Weeks passed in the shelter. Liam made regular outings to the library for research, but to no avail. The morale significantly decreased as the group lost hope. The rain decreased, the clouds lifted, and springtime filled the air. Birds chirped in their nests as mother rabbits taught their babies the lay of the land.

Running low on feminine products, Macy decided to take Bailey with her on a supply run into town. They walked up and down the aisles of the store until Macy found what she was looking for.

"This is the size I use," she said, grabbing several large boxes of tampons from the shelf, putting them in the cart. "Will these work for you too?"

Bailey swallowed audibly and looked down. "I missed last month's period, and I should have cramps by now for this month."

"What?!" Macy gasped, looking at Bailey.

Bailey nodded. "I know."

"It's Darien, right?" she asked.

"How'd you know?" Bailey asked, looking up.

"Luke is on the other side of wall from Darien, Bailey. We've heard some things."

Bailey covered her face with her hands. "That's so embarrassing. I'm sorry."

"Hey, no. It's okay," Macy assured her, putting a hand on her back. "Let's get a pregnancy test, okay? We don't need to tell anyone if you're not pregnant."

"What are the chances that I'm not?"

"Did you guys use protection ever?" Macy asked.

Bailey shook her head.

"Well, stress can cause you to miss periods, and although we have been in a pretty stressful situation, you're probably pregnant. Why didn't you get protection?"

"Darien and I didn't want anyone to know, and we never go out on the supply runs, so we didn't want to ask anyone for them."

"Bailey, none of us care that you're dating Darien. We care about your health and safety. Plus, even though you know him pretty well by now, you don't know what he could be carrying. He was homeless for eight years, and an addict for three. And do you really want him to father your children?"

"He'd never slept with anyone before me. He'd never kissed anyone before me, either. And we're not dating. It's just physical. I didn't think that I'd end up pregnant though," Bailey said on the verge of tears. "I don't know what I was thinking. It just happened one night and he tried to just blow me off, but then got super jealous when I hung out with Liam. He uses me to numb the pain, I use him to soothe my loneliness." She started to cry.

Macy pulled the girl into a hug and stroked her hair. "Hey, it's okay. You have a really great support system. We'll help you raise this baby, but if you wanna give it up for adoption, that's okay too." She smiled at Bailey. "You deserve more than Darien is giving you. That's not a healthy relationship. And if I'm being honest, I thought you liked Liam all this time, so hearing from Luke you were sleeping with Darien was kind of surprising."

Bailey gave a lopsided smile. "Liam's very kind, and funny. He's also incredibly optimistic even though our situation is dire. He's my best friend. I'm also definitely keeping the baby. I was in foster care. It was terrible, and even though I'm not the most equipped to deal with a baby, I'm not letting my child go through what I did."

"I support you all the way, Bailey. And is that you saying you do like Liam?" Macy laughed.

"Yeah, but I'm having Darien's baby, so it doesn't really matter."

"You know, just because you're having his baby doesn't mean you need to put up with him using you," Macy added. "He can be in the kid's life, but he doesn't need to be with you."

Bailey sighed. "I know. It's nice to feel like I matter to someone, though. I don't know if I want to give that up."

"What makes this any different than a drug addiction, Bailey? You're both using each other to numb pain, and that's a dangerous game."

"You're right. Besides, if I really am pregnant, I need to be healthy for the baby," she said, touching her stomach gently.

Macy grabbed a pregnancy test from the shelf and started pushing the cart toward the register. "Come on. Let's head home."

Bailey stood by as Macy paid, then the two walked home. As soon as they were down the ladder, they headed to the bathroom. Macy shut the door behind them and started opening the pregnancy test.

"Okay. It looks like you just pee on this tab part right here, then set it on the counter and wait for five minutes," she explained, handing Bailey the test.

"Macy, I'm so nervous. What am I supposed to tell Darien if I am pregnant?" she asked, sitting on the toilet.

"Listen, he slept with you without a condom, so a part of him had to know this would be a possibility. If he has a problem with it, he can leave, and I'm pretty sure everyone will agree," Macy responded, crossing her arms.

Bailey set the test on the counter and washed her hands. "Now we wait."

The two stared at the test until two lines became visible. Bailey took a deep breath. Macy wiped the test down before handing it to Bailey.

"I'll send Darien back," Macy said, opening the door. "Do you want me to tell everyone else?"

"Yeah, that's okay."

Macy walked down the hall and Darien quickly reached the bathroom. Bailey was sitting on the rim of the tub, holding the test with shaky hands.

