New story! It's a multi-chaptered Jason/Tess fic which I've been working on for quite a while. I really love the couple. So I hope you like it. :)
Disclaimer: I do not own CR.
And this chapter is dedicated to surburbs because she is my super awesome beta and really polished up the chapter. :)
She pushed her thick blonde hair away from her face, some tendrils still clinging to her sweaty forehead. She looked at the reflection in the mirror. A pale young woman with wan grey eyes, hollow cheeks and slightly matted hair stared back at her. This was the umpteenth time this week she had emptied the contents of her stomach, and every time afterwards she felt exhausted and hungry.
She had always been a careful eater and she couldn't for the life of her figure out what was wrong with her. This time the vomiting was not even self-induced. No, she had gotten over that a long time ago with the help of intervention and intensive therapy. She wondered about the cause and decided to make a visit to the doctor. She splashed some water on her face and rinsed her mouth of the bitter taste. She patted her face dry before leaving the bathroom.
She scheduled an appointment with the doctor hoping he would prescribe some pills; then this bug which she had caught would go away soon, and she could get back to her work. She had already had to cancel so many performances because of her sickness.
After Camp Rock she had been determined to break out of her mother's shadow and clutches. And it had taken some hard work to do that. She had slaved away as an intern at music companies, endured chipped nails, frizzy hair, and forgone facials in order to prove herself. And in the end it had all paid off. She was now known all over the industry for her talent and her willingness to work hard. She had finally stepped away from her mother's shadow the day she was introduced as Tess Tyler, not as T.J. Tyler's daughter.
She was now signed to the same record label as Mitchie and Connect 3. She was friendly enough with them but kept her distance; they were all together too nice and occasionally made her feel like gouging her eyes out. The one person who she did talk to often was Jason Gray. He tried to strike up a friendship with her, refusing to give up and eventually she gave in. She found him funny and sweet and besides he was insanely talented at the guitar. It was almost as if there was magic in his fingers. And someday she was determined to collaborate with him.
Filled with a sudden urge to eat a pizza, she ordered one. As she waited impatiently for the pizza, she stalked around the house until she found a full length mirror. She stared at herself. She was still skinny but lately it felt like her chest had gotten slightly bigger. And for the life of her she couldn't think why. She turned around and found nothing else had changed. This new problem meant getting new bras, which would involve the tabloids pasting a picture of her with the headline, "Star seen buying lingerie? For who?" Or something stupid like that.
By the time the pizza came she was ravenous and almost ripped the delivery guy's hand off in her rush to get the food. She couldn't ever remember being hungry like this. Well except after she got out of treatment; the clinic had insisted she eat only healthy foods, and she spent the entire time desperately craving a double cheeseburger.
In half an hour she had finished most of the pizza, and she looked mildly amused as she thought about what her mother would say. Feeling full and happy she decided to take a nap. Setting her alarm for five o'clock she curled up on her bed and fell asleep immediately.
She got up at five, still slightly exhausted but she managed to get out of bed and somehow get dressed. She normally wore heels but today her feet seemed to be aching, so she just wore flats and a simple sundress. She wore light make up, just some gloss and liner. There was none of the usual glamour about her. She did not look like a star but she did look like a simple, pretty young girl.
She called a cab and got into. On the way to the doctors she checked her messages and found a message from her agent saying that she had to attend an album launch tomorrow. Rather Connect 3's album launch. She was in two minds about going but realized that Jason would never let her hear the end of it if she didn't show.
She finally reached the doctor's and, after paying the cabbie, she got out and made her way inside the hospital. She always hated hospitals; there was something about their smell that completely unnerved her. It was far too pungent and all the fragrances in the world couldn't mask the odor of death which pervaded hospitals.
She sat in the waiting area and endured a few stares from people. Normally she would have smiled or something but today she just did not feel up to it. When her turn finally came she heaved a huge sigh of relief. The sooner she got this over with, the better.
The doctor greeted her cheerfully, and Tess felt somewhat annoyed. If there was anything she hated more than hospitals it would have to be cheerful doctors. They completely unnerved her.
"So Ms. Tyler, what seems to be the problem?" the doctor asked her smiling.
"I have been vomiting for the past week, and I've been exhausted." Tess said politely.
"Anything else?" the doctor said thoughtfully.
