5SOS Preferences

#5 Bad News

A S H T O N

You carried the mail into your house with shaking hands. The envelope in your palms seemed to be burning into your flesh. As soon as you saw the return label with your first choice university's emblem on it, your vision blurred. This was it - the news whether or not you had been accepted. Taking a deep breath, you dropped the envelope onto the kitchen counter as if it were on fire. Trying to steady your hands, you dialed your best friend Ashton's number. "Hey, y/n, what's up?" he answered. "It came. The letter," you told him. He hesitated before asking, "Have you opened it?" "No, I'm...I'm scared," you breathed out. At least your parents weren't home - they would've already pried it from your hands and opened it themselves. "Do you want me to come over? You can wait and open it when I get there," he suggested. "Would you? Oh my god, Ash, thank you," you already felt better. You didn't think you could do this alone. "I'll be there in ten," he told you. True to his word, Ashton arrived ten minutes later, finding you sitting at the kitchen table just staring at the letter. "It's not going to bite," he said, picking up the letter and handing it to you. "Yeah," you exhaled. "I'm gonna piss myself," you groaned. "Y/n, no matter what that letter says,you'll be fine, okay? Just open it. I'm proud of you regardless of what it says," Ashton reassured you. You nodded and shakily began opening the envelope. You slowly unfolded the letter and skimmed the first few sentences. You dropped back down into your seat, a strange pressure in your head. Your vision began to grow blurry again. "Y/n? Are you okay? What does it say?" Ashton asked, concerned. You wordlessly handed him the letter. As he read, you saw his face fall in understanding. "Y/n..." He put his hand on your arm. "I-I should've known. If I was accepted, they would've sent me like a bigger packet, or-or something. I just-" you felt a tear from your eye drop onto your hand. As soon as the first one had fallen, a river of tears followed. "Y/n, it doesn't matter. You have so many more options, such a bright future ahead of you. You're fine," Ashton said, pulling you into a tight embrace and kissing the top of your head. You squeezed your eyes shut and buried your face in his chest. After a few minutes, the tears stopped and you managed to catch your breath. You lifted you head and said, "I'm just really disappointed." "I'm sorry. I know it's hard," he said. "Sorry for getting tears all over you," you giggled slightly, as you took in the wet spot on Ashton's shirt. "No big deal," he shrugged, grinning at you. "God, what did I do to deserve a best friend like you?" You pulled him back in for a hug. "I don't know. I am pretty great," he said, and you rolled your eyes. "Agh, just shut up and go back to hugging me," you said, and he did just that.

******

C A L U M

You groaned in pain from the hospital bed you were laying in. Tight pulses of pain were shooting from your lower abdomen near your uterus, and it was pure agony. The doctors had already said that the problem was nothing life-threatening, but you were still extremely uncomfortable. "Y/n, are you sure you don't need me to call for a nurse?" Your boyfriend Calum asked, his face concerned and his forehead sweaty. "No, I'm fine," you exhaled, as the pain subsided momentarily. "Well, I'm not fine, but...I'll manage." You'd come into the emergency room for the third time in two weeks a few hours earlier, and the doctors had run some tests which you were currently waiting on the results for. You'd been having these same pains the times before, and the doctors hadn't been concerned. But this time, when you told them you'd been having spotty bleeding, they became more concerned. "Cal?" You asked, suddenly nerves replacing the pain in your gut. "Yeah?" He took your hand in his. "What if...what if I'm pregnant? And that's what this is?" You said quietly. "Well, then...we'll manage. We will be fine, and I will still love you, and our baby," he said confidently. You smiled slightly, surprised that his answer made you feel that way. "I love you," you told him. "Maybe having a kid wouldn't be so bad," you mused. "Maybe not," he agreed, taking your hand just as a young female doctor entered the room, carrying a clipboard. "Miss Y/LN?" She asked somberly. "That's me," you said. You were concerned by the tone in her voice. "Miss y/ln, I'm Dr. Linda Schmidt. We got the results back from your blood tests and x-rays. First, you're not pregnant. We can see on these x-rays-" Calum squeezed your hand as the doctor clipped the x-rays of your uterus up on the glowing panel in the wall. "-that this bone here is slightly less dense than the one on the other side," she explained, pointing to various places on the x-Ray. "What does that mean?" Calum asked worriedly. "Well, it could mean nothing. But typically women with this issue have a harder time ever getting pregnant. Especially because you mentioned a family history of miscarriages, it would be potentially nearly impossible for you to carry a child without serious complications," the doctor informed you, patting your arm comfortingly. Your heart felt like lead dropping into your stomach. "So...so I can never get pregnant?" You asked. "Maybe, but it would be extremely unlikely. Even if you did, it would most likely end in miscarriage within a couple of weeks. I'm so sorry, ma'am. The good news is, as long as you're careful and continue to have regular periods, your life is not in danger. I'll leave you two alone now," she said, giving you a one-shouldered hug before exiting the room. You closed your eyes, a silent tear leaving your eye. You could hear Calum shuffling his feet, unsure of what to say or do. "Are...are you okay?" You asked when you opened your eyes. "Me? Are you okay, Y/N?" He said, looking right into your watery eyes. "I...I don't know. I mean...no?" You tried to answer. You hadn't even thought you wanted kids, especially not right now, but now that the possibility was ripped away from you, you felt weirdly empty. "I love you so much, Y/N, this doesn't affect that at all, okay? When and if we ever did want kids, there's other options. Right now, all I care about is making you feel better." You pulled him into you and kissed him lightly. "I love you too, Cal." "We're gonna get through this together, Y/N, I promise," he assured you.
(QUICK A/N: I don't think this is an actual medical condition, so please realize that. Thanks!)