Who: vocalclarity and claringtonatdalton
When: Late afternoon, August 21, 2015.
Where: Lima Bean, Lima, Ohio
What: Hunter discovers why Clara has been avoiding him.
Clare sat in the corner of the stupid Lima coffee shop, wondering what in the world was going to happen when this baby was born. She knew she wasn't ready to be a mother, and Hunter didn't even know she was pregnant... With any luck he might never find out... The swimming feeling in her stomach just got worse the more anxious her thoughts became, and she tried to calm herself down by taking a sip of the tea her mother had bought her before running off to McKinley to finish her transfer paperwork. Trying to put something in her stomach was a baaaad idea, and her hands flew to her stomach to try to make it seem like she wasn't as sick as she felt. Eight more weeks of this... Hell.
Hunter was exhausted after yet another long day of practice and for the thousandth time he checked his phone for a text from Clara as he made his way through the doors of the Lima Bean. Still nothing. He huffed out a sigh as he ordered his large black coffee with a shot of soy milk, turning on his heel only to see the one person he'd been looking for. He canceled his order quickly and wound through the tables, stopping in front of her and blocking her in. "So are you actively ignoring me now?”
Clare heard his voice before she saw his face. "I've been sick, I told you," she muttered, trying her best to ignore the wave of nausea that was trying its best to take over her. "Really sick." Apparently hoping she wouldn't run into him hadn't been enough. Looking at her tea only made the feeling worse, so she kept both arms crossed protectively over her middle and stared at the floor, preparing herself for the tirade that she was sure she would hear from him soon. Just as long as he didn't find out, then she'd be okay. They'd be okay.
Hunter huffed and crossed his arms over his chest in an almost mimic of how she was moving around. Mirroring her body language had become second nature after spending the summer almost always together. "How sick? You never told me more than throwing up and I thought that cleared up pretty quickly. Have you been to a doctor? Does your mom know what's going on?" Worrying was also second nature even if it came out as harsh.
Clare knew that he was pissed, and if she were honest with herself he had every right to be. She had kinda dropped off the face of the planet a few weeks before school started, but they weren't even really a thing. So maybe he didn't have the right to be upset at all... The pregnancy brain took over her thoughts, making her think anything and everything that would make her blameless in the situation. Then her mouth opened without her normal brain okaying the words, "This isn't the kind of thing they can cure."
Hunter blinked as soon as the words started to filter through, leaning back and glancing down at her for just a little bit longer than he usually would in public. "So either it's something really serious or you're pregnant," he stated, though he didn't really take either of those suggestions as a serious thing even as they were leaving his mouth. That wasn't possible - they'd had birth control of some form at all times and if she was like... dying... that just didn't happen to people like that, it didn't.
Clare laughed. That's all she could do at this point. Of course he would instantly guess the truth that she had been trying to hide from him for weeks. The laughing wasn't treating her stomach too well, however, and another wave of nausea swelled just as she was about to answer him. Falling silent, she resigned herself to not replying, simply attempting to not look as sick as she felt would take enough effort of it's own and she was not in the mood to throw up.
Hunter blinked when she didn't reply, looking her up and down and trying not to instantly panic. "Clara. Clara are you dying?! Are you seriously sick??" Pregnancy was a much better option than anything deadly would be, and he tried not to panic too much thinking about either of those options. God, this wasn't going to end well and he could already feel it.
Clare wanted to puke, and thinking about having to actually tell him only made the nausea worse. "No," she managed to get out without feeling too queasy, "I'm not dying, idiot." Calling him names and being angry was easier than panicking; that's all she could do at the moment, because panicking would make her feel more sick and that wouldn't help their situation in the slightest. He was going to have to find out the truth sooner of later, and she didn't want to be sick all over him in the process.
Hunter knew that only left one other option and he was too relieved she wasn't dying to truly process what that other option meant. "So you're pregnant with my kid?" That was one thing he didn't question. While this was nothing exclusive and they'd both made that clear, as far as he knew they'd kept each other so busy someone else getting in on the mix wouldn't have really been possible. Not to mentioned he didn't think she'd be so weird around him if it wasn't his...
Clare rolled her eyes at his question, obviously that was the only answer left. "Who thought not wearing condoms was a good idea again?" she hissed bitterly, completely sure that it had been Hunter's idea. Until she saw the look on his face and realized that it had been her.... "Shit..." she murmured, unsure of how to continue the conversation when it was obvious to the people around the store that something serious was going on between the two of them. It made her extremely uncomfortable, and even more nervous to transfer to WMHS.
Hunter knew her well enough to realize she was getting weird and he looked around before sighing and nodding towards the door. "My car's out there. We can get some privacy." He shifted from foot to foot as he avoided the seriousness of what was going on, not sure if it would be a better idea to be a gentleman or to just let her walk away before she murdered him because she kinda looked like she might right about now.
