Caragh rubbed the top of her seven month's pregnant belly and sighed. She had gone over in her head a million times about the babies' room, but it was tough with twins. Especially a boy and a girl, would she do pink or blue? Deciding to please both sexes she chose vertical blue and pink stripes. Now that the stripes were actually dried and she was putting together the room she wasn't so sure on the combination. Should have done yellow, Caragh thought to herself. She moved around the mahogany cribs and changing table for the eighth time. She wanted to try to make things as easy as they could be once the kids arrived, so it seemed to make the most sense to have the cribs on either side of the table. A rocker sat in the corner by the window and there were already two side by side closets filled with onsies and toys. This definitely wasn't the way she'd planned her life to go. She made a really good life for herself in Florida, she'd graduated top of her class from Florida Atlantic's Pharmacy program and took a position at the Walgreens outside Tampa. She'd purchased her own home a few blocks from the ocean, with ocean view from the top floor. It wasn't a huge place, perfect for one, maybe a couple. But now it would have to be perfect for a family of three. She silently wished to herself that it could be a family of four but she knew that would never happen. As straight laced as she was and as well planned out her life had been there was no way around it. She'd been the girl to spend one night with some muscle head and came out of it knocked up. Now she was stuck with this guy who would be in her life forever no matter where she ended up. She had considered in the beginning just terminating the pregnancy, but in the end her heart won out and she knew she could never do that. These were her children after all, and with it being twins and a boy and girl probably the only children she'd have. Especially since she was already a single mother and she hadn't even given birth yet. Caragh took a seat in the rocker and thought backward seven month's to that whirlwind two weeks she spent with her best friend Kristen and her husband Ted on the road with the WWE.
"Honey we are gonna have too much fun, I can't believe you're here!" Kristen shouted as she ran to Caragh through the airport. It had been a good two months since she'd seen Kristen who'd joined her husband Ted on the road with the WWE. He was a wrestler and Kristen had been his high school sweetheart. Kristen and Caragh had gone to college together, Kristen in the nursing program and Caragh in pharmacy.
"I know I can't believe it either, and two weeks off from work is just what I need. It feels like all I do is work now that we're all grown up. Everyone's having babies and living their lives now." Caragh said looking at Kristen's growing belly in slight envy. Kristen was already three month's along and Caragh was so happy for her friend. She took time off from her position at St. Mathews to travel with Ted throughout her pregnancy and then once their baby was born she'd stay back home and work part time. Ted always thought it was silly that Krissy insisted on working but Kristen had said it was a nice escape to be at the hospital and talk with her friends there.
Caragh had decided to join them for a couple weeks on the road so Ted could get back to traveling with his buddies and Krissy didn't have to travel alone. But most of all the girls missed each other. Caragh had left her boyfriend from college when he refused to move to Florida with her, and it had been strange transitioning into her career without Jason. He'd been her rock all through school and now it was like there was a void in her life. He'd been from Ohio and went to the same school as her and when they graduated she was offered the position near her parent's home in Tampa while he was offered a Director's position at the same hospital his father worked at. That had been something they'd never agreed on. Caragh couldn't imagine not using her education to help patients and really work in direct care, while Jason always knew a comfy desk job overseeing other employees was in his future. But she'd moved on from that time in her life and was ready to start fresh. Her career was solid, she had her own home and she would soon be a godmother to a wonderful baby girl that she would spoil rotten, plus Ted had promised to introduce her to lots of gorgeous guys while on the trip. One guy in particular had taking a liking to her and they'd spent a few lustful nights together. But in the end she had to go home and he'd proved to be just at heartless as any weekend fling and didn't even see her off. He'd been just the escape she'd needed before she went back to her real life. However things wouldn't stay that way.
Caragh was brought out of her daydream to a knock at the door, and then the door opening. She got out of the chair to head downstairs knowing it was Kristen stopping over with baby Sofia.
"Hey Car! Are you upstairs?" Kristen called from the kitchen downstairs.
"Yeah, I'll be right down." Caragh made her way to the stairs waddling all the way. Her black gauchos were basically her staple these last few months, and long tank top and cardigan and that was all she'd worn since month five. Her doctors warned her she might be headed for bed rest by month eight with twins, especially for her small frame, but she was determined to go all nine months without relying on anyone.
