Chris sat there in his car after Lori told him the shocking news. He had almost veered off the side of the road, so he had to pull over to avoid an accident. He couldn't think. Pregnant? How could she let that happen? Sienna was leaving for Spelman in just a few weeks. Only plan that was making any sense to him was that she was getting an abortion. Yes, that made sense. She couldn't possibly have a baby with all that was going on.
He had to speak with her. He was sure she'd make the most sensible choice, but he still needed to know where her head was. Chris felt like he had been punched violently in the gut. He felt as though he were physically getting sick. God, he wanted her so bad, and now she was pregnant. She was only 18. She wasn't even married! Brandon was going to fuck up her life!
At this moment Chris knew he was going to confront Brandon. Fuck it if everyone else was too afraid to give him a piece of their mind. He would damn sure hear from him before this summer was over.
Chris was supposed to have left for home awhile ago, and from there, returned to Annapolis, but he called his father and told him he was extending his visit with Commander Branson. He hadn't yet asked the Commander if he could stay longer because he figured he'd always made himself useful around the house and stayed out of his way. But he couldn't leave just yet. Not until Sienna knew exactly how he felt about her.
*****************
Sienna awoke in Brandon's bed and it was already dark outside. At first she thought that the entire day had just been a crazy dream, until her stomach flip flopped, forcing her from the bed to the bathroom.
When she was done hugging the toilet, she raised up and washed out her mouth. Sienna stared at herself in the mirror. She didn't look any different. At least not her face. She slowly slid her hands down to her breasts, which felt a little tender and then down to her stomach and lifted her shirt. That didn't look any different either. Still flat. She turned to the side and stared at herself in the mirror. Nope, no bump. This was all like a dream. Good or bad dream, she didn't yet know. She wasn't sure she would believe it until the thing popped out. She still couldn't believe she had managed to skip her period and not even notice. But she guessed with all that was happening so quickly in her life, perhaps it wasn't as unlikely as she thought.
She walked out into the living room to find Lori sleeping, mouth open, on the couch. She sat down at the kitchen table. She was going to fix some dinner, but just the thought of it made her want to vomit again.
She thought about her life and her family. Her mom had been young when she was born. Twenty years old, if she remembered what her father had told her. Only two years older than she was now. She knew she had several options, but she wasn't sure which she would choose. Truthfully, she didn't want to think about it. Ever.
She heard Lori yawn and rustle the covers, so she got up from the table and sat down beside her on the couch.
"How do you feel?" Lori asked, stretching her arms and legs out.
"I'm okay, I guess," Sienna answered. "What would you do if you were in my situation?"
Lori rubbed her hand over her face and thought about it for a moment.
"Honestly Sienna, I would get an abortion. I just think it's the smartest thing to do. That way you don't have to miss a beat when we get ready to fly to Atlanta for school."
Abortion. She was after all, eighteen; no one could stop her if that's what she wanted to do. But then she thought about Brandon. Would he be happy about all of this, or mad? He had never expressed any feelings about being a father and she had never seen him hold a baby. God, she was going to be a mom. It finally hit her. She felt the stinging pain piercing her eyes, and then she burst into tears.
Sienna felt Lori's arm wrap around her and pull her tightly toward her. Sienna felt like she couldn't catch her breath. Her life seemed to be spiraling out of control and damned if she knew what to do. She wished so badly she could talk to her father. He always knew the right things to say. But she was just as nervous about having him find out as she was Brandon.
Lori let Sienna have her cry while she prepared dinner for them. Sienna scarcely ate anything. She just felt so overwhelmed. So many things were happening at once, and decisions that she dreaded, needed to be made. Her head was pounding and her stomach was in knots. She started feeling dizzy and she swore she could hear her heart rapidly beating.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Lori asked, breaking Sienna out of her mini panic attack.
Sienna took a deep breath and exhaled. "I just don't know what I feel right now. I guess the best thing to do is just tell Brandon when he returns."
"Hmm," Lori moaned. "I'm not so sure I would do that just yet."
"Why?"
"Well, if you did want to get an abortion and Brandon didn't want you to, who do you think would win that fight?"
Sienna thought about that. Lori was right. Brandon seemed to always get his way. He would find some means to make sure she caved. It's partly the reason she was in the predicament to start with. He made her head whirl, and she would forget little things, oh, like birth control!
Thinking about him made her yearn for him even more. She couldn't wait to set eyes on him again. She longed to talk to him about all of this, but she wanted to make the right decision for herself. But for now, she thought it best to keep this between Lori and herself.
The rest of the week pretty much went by the same routine. Lori stayed with her and every night tried to persuade her to go out and have some fun, although Sienna's idea of fun was never club hopping. What was so wrong with bowling? Or Putt-Putt? Or an arcade? Sure that stuff was corny and mindless, but it was more pleasurable doing those activities than letting some strange, sweaty man grind up against her in a stifling, packed club. So, she and Lori ended up compromising. One night they went to a friend's house for a party, the next night they went bowling. Although Lori flirted with cashier more than she bowled, but Sienna had a blast.
Anything to keep her wandering mind from pining over Brandon.
***********************
Brandon was worn-out. Dead tired. He was starving, aching, dirty and horny as hell. He didn't even feel like unpacking his shit from the Jeep. For seven days, he'd slept a combined amount of 10 hours and now his body was suffering from exhaustion. He managed to pull his bruised legs out of his Jeep and trudge up the front steps. He felt like he had collided with a mack truck. He just wanted to see her. Embrace her. Breathe in her scent and fall into a deep sleep.
He unlocked the door and staggered inside. It was pitch black and he tripped over something in the middle of the floor. Felt like a suitcase or bag. He sauntered over to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator door and got out a bottle of water. He needed a hot shower too, but he just didn't think his body could remain standing long enough to wash.
He walked over to his couch, turned on the TV and eased down, groaning from his sore tailbone.
"Ouch, fuck!" he heard someone say.
Brandon rapidly jumped from the couch. "Jesus-fucking-Christ!" He turned on the light near the door, to find Lori smiling up at him while rubbing her legs.
She laughed at him, "Damn, BT, you almost crushed my ankles."
"Fuck, Lori! What the hell are you doing here?" Brandon whispered.
"Take it up with Sienna, she invited me," she smiled at him, as she lay back down and threw the cover over her head.