"My appetite has increased; I eat a lot more especially after I've vomited" Tess said wondering what the diagnosis would be.
The doctor smiled at her and said, "Please put on this gown. I am going to get my colleague Doctor Martindale. She will conduct an examination, and I believe she will be able to tell you that cause of this illness."
Tess stared at the doctor's retreating back and then looked distastefully at the hospital gown he had handed her. How could anyone wear these things? There were so dowdy and frumpish and unattractive. She sighed and went behind the green curtain and quickly changed. The stupid dress was airy also. If she ever did get the chance she was going to make sure that she would design some new hospital wear or get someone else to do it. This was, simply put, a fashion travesty.
She sat on the examining table and swung her legs deciding that she needed a manicure. The doctor finally came in with a woman, presumably Doctor Martindale. Tess looked at her with interest; she was wearing blue scrubs which would have made a lesser woman well, look blue, but the doctor actually carried it off very well.
"I will take over from here Doctor Robbins" she said smiling at the other doctor and sending him out of the room.
"When did you have your last period Ms. Tyler?" the doctor asked.
"I don't remember exactly" Tess said frowning "Is it relevant?" she asked.
"Well it would help but it doesn't matter" the doctor said.
"Well what is it?" Tess asked impatiently. She wanted this to get over as fast as possible.
"I am pretty sure of what it is but I just want to order a blood test before I confirm it" Doctor Martindale said smiling at Tess' impatience.
"If you are pretty sure just go ahead and tell me already" Tess said. She had never liked waiting for things especially when there did not seem to be a need to do so.
"Fine I tell you…" the doctor said.
"I am waiting…" Tess said sarcastically as she sat up.
"You're pregnant" the doctor said sitting down,
"I am what?" Tess said shocked.
"You are pregnant Ms. Tyler. Judging by all those symptoms you have been experiencing, I would imagine you're about 6 weeks along. The vomiting in particular would be morning sickness," the doctor said as she took out a notepad and began making a few notes.
Tess's head began to spin. She was pregnant. This …this changed everything. She was keeping the child that was sure. But all the same things were now going to be so different. Ever so different.
"Ms. Tyler, we can do an ultrasound now, or we can wait until your next visit if you would like to wait for the father to be there." the doctor said looking up from her notes.
"I don't know. This was a surprise; I'm not sure exactly what's going to happen," Tess said. She did not even know if she was going to tell him. What had happened had been a one-time thing.
The doctor noticed the look on Tess' face and realized that maybe the pregnancy had been a result of a fling. She sighed- for every ten pregnancies that were planned there were always two or three that just happened.
"Ms. Tyler…" the unspoken question hung in the air.
"Of course I am going to keep it. There is no question about that!" Tess said sharply as she swung off the table and marched behind the green curtain. She quickly stripped off the regulation smock and for just a moment placed a hand over her belly and gently rubbed it. Over the next eight months there would be a life growing inside of her, and whether she liked it or not she was going to have to prepare for its arrival.
She got dressed and stepped out from behind the curtain and sat down in front of the doctor stiffly.
"Ms. Tyler. I would like you to return next week on the same day at the same time. We'll get a sonogram done in order to determine how the fetus is doing. I'm giving you a lab form to go get a blood test done to confirm the pregnancy and some pamphlets about pregnancy. My phone number is on the pamphlet, and please feel free to call me even if you have the slightest of doubts. The first trimester is the most crucial stage. I'll give you a prescription for prenatal vitamins. I am aware of your past history so I will set up a meeting with a nutritionist, who will help you take care of your diet. Please do go and meet her tomorrow." Doctor Martindale said handing Tess the prescription and lab slip.
"Thanks Doctor. I would appreciate it very much if you could keep this a secret," Tess said quietly.
"Of course Ms. Tyler" Doctor Martindale said smiling.
"Thank you Doctor," Tess said. She stopped at the lab before heading out of the hospital. She flagged a cab and gave the driver her home address. As she looked out of the window her shoulders sagged and she sunk back into the seat as memories of that one quickly forgotten night came flooding back.
At that time it seemed like an inconsequential event but now the implications of it had made it the most important event of her life.
I know it's a slightly weird idea but suprisingly I can see the whole thing actually happening in my head. So, um reviews telling what you think about it would be really really nice. :)