missed you.”
“You’re my sister, B,” she says, every word filled with emotion. “All we have is each other. I’m just sorry it took you getting knocked up for me to snap out of my shit.”
Sierra and I leave the doctor’s office with three pamphlets, each one stating a different option: abortion, adoption, and what to expect when becoming a mother. The ride home on the bus is quiet, both of us lost in thought. I might be the one who has to make the decision, but the thing with my sister and me is when one of us is faced with a hard choice, it’s as if we both are. And she proved it today in the doctor’s office. Once she found out I wasn’t dying, she could’ve easily pushed me away. Locking her heart back up to keep it safe like she’s been doing since our parents died. But she didn’t do that. She held my hand and told me we would figure it out together. And I know that no matter what choice I make, she’ll support me. I finally have my sister back.
We get home and Jordan is in the kitchen chopping vegetables for lunch. She cooks every meal. She takes one look at Sierra’s and my tear-stricken faces, and stops what she’s doing. “What happened?”
“I’m pregnant,” I blurt out, and her eyes widen. Sierra’s hand finds mine, and I take a breath of relief. It feels so good to have my sister by my side again.
“Oh, no, Blakely.” Jordan envelops me in a hug. “How far along are you?”
“Eight weeks.”
“And the father?”
“I have no clue how to find him.”
She pulls back and guides me over to the table. Sierra and I sit quietly, while Jordan goes about making us each a hot cup of tea. Once she’s done, she joins us, and getting right to the matter at hand, asks, “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know,” I say truthfully.
Jordan sighs heavily. “Listen, Blakely, I care about you. I care about both of you, but—”
“I know,” I tell her, not needing to hear what she’s about to say. She’s in her late sixties. She’s been fostering children her entire adult life, but isn’t looking to adopt, let alone take on a teenager with a newborn.
“If I were younger…”
“I promise you, I get it.” I place my hand over hers. “You’ve done enough. You took Sierra and me in together when no one else would. You’ve allowed me to stay here until graduation even though I’m eighteen. I would never ask you to take me and my baby on.”
Jordan nods. “Speaking of graduation… Nothing will get figured out before tomorrow. So, I say you try to set this news aside…” When I give her a yeah, okay look, she continues. “I know it will be hard, but you two deserve to enjoy your big day. You’re about to be high school graduates. And afterward, you can take a look at all your options and decide what’s best. If you need to stay a little longer, until you figure out what you’re doing, you can stay.”
“Thank you,” I say with a forced smile.