Aftershocks | Calum Hood

11

The car ride home was spent in silence. Neither Calum nor Mackenzie knew what to say.

Six weeks pregnant. She was six weeks pregnant.

She had so many questions, the main one being, how had this happened? She was on birth control and was anal about taking her pill every day. She asked Dr. Lee as much. The doctor had reminded her of a conversation they had had a month earlier, when Mack switched birth control, because of the terrible headaches the last one had caused her. Their talk about remembering to use a second form of contraceptive seemed years away, and it had been even farther from her mind while she and Cal had been in their bubble, halfway across the globe.

Calum pulled into the driveway of his home and killed the ignition. Neither of them moved to exit the car, both too captivated by their own thoughts to function properly.

"Cal, I-I'm so sorry." She said, her voiced pained, after a moment. 

"It's not your fault, Mackenzie. We both should have been more careful." His voice was even, but his expression left her thinking he was still in a state of shock. 

"Are you mad?" she asked, slightly scared of the answer she would receive. 

"No. No, Mack. Nothing like that. It's just a lot to process you know." He said, reaching out blindly to grab her hand. His fingers snaked through hers as his thumb rubbed circles into the top of her hand in an effort to calm her. "I've always wanted to be with you. The idea of my future with you always included little Mack's and mini Calum's. I just, I just didn't expect it to be so soon. When you and I are just really, getting to try this out."

She nodded, thankful for his calm demeanor and response.

"What, um" he trailed off and sighed. "What do you think you're going to do?" He asked, his eyes trained straight ahead at the side of his house. 

"I don't understand." She said, her eyebrows furrowed. He turned towards her, his bottom lip tugged between his teeth. His eyes were worried and she could see how much today had affected him too. 

"About the baby." He stammered. "What do you think you are going to do about the baby?"

Oh. She sank back against her seat. She hadn't even made it that far in her thoughts. She was still trying to simply come to terms with the idea that there was a baby. 

"Um, I don't know really." She replied honestly. "I haven't made it that far in my thoughts I guess."

"Well, whatever you decide, I'll support you. You're not alone, Mack." He breathed his grip on her hand tightening before he released it and opened the door of his SUV. He stepped out and headed for the door. She wanted to go after him but she had a feeling he just needed some space for a moment. 

She needed to talk to someone but Cal was just as distressed, so she took out her phone as she exited the car and dialed the next best thing. 

"Harp?" She said as the call was answered.

"Hey, Kenzie."

"Are you busy?" She asked, hoping if she was it wasn't anything she couldn't get out of.

"Um, not really. Just doing some stuff for grad school."

"Could you come over?"

Harper was quiet for a minute, she'd heard the distress in her best friend's voice. 

"Is everything okay, Kenz?"

"Not really. Can you just come? I'm at Cal's." 

"Give me ten minutes. I'm coming." Kenzie offered her thanks and hung up. She walked carefully up the stairs, and headed for the bedroom when she heard the soft hum of a guitar coming from the music room. 

She flopped back on the bed and shut her eyes, her exhaustion still ever present. 

She awoke to the sound of rushed footsteps, after what could have only been a few moments later. She heard the sound of the lock clicking open and then the muted sounds of voices. She rubbed her eyes and stood, moving to the hallway just as Cal reached the door of their bedroom.

"Harp's here." He said, pressing a kiss to her forehead and squeezing her hand before returning to his hideaway down the hall. 

"I got over here as fast as I could." She said, sweeping the brunette into a hug. "What's going on? Why is Calum stressing?"

Mackenzie sighed, her best friend knew them both so well. When Mack had befriended Calum she had simply begun dragging him along on she and Harper's adventures. Harper was practically as close to Calum as Mackenzie. 

"We have a problem?" She said, leading them both over to the bed and laying back on the comforter.

"Shit, what? It's only been a few weeks. I thought you guys were doing good? What did he do? I don't want to have to pick between you two." She rushed out and Kenzie held her hand up to stop her. 

"Shh, shh, no. We are fine."

"Then what's going on?" The red-head asked. 

Mackenzie sighed, not sure the best way to divulge this information. 

"I'm pregnant." 

A sound that wasn't exactly human fell past Harper's lips. 

"Oh fuck."

"Yeah." Mackenzie added. 

"How far?"

"Dr. Lee said she couldn't tell for sure, but probably like a month out from conception and six weeks pregnant."

"So when you and Cal ran off." Harper sighed, everything seeming to come together for her.

"Yep." 

"I guess I get why Calum is freaking out now."

"We talked when we got home from the doctor. He said he'd support whatever I decide."

"He'd be a good dad." Harper said, falling beside Mack on the bed. "If that's what you want to do."

"I don't know what I want to do." Mackenzie replied, staring straight up at the white ceiling. "I agree, Cal would be the most amazing Dad. I know he would always look out for us. I just don't know if I'm ready to be a mom right now. I don't want to, like, do the kid a disservice and be a shitty parent. I have like no money, I literally just ruined my own wedding and ran off with Calum, who I've been attempting a sort-of relationship with for, like, a month now. It's all very unstable and I just don't know how I would feel about bringing a baby into something I'm not sure about."

"You're not sure about Calum?" Harper asked, her voice raised in surprise.

"No, no, no. In all of this, the one thing I'm sure of, is how I feel about Calum. I know he would stick around and even if some unforeseen thing separated us, he would still be around for the baby. I know that. I'm just not confident in my situation as far as my life and job."

"Have you thought about adoption?" Harper asked softly.

Mackenzie nodded, and turned her neck to face her friend. "Yeah, I don't know though. Cal and I have a lot to talk about I guess."

"You do, but I think he would agree with me when I say that it's your life and body we're talking about here."

Mackenzie nodded. "I still feel like he deserves a say. Thanks for coming. I needed someone to talk to and Cal needed to be alone."

"I love you both, Mack. If you guys decide to keep the baby I'll love them immensely, but if you make a different decision I promise I'll be here to love you both through it."

Mack leaned her head nearer to Harper's, thankful for her friends support while she felt like her life was spiraling out of control.

AN: Vote and Comment

Check out @Sprinting_Ginger story CODA

ILY

Sav