They aren't mine. I wish they were. Just going to borrow them for a while. Continuation of Christmas Eve Visitor, Starting Our Life Together and Holy Matrimony, Batman!. People, places and things in the story may or may not be totally factual or real.
Christmas Past and Present
By JayCee08
Chapter 14
Christmas Eve 2
The doctor's appointment was fine. Not much to report. I was definitely pregnant. About six weeks. The baby was due in August. Ranger's birthday was in August. Maybe I will have the baby on his birthday.
Dr. Dobbs talked to me about what I can expect as this was my first pregnancy. She asked about morning sickness. It wasn't too bad. I couple times a week if at all. She said that was good. She told me some things I can try to alleviate the morning sickness. Eat crackers, wake up slowly. If I get nausea during the day, eat more often but small portions. She gave me a prescription for prenatal vitamins. She said to take folic acid too. She said that the vitamins can cause morning sickness so she suggested to take them before I went to bed. She told me to avoid fatty, spicy foods, alcohol, drugs and smoking. Like that was a problem. Limit the coffee and caffeine for the first trimester. She checked my urine for any ketones.
She said to avoid stress. I explained that I didn't know where the baby's father was and if he will ever come home. I said that he was on a job somewhere in the world for the government. It could be Iraq, Afghanistan, Columbia, Equador, Russia. The possibilities were endless. She said to try and take it easy. Rest during the day.
I made my appointment for the following month. Mary Lou and I left with Ram. Ram was great. I wouldn't mind him taking me to my other appointments. He just sat in the waiting area. Followed me and stood outside the door while I peed into a cup. Followed me in back to the exam area. Turned his back while I got weighed. And just stood outside the door while the doctor was there.
I hugged Mary Lou when we got to her house. I wished her a Merry Christmas and told her I would call her and let her know how it went with the families. Then I was taken back to RangeMan. He escorted back to my cubicle and then Ram made a hasty retreat to wherever. Maybe he won't volunteer for the next appointment.
It was Christmas Eve. I was getting ready to head over to my parents' house to share the good news with them.
Bobby and Lester helped me set up and decorate the tree Ranger and I bought right before he left. It was bitter sweet. It should have been just Ranger and I decorating our first tree together. I hung up the ornament we bought together. Tears slipped down my face. I thanked Lester and told them that I would see him soon and wished him a Merry Christmas. Bobby and I headed over to my parents'.
We pulled up in front of my parents' house. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly trying to calm my nerves. Stress wasn't good for me. Bobby looked over at me.
"Are you O.K.?" He asked.
"Yeah. Just trying to de-stress."
"It won't be that bad."
I looked over at him like he had grown two heads. "Obviously you haven't been around my mother much. She is going to say that this was done intentionally to make her look bad in the eyes of the Burg. Like I am the only daughter in the Burg to have gotten pregnant, who isn't married and won't be getting married in the near future. And just be prepared for her to tell me that I should get back together with Joe. Joe will marry me and help me raise my child. Like that is going to happen. Oh and be careful around Grandma. She can be very fast and she has bony fingers." I rolled my eyes. He smiled at me. "Don't say I didn't warn you." I opened the car door and got out. I reached in back for the gifts I had for everyone.
Bobby escorted me up to the door carrying some of the gifts. My mom opened the door just as we started to walk up the steps.
"Stephanie! I see you brought a guest. Please come in." I rolled my eyes. The Burg hostess with the mostest.
I walked into the living room to place my gifts under the tree. "Hi Daddy." I said as placed a kiss on his cheek.
"Hi Pumpkin. Merry Christmas." Daddy said.
"Daddy. I'd like for you to meet Bobby Brown. Bobby this is my dad."
"Mr. Plum." Bobby said as he reached over to shake his hand.
"Bobby and I work together at RangeMan."
"What happened to the other one? You know . . . "
"You mean Ranger, Daddy? I told you he had to go away. We don't know when he will be back. And just so you know Bobby and I aren't dating. He just agreed to escort me here."
"Do you have another stalker, Steph?" Grandma said as she walked into the room.
"No, Grandma."
"I just thought that since you have a bodyguard with you that someone was after you again. Aren't you a hottie. Ranger has a better package, but you aren't bad yourself. I bet you get a lot of ladies that follow you around." Grandma said.
"Grandma, please behave yourself. It's Christmas. Can't we just have a nice enjoyable holiday without you grabbing at someone?"
"Plllfff. Sometimes you don't know when to have fun." She said as she walked past Bobby and grabbed his ass. Bobby jumped.
"Stephanie. I need your help in the kitchen." My mom called. I gave Bobby a look of apology that I was leaving him to fend for himself.
