𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃

꧁ N I N E ꧂

"Thanks for the ride Taylor".

Nessa waves as her older cousin drives off, Drake playing through her speakers at an unnecessarily loud volume. When Taylor is out of sight, Nessa turns to face the building across the street and her stomach twists with nerves. Slowly she crosses over and makes her way inside. The automatic doors slide open when she stands in front of them and her legs carry the nervous girl into the main reception where she sees three other woman, all of them disconnected from their current settings and in worlds of their own. Nessa notices that they're different ages, one of them looks the same age as her and the other two are older.

"Name please sweetheart" the receptionist asks, her shiny green eyes staring into Nessa's.

Hesitantly, she leans on the desk with her arms. "Nessa Barrett" she states, waiting patiently while the woman types on her computer- nodding her head.

"If you'd like to just take a seat for a moment, doctor Callow will come and collect you when shes finished" The receptionist instructs, pointing to the waiting room.

Nessa makes her way over slowly, taking a seat near the back of the room. She sits down in the uncomfortable chair- people watching the other women subtly. She can't help but wonder what their reasons are for being here. Why don't they want their babies? Is it financial troubles? Too young? Workaholic? Complicated relationship? The possibility's are endless. Nessa wonders if they're racking their brains, asking themselves questions about her too. She starts to feel the nerves get the better of her as she wishes that she'd asked Taylor to stay with her or even Mads even though the last time they spoke- she raged out on her. It would have been comforting to know her best friend was here if she needed.

"Zoe Laverne" a woman wearing a white coat calls. The girl who sits closest to Nessa sighs while closing her magazine and standing up.

Immediately, Nessa recognizes the girl and remembers that she used to go to her school. She's a year older. She and Nessa had economics together for a while. They never had any actual conversation though but it didn't stop Nessa from knowing who she was. Zoe was popular amongst her class and the majority of the school. It made Nessa wonder what happened to her after she graduated and what her reason for being here was.

Choosing to ignore her current situation, Nessa leans back in her chair and unlocks her phone. She sees missed calls from her mom and sends her a quick text before putting her phone down again and watching the floor with an intense stare. This is all so unnatural for her and it's something she's never been through before. She's having all these raw emotions and has no clue how to control her chaotic thoughts.

She begins to feel weak, her hands clammy and heart racing. She tells herself it's just the nerves and dismisses the icky feeling. Picking up her bag, Nessa reaches inside, her hand searching for her water bottle. She struggles to find it until finally her hand clasps around the plastic and she pulls it out, a piece of paper falling out with it. Nessa tuts, annoyed. Quickly, she leans forward and picks up the small rectangular paper and holds it in her hand.

When Nessa turns it over, her eyes are met with the scan photo she had previously shoved to the bottom of her bag days before. Her heart swells before dropping to the pit of her stomach as tears start to form in her tired eyes. She allows herself to study the scan, smiling a little when she recognizes the small raspberry sized blob she was first introduced to at the scan.

"Nessa Barrett?".

Wiping away the tears, Nessa stands up, putting the scan photo in her back pocket carefully. She understands that she can't be a mother but whether she wanted to or not- when she first saw that scan, she did connect with her baby and she'd regret it for the rest of her life if she ended it. There are other options available, ones that she'd be more comfortable with and just because she can't give her baby the life it deserves, doesn't mean she shouldn't let someone else try. Why make her child pay for her irresponsible behavior?