Collide Series Box Set

by J. C. Hannigan

I thought about the photos, and the subtle threat behind them. I thought about our conversation the other night, about why Iain wanted to cool it. It wasn't because he didn't love me or didn't want to be with me; it's because he wanted the possibility of that happening long term. He didn't want to end up in jail. He was looking toward the future while I was rooted in the present. If we continued to see each other, that would just allow the photographer another chance at snapping a photo, and it might be one that would get Iain into serious trouble. It was better to lay low for a while.

  I didn't tell Jenna about any of it. I didn't want to stress her out about the trial. "Maybe I will," I said finally, hoping to appease her.

  "And maybe I'll give Jake a chance." She smiled demurely.

  * * *

  The next few days went by quickly. I went to school, took notes like a good little student, and booked an appointment with the guidance counselor to discuss my post-secondary education. She was a middle-aged friendly woman who was absolutely confident that I'd get accepted into the University of Ottawa, but still encouraged me to apply to a few different universities. I chose Carleton University and Laurentian University as well, not overly concerned with where I went. Carleton would be just as nice, as it was in Ottawa too.

  For some reason, I was hung up on Ottawa. I felt a force, pulling me toward that direction.

  I kept busy, hanging out with Jake on break and focusing as much as I could on schooling. Despite my forced smile and attempts at staying social, I was becoming numb. Each day I grew more and more anxious. The jury had requested an extra week to decide, and it felt as if the entire town stood in limbo.

  I was beginning to shut down again, just like I had after the accident. Too many things were happening, and my brain felt muddled and overwhelmed. I willed myself to snap out of it. I knew not to let one person affect my happiness so much, but Iain wasn't just a guy. He was the love of my life. Besides, it was more than that. It was the fear that our secret would be discovered, the fear that he'd face serious legal repercussions and grow to resent me. What love could flourish under those circumstances?

  * * *

  The jury reached their decision that Friday morning. Andrew got six-hundred hours of community service, a year of therapy, and a smear on his permanent record. A slap on the wrist, really, but if he ever dared to sexually assault a girl again, he would face the more serious repercussions of jail time and having to register as a sex offender.

  The Police Department was making a lot of discoveries in the investigation of Carl Cooper's play in it all. The Police Department had even chosen another police officer to act as Chief of Police. The word on the street was that Carl Cooper was livid.

  I heard all the townsfolk chatter at work that Saturday morning—a day after the jury's decision—while I brought pancakes and plates of eggs to tables and refilled coffee mugs. It was the kind of gossip that I didn't mind hearing, despite the prickly, fearful sensation in the pit of my stomach that seemed to be constantly there.

  "I bet they're ashamed," one of the elderly ladies that regularly came in to gossip was saying to another one. I was pretty sure it was the same two that were gossiping about how sweet Andrew had been. "After that scandal, I wouldn't want to show my face in public again."

  "And that poor girl," the other one tittered, shaking her head remorsefully. I held back my comments, continuing past their table to the register.

  I massaged my forehead, feeling stifled. Danielle gave me a sympathetic, understanding look.

  "How are you?" I asked her, forgetting about my feelings. I knew how hard it must have been to relive Rachel's trauma inside a court room and in front of Andrew Cooper.

  "I'm fine," she assured me, giving me a brave smile. "How's your friend? Jenna?"

  "Good," I replied, doing up some rolls of utensils while we talked.

  Danielle nodded. "At least the town can't ignore it now," she whispered, glancing at the patrons.

  "That's true." I nodded, agreeing with her statement. There was definitely no hushing it.

  The rest of my shift was the same, the entire diner full of gossip about the Coopers. By the time I headed for home, my head was nearly splitting in two.

  Although I desperately wanted to, I resisted the urge to walk to Iain's house. Instead, I trekked home, keeping one hand on my cell phone and both eyes obsessively scanning my surroundings. I kept imagining Carl Cooper and Andrew trying to run me down again, only this time…succeeding. I saw no sign of a blue truck on my walk though.

  I really need to get a damn car, I thought, angry at myself, tired of the fear of walking home.

