Chapter Nine

"Pregnant?" Troy said

Mia nodded "Pregnant"

He ran his fingers through his hair "Pregnant?"

"Yes Troy, I'm five weeks pregnant" She rubbed her cold arms and teeth chattered

Troy pulled his sweater off the chair and put her on it "Here" He rubbed her arm with his hands "So how are you feeling?"

"Sick, cold" She said "Normal pregnancy feelings"

"How long have you felt like this?" He said

"Since I got the cramps the day of the musical. The sick more than the cold"

He put his head back on to the headboard "So you've known since then?"

"Yeah, but I've been worrying about how you'd react..."

"You shouldn't have been worried" He said "I'm shocked, very very shocked, but I'm not mad or anything. I have learnt, however, that no matter how gentle you do it, condoms can break"

She smiled slighty at how he was keeping a slight sense of humor through this "What do you want me to do?"

"That's not my choice. You've got to carry the baby, push, the baby'll want you more than it wants me, no matter how hard I try. Its up to you"

"So I can keep the baby?"

"What does this tell you?" He held her stomach and kissed her gently

"You're not gonna make me have an abortion?"

"No, thats not fair" He stroked her stomach again "And I would not let you put the baby up for adoption, I know we'd both regret that"

"So we're having a baby?" She smiled

"Yeah, a little baby" He kissed her and looked in to her tired eyes "We better get to sleep...we're gonna need it"

...

As Troy came back in from the bathroom, Mia was sat up, brushing her hair and putting it up

"Morning" She smiled

"Happy holidays" He smiled back "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure"

"Are you pregnant or did I dream that?"

"I'm pregnant" She smiled

"Ok, just so I know" He said "Wanna head down?"

"Can I wear your sweater your still?"

He nodded "Yeah...are we telling my Dad?"

"We should tell him as your mom knows" She said, getting out of bed "This morning, lunch, dinner?"

"Well there's get in early while he's still in a good mood, lunch, happy when eating, dinner will be in a happy sleepy mood, so any will work" But then he realized "Or maybe tonight, when my grandparents have gone"

"They won't approve?" She asked

"No, they won't" He said "He probably won't either but with a Christmas dinner and a few beers in him he'll be good so we should be ok"

"Ok" She took a deep breath "Ready to head downstairs?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna tell mom that I know"

She nodded "Good point" She leant against him "But I'm not feeling that great so we need an excuse for your Dad and grandparents"

"Ok" He put an arm around her back and they headed down for breakfast "Hey mom...or Grandma"

"Morning kids" Mrs Bolton smiled, then the 'Grandma' registered "You know?"

"Yeah, I know" Troy smiled

"When?"

"Earlier this morning"

"Oh, this is so great" She hugged them both

"Except we're not telling Dad til tonight, after Grandma and Grandpa have gone, and Mia's not feeling well so we need an excuse"

"Just say you've eat something, you guys went out for lunch yesterday, you could have had different things" She turned to Mia "Will you be able to stomack breakfast?"

"Oh yeah, sure" She replied "I just feel a lil woozy, thats all"

"Thats how it starts, you're only woozy, but it gets worse. My pregnancy with Troy was awful..."

"Mom, we don't need to hear this! Thank you!"

"How bad can it get?" Mia gulped

"I threw up every morning, had to sit with a hot water bottle sometimes"

"The tiredness is whats getting to me at the moment" She said, sitting at the kitchen table

"It will do... you may need to drop out of college" She said

"I know, we haven't spoken about that kind of thing yet"

Troy sat down at the table "We're not gonna talk about that until a later date. Don't wanna think about stuff that could cause problems on Christmas"

Couch Bolton came in the kitchen "Merry Christmas family"

"Merry Christmas" They all said

"What's on the agenda for today?" He asked

"Breakfast, presents, lunch, presents from your parents, relax for awhile, then dinner"

"Sounds good" He sat across from his son "What was with you three being awake at like 4 a.m. this morning?"

