October 17th
265 Words
October 17th changed everything.
Two pink lines.
That was it.
That was the moment.
Jessica remembered staring at the test in complete silence. The room felt frozen. Her hands shook. Her stomach turned.
Pregnant.
After everything she had put into her body… pregnant.
Fear hit first.
Then guilt.
Then panic.
But underneath all of that, somewhere deep down where addiction hadn’t fully destroyed her yet, something else appeared.
A reason.
For years Jessica hadn’t cared enough about herself to quit drugs.
But suddenly it wasn’t only about her anymore.
There was a baby growing inside her.
A tiny life depending on her.
And for the first time in years, she became terrified of her own choices.
Withdrawal hit like hell.
Cold sweats soaked her clothes.
Her body shook violently.
She vomited until she thought nothing was left.
Sleepless nights turned into hallucinations and emotional breakdowns.
Her muscles screamed.
Her bones hurt.
She cried constantly.
Sometimes she sat on the bathroom floor holding her stomach whispering apologies to a baby that hadn’t even been born yet.
“I’m trying.”
That became her entire life.
Trying.
Trying not to relapse.
Trying not to collapse.
Trying not to lose the baby.
Trying not to lose herself.
People who have never battled addiction think quitting is just a decision.
It isn’t.
It’s war.
Your own brain fights against you.
Your body begs for the poison that’s killing it.
And every second feels impossible.
But she survived it.
And so did he.
Elijah.
The little boy who unknowingly saved his mother’s life before he even took his first breath.
- Writer