"Hey, Macy said you needed me. Is everything okay?" he asked before noticing the test. "Oh."

Bailey looked up at him. "I'm sorry. This is my fault. I should have asked them to buy us protection or something." She started crying.

Darien squatted down beside her and wrapped his arms around her. "Bailey, it's not your fault. It's okay. We were both being stupid. We just have a decision to make now."

Bailey nodded. "I'm keeping the baby. It's not up for discussion."

"Okay. You do what you think is best." he said, wiping her tears away.

Liam stuck his head in the bathroom. "Can I come in?"

Darien scowled but moved to make room for him.

"I heard what happened," Liam said. "Do you need anything? Tea? A hug?"

Bailey smiled. "A hug would be nice."

Liam pushed past Darien and gave Bailey a huge hug. "I'm here to help you through this, Bails. If you need anything at all, you know you can come to me. I'll be here to hold your hand through this whole thing. I helped Adeline a lot when she was pregnant and I still remember a lot about it."

"Thank you, Liam. You're the best," Bailey said with a smile.

Jackson and Jacob were standing outside of the bathroom with Macy and Luke.

"I can't believe my brother is gonna be a dad," Jackson said, sliding his back down the wall to sit on the floor.

"This is what happens when you don't use protection," Luke said. "A lesson I hope you both have taken not of." He looked at Jackson and Jacob.

"You don't need to tell me twice," Jackson replied. "I don't want kids. I don't want to bring kids into this world."

Jacob laughed. "He's right. Plus, we don't know when we'll be getting out of this shelter so odds are I will never meet a woman to love and raise a family with."

"That's not true," Macy said. "We're getting out of here."

"Liam is trying really hard to find more information about this. We're heading into town tomorrow to research more," Luke said.

Jackson shrugged. "I don't really mind being down here too much."

"That's because you were on the streets for eight years. This is like a palace," Jacob joked, playful punching Jackson in the shoulder.

Luke rolled his eyes and grabbed Macy's hand. "I wanna talk to you about something." He led her to his room and shut the door.

"What's up, my love?" Macy asked, sitting on his bed.

"Marry me," Luke said, standing in front of Macy, holding her hands.

"We're in a shelter right now, Luke," she responded with a laugh.

"Not right now. I meant when we get out of here. I love you and don't want to spend another day without you by my side. You're my everything."

Macy smiled as her eyes started to brim with tears. "Are you sure?"

Luke nodded emphatically. "I want you to be the mother of my children. We can get a house with a big yard, maybe a farm like my grandma's. We can have horses and goats, maybe even chickens and cows. The kids can ride the horses and swing from a tire swing in the front yard. It'll be perfect."

Macy brushed Luke's face with her fingertips. "That sounds beautiful, but we don't have any money, darling. We don't have jobs, and will have to work our way up once we get outta here."

"That's fine. I will work two jobs if I have to to support you and our kids." Luke cupped Macy's face with both hands. "No amount of work is too much for you. You're the light of my life."

Macy beamed as Luke kissed her. "I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you," she replied.

"Hearing Bailey was pregnant made me think about how much I want kids, especially with you. I wanted to make sure you were on board with that," Luke explained, laying down on the bed beside her.

"Luke, I want to wait till we're married before we sleep together," Macy said.

"Okay, my love. We will wait," he responded with a smile, kissing her forehead.

Macy started crying at this.

"What's wrong, baby?" Luke asked, sitting up.

"I told myself the man I was going to marry would respect that, or we wouldn't get married. Calvin ripped the decision away from me, but as long as it's been in my power, I've waited. I've saved myself for you," she explained, putting a hand on his cheek.

Luke's cheeks flushed and he looked down. "Are you sure I'm worthy of that?"

"Of course you are, Luke. You're the best man I've known, second only to my dad. He would've loved you. Mom would've too."

Luke looked up at the ceiling to try and keep tears from spilling onto his face. "Our kids are going to be so screwed," he laughed.

"How come, baby?"

"They won't have any grandparents."

Macy laughed softly. "But they'll have a bomb group of adopted uncles, as well as an aunt."

Luke pulled Macy into his arms and kissed her head. A wise man once said that love covers a multitude of sin, and that rang true with Macy and Luke. Macy melted his walls and calluses and healed the brokenness inside of him. Luke handled her with care and respect as she learned to trust and be vulnerable again. All wrongs were made right because of their love for each other. They were still flawed, imperfect people, but they were the type of imperfect that the other needed. Two halves of a whole.

***Hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. It's a fluffy, filler chapter, but this one holds a special place in my heart. Don't forget to vote and comment! Love you all xx Emma***