A/N: First chapter! If you haven't read the prequel, please do so before reading this, otherwise you may find yourself very, very confused. This story is in Archie's perspective, unless stated otherwise. Be aware: I waste no time getting to the plot line. Thanks to Holymacaroni13 for helping me choose the title! Enjoy!
It has been five years since my 14th birthday. We were all 19 years old now, and Patrice, Evan, Kyra and I were just as close as we were back then, if not closer. I guess I've got a lot of explaining to do.
Kyra and I have never split up since we got together. We're still young, but were hoping to get married before we turn 23, so we could have some time as a married couple before I… you know. More on that later. Anyway, our parents are really supportive of our decisions, and even helped up get a small townhouse, which we now live in.
Patrice and Evan are still going strong, too, and want to get married. Evan says they'll probably wait awhile, until they both have stable jobs, or whatever. They're pretty much married now, just like Kyra and I. They share the townhouse next to ours. I don't really see the point in getting married, even thought Kyra wants to, since we already do all the married-people stuff. I mean all of it, if you catch my drift.
Kyra works at the Dairy Queen as the assistant manager. I can't find work, because I'm considered handicapped and most places don't hire disabled people. Kyra makes pretty good money, and she doesn't mind supplying for both of us, which is good, seeing as she has no choice.
I've still got muscular dystrophy, obviously, but it isn't as bad as they originally thought. At first, they thought I had Duchene Muscular Dystrophy. People with DMD usually only live to be 20, which means I'd be dead now, or close to it. I am not dead, so the doctors did more (very painful) tests, and I now know its Becker MD, which means it progresses much slower. Patrice looked it up, and she says I'll lead a full life. I can't begin to explain the way I felt the day they told me I wasn't going to die. I still have crutches, and might never need a wheelchair.
Daniel, Kyra's brother, was fine now, and was in high school. He had a few minor scars and a few permanent burn marks, but he wasn't going to have any difficulty with it for the rest of his life. Also, the rest of the guys from grade 9, Brett and his gang, were friends to us now. Not like the kind of friend you talk to every day, but still friends.
Anyways, back to reality. It was the first day of summer, and Kyra was off work, since DQ was having some updates and was closed for the next couple months. They were still paying Kyra, since she was the assistant manager, but she didn't have to do anything. It was kind of a sweet gig.
Kyra and I were supposed to be sleeping in, but I heard her jump out of our bed and run across the hall. I almost yelled after her that she didn't have to work today, but then I heard the bathroom door click shut.
I groggily rolled over to check the clock. It was 7:00am. On a normal work day, Kyra didn't even need to get up until 8:00. I know Kyra, and there was no way in hell that she would wake up this early when she didn't have to. I reached over and grabbed my crutches, hobbling as fast as I could over to the bathroom. I hit the door twice with my crutch.
"Kyra? Are you okay in there?" I asked urgently, knowing something was wrong. "Are you sick?" No answer. I hastily tore open the door.
"I'm… fine…" Kyra moaned weakly from where she knelt, hunched over the toilet. I raced over to her and dropped to my knees.
"No, you're not!" I exclaimed. She shook her head and contracted, leaning over the bowl again. I grabbed her hair quickly, before she (ew) threw up on it. Once she was done, I reached up and pushed down on the little trigger, flushing the toilet.
"Well, that was nasty." She smiled frailly. I got to my feet, and then helped her stand. She wobbled for a second, and then stood artlessly.
"What's wrong? Why didn't you tell me you were sick? I'll grab you a Gravol." I sighed, trying not to get mad at her. I was still worried, but she seemed to be mostly back to normal, so I swallowed down the concern.
I grabbed the container of Gravol and poured two out into my hand. I filled a glass up with water and handed it to her. Without protest, she took the pills and drank the water.
"Okay?" I raised my eyebrows, still a bit paranoid. Well, when you've got a medical history like I do, spending most of my time in the hospital, you tend to worry over the little things. Mom found out I had MD because I fell down the stairs, for God's sake. Every little thing could be something bigger.
"Okay." She smiled back, trying to take my eyes off the way her face looked a bit pale. She convulsed forward, the soft look on her face turned to panic instantaneously. I went into alarm as she dropped to the floor, clutching her stomach. I dropped down beside her again, moving her hair away from her face as she puked again. She grasped the counter and pulled herself to her feet. I stood up in front of her.
"That's it. I'm calling an ambulance. Something's up." I gave her a stern look, taking out my cell phone. She sighed heavily.
"Yeah. That might be smart." She shut her eyes and nodded scarcely. I flashed a forlorn smile and dialled 911.
A few minutes later, the ambulance appeared. Kyra and I hurried out the door and into the back of the ambulance. The paramedic guys sat up front, while I sat with Kyra in the back.
"I hate ambulances." I muttered under my breath. Last time I was in an ambulance, I was half-dead from a head injury, given to me by Brett. That was before we were friends, so he's forgiven for that.
"Then why did you call one?" Kyra said jadedly from the makeshift bed in the back.
"Well, I can't drive, since I can barely move my legs, and you're not in any shape to drive, either." I retorted.
"I actually feel a lot better now." She told me, as if she was just realizing it herself. I wasn't convinced.
