Sitting on the floor of Specialist Jeremy Sherwood's bathroom, Emmalin Holden fought back the urge to ball her eyes out. She had let herself in while Jeremy was at work, it was just her. Curled up on the gray linoleum tile wearing Jeremy's sweats and t-shirt about to cry. How did this happen?
Emmalin wasn't strong enough to do this she realized. Waiting for Jeremy would've been so much smarter, he was the strong one, the rock, the brave one. But he wasn't here, because he had no idea about this. No idea that his girlfriend was near tears on the floor of his apartment while he was off taking a fitness test.
Now why would Emmalin Holden be a hot mess in the middle of the afternoon on a Monday? Why would she be a hot mess in the middle of Jeremy Sherwood's bathroom? Especially when he wasn't even present? Because having a boyfriend leads to sex, and sex leads to pregnancy, which she might have. Or be? She might be pregnant, not have pregnancy? Saying that you 'have pregnancy' made it sound lethal like cancer or something.
She hadn't missed one dose of her birth control pill! Not one, so why the pregnancy scare? Because she had been on antibiotics for five days for the flu…and as it turns out antibiotics cancel out oral contraceptives. God, it's funny that the pharmacist or her doctor hadn't mentioned that before she had left either of their offices.
Staring at the three tests lined up on the bathroom counter, the Army Brat nearly started hyperventilating. She had no more knowledge of being pregnant or not than she did when she woke up that morning. Emmalin had gone to the PX this morning and picked up a pregnancy test and as if that wasn't traumatizing enough, the test was defective! Instead of a little plus or minus appearing in the small window there was a division sign and three dots! What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Swallowing her fears, the Army Brat returned to the PX for another try. This time she was smart enough to pick up two tests, a different brand that read either 'pregnant' or 'not pregnant' to minimize confusion. But much to the brunette's dismay one said 'pregnant' and the other 'not pregnant'. Contradicting tests, that was just soooooo freaking fantastic.
"Baby? You here?" Specialist Jeremy Sherwood called as he entered his apartment. Just hearing Jeremy's deep baritone voice was enough to make Emmalin long for him.
She knew she had to get off of the floor but she couldn't find the strength to move. The salty tears that threatened to fall from earlier where now spilling down her cheeks. How was she supposed to tell him that she might be having a baby?
"Yeah." Emmalin replied, choking back sobs. She felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. Guilt because she knew what her being pregnant out of wedlock would do to his career. She was a General's daughter, the Post Commander's daughter and this would be utterly scandalous across Post. Jeremy's promising military career would be destroyed, all of his potential wasted, any chances of future promotion gone…because of her.
She could already hear the awful things Lenore Baker-Ludwig would say to her poor mother. And Jennifer Connor would probably harass Claudia Joy at any and all FRG meetings as well. What would become of her mother's Spencer Award? And her father….would kill Jeremy. Hell, Jeremy's father would kill Jeremy.
"What are you doing on the floor?" Jeremy asked, his bare feet dragging across the gray linoleum. He was bone tired, every muscle in his body was in dire need of a rubdown. He hated training new recruits, and couldn't figure out how he'd gotten stuck with the nightmare duty. "Baby, are you crying? What's wrong?" Jeremy's chocolate colored eyes took his girlfriend in slowly. She was a huddled, crying mess on his bathroom floor; wearing a cotton tee and old gray seats, both articles of clothing were his and hung very loosely on her small frame.
"I…I…we…" The brunette struggled to explain as she began balling her eyes out. Emmalin sobbed as Jeremy sat down on the floor next to her. Strong arms wrapped around her protectively, pulling her into his lap.
"Emmalin, what's the matter?" His lips kissed away the wet tears on her cheeks as he stroked her hair softly. It killed the soldier to see her like this.
"I'm late." Emmalin said shamefully, wrapping her arms around the Specialist's neck.
