Yesterday | Seth Clearwater

Chapter 20

Oh, lights go down

In the moment we're lost and found

And I just wanna be by your side

~ Birdy "Wings"

Seth walked into his house to find his mom. He was nervous— he didn't want her to be disappointed in him, but he knew that he couldn't keep this from her forever. Honestly, he hadn't meant to put it off for this long, but every time he thought about telling her, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He was so scared that she was never going to look at him the same way again. She was the last parent he had left, and it would break his heart if this is ruined their relationship. But Seth was a parent now too, and he knew that he had to stick by his baby no matter what— even if that meant ruining the relationship he had with his own parent.

Sue Clearwater was sitting on the living room couch looking at something on her laptop when Seth found her.

"Hey, Mom?" 

Sue looked away from the screen.

"Oh! You're back," she said. "How's everything with the pack?"

"Yeah— it's fine," Seth told her. "We're a little worried with what's been going on in the news, but we haven't seen any vampires in the area, so we can't really do anything yet."

"Well, let's hope they stay away from La Push," Sue said. "How's Brooklyn?"

Seth's mom knew that her son had imprinted on Brooklyn, and she was ecstatic that they were dating— she had always thought they would end up together.

"Actually, Mom, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," Seth said nervously.

"Seth, what's wrong?" Sue said. The look on her son's face had her really concerned. Had something happened with Brooklyn?

"Brooklyn's pregnant," Seth said. He figured it was best to just say it, and deal with the consequences.

Sue didn't say anything. She really hadn't been expecting that— she thought that they had gotten into a fight or something. Was this a reflection of her parenting skills? How could she not have known that they were that serious? Hadn't she taught him better? She should have noticed. Sue felt like a terrible mother.

"Mom," Seth said. "Please say something."

"How did this happen?" she said wistfully. "How could I have let this happen?"

"Mom, this isn't your fault," Seth said. "This is all on me... And Brooke. We knew better, and we weren't careful, and honestly, now that I think back on it, I'm only surprised that this didn't happen sooner."

"You've only been dating for a month. How much sooner could it have happened?" Sue asked.

"Yeah, about that," Seth sighed. "I only imprinted on her a month ago. We've actually been going out for longer than that."

"What do you mean, Seth?" she demanded. "How long have you two been together?"

"Well, it's been about... Seven-ish months," Seth admitted.

"So you've been lying to me for months?" Sue asked angrily.

"Yeah... It was wrong, and I'm sorry that I lied," Seth told her. "But I can't change what happened. I can only take responsibility for it."

Sue sighed. "How far along is she?"

"Nine weeks," Seth replied. He pulled the ultrasound photo out of his pocket and handed it to his mom. 

"Look at that," Sue said with tears in her eyes. "My first grandchild. How has Brooklyn been feeling? Any morning sickness?"

"She gets nauseous a lot, but she's been able to keep food down for the most part. She's tired a lot though. I think that's been the toughest thing for her so far— especially with school starting so early and all of the homework she has to do," Seth said.

"Hopefully that'll get better in her second trimester," Sue replied. "I felt the same way when I was pregnant with Leah, and it got better once I started my second trimester."

"She's hoping that too," Seth said.

"Have you guys talked about baby names? Do you want a girl or a boy?" Sue began questioning excitedly.

"We haven't talked about names yet," he said. "We wanted to wait until we knew if it was a boy or girl. Brooklyn won't tell me which one she's hoping for though, she says it shouldn't matter either way, but I think she definitely has an opinion. And I have no idea which one I want more— the thought of having a daughter is terrifying because I've seen how guys my age treat girls, and I don't want that to ever happen to my daughter, but a boy has a higher chance of phasing, and I don't want my kid to face danger the way the guys and I do. We just want our baby to be happy and healthy— that's what we're both hoping for the most." 

"You guys are gonna be great parents," Sue told him. "Don't get me wrong— I think you two are way too young, and this is going to be the most difficult experience of your life. But I think you guys can pull it off."

"So you're not mad?" Seth asked.

"I'm angry that you lied to me," Sue told him. "And I'm disappointed that you were irresponsible enough to let this happen, but she's your imprint, and this is my grandchild. The circumstances definitely could've been better, but they also could have been a lot worse. We're just gonna have to make do with what we've got. I love you, and I love Brooklyn, and I already love your baby."

Sue pulled Seth in for a hug. 

"You're grounded for lying to me though," she told him as they embraced.

"That's fair," Seth laughed. "How long am I grounded for?"

"Two weeks," Sue said. "You're only allowed to go to school, run patrol, and see Brooklyn for baby-related stuff. No hanging out at Sam's all day until you've served your time."

"Okay, Mom," Seth sighed. He wasn't gonna argue with her— she was already being way niver than he had expected.

"And I want you to invite Brooklyn and her mother over for dinner sometime," Sue said. "I think we should talk as a family."

"Alright," Seth agreed. "I'll invite them."

There was a lull in the conversation.

"I wish Dad was here," Seth said sadly. "He was such a great Dad, and I'm lucky to have had him as my role model, but there's still so much that I wish I could talk to him about. What if I'm not as good of a dad to my kid as Dad was to me? Am I disappointing him?"

"Seth, you are so kind, and selfless, and caring. You are already such a great person, and you haven't even finished growing up yet," Sue told him. "I am so proud of the person that you are now, and the person that you'll eventually grow to be. Your dad was so proud of you and Leah, and I know that he would be so excited to meet your baby if he was here. You have all of his good qualities, and I know that your baby is going to idolize you the way you idolize your dad. You are going to be a great father to your baby— you already love that baby so much, and that love is only gonna grow."

"Thanks, Mom," Seth said as he pulled her in for another hug.