Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THEN
Everleigh then drew in a deep breath and pressed one hand to her stomach.
She had skipped dinner because her stomach felt like it was twisted up in knots.
She lay there on her bed curled up on her side, and tears sprang to her eyes.
What if something was wrong with the baby?
She hadn't gathered the courage to tell her parents yet, but she could no longer put it off.
She padded downstairs to the sitting room where she knew she would find her mother. Still dressed in her expensive slacks and blouse, her mother twisted her pearls around one finger as she studied a sample of fabric.
Her mother’s gaze lifted to Everleigh’s when she stepped into the room, and she smiled as she extended the swatch Everleigh’s way. “Take a look at this, would you? I need a second opinion.”
“Mama…” The tears Everleigh had been holding back broke free as she approached her, and concern creased her mother’s expression.
“What's wrong, honey? Is your stomach still bothering you?”
“I think something’s wrong,” Everleigh whispered. “I need to go to the doctor.”
She grimaced as a cramp seized her, and she bent over at the waist. Her mother placed one hand on her back. “If you're having female problems, I can—”
“You don't understand,” Everleigh gasped out as dizziness assailed her. “I think something’s wrong with…”
Another paralyzing cramp ripped through her, and the last thing she saw was her mother’s face before her eyes rolled up in the back of her head and everything went black.
Everleigh opened her eyes and blinked against the stark whiteness of the space around her.
She lifted one hand to rub the sleep from her eyes, but she was stopped abruptly by a cord attached to her hand.
She focused on the white monitor clinging to the tip of her finger, following the cord all the way to a machine next to her hospital bed.
The door to the room was ajar and familiar voices filtered in from the hallway.
She made out her father's gruff tone and what she thought were her mother’s soft responses.
She opened her mouth to call for them, but they stepped into the room before she could even form a sound.
Her mother’s eyes met hers then quickly slid away.
A nurse clad in a pair of dark blue scrubs entered the room behind them and shot Everleigh a soft smile. “Good, you're awake. How are you feeling?”
“What happened?” Everleigh pushed herself to a sitting position and winced at the pain that speared through her lower abdomen.
The nurse moved to her bedside. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just…” Everleigh pressed one hand to her belly. “It just hurt for a second.”
The nurse nodded a little, a sympathetic look on her face. “Everleigh, were you aware of your pregnancy?”
Everleigh didn’t dare look at her parents as she nodded. “Your mother said you complained that your stomach hurt before you were brought in. Is that right?”
She nodded again, and the nurse offered her another gentle smile. “Those cramps you felt were caused by what’s called an ectopic pregnancy. Do you know what that is?”
Everleigh shook her head and curled her fingers into the blanket covering her lap. “No.”
“It's when the egg is fertilized outside of the uterus. As the embryo starts to grow, it puts strain on your body and sometimes results in severe cramps, like the ones you had.”
“Is the baby okay?” Her heart thundered in her chest, banging against her ribs as her breathing turned shallow. “I…”
The nurse gave a little sigh. “I’m sorry to tell you this, Everleigh, but you’ve miscarried.”
Tears filled Everleigh’s eyes and slid silently down her cheeks as the nurse continued.
“We do offer grief counseling for circumstances like this,” the nurse offered. “If that’s something you would be interested in, please let me know.”
Everleigh couldn't bring herself to look at her, her gaze fixed on her lap. What would she tell Knox? Would he be devastated or relieved?
The nurse left the room and Everleigh’s father cleared his throat. “I'd like to speak with Everleigh alone.”
Everleigh’s gaze darted to her mother who nodded meekly then slipped away, closing the door behind her. For several minutes, Everleigh’s father didn't say a single word. He stood there, staring out the window before finally turning to face her. “When were you going to tell us?”
“I was scared.” Everleigh tangled her fingers together nervously. “I knew you guys would be upset.”
“You're right,” her father agreed. “I'm extremely disappointed in you. I assume this is that Castillo boy’s fault.”
“It's not Knox's fault.” Her father sliced an angry glare her way, and she recoiled but pushed on. “It was my fault, too. I’m just as responsible as he is,” she said defiantly.
“And just how did you think you were going to take care of this?” he asked. “You're only seventeen. You have no business having sex, let alone raising a baby.”
“Knox is going into the Marines after graduation. We're going to get married, and we would have taken care of the baby and Vivi.”
“Ah, yes. Vivi,” he repeated, stressing her name. “She's so young. Only nine, right? So the authorities know her brother is still caring for her? I wonder what would happen if he went to jail.”
Fear seized Everleigh. “For what?”
“Raping a seventeen-year-old girl.”
Raping…? It took Everleigh a second to make the connection. He was talking about her. “No.” She shook her head. “He didn't—”
Her father’s eyes turned cold as he stared down at her. “The police won't look at it that way.”
Oh, God. Was he right? “Please don't do this,” she whispered.
He took another step forward, pausing by the foot of the bed. “Let me make myself extremely clear. You're no longer pregnant, so there's no reason to marry now. You will never see him again. If I catch wind of you meeting up with the Castillo boy again, I will have him charged with statutory rape.”
Ice trickled down Everleigh’s spine. “You can't—”
“I can, and I will,” he said fiercely. “You're my daughter and it's my duty to take care of you.
I've obviously failed up to this point. As long as you live under my roof, you'll follow my rules without question. Until further notice, you will go nowhere without your mother or myself. You are never to go near that boy again.”
Everleigh’s heart constricted. “But—“
“It’s time for you to accept responsibility for your actions. Do you want to be the one responsible for ruining his future? End this now and move on. But mark my words, Everleigh…”
He gave a little shake of his head as he stared at her. “Defy me, and he'll go to jail. Vivi will go into foster care. Do you have any idea what that will be like for her?”
Everleigh swallowed hard, fighting against the tears that threatened. She couldn’t bring herself to respond, but her father didn’t seem to notice or care.
“And the Castillo boy—even if he doesn’t go to jail, he’ll never get into the Marines, never get a job in this town. Do you understand me?”
Everleigh hated her father in that moment, but there was nothing she could do. She nodded. “I understand.”
“Good.”
Her father stared at her for several seconds, and his image blurred as hot tears burned the backs of her eyes. She refused to let him see her cry, though. She bit her tongue, focusing on the sharp pain to push away the tears.
After what seemed like forever, he finally nodded. “You should get some rest.”
Everleigh felt numb, like the blood had suspended in her veins, halting the beat of her heart.
So much had happened in such a short period of time that she had trouble reconciling everything.
Slowly, like it belonged to someone else, she lifted her hand and placed it on her flat stomach.
Her baby was gone. Their baby was gone. The thought of Knox brought tears to her eyes.
It was an impossible situation. Lie to him and lose him, or tell him the truth and risk her father’s wrath. There wasn’t an option. Her father held all the power; he knew she wouldn’t put Knox or Vivi in jeopardy like that. There was only one choice to make.
It felt like her heart had been ripped from her chest as the tears came hard and fast. She curled onto her side, palm pressed to the space where her baby had been just a few hours earlier. In one fell swoop, she had lost everything that ever mattered. And nothing would ever be the same.