Forbidden Baby

Chapter 6 – The Plan

Thia’s POV

By the time I had finished spilling all my secrets to Gabe, I was exhausted.

‘I’ve been thinking’

‘Did it hurt?’ I couldn’t help myself; I liked that Gabe, and I could be trivial. This had been such a serious and draining conversation I just wanted us to go back to being silly again.

‘Immensely’ he grinned ‘but I think I can help you with at least one of your issues’

‘I have a lot, which one can you help me with?’

He rolled his eyes ‘Thia!’ he was visibly unimpressed with my blatant disregard for the seriousness of the situation which I had found myself in.

‘Gabe, I’m sorry, it’s all I have thought about for a week. I am so stressed I constantly feel sick, you are the first person I have told, and I am scared. I’m just trying to stop myself from having a complete meltdown and falling apart’

‘I know, I know, it’s just, I am trying to help, I need you to stay on it for a little longer. I can’t make any promises, but I think I can get you a scan dated so it looks like you are already 24 weeks, so if they do happen to find out before you reach it, you can show them, and they won’t know any different’

‘Oh my God! You can do that? Seriously, Gabe, I, I, I don’t know what to say!’ tears stated to stream down my face once again, in gratitude.

 ‘Well, It won’t work for long if they make you go for another scan, and there are countless possibilities of thing going wrong, but it’s worth a shot, right? I mean, if you are sure, you want the baby?’

‘I am keeping my baby! You’re going to be an Uncle’ I smiled as I looked down at my belly.

Since I found out I was pregnant, the small bump seemed to be getting bigger with every passing minute.

Gabe’s gaze followed mine ‘I can’t wait to be an uncle’ he grinned ‘Can you feel it move?’

‘She, it’s a girl’ I softly smiled as I looked at him and his eyes lit up ‘It feel’s weird when she moves, the movements are like waves, or strong butterflies, but I haven’t felt her properly kick yet, I should be able to soon though’

‘This is so surreal’

‘Crazy huh’

‘So, what now?’

‘I guess I start trying to plan how I get to finish my education while hiding the baby from them. This is such a mess. I want to finish school, how will I support her without an education, but she is due in April, so even if by some miracle I hide her til the 11th hour, I still may miss my exams. And then I have a baby to look after. They won’t let me keep her, so I need to start figuring out how escape and manage on my own’

‘Me and Zeke can help you’

‘Zeke’ I clicked my tongue

‘He’s alright Thia, you just don’t know him.

‘Neither do you, really’

‘I guess not, but he knows I go out every weekend and he covers for me every time. He has never told them. I think he would be cooler about it than you think. Maybe you should give him a chance Thia, he may surprise you’

‘Maybe’

‘DINNER’ mum shouted, making us finish our conversation to head downstairs.

‘Tell them I’ll be a few, I need to wash my face’

Gabe went ahead and I walked into the bathroom, I needed the puffiness from my eyes to settle, I splashed cold water on my face and hoped I didn’t look as bad as the mirror made out I did.

I made it downstairs, and everything seemed normal, and had managed to pull myself together enough to actually hold some sort of a conversation and get through our evening meal. I was relieved when it was over.

As I lay in bed, I mulled over everything Gabe and I had spoken about. Things seemed clearer in my head, and I was glad I had confided in him. Gabe was an amazing brother! I knew I had to start accepting what was happening and deal with it.

While I failed to sleep, I had decided I needed to tell Freddie what was going on. As much as I wanted to shelter him from the mess I had created and the onslaught that would occur at some point when my parents found out, he had a right to know.

I was going to tell him when we were alone next. I couldn’t get away to see him after school this week because I was busy planning and organising the harvest festival details with Sarah and Elizabeth, but we would be alone on Friday.

My plan was to tell Freddie and hope he was supportive. Although, I had prepared myself for the worst, and if he didn’t want to be a part of our lives, it was a sacrifice I was willing to make, at least I wasn’t keeping her a secret from him, he had a choice.

Once I told Freddie, I felt it only right I told Loretta, I mean, she may be able to help me, and I felt guilty for keeping this from her as much as keeping it from Freddie. When Freddie left on Friday night, I would tell Loretta everything.

In the meantime, I tried to find as much information I could about where to go and what to do when I managed to get away from my parents. This was the trickiest part, because knowing when to run was not an easy decision to make.

I figured, once Freddie and Loretta knew, they may be able to help me with that part. I knew Gabe couldn’t, and I had no intention of asking Zeke for help, but I had hoped Loretta or Freddie would have some ideas or thoughts.

