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Post by CHLOE ALICE CAIN on Nov 9, 2012 17:06:22 GMT -5
This was absolutely not fair. As someone who had no intention of falling in love or ever getting married, Chloe Cain had certainly never thought about having children. Sex was all well and good, so long as it was only for recreation. Of course, like any other girl her age, she did make a practice of visiting her doctor regularly for a checkup on her female parts, but that was as far as her concern with that sort of thing went. As it so happened, she'd had an appointment scheduled this morning just to make sure things were normal. But she quickly found out that normal was the furthest thing from what she found. Apparently, the doctor thought she was pregnant. Chloe had initially insisted that the doctor was wrong, but apparently medical school prepared a person to diagnose such things.
Feeling more than a little uncomfortable and completely unwilling to decipher the rest of her emotions, Chloe was escorted to a waiting room on the third floor, where she was told she'd be having an ultrasound to determine the age of the baby. Things hadn't entirely sunken in yet, but she had figured out enough to know that she wasn't happy and she wasn't prepared to deal with this alone. Pulling her cell phone from her pocket, she called Sam. The moment he answered, she barked out, "I'm at the hospital. Third floor waiting room. Your ass. Here. Now." Before Sam really had the opportunity to respond, she hung up on him and stuffed the phone back onto her pocket before pulling her knees to her chest. The chairs were uncomfortable, and did little to help her mood. Fortunately, though, most of the other women in the room were radiating excitement, which did help to take the edge off a bit. Hopefully whenever Sam arrived, his presence would comfort her a bit. At the very least, it would give her someone to yell at, to cuddle up to, or to blame.
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Post by SAMUEL JOHN HAYES on Nov 9, 2012 17:34:10 GMT -5
Sam had been at work when he got her call. Chloe had barely given him any time to even say hello. She was in the hospital? She sounded mad, but he didn't have time to figure that out at all. All he knew was she was in a hospital and she needed him there. "George!" He called to his boss. "I have to go! My girlfriend is in the hospital." Sam shouted, grabbing his coat and running out to his car.
As he drove, he gripped the wheel, getting nervous with each traffic light. What was wrong with her? Was she hurt? "Ugh I hate this!" Sam shouted as he finally drove into the hospital and parked. Hopefully she meant this one, but this was the closest one, and her doctors were usually in this building. Unless she'd changed in the past years without telling him...
He went up to the third floor and walked into the first waiting room he saw. Sam's eyes scanned the room until he found her and he rushed over and sat beside her, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Hey babe, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
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Post by CHLOE ALICE CAIN on Nov 9, 2012 17:48:00 GMT -5
The good moods of the people around her were only enough to calm Chloe down for so long. By the time Sam came into the waiting room, she was more than a little anxious. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, and she was rocking slightly in her seat. It took her a couple of seconds to process what he'd said, and when she did, it brought a severe frown to her face. Was she okay?! There wasn't a single thing about her that was okay right now. She'd just opened her mouth to tell him just that when a nurse stepped through the door and told her they were ready for her. Letting out a huff, Chloe stood, shot an anxious glance at Sam whose hand she fixed in hers with a death grip, and followed the nurse.
As they walked down the hall, the nurse glanced back and forth between the two. "Is this the father, then?" she asked, offering him a smile. Chloe did her best not to glare at the woman as they were shown into a room boasting a makeshift bed, a computer, a television screen, and a complicated looking machine that apparently could show them the child they'd created together. "Congratulations, you two. A tech will be with your shortly," the nurse told them before backing out of the room and closing the door.
The moment the woman left the room Chloe deflated, her eyes brimming with tears, and her lower lip deflating. "Seriously?!" she grumbled, not bothering to explain what she was upset about. Sam wasn't stupid. He was sure to have picked up on what was going on by now. "This was not part of the plan." Letting out a huff, Chloe sank down onto the side of the small bed. [/size] |
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Post by SAMUEL JOHN HAYES on Nov 9, 2012 18:05:26 GMT -5
She didn't seem physically hurt, so that was a plus. She wasn't bleeding from a stab wound or something awful like he'd been expected. Chloe didn't give him anything though, but the nurse certainly did.
