Courtney followed close behind her. “Amelia, you should buy a pregnancy test and take it.”
Amelia’s heart raced at the thought of being pregnant. There was no way she could be pregnant. She had a regimen with her birth control pills. She had never missed a pill and she always took the pill at the same time every night before bed. No way would her pill not work. She doubted she was pregnant. There was no way she could be. She turned to Courtney and whispered, “I’m on the pill. There’s no way I could be pregnant.”
In disagreement, Courtney said, “I know a few women who got pregnant when they were taking the pill.”
Amelia narrowed her eyes at Courtney. “Who was that?”
Courtney shrugged. “Well, I don’t know them personally, but I read about it in a magazine once.”
Amelia ran a hand through her hair. “You’re not helping me right now.”
Courtney watched as Amelia paced the floor. “You need to take a test just to be sure. If you keep taking the pill, it can hurt the baby.”
Amelia stopped and stared at Courtney. “What?!”
Now she had to worry if she was pregnant and if she was if the baby was now harmed by her taking the pill?!
Courtney guided Amelia to the pregnancy tests and picked one out for her. “Take this one. There’s two in this package. You can save the other one for another time.”
Amelia grabbed the pregnancy test and walked to the counter. An older woman stood at the checkout and glanced at the test in Amelia’s hand. The woman raised her eyebrows and said, “Good luck, dear.”
Amelia put on a fake smile and nodded at the woman. She wondered who in their right mind could honestly wish luck for something like this. She tossed the pregnancy test on the conveyor belt and watched as Courtney rang it up.
“$14.85,” Courtney gave her the total. “Can you believe that woman?”
Amelia shook her head as she dug into her wallet for her money. “Right now, I can’t believe anything,” she said as she handed the money to Courtney. “I can’t believe how expensive the tests are. That’s outrageous.”
Courtney smirked and said, “Imagine how expensive a baby is.”
Amelia narrowed her eyes and said, “You’re not helping this situation right now.”
She grabbed her receipt from Courtney and took her bag with the test in it. She walked toward the door.
Courtney hollered to her, “It’s best to take the test in the morning.”
Amelia turned as she walked out the door and smiled. She wondered how Courtney knew all of these things about pregnancy and what magazines she had read.
* * *
Amelia pulled her Taurus into the driveway. She had made it home after a ten minute journey from the store. She had to pull over on the side of the road three times. She peeked into the rearview mirror. Her hair was an untamed mess. She looked pale. She felt as bad as she looked.
She grabbed the bag with the test and slowly made her way to the bottom of the porch steps. Nausea overwhelmed her and she prayed she would make it into her house before it erupted. Her prayer was unanswered as she heaved into a nearby bush.
“Amelia!” Bailey hollered as she ran across the street and into Amelia’s yard. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
Amelia wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and sleeve. She hated how unladylike vomiting was. She held up a hand and pushed herself up with the help of her porch railing.
“You don’t look so great, Amelia,” Bailey announced. “When did this start?”
“That’s not the first time I’ve heard that today,” Amelia said. “It started this morning at work. I just came from there.”
She held up the bag with the test to show Bailey she wasn’t lying to her. Bailey’s eyes scanned the bag. A surprised look covered her face. She pointed at the bag and asked, “Is that what I think it is?”
Amelia stood up straight and took one step at a time to her front door. She fumbled for the house key. “Don’t get carried away in excitement. I was forced to buy this.”
Bailey chuckled. “Who would force you to do anything?”
Amelia glared at her. Bailey shut her mouth and nodded. “Alright then, let’s go inside and I’ll get you a wash cloth for your face.”
Bailey took the key from Amelia and unlocked the door. She pushed the door open and helped Amelia into the living room. She guided Amelia to the couch. Amelia sat without an argument. She was exhausted. The energy she had this morning when she had woke up was long gone. It had drained from her a long time ago.