"Wow, I swear you get bigger by the day. Hello my lovelies, how are you today?" Krissy cooed to Caragh's stomach.
"Kris, you know they can't actually understand you right?" Caragh said with a laugh.
"Yes I do C-A-R-A, unnecessary GH." Kristen said, using her old college nickname for Caragh. Caragh Rosalinda Elliott had been born to a mother who went through a very significant romance novel phase, thus naming her youngest daughter after one of the characters in her favorite book.
"Well your right about me being bigger, I feel bigger than yesterday that's for sure. But I can still carry you my darling." Caragh said grabbing Sofia from her car seat. The girls made their way outside to sit by the pool; Caragh placed Sofia in her baby swing and brought out some sweet tea and cookies.
"So how are you really? What's your plan for when Baby A and Baby B arrive?" Kristen asked quizzically taking a sip of her tea.
"Well I've got six weeks I can take at work so that'll be fine. Then just leave them at my parents during the day, they've been a real help and I'm sure you'll want to take them sometimes." Caragh said without a beat, a statement she'd clearly rehearsed.
"I mean what are you going to do with their father. He asked Ted about you. He wants to be able to be in their lives, and I personally don't think that's an unreasonable request." Kristen said, tensing up for the protest she was sure to receive.
"I'm not doing anything with him, in fact I have papers for him to sign, relinquishing him of all parental obligations. He can consider himself a sperm donor. I'll even pay him in fact, because I clearly don't need his non-existent help. I've made it this far alone, and although the next eighteen years and beyond will be tough, it's the life I'm living." Caragh replied.
"Honey, you know I love you and I'm with you 100% no matter what you do, but those kids need a daddy. Even if you guys can't make it work, you've got to both be there for those kids, and he has a right to be able to be their dad. I think it would be wrong to take that away from him. I know that no matter what Ted ever did to me, I'd never take away his chance to raise Sofie." Kristen said rocking her daughter slightly as the newborn slept.
Caragh watched Kristen with Sofia. She was right, these kids would need a father, and Caragh would find them one in due time. But that one night stand seven month's ago wasn't exactly the guy she'd planned to raise babies with. In fact it was the total opposite when she thought back to that night.
"Wooooo Hooooo!" Gail yelled from across the bar. It was Caragh's second to last night before she was leaving and they were all out at a bar outside Nashville. Kristen and Ted, Gail, Nattie and Beth, Phil was there as well as Drew and Stephen.
"Tank you for keeping me Kwissy, I'm loving being here." Caragh slurred out through her eighth margarita.
"Oh honey you are lit, I'm about ready to head home? Are you gonna be alright to make it back with everyone else or you wanna go now?" Kristen said as Caragh started to dance away.
"I'll see you later, I'm gonna stay here" Caragh yelled, heading back toward the pool table where Stephen and Drew were starting up a game with the girls.
"Hello? Earth to Caragh?" Kristen said, breaking Caragh from her thoughts.
"Oh sorry, I was just thinking about that night. God what a mistake that was, well, sort of was." Caragh said patting her stomach and smiling.
"It wasn't a mistake. Look at what you've got now. Two little ones on the way, definitely not a mistake." Kristen said. Sofie started to stir so the girls moved inside to put her in one of the soon to be occupied cribs and went downstairs to continue their conversation.
"I just don't feel like he's put in any effort thus far, so why would I need to put in any effort?" Caragh said as the girls sat down on the creamy white sectional in the living room.
"He's probably scared, you know he didn't have this planned either. But I know he's tried to contact you and you just ignore him. He's been bugging Ted to get ahold of you, so I think you owe him at least a chance." Kristen said.
Caragh thought back over the last seven months. It was true, the father of her children had tried to contact her. He called her, sent emails, he sent letters. He did want to be involved, he even had offered to pay for everything even though she didn't need it. Her own salary was pretty substantial. He had first wanted her to move to his place across the state, wanted her to set up a life there, but she couldn't leave everything she knew, Kristen and her parents. He had less to give up that way, his family and friends didn't even live in the country.
"Can I tell you something Kris? He has contacted me, he's wanted to be involved. But I just don't see how it would work. I would almost rather try to do this myself then even bother trying to make it work with someone I barely know." Caragh said, staring at her friend with her steel grey eyes, eyes you could almost see into.
