The Things We Do for Love

Lauren looked up at Angie through sad, tired eyes. "Youll tell him about me, right? About how I was a good girl who made a mistake. And that I loved him so much I gave him away. "

It cut Angie to the quick, that question, hurt so much that for a heartbeat she couldnt answer. When she did speak, her voice was strained. "Hell know you, Lauren. We wont just say good-bye. "

The knowing look in Laurens eyes made Angie feel like the young one. "Yeah. Right. Well, I better get some sleep now. Im beat. " She turned her face into the pillow.

"Do you want to see your baby?" Angie asked gently.

"No," Lauren answered, and there was nothing gentle in her voice at all. "I dont want to see him. "

WHEN LAUREN WOKE UP, HER ROOM WAS FILLED WITH flowers. If she hadnt felt so terrible, it would have made her smile. From her bed, she tried to match the arrangements to the person. The African violets were definitely from Livvy and Sal. The azalea plant was from Maria. The pink carnations were probably from Mira, and the lilies and forget-me-nots were from Angie and Conlan. The two dozen red roses were pure David. She wondered what the cards said. What did you say to a girl whod given birth to a baby she couldnt keep?

A knock at the door saved her from the direction her thoughts had taken.

"Come in. "

The door opened. David and his mother stood there; both of them looked pale and uncertain.

As she looked at the boy she loved, all Lauren could think about was how flat her stomach was now, how empty. "Have you seen him?"

David swallowed hard, nodded. "Hes so small. " He crossed the room and came up beside her bed.

She waited for his kiss. When it came, it was over too quickly. They stared at each other in a heavy silence.

"He has your hair," Mrs. Haynes said, walking to the bed. She stood by her son, touched his arm as if to steady him.

"Please . . . dont tell me," Lauren said in a throaty voice.

That silence descended again. Lauren looked at David, and just now, she felt as if he were miles away.

We wont make it.

The realization washed over her. It had been there all along like a shadow in the night, awaiting sunlight to give it form and substance.

They were kids, and now that the pregnancy was past, they would drift toward their separate lives. Oh, theyd try to stay together at their different schools, but in the end, it wouldnt work. They would become what the poets wrote about: first love.

Already David was unsure of what to say to her, how to touch her. She was different now, fundamentally changed, and he sensed that.

"The flowers are beautiful," Lauren said, reaching for his hand. When he touched her, she noticed how cold his skin was.

David nodded.

Mrs. Haynes leaned forward. Very gently she eased the hair from Laurens eyes. "Youre a very brave girl. I know why my David loves you so much. "

A year ago that would have meant the world to her. She gazed up at Mrs. Haynes, unable to think of anything to say.

"Well," his mother finally said, drawing back. "Ill leave you two alone. " She backed away from the bed and left the room. Her heels sounded like gun blasts on the linoleum. The door clicked shut.

David leaned down again and kissed Lauren. This second kiss was the real thing.

"I signed the papers," he said when he drew back.

She nodded.

"It felt weird . . . just signing him away like that. But we dont have any choice, right?"

"What else could we do?"

He let out a relieved sigh and smiled. "Yeah. "