Papa Don’t Preach: Chapter 9

“Sookie! Sookie, wake the fuck up!” Jason was jostling the side of the bed.

She groaned and rolled away from Eric, who could sleep through anything. “What do you want, Jason? What time is it?”

“It’s a little after 5.” He kneeled down on the floor by her bed.

“Jason, come on, I’m tired. What’s so important?” She yawned, keeping her eyes closed.

“Are you fucking pregnant?” Jason’s voice was harsh in her ear, angry.

Her eyes flew open. “Where did you hear that?”

“A bunch of the guys from the team started texting me after you guys left the party tonight. They’re calling you a whore, Sook! Did you fuck Eric while you were with Alcide?” Jason’s eyes blazed.

She sat up in the bed and glared at him. “I most certainly did not! You didn’t stand up for me?”

“Of course I did.” He held up his bloodied knuckles. “What the fuck is going on, Sook?”

“You can’t tell anyone, Jason. You have to promise me.” She begged him.

“I can promise I won’t tell for now. What happened?”

“Alcide got me pregnant.” She whispered.

“That mother fucker!” Jason jumped up, his voice loud enough to wake Eric who sat up quickly in bed.

“Shhh! You will wake Mama and Daddy!” Sookie pleaded. “Please, Jason! I’m not ready to tell them yet!”

Jason took a deep breath and settled back down on the floor, eyeballing Eric. “Is that why you beat the shit out of Alcide the other night?”

“One of the reasons, yeah.” Eric acknowledged, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“Are you fucking my sister?”

Sookie smacked him upside the head. “Jason Stackhouse, don’t you talk about me that way!”

Eric sighed. “No, I am not.”

“Then why in the hell did you tell everyone it’s your baby?” Jason shook his head. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard!”

“Jason, you weren’t there tonight. You wouldn’t believe the shit that went down even if I told you. It was bad. Alcide says it’s not his, girls were calling Sook a slut, it was a big fucking mess.” Eric ran his hands through his hair. “I did what I thought was best.”

“By making everyone think Sook cheated on Alcide?” Jason was baffled.

“No, by making them think she never slept with Alcide.” Eric responded. “Everyone knows how Alcide likes to brag and tell stories. There’s a good chance half the people there will think he was lying.”

“Then why would you claim the baby as yours?”

Eric shook his head. “Jason, she’s pregnant. Someone has to be the father. I’d rather everyone think it was me than that dick-head.”

Jason whistled. “My Dad is going to kill you.” He chuckled a bit. “This should be interesting.”

“No, he’s not.” Sookie jumped in. “We will tell Mama and Daddy the truth.”

“We will?” Eric was surprised. “Are you sure?”

She nodded firmly. “Yes. I don’t want them hatin’ you for something that you didn’t do.”

“Good point, Sook. Maybe Dad will go after Alcide with his shotgun after all.” Jason looked gleeful.

“Jason, I need you to promise you’ll keep your trap shut until I’m ready to tell them. It won’t be long, but I have to figure some stuff out first.” She looked him dead in the eye, to make sure it was registering in his brain.

“I promise, Sook.” He agreed. “We only have a week and a half left before graduation. If anybody says anything to me about you, I will take care of it.”

“You and me both.” Eric added, pulling the sheet up over his shoulders as he stretched back out and yawned.

“No! No more fighting. None. You can defend me with words, but please, no more fists. I don’t need either of you getting suspended or kicked out of school. You can’t risk college for this.” She looked between the two of them, making sure they understood how serious she was. “Promise me.”

Jason nodded glumly. She knew he enjoyed a good fight.

She turned to Eric and he shrugged. “I all ready gave you my word.”

“All right then. Now, Jason, get to bed before they wake up; you’re way past your curfew.”

“Night, sis. I sure am sorry about everything.” Jason’s concerned showed on his face and she was touched when he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “You’re a good girl, Sook. I love you.”

“You too, Jason. Don’t close the door behind you.” She called quietly after him.

Sookie snuggled back down into the bed, her head resting on Eric’s chest. “What a mess.”

“I’m afraid things are going to get worse before they get better, Sookie.”

“I know. They will get better eventually, right?”

He hugged her tight. “They will.”

OoOoO

The next day before Eric went home, Sookie showed him the color of her prom dress so he could get a matching tie.

“Try it on for me, Sook.” He pleaded as she tucked the skirt back into the closet carefully.

She rolled her eyes at him and curled up on her bed. “Do I look like I feel up to that?” Her stomach was so upset the idea of even standing upright made it revolt.

He sat down carefully on the bed next to her and brushed her messy hair back from her face. “No, you still look pretty green.”

Her parents were at church, Jason was still asleep and Sookie and Eric had a pretty low-key morning, with the exception of the vomiting.

“Like Kermit?” She cracked a small smile as he lightly rubbed her tummy.

“Nah, you’re much cuter than Kermit.”

“Well, duh!” She responded as he stood up, slipped out of his basketball shorts and into his clothes from the night before. “Easy there! I don’t want to see the goods!” Her eyes covered.

He laughed. “I have boxers on, Sook. My shorts are on now.”

She rolled her eyes. “Such an exhibitionist.”

