So here's the continuation of #91. I think the next chapter might be a continuation of this, but it'll be set further in the future. But I have it already written in my head. I just need to type it out.
Hugs and cookies and brownies-not the pot kind- and ice cream and just general goodness and love to saved240307, Caskett1960, TORONTOSUN, Duby34, ladybugsmomma, lyndseysmeltzer, and Micrazy2 for all the continued support. You guys are wonderful, and the only reason some of these chapters have gotten done.
#51 Because he'd like the option
Kate was in the bathroom getting ready for bed one night when Rick came in and stood by the door. He watched her for a moment, and Kate gave him a slightly timid smile. She knew she was keeping something from him, something big, but she didn't know how to tell him, and the longer she waited, the harder it got.
She put her toothbrush back beside his and turned to grab her pajamas. She was about to start getting dressed when Rick's voice stopped her.
"Is this how it's gonna be now, Kate?" He asked in a harsh tone. "We've been together for a year now, so you can stop trying, is that it?"
"Rick?" She asked, scared and caught off guard by his sudden change in character.
"Did you decide that it was too much work, so you're gonna start pulling away? Or, God, Kate. Are you cheating on me? Because I'm not gonna be able to handle getting cheated on again."
Kate's shirt slipped through her fingers at his accusation. "No!" She hurried to assure him. "I'd never do that to you, Rick."
Rick ran his hand through his hair. "Then what is it, Kate? What did I do wrong? Because we were great, and then you started avoiding me. You go out of your way now to spend as little time with me as possible, and the only reasons I can come up with are that you're cheating on me, or you want me to be the one to end our relationship, and I can assure you, That's not going to be on me."
"No, Rick." Kate said. "I don't want us to end."
"Then why, Kate? Why are you pulling away?"
"I'm pregnant." Kate murmured.
"What?" Rick asked, his sudden shift in tone telling her that he hadn't been expecting that response.
"I'm pregnant."
Rick just stared at Kate, and the longer he went without saying anything, the more nervous she got. Finally after 5 minutes of silence, Kate made a decision.
"I'll go stay with my dad for a bit, give you some time." She waited a beat for Rick to respond, and when he didn't, she let out a small sigh and made her way to the door to pack a bag, doing her best to ignore the rejection washing through her.
When she was at the doorway, Rick's brain finally regained its ability to form words, but the words he said weren't the ones either of them wanted them to be.
"So you're running now? You're just gonna leave me with that and then run away and let me wonder when or if I'll ever see you again?" He asked, his voice icy and bitter, and it stopped Kate cold.
When she turned around, Rick could see the effect his words had had on her, and before he could apologize, before he could do anything, Kate pressed her back to the wall and slid down to the ground. She wrapped her arms around her legs and curled herself into a little ball, and seconds later she was shaking.
"Shit, Kate." Rick mumbled as he found his legs and hurried to her side. He slid down beside her and gently lifted her face up so he could look at her. Her makeup had started running down her face since she hadn't had a chance to take it off yet. Rick reached onto the counter beside them and grabbed the washcloth she'd been about to use. He gently wiped away what he could of her makeup as Kate continued crying.
"I wasn't running." Kate mumbled, her voice broken and dejected.
"Shh." Rick murmured as he set the washcloth on the floor and pulled Kate into his lap so he could wrap his arms around her. "I know, Kate. I know, and I'm sorry I said that."
"You just wer-weren't saying an-anything, an-and I thought you wer-were mad." Kate cried into his shoulder where she'd buried her face. "I th-thought you n-needed time to p-process it, so I was g-gonna stay with my d-dad for the n-night."
Rick continued to murmur soothing words and apologies into Kate's hair while he rubbed circles on her back. After a while, Kate's tears stopped and her breathing evened out. She pulled back to look at Rick, and he used his thumbs to brush the remaining tears from her cheeks.
"I'm sorry." Kate whispered.
"Don't apologize, Kate. I shouldn't have reacted how I did. To any of it. I just- I honestly was expecting you to say that you were just looking for a way out. I didn't think you'd tell me you're pregnant."
"Sorry." Kate murmured again.
"Why didn't you just tell me?" Rick asked after a moment of silence. "Why were you avoiding me?"
Kate sighed. "I thought you'd be mad. I know you said that you'd like the option for more kids, but you never said you'd like the option with me, so I thought you wouldn't be happy. And I was worried you'd think I was trying to trap you."
"Trap me?" Rick asked, confused by her choice of words.
Kate nodded. "We're not married, we're not engaged. So I was worried you'd think I'd gotten pregnant on purpose or something." Kate shook her head and blushed. "It's stupid."
Rick smiled. "I don't think any of that." He said.
They were quiet for a moment and Rick's brain continued processing everything that had just happened. "Holy shit!" He exclaimed.
"What?" Kate asked, suddenly worried again.
"You're pregnant!" Rick cried. He wrapped Kate more firmly in his arms and hugged her tightly while he peppered kisses all over her face and neck and anywhere else he could reach.
Kate laughed and managed to get her arms around him. She hugged him back and returned some of his kisses. "I am." She said with a smile.
Rick paused and grew serious again. "We're happy about this, right?" He asked.
Kate leaned in and kissed him passionately. When they broke apart, they were both panting. "We're very happy about this." She answered before she leaned in and kissed him again.
They were so happy, they didn't even make it off the bathroom floor.
There you go! Hope you guys liked this, and that you're ok with occasional angst.
If you have any ideas for any of the numbers, please let me know. I have a few planned out already, but there are a few that I could use help with. So if you have an idea, let me know, and if it's one I don't have a plan for, I'll do my best to write yours.
I'm gonna be completely honest, guys. I'm kind of hurt by the decrease in reviews over the last couple chapters. I know there are some of you who review all the time, and I appreciate you all. But I had so many reviews for the first few chapters, and then suddenly people just stopped. So it's time to take a vote: Do you guys want me to continue with this story? Or have the chapters become to similar? I'm not normally the kind to beg for reviews, but I really want to know if everyone reading this wants me to continue or not.