Connie stared at the phone wishing she didn't have to call Charlie. If she called him and told him what was going on he would come home. That wouldn't be a bad thing, but Connie hated admitting she was wrong. She picked up the phone and dialed his number. Maybe she would get lucky and Fulton would answer. Then she remembered that he was in Minneapolis for the weekend. So much for that, she let the phone ring four times before she hung up. The phone rang less than a minute later. She looked at the Caller ID and noticed that it was Charlie.
"Hey."
"Hey. Sorry I couldn't get to the phone sooner. I had just walked through the door."
"It's fine."
"How are you?"
"Tired." She said with a laugh.
"I was going to call you later. I have some off time coming up. During your spring break I think. Do you want to come up here?"
"Yeah, I'd like that."
"All right then. I miss you."
"I miss you too."
"When do you find out the sex of the baby?"
"The next time I go to the doctor."
"Which is when?"
"Next week."
"I'll be the first person you tell right?"
"Who else would I tell? Other than the real father." She said teasing him.
"Don't joke about that." He said trying to scold her.
Connie laughed wishing he was there with her. Now was a good time as any to ask him to come home.
"When do you have an off weekend again?"
"This weekend. Why?"
"I want to see you. Even if it is for a couple days."
"I can come down. I'll call you and let you know when I'm getting in."
They talked for a few more minutes before Charlie said that he had to go. Connie felt better when she got off the phone. It was amazing that just talking to Charlie could make her feel better.
XXXX
Fulton stood outside shop taking his break. He had promised Jan that he would look over the store while he went to see a friend in St. Paul. The store had been quiet for most of the morning. He had sent Guy home half an hour earlier because they had only had three customers since the shop opened four hours earlier. He heard someone call his name and he looked across the street to see Tommy Duncan walking towards him. He hadn't seen Tommy in a few years. He didn't know why, he saw Tammy whenever he got the chance. The kid hadn't changed much. His red hair still fell in his eyes and he still had the same lopsided grin that he had had when he was ten.
He walked up to Fulton pushing his hair out of his eyes. Fulton looked down at him wondering what he wanted. They had only talked a few times in the past few years. He stood against the building so that the people walking down the street wouldn't trample him.
"It's been a while."
"Yeah."
"Why is that?" He asked looking up at Fulton.
Fulton didn't know what to tell him. He had always felt uncomfortable running into people he hadn't seen in a while. They always asked him why he hadn't kept in touch. He never knew what kind of answer they were looking for. He looked down at Tommy and noticed that he was grinning up at him.
"I'm not mad at you. I'm just messing with you man. Do you always clam up like that when people talk to you?"
"Not everybody. Just people I haven't seen in a while."
"I didn't mean anything by it. I just came over to say hi."
"Oh." Fulton said letting out a sigh of relief.
"But you could come over to the house more often. Tammy says she sees you all the time."
"Usually when she's over at Connie's." Fulton said nodding his head.
Tommy pushed off of the wall and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Fulton looked at him waiting to hear what he would say next. A mother and son walked into the shop behind Tommy and Fulton pushed off from the wall next.
"I'll see you around. Don't fall off the face of the earth all right?"
"I won't." Fulton said laughing.
He walked back into the store thinking about what Tommy had said. Maybe he would go over to the Duncan's after work.
XXXX
Connie hung up the phone with a smile on her face. Charlie was coming in that Thursday. Only five more days; then she would see him. Things had been crazy the past few weeks. It was getting harder to get through the day. Most nights she was too tired to even go over to Tammy's room. She found herself falling asleep during classes because she was up half the night. The baby was becoming more active. She had felt it kick for the first time the other night. The only time it would move was when Connie was still. It was like the baby was telling her that it didn't like when she was lying still. This was going to be one active kid. She could tell already.
She didn't have anyone that she could talk to about the baby. No one else understood the way Charlie did. Maybe it was because everyone else wasn't going to be parents at nineteen. She wasn't complaining though, they should have been more careful. She had gotten lectured to no end when her mom found out. It was the ultimate test to their relationship. They had a rocky start, but they were slowly getting used to things. She put a hand on her protruding stomach and smiled. She was glad that Charlie was going to be there when she found out the sex of the baby. She had been able to change her appointment to Friday so that he could be there.
A little while later she heard someone knock on the door. She couldn't get off the bed so she just yelled for the person to come in. Jesse stuck his head in and shook his head with a smile.
"What if I had been a serial killer?" He asked sitting at her desk.
"Then I would have been screwed." Connie said staring up at the ceiling.
Jesse laughed at her shaking his head again.
"Charlie'll be here this weekend."
"Oh yeah? When did you talk to him?"
"A little while ago."
"I bet you're happy about that."
"Yeah. I know you miss him too. But going through this without him here is starting to get to me."
"So ask him to stay."
"We both know I can't. He'd be giving up on his dream."
"But he would be here. That counts for something."
"I know Jess. I talk to him about coming back more often."
"You better do more than that." He said giving her a stern look.
Connie tried to stifle a yawn. Jesse stood from her desk and walked over to her.
"Get some sleep." He said putting a hand on her shoulder.
"I will." She said before closing her eyes.
Jesse let himself out and Connie was asleep a few minutes later. Hopefully the baby would cut her some sleep and at least let her get half a nights sleep before waking her up.
XXXX
Fulton was outside Tammy's house waiting for someone to answer the door. He was nervously shifting from foot to foot when Tammy opened the door. It had been five years since he had been over here. He had passed by the house twice before he realized which one was hers.
"Hey." She said smiling at him.
"Hi."
"Come on in." She said opening the door wider.
He brushed against her as he walked inside. She led him into the living room and he sat down.
"Do you want anything to drink?"
"No, I'm okay."
Tammy nodded her head before sitting down next to him.
"I thought you'd be at school."
"You didn't come here to see me?"
"I ran into Tommy earlier. He invited me over."
"Well I have to say that I'm disappointed. I thought you were here to see me." She said teasing him.
"I see you all the time." He said teasing her back.
They were soon laughing when they heard the front door open. Her mom stuck her head in and smiled when she saw Fulton. She left the room and went upstairs to bed.
"So where is Tommy?"
"Out of town with our dad. I guess he forgot to tell you that."
"He didn't invite me over for tonight. It was more of a come over sometime thing."
"Ah." Tammy said nodding.
"Do you want to do something?"
"Fulton Reed, are you asking me out?"
"I guess I am." He said laughing shyly.
"Then I guess I'll have to say yes."
"Okay then." He said smiling.
"But not tonight. I can't. My grandmother's here, I promised my mom I'd help her take care of her."
"Oh." Letting his smile fade.
"Are you going to be here next weekend?"
"I can come back." He said nodding.
"Next weekend then." She said smiling at him.
They talked until late that night. They lost track of time before they realized it was after midnight. As Fulton was leaving Tammy put a hand on his arm, she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek before looking him in the eye. He smiled at her before walking out the door. He said a silent prayer hoping that the week would go by fast as he walked down the street. Now that he knew where he stood with her he couldn't wait to see her again.
AN: Sorry I'm leaving you guys hanging. But I promise I will put their date in the next chapter. I have a favor to ask of all of you. What do you think the sex of the baby should be? And if any of you have any ideas for a name let me know. Now hit that little purpelish blue button.
