ROOM 7
Chapter Sixty-Five: The Girl Who Waited
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The news about Yuri spread fast.
He was in jail, awaiting trial. Kidnapping. False imprisonment. Assault. The media had a field day. The Hanamitchi name, once respected, was now mud. His parents went into hiding. His friends scattered. The company collapsed.
Jay didn't follow the news. She didn't need to. She was healing. Her wrists were getting better. Her nightmares were fading. Keifer was beside her every night, holding her, reminding her she was safe.
Life was returning to normal. Or as normal as it could be after everything.
Then Emma called.
---
Part One: The Call
Jay was in the kitchen, making coffee, when her phone rang. She didn't recognize the number. She almost didn't answer.
"Hello?"
"Jay." A woman's voice. Tired. Strained. "It's Emma."
Jay went still. Emma. They'd been friends in college. Close friends. Emma had been there during the Room 7 days, before everything fell apart. But after graduation, they'd lost touch. Life got busy. Distance grew.
"Emma." Jay set the coffee pot down. "How are you?"
Emma laughed. It was hollow. "That's a complicated question."
Jay leaned against the counter. "What's wrong?"
Emma was quiet for a moment. Then: "I'm pregnant."
Jay's breath caught. "What?"
"Seven months. The delivery date is in two weeks."
Jay's mind raced. Emma wasn't married. Emma didn't have a partner. Emma had been alone for years.
"Emma—"
"The father is Yuri."
The words hung in the air. The kitchen was quiet. The coffee grew cold.
Jay gripped the counter. "Yuri."
"We were together. Before everything. Before you. Before the wedding. Before—" Emma stopped. Her voice cracked. "He said he loved me. He said we'd be together. He said—" She stopped again.
Jay closed her eyes. "What happened?"
"He left. When he started pursuing you, he left. He didn't even say goodbye." Emma's voice was bitter. "I found out I was pregnant a month later. I tried to tell him. He wouldn't take my calls. He wouldn't read my messages. He just—" She stopped. "He just disappeared."
Jay opened her eyes. The kitchen was blurry. Her hands were shaking.
"I'm sorry," Jay said.
Emma laughed again. Hollow. "It's not your fault."
Jay took a breath. "Where are you?"
"At a shelter. For single mothers. I couldn't afford the apartment on my own. I couldn't—" She stopped. "I couldn't do it alone."
Jay grabbed her keys. "I'm coming."
"Jay—"
"Send me the address."
She hung up. Walked to the door. Keifer was in the hallway, watching her.
"Jay. What's wrong?"
She looked at him. At the man who had never left her. The man who had fought for her. The man who had saved her.
"Yuri got a girl pregnant. Before everything. He left her. She's alone. She's about to give birth."
Keifer's face darkened. "Emma?"
Jay nodded. "You know her?"
"She was in Room 7. A few times. Friends with Lyra." He paused. "She was always quiet. Kept to herself."
Jay opened the door. "I'm going to see her."
Keifer followed. "I'm coming with you."
She didn't argue.
---
Part Two: The Shelter
The shelter was a small building on the edge of the city. White walls. Blue doors. A garden in the back, overgrown but loved. Emma was sitting on a bench, her hands on her belly, her face turned toward the sun.
She looked older than Jay remembered. Thinner. Tired. But her eyes were the same. Warm. Kind. Hopeful.
Jay walked toward her. Emma looked up. Her face broke into a smile.
"Jay."
Jay sat beside her. Took her hand. "Emma."
Emma's eyes filled with tears. "Thank you for coming."
Jay squeezed her hand. "I should have come sooner."
Emma shook her head. "You had your own problems."
Jay looked at her belly. Round. Full. A new life growing inside.
"Is it a boy or a girl?"
Emma smiled. "A girl. I'm naming her Clara."
Jay's throat tightened. "Clara."
Emma nodded. "It was my grandmother's name. She was the strongest woman I ever knew."
They sat in silence. The sun was warm. The garden was quiet. Keifer stood by the gate, watching, waiting.
"Have you told him?" Jay asked.
Emma shook her head. "He won't take my calls."
"He's in jail."
Emma looked at her. "I know."
"Have you tried to visit him?"
Emma laughed. Hollow. "I went to the station. They said he wasn't accepting visitors. They said he didn't want to see anyone."
Jay's jaw tightened. "He's a coward."
Emma shrugged. "I already knew that."
She stood up. Her belly made it hard to balance. Jay stood beside her, steadying her.
"I'm not asking for anything," Emma said. "I just wanted you to know. In case something happens. During the delivery." She touched her belly. "In case I don't—"
"Don't say that."
Emma smiled. "Someone has to take care of her."
Jay looked at her. At the woman who had been abandoned. The woman who was about to give birth alone. The woman who was already thinking about who would raise her daughter if she didn't survive.
"I'll take care of her," Jay said.
Emma stared at her. "What?"
"If something happens. If you need help. If you can't—" Jay stopped. Took a breath. "I'll take care of Clara."
Emma's face crumpled. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Jay—"
"I mean it."
Emma pulled her into a hug. Her belly pressed against Jay's stomach. Her tears soaked Jay's shoulder.
"Thank you," Emma whispered.
Jay held her. "You don't have to thank me."
They stood in the garden. The sun was warm. The flowers were blooming. A new life was coming.
Jay would be there.
No matter what.
---
Part Three: The Station
Keifer went to the station that night.
