I'll be There for You

Chapter 14: Overdue Confrontation

Four Years Ago:

Hayley felt her body tense as she paced the length of her small bedroom. She shared an apartment with two other girls while attending LSU. What had she been thinking? Drinking to the point that the first cute guy who crossed her path seemed like a good way to while away a couple of hours. Yeah. Sure. Typical Hayley.

"Please, be negative. Please, please, please!" Hayley begged the stick, staring at it. It sat on her dresser, atop a handful of tissues. Thankfully her roommates had classes. Well, she had classes, too, but she thought that she had a right to skip them since this stick might change the course of her entire life.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Hayley crossed her fingers 'til it hurt. "Please," she whispered and then opened her eyes. "Damn," she muttered, seeing the plus sign.

Eight Months Later:

"Push, Hayley! Good girl! You're almost there!" the doctor called to her.

Hayley couldn't see the doctor's head because her own knee was in the way and the doc's head was too close to where the baby was trying to escape from. "Oh, my God!" Hayley screamed, gripping the sides of the bed. "AhhhHHHH!" For once, she wished she wasn't doing this on her own. She knew she'd told other people that she was strong and that being a single mom did not scare her one bit. But it did. It scared her badly and forcing this child out of her made it all the more real. "I don't want to do this by myself!" she shouted, sweat pouring down her forehead.

"You're not alone," the doctor told her. "Not anymore."

Bracing herself on her elbows, Hayley tried to get a look at the squalling baby while a nurse took her to get cleaned up. She saw a pair of legs kicking the air but she couldn't see her little face yet. "Can I see her?" she called to anyone who would listen.

"Give it a moment, dear," another nurse said, wiping her forehead and patting her arm.

Finally the baby was brought to her and Hayley laughed when her little girl opened her eyes, staring into Hayley's. "Oh, hi there, Hope," she cried, taking her daughter's tiny hand between her fingers. She never thought it was possible to fall in love at first sight but now she knew you could. "Hi," she cooed.

One Year Later:

"Look, baby girl. This is your mama's place. Just mine. Nobody else's," Hayley bounced her daughter in her arms. "Marshall's Cakes and Cookies" the sign read in big, bold purple scrawl. Hope wiggled in her grasp, babbling at the store window.

Hayley had finished her degree four months before her daughter arrived, went to work at two bakeries while trying to beg for a loan to start her own company. At first she couldn't get anyone to even look at her business proposals but she finally found the right bank who offered her a small loan. Now, she had her own place.

"I did this for us," Hayley confided in Hope. "Now, we can stand on our own without fear of having to ask for help from anyone, ever." She felt so much hope as she looked through the window. She could already see the cakes inside the display case. Her employees walking from table to table, offering free samples to excited patrons. Critics applauding her skills in the kitchen and her daughter growing up, knowing her mother was a capable, hardworking and fierce. Hope would have a mother that she could be proud of. Their future stood before them and Hayley could not be happier.

Today:

Stepping inside her sad little apartment, Hayley walked over to her couch, feeling dazed. What the hell just happened? Did Klaus really just walk off with her daughter? Really? Did she just let him do that? After people got shot at a party for Klaus and Caroline. And she let him do it. Letting out a cry of indignation, Hayley got to her feet. No, no way in hell would she let him do this.