I walked into the kitchen. "Who is that man you are with? I hope you are not dating him. You need to go back with Joseph. He is from the Burg. What are people going to think you being with a black man?"
"Mom. First off Bobby and I are good friends. We work together. I am not dating him and not because he is black. I am with Ranger now. I won't be going back to Joe."
"Huh. And where is this Ranger person? Why isn't he here?"
"Ranger was called away. I don't know where he is or when he will be back."
"Joseph would never have deserted you on Christmas."
"Mom, there have been plenty of times when Joe had to leave and go away when he was working on a case. Unfortunately they don't always take the holidays into consideration when something in a case breaks."
"Well, I just think that Joseph would try really hard to be here for the holidays. He knows that holidays are important."
"Yeah, right." I said under my breath. "When are Val and Albert and the girls going to get here?"
"Oh, didn't I tell you? They won't be coming."
"Why not?"
"They are going to spend Christmas Eve or Hanukkah with Albert's family. They will be here tomorrow."
"Oh, well I won't be here tomorrow."
"Where are you going?"
"I told you mom. I'm spending Christmas Day with Ranger's family."
"Why? He isn't even going to be there."
"Well, I have something important I need to share with them and I thought that since the whole family will be there I could do it all as once."
"What is so important that you need to tell them and you can't tell your own family?"
"I planned on sharing the information with you too. It's just that I was waiting for Val to get here. But since she is not coming, I guess I can share it with you now. Shall we go into the living room where Daddy and Grandma are?"
We moved into the living room. Bobby was sitting on the couch. He looked a little stunned. I guess grandma took advantage of him.
"Can I have everyone's attention please?" I waited until everyone was looking at me. Bobby gave me a smile and a nod of encouragement. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I wanted you all to know that . . . that . . . I am going to have a baby."
"Ohmigod! You're pregnant! Frank, our daughter is unmarried and pregnant! Why me? First Valerie and now Stephanie."
"I knew it. I knew that Ranger fella's package was up for the task." Grandma said gleefully.
"Stephanie! You need to call Joseph. You need to get back together with him so he can marry you and make an honest woman out of you before the Burg finds out."
"Mom. I am not going to marry Joe."
"Well, why not? He loves you."
"That is just it, mom. I don't love him. I love Ranger. What do I say to Ranger when he comes home? 'Gee. I'm sorry Ranger. I got pregnant and you were around to marry me so I married Joe so that your child will have a father and my mother won't have to worry about me being fodder for the Burg grapevine'."
"Oh Helen. Grow up. Stephanie isn't the first young woman to get pregnant without being married. And she won't be the last. It's not the end of the world. And maybe when that Ranger fella returns home, he will do the honorable thing and marry her."
I smiled at Grandma. I didn't think Ranger will marry me though. I looked over at my dad.
"Is everything O.K., Pumpkin?"
"Yes, Daddy. I saw the doctor the day before yesterday and she said everything was fine so far. I'm taking the pre-natal vitamins and folic acid. My next appointment is in three weeks. My due date is sometime in August. That's when Ranger's birthday is, so maybe I will have the baby on his birthday."
"He doesn't know you are pregnant?" He asked. I shook my head. Tears were starting to fall. Daddy got up out of his chair and came over to me to give me a hug.
"Oh Dad-dy. Wh-at am I go-ing to d-do? Wh-at if he d-doe-sn't come ho-me?"
"We'll be here to help anyway we can, Pumpkin."
"Damn straight, baby granddaughter. And don't you worry, that hottie will come home to you."
"Th-anks, Grand-ma." I looked over at my mother again. She had a pained expression on her face. "Mom?"
"Stephanie. I can't condone this."
"Why? You overlooked it when Val got pregnant. Why is this different?"
"Well, Valerie had just been though the shock of her husband leaving her and the girls. She lost their home because of foreclosure. She was looking for love. Someone who she could lean on. It wasn't her fault that one thing lead to another and she got pregnant. You. You on the other hand have been living in sin with this Ranger person. I am sure you don't have separate sleeping arrangements. You were just asking for this to happen."
"I have been using birth control. I was taking precautions. It isn't my fault that I got pregnant. It just happened."
"Yes, I remember our conversation last year when I told you that using birth control was against the rules of the church. Now look at you. Because of your sins, you are going to have a baby. What was it you said? Oh yeah, 'is the church going to help raise my child should I get pregnant'. Well. The father of your child isn't even here to help you raise it."
"I am glad I am pregnant. Because if for some reason Ranger doesn't make it home, I will have a part of him always with me to love." I started crying again. "Bob-by. I th-ink it's t-ti-me to le-ave."