“That’s me!” He pulled his shirt over his head, hair sticking up all over and grabbed his keys and phone. “I’ll pick you up in the morning?”

Despite feeling as poorly as she did, she bit back a laugh. “Eric, you need to do something with that hair of yours before you go anywhere.”

He looked in the mirror and ran his hands through it a couple of times. It didn’t make much of a difference. “So tomorrow?”

She nodded. “Yes, tomorrow.”

“Okay, so I’ll pick you up at 7 and then after school we go to the clinic?” He leaned back against the dresser, bracing his hands on the smooth wood.

“Yeah. I’ll call the clinic in Monroe and see if we need an appointment. I don’t want to risk going to the one here.”

“Sounds like a smart idea. How many finals do you have this week?”

“Just two, English and History.” She curled up around her pillow, wishing the nausea would pass. “You?”

“Chemistry and Trig.”

“Why are you so smart?” She grinned at him.

“You’re smart, too.”

Sookie shook her head. “Not like you are.”

“I want to be an architect. I guess since I have a goal in mind it makes me want to try harder.” He played with the rubber band that was lying on her dresser.

“Makes sense. You better be careful with that, you’re gonna break it.” She scolded.

“Nah, I –ah! Ow! Dammit!” He swore as it snapped and popped him on his cheek.

They both laughed as he rubbed it gingerly.

“Go ahead and say it!” She teased.

“What”? He grumbled.

“You know what!”

Eric sighed. “You were right.”

“And don’t you forget it, buddy!” She giggled.

“All right, Sook, I’m gonna head home, do some homework.” He stood awkwardly in her doorway.

“Okay, I’ll see you in the morning then.”

He looked at her for a long moment and nodded. “When are we telling your parents?”

“I want to wait until after prom. I’d like just one more normal event before everything changes. I doubt I’ll be going to senior prom next year.”

“Why not?”

“Who’s going to want to take me? I’ll be a mom.” She rolled her eyes.

“If you want to go, we’ll go.”

“What’s all of this ‘we’ stuff all of the sudden, Eric?” She sat up to look at him.

His face flushed. “I all ready told you. You’re not going to be in this alone, you’re my best friend.”

She laughed, a little bit confused. “What, you want to help me raise the baby?”

“I don’t know, Sook. We have a lot to think about it. It just happened. Why, are you going to keep it?” He walked over to the bed, resting his hand softly on her shoulder.

“I don’t think I could give it up, Eric.” She whispered, tears filling her eyes as she looked up into his face.

He cupped her cheek with his large hand, his thumb brushing her tears. “If you are 100% certain that you want to keep this baby, I support you.”

“Even though it isn’t yours?”

“Even though it isn’t mine.” He cleared his throat and pushed back the feeling of hurt that was welling up inside of him. He quickly kissed her on the forehead. “Gotta go, Sook. Don’t worry about things for now. We’ll deal with it more tomorrow.”

“Bye, Eric.” She heard his sneakers thump down the stairs. She snuggled back into her bed and let her eyes close. She was drained, both from the stress of the last few days and vomiting. She hoped it stopped soon.

She slipped into a fitful sleep, dreaming of Eric, Alcide and the baby. Eric kept trying to pick up the baby but Alcide wouldn’t let him. In her dream she was crying and Alcide was taunting her. Finally she was able to take the baby into her arms and Alcide left. She turned to Eric to let him hold the baby finally and he moved away from them. “That’s not my baby, Sook. You betrayed me. How could you do this to me? How could you have a baby with someone else?” Then he walked out and shut the door behind him.

She woke a few hours later in a cold sweat, her heart pounding. She grabbed her phone and texted Eric.

S: Did you mean what you said? You will be here for me no matter what? No matter what anyone says or does?

E: Of course I meant it. You know I don’t say things I don’t mean. Why? What happened?

S: Just a bad dream. 😦

E: You want to tell me about it?

S: The basics were you told me the baby wasn’t yours and you left us after you told me how much I hurt you.

E: 😦

E: Sook, I don’t know what’s going to happen with us. I’m committing to you as your friend and someone who’s known you your whole life.

E: Would I like there to be more? Before all of this, yes, I wanted it more than anything.

E: Things have changed now and it’s very confusing.

S: I understand.

E: No, I don’t know if you do. Last night in the car, I wanted it to be more. But I just don’t know if I can do that.

E: Besides, you just broke up with Alcide, you’re nowhere near ready for another relationship.

S: I know. I guess, I just want to know that no matter what we’ll always at least have this.

E: What we have now?

S: Yes.

E: That’s never gonna change, Sook. 🙂

S: Okay. Well, I’ll see you in the morning then.

E: All right. Give everything time. Things will get better.

S: K.

E: Don’t ‘K’ me, Stackhouse. I promise you. I’m not going anywhere.

 Eric had known her for long enough to know if she said or typed ‘K’ she was unhappy or worried.

S: You know me so well. Okay then. I believe you. See you in the morning. 🙂

E: Night, Sook. 🙂

She sighed and reached for her History book. She felt like she had the information down, but figured she might use what was left of the day for studying, since she didn’t feel well enough to do anything else.

A/N: Thank you for all of the great comments! Please keep them coming. I am updating from the hospital tonight, Grandma is back in. *sigh* It’s been a stressful week.