Finally having a solid plan in my head, I managed to get some sleep, but all to soon my alarm was ringing, and it was time to get up.

As I sifted through my wardrobe, mild panic set in. I had nothing stretchy, and everything was feeling a little tight. I managed to find a top as fitted and used a safety pin on the zipper on my skirt to allow a little extra room.

I hoped no one noticed. It seemed they didn’t. When I got on the bus all Sarah and Elizabeth talked about was the bloody harvest festival. I would be glad when it was over. They were such bores. I was glad to arrive at school and see Loretta.

‘Hiya’

‘Hey, guess what?’ she said excitedly as she linked arms with me.

‘What?’

‘Shaun is taking me away for the weekend!’

‘What! How is that even possible?’

‘Ahhh…. Well! I was hoping for a little help from you on that’ she grinned.

Dammit, I wanted to tell her and Freddie this weekend! I guess it will have to wait. I didn’t want to ruin her fun.

‘So, what do you need me to do?’

‘Just pretend I am coming to yours if you see my folks, I’ve already asked them, and they said it’s cool, they think we are going shopping on Saturday, and I said I would be home before you guys go to church, they won’t check. Sean is picking me up in town’

‘Sure, not problem’

She seemed so happy; I couldn’t burst her bubble.

We went our separate ways after registration and headed to our classes. We only had Spanish and English together, I took French, and she took business. She wanted to do business as a major, so she could run her mum’s company when she graduated.

I wanted to do languages, maybe be a translator or a language teacher, I didn’t know what else I could do with my skills, but I was proficient in both French and Spanish and wanted to learn more languages.

I knew now that I was having this baby, it would be much harder, but it didn’t stop me from wanted to achieve my goals, I wanted to show my little girl that anything was possible, dream big.

I sailed through my lessons, despite being distracted and was glad when the school day was over. I met up with Gabe and we walked home.

‘Hey, I got it’ he spoke quietly

‘s**t, how did you get it so quick?’

‘I have my sources.’ He chuckled as he handed me the envelope.

I didn’t ask any more questions, I didn’t even look in the envelope, I trusted him, and put it straight in my bag.

‘Thanks Gabe, I owe you’

‘Not this time, this one is a freebie for my niece’ he smiled small, and it made my heart melt a little.

He was going to be a great uncle. I just knew it. I think he already loved her as much as I did.

‘Well, she appreciates you saving her life’

‘So, what now?’

Everything that I was able to put into place so far had been done, now it was time to set the next phase of the plan, but Gabe couldn’t help me with that.

‘Well, this weekend I need to go into the city, I have a few things I need to do to start getting everything ready for leaving. I’ve told Mum I am staying with Loretta a little later than usual because we have an English assignment we need to work on. I just need to hold out at least a few more weeks and then I should be set’

‘I’m really proud of you Thia’

‘For getting myself knock up! Gabe, it was the stupidest thing I have ever done!’

‘No, you i***t, on how you are dealing with it’

‘yeah, I guess, thanks Gabe, I knew I could always count on you’

‘You know, we could tell Zeke, he could help’

‘No! It’ll do no good. He can’t help. I don’t know I can trust him like I can you’

‘Ok, but Thia, please think about it. I won’t tell him, but he’s going to find out sooner or later and I think he will surprise you’

‘Not yet’ I didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

We were nearly home, and I wanted the mood to lighten. Instead, Gabe put me on another downer.

‘So, I heard Elizabethe and Sarah gossiping in the halls today’

‘Oh, what about?’

‘You’

‘Really… what they say?’

‘They were bitching about you not taking the plans for harvest festival seriously and wondered what got into you recently’

I rolled my eyes ‘I guess I am going to have to show some serious interest then!’

‘Looks like it’ he laughed ‘rather you than me’

If I was going to get away with this for longer, I really had to pay attention and get my head back in the game. So, when I got home, I went to my room, and filled a notebook with ideas, plans and structure to show them tomorrow after school.

Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, I thought as I colour coded my notes and made it look like I had been working on the ideas for weeks.

When I was done, I took the envelope Gabe had given me and opened it. I took out the scan picture and it looked so real, I thought it probably was, but I wasn’t going to ask.

I knew it wasn’t my baby, but in a few weeks’ time, my baby would be this big. I placed my hands on my stomach once again and for the first time I felt my little girl kick.

It sent a wave of emotions through me as the tiny little dint in my stomach proved without beyond reasonable doubt that this little girl was here to stay. She was growing, and strong and full of life, and I loved her with all my heart.

‘We are going to be ok little girl, I am going to keep you safe, I promise’

It was a promise I had every intention of keeping.