"No. You're going for a check-over." I ordered her, as if she had much choice anyway. "Now shush, I'm calling Evan." I said, taking out my phone.
"Hello?" Evan's sleepy voice groaned after four rings.
"Evan, its Archie. I'm in an ambulance with Kyra." I blurted quickly. I could almost hear Evan's eyes widen.
"Are you okay? What happened?" Evan demanded without breathing in-between.
"I'm fine. No, I'm not actually, I'm freaking out. But it's not me who you need to worry about. It's Kyra. She puked a bunch of times this morning out of nowhere, like, three or four times." I clarified his misunderstanding.
"Okay. We'll meet you at the hospital." Evan said. I heard Patrice asking rapid questions in the background; 'Oh, my God! Is Archie okay?' 'What's going on?' 'Evan, answer me!'
"Tell Patrice everything's fine and that Kyra's just not feeling well. I'll see you in a few." I told him and hung up.
We pulled into the hospital about 3 minutes later. We were just getting into the ER when Patrice and Evan ran in. I almost fell over as Patrice ran into me, flinging her arms around me. I gave Evan a what-the-hell expression, which he answered with a shrug.
"I'm so glad you're okay. I was scared out of my mind at first. I thought you were…" She held me tighter. I wanted to hug her back, but I couldn't, due to the crutches.
"I'm fine. So is Kyra, we think. They're just checking her over now. Wait here; I'll go see what they found." I told her comfortingly. She nodded and retreated into Evan's arms. He gave me a grin and a thumbs up. I took a deep breath and stepped in the door.
Kyra was lying on the table, her face soaked in tears. I felt panic and anxiety hit me like a wave. What happened?
"Kyra, what's wrong? What's wrong with you?" I pleaded, but she just shook her head. Oh, my God. What the hell was happening to Kyra?
"Are you her boyfriend?" A nurse asked calmly. I hadn't even noticed her.
"Yes. What's wrong with her? Please tell me she's not going to die." I heaved, tears beginning to roll down my face uncontrollably. After all we'd been through, I couldn't loose her. What as it? Stomach cancer? IBD?
"Archie… come here." Kyra sniffled. I walked shakily over to her, praying to God she was okay.
"What?" I asked her, the suspense and anxiety was killing me. What the hell was wrong?
"Oh, my God. I just love you so much." She sobbed, breaking down into hysterics. I started to get irritated.
"Will someone please tell me what's wrong with my girlfriend?" I shouted at nobody in particular. I was surprised by how helpless and angry I sounded.
"Archie, stop it! Calm down, you're scaring me!" Kyra shrieked over me.
"Kyra, stop torturing me! Just tell me what's wrong with you!" I screamed at her. She immediately stopped crying, and we shared the same expression of shock at my tone.
"I'm pregnant." She said bluntly in a soft voice. I blinked a few times, not quite understanding what she had said.
"You're what?" I whispered.
"Pregnant. It was morning sickness, Archie. That's why I was sick." Kyra beamed through her sobs of happiness. Everything went numb. I couldn't have children. I'd known that forever. This was impossible. It couldn't be really happening.
"No. I can't have kids. That's not possible." I shook my head in disbelief. I wanted to believe it so badly it hurt, but I couldn't. It was medically impossible.
"Yes you can, because you did. We're having a baby, Arch." Kyra radiated with happiness. I just stood there like an idiot, trying to process what had just happened. Kyra was having a baby.
"Seriously?" I asked, dumbfounded and unable to think of anything else to say. Kyra grinned excitedly at me and nodded.
"Archie, it's a miracle. It really is." Kyra said softly, her voice soothing my overexcited emotions. She placed her hand over mine on my crutches.
"How long ago?" I turned to the doctor, who had been sitting awkwardly behind us at his computer.
"She's about 2 months, which means we can schedule her first ultrasound now, if you want. How about Monday?" The doctor suggested from his desk. Kyra nodded at him, and he typed something in on his computer. "I'll give you two a moment." A bit late for than, partner.
"Patrice and Evan are waiting outside. Let's go tell them." I grinned profoundly, loving this walking-on-air feeling. I kept hearing Kyra's words in my head; We're having a baby. We're having a baby.
"Kyra! How are you?" Patrice screamed, running into Kyra's arms. Evan followed behind her.
"Fine! Perfect, actually." Kyra said in a cheerful, singsong voice. Both of us were beaming, trying hard not to scream it to the world. Kyra wrapped her hand around mine and squeezed it.
"What was wrong?" Evan asked, calmer than he was before now that Kyra was up and moving. Kyra and I shared a glance, and I was trying so hard not to smile it was aching in my cheeks.
"I'm pregnant." Kyra announced, draping one of her arms around my waist. Evan looked as if he was going to shit a brick; he was happy, scared, shocked and slightly grossed out all at once. Patrice just burst into tears, grabbing Kyra in a tight hug.
Patrice said "That's amazing!" at the same time that Evan whispered to me, "You're screwed, dude." Okay, now I was freaking out.
A/N: See? I told you I was diving right into this one. Anyways, I hope you liked chapter 1, and I hope it didn't fail. I kind of love Archie's reaction. Just saying. Thanks again to Holymacaroni13 for helping with the title! R&R!