Lone Winter - The Birth II

Desperate and starving, Zoe swallows her pride and calls her parents. She asks if they could help tide her over while she finishes school. Her father is more willing to listen than her mother, but they do finally agree to provide her with a small loan and get her into a new, more hygienic house. Zoe will be expected to pay them back, with interest.

The new home is a serious upgrade, and Zoe has some leftover money for toys and supplies for Aurora. The relief helps her to buckle down, and she finally graduates high school early. She continues her work at the fast food restaurant but considers applying for scholarships to continue her education as Aurora gets older.

Zoe helps her child with important milestones like tummy time and fine motor skills. As Aurora becomes a little more mobile, she grows more confident in her parenting skills. She also occasionally messages her father with updates and pictures, and their relationship begins to improve.  

Things continue to look up for Zoe and Aurora. After receiving a promotion at work, Zoe decides to apply for scholarships. To her delight, she receives two! The next step is applying for university. She decides to apply for a degree in Culinary Arts.

Aurora reaches new milestones every day, and Zoe enrolls in college. Wanting to get the most out of her scholarships, she enrolls for three courses. Her scholarships are enough to cover her courses completely and give her some extra money back to put towards Aurora. 

Zoe has bit off more than she can chew. She is forced to quit her job at the fast-food restaurant in order to do her best with school and keep her scholarships. Thankfully, she has a small amount of savings to support her little family. Next semester, she vows to take only two courses until Aurora is grown. To her surprise, her father supports her decision to quit her job and tells her to reach out if she needs help.