Chapter Eleven - Crumble
It was her fault.
That was what Claire was telling herself anyway, even though Gray would argue with her. Despite the fact that Claire and Gray hadn't even mentioned their secret to even each other in a week, everyone seemed to know. 'If only I hadn't had to go to the clinic…' Claire thought to herself as she strolled down the path that lead to the hot spring. That alone had aroused the suspicion of the townsfolk. Add to the equation that over the past week alone Claire had gained five pounds (despite not being able to eat anything) so that some of her favourite clothes were growing tight, people were putting two and two together.
Once she arrived at the spring she noticed Popuri and Karen whispering as she sat down on the edge of the pond. Claire ignored them, pulling off her boots and putting her feet into the water as the whispering continued. She had come here to relax and forget about things, but apparently that was going to be easier said than done. The young farmer was getting tired of the questions from everyone, even the thought alone made her sigh. Not to mention, today she had found poor little Grace cold and unmoving in the chicken pen, making her heart heavier than it had been in the first place. She had truly believed that she would be able to keep the little chick alive. She thought she could heal her, oh how she thought-
"Oh definitely!" Claire's thoughts were interrupted by Karen's exclamation and a cocky laugh. Claire cringed and part of her wanted to wrap her hands around her stomach to protect the baby from all the negativity flowing around her. Karen had had it out for her ever since she moved to Mineral Town and the moment that Rick took interest in her it had only gotten worse. Normally Claire didn't care about things as silly as being talked about but lately everything seemed to make her either upset or angry and she felt ridiculous as tears pricked her eyes.
'You chose this. Remember that.' A voice in her head reminded her, and she stiffened up, holding her head high as she cast a glare towards Karen. This wasn't high school and Claire refused to be bullied. Karen rolled her eyes and started to leave, Popuri waving to Claire as they walked past. When they were almost at the entrance, Karen made a fake coughing sound, muttering the word 'slut' under her breath and Claire shot to her feet in rage. "You wanna say that to my face you fucking bitch?!" Claire growled angrily.
Karen was clearly taken back by Claire's reaction. She had expected the farmer to lie down and take it and was unsure what to do at being called out. Popuri was clearly distressed as well. "You promised you wouldn't say anything mean!" the pink haired girl yelled before running off. Karen stared at Claire for a few moments longer, but ran after Popuri when Claire showed no signs of backing down.
Now alone, Claire wrapped her arms around her stomach holding it protectively as her shoulder began to shake and tears streamed down her face. "I'm sorry…" She whispered to the bump that was now visible with her dress pressed against her skin. "I'm so sorry…"
It was only about four o'clock when Gray made his way to the bar, but he ordered a beer with his supper anyway. Work was slowly killing him and things with Claire were just making things worse. He knew that she had been avoiding him lately to help disperse the rumors, but it was quite clear that it wasn't working. All week he had heard people talking about Claire possibly being pregnant, and as much as he hated to admit it, with the rate at which the baby was growing, they wouldn't be able to keep denying it for long. Sure, Claire was only about a season along, but since she was so lean and most of her clothes were tight to her skin to avoid it getting caught while farming, the weight gain was noticeable.
The blacksmith found himself in a constant sour mood ever since he had first heard someone whisper about Claire. 'How does no one in this town have anything better to do than talk? Don't these assholes have work that needed to be done?' Gray pondered all this as he downed his first beer, not even touching his burger. The lack of food in his stomach made him feel a little queasy after chugging his drink and that made him think of Claire and how sick she had been lately. 'Goddess…' he thought to himself as he moved his fries around his plate. 'Literally everything reminds me of her.'
Gray's pity party was interrupted by Kai sitting in the chair across from him. "Hey man, what's up with the sour face?" Kai asked, then glancing towards the empty beer glass he added: "And the liquid supper?"
The blond rubbed the bridge of his nose between his index and his thumb, trying to relieve the tension that had built up there. "Nothing…" He grumbled. "The old man is just working me to the bone."