"Late? For what?" Jeremy asked momentarily confused until realization dawned on him, "Oh…you mean late as in-"
"Yeah. Late as in late for my period." Emmalin interrupted, clutching the soldier even tighter. His warm, calloused hand began rubbing soft circles in the small of her back, something he knew she loved.
"But you're on the pill?" He asked. The pill was 99.9% affective, what where the chances that they were that .1%?
"I was on medicine, antibiotics...they…they cancel t-the pill out" The eighteen year old admitted, a waterfall of tears now.
"And you didn't tell me?" He asked. Jeremy was confused, but not angry, why wouldn't she tell him about this?
"I just found out and didn't want to worry you until something happened…or didn't happen." Emmalin whispered, burying herself in the Jeremy chest.
"Baby, you should've said something. Did you take a test yet?" His lips trailed across her forehead before kissing away the remaining saltwater droplets on her cheeks.
"Three. One didn't work and the other two had different results." Emmalin explained her voice a mere whisper. With shaky hands she passed the tests to Jeremy, letting him see for himself.
"Are you sure you did it right?" He examined each of the small sticks, clearly uncomfortable. He didn't even like buying her tampons, did he really have to touch the baby sticks? Jeremy would much rather just take Emmalin's word for it. If she said the tests didn't work, well damn it that was good enough for him.
"Ahh, no I'm far to retarded to know how to pee on a stick, Jeremy!" The Army Brat growled. Was it crazy that he was hoping for that outburst to be PMS?
"That's not what I meant. And I'll take you to Mercer tomorrow and we'll get a blood test." Jeremy suggested, trying to mellow her out.
"If…If I'm pregnant, I won't kill it. I'll keep the baby and you can't talk me out of it…" Emmalin proclaimed, "You don't have to stay…we're not married and you don't need to throw everything away because of me. I'd understand…and I'd lie for you…say that it's someone else's…"
"Baby, what the hell are you talking about? I'm not leaving you and I could never ask you to kill our baby." His eyes widened at her. Had Emmalin lost her mind? Did she really thing he would leave her pregnant and alone with his child? And even though the last thing Jeremy would have planned at twenty years old was a baby, he could never demand that she terminate it…if it was there. They didn't actually know at the moment whether there was an "it" to leave or not.
"You won't leave? Jeremy, if I'm pregnant then your career is finished. I couldn't do that to you." Emmalin whispered as his hand reached up to cup her face.
"That's what this is about? The Army? Baby, I don't give a damn about the Army." He kissed her cheek, and chuckled, "I'd pick you over them every time. I'll marry you and take care of you and the baby, and you could still start school in the fall. You mean more to me than the Army."
"You'll marry me?" Emmalin looked directly at Jeremy. If she was pregnant he'd stay and marry her.
"Of course. You've always been the one I wanted to spend my life with-" Jeremy smirked,
"You wanna spend forever with me?" the Army Brat interrupted.
"Longer." His apricot colored lips pecked her rosy ones softly. The taste of salt slightly on her lips.
"And if I'm not pregnant? Then what?" Emmalin asked breathlessly, leaning her head on her boyfriend's chest.
"Then I'm still not leaving you…but we're getting you on different birth control. Something that isn't counteracted by medicine, like the DepoShot or the patch or something." He rubbed her back softly.
"Are you mad?" the eighteen year old asked nervously.
"At you?" Jeremy raised an eyebrow at the question.
"At all?" Her teeth bit into her bottom lip nervously
"No…it takes two to tango after all." Jeremy chuckled. Why would he be mad at her, it's not like Emmalin had gotten herself pregnant. He had been of some assistance.
"Why are you so calm, Jeremy?" Emmalin laughed, she smiled and stroked his cheek with her thumb. She was right, she should have waited for him before taking the test. He was the strong one.
"Well, I love you and it's gonna be okay, baby or no baby." Jeremy whispered into her ear, then kissed her cheek and went off in search of the phone to set up the Dr's appointment. It was time to find out if their was a baby Sherwood on the way or not.