Clare nodded and started to get up, too quickly for her body apparently, which fought back by sending another wave of nausea. "Sorry," she muttered, sitting again in an attempt to regulate herself. This kid was swimming a little too much for her liking. "I wasn't lying about being sick," she quipped with a tinge of bitterness, making another try at moving from her seat. This time it wasn't so bad, but she had to use his shoulder to steady herself when she'd finally managed to get on her feet.
Hunter should've been a little more cold. That was their thing, right? Enemies, rivals, who just happened to sleep together and enjoy the other's more R-rated company. The sex was phenomenal but it shouldn't have him wanting to keep a steady hand on her back when they were walking to the car (which he did and he blamed it on Clara carrying his child). "What can I say? Any kid of mine's going to be causing waves from the get-go." The joke fell flat but he couldn't stop it, needing to ground the conversation somehow before they ended up fighting yet again. That was bad for the baby right?
Clare's sickness calmed considerably the longer his hand was on her back, it was like the thing growing inside of her knew who he was, that he was supposed to be there. Weird. She shot him a particularly furious death glare, not exactly in the mood for humor, before opening her own door and climbing in his car. Instinct started to kick in, and she almost reached for her seatbelt after the door shut before remembering that they weren't going to be leaving the parking lot, and she let her hands rest on her stomach as she waited for him to get situated himself.
Hunter turned in his seat to watch her, going quiet for a beat. There was no doubt he was seeking out the curve of her stomach that signified a baby. He completely believed her - even if she didn't have a reputation for being brutally honest it was senseless to lie about something that made you visibly sick and kissed your teenage years goodbye - but seeing proof made it all seem much more real. "What do you want to do?"
Clare's face burned as she saw his eyes tracing the area she had been trying to hide from the world for the past few weeks, and her face grew hot when she realized that he'd actually been able to find the little change. "I don't know," she answered honestly, "the doctor gave Mom some pamphlets for a place in Columbus to... take care of it... and there was one for a 'crisis pregnancy center' too, but I don't know if that one actually made it home or not." Eyes beginning to fill with water that wasn't usually there, she couldn't keep on talking. It was one thing to see other girls get put in this situation, she had more times than she could count, but it was a complete other for her to be the girl.
Hunter could suddenly feel the nerves that had started to settle in to allow the calm in come back full force at the thought of her 'taking care of it', or anything like that. As terrifying as this was and as much as he'd been pro-choice whenever his parents harassed him about his political viewpoint it was something else entirely to think about a child that was half-his suddenly not existing anymore. It made his stomach squeeze up tight and as much as he wanted to reach over and curl her into his arms even if she smacked him if Hunter moved much right now he was afraid he'd be as sick as she was. "Do I... get some say in this decision? I can tell you right now what I would want, but I know it's not all up to me either."
Clare knew that he was in shock by the look on his face; a mixture of confusion and frustration with a bit of utter disbelief thrown in there, he managed to wear it well, though. The one thing she knew for sure at this point was that their child was sure to be a beauty. Their child... The thought of those words just drove the idea further into her head: she was growing a human being inside her. Terrifying and exhilarating all at once, she wanted nothing more than to just cry and be held, but she wasn't sure that he was ready to deal with her emotions yet. "You're half the reason we're in this mess, I wouldn't expect you to be any less than half the solution." She paused for a moment to let her words sink in before jumping to ask, "Any bright ideas?"
Hunter brightened twice as much when he realized she wasn't going to just... get rid of the fetus or give their child up without letting him put in his input. "I want to keep the baby. It's scary, sure, it's incredibly scary but the only thing I knew when it settled in was that I wanted it. That was an automatic reaction and it's the one that I agree with. My parents are loaded, there's no way we won't have help, and... we can figure the rest out but we can't just get rid of her, or him. Not a believer in fate but a big believer in taking responsibility for things when they happen."
Clare's eyes grew twice their size when he first spoke. Keep the baby... They were in high school! Seniors, yes, and about to graduate... but in high school! They weren't ready for this! Rather, she wasn't. "In a perfect world, I'd have that be the answer..." she trailed off, not really sure what the point was that she'd been trying to make. Changing the subject she rushed through saying, "My mom's at McKinley now filling out my transfer paperwork. The 'rents didn't want my image at Carmel - their image with their friends - to be tainted."
Hunter bit down on his lip at the look on her face. Maybe she didn't agree, maybe he would have to watch her - ​their​ - child go to someone else and... that wasn't a thought he could handle. "So you... don't want to keep him or her?" He gripped the steering wheel, needing to focus on anything else not to freak out. "So they're... they're letting you stay with them. No kicking you out or any of the stuff that you see happen in movies."