"He's contacted you? Why didn't you tell me? All this time I have telling Ted what a dick I think he is that he didn't just give you a call, and he has been? God, Caragh, I feel stupid now, you should have told me." Kristen said, as Sofia started to whimper in her crib. Kristen excused herself to go check on her daughter, leaving Caragh to another day dream of the night she first met him.
"So are you boys gonna play by yourselves all night or can a lady butt in?" Caragh asked in her drunken stupor.
"Looks like someone's been hitting the bottle pretty heavily tonight, do you want to play?" Stephen asked while powdering the top of his cue.
"Hey, I'm not that drunk, but I do want to play, let's make it interesting. Whoever wins gets to make sure I make it home safely." Caragh said looking at both men.
They kind of looked at each other knowingly, and since Drew was already married, and Caragh was just drunk they made a kind of silent pact to just let Stephen win so he could just drop her off at the hotel. They played for about a half an hour, Caragh slurred and hung all over both of them being totally intoxicated, and then Stephen helped her to his car. She hadn't even been interested in him at all, but before she knew it they were making out in his hotel room. She tried over and over to piece together how the night began that way, but there were too many blacked out moments in her head. She remembered being led to the bed, but after that it's just dark. She woke up at five am to see him sleeping next to her, her clothing scattered around the room. She quietly got dressed and headed out making her way to her own room. Once inside she packed all of her belongings and waited until around 9am when she knew it would be okay to go into Kristen's room.
"Hey Krissy, there's an issue at the pharmacy I guess, I have to head in early, I'm sorry. I've got a flight into Tampa in an hour." Caragh said to her best friend.
"Oh doll, I'm sorry, I was going to plan a whole leaving dinner and everything. That's okay, just another reason for you to come back again, and maybe next time I'll have had this baby and it can be with a sitter that way we can both get drunk like you!" Kristen said laughing. "Who brought you home anyway?" She added.
"Umm, well I think either Stephen or Drew did, I'm not sure. I woke up in my room with my purse next to me so I must have just flopped down." Caragh lied.
"Well at least you didn't have a sleaze ball take you back and take advantage of your state of mind. Drew's a great guy, I get along with his wife too, and Stephen is so nice. They are really two of the best guys here, so I'm glad it was one of them." Kristen said. The girls got ready and drove to the airport for Caragh's flight.
It was about a month after that, that Caragh realized something wasn't right. Her birth control gave her only four periods a year, but the normal spotting in between had skipped. She wasn't feeling all that nauseas, but she was feeling different. Her clothes which she always wore a little tight, weren't fitting well at all and she just felt different. A trip to the doctor confirmed her fears. She was pregnant, and there were two heartbeats.
"Well Ms. Elliott, it seems that your about a month along, you'll notice your stomach growing sooner to accommodate both children. I'll phone in a script for your prenatals, did you want it to go to your store?" Dr. Thomas asked her nicely, as if this wasn't the worst news she could have received.
Caragh made the worst call to Kristen who was more excited about the impending pregnancy that she almost forgot that Caragh had lied to her. Kristen was nearing her fifth month herself and was not ecstatic that they'd be new mothers together. She was also just as excited that it had to be Stephen's child. Caragh had come clean about waking up in his room, but she held to the story that she didn't remember anything happening, but the proof lay growing in her belly that it had. Caragh told Kristen that she didn't have Stephen's number and could she have Ted just tell him about it? Despite Kristen's protests that this was something she should do, she finally agreed to help out her friend. Caragh had received her first phone call about two hours later, obviously Kristen had wasted no time. It was everything she had expected, anger first then calmer. He asked her to call him back right away that they would have to figure this out. He called asking if she was keeping it and did she need any money. He called to ask why she wasn't calling and he asked if it really was his. Then he emailed, and he wrote. They were all the same. Caragh had to hand it to him, he obviously wasn't going to just ignore this, but she hadn't known him at all. She was more embarrassed than anything. She knew how it looked, like a skanky one night stand that she now had to live with forever. But she didn't want to think of her children that way, so she made it her mission to just forget about that night as much as possible and pretend she had just maybe had an immaculate conception. But with letters arriving and calls every day it was hard to push Stephen from her mind. Kristen was right. He did deserve a chance to raise his own children, to see them whenever he liked. They were his too afterall, how could she deny him that?