  Half an hour later, I was home. I slid out of my jacket and boots, and snagged a quick shower to wash the greasy diner smell from my hair and skin. As I was drying my hair, I heard my cell phone's shrill ring tone from my bedroom. I wrapped my towel around my body, allowing my wet hair to fall back down, and raced to my room.

  "Hello?" I said breathlessly.

  "Did you hear?" Jenna's voice was animated. "Carl Cooper is under arrest for obstruction of justice!"

  "Yes!" I said, unable to stop the wide grin from spreading across my face. I sat down on my bed, wet hair still dripping down my arms.

  "Yup," Jenna reported smugly. "Serves him right. I'm just surprised that he didn't try to come after me."

  Frankly, I wasn't all that surprised. Carl Cooper saw me as a threat because I stood up to both him and his son. I was verbal and defiant, my attitude made me stand out while soft spoken Jenna had flown under their radar. I was pretty sure Carl hadn't even known the name of Andrew's latest victim, the one that was pressing charges, until the Burkes had already pressed them. I suppose a lot of it had to do with how influential Mr. Burke was too.

  "Well, that's good, right?" I said, believing that it was. Still, I couldn't help the dreadful well of anxiety in the pit of my belly. I tried to calm my nerves, focusing on the good that this news brought.

  "Yeah." Jenna paused, lower her voice slightly. "Do you think…it's safe now?" I knew what she was talking about—Iain and I.

  "I don't think it will ever be safe," I said, my own voice just as low. "At least not here." I played with a loose thread on my towel.

  "If I were you, I'd run away with him," Jenna said.

  After hanging up the phone, I couldn't stop replaying Jenna's words in my mind. Run away with him, the sickly sweet voice urged. I could almost picture us…together, happy, no restrictions on our relationship. No fear looming over us at every single moment. I chewed on my lip, debating whether I should call Iain, but I knew it was best to lay low. At least for a while longer, until I was certain everything wasn't going to blow up in my face.

  I wasn't naïve enough to think that Iain and I could immediately be together after Carl Cooper's arrest. I knew that so long as I was a student and Iain taught at my high school, it was incredibly dangerous to entertain even the thought of a future together. Someone somewhere had photos of us. It was a bomb set to detonate at any minute. I tried my best to keep myself from thinking about it. I spent too many of the weeks after Carl Cooper's arrest scarcely breathing, terrified that Iain would get arrested. Each day it didn't happen, the hope grew…as did the fear.

  I focused my best efforts on my schoolwork, keeping my grades high so that the universities I applied to would have no reason to turn me away. I also finally dove into my savings and bought a secondhand car. It was nothing fancy, just a black 2001 Honda Civic. The best part about it was that it was mine. I knew I didn't necessarily need it to get around North Bay, but it helped my anxiety. No more walking alone at night, no more waiting fully exposed to unseen enemies. Besides, it'd be convenient when I left for university in the fall. I'd have my own set of wheels and wouldn't have to depend on public transportation.

  "I don't know why the photos haven't surfaced," I said to Jenna one night in the middle of April. We were hanging out at her place, watching yet another Ryan Reynolds movie.

  Since Carl Cooper's arrest (and
the relocation of his wife and son), I'd opened up to Jenna more about what "outside influence" had interrupted our blissful state of ignorance.

  "I don't know." Jenna frowned, absently rubbing her swollen belly. She was so huge, but she wasn't due for another three or four weeks. "Maybe it was an empty threat?" she offered, looking at me hopefully.

  "I don't think the Coopers do empty threats." I sighed.

  Jenna opened her mouth to say something, but instead she let out a choked gasp, doubling forward and clenching her stomach. Her face filled with agonizing pain.

  "Jenna!" I jumped up, racing to her side.

  "Arg!" Jenna groaned, her face pale. "I think it's time!"

  "Really? What do I do?" I panicked, running my hands through my hair and looking around for guidance. I had no experience with babies.

  "Just…call my mom," Jenna said, spacing out each word with gasps. She looked vulnerable and scared.

  I grabbed her phone, searching through her contacts for her mom's phone number.

  "Mrs. Burke? It's Harlow. I think Jenna is in labor," I said when Mrs. Burke answered on the third ring. I watched as Jenna doubled over in pain again.

  "How far apart are the contractions?" Mrs. Burke's voice was brisk and controlled.

