NOTE: Here are a few things that you need to know.
The Believers storyline never happened.
Tasha isn't pregnant.
Tasha and Robbie have not married for real yet.
Rachel and Kim are not together.
Flynn is obviously alive and doesn't have cancer.
CHAPTER TEN
ONE WEEK LATER
Martha clutched her stomach as she leaned over the toilet bowl; retching. Every morning for the last week, this had been a constant ritual. And she hated it. She never expected it to feel or be like this. It was at this moment everyday that she really wished Jack knew. She knew he would there with her; making sure she was okay. But she couldn't tell him. He was still having trouble excepting that he already had a child. Martha didn't want to add to the load.
Luckily for her, Jack had worked night shifts all during the week and she had been staying at her own place. She didn't have to worry about Jack finding out, because he wasn't there to hear or see her throwing her guts up. And by the time she saw him later on that morning or later in the day, she would be feeling okay again. Jack had absolutely no idea what was going on. But one thing was for sure; Martha hated lying to him.
The only other person that Martha had to hide her morning sickness from was her grandad. But he was usually gone by the time she woke up. Either out fishing or opening Noah's for the morning rush. So he was never around either to hear her.
She actually couldn't believe how easy it was keeping her pregnancy from everyone. But she knew she had to tell them soon. She was almost three months pregnant already, and it wouldn't be long until her baby bump would start appearing. She'd already noticed that she had put a little weight on, and even her breasts felt different. She wouldn't be able to hide the fact that she was having a baby for too much longer.
Once she had stopped heaving; Martha slowly lowered her back onto the cold floor in the bathroom. She loved the feel of the cold tiles on her back and arms. It soothed and cooled her down. And she always seemed to feel better when she was lying down.
After a few more minutes, Martha slowly pulled herself to her feet. She reached into the shower cubicle and turned the water on. She needed to freshen up; she was supposed to be meeting Tasha and Robbie in an hour, and she didn't want to be late.
Martha sat herself down into the soft sand. It was a nice day, and the sun was shining brightly. If only her mood was as bright as the sun. She'd tried to make herself look presentable, and she had almost succeeded. The only thing she couldn't get rid of were the damned black circles under her eyes, and no matter how much foundation she had put on her face; she still looked pale.
Martha looked at her watch. It was almost 10:30 am and Rob and Tasha were meeting her there soon. Perhaps she should have waited another hour or two to meet them; because usually by lunch time she'd be her perky self again and she wouldn't be feeling like total crap. Ah well, too late now.
Martha looked out over the sparkling ocean. The water looked beautiful today and the waves were awesome. She wished she was out there. Over the last few months Jack had been teaching her to surf, and she loved it. But as soon as she had found out she was pregnant; she had stopped. She didn't want to risk hitting herself in the stomach with the board.
"Hey Mac," a cheerful voice from behind her sounded. Martha knew from the voice that it was Tasha.
She stood up and turned around; putting on her fake smile that she had grown accustomed too over the last week. She was surprised when she saw Jack walking towards her with Tasha and Rob. She thought that he would have still been at work.
"Hey guys," she called out to them. Jack gave her the smile which she knew was reserved only for her. Martha then cast her eyes over Tasha and Rob, and as they got closer she could see that Tasha was beaming. He face was completely lit up with a smile, and her eyes seemed to have an extra sparkle. Rob's face practically mirrored Tasha's.
"Okay guys, what's going on? Has Santa come early this year? Because you two seem a bit too merry," Martha asked when they reached her. Tasha started giggling, and Rob just kept on smiling.
Jack smiled at her again; giving her a soft kiss on the lips. "Hey," she said.
Martha then looked back at Tasha and Rob. "Well?" she asked again.
"Rob and I are getting married. For real this time," Tasha exclaimed.
Martha felt a surge of excitement run through her body. "Oh my god. That's great," she squealed, throwing her arms around both Tasha and Rob. "Congratulations," she finished.
"It is great. Tasha's eighteen now, so we thought lets get married properly," Rob smiled, once Martha had pulled out of the hug.
"Well, I think it's amazing. So have you decided on the date yet?" Martha asked excitedly. She was so glad that her thoughts of the baby had gone. This was just the thing to take her mind off it.
"Yep," Tasha said. "On this day next month I will officially become Mrs Hunter," she continued.
"Wow, so soon," Martha shot out.