Bailey walked to the couch from the kitchen with a wash cloth in her hand. It dripped a few drops of warm water onto Amelia when she handed it to her. Amelia struggled to place it on her forehead. Bailey helped her.
“This should help some,” Bailey said.
“I’m so dizzy,” Amelia said through gritted teeth. Frustration had overwhelmed her. “I hate being sick. I’m never sick!” she shouted and threw her hand in the air.
Bailey rushed into the kitchen to grab the mop bucket from the closet. She brought it to Amelia and set it on the floor next to the couch. “If it’s morning sickness, it should wear off here soon. I wouldn’t think it’d last too long,” Bailey told Amelia. “I mean, in a day’s time. Morning sickness lasts for a couple months for some women.”
Amelia swatted at Bailey. “Bai, shut up, please?”
Bailey closed her mouth and asked, “I’ll be right here if you need anything.”
Amelia closed her eyes and rested on the couch for a while. She needed to relax and overcome this sickness. She wondered how long she’d be down with it.
After an hour, the nausea and dizziness subsided. She opened her eyes. Bailey sat in the chair by the couch. She had a magazine open in her lap as she read it. She looked at Amelia and asked, “How do you feel now?”
Amelia closed her eyes and opened them again. She lifted her head off the back of the couch and focused on Bailey. “Better.”
Bailey nodded. “You have some of your color back in your face. You look better.”
Amelia nodded.
“Are you planning on telling Zach?” Bailey asked.
Amelia glanced at her. “About what?”
Bailey pointed to the bag that sat in front of Amelia on the coffee table.
Amelia shrugged her shoulders. Bailey narrowed her eyes and said, “You should probably tell him.”
“I’ll tell him when I take the test, but for now, it stays between us,” Amelia stated.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
She startled awake by the phone as it rang. She rolled over in bed and looked at the clock – 8:39. She threw the blankets off and climbed out of bed. Her head spun as she stood up. She caught her balance with the edge of the dresser on the way to the bathroom.
Whoever it was that called would have to call back. She walked into the bathroom and remembered the pregnancy test. She pulled the drawer open and grabbed her makeup bag. She unzipped it and pulled the test out. She placed it on the countertop of the sink and tossed her makeup bag back into the drawer. She used her hip to close the drawer. She picked up the test and read the instructions on the back of the box.
She squatted over the toilet and followed the directions as she peed on the stick. She set the test on the counter and walked out of the bathroom after she washed her hands. The directions had stated she should leave the test alone for no more than five minutes.
The phone rang again. This time, she made her way down the stairs to answer it.
She grabbed the phone and answered it on the fourth ring. “Hello?”
“Amelia Jean, why didn’t you tell me?” her mother nearly shouted into the phone. Clearly her mother was upset. Her gut twisted.
“What didn’t I tell you?” Amelia asked innocently. She had no idea what her mother referred to. So many things had happened in the last month, it was hard to keep track of what she had told her, or had not.
“Don’t play stupid with me, Amelia Jean,” her mother
said into the phone.
“Mom, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Amelia admitted. She felt like an idiot.
“You never told me you were in the hospital!” her mother shouted into the phone. “I had to hear it from word of mouth!”
Amelia frowned. She had known it would get back to her mother eventually. She should have known better than to keep anything from her. “I’m sorry, Mom,” she apologized. “I didn’t think it was anything to worry you about.”
Her mother grunted into the phone and said, “Nothing to worry about?! You were in the hospital having surgery for Pete’s sake!”
Amelia sighed. She wanted to chuckle at how dramatic her mother was, but decided it wasn’t the best time to laugh. “Mom, calm down.”
“Calm down?” her mother hissed through the phone. “Amelia, you could’ve died and I would’ve never known.”
Amelia smirked and replied sarcastically, “You would’ve known. You know I was in the hospital.”
The tone in her mother’s voice was sharp with anger. “You think it’s a joke, Amelia?”
