A story about making a decision that will affect you for the rest of your life. Warning: This is a short story about a teenage situation.

My Angel

    Jasper placed his hand on the glass window; his light green eyes peered into the nursery, where all the newborn babies were. Some were crying, others sleeping; some were just lying there waiting for attention. He scanned the room looking for her. He found her sleeping nice and cozy, like she didn’t have a care in the world. His brand new daughter. Has he gazed upon her beautiful pink face. She had his light green eyes, dimpled cheeks, her mother's pink, full lips, and turned-up nose. Anyone would be able to tell who she belonged to just by looking at him and his girlfriend, Amelia. A tear formed in his eye as his heart grew two sizes bigger. He had produced a perfect angel in his eyes. Pressing his face to the glass window. He whispered, “Sorry, I am so so sorry, angel,” as tears fell from his eyes and down his cheek. His throat had closed up. So he couldn’t really express in words what he was feeling at that moment.

He was happy, sad, and felt tremendous guilt all at the same time. She was a part of Jasper. He had to give up unwillingly. He had no choice. What would a 16-year-old kid like him now about raising a baby? He barely knew how to take care of himself. His girlfriend, Amelia, was only 15 herself; she knew less than he did about babies. They were both too young for such a big responsibility. Knowing this still didn’t make the hurt he felt go away. He never thought their love for each other would produce this sweet, innocent baby, but it did. Now she would pay the price for their carelessness. If he could change anything, he would have waited for them to explore their feeling for each other until they were older. Not knowing the correct way of doing things because neither of their parents had taught them about sex. This is what led them down the path of having unprotected sex. That and their strong feelings for each other.

Jasper stared through the glass window as sadness took over. He couldn’t apologize enough to his angel for what he had to do. Fully examining his angel has he wiped the tears from his eyes. Jasper's lips turned up into a smile. His angel was a pretty pink and innocent bundle of joy. Thankfully, she came out healthy and had all her fingers and toes. Which was a blessing he thanked god for. If he had the courage and the money. Jasper would grab his angel and run away with her. He knew that would be impossible. Where would they go and how would they live? He was too young to get a job to support both of them. Amelia insisted this was the right thing to do. Even if Jasper didn’t agree with her. He still went along with the plan. Only because Jasper wanted something more for his Angel than what he could give her right now.

The nice nurse in the nursery noticed the young man peering into the window with tears running down his face. She gestured toward him, asking him which one. He pointed to the little pink girl sleeping with no name tag yet. The kind nurse picked the newborn up and carried her to the window. So Jasper could get a better look. All pink with wrinkles on her little hands and face. Her light green eyes suddenly opened up. Looking at him like she could know he was there. “Hey Angel,” he whispered through the lump in his throat. Has he put his hand up to the glass window. Where the nice nurse had placed the baby in front of “ I’m your daddy, you're beautiful. I’m so sorry, please forgive me”. Nodding his head at the nurse for thanks. The nurse returned his daughter to her crib. Jasper blew his daughter a kiss before walking away, head down. His heart hurt as he slowly walked back to his girlfriend’s room. When he entered her hospital room. Amalia was talking to a strange blond-haired woman with papers in her hand. Jasper just stood there listening. Hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth on his sneakers. He heard the woman tell his girlfriend to sign here. Has she laid the papers on the small table in front of her. Amelia quickly signed the papers. Returning them to the blonde-haired lady without any emotion. Jasper knew she was hurting like he was. She was just better at hiding it from them.

When the blond-headed woman turned around. She noticed Jasper standing there. Her blue eyes scanned him up and down with a look of impatience written over her face. “Are you the father?” she questioned him. Jasper didn’t know what to say at that point. His hands were still stuck in his pockets. He nodded his head up and down to her question. As his light green eyes searched for some kind of sign in his girlfriend's light brown eyes. That they were doing the right thing when it came to his angel. Amelia, lying in her hospital bed, couldn’t meet his eyes with her eyes. She quickly turned her head away from him. She gave her attention to something out of her hospital window. Jasper knew then she had made up her mind. Their plans for his angel would go through, whether he wanted them to or not. Jasper knew it was the right thing to do, but his heart told him not to do it. The blond-headed woman now stood next to him and shoved the papers in his hand. Telling him where to sign. He gave one more glance at his girlfriend. Amelia just nodded for him to sign the papers. Has a single tear rolled down her face, her lips quivering, Jasper signed quickly without reading the papers. The blond-headed woman took them, placing them in her briefcase. She patted Jasper on the back, telling him in a casual voice, “he was doing the right thing.” She hastily exited the room before they changed their minds about the decision they had made. He was so angry, Jasper left his girlfriend's room without saying anything to her. Right after the blond-headed lady left. The only thing he heard as he left Amelia’s hospital room was her crying. He didn’t care. He was too angry at the world right now to deal with her. Jasper just made a decision. He would regret it for the rest of his life. Sitting in his car, Jasper cried like a baby as his body was rocked back and forth. He never realized a person could feel so much pain like this. The thought of losing his angel was killing him.

Jasper felt like a part of him had died when he signed the adoption papers. In the short period of time his angel had been in this world. There was already a connection between the two of them. How could he not feel connected to her? She was his daughter and firstborn. Jasper didn’t know who to be angrier at: himself, Amelia, or their parents, who gave them no support whatsoever. When they told their parents about Amelia's pregnancy. First, they were shocked. Then both sets of parents stated how disappointed they were in them. Their parents told them they would continue to support them until they were 18, but not if they kept the baby. So the choice had been made for Jasper and Amelia even before they themselves had a chance to talk about it.

He should be there with Amelia to comfort her. Since they were both in this together, but he just couldn’t. He could barely deal with his own emotions right now, let alone hers. Drying his eyes, he drove out of the hospital parking lot. Not knowing where he was going, he just didn’t want to be here any longer. He had hoped never to return to this hospital again. Coming back to this hospital would be too painful for him. It would bring up memories of what he had on this day to his Angel. He hit his hand hard against the steering. Hoping he would feel anything other than the throbbing pain in his heart.

After driving for what seemed like hours, he pulled up into his driveway at home and sat in his car. Not sure if he wanted to face his parents, who he felt had turned their back on him and their first grandchild, too. Jasper would never forgive them for what they had forced him to do. Seeing his front door open and his parents waiting for him to come inside. He didn’t want to, but where could he go with no money and still in high school? He reluctantly stepped out of his car. Has the anger he felt toward them built up inside, he didn’t want to face his parents right now. He wasn’t sure with all the anger and hurt built up inside of him. What he would do or say to them. When he got close to them. There they stood in the doorway, smiling at him like nothing had happened to him within the last 24 hours. Has Jasper approached his parents with murderous thoughts on his mind. He knew deep down they were still his parents, and he could never truly harm them. Maybe they thought they were doing the right thing by making him give his angel up for adoption. He doubted it. Even at 16, he knew what was best for his angel, and that was for him to be in her life.

When Jasper reached his parents. His father placed his arm around his shoulder, and his mother kissed him on the cheek. They both guided him inside the house, closing the door behind them. From that point on, Jasper knew his life would never be the same again. Because every little girl he saw on the street would always remind him of the angel he gave away.