Bold, Breathless Love

Claires Promise

Since that terrible day in the school parking lot, Abby tried, but did not succeed in wiping out the memory of Steven's facial expression when she spoke the awful words to his face. She had horrible nightmares of someone removing the baby from her womb and she would sweat and wake up in the middle of the night in terror.

If it weren't for Jeff and Claire she wouldn't be able to deal with her situation. They kept her sane, safe and secure and with only a few more days till graduation Abby worried for her mother.

"Mother will you not come with us to Massachusetts?"

"Honey I can't leave my jobs now," unable to look her daughter in the eye, her mother fussed with her apron nervously. "And your father needs me now more than ever."

Abby's shoulders dropped, after all the talks and plans they have had, she still could not get through to her mother to leave her father and join her in Massachusetts.

"You can't stay here with father!" Abby cried, "he will destroy you and I will not be here to help you mother!"

"I'll be just fine," her mother smiled weakly, "I need to work and help you, you will need money to eat and survive."

"I will get a job, I will....."

"No dear you can't work, you will need many hours of studying and doing research," her mother explained gently, "Harvard is not like all other schools honey, you will need to put your life on hold and sacrifice everything to get good grades and maintain your high gpa, otherwise you will lose your scholarship."

Abby wrapped her arms around her mother and cried her her heart out. "I love you mama."

"I love you to!" Her mother said, and hugged her tightly.

*******************
"Are you planning on starving yourself to death?" Steven's father asked, "you haven't eaten a good meal in days!"

"I'm not hungry," Steven argued, and rose from the table to leave.

"You will go straight to the library, I need to have a word with you," his father said sternly when he noticed that Steven was heading to the door, "now!"

"Steven is worried about Abby," Steven's older sister sneered, "they broke up but he still pines over her!"

"Shut up!" The little sister yelled, "leave him alone!"

"Look at how pathetic he looks!" the older sister snapped, "you would think that he ....."

"That's enough!" Her father yelled, and he wiped his mouth and placed the napkin on the table, "help your mother clean up the dishes and go straight to your room, I will deal with you later!"

Mr. Colber followed Steven to the library where he closed the door and sat on his leather recliner. "Sit down son we have much to discuss."

Steven obeyed his father and sat down. He looked pale and much thinner of late his father observed, and his eyes looked void of life.

There was concern etched on Mr. Colber's face when he spoke, "Talk to me son, what is bothering you."

Steven shifted restlessly in his chair, "Nothing is bothering ......"

"Stop it!" His father said sharply, "we both know you are going through something difficult, but I can not help you if you don't tell me the problem!"

"Father it's a horrible mess and I don't even know how to tell you," Steven confessed, and dropped his face in his hands.

"Son nothing you confess to me will make me love you less," Steven's father told him, "tell me that I may help you."

"Abby was pregnant and she aborted my baby." His father was speechless, "I don't know how to handle the torture in my heart father."