Amelia hesitated before she answered. She thought for a minute she had heard her mother sniffle. Her heart sank. “Mom, I’m fine.”
Her mother confirmed her suspicion when she blew her nose.
“Mom, don’t cry. I’m fine, I promise,” Amelia reassured her.
“But you weren’t fine.” Her mother sobbed into the phone. “You could’ve…”
“Mom, please, I’m sorry,” Amelia pleaded. “I promise I’ll tell you everything next time.”
Her mother sniffled and said, “I don’t need to know everything, but I’d like to know when major things happen to you.”
Amelia swallowed her emotions. She felt horrible for not telling her mother about her surgery.
“I have to get off of here,” her mother stated. “I have things to get done around here.”
“Okay, Mom,” Amelia said. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Amelia Jean,” her mother said.
Her mother ended the conversation and Amelia hung up the phone.
* * *
Amelia almost forgot about the pregnancy test. She sprinted up the stairs and into her bathroom. Thoughts filled her mind as she walked to the sink. She felt uneasy and wondered if she was ready for the result of the test.
She looked at herself in the mirror. Her face flushed with panic and excitement. Somewhere deep inside of her she wanted to be pregnant. The excitement outweighed the panic by a long shot. She took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair. She bounced on her heels. She could not force herself to look down at the stick that sat on her counter.
“What’re you doing?” Zach asked from the bathroom doorway.
Amelia turned toward him. With a deer-in-the-headlights look, she stuttered, “I was…Imma…”
He walked into the bathroom. His eyes focused on her as she nervously tried to tell him what she was doing. Why am I having a hard time talking? she thought. He smiled and asked her, “What’s the matter? Did the cat get your tongue?”
He chuckled until his eyes focused on the pregnancy test. She followed his gaze and realized he had seen the test. He reached for it and she shouted, “Don’t!”
He dropped his hand away from the test and gave her a frightened look.
She brought her hand up to cover her forehead and her eyes. She wondered how she would explain this to him. Stop thinking so much and tell him!
“What’s that?” Zach asked as he pointed to the stick on the countertop. “Is that what I think it is?”
Amelia followed his finger with her eyes. She looked back at him. He stood still in the doorway of the bathroom. He stood in shock as she tried to tell him.
“I was sick yesterday at work,” Amelia started to explain. “I was dizzy and nauseous and I was throwing up.”
She tried to slow her speech. She talked a mile a minute and wondered if he followed what she had said. “I was so sick.”
Zach’s face twisted with confusion and excitement. “Do you think you’re pregnant?”
Amelia stuttered through her words as she tried to explain why she had taken the test. “Courtney thought I should take the test, but I told her I’m on the pill.”
Zach looked at the test on the counter and back to Amelia. “Have you missed a pill?”
Amelia shook her head.
Zach pointed to the test and asked, “Have you seen what the test result is?”
Amelia shook her head again.
Zach threw his arms up and said in a nervous and excited tone, “What the hell are we waiting for?”
Amelia smiled and tried to calm her nerves as they both looked at the test. She looked at it and looked at Zach. His face twisted in confusion. He looked at her and asked, “What’s the two lines for?”
Amelia smiled. Tears welled in her eyes as she tried to explain what the lines meant on the test. Nerves and emotion choked her. A wide smile appeared on Zach’s face. “We’re pregnant?”
Amelia nodded. Zach grabbed her and lifted her into his arms. He gently put her down and said, “Oh, sorry, I guess I shouldn’t do that.”
Amelia wrapped her arms around his neck and hung onto him for a while. Tears streamed down her cheeks. He held onto her and whispered into her ear, “We’re really pregnant?”
She nodded. She smiled when he jumped up and down and shouted, “We’re pregnant! We’re going to have a baby!”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Yes! I’m pregnant!” Amelia exclaimed to her mother on the phone.
“Amelia Jean, how exciting!” her mother exclaimed into the phone. “How far along are you?”