Yuri was in a holding cell, waiting for his trial. His face was bruised. His lip was split. His eyes were hollow.
Keifer stood on the other side of the glass. His hands were in his pockets. His face was calm.
"You have a visitor," the guard said.
Yuri looked up. His eyes widened when he saw Keifer. "What do you want?"
Keifer picked up the phone on his side of the glass. Yuri hesitated. Then he picked up his.
"Emma," Keifer said.
Yuri went still.
"She's seven months pregnant. With your child."
Yuri's face was pale. His hands were shaking. "I didn't—"
"You didn't know? Or you didn't care?"
Yuri looked at the floor. "I didn't know."
Keifer's jaw tightened. "She tried to tell you. You wouldn't take her calls. You wouldn't read her messages."
Yuri looked up. "I was busy. With the merger. With Jay. With—"
"With destroying your own life."
Yuri didn't answer.
Keifer leaned closer to the glass. "She's alone. In a shelter. About to give birth. And you're in here."
Yuri's voice cracked. "What do you want me to do?"
Keifer looked at him. At the man who had once been his friend. The man who had tried to steal Jay. The man who had abandoned Emma.
"I want you to take responsibility."
Yuri shook his head. "I can't. I'm in jail. I'm on trial. I'm—"
"You're making excuses."
Yuri looked at the floor. His shoulders were shaking.
Keifer set the phone down. Walked to the door. Stopped.
"Yuri."
Yuri looked up.
"Jay is taking care of her. Since you won't."
He walked out. The door closed behind him.
---
Part Four: The Delivery
Emma went into labor two weeks later.
Jay was with her. Keifer was in the waiting room. The nurses rushed past. The machines beeped. The lights were bright.
Emma screamed. Cried. Pushed. Jay held her hand. Didn't let go.
"You can do this," Jay said.
Emma shook her head. "I can't."
"You can."
Emma squeezed her hand. Her face was red. Her hair was matted. Her eyes were wild.
"Stay with me."
Jay held her hand tighter. "I'm not going anywhere."
The hours passed. The sun set. The sun rose. The baby came at dawn.
A girl. Small. Red. Screaming.
The nurse placed her in Emma's arms. Emma was crying. Jay was crying. The baby was crying.
"She's beautiful," Emma whispered.
Jay touched the baby's cheek. "She's perfect."
Emma looked at her. At the woman who had come when no one else did. The woman who had held her hand through the worst night of her life.
"Clara," Emma said. "Her name is Clara."
Jay smiled. "Hi, Clara."
The baby stopped crying. Opened her eyes. Looked at Jay.
Emma laughed. "She likes you."
Jay touched the baby's hand. Tiny fingers wrapped around hers.
"I like her too."
---
Part Five: The Promise
Emma was discharged three days later.
Jay drove her to the shelter. Helped her inside. Helped her to bed. Helped her with the baby.
Clara was sleeping. Small. Peaceful. Her tiny chest rose and fell.
Emma sat on the bed. Her face was tired. Her eyes were grateful.
"Jay."
Jay sat beside her. "Yeah."
"Thank you. For everything."
Jay took her hand. "You don't have to thank me."
Emma looked at the baby. At the daughter she had brought into the world alone.
"I don't know how I'm going to do this."
Jay squeezed her hand. "You're not going to do it alone."
Emma looked at her. "What do you mean?"
Jay looked at the baby. At Clara. At the tiny life that deserved a chance.
"I mean I'm going to help you. We're going to help you. Keifer. Lyra. Alex. Everyone." She paused. "You're not alone anymore."
Emma's eyes filled with tears. "Jay—"
Jay pulled her into a hug. "You're family now."
Emma held her. Cried. Laughed. Held on.
Clara slept. The sun set. The room was quiet.
Jay stayed.
---
Part Six: The Visit
Keifer came to the shelter the next day.
He stood in the doorway, holding a stuffed animal. A small shark. Blue. Soft. Like the one he'd won for Jay years ago.
Emma looked up. "Keifer."
He walked to the bed. Handed her the shark. "For Clara."
Emma took it. Held it. "It's beautiful."
He sat in the chair beside the bed. Looked at the baby. At the tiny face. At the tiny hands.
"She looks like you," he said.
Emma smiled. "Everyone says that."
He was quiet for a moment. Then: "I went to see Yuri."
Emma's smile faded. "You didn't have to do that."
"I wanted to." He looked at her. "He knows about Clara."
Emma's jaw tightened. "And?"
"He said he didn't know."
Emma laughed. Hollow. "He always says that."
Keifer leaned back. "He's not going to take responsibility."
Emma shook her head. "I didn't expect him to."
Keifer looked at the baby. At the shark in her tiny hands. At the life that had been created out of nothing.
"Jay's going to help you," he said. "We're both going to help you."
Emma looked at him. "Why?"
He looked at her. At the woman who had been abandoned. The woman who had been forgotten. The woman who was raising a child alone.
"Because that's what family does."
Emma's eyes filled with tears. She didn't wipe them away.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Keifer nodded. "You don't have to thank me."
He stood up. Walked to the door. Stopped.
"Emma."
"Yeah."
"Clara is lucky to have you."
He walked out. The door closed behind him.
Emma looked at the baby. At the shark. At the life she had created.
"Clara," she whispered. "We're going to be okay."
The baby slept. The room was quiet.
Emma believed it.
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End of Chapter Sixty-Five