"Yeah, but we don't want to wait," Rob told her.
"This is so exciting. We have so much planning to do," Martha said, pulling Tasha into another hug.
For the next half hour the two couples sat on the beach, happily chatting about the upcoming wedding. Jack and Robbie were talking about the engagement party, and Martha and Tasha about the wedding dress.
Martha was in a happy mood; but it soon went away when Robbie opened his mouth.
"I hate to be the bad guy here, but Martha, you look like crap," Robbie burst out.
"Rob," Tasha scolded, and whacked him hard on the arm.
"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence Rob," Martha exclaimed.
"What? I was just saying," Rob said, rubbing his arm.
"Rob's right. You don't look well. You look really pale and you've got dark circles under your eyes," Jack spoke up, sounding concerned. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Grandad and I had some prawns for dinner last night. I think they were a bit funky," Martha lied. God, this lying is getting bad, Martha thought. When I die, I'll definitely be going to hell.
"Well as long as it's nothing serious. After what happened to you last week; I've been worried," Jack said rubbing her back.
"I've said it once, and I'll say it again. I'm fine, so stop worrying," Martha huffed. "Now, let's go to Noah's and tell everybody the good news," she finished.
The four slowly made their way up the beach. Martha of course didn't notice the looks Tasha was giving her.
Something is definitely going on with Martha, Tasha thought. She hasn't been herself lately, and it's not just because of Megan. Martha was her best friend, and she was worried about her. Something was not right.
Martha sat at the small couch at Noah's looking around at all the smiling faces. They had all just been told about the wedding; and were now celebrating.
"Are you feeling better?" Jack asked from beside her.
She looked at him and smiled. "Yeah, heaps. And good news always makes me feel better," Martha replied.
"Good. But if you start to feel sick again, tell me, and I'll take you home," Jack told her.
"I'm fine, honestly," Martha tried to reassure him.
"Okay," Jack exclaimed, giving Martha a kiss on the cheek. "I'm just going to the bathroom; I'll be back in a minute".
Martha watched as Jack stood up and slowly made his way to the bathroom. When she looked back towards the group, she noticed Tasha watching her intently. When Tasha realised that she had been busted, she quickly made her way towards Martha.
"Do I have something on my face?" Martha asked, jokingly.
"I'm worried about you Mac," Tasha said, turning the conversation serious.
"God, why can't everybody just get off my back," Martha began. "I'm fine. There is nothing wrong with me. Does it need to be spelt out?" she continued.
"Why do you get so worked up every time someone asks if you're okay?" Tasha asked. "Maybe if you told us what's wrong, we'd stop nagging you".
"I did tell you. I ate prawns last night, and I think they were a bit funky. That's it," Martha snapped.
"I'm not just talking about today. You've been acting strange all week. Ever since you're trip to the hospital infact," Tasha exclaimed. "Is something wrong? Are you sick?" she asked.
"No, I am not sick. There is noth….," Martha started, but was cut off by Tasha.
"Are you pregnant?" she asked.
Martha paused. Oh crap, she thought. Come on girl, get a grip. You can talk your way out of this.
"Don't be stupid Tasha. Of course I'm not pregnant," she hissed. "If I were, I'd tell you straight away," she lied.
"You promise?" Tasha questioned.
Martha hated to lie, but it had to be done. "Yes, I promise," she reassured. Out of the corner of her eye, Martha noticed Jack on his way back toward her. "Okay, let's pretend that this conversation didn't happen. I don't want Jack back on my case," Martha whispered to Tasha.
Tasha sighed. "Alright, but promise you'll tell me if something is wrong," she said.
"I just did," Martha said under her breathe; just loud enough for Tasha to hear. "Now hush". She then looked up at Jack smiling as if nothing had happened.
"What are you two whispering about?" Jack smiled down at them.
"Um, nothing," Martha replied.
"Just wedding stuff. Nothing you'd be interested in," Tasha explained. "Hey, are you two still up for dinner with me and Rob at the diner tonight?" she then asked, trying to change the subject.
"Yeah, of course," Martha smiled. "I'm actually looking forward to it. The four of us haven't really hung out in while. Besides, I could totally go for a burger and chips," she said.
Martha was glad that the four of them would be hanging out tonight. She was in a good mood, and was starting to feel a lot better. At the moment she was sure nothing could ruin her day.