October 18, 1998
It had been six months since Éponine and Enjolras had gotten married. Enjolras had begun his last semester at law school and even Courfeyrac decided to go back to school for music production, apparently academia was quite catching.
Éponine was happy to say that during that time she never relapsed into heroine and if she had problems she knew she could reach out to Zack who while unorthodox in his ways was a perfect fit for Éponine.
For the most part everything was going perfectly, almost too perfectly so of course a curve ball needed to be thrown their way, just to change things up a bit. This curve ball came in the form of the fact that Éponine had missed her period a week ago. She never missed her period, ever since she was fourteen it came like clockwork, although she treated it like unwanted guest. But seriously, what kind of girl liked having her period?
She didn't say anything to Enjolras and waited a couple of days hoping that maybe it was just late, perhaps stress had thrown off her cycle? After all they had been looking at other apartments to move out to on their own and it certainly easy. With Éponine back at the club she was their main source of income, although Enjolras was trying to maintain a part-time job while finishing school, either way it wasn't enough.
But after those few days had passed Éponine still had not received her monthly "gift" from mother nature she began to get anxious. Steadily her anxiety grew and she could hardly hide it from the other occupants of the loft. Today Éponine had finally broken down and bought a few pregnancy tests, she let them sit in the plastic bag on the kitchen table for an hour before working up the courage to drink up enough tea and water to use all four. Needless to say she did not like the results as she called Combeferre in a state of panic.
"Combeferre I'm pregnant, what do I do?!" Éponine spook quickly.
"Listen 'Ponine, I need you to calm down," Combeferre spoke in a soothing tone, "I don't understand what you just said, you were talking way too fast."
"I'm pregnant..." Éponine hissed into the phone as she looked at one of the pregnancy tests with it's happy little blue plus sign that scared the crap out of her.
"Well then congratulations," Combeferre chuckled, "hardly a need to be as panicked as you are-"
"Thomas B. Combeferre need I remind you that Alex and I are HIV positive?" Éponine continued, "It's not a fate I would wish on anyone especially my unborn child!"
"So are you saying you might get an abortion?" Combeferre asked.
"Yes... Maybe- I don't know!" Éponine groaned.
"Have you told Alex?" Combeferre asked.
"Not yet," Eponine sighed, "I just took the tests..."
"I see, well you should talk to him before you consult me, alright?" Combeferre replied.
"But 'Ferre..." Éponine sighed, "you're the one I turn to when I need advice!"
"You are married, and you are pregnant with his child," Combeferre spoke coolly, "he deserves to know.
Éponine sighed deeply, "You're right."
"Okay?" Combeferre replied, "maybe just tell him when he gets back from class."
"Okay, goodbye 'Ferre," Éponine replied.
"Goodbye 'Ponine," Combeferre then hung up his end of the phone.
Éponine new that she had a little over an hour before Enjolras or anyone else returned back to the loft so she hastily disposed of the pregnancy tests, which turned out to be a good thing as Enjolras, Marius, Courfeyrac and Gavroche entered the loft. Éponine let out a squeak of shock at their early arrival her face feeling like it was on fire as she blushed.
"Hey 'Ponine," Courfeyrac greeted her, "how are you this fine day?"
"Fine," Éponine laughed nervously, "great... Umm..." She turned to Enjolras, "you're back early!"
"Class got out early," Enjolras replied, "something's up, are you hiding something?"
"Who me?" Éponine let out a nervous laugh, "no."
"'Ponine," Enjolras looked at her knowingly.
Éponine knew that she shouldn't be hiding this from him, she had to take Combeferre's advice on this situation, he was right, she had to tell Alex. "Actually I need to talk to you really quickly about apartment stuff..." Éponine lied quickly to get Enjolras away from the others as she dragged him into the room that they shared.
"So what's up?" Enjolras asked.
Epoine quickly shut the door behind them and sighed.
"Well this is clearly more than apartment stuff if you need to shut the door," Enjolras began to analyze the situation, "seriously 'Ponine what's wrong?"
Éponine wrung her hands as she whispered her reply.
"I couldn't hear what you just said," Enjolras folded his arms across his chest.
Éponine sighed before responding again, "I'm pregnant-"
"Wait, what?" Enjolras' eyes widened.
"I'm pregnant, you and me and baby makes three! All that stuff!" Éponine groaned as she sank down on the bed.
"So I'll be a father," A smile spread across Enjolras face.
"Yes! Well... I don't know..." Éponine lowered her head.
"You don't mean to tell me... 'Ponine you want to have an abortion?" Enjolras face fell rapidly.
"I don't know anymore," Éponine sighed, "I just don't want any child of mine to have HIV..."
"That's what you're worried about?" Enjolras sat beside her, "I don't know much about how that would work... The only thing I can suggest is that you go to the doctor," he then exhaled, "after that I'll let you make the decision on what you want to do with this pregnancy.
"You want me to make this choice? Éponine looked at Enjolras in surprise.
