What Now? Chapter Twenty Three

Chris and Alex are outside doing yard work while I opted to stay in the house today. I'm in the mood for pancakes, so I head into the kitchen. I whip up a batch in no time and they smell wonderful. 

I take my pancakes out to the deck to get some fresh air while eating my pancakes. I'm about halfway through when it starts to rain. I don't get to wet with the umbrella above the table. I finish up my last bite while thinking about Alex and Chris getting rained on. 

Heading in the house, I still so no sign of either of the boys, so I head into the living room to watch some tv while I wait on them to come in. I can't find anything that interests me on tv, so I decided to do something else.  

I head over to the piano, one of my favorite hobbies that I have always liked. I start playing one of my all-time favorite songs. 

Chris sneaks up behind me as I finish my song. "There you are," he says as I turn around to see him smiling at me. "Sorry it took so long, me and Alex got drenched," Chris explains. 

Chris takes me by the hand, helping me up. He leads me over to the stereo, switching the music on. He then spins me to face him, taking my hand into his. "Dance with me," he says playfully. 

I think this is the first time we have actually danced together like this. Chris can actually dance pretty well. 

Chris decides to get fancy when he spins me around. 

It takes me completely off guard as I stumble into him, stepping on his foot. He shrugs it off like it's nothing, but I can tell it hurt. After I goof off with Chris some more, I'm exhausted. "I'm feeling a little bit tired for some reason today. I probably didn't get much sleep last night. If you don't mind, I'm going to take a nap for a little bit, I will catch up with you later," I tell Chris before I head upstairs to my room. 

I don't even bother to take my shoes off or even pull the covers back. I flop down onto the bed and curl up. I close my eyes, and before I know it, I have slept for about an hour when I wake up.

I head to the bathroom to freshen up when I get hit with a dizzy spell right out of nowhere. I grab the sink to steady myself as I regain my balance, and my head starts to clear. 

What's wrong with me, I can't put my finger on it. I'm sick, tired, and my body is all against me. Then I'm hit with another thought. My heart stops.......I can't be.

I head to the store and find myself sneaking back to the bathroom. I pull out the box that contains a pregnancy test. I had been under so much stress that it hadn't dawned on me that I had not been getting my period for quite some time. I take a quick shower as my mind races, and the anxiety spikes. I pull out the test after I get out and pee on the strip. I stand in front of the sink as I watch the test. It's an agonizing wait. 

I stare at the strip as I watch one of the pink lines get darker in one of the windows of the test. I wait, and then another line starts to appear. I'm panicking as I glance over at the box to see what two lines mean. I think I know what it means, but I don't want to be wrong. 

I'm pregnant, this can't be happening. I'm numb all over as the reality sinks in. It all makes sense now. All the symptoms that I was experiencing weren't because I was so stressed out, it was because I was pregnant.

The realization hits me, Dimitri's the father. My heart aches as Dimitri's beautiful face flashes in my memory.  

I have a piece of him with me. I hold my stomach as I try to imagine a little boy with dark hair that looks like his daddy. Oh, it's such a beautiful thought. 

I fall to my knees as the tears run down my cheeks, and I cry big gut-wrenching sobs. I will only be reminded of my loss and all that I went through as I look at this beautiful, innocent child. 

Chris comes running in to find me crying on the floor. "Emily, what's wrong?" he asks as he pulls me up from the floor. He reaches over, wiping the tears that run down my face. 

I walk over to the test that I dropped on the floor. I kneel down, and as I look up at Chris, he has no clue what I'm about to tell him. "I'm pregnant," I choke out. 

Chris gasps. "I had no clue that I was pregnant. There were no early signs of me being pregnant till now. I thought it was stress," I cry out as my tears start again. 

Chris pulls me off the floor for the second time and pulls me to him. He wipes the tears from my face as he tilts my chin up to meet his soft gaze. 

"Emily, I don't care, I know this baby is Dimitri's. He was my best friend, it just makes me want to protect you more and now a little one. I will take care of you both," he whispers. 

His response floors me. "So no more crying, please. I hate to see you cry. I know it wasn't something that was planned, but it's something that we can deal with," he says. 

"Chris, you are an amazing man. I'm lucky to have you in my life," I tell him. He grins down at me.

"So I guess we need to start thinking about getting a place of our own," he says as a small smile plays on his lips. "Do you mean it?" I ask. "If we are planning to start a family, we will need a place of our own," he replies. "I'm sure Alex will not be that thrilled about us leaving," I say as I raise an eyebrow at him. "I'm sure he won't either, He will have to get over it," Chris says in a playful tone.