August wasn't kind to Sarah. She had never been this sick since she was a little kid. She was tired from tossing her cookies and then some for weeks throughout the day. Migraines came at her every so often with a force that was to be reckoned with. After about a week she was tired of laying around like a bump on a log and carried a trash can to the piano room, to sit next to the bench as she taught Jason some Billy Joel. He watched over her until she pushed him away but he insisted on checking in on her. She blamed the drastic weather changes from July, but that only explained the headaches, not the nausea.
It wasn't like they had a doctor to go to. They all relied on what they learned from Alfred and she relied on old wife's tales and home remedies, which for the most part relieved some of her problems for a short while. When August rolled around Sarah started to get scared. There was no reason for an illness to stick around like it did. She knew something was serious. She just wished a doctor was around, hell a working hospital would have been great. For all she knew it could have been signs of a serious problem with her brain. All her research in the library pointed to a few other possibilities but a tumor sounded more legitimate than the others.
She broke down after throwing up during one of Jason's lessons. Sarah was scared shitless and Jason didn't know what to do. He had her show him all the things she based her research on, but was more concerned about an option she crossed out in one of the books. "It's a possibility," he said. Sarah gave him a death glare, but he insisted. She insisted that she wasn't. He insisted on getting a test, but she was hellbound and determined that it wasn't what he thought.
He waited until she went to sleep before he took the Silverado out into the city. There was a pharmacy at the mall, the same place where she had taken the eletriptan when they, where he knew he could pick two or eight different tests. It was one of the few things no one bought when the world went to hell, and for that he was somewhat thankful. Jason placed the tests in plain sight in the bathroom, knowing Sarah would wake up and make a b-line for the porcelain god.
The sight of them threw Sarah in a fury. She ran out of the bathroom after washing her mouth out, pushing Jason into the wall. "You're an ass! I know I'm not pregnant! Why are you doubting me?!"
Jason stayed calm and spoke quietly. He didn't need Dick or Damian hearing this. "I'm not saying you are, but it wouldn't hurt to be totally sure."
/ / /
Sarah thought it was damn near ridiculous that Jason had gone out and brought back eight different tests, but she wanted to be sure too. She sat on the toilet waiting for the agonizing ten minutes to be over, watching the clock with anxiety. Jason waited outside the door. A million different thoughts ran through her mind. What is she was, and what is she wasn't? What would Jason do if she was? What about the Wayne family? What on earth would she do with kid in the empty world?
She didn't have any options to take care of the situation, which scared her even more. If she was pregnant she was going to have this child whether she liked it or not. It wasn't like she had resources to teach her anything. Sarah felt truly alone.
Sarah mused a little bit about having a child in the past on her own time. She thought about raising a child to pass her gift of music down without resentment. Her father would have spoiled him or her rotten. It was just different now. This wasn't a world she wanted to raise a child in.
The ten minutes were up and she looked at the tests.
All screamed a plus sign at her.
Sarah eased herself down to the floor petrified. She was pregnant. She had a living thing inside her. It was surreal, amazing, and terrifying all at once. She sat in a daze for what seemed like forever, as if time had stopped while her mind went blank. Emotions ranging from anger to joy balled up in her throat until she snapped out of her stupor and threw up for the nth time that morning.
Jason slowly opened the door to find Sarah fighting nausea and tears, losing both battles. He didn't need to see the tests to know why. Almost out of instinct he held her hair back rubbed her spine. He didn't say a word, he just listened. There was no doubt in his mind what he was going to do. Of all the years he didn't take responsibility for any of his action, but this one he knew he had to do right by. He blamed it on being genuinely scared as well. This wasn't what he had planned in his life at all. Jason and kids just don't make sense in the larger equation of life.
When Sarah felt empty she pushed away and into Jason. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she sobbed. Jason just hushed her, "You did nothing wrong."
He got up and picked up Sarah and gently put her in bed, but stayed close by, just watching her. He was trying to wrap his head around the situation. He tried to think about how this could have happened. He knew they had only had sex once, out in the pond. He mentally kicked himself in the head for not using protection. Jason knew he was her first too. Dear lord, she may never want a damn thing to do with him after that. Could he blame her? After a half hour of crying she fell into sleep, but he stayed. Inside of her was his child. It amazed him, it made him smile, something he didn't do often or let anyone see. He hoped it would be a girl. He didn't know why but that was what he wanted.
/ / /
"We have to tell them." Jason was adamant.
Sarah was anything but. "You don't know what they will do. How are we going to tell them that we are bringing a child into this world?"
"Easy. You, no, we will tell Bruce first."
Sarah narrowed her puffy red eyes at him, "He barely surfaces from the cave to participate in life, what makes you think he would now?"
"Alright, we can tell Dick if that is what you want?"
"I just don't want everyone to know, ok!"
Jason was getting tired of this argument. Sarah was impressively stubborn. "Look it's just the three of them. Eventually they will notice you blowing up like a balloon. Would you rather wait until then or tell them now to give them some fair warning?"
Sarah said nothing.
"You know I'm right. Just please, work with me. Hell, Bruce might know a thing or two and Dick would probably help us out. He is more of a family guy than anyone I knew."
"I'm just ashamed."
"You know you're going to be a bad mom if that is all you think. There is nothing to be ashamed of now."
"I'm just scared!" she screamed through her tears.
Jason didn't want to say what he had to say, but it was the only way to get her to agree with him. "Sarah, do the math. You are almost two months pregnant. We don't have a whole lot of resources. No doctors, nothing. I would rather them know and unleash their wrath. If something were to go wrong we at least know they are around if we need them. Please, just do this with me." Jason never thought he would plead for his life. He never did when he was killed by the Joker, but this was worth letting his pride down for a moment. Sarah nodded her head silently. "Good, lets tell them tomorrow. We both need to get used to the idea." Jason got up to leave the room and head to his own to change out of the clothes he wore to the mall. Sarah perked up as he clasped the door nob.
"You wouldn't leave me, right?" she asked.
Jason turned around to look at her, "I will do anything to give our child everything I never had, what we never had. I have screwed up a lot, but I will not screw this up."