"Yes," Enjolras took her hand, "because whatever it is I'm sure you'll make the right one."
"Thank you," Éponine sighed, but guilt knotted up in her chest, what the hell was she going to do?
xxxxxxx
Éponine lay awake in her bed that night pondering her situation, she did as Enjolras suggested and called the doctor for an appointment which would be in a couple of days. But what was she going to do until then? Of course she had wanted children, she wasn't necessarily afraid of being a bad mother, for god sake she had taken care of Gavroche when he was a baby. But things had changed since then, both she and Enjolras had HIV and that scared her. Even if she did go through with the pregnancy what if she never got to see her child grow up?
"You're still awake?" Eniolras whispered.
"Can't sleep..." Éponine sighed as she turned to face him, "I can't stop thinking about it."
"No matter what you choose to do," Enjolras rested his hand on Éponine's shoulder, "I'll still love you."
"Thank you," Éponine murmured as she curled up against Enjolras, she had never thought she would ever have to make such a difficult decision.
xxxxxxx
October 21, 1998
"We'll prescribe you a supplement for combined drug therapy and if you keep taking your medication as instructed you will be fine," The doctor informed Éponine, "There will be other steps taken during delivery and after that but the likes of your child having HIV are not terribly high."
"Really?" Relief washed over Éponine, she felt one thousand times better about the whole situation. The idea of the abortion was slowly slipping off the table because she never truly wanted one in the first place.
"Just take your prescriptions and stay healthy," The doctor nodded, "continue to check in and we shall see how it goes from there."
"Alright," Éponine nodded, happiness bubbled up inside of her, "thank you doctor." She then got up from the examination room and went to tell Enjolras the good news. When she walked out she found him carelessly flicking through a magazine. She sat down beside him and waited for him to look up at her, slowly he turned to face her.
"In about seven months time you will be a father," Éponine grinned.
The magazine fell from Enjolras' grasp, "So you're keeping the baby?"
Éponine nodded her head in conformation, "I am."
"That's great!" Enjolras exclaimed, "that's wonderful!" he through his arms around her causing her to laugh, "'Ponine I love you so much."
"I love you too," Éponine replied happily, "and I think we can tell the officially tell them..."
"Good," Enjolras smiled, "although I think Courfeyrac already knows," he got up from his chair.
"What?" Éponine knit her brows together, "that's not possible."
"I dunno, he's just been oddly cryptic the last few days," Enjolras sighed, "I even think I heard him strumming 'Baby Mine' on his guitar as some sort of hint."
"Damn it of course he would figure it out," Éponine sighed.
"I suppose we just might need to be moving from the loft sooner than anticipated," Enjolras turned to her as they walked to the elevator.
"Yeah, I'm gonna miss that place but we can't raise a child there," She exhaled, "but we can make good memories elsewhere."
"Well we've already started looking," Enjolras nodded.
"That's going to be hard to find something larger than the size of a shoebox that we can afford, it was hard enough trying to find a shoebox that we could afford," Éponine sighed.
"We can make it work," Enjolras got up, "don't worry about it."
Éponine stood up beside him, "We should probably go and tell Courfeyrac before he explodes."
"We can't keep him out of the loop for nine months?" Enjolras teased.
"Not if he is already suspecting it," Éponine smiled, "and everyone else will most likely figure it out by Christmas."
"Then I suppose you're right, let's share the good news," Enjolras draped his arm over her shoulder.
xxxxxxxx
"I knew it!" Courfeyrac jumped up from his seat, "I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!"
"Oh my god you're going to be a mommy?!" Cosette exclaimed as Éponine and Enjolras told all their friends when they had gotten together that night at the Life Cafe. "'Ponine that's great!" she embraced the dancer.
"Honey don't strangle the poor girl," Musichetta tried to pry Cosette off of Éponine.
Cosette let go, "Sorry 'Ponine, I'm just so excited!"
"Well I won't be having the baby until May," Éponine smiled, "still have quite a bit of time before that happens."
"Pookie would you ever want to have kids?" Cosette turned to Musichetta.
"Where is this coming from?" Musichetta raised an eyebrow as everyone else laughed.
"Never thought I would see the day when those words would leave Cosette's mouth," Marius smirked.
"Shut up," Cosette glared at Marius.
"I mean I suppose we could think about it," Musichetta shrugged.
"Then I guess let's hear it for a new generation of bohemians?" Zack raised his glass filled with Coca-Cola. There was a clinking if glasses all around and they were getting the attention of those around them.
"I almost forgot!" Éponine dug into her purse and pulled out her ultra sound pictures. "There isn't much to see yet but I thought you guys might still be curious." She passed them around the table.
"You thought of names?" Marius asked.
Éponine shrugged, "Bit too early to be thinking about that don't you think?"
"So I can be the cool aunt, right?" Azelma smiled, "and Gav could be the crazy uncle!"
"Gee thanks sis," The seventeen year old rolled his eyes as everyone burst into laughter once again.