Amelia smiled. She was nervous about being pregnant again, but for now, she was excited to share the news. She still couldn’t believe she was pregnant.
“Dr. Bohage thinks I’m about six weeks. He wants me back in two weeks to do an ultrasound,” Amelia said.
Her mother shouted to her father, “Amelia’s going to have a baby!”
Amelia smiled and cringed at the high-pitched tone her mother used to tell her father. She heard her father congratulate her in the background.
“Did you hear your father, Amelia?” her mother asked. “He said congratulations!”
“Thanks,” Amelia stated.
Her mother’s hesitation told her she had a thought. “Are you sure you want this?”
Amelia was taken aback by her mother’s question. She knew her mother meant well with the question, but it threw her off a bit. Emotions stirred in Amelia that she had not felt in a long time. The memory of the miscarriage flooded back to her. A sick feeling overwhelmed her as her nerves rattled her.
“Yes, Mom, I’m sure this is what I want,” Amelia stated.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” her mother apologized. “I just know how hard the last pregnancy was for you.”
Amelia swallowed her emotions and cleared her throat. “The miscarriage, Mom,” she said without emotion. “That’s what you mean. It wasn’t the pregnancy, it was the miscarriage.”
Her mother hesitated. She took a few minutes before she said, “I’m sorry, Amelia.”
“It’s okay, I understand what you meant,” Amelia confirmed. “That was my first thought when Zach and I saw the positive test.”
“Oh, Amelia, I’m so sorry you have to worry about that,” her mother said.
Amelia shrugged her shoulders. “I’m going to try not to.”
“That’s good, honey,” she said. “I’m sure there are many things that caused it to happen. You were really stressed out at that time.”
Amelia said nothing. Her mother changed the mood. “Don’t worry. This pregnancy will be good and you’ll have a healthy baby. And you have a wonderful man to help you through it.”
Amelia looked at Zach who had inched himself closer and closer to her so he could hear the conversation. He had his arms wrapped around her waist as he rested his hands on her stomach. He kissed th
e side of her face.
“Yes, that’s true, Mom,” Amelia confirmed. “I’ll call you later, I have things I need to do.”
“Okay, hon. I love you,” her mother said.
“Love you, too,” Amelia said and hung up the phone.
She had a feeling Zach would want to talk to her about the conversation, but instead he held onto her. She rested her head against his shoulder and asked, “Did you hear the whole conversation?”
He nodded his head. A knot formed in her stomach at the thought of what he had heard. “You don’t have anything to worry about. I’ll be right here for you,” he reassured her. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She held back tears as she asked, “What if I have another miscarriage?”
She felt his muscles tense. He squeezed his arms tighter around her and held her longer. She wondered if he had the same fears as her. “We’ll take it one day at a time.”
She nodded. She liked the sound of that. They would take this journey one day at a time.
* * *
“You’re pregnant?” Bailey asked, barely able to contain the excitement. She pointed a finger at Amelia and said, “I knew it!”
Amelia laughed as Bailey danced around the living room. She had wanted to visit Bailey yesterday when she had first taken the test, but everything went against her plan. She was sure Bailey did not mind the fact she had to wait an extra day to find out.
Amelia nodded. She was amazed Bailey had the thought she was pregnant before the test confirmed it. “I’m surprised you knew.”
“It was gut instinct,” Bailey said.
Amelia shrugged and said, “Whatever it was, it was right.”
Bailey smiled and wrapped her arms around Amelia. “I’m so happy for you!”
She squeezed Amelia and twirled her in a circle.
“Careful, Bai, I might get sick,” Amelia warned her.
Bailey stopped and steadied Amelia on her feet. She patted Amelia’s back and said, “You’re right. I have to be careful with you now.”
Amelia laughed. The thought of everyone who had said this came to her mind. She refused to be treated as a fragile item, but the thought they cared warmed her heart. She smiled.
Unexpected Chances (Fairshore Series Book 2) Page 13
