Chapter 2

Dad grabbed David's shoulder and yanked him backward.

David stumbled, his grip on my wrist finally breaking. I collapsed against the wall, gasping.

"You're insane!" Dad roared. "She's pregnant! Your wife is pregnant and you're—"

Mom rushed past him and pulled me into her arms. "Amy, sweetheart, are you hurt? Did he hurt you?"

I couldn't speak. I just shook my head and buried my face in her shoulder, sobbing.

They're here. I'm safe now.

"Robert, call the police," Mom said, her voice shaking with rage. "This man has lost his mind."

Dad advanced on David, his fists clenched. "What the hell is wrong with you? Five years you two have been trying! Five years! And now that she's finally pregnant, you want to—"

"Look at this." David's voice was eerily calm. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the pregnancy test results. "Just look at it."

Dad snatched the paper from his hand. "I don't need to look at—"

He stopped mid-sentence.

I watched Dad's face as his eyes scanned the page.

Tell him, Dad. Tell him the baby is healthy. Tell him David is wrong.

But Dad's expression changed.

The fury drained from his face. His jaw went slack. For three seconds, he just stared at the numbers.

Then his eyes went cold.

"Linda." His voice was flat. "She's really pregnant."

"What?" Mom's arms tightened around me protectively. "Of course she is! That's what I've been—"

Dad thrust the paper at her. "Look."

Mom let go of me and grabbed the test results.

Three seconds. That's all it took.

Her face went blank. That same cold expression showed up on her face too.

She looked up at me.

I stopped breathing.

"Amy." Mom's voice was different now. "You need to terminate this pregnancy."

I felt like someone punched me in the stomach.

"What?" I whispered. "Mom, what are you—"

"She's right," Dad said. He took a step toward me. "This baby can't be born."

"No!" I screamed.

"We all need to go to the hospital. Now." Mom said. She folded the test results and handed them back to David.

This isn't happening. This isn't real.

"Look at the results again!" I grabbed Mom's arm. "Everything is normal! The baby is healthy!"

Dad reached for my other arm. "Amy, stop making this difficult."

I yanked away from both of them. "Are you insane?! Both of you?!"

David, Mom, and Dad stood in a semicircle around me. Three people who loved me. Three people who should be celebrating with me.

All three staring at me with those cold, dead eyes.

"Stay away from me," I whispered, backing toward the hallway.

"Amy, be reasonable," David said, taking a step forward.

I turned and ran.

Behind me, I heard them shout. Footsteps pounded after me. I sprinted through the hallway, past the kitchen, and burst through the back door into the yard.

"Amy!" Dad's voice. "Come back!"

I didn't look back. I ran across our lawn, through the gap in the hedge, into the Hendersons' backyard.

I rounded the side of their house and nearly crashed into Mrs. Henderson. She was standing in her front yard, watering the roses.

"Amy?" She dropped the hose. "Good heavens, child, what—"

"Help me!" I sobbed, grabbing her arm. "Please! I'm pregnant and they're all trying to make me...they want me to..."

"Slow down, honey." Mrs. Henderson's face creased with concern. "Who wants you to what?"

"My husband. My parents. They saw my pregnancy test and they went crazy. They're trying to make me get an abortion!"

Her eyes widened. "That's ridiculous. You've been trying for years! I remember you telling me—"

"I know!" Fresh tears streamed down my face. "I don't understand! Please, you have to help me!"

Mrs. Henderson wrapped her arms around me. "Come inside. Come on now, no one's going to hurt you here."

She guided me up the porch steps and through her front door.

"Sit," Mrs. Henderson commanded, pointing to the couch. She hurried to the kitchen and returned with a glass of water. "Drink this. Then tell me exactly what happened."

I took the glass with shaking hands and gulped half of it down.

"I got my test results this morning," I said, my voice still trembling. "The baby's healthy. Everything is perfect. I was so happy. But when David saw the results, he just...changed. He tried to drag me to the hospital to terminate the pregnancy."

Mrs. Henderson's face hardened. "That man—"

"Then my parents came. I called Mom, crying for help. She and Dad rushed over. They were furious at David. They protected me." My voice broke. "But then David showed them the test results and they...they..."

"They what, honey?"

"They changed too." I set down the glass before I could drop it. "Just like David. One second Mom was ready to call the police on him. The next second she was telling me to terminate the pregnancy. It doesn't make any sense!"

Mrs. Henderson sat down beside me and took my hand.

"That's not right," she said firmly.

A loud knock on the front door made us both jump.

"Henderson!" Dad's voice. "We know Amy's in there!"

Mrs. Henderson's jaw set. She stood up, marched to the door, and yanked it open.

David, Mom, and Dad stood on the porch.

"What is wrong with you people?" Mrs. Henderson's voice was sharp and angry. "That girl is pregnant! She's having a baby! You should be celebrating, not terrorizing her!"

"Mrs. Henderson," David said calmly. "Please. Just look at this."

He held out the pregnancy test results.

"I don't need to see!"

"Please," Mom said. Her voice was gentle. Wrong. "Just look."

Mrs. Henderson snatched the paper from David's hand. "Fine. But this better be..."

She stopped.

I watched from the couch, my whole body frozen. I could see her profile through the doorway. Could see her eyes moving across the page.

I held my breath.

She turned around slowly.

"Oh," she said quietly.

"No," I whispered. "Please—"

Mrs. Henderson walked toward me.

"They're right, child." Mrs. Henderson said. "This baby needs to be terminated."