The woman lay in her hospital bed, staring at the roof. How long had she been there? A few minutes? A few hours? More? She couldn’t tell and had no way of knowing.

No one was with her in the room which she was thankful for to some degree. It meant that she had time to herself to think. Though, it also scared her to think, that, if anything happened, there would be no one to help her.

She lay back and sighed to herself. What was going to happen to her? Undoubtedly, the outcome of this event would change her options for the rest of her life. Why did she choose to give up her dreams and aspirations for this? Why was she doing it alone?

Her body was seized with a fit of pain, a momentary tightening across her stomach, and spasms across her back. She cried out and clutched at the area, as if doing so would ease the pain.

The pain soon subsided. A sweat had broken out on the young woman’s face. Thoughts flew through her head. Nine months of her life had all lead to this day, but she didn’t need to be here. If only she’d chosen differently at the start. It was a reckless fit of passion in the back of his car. He didn’t have protection. Why did she let him convince her to go on without it? She should have been smarter. When she’d come to him with the result of that night, he had promised to do all he could to help. A few days later, he vanished. Her family had turned their backs on her. She was alone.

Another spasm seized her. Another, stronger spasm followed. She cried out as another and another came like waves in an angry ocean.

She screamed as she pushed down with all her might. The pain was unbearable. Tears ran down her cheeks, clearing paths through the sweat that covered her entire body. Her muscles felt like gelatin when the doctor instructed, “One more should do it.”

She took a deep breath and pushed down in one final effort. She fell back, panting, wiping her face as the doctor and the nurse worked in the corner.

Finally, she heard the first cry of her infant daughter. Her eyes widened as the nurse carried the small wrapped form over to her. The infant was laid on the girl’s chest.

She looked down into the pink face and suddenly, nothing could surmount her love for her baby.

The fifteen-year-old girl, made pregnant by a twenty-one year old, promised her daughter the best she could give her as a single teenage mother.