Mystic Falls: Beginnings

12

I worked around the ranch that day and as I was headed back to the house my phone rang.

"Hello."

"Drew it's Fred."

"Hey Fred. Has Mia agreed to a paternity test?" I asked as I pulled up to the house and parked the car.

"She is making demands."

"Of course. What does she want?"

"That the wedding be planned."

"And how long does the test results take to come in?"

"I spoke to the local obgyn. He said the test can be done in two weeks, the baby is not big enough and that the results could take seven to fourteen business days."

"Three to four weeks is not too bad. At least I don't have to wait for the child to be born."

"Thank God for medical advances."

"Exactly. She can plan all she wants, but I'm not buying anything. That baby isn't mine and I know it."

"I'll let her know and speak to doctor Popper and schedule the test."

"Thanks Fred."

"Anytime. You know that." He hung up and I got out of the car.

In four weeks' time I will know the truth and I prayed I was right.

After taking a shower and getting getting dressed, I went downstairs for dinner. Everyone was already sitting down and waiting for me.

"About time. I'm starving," Marcus said as I sat down.

"Sorry. I was talking to Fred before I came in."

"We already said grace, so dig in." Marcus said as he grabbed the bowl of potatoes and began to scoop some onto his plate.

"What did Fred have to say?" My mother asked.

"Mia has agreed to a fetal paternity test as long as she can plan the wedding."

Before I could finish what I was saying, Marcus said, "wait what? You and Mia are getting married?"

"No. She is pregnant and is saying I'm the father."

"She pregnant?" He said as his face paled.

"Apparently. She is about six weeks along. Anyways, I said that was fine but I'm not buying anything."

"That's smart of you. How long till the test is done and the results come in?" My father asked.

"They can't do the test until she is eight weeks and take about seven to fourteen business days."

"That's not bad. How much is this going to cost?" He asked.

"Didn't ask and I don't care. I have a decent savings account and even though I'd rather not spend it, it's worth it. I know I'm not the father."

"I don't feel that great suddenly. I'm going to lay down," Marcus said as he got up and left the room.

"That's strange. I hope he is okay," my mother said.

"He's fine," my father said as he took a bite of chicken. Marcus did not come down for the rest of the night.

As the days went by, Mia began messaging me about wedding plans but I ignored her. She would stop by the ranch but I made myself busy. People around town were congratulating me on the upcoming wedding in a few weeks and I just nodded. I knew she was planning but didn't realize she had a date picked out. I felt like my chances with Sheryl were slipping through my fingers.

Finally, the day of the test was here and I went into the obgyn's office to get my portion of the test done. Mia had gone in that morning and I made sure we would not cross paths.

I was called back and the nurse took a swab of my checks then placed it in a vial. When it was done, I paid eleven hundred dollars and went on my way. When the results were in, we would meet with the doctor and Fred to get the results. Apart of me was nervous, but another part of me knew the child was not mine.

While Drew and Mia awaited the results, invitations to the wedding were sent out by Mia's mother Nicole and one arrived to Sheryl's grandparents. She was staying with them and when she saw the invitation she grabbed it, read it and broke down crying.

Sheryl had decided to let her grandma know what was going on and, instead of flying back home and staying with a friend, she left the truck at the airport and waited for her grandma to pick her up at a local restaurant. When everyone was looking for her, her uncle called them and asked if they had heard from her and they lied and said no, but a week later, her grandma confessed to the truth. He knew she was there and, with all the drama going on over there, decided to let her whereabouts be unknown.

Sheryl felt even more broken on the inside and decided from that moment she would never allow another into her heart. He used her and got her cousin pregnant and was marrying her. She was devastated. She placed the invite back down and walked away while her grandma stood there watching her. Her grandma felt sorry for her but there was nothing she could do to make the situation better.

That night Sheryl smashed her phone and decided she wanted nothing left of Drew's memory. No more photos, looking at the messages he sent her or having that small connection to him. She was done.

As the weeks went by, she was a shell of a person. She worked around the ranch helping her grandfather and doing homeschooling work. She never left the ranch and when they had visitors she remained inside the house in her room. Her grandparents tried to get her to go out but she refused.

The results took two weeks to come in and when the day arrived, Drew drove to the office with his father and attorney in the car while Mia drove with both of her parents. Each party sat away from one another in the waiting room and when they were called back they were taken into the doctor's office. Mia was smiling and Drew was feeling anxious.

When the doctor walked in, he sat behind his desk and pulled out a letter.

"I have the results. I have not looked at them," he said as he began to open the letter.

As he pulled the paper out of the envelope my heart was racing and I wanted to vomit.

"The results are........"