by Beth Rinyu
Carrie
One month had passed and Teigan had proved just how resilient he was. He was healing nicely, and after missing out on the first four weeks of his senior year, he was ready to return in just two more days. He seemed to be a different kid than the one I had met at the beginning of the summer. He matured from all of this, and seemed to finally come to his senses as to what he was doing to himself, as well as to his dad.
Besides deciding to move in together, Jason and I also decided to wait the entire month to tell anyone else about the baby. I wanted to be sure that everything was progressing as it should with the pregnancy and I also wanted to give us time to share this special time of our life with just the two us; before all the talk of baby names, finding out the sex, how to decorate the nursery, and all of the other excitement that came along with a new baby. So, with the exception of my grandmother, who I was finding out was an awesome secret keeper, no one else knew. Keeping it from Gia and my mom was a lot easier than I thought. I kind of liked knowing that Jason and I had our own little secret together, but I knew if I waited any longer to tell them, they would save the baby but probably kill me. So, tonight was the night we were breaking the news to my mother and Ben. I didn’t know why, but I felt like we were back in high school, getting ready to tell our parents that I was knocked up.
“So, should we tell them before, during or after dinner?” I asked Jason just before we walked into Mom and Ben’s.
“Umm….I’m not sure.” I could tell by his response that he was feeling just as nervous as I was.
Great. I needed one of us to be strong, and since I was the hormonal one, I was hoping it would have been Jason.
“Oh hey, guys! I’ll be ready in a sec!” My mom shouted, running around the house, appearing to be looking for something.
“Where’s my dad?” Jason asked.
“Oh, he’s helping to look for my other shoe,” she said, bending over and looking under the couch.
Jason looked over at me and smiled. “Sounds like someone else I know.” I playfully smacked him on the arm and was just about to join my mother in her search when Ben walked into the living room with the missing shoe in his hand.
“He’s my Prince Charming,” Mom joked, taking it from him and placing it on her foot. “Okay, I’m ready.”
Jason, nervously cleared his throat, and I could tell that he was battling with himself, wondering if this was the right time to tell them. I took a deep breath, deciding to put an end to the unneeded tension.
“Umm….before we go, we need to tell you guys something.”
“What’s up?” Mom asked, staring at me inquiringly and taking my left hand in hers, presumably looking for a ring.
“No, Mom! That’s not it,” I giggled as she and Ben just stared at Jason and I in bewilderment. It didn’t take long before the puzzled look on Ben’s face turned into a sly grin. He ran his hand down the scruff on his face, and took a slow step away from my mother.
“I’m pregnant!” I beamed.
“Ha, I knew it!” Ben shouted, hugging Jason and leaning down to give me a kiss.
All eyes were on my mother, who just stood there with her mouth agape and her eyes wide.
“Mom, say something,” I said, trying to prompt some type of reaction from her.
Tears gushed from her eyes. “Oh my god! Ben, we’re having a baby!” she cried.
“Umm, excuse me!” I giggled.
“I mean…..well…..oh my god! Come here, you guys!” She pulled Jason and me into a hug and gave us each a kiss. “I never in a million years expected this…..” She was overcome with emotion, kissing me once again. Her face suddenly dropped. She looked up at Ben and then at Jason, and finally at me. “Oh my god! I’m gonna be a grandmother!” She whined once it finally hit her.
“It will be okay, Melanie. You’ll be the hottest grandma around.” Ben teased, pulling her into him and kissing her on the head. The questions came once the shock wore off. When’s the due date? When can you find out the sex? When is the first ultrasound? My head was spinning. After answering each one in detail, I grabbed my phone to break the news to Gia.
“Oh, put her on speaker phone. I want to hear her reaction!” My mother screeched.
“It’s probably going to go to voicemail like usual,” I said after the third ring.
I was wrong.
“Carrie, this better be important. Jasper is on his way over, and I’m getting ready to have the best sex of my life.”
“Oh my god, Gia!” my mom shouted.
“Mom?!”
Jason and Ben howled with laughter.
“Oh my god – Ben and Jason? Carrie, what the hell?!” I tried my hardest to get my laughter under control long enough to form a coherent sentence. “Carrie, I’m going to kill you! Take me off speaker phone now!”
“No….wait. I’m sorry, Gia, I was –” Another fit of laughter hit me. “I was trying to surprise you.”
“Well you did! Thanks! Now that everyone knows my plans for tonight.”
“We would have rather not,” my mother muttered.
“What did she say?” Gia snapped.
“I said, that really isn’t the proper way to answer the phone.” My mother shouted back.
“Oh, well sorry! I thought I was just talking to Carrie not the whole family,” Gia scoffed.
I needed to break up the argument that was about to ensue between her and my mother as quick as possible.
My mother was getting ready to go for the next round “Honestly, Gia –”
“Gia, I’m gonna have a baby!” I interrupted.
“Wait, what?! Who said that? Mom, was that you? You’re gonna have a baby?” Gia screeched.
“No, silly, me! Carrie. Your sister. You’re gonna be an aunt!” I clarified.
There was a brief silence and for a moment, I thought I’d lost her. “Wait. What?”
“Me and Jason are going to have a baby.”
A shrill screech loud enough to wake the dead came through the other end of the phone. “Holy shit! How did this happen?”
My mother and I looked and each other and began to laugh. Gia, of all people, didn’t need a refresher course in Sex Ed.
“I don’t mean how but I thought you were -”
I nervously cleared my throat wanting to spare my mom and Ben the details of my birth control slip up. “I don’t know…..It just….did.”
“Is it a boy or girl?” Gia’s interrogation began.
“Don’t know that yet; it’s too soon.”
“Well, you’re gonna find out.” She demanded.
“We’re not sure yet.” I replied.
“Carrie, I must know if I’m having a niece or nephew!” she pouted.
I let out a laugh. “Well, worry about that when the time comes.”
“Oh my god, this is beyond exciting!” She squealed.
“But Gia, you hate kids.” Jason finally chimed in.
“Ummm….dummy, this isn’t just any kid. This is my niece or nephew, therefore I can make an exception and spoil him or her like there is no tomorrow and then give them back to you and Carrie to deal with.” She let out a loud laugh.
My mother took the phone off speaker and picked it up to talk to Gia.
“Over and done with. Now we just have to tell your dad and my mom, but the hard part is over,” Jason whispered in my ear.
“No, Jas. You’re wrong this was the easy part.”
“What do you mean?” he furrowed his eyebrows.
“Oh yeah, Gia, that’s right….” My mother walked over to me with the phone still glued to her ear. “No caffeine….” She was listening intently to something Gia was saying on the other end. “Oh yeah, I saw that on the news too….well, she can after the first trimester.”
“This….” I whispered back to Jason as I looked over at my mom discussing my pregnancy do’s and don’ts with Gia. “Dealing with Dr. Melanie and Dr. Gia for the next seven months! Ugh!!”
***
As the we
eks passed I was almost all moved into Jason’s place, and I couldn’t have been happier. I loved going to bed and waking up with him each day. I loved cooking dinner for him and even cleaning up after his typical sloppy guy ways. Things that would normally drive my OCD self crazy with anyone else, didn’t faze me in the least with Jason. I was beyond happy and every now and then I had to pinch myself to make sure this was really happening.
I’d been counting down the hours all day. Jason was meeting me after work for my doctor’s appointment, and we were finally going to hear the baby’s heartbeat. I was beyond excited and judging by the half dozen text messages from Jason today, I was pretty sure he was, too.
I gathered my things and headed out of my office, surprised to see Teigan who had just entered the waiting area. I hadn’t seen him for a few weeks and in that short time, I almost didn’t recognize him. His usually long, shaggy hair was now cut short and cropped close to his head. He no longer had that dazed look in his deep, blue eyes. He looked strong, confident, and most of all, changed.
“Oh my god Teigan, I almost didn’t recognize you! You look great! What’s going on?”
Even his smile appeared to be different. It was genuine and not forced. “Not much, just been busy with school.”
My eyes widened, hoping that I heard him right.
“Yeah. I know. You can’t believe it, right?”
I shook my head unable to wipe the smile from my face. “Well, you just made me very happy!”
“So, Jason told me the news…..congratulations. That’s gonna be one lucky baby to have two parents like you.”
“Well, thanks, Teigan. That means a lot.”
“Carrie, that day when you called me out about Jason, and how if it were any other cop, I would probably be in juvie….it really got me thinking. Then when all of that other crap happened, besides my dad, Jason was there for me the most. You were right, and now I want to make both my dad and Jason proud.”
I bit my bottom lip, feeling my hormones kicking in and therefore becoming more emotional. “And I’m sure you will Teigan. So, how is school going? Senior year….it’s the big time.” I teased.
A slow grin spread across his face. “So far, so good. My guidance counselor has me looking at some schools with good music programs, and I applied for a few scholarships.” I couldn’t even believe this was the same kid I’d met at the beginning of the summer. He had changed so much, and I was hoping I had a little to do with that. “And, I kind of started seeing this new girl.” His smile grew even wider and his face reddened.
“So, no more Emily?”
He shook his head. “No, that was over a while ago. This girl just transferred here from another school. We’re complete opposites. She’s a junior and she’s unbelievably smart. She sits in front of me in History class, and I finally got the nerve up to talk to her a few weeks ago. And the best part of all, she agreed to go to the fall social with me.” We walked out to the parking lot while he continued to tell me a little more about this girl in his class.
My face was hurting from smiling so hard by the time we reached our cars. He was describing mine and Jason’s relationship from all those years ago and I only hoped that he could maintain the same type of bond with this girl that Jason and I had over the years. “That is just awesome! I would love to meet her some time.”
“Well, we’re actually going to the Halloween fest at the park tonight if you and Jason are around. I think you would really like her.”
“I’m sure I would. I’ll see what Jason has planned for tonight, and maybe we’ll swing past there.”
“Cool!” he said, opening his car door. “Thank you Carrie, for everything.”
“I didn’t do anything Teigan. You did.”
He nodded and got into his car. “So, maybe I’ll see you guys later,” he said as he rolled down his window and started backing out.
“Yup, you probably will.” As I watched him drive away, I was overwhelmed with a sense of accomplishment. He was a really great kid, and I was so glad that Jason had been able to look past the tough exterior and see the good inside him. If he hadn’t, who knows where Teigan might be today.
***
Jason
"I love that one," Gia said as I gazed down at the diamond ring in my hand, trying to narrow it down to the final two.
“Yeah, that's the one your mom liked, too.”
“And Carrie's gonna love it too! I’m so excited. When are you going to ask her?"
“Not sure yet. But it's gotta be the perfect time.”
"Well, you better call me and put me on speaker phone when you do.”
"So, have we decided?" The jeweler asked.
"Yeah, I think it's gonna be this one."
"It's a beauty." She smiled. "I'm going to clean this up and get it all ready for you."
I nodded and suddenly my nerves started taking over. "Gia, you do think she'll say yes, don't you?"
"Are you kidding me? Do you really even need to ask that question? Of course she’ll say yes!"
"It’s just…. I don't know. She wasn't ready with Brett. I just hope...."
"Were you ready with Ashley?" Gia cut me off.
"No."
"Exactly. That's because Ashley wasn't the one for you. Just like Brett wasn't the one for Carrie. Everyone knows that you and Carrie were made for each other. Hell, I knew it back in high school when the two of you friend zoned each other, and now you guys are having a baby together! I know my sister better than anyone, and she loves you with all her heart."
I nodded, hoping she was right. I knew there was no one else in the world that I wanted to spend forever with. I just hoped that she was feeling the same way.
After Gia and I finished up at the jeweler, and I swore her to secrecy that she wouldn't slip to Carrie, I stopped off at my mom's.
"Well, this is such a nice surprise!" My mom greeted me at the door with a hug. I followed her into the kitchen where she was still unpacking.
"Jeez, Mom, you're still not done."
"Are you kidding me? I still have a ton of boxes in the garage."
"So, what's up? How’s Carrie feeling?" She asked, finally taking a seat after unloading the box she’d been working through.
“She’s doing good. I’m actually meeting her at doctor’s office in a few. We’re going to hear the heartbeat today.”
My mother grabbed my hands and gripped them tightly. “Oh Jason, I cannot wait for this baby to get here. I am beyond excited. I just can’t believe you’re going to be a dad!”
I shook my head and laughed. “Umm... I wanted to show you something." I reached into my pocket, pulled out the box, and opened the lid.
She gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh my god! It's beautiful!" She looked at me with tear-filled eyes. "My little boy is getting married and having a baby. It just doesn’t seem possible."
"Well, she hasn’t said yes yet."
She smiled and shook her head. "Jason, there is no doubt in my mind that Carrie will say anything but yes. You two waited a long time for this and have gone through quite a bit to finally get where you are, and as your mother I couldn't be happier with my future daughter in law."
"Jason!" Olivia shouted as she came darting into the kitchen after just getting home.
"Hey, how's school going?" The last time I had talked to her, she’d been having a horrible time adjusting to her new school and making new friends.
She smiled and looked at my mother. "Tell him," my mom said.
"Tell me what?"
"Well, I started talking to this cute boy who sits behind me in History. He's really nice, Jas. You know, some of the girls....well most of them are really cliquey. It's really hard being the new girl, and he's a really good buddy to me."
"So, he's just a friend?"
She sighed. "Well, actually...." she began to giggle. “He's a senior and he asked me to go to his fall social with him. I’d really like for you to meet him....if you want."
"Okay....just let me know wh
en."
"Well, we're actually going to the Halloween fest at the park tonight, if you and Carrie want to meet us there."
"Umm...yeah, I'm sure Carrie won't mind going. What time?"
"Seven."
"Okay."
"And you better be nice!"
"Well, that depends," I teased.
"Jason, tell Olivia your news," my mother beamed.
“What?!” Olivia tilted her head and raised her eyebrows, waiting impatiently for my reply.
“I’m gonna ask Carrie to marry me.”
Her dimples deepened. “Oh my god that is so awesome! I love Carrie! Thank you so much for giving me a niece and a sister!” She threw her arms around me.
“You’re welcome, but you know, your niece just may be a nephew.” I laughed.
“Hmm…wishful thinking.” She giggled.
***
Carrie and I sat in the exam room waiting for her doctor. “Will you sit down?” Carrie requested with her feet swinging over the exam table. I took a seat in the chair next to the table just as her doctor entered.
“Hi, Carrie and Jason. Are we ready to hear the heartbeat?”
“More than ready!” Carrie beamed as she lay down on the table. I watched as the doctor placed a wand on her stomach, and a swishing sound along with a definite beat came from the speakers.
“Ticking like a clock.” The doctor smiled.
“That’s the heart?” I asked in amazement, wondering how a living person with an actual heartbeat could be inside Carrie’s stomach when she wasn’t even showing yet.
“Yes it is,” the doctor replied.
Now it was all so real. Before, I kept thinking of some faceless baby that was going to be half of me, but hearing the heartbeat for the first time, it went from being a part of me, to my child. It was the strangest and best feeling in the world. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t hold back my tears. I tried to wipe them away before Carrie saw me but it was too late. She looked up at me and her eyes instantly began to fill up.
“Aww, Jas.” I bent over, and she kissed me on the cheek. “You are going to be the best daddy ever,” she whispered in my ear. That was my plan and in just a short while, if Carrie agreed, I planned on being the best husband as well.
