CHAPTER 52

"How do you expect me to keep the pregnancy a secret when I'm working from home every day Oliver?"

She applies the rest of her mascara looking at him in her mirror while he's sitting on their bed. She's clearly frustrated with him and she's not even trying to hide it.

"I have a job, just in case you forgot. Everyone at QC knows I'm in remission thanks to your mother who was just so eager to announce it to everyone, so how would you like me to explain that I'm working from home?"

"Felicity, I'm just trying to help yo…"

"Well you're not! You're making it worse and you're making me feel like I have to choose between my child and my career and I'm telling you Oliver, I'm not doing it. You hear me? I'm not!"

She finally turns to him, tears streaming down her face forming a black line from the freshly applied mascara and it breaks his heart. She had one of the worst spells of morning sickness right from the moment she opened her eyes this morning and all he's been trying to do is make it easier for her by suggesting to work from home. He knows her hormones are in overdrive, so he normally just waits out the tongue lashing and once she feels better they can calmly discuss the situation.

He gets up from the bed and wraps his arms around his crying wife, as she sobs into his chest. "Shh, it's going to be alright Beautiful. We'll figure this out okay?" he rubs calming circles on her back until she's calmed down a bit.

"I'm sorry. I know you're only trying to help and I'm being all bitchy here." he nods as she continues to explain herself, "I'm just so frustrated with the whole thing. I would love to work from home when I'm not feeling well, but I don't know what excuse to give without anyone starting rumours that I'm having an affair or something stupid when they have no idea what's really going on with me."

"Hey," he softly frames her face with his hands so she can look at him, "I know this is hard and I'm sorry if I'm making this worse, this is just…all really new to me too and you've always been my first priority Felicity, so me wanting you to stay isn't because I want you to choose anything, it's me trying to protect you…you know since I'm the husband and all." he jokes and at least it earns him a small smile from her.

"Why don't we sit down a while huh?" he leads her over to their bed and makes her comfortable against the propped up pillows against the headboard. He hands her a glass of lemon infused water, which is all that remotely helps to fend off the nausea and makes sure she's comfortable tracing small patters on her knee with this finger, before he starts speaking again.

"What about we come up with a plan to at least get you to a place where you feel comfortable to stay home to work or even come home earlier? Do you think we can maybe try to figure something out?"

She nods in agreement, her eyes still filled with unshed tears.

"Okay, I know we said that we weren't going to tell anyone about the pregnancy before we get the all clear after twelve weeks, but what if we told only one person?"

She looks at him questioningly not even trying to hide the frown forming on her forehead. "Please just don't say your mom." she immediately answers.

He's quite shocked at her response and then she tries to backpedal, "it's not that I don't love your mom, that's not what this is about. I just…if we tell your mom first then my mom…"

He places his hand over hers and stops her before she runs into a direction she can't get out of. "I wasn't going to suggest my mom, but I'm so happy about you being thrilled to tell her she's going to become a grandmother." he tightly closes his eyes after the words leave his mouth, fully aware that sarcasm is definitely not going to make her mood any better.

He sighs out loud, wiping is face with both hands and takes a deep breath. "Sorry, that was uncalled for." he apologises and she looks just like a kicked puppy looking back at him. Damn these hormones!

"I was going to suggest Curtis." He reveals.

"Curtis?!" she yells in complete confusion. "Why Curtis? He's not even family Oliver!"

"Felicity." he warns and she immediately stops talking.

"Sorry, go ahead." she waves her hand for him to continue.

"Curtis might not be family but he's a very close friend. He looked after you while you were sick and he's an excellent secret keeper. You were able to confide in him about the cancer diagnosis and he supported you by not telling anyone. He is the perfect person to cover for you when you're feeling sick and need to stay home or go home earlier. And didn't you tell me he was working with you on that