They looked at each other, it was Mia who answered "Sorry, I had a bad stomach, Lucy heard me and Troy wondered where I was"

"You ok now?"

"Pretty much"

...

Troy and Mia were lieing on the sofa when his grandparents arrived

"I'm so tired" She whispered

"You will be" He kissed her head "Sleep if you want"

She shook her head "Its Christmas, I can't..."

"Christmas is the day that people fall asleep in the day, you're fine" He closed his eyes himself "Just a few minuets"

Mia snuggled up to him and closed her eyes too...but they got interrupted

"Its not even one o'clock and you're already going to sleep?" His grandma tapped his leg, but in a joking manor

"There's a time difference, I'm tired" He squeezed Mia "We're tired"

"We know" His grandpa said "She was joking"

"Dinner!" Mrs Bolton called. His grandparents went through, but they moaned

"So tired" He groaned

"How do you think I feel?" She said "Jetlag and early stages of pregnancy? You'll have to make sure I don't fall asleep in my food"

"I'll try"

They went in to the dining room and sat in their seats, dinner already waiting for them

Mia took a bite of meat, despite feeling a little worse than she did before, that was ok, the vegetables and potato on the other hand...

"Troy" She said, hand over her mouth

He looked at her and noticed how pale she'd suddenly gotten, he nodded and they ran upstairs

Troy gave her a drink of water after and held her "Vegetables don't like you at the moment"

She put her head against the bathroom and held her stomach, she sighed "I've ruined today now"

He saw the tears brimming in her eyes "Don't. Everything's fine, you stay up here and rest, I'll finsh my dinner and come to see you ok?"

She nodded "Ok"

He put her in his room, kissed her head, turned out the light and headed back down the stairs

"Can I talk to you for a sec mom?"

He and his mother went in to the kitchen "It was the vegetables"

She nodded "Thought it might be" She sighed "Want me to save the meat so she can put it in a sandwich or something?"

"Yeah, good idea. She thinks she's ruined Christmas"

"No, she hasn't. Was she crying?"

"A lil, but isn't that normal in pregnancy?"

"Yeah, perfectly normal. Healthy actually, she'll cry at anything over the next thirty five weeks"

"I'll keep some tissue in my pocket" He said "But anyway, she's resting now, just thought I'd let you know what was going on"

...

Mia came down stairs about an hour later, Troy smiled at her and patted the seat beside him

She sat next to him, he put his arms around her waist and she leant on his chest

"Feeling better?" He said

"A lil" She said

"Good" He kissed her head

Troy's grandpa started poking fun at them "As if vegetables can make some one sick"

"Shut up grandpa" Troy said

"What? I'm just saying"

"Well don't just say" He said

"I just think it's strange that someone can get sick from eating perfectly good vegetables..."

"Are you saying Mia's strange?"

"I guess maybe I am"

"Well..."

"It's ok Troy" Mia said quietly

"No it's not ok" He said "Vegetables made Mia sick because she's pregnant, it's not her, it's the pregnancy, she's pregnant with your great-grandchild, so I suggest you shut up"

Couch Bolton and Troy's grandpa stared at them "Pregnant?"

He nodded "So don't you dare say anything else bad about Mia or the baby"

"Lucy" Couch Bolton called "I think we need to talk"

"Mom knows" Troy said

"What? When?"

"This morning, about 4 a.m."

"So you lied to me?"

"We were gonna tell you later..."

"We decided it would be best to wait until later" Mrs Bolton said "But I guess things have changed"

Mia tried to hide the fact she was crying "I'm sorry"

Troy wiped her tears "Don't cry, it's ok"

"Why don't we go have a talk?" Mrs Bolton said to Mia "It won't take long"

Mia followed her out the room, Couch Bolton turned to Troy again

"So, what are you gonna do?"

"Have a baby"

"Is that it?"

A picture on the top of the fire place caught his eye, he knew exactly what to do

"And ask her to marry me"