  "Um…contractions?" I repeated, completely lost. I helplessly looked at Jenna, wondering if she knew. Jenna shrugged back in answer, panting slightly. Moisture dotted her temple.

  "Take Jenna to the labor and delivery ward," Mrs. Burke instructed, realizing that I had no idea what I was doing. "We are an hour and a half away. We will meet you guys there."

  "Okay," I said. I could do that. I handed Jenna the phone, searching for her purse. I found it on the dresser. I returned to the living room with it clenched in my hands. "Okay, let's go, Jenna."

  "No," Jenna panted. "My hospital bag," she huffed. "By my bed. It has my docu-ments!" she yelped as yet another contraction hit her, or at least…I thought it was another contraction.

  I returned to her room, snatching up the hospital bag from beside her bed. Jenna was already slipping into her boots, taking breaks as each wave of pain hit her.

  "Oh my God, Jenna," I gasped, panicking again. Things were moving way too quickly for my liking. In a rush, I hurried her out the door. As soon as we got to the porch, Jenna stopped moving with me, a look of utter shock on her face as she looked down.

  "I think my water just broke," she said.

  I tugged on her. "Seriously, let's get you to the hospital because I cannot deliver a baby."

  I drove like a speed demon, arriving at the hospital in under seven minutes. Finding parking and getting Jenna up to the labor and delivery ward took much longer, and she was nearly crying by the time we stumbled up to the nurses' station and made it into a room. She huffed through getting into a hospital gown, gripping my arm painfully tight when a contraction hit her.

  "Oh my, your contractions are close together," the nurse, who'd introduced herself as Tina, said, helping lower Jenna into the bed. "I'm going to check your cervix. Is this your first?" Jenna nodded, keeping her eyes on the ceiling as the nurse went about her job. "You're about six centimeters dilated. When did the contractions hit?"

  "Less than half an hour ago," I answered.

  Tina raised her eyebrows. "Luckily girl, things are moving quickly then! And you arrived just in time to have an epidural, should you choose to get one."

  "Yes, now, please!" Jenna begged.

  Once the epidural was in, Jenna relaxed enough to demand her phone. I fetched it for her, and she scrolled through her list of contacts. I assumed she was calling her mother, so I sat down in a chair by her bed to wait.

  "Hi…Sarah? It's Jenna…I'm in the hospital…in labor," Jenna said. "You guys can come if you can make it…but I'm six centimeters dilated. Things have progressed really quickly."

  I couldn't hear the person, Sarah, answer, but I saw Jenna's smile. "Okay great!" she said, hanging up the phone. I looked at her questionably. "That was the…adoptive mother." Jenna made a face, and the machine strapped to her body made beeping sounds as she had yet another contraction. They were less than a minute apart, now. Jenna still wasn't feeling pain, but had mentioned several times that she felt like she should start pushing. We were waiting for the nurse to come in and check her cervix.

  In the chaos of Jenna going into labor, I'd forgotten all about the very huge detail of adoption. Jenna bit her lip, looking uncertain. "Are you okay?" I asked.

  "Yeah," Jenna answered, trying to put on a brave face. "I'm just really nervous."

  I tried to think of something encouraging to say, but was saved by Jenna's mom and dad rushing into the room. Mr. Burke stayed long enough to kiss Jenna and tell her loved her, but left just after the nurse arrived to check Jenna's cervix. She was eight centimeters dilated, so painfully close but not quite there yet.

  "I'll be back to check on you in twenty minutes," the friendly nurse assured her, pulling her surgical gloves off and tossing them into the garbage can. Jenna nodded, taking a deep, steadying breath.

  "I can't do this," Jenna wailed, bursting into huge tears the moment the door clicked shut behind the nurse. "I can't…I can't."

  "Shh, it's okay, honey," Mrs. Burke said, putting her arms around Jenna and hugging her close.

  "You've got this, Jenna," I added, leaning forward and gently squeezing her hand. "You haven't really got a choice, have you? I mean, it can't stay in there. Think of how hard it'd be to find a prom dress to fit, and how uncomfortable you’d be."

  Jenna laughed weakly, her shoulders still shaking. Someone timidly knocked on the door, and Jenna furiously wiped her tears away before calling for them to come in.