Kai just blinked. He wasn't the smartest person in the world, but even he knew that Gray's answer was bullshit. Kai crossed his arms. "So, this has nothing to do with the rumors going around about Claire again?"
Gray clenched his fists momentarily and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "No, it has nothing to do with that…" He looked down and moved his fries around his plate again instead of looking at his friend, knowing what was about to come next.
"Gray man… We're best friends." Kai said as he leaned back in his chair. "I can tell you're not just mad at your grandpa. I mean, you're always mad at him, but I can tell that's not the only thing on your mind…" Gray looked up hesitantly at his friend and sighed, causing Kai to continue. "You can be real with me man… Is Claire pregnant?"
Now, the blacksmith was looking away again, unsure what to tell his friend. He didn't know if it was fair to Claire to confirm the rumor. It seemed like such a delicate topic and Gray never had to deal with anything like this before. His silence seemed to be enough for Kai though as he gestured to Doug to bring them two more beers.
"Listen dude," Kai said softly, looking with a small smile. "Whatever happens, you'll get through it. But tonight let's just have a few drinks and forget about it all. If you keep stressing like this you're going to have an aneurism."
Claire was sitting under the tree on her farm as the summer sun started to set. She was hoping that the fresh air would help settle her stomach. She was getting annoyed that this 'morning sickness' was not limited to the morning. Claire was taking deep breaths, trying to focus on anything besides her churning insides when she heard footsteps coming towards her. She plastered on her best fake smile as she looked up to see Rick standing there. "Oh, hey Rick." Claire said as she pulled herself to her feet, making sure to keep her dress looking loose around her stomach. "I wasn't expecting you." Claire had only seen Rick a couple times since they had sex. Part of her was relieved about that because she knew she couldn't keep Rick in the dark for much longer, but another part of her was miffed that Rick thought he could just sleep with her and fuck off.
Once Claire studied the chicken farmer she realized that he had an uneasy look upon his face. She frowned a little and reached up to cup his face. "What's wrong Ric-" Claire's sentence was stopped short as the man slapped her hand away from him and Claire looked at him with alarm. "What the hell?" She growled.
"I have ears Claire!" Rick yelled back.
Claire stared at him for a moment wondering if he had lost his mind. "Um, so do I. Is there anymore to that explanation?" Claire asked, fighting back the nausea that was building up in her stomach along with the tension.
Rick scoffed. "Always such a smart ass…" He muttered, shaking his head. "Claire, I have heard the damn rumors. Everyone has! Do you think I am an idiot? Are they-"
Claire didn't hear the end of Rick's accusation because she ran to the edge of her farmland, unable to fight her churning stomach anymore. Claire was hoping that Rick would leave her alone to expel her supper in peace but he strode up alongside of her, cursing under his breath.
Rick didn't say anything else until Claire managed to stand up straight, wiping her mouth with a handkerchief she had pulled from the pocket of her dress. While she did this Rick grabbed the hem of her dress and lifted it up, exposing her underwear and her stomach, which was unmistakably a bump. "Fuck Claire!" Rick exclaimed as he let go of the hem, letting the dress fall back around Claire, who had tears of embarrassment flowing from her eyes. "I want the damn truth. I deserve the truth!" Rick yelled, clearly hurt.
The farmer wiped her eyes with a shaking hand. This wasn't how she expected things to go. "I'm pregnant, alright?" She whimpered, her emotions taking control of her. "Are you happy now?"
"It's sure as hell not mine." Rick stated, crossing his arms. "That's why you fucked me isn't it?!" He accused, spit flying everywhere. "You wanted to pin this bastard child on me, didn't you?!"
"No Rick!" Claire yelled back, pain clear in her voice. "I slept with you because it felt right… You were the one who initiated it remember?! I didn't want any of this." Claire's dog was now on the scene, hearing the distress in his owner's voice, and started to growl at Rick until he backed up away from her. "Maybe you should go."
As Claire started to sob, Rick clenched his fists and took another step back to leave. He hesitated and looked back at Claire. "Who is the father, Claire?" Rick pressed, looking at the distraught young woman.
