Chapter Text
The night Waverly’s life changed forever was, ironically, an entirely too average one. She had come home from school to find her father, Ward Earp, passed out on the couch with an empty bottle of Jim Bean lying on the floor next to him, a somewhat peaceful look upon his face when she considered his conscious being. After checking his breathing and rolling him onto his side in her usual routine, she trudged up the stairs, walking past a door that barely muffled the sound of classic rock and definitely not the smell of weed. The old wooden floorboards creaked with every footstep, the loudest being outside of Willa’s room; daddy used to joke that she wouldn’t be able to sneak off with any boys with the sound that it made, but that was a long time ago, when daddy was a different man, when the halls of the homestead weren’t so cold and eerie.
When she finally reached her room, the click of her lock filled her with a sense of calm, turning on her radio, she sat back on her bed, breathing a sigh of relief after a long day. However, this peace didn’t last for long, as a text message from her best friend, Nicole Haught, snapped her back into reality;
Hey Waves, hope you got home safe.
You know I would have waited for you to finish with Mr. Higgins, you didn’t have to walk. Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been super off today.
I’m here to talk whenever you’re ready x
An overwhelming sense of dread hit the pit of her stomach as she was reminded of the very thing she was trying to forget. Burying her face her in hands, she stared at her backpack through the gaps between her fingers, her heart racing at the thought of the drugstore bag it contained. She couldn’t go to Purgatory Pharmacy, couldn’t face the looks and the stares of people whom had known her as the town sweetheart, the kindest person in Purgatory, the very people who had known her since she was a child; no, instead she took the 3:15 bus to Calgary, hopped off at the nearest town Pharmacy, and got the 3:45 home, making some random excuse to Nicole about needing to talk with a teacher and hoping that she wasn’t seen by anyone who might recognise her.
The thought of the bag’s contents caused her heart to race. She was going to be okay, she tried to convince herself, it was only a stomach bug from Wynonna’s disastrous attempt at cooking; she had only had sex 2 and a half times and she made sure she used protection, she was going to be okay. Unfortunately, there was only one way to find out.
The next three minutes were the most anxiously agonising of her life. The cool tile of the bathroom floor sent a shiver across her body, reminding her that she was here, that this was real, that this was actually happening; oh god this was actually happening. Her hair was a mess from running her fingers through it, her nails bitten down to near-bloody stumps, her mind racing at what the fuck she was going to do if this thing came back positive. Would she keep it? How was she going to afford it? What was Champ going to think of all this? Oh God, she really didn’t want to have Champ freaking Hardy involved in something like this.
A random game notification rang on her phone, snapping Waverly out of her daze and alerting her that enough time had passed. With a deep breath she picked up the test from the counter above her, her eyes squeezed shut as prayed to every God she had ever heard of for it to be negative. She slowly opened them, looking down at the piece of plastic held in her shaking hands.
Pregnant
The word stared back at her, almost mockingly, as she brought her hands to her face, the test slipping from her grasp as she pressed her fingers into her temples. This isn’t happening, this isn’t happening. She was so careful. She thought she had been careful.
The moment brought one particular memory to her mind. She was 9 years old, and was coming out of school when she was surprised by a grinning 15 year old Wynonna. She remembers not seeing the girl for months after she was sent to juvie for a second time for hotwiring Nedley’s car, and being shocked seeing her at the gate since she wasn’t due out for another month. They went out for ice cream and sat in an empty park, talking for hours about everything they could think of. Waverly remembers telling her sister about Tammie Jackson, an annoying 5th grader who was constantly making fun of her for bringing a book with her during recess. Wynonna wrapped an arm around the youngest Earp and scoffed, reassuring her, “Don’t listen to her baby girl, in 10 years time you’ll be in Harvard, or whatever fancy pants school you want and she’ll be rounding up her baby daddies for child support. You’ll get out of this town, kiddo, I just know it.”
The last sentence played over and over in her head as she thought about what this test meant, about what course her life was going to take now. She caught a glimpse of herself in the reflection of the porcelain bath; a small broken girl in a cheerleading outfit that she would soon grow out of. With that thought she finally allowed herself to cry, sobs wrecking over her entire body as she accepted the truth of the situation. This was actually happening. With blurred vision and shaking hands she grabbed her phone.
To: Champ
Can you come over? We need to talk. It’s an emergency.
After counting 4 minutes and 32 seconds, she finally received a reply.
Babe, I’m watching the game. Whats up?
Huffing a sigh at how typical it was, she typed her response.
Champ, I’m serious, we need to talk in person. Right now
She was already losing her patience with him after two texts, how was she supposed to have his baby?!
Babe, just tell me on here I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think.
She would have laughed at how wrong the boy was if she didn’t feel so broken.
Champ, I’m pregnant.
30 seconds later her phone rang, her boyfriend immediately shouting down the phone in disbelief, “Babe please tell me you’re joking right now.”
Holding back a sob, the brunette replied, “No Champ, I’m not. I’m 2 days late and I was feeling nauseous this morning so I took a test.”
“And what did it say?!”
“What do you think it said you moron!?” She replied, tears running down her face.
“Oh God,” Champ breathed, “Right. Okay. This is going to be okay. There’s a clinic in Calgary. I’ll go fill the truck with gas and we’ll go first thing in the morning.”
Waverly was suddenly filled with anger, her voice shaking and stuttering as she replied, “Aren’t you going to ask me what I want to do? Rather than just assuming I want an abortion?!”
“Babe, I’m too young to be a dad. Plus, I don’t want to have to deal with a pregnant chick, it’s like PMS times a thousand, my mom was crazy when she had my brother.”
Waverly’s body shook with an empty laugh, of course he’s only thinking about himself, why wouldn’t he be? “Fine, Champ, I’ll figure this out on my own. Don’t call me.” And with that, she hung up the phone, letting it slip from her fingers onto the tile with a thud. It was probably cracked now, but that was the least of her worries.
She spent the next hour just lying on the bathroom floor, staring at the wall in front of her and letting her body become overwhelmingly numb with exhaustion and fear. Her face was red and aching from the cascade of tears raining from her cheeks, her throat dry from sobbing, and her lungs rasping out every breath she made. This was actually happening.
The sound of her phone vibrating against the tile shook her out of her trance. She picked up the device, holding it to her ear as she answered in a breathless voice, “Hello?”
“Waves, thank God you’re okay, you never answered my text,” the warm voice of her best friend filled her ears temporarily calming her, “You sound like you’ve been crying, what’s going on?”
“Nicol-“ her attempted reply is cut off with a loud cry, her body shaking.
“I’ll be there in 5 minutes,” Nicole replied, panic in her tone.
True to her word, 5 minutes later a familiar knock sounded against the bathroom door, “Waves, please let me in.” The youngest Earp simply reaches up and unlocks the door in reply, allowing the redhead to open it.
Peeking through the door she begins, “Waverly, what’s goi-“ only to be cut off by the view of the pregnancy test, and a distraught Earp sat in front of it.
“Oh Waves,” she breathes, immediately coming down to the girl’s level. “Does Champ know?”
Waverly nods, “he wants me to get an abortion,” she sniffles, “I told him where to go, he doesn’t care about what I want, he’s just making this harder.”
Nicole nods in understanding, her hand reaching to stroke the other girl’s back, “and what do you want?” she asks.
“I don’t know, Nicole,” she replies, her body once again shaking as she bursts into tears.
The redhead immediately pulls the girl, looking so small and fragile, into her arms, stroking her hair as she whispers to her, “It’s going to be alright Waves. Whatever you choose, I’ll be here by your side.”