Falice 2

Postpartum

"His name is Charles," Alice tells the nun forcibly taking her son away from her. She needs to give him the name she's thought of as a parting gift. "Charles Smith. He's taking my name."

She didn't want to let go of her sweet baby boy, but she has no other choice. Sister Woodhouse only granted her a few minutes alone with her baby after the birth. She would get attached if she allowed for anything more, she sternly said to her. She was right, but Alice was attached the second she realized she wanted to keep the baby growing inside of her. She had always wanted to keep her son. It was the Coopers who took that right away from her for the sake of their beloved son and his future.

Alice quietly cries after she's left alone in the room. She doesn't believe she'll ever get over the heartbreak of losing her son.

When she returns back home, she isn't the same seventeen year old she was when she was first checked into the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. She lost more than her son during her stay there. Freshly eighteen and recovering from birthing out a baby, she doesn't remember who she was five months ago before being sworn to secrecy.

She noticed the looks she got when she showed her face at school again. Hal had lied and told people she took a journalism internship in New York on behalf of the Coopers for extra credit.

"Alice," Fred finds her at her locker. "You're back?"

Alice shrugs and shuts her locker.

"How was the Big Apple? Meet any famous people?"

Alice shakes her head. "I've got to go."

Fred frowns. She wasn't much of a sharer, but for an opportunity like this he'd think she wouldn't mind saying a few things about the experience. He watches her quickly push her way through people in the hall.

She bumps into Hermione around the corner. She looks up when Hermione sounds surprised to see her.

"Alice, oh my gosh. You're back."

Alice tries to go around her but Hermione isn't going to let her go so easily. "Hal said-"

"I don't want to talk about Hal," Alice seethes.

"What about FP?" She asks to get her reaction.

Alice yanks her into the bathroom. She looks to see if it's empty before they continue.

"That got your attention," Hermione smiles to herself, satisfied.

"I don't want to talk about him either."

"Well, lucky for you, you won't really have to. He's gone."

"What do you mean gone?" Alice knits her eyebrows.

"Hal didn't tell you? He dropped out two months ago after he turned eighteen." Hermione reveals. "He enlisted for the army. He's getting shipped off in a couple of days. I thought maybe you'd like to know."

"Why would I?" Alice scoffs.

"I don't know. Maybe because you were pregnant with his child."

"You swore not to say anything."

"I didn't, but I do still believe he deserves to know." Hermione gets a look from her. "He does, Alice."

"It doesn't matter anymore. It was a closed adoption. I don't get told anything about him after giving him up."

"Him? You had a boy?"

Alice nods and wipes a tear she didn't know had fallen. "Our son's name is Charles."

"I bet he was adorable."

"He was beautiful. I didn't want to let him go."

"Then why did you?"