Page 25 of Wasted

Victoria glanced at Kathleen, hoping for a sign to indicate whether or not the situation was as dire as Sydney seemed to believe.

Kathleen put a calming hand on the girl’s back. “Why don’t the two of you sit down here? No one else is in the lobby right now, so you can have a private chat.”

And Sydney could calm her system before she did any damage to the baby.

“Good idea. Let’s sit for a while.” Victoria nodded to Kathleen as the older woman guided Sydney into a chair, and Victoria pulled out another one from the row along the wall. She set the chair in front of Sydney and sat down so they could face each other.

“I’ll be in the classroom if you need me.” Kathleen sent Victoria a sympathetic look before she turned and headed for the hallway.

“I think my mom’s going to kick me out.” Sydney’s voice tightened with panic. “Like for real this time.”

So that was it. Sydney’s mother had held the same threat over her daughter’s head since the day Sydney had announced she wanted to keep her baby. “Tell me what happened.”

“She said, ‘If you have it today, don’t come home.’”

It. As if the beautiful baby girl growing inside Sydney was an it. No doubt Sydney’s mom was trying to hold on to the idea a baby was a meaningless clump of cells. Sydney had shared that her mother had aborted several babies. Pretending the baby wasn’t human was one way to cope with the guilt of that decision.

“I’m so sorry she said that to you.” Victoria leaned forward and rested her hand on Sydney’s in the girl’s lap. “That’s awful, and I know how much it must hurt to have your mother say something like that. I think from what you’ve told me, she’s hurting, too, through all this.”

Sydney looked away and shrugged one shoulder. “I guess.”

Victoria’s heart warmed. Not all teenagers in Sydney’s position would even be willing to consider the idea that their parent could have feelings. “It’s probably a reminder to her of things she’d rather forget.”

Sydney met Victoria’s gaze. “You mean the babies she...”

Victoria nodded.

“Hadn’t thought about that. But she still shouldn’t kick her own daughter out of the house. And her granddaughter.” Sydney pulled her hands out from under Victoria’s to rub her round belly.

“I know. You’re right. But we all do many things we shouldn’t.” Speaking of which…Victoria chose carefully how to approach the truth she’d been trying to persuade Sydney to reveal for months. “Have you contacted your little girl’s father? Has he said if he’ll take you in or offer you support?”

Sydney dropped her gaze before Victoria could read anything in her eyes. “He’s not answering my texts.”

Same answer as the last time Victoria had asked Sydney about the unidentified man. “Have you tried calling him?”

The teen’s chin dipped a microinch with what Victoria assumed was an affirming nod.

“If you give me his name, I might be able to help you reach him.” It was the same offer Victoria had made three times before. But she didn’t know what else to try.

Sydney shook her head from side to side as she folded her arms above the baby inside her.

“Sydney,” Victoria kept her tone calm and patient, “you know who the father of your baby is. Many of the girls who come to the center don’t know that. It’s a gift you can give your daughter, to be able to tell her the name of her dad. Why won’t you tell us who he is?”

The teen finally lifted her gaze. “I told you. He doesn’t want anyone to know.”

“But you say he loves you.”

“Yeah.” She nodded emphatically. “He totally does. He’s going to marry me.”

“Then why wouldn’t he want anyone to know he’s your baby’s father?”

“It’s…” Sydney shifted in the chair, “complicated.”

Victoria held back a sigh. What secret was the girl so intent on keeping? The man or boy who’d fathered the child must have quite a hold on her. If only Victoria could figure out how to shake Sydney free of that hold. “You said he supports your choice to give birth to your daughter?”

“Uh-huh.” Sydney avoided Victoria’s eyes as she gave the answer that seemed incongruent with the rest of the story. But at least it meant there wasn’t another person in Sydney’s life pressuring her to abort her child.

“Then I would think he would want to support you in raising her and financially, as well.”