Clare nearly burst into tears when she saw his reaction. "That's not what I meant!" she began to explain, then her face got hot and rational thought was all but forgotten. "I just... I don't know! I don't know if I can do this! I don't know!" The tears were coming now and there was no stopping them, not able to do or think of much else but the fact that she was about to be a mother and practically ruin both of their lives. It wasn't exactly something she wanted to think about.
Hunter slipped out of his seat in the car and moved to hug her almost instantly, wrapping a hand around her back and trying to rub it soothingly. "We can do this. ​We​ can do this, together. I'm not leaving you alone to deal with a baby. I want to be a dad. We can make this work, Clare. We can make it work." Hunter was mostly rambling now but he couldn't seem to stop. All he wanted to do was fix this somehow.
Clare sunk into the crook of his neck and tried to calm herself down. "I just... There's so many things that could go wrong." She knew he was right, they could make it work. Did that make it any easier for her to breathe and actually form logical thoughts? Not so much. It was the biggest thing she'd ever had to deal with, and she knew she had no choice but to grow up. It wasn't a very fun realization, especially when she'd always thought herself to be so mature already.
Hunter held her tighter, instinct taking over as he tried to take care of her. "There's always things that could go wrong. Natural disasters, random financial ruin, car accidents. But you know what? We've got this. We do. It's going to be terrifying and we probably need to work on getting along more often but we're going to love this child, and I'm going to be there for ​everything​ that you or this child needs. I promise. Let's go get cleaned up and we can discuss this a little more calmly, okay?"
Who: Clara McCaulay with her mother and doctor.
When: Monday the 17th of August, 2015.
Where: The McCaulay family doctor’s office.
What: Clare and Annika go to confirm their suspicions.
Sitting on the awkward doctor’s table in the pediatrician's office, Clare was the most nervous she’d ever been as she and her mother waited for the doctor to be back with the results of the pregnancy test. Annika didn’t look too pleased either, trying to get rid of the disappointment she felt towards her daughter. Another wave of nausea hit and she wrapped her arms around her stomach, trying to do anything to circumvent the urge to puke. The familiar comics on the wall of Dr. Khan’s examination room brought back memories of slightly better visits, even vaccinations were better than this, and she let her brain drift off as much as it could before the reflux threatened again.Â
It had honestly never occurred to her that this was even a risk, all throughout her and Hunter’s adventures they’d been protected. Well, except for the last few times.... But she’d been on birth control for two years, and nothing had happened until now. Of course it had to be her senior year. Vocal Adrenaline was set to go straight to nationals, and she wouldn’t get to see it. Her parents were already talking about moving down to Lima to “spare her” from “mean kids”, when she knew they really just wanted to keep her out of sight of their friends. They weren’t too great when it came to lying to her.
After what seemed like an eternity, the doctor came back with a look on his face Clare had never seen him wear. A mixture of confusion and sadness, it made her feel just as guilty as she had when she was forced to tell her parents - maybe even more so. He placed his chart on the laminate countertop and sat down on the stool in front of her, mumbling through his thick Indian accent about vitamins and prenatal visits. All things that she knew she should be paying attention too, but she couldn’t stop staring at her stomach. There was something living in there. The idea was somehow exhilarating and repulsive all at the same time. Realizing she’d have to tell the other person this thing got DNA from made her woozy, and no later had she moved a hand behind her to steady herself than her mother was being given pamphlets for Planned Parenthood in Columbus and the local pregnancy center.
There were options. She knew. None of them involved staying the same irresponsible high schooler. She was going to have to grow up, and quickly.
What’s even crazier is you haven’t been answering your phone. I called, texted, all of it. You alive over there?
I’ve been sick. Stay in bed all day with a trash can kinda sick. Excuse me if there were more important things on my mind than answering a booty call.
Hunter: Romance isn't either of our things when the other is involved, as long as you know that doesn't cancel out the ability to be we're all good. I was vaguely insulted.
Hunter: ...Must you get all philosophical?
Clara: That is true. Do you need my apology?
Clara: I don't have to, no, but it is rather enjoyable.
Hunter: Let me know specific schedules and we'll work out three or four times a week.
Hunter: Offended you wouldn't want me to though. I thought you had better taste than that.
Hunter: It /can/ be my type. Gotta be the right girl.
Clara: Aye, aye, cap
Clara: Well that's not at all what I meant, it's just tht thus far: romance hasn't really been our thing.
Clara: Is there such a thing as the "right girl", or is that a societal construct designed to keep men searching their whole lives for an impossible ideal?
Hunter: Easy enough to do. Being captain has its perks. When does VA have practices?
Hunter: .../Excuse/ me?
Clara: Most of ours are during the day because our class schedules are tailored to our membership, but we do have an hour or two of rehearsal after school most days.
Clara: I mean, if you want to do the romance thing, feel free. But don't be off and on.
Clara: It has to be one or the other, and I suspect you're not really the type.
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