~ She Loves You Part 2

Hanna Marin-Rivers is a serious fashionista. She's a loving wife, a generous friend, a fun boss, and more.

But for some reason she can't seem to keep her breakfast down.

Hanna rested her head on the cool seat of the porcelain toilet in her and Caleb's bathroom. She reached for the handle and flushed what remained of the egg white omelet she had forced herself to eat, not able to watch as it swirled down and vanished. This was the third time that day she had puked, and it was beginning to worry her. It was Tuesday, one of her work from home days, but she hadn't been able to get any work done at all.

That morning at 5:30, Hanna had woken up with the most intense feeling of nausea she'd ever felt. She couldn't have sprinted faster to the bathroom before she emptied her stomach, even though all she'd eaten the night before were some peanuts. Caleb had heard her retching and woken up, concerned. Hanna assured him she was fine, even though she had no idea if she was, and sent him off to work. Now she had basically given up on getting any work done, and silently thanked God for letting her be the head of the company and not have to call in sick.

After washing her mouth to get rid of the acidic taste of vomit, Hanna crawled back into bed. She stared at a framed picture of her, Spencer, Emily, and Aria.

Aria.

Hanna allowed her mind to wander back to Aria, thinking about the pain her friend was still going through. The accident had been 2 months ago and while Ezra had pulled through after the surgery, the doctors had no idea if he would walk again. He was still in recovery, and miraculously, Aria had stuck by his side. The wedding had been postponed until he was well again, but Hanna couldn't care less about that. She just wanted Ezra to be okay. Hanna thought about giving Aria a call to see how she was, but decided against it. She didn't want to risk throwing up again while on the phone, it would just worry Aria even more.

Like she needed that.

Hanna's phone buzzed on the table next to her, and she looked over, wondering if there was some sort of issue at the company or if Caleb was calling to check up on her. It was neither. A little symbol appeared at the top of the screen. Your period is 18 days late.

"Shit," Hanna whispered. She tried to calculate if the thing was right, but thinking about anything other than sleep gave her a massive headache. Massive.

Hanna buried her face in the pillow. God, this isn't happening. I can't be pregnant. Is that why I'm so fucking sick? Ugh no, I'm probably not even pregnant. It's obviously some kind of mistake. I missed my period because I've been so stressed about Ezra's recovery, and I have the flu. That's right, the flu.

The flu. The more she thought about it the more ridiculous it sounded in her head. Hanna didn't get the flu. She didn't get sick. This wasn't working for her. Despite the pounding in her skull and the gurgling in her stomach, Hanna rolled out of bed and dialed a familiar number.

"Hey, Em? I need your help." Emily was in town for a few days visiting Aria to see how she and Ezra were. Hanna knew she could turn to her best friend.

. . .

"Okay, I got like 5 different brands. I figured you could just do them all and the more that say either one the more likely it's true, right?" Emily dumped a CVS bag filled with pregnancy tests onto the kitchen table. Hanna sat in a chair, glancing quickly at the clock. The last thing she wanted was for Caleb to come home and see all this. "Yeah okay." Hanna scooped up the 5 boxes and headed for the bathroom again. She took the 5 tests and set them on the sink. Hanna exited the bathroom to find Emily sitting at the table across from Hanna's chair. Hanna sat back down and rested her head in her hands.

"So, what if you are?"

Hanna lifted her head at the sound of Emily's voice. "Am what?"

Emily hesitated. "…Pregnant. What are you going to do?"

Hanna looked at her strangely. "Uh, keep it? It's not like I'm 16 years old and knocked up by some random. I'm 30 years old, in a committed marriage with the love of my life, and the owner of a successful fashion design company."

Emily put up her hands in defense. "Of course! I just didn't know you and Caleb were trying for a baby."

"We weren't. We're a young married couple, obviously we're gonna have sex. Sometimes things don't go as planned but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. Like, we weren't "trying" specifically, we just figured it would happen when it was supposed to. And it looks like it did."

Emily smiled. "That's good to hear. Most people would freak out if it wasn't expected."

Hanna shrugged. "I was before, a little, but I came to my senses. Caleb and I, we're perfect. The only thing that could make our life together better would be a baby to share and love." At that moment, the timer they had set went off. Hanna took a deep breath and went to collect her sticks from the bathroom. Emily held her breath. When Hanna returned, she didn't look extremely happy, nor sad. She just had a small smile on her face, as if to say, I guess I'm gonna have a baby.

"Well Em," Hanna laid the 5 sticks out on the table, each one displaying a plus sign. "I guess I'm gonna have a baby."

. . .

So I realize it might seem like I downplayed the accident a little but don't worry. It will come back to be important later in the story. So Hanna's pregnant! Remember when I said the story isn't a cliché? Maybe you can tell already because in a lot of stories, Hanna freaks out and doesn't know what to do. I thought it made more sense for her to be at ease with it, since she is a grown woman and financially secure. It's also not a cliché for a few other reasons, but those are surprises. Hehe. So Caleb finds out in the next chapter. In tribute to LoneGypsy, I've decided to start adding small previews for the coming chapters. So here's the preview for chapter 5.

. . .

Hanna lit the candles on a romantic dinner she had cooked for Caleb. The same candles she had lit the night she made him a steak dinner, the night they had possibly conceived their unborn child. She smoothed her hands down her tight red dress, trying to wane of any possibly existing baby bump, even though she was probably only a few weeks pregnant. Caleb entered the apartment and threw his briefcase down, sighing. He loosened his tie and entered the kitchen, noticing Hanna in her dress and a lovely dinner she had prepared for them. He looked from her to the table and back to her. For a second, Hanna panicked, worried that he somehow knew. But he didn't. That was ridiculous. "Han, I've had a really long day," Caleb began, and Hanna's face fell. "I appreciate the dinner but could we save it for tomorrow night? I'm exhausted."

Hanna bit her lip. "I have to tell you something."

"Can it wait until tomorrow?" Caleb ran a hand through his hair.

Hanna hesitated before nodding. "Sure."

He smiled. "You're the best." Then he hurried to the bedroom, slamming the door shut.

Hanna shook her head sadly and began putting the food away into small plastic containers. So much for telling Caleb.

. . .

So there you have it! Stay tuned, Caleb will find out eventually. And also stay tuned for a huge surprise coming up. AKA the "shock of a lifetime".