  "Hello," a sweet unfamiliar voice, just as timid as the knock, said. We all looked up to see a pretty, petite blonde woman with soft blue eyes smiling shyly at Jenna. She looked vaguely familiar.

  "Hello, Sarah," Mrs. Burke greeted her, smiling warmly and gently at the woman; the adoptive mother.

  "Harlow, this is the baby's adoptive mom, Sarah," Jenna said, smiling through her tears. Jenna had been crying an awful lot. "Harlow is my best friend," Jenna explained to Sarah. The declaration surprised and warmed me, although I suppose it was true. We had gotten incredibly close over the last several months. "I'm glad you made it in time. I thought you guys would take longer…"

  "I was staying with family, so I could get to the hospital quickly," Sarah replied, coming to stand at the end of Jenna's hospital bed. She tentatively rested her hands on the railing at the foot of the bed, giving me a warm smile in greeting. "Rob is on his way right now; he left the moment I called him. We live in Hamilton," Sarah said, mostly to me.

  "Well, that's good," Jenna said shyly, probably feeling awkward. Another contraction hit her hard and she moaned, squeezing my hand. Either the epidural was starting to fade, or she was getting closer to giving birth. She looked at her mother frantically. "I feel like I need to push, Mom," she said desperately.

  "Should I call the nurse?" I asked. Mrs. Burke nodded, so I grabbed the call button on the side of Jenna's bed.

  "Should I go?" Sarah asked, her voice nervous and longing.

  "I'll go," I said quickly, trying to pull away from Jenna. She clasped tighter onto my hand.

  "No, I want you all to stay," Jenna said. "You two at my sides, and you right there…so you can take…the baby." Jenna groaned against the urge to push. The nurse rushed in, and the next half an hour was a flurry of activity. The doctor walked in the moment Jenna started to crown, and shortly thereafter, the baby was born. The doctor held it up and grinned.

  "It's a girl!" he said, offering the messy, gooey newborn to Jenna. She shook her head, sobbing hard. Jenna didn't seem to be able to look at the baby. Mrs. Burke looked at her daughter, her heartbreak evident on her face.

  "To her…" she nodded toward Sarah, who had stayed by the door the whole time. Sarah was also crying, only her tears were joyful and happy as she took the baby from the doctor.

&
nbsp; "You did great, Jenna," I told her, but Jenna didn't hear me. She was sobbing heavily, her chest heaving with every breath. I didn't know whether I should stay or not. Mrs. Burke seemed to have a hold on the situation, but I didn't want Jenna to feel like I'd abandoned her.

  I sat down, watching the two scenes unfold around me. Mrs. Burke stroking Jenna's hair in an attempt to comfort her, and the nurses across the room, checking the baby's vitals and wrapping her up in a warm blanket and hat, with Sarah standing right there smiling through her tears. Heartbreak and joy in one room. My heart felt heavy for my friend, and yet excited for this stranger's chance at being a mother. I could tell she would be an amazing one, simply from how she held the baby and looked down at the small bundle with all the love in the world.

  I left Jenna's hospital room to give her, her family, Sarah, and the baby some privacy. It seemed overwhelmingly crowded in the room. Before I left, Jenna thanked me for everything.

  "You've been so supportive. I don't know what I would have done without you," she said, fresh tears spilling from her tired eyes.

  "You're a rock star," I told her. "I'll come by after school to hang with you. Maybe I'll bring that Ryan Gosling movie; we'll finish it," I promised. She smiled and nodded, and I gave her a hug before leaving. I couldn't help but glance once more over at the baby, cradled in Sarah's arm. Soft blonde curls peaked out from under the pink newborn hat. Sarah was cooing at her, and didn't notice my departure. Not that I minded.

  When I returned home, I crashed.

  * * *

  The next day, I surprised myself by getting up on time for school. I was eager for the chance to catch a glimpse of Iain in the hallways, just to see him. It'd been so long.

  Only Iain wasn't there. Concern welled up in my belly. It was unlike him to miss school. I still couldn't bring myself to text him though. After school, I stopped off to grab panzerottis, then I went to the hospital.

  Jenna was in the same room she'd been in the day before, only the baby was gone.