BREAKING | rafe cameron

FOURTEEN

My heart started to race. "I'm sorry to tell you, but your mother, Shirley Landry was brought into the emergency room tonight for an overdose. She passed at ten thirty five pm." The room started spinning around me. "Oh-okay." I stuttered, sliding down the wall, how do I respond to that? "Were you aware that she was expecting?" I swear my heart stopped, "what?" I could barely speak, "she was thirty weeks pregnant, they did an emergency c-section. The baby is in the NICU, he's on oxygen and under around the clock care." She explained, I heard the words but couldn't process them. "The father signed away parental rights, legally you're the next of kin, would you be willing to come in and speak about taking the baby under your care?" I gasped at her words, I'm nineteen I can't take in a baby, can I? "You said he? It's a boy?" I asked, it was the only thing I was able to process, "yes ma'am." She answered, she was waiting for me to give her answer, I nodded even though she couldn't see me. "When do I have to come in? To talk, I haven't made any decisions." I explained, my voice shaky, this is too much information to process. "I'm here until nine if you want to come in before then, we can discuss everything." I could hear the hope in her voice, "okay, can I just come now?" I checked the time on my phone, it was midnight, I could go and be back before Rafe even wakes up. "Oh, of course, I'll be expecting you." We said our goodbyes and I went to throw some clothes on, brushing my hair and writing Rafe a note, just in case.

"I had an emergency with my mom, don't worry I'll tell you in the morning. I love you."

Hopefully he wouldn't see the note, hopefully I would come back and be able to pretend this isn't happening.

Jessica greeted me with a warm smile, I sat in front of her desk as she slid the tissues towards me. "I wish this was under different circumstances, I'm sorry for your loss." I gave her a small nod, "thank you." I took a deep breath, "so let's talk, what happens to the baby if I don't take him?" I asked, wanting to get straight to the point. Jessica flipped open a file on the barely two hour old baby. "We would attempt to locate any more relatives, if we can't find any, or if they don't want to take him. He would enter foster care until he's adopted." She explained, my heart shattered, I knew that's what would happen, but hearing it was so much worse. I pulled some tissues from the box, vigorously wiping at my face. I can't take him, I just-how would I provide for a baby? I can barely provide for myself. Not to mention, Rafe. We're in such a good spot, surely he wouldn't stick around if I came home and said I was adopting my baby brother. "Would you like to see a picture?" My heart skipped a beat as she pulled her phone out, I hesitated but nodded.

I covered my mouth with my hands as I looked at his picture, so small and fragile, all sorts of wires attached to him. "He's beautiful." I whispered, wishing I was really there with him, "can I go see him?" I asked instantly, deep down, my natural instincts came out and I just wanted to protect this baby from the world. Jessica gave me a comforting look, "of course." She stood up, motioning for me to follow her. We walked down hall after hall, entering the NICU was like a nightmare of mine, all these babies that were suffering, all the parents that looked exhausted yet stayed awake staring at their children. "This is him." Jessica stopped next to a crib. He was laid out in just a diaper, under a special light, all sorts of wires coming off of him, and then an oxygen tube taped to his face. "He has a little jaundice, which is why they have this light on him, they're treating him for withdrawal from the drugs." I looked at her, my eyes welling up again. My mother isn't even here to see it but she's doomed another child. "Oh my god." I whispered, watching as he stretched a little bit, making a small whimper before going back to sleep.

"I want to take him," I paused, not believing these words were coming out of my mouth. "But I just moved in with my boyfriend, I have to talk to him about this." I explained, Jessica gave me a knowing look, she knew how young I was, so she probably figured that Rafe would go running when he found out. "Can I come back with him in a few hours? Before he has to go to work." I asked her, she hesitated but nodded. "Normally I would frown upon this, but I feel for you. So he can come see the baby, but I'll need a final decision when you come back. We need to start searching if you're not going to take him." Jessica gave me a pointed look. "Okay, yes I'll have an answer when I come back, thank you." I couldn't help but hug her, she let out a small laugh, hugging me back, "of course honey."

***

I sat against the headboard, patiently waiting for the clock to hit six thirty, his alarm was set for seven but I needed to wake him up early and talk. I jumped as soon as I checked my phone and saw the time, "Rafe, baby. I need to talk to you." I shook his shoulder gently, he groaned, squinting his eyes open at me. "What? It's so early." He whined, rubbing his eyes, as if the sleep would just disappear. "How do you feel about babies?" I bit my lip, I don't think I've ever seen him move so quick, he practically jumped out of bed, a terrified look on his face. "Are you?" He trailed off, "no! God, no. My mom-" I took a deep breath before continuing. "My mom was pregnant, she got brought into the hospital last night, from an overdose, she died." Rafe climbed back in the bed, wrapping his arms around me. "They saved the baby, and they want me to take him." I explained, crying heavily into his chest. "You don't want to, right?" He asked as if it was an easy decision, I pulled away from him. "I think I do, Rafe. If I don't he'll be put through hell and back." I felt Rafe completely pull away from me, running his hands through his hair. "This is a lifelong commitment, Charli. I think you're rushing into this." He became a little edgy, of course, I should've known. "Please can you just come with me to the hospital before you go to work? I went to see him while you were sleeping." I confessed, nervously playing with my fingers.

"You what?" He all but gasped, looking at me with eyes as big as saucers. "I couldn't help it, babe." I tried to soften the blow by calling him babe. "Charli, you're serious right now? You're going to take in a baby? Just going to throw us away like that?" He snapped, standing up, angrily rummaging through his clothes. "What do you mean, throw us away? Apparently it's up to you now, you can be a man and suck it up and do this because you love me, or we'll be done because I can't let this baby go and wind up living a shitty life when I know I can take him in and keep him from ending up in god knows where!" I shouted, becoming equally as pissed off as he is. "Are you fucking serious right now?" Rafe shouted, "you're going to leave me for a baby you don't even know." He angrily pulled his pants on, shooting me a nasty look in the process. "I could say the same thing to you, you won't even go to see him and you're just gonna leave me!" I deadpanned, giving him the nastiest look I could muster. "You made a pretty big commitment to me when you asked me to move in, Rafe. Yes this isn't ideal but you're just going to break all this, over one completely innocent human being." I spoke calmly, which I knew he hated when I was angry and did that. "Fine, take me to see him. But I'm not making any promises." He snapped, tugging his shirt over his head before stomping his way to the door. This should be interesting.

a/n comment what you think/want to happen with the baby! Should they keep him or not?