"Sure thing Steph. Merry Christmas Mr. Plum, Mrs. Mazur . . . uh, Mrs. Plum."
Bobby got our coats. He helped me into mine. I picked up my purse and we headed to the door.
"Wait, Stephanie." Grandma called. She came running back with a Christmas gift. She handed it to me. "Here is your Christmas present from me." She gave me a hug. "I'm sorry your mother is such a poophead. She worries too much what the Burg says and how it affects her."
"Thanks, Grandma. My gift for you is under the tree."
"I know. And I am sure I will love it. Take care Steph. Merry Christmas. You too, Bobby."
Bobby led me to the SUV. He opened the door for me and I got in. Needless to say I was numb. Bobby got in and turned to me. "I'm sorry, Steph."
"Why should you be sorry? You didn't do anything."
"I know and I didn't believe you when you said your mother wouldn't take the news well."
"Yeah, well I warned you."
"Where would you like to go? You want to see if there is a restaurant open anywhere? Go to mass? I would be willing to go with you."
"I think I just want to go home."
"Sure thing, Steph. You want me to hang out with you?"
"Thanks, Bobby. But I really am not up to having company. I think I will just watch 'It's a Wonderful Life' and 'A Christmas Story' and then go to bed."
"I can watch the movies with you. I don't have anything better to do. I was supposed to be with you all night anyway."
"O.K. If you insist. We can raid the refrigerator and put together our own little Christmas Eve feast. Pop some popcorn. And watch Christmas movies."
We headed back to RangeMan.
Bobby and I raided the refrigerator and came up with a feast of lunch meats and condiments and we found a new loaf of bread. We carried everything into living room and set it on the coffee table.
I found the remote and surfed the channels until we found 'A Christmas Story'. It had just started.
We made our sandwiches and sat back to watch the movie. During the commercial break I ran to use the bathroom. When I came out Bobby was making popcorn in the microwave. I got a big bowl out and he dumped the contents of the two bags into it.
I grabbed some waters out of the refrigerator and got back into the living room in time for the show to start again.
After 'A Christmas Story', we searched for some other Christmas movie. We found the 'A Christmas Carol', so we watched that.
During a commercial break I asked Bobby the question I had been pondering. "Bobby?"
"Yeah."
"Um, uh. Can I ask you something?"
"Depends. No, I will not take your Grandma anywhere."
"That's not it. It's just . . . well . . . Mary Lou and I were talking the other day. I asked her to be my birthing coach. I mentioned to her that I wanted someone else there. Well, mainly Ranger, if he is back in time. But if he isn't, I kinda would like to have someone to video tape the birth so he can see it when he gets back. And I was wondering . . . if you . . ."
"You want me in the room when you give birth to Ranger's kid?"
"Well . . . I know Mary Lou explained that you would see certain parts of me that you probably shouldn't see. I can't ask Tank to do it. And definitely not Lester. Hal is still afraid of me from the stun gun episode. Cal saw too much of my sister when she gave birth to Lisa. Some of the other guys I'm just not all that comfortable with yet. So that left you. I know you won't make comments or say anything to the other guys. You would be discreet. I am sure there will be guys positioned outside the door. But I would just feel better with someone inside too. And . . ."
"Steph. I am honored that you think so highly of me. But I don't know . . ."
"Just forget that I asked, O.K.? It was just a thought. I can find someone else."
"Steph, no. I'll do it. If you really want me there, I will do it. And I'll be discreet. And I will try my best not to get too much of you on tape."
"Thanks, Bobby." I said as I hugged him. I let out a big yawn.
"Hey, it's getting late. I should be leaving and you should go to bed."
"Thanks again, Bobby. For going with me to my parents' house. The Christmas dinner here. For keeping me company and letting me to forget how my family reacted to my news."
"Steph. Only your mom reacted badly. Your dad and grandma were there to support you and will be there to support you through this. As are all the guys here.'
"Thanks, Bobby. I just hope things go better tomorrow."
"They will. Good night, Steph. Merry Christmas." He gave me a hug.
"Merry Christmas to you too, Bobby." I closed the door and locked it after he left.
I cleaned up the dirty plates and put them in the dishwasher. I turned out the lights and went to get ready for bed.
"Oh Carlos! I wish you were here. I need you so badly right now. What am I going to do if you don't come home? You have to come home. Your child needs his or her daddy. Merry Christmas, Carlos, wherever you are. Come home soon." I whispered in the darkness.
I tossed and turned for a while before I finally fell asleep.
TBC Chapter 15 - Christmas Surprises