"Is this the father then?"[
Wait, what?
Sam followed them wordlessly as his brain tried to process what was going on here. Chloe was pregnant? They were having a baby? A baby? There was a baby growing inside Chloe and it was his? Sam just couldn't wrap his head around it really. Of course, he loved Chloe and he loved kids, so really it wasn't so bad. Not as bad as it could have been. They were both in one piece. Frankly, he was excited, obviously surprised, but he didn't see this as the end of the world or anything.
Sam didn't know what to say to Chloe so he just hugged her close to him chest. He didn't want to apologize, this wasn't a case of fault. "No, it wasn't part of the plan." Sam agreed, stroking her hair lightly.
"Just breathe babe, it's going to be okay." Sam said, really wanting to ask her what her plan was. He didn't want to pressure her, but he didn't want to abort his first child... Sam figured Chloe hadn't had time to think about it, considering she's just seemed to find out.
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Post by CHLOE ALICE CAIN on Nov 10, 2012 11:33:19 GMT -5
On one hand, Chloe supposed it was easier that she hadn't actually had to come out and tell Sam she was pregnant. The nurse plainly took care of that for her. On the other hand, though, since she hadn't gotten pregnant intentionally, and wasn't becoming a parent on her own terms, it would have been nice to at least be able to tell him on her terms. Letting out a huff, Chloe did her best to contain her emotions and block out everyone else. It wasn't easy, and it was probably a bad idea since there were apparently two people dependent on her energy now, but she had a feeling she wouldn't be able to handle feeling Sam's reaction while trying to decipher her own.
Once they made it to the room and the nurse had left them alone, Chloe surrendered to the urge to collapse against Sam, who held her close to him. Tears began to spill down her cheeks. The situation was impossible, really. She'd never actually planned on having a child, but she also hadn't considered how she would ever handle the situation if she did get pregnant. Now that she thought about it, though, she knew that abortion wasn't an option. Not for her, anyway. Everyone knew abortion clinics were filled with protestors, and she wouldn't be able to go through with it if she had to feel their waves of disapproval along with her own anxiety.
The moment Sam assured her that things were going to be okay, though, the spell was broken. Chloe pushed away from him, fixing him with a glare. "It's going to be okay?! You can't possibly be serious. This isn't just some silly little roadblock, Sam! We're not going to forget about it or look back and laugh at our stupidity in twenty years! Nothing is ever going to be the same again!" Yelling in a hospital where the walls were sure to be thin and she was guaranteed to be overheard probably wasn't the best idea, but Chloe wasn't really thinking clearly. "Maybe it'll be okay for you. For the next however many months, you get to walk around looking just like yourself! And doing whatever you want! But me? I'm going to get fat! Do you have any idea how horrible I'd look fat? And that's not even all of it! Do you know what they told me this morning?! I. Can't. Smoke. Just because this leach of a growing human has invaded my body I have to quit smoking. And I can't drink. And I can't eat lunch meat. This is fucking ridiculous! And most definitely not okay!" Crossing her arms over her chest, Chloe did her best to still her trembling lip. She was so tired of feeling weak and afraid, but she didn't know how else to react at this point. [/size] |
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Post by SAMUEL JOHN HAYES on Nov 10, 2012 11:43:38 GMT -5
Sam had only been trying to help, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. He could understand it of course, they were suddenly pregnant, her body would never be the same again if she went through with it. She shouted at him, the words probably ringing through the walls of the doctors offices and he let hr, because venting might actually have been the best thing for her. But when she was done, Sam took her hands.
"Chloe. Listen to me," He said surprised at how calm he could be. "I'm not going anywhere, I'll quit smoking and drinking... and lunch meat, because you are not alone in this." He really hoped she knew that another man might have run away right now, and while he was scared, he was trying to be the bigger man, her rock. Sam wanted to say that he supported her, in whatever she decided to do, but he really wanted their baby to live, and if she didn't want to keep it, he wasn't sure he could give it up. Sam had always imagined he could have, and maybe he could have--but not with Chloe.
"I love you Chloe," Sam said, looking at her carefully, not sure how much any of this would come through, considering her hysterics.
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Post by CHLOE ALICE CAIN on Nov 10, 2012 12:11:14 GMT -5
Even as she yelled at him, Chloe realized it wasn't going to help anything. The only good point about her reaction was that it gave her a chance to actually decipher her feelings. She wasn't angry, really. Maybe it was coming off that way, and there were a few small frustrations. But the biggest thing was that she was afraid. Having never planned to become a parent, she had no idea how to handle the idea. It was a huge undertaking. Maybe it started with small things like quitting smoking, not drinking, and eating healthy. But it ended with her being in charge of another life, and she had no idea how she could possibly be capable of that.
By the time she finally finished yelling, she was starting to feel a little better, though it was largely because the combination of yelling and attempting to block out other people's emotions was exhausting. When Sam reached for her hands, she let him, hesitantly letting her eyes meet his. It would have made sense for him to yell back at her, but as her guard dropped, she could feel that he was overcome with a host of warm, unexpectedly happy emotions. Biting her bottom lip, Chloe forced herself to really process what he was saying. He was right. She wasn't alone in this. She'd known all along that, while other guys might have panicked and left her alone to deal with the situation, Sam wouldn't do that to her.
Tears pricked her eyes as he told her that he'd quit smoking and drinking right along with her. That was more than she had dared to hope for. But when his next words registered, it all made sense. Instantly, panic rose up in Chloe's chest, and her eyes went wide in fear. Being pregnant was scary enough without throwing the idea of love in with it. Shaking her head at Sam, she pulled her hands away from him gently. On some level, she was very much aware that she cared for him more than she'd cared for anyone in her life before, but she wasn't ready to deal with that yet. It was too much. "I really just need to be mad right now," she murmured, her eyes dropping to focus on her toes. It was probably rude of her, and Sam had every right to be offended, but Chloe couldn't process so much at one time. [/size] |
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Post by SAMUEL JOHN HAYES on Nov 10, 2012 12:22:35 GMT -5
Chloe had started crying, and Sam didn't know what to do. He did know that pregnant women were very emotional, and he knew this was all too much to process for her. Not that Sam could process it, he was just on auto-pilot. Sam always wanted a family, and he had never cared for anyone as much as Chloe. Was he scared? Yes. Was this bad timing? Yes. Were they ready? He didn't know.
"Okay," He said. He understood she needed to be mad, but he felt bad, was she mad at the world? She didn't seem to be mad at him exactly. Sam would be lying if he hoped she'd say she also loved him. But he would be okay. Sam didn't know what else to say so he figured, silent support was enough.
Thankfully, the technician came back. "Hi there...Chloe." She said, reading from the file folder.
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Post by CHLOE ALICE CAIN on Nov 10, 2012 13:17:37 GMT -5
The disappointment Chloe could feel radiating from Sam as he quietly accepted that she voice a return to his sentiments was almost too much for her. Her mouth opened, and she searched quietly for words that would make things better, but she couldn't find any. Fortunately, the ultrasound technician knocked quietly and made her way into the room. Chloe offered the woman a hesitant smile. "Hi..." she offered, sounding more settled than she had since she'd left her doctor's office earlier.
The technician directed her onto the bed and asked her to lift her shirt. Chloe obliged, tucking the bottom of the sweatshirt under her bra so that it wouldn't fall back down. Her gaze turned toward Sam, and she held a hand out to him. The idea of seeing the baby she'd been told about on a screen made it more real, and she knew she wouldn't be able to handle this without him. She winced a little as the tech squirted cold gel onto her stomach and began smearing it around with a wand. Chloe's eyes focused on the screen as an image appeared there.
It wasn't exactly remarkable. There was a vaguely gummy bear shaped thing in the center of the screen, and a white light pulsed within the shape. "That's the heart," the tech explained. Chloe bit her lip and squeezed Sam's hand. It had a heart! Really, the little blip on the screen was kind of adorable. "We just need to take a few measurements and we can come up with a due date for you." Chloe watched in mild awe as the tech clicked a few buttons that froze pictures on the screen. About fifteen minutes later, they were finished, and the tech was computing data on her computer to determine when the baby would be due. "It looks like you two can be expecting this little one around the end of August. We can get a clearer date for you next time." With that, the technician wiped the remaining gel from Chloe's stomach with a paper towel and handed her a series of pictures that had been printing out while they were looking at the screen, each showing the gummy bear figure they'd seen on the screen. [/size] |
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Post by SAMUEL JOHN HAYES on Nov 10, 2012 13:29:54 GMT -5
The whole thing was really surreal for Sam, and he couldn't imagine how Chloe was feeling, and he watched her lie back, the gel smeared on her stomach. Sam rushed forward and took her hand, hoping to offer some silent comfort. He realized with a pang that she felt everything, so he tried to keep his own emotions as settled as he could, stroking her hair lightly with his free hand.
Then they saw it. The little blur and blip of light that was their DNA, making someone totally new. God, it was a terrifying concept. And it already had a heart? It looked like a peanut, no wonder that was a classic baby pet name. Sam realized he was smiling. This keeping his emotions in check was going to be hard. He took a deep breath, and tried to just egt lost in the rhythm of that little heartbeat.
He waited with Chloe as they printed pictures and whatever else, still holding her had and all he could say when silence lulled was, "Wow." Awe inspiring that they had made that, and that she could sustain it. Sa had never really thought about how crazy life was before.
It amazed him that they could get a date already. August was a nice month though. Summer, right before things turned cool, the sunshine was warm. It was perfect somehow, for their ... child? baby? everything felt loaded all of a sudden. The nurse held out the photos to Chloe, but Sam offered a, "Thank you." To her. The tech smiled at them.
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Post by CHLOE ALICE CAIN on Nov 10, 2012 20:33:01 GMT -5
As hard as she knew he was trying, Sam's feelings kept leaking through his defenses, and Chloe had long sense lost the level of concentration required to keep blocking him out. With his excitement, it was hard to keep dreading this. She let herself get lost in the moment, actually feeling a small bubble of excitement herself. Just seeing the tiny flicker of a heartbeat on the screen was awe-inspiring enough. She'd never thought about how incredible it was that two people could come together to create an entire other person. Now, though, she was finding herself completely lost in the idea. By the time the nurse handed her the small stack of photos, Chloe was feeling quite a bit calmer, though she was sure she wasn't completely through panicking. She had several months left for that. Weaving her fingers with Sam's, she slid off of the table and fixed her shirt, quietly thanking the tech, her voice easily betraying her feelings of awe.
Once satisfied that everyone was okay, the tech directed them to a small cubicle where Chloe was informed that she would be billed for their services, which wasn't entirely surprising. She was still too busy reacting to the sonogram to really process anything else. Finally, they were shown back out into the waiting room and allowed to leave. Letting out a long sigh, Chloe turned to face Sam. "I'm sorry I yelled at you," she mumbled, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. Now that she thought about it she felt really childish. "And I love you, too." The words were out of her mouth before she quire realized she was going to say them, and Chloe found that she was surprised. She did love Sam, and she had loved him for quite some time. But actually admitting to it was a completely different ordeal. [/size] |
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Post by SAMUEL JOHN HAYES on Nov 10, 2012 20:54:55 GMT -5
Sam just held Chloes hand as they worked through the paperwork and billing, and other technical nonsense. He hated them going in separate cars though... They had come separately, but there was no way he was going to let her out of his sight right now. "Its okay babe." He said, feeling the need for pet names. She was his girlfriend, his baby mama basically, and he couldn't help it but to care about her.
And then she said it, for the first time. She loved him. Sam felt relieved, though he'd always known she did, but it was nice to hear it. people didn't say it enough, not really. That they really cared.
Sam paused, midstep, made sure they weren't in the way of traffic and then kissed her tenderly. He stroked her hair out of her face and smiled at her. He wanted to ask her to move in with him, but she hardly needed another startling moment and emotional spaz. "Let me go get you Belgian waffles or something," He said with a smile, unlocking his nearby car with a beep from his keys. "I'm not letting you two drive home alone." He said, teasing her lightly without even meaning to. Sam instantly made a little apologetic smile. "Sorry. Come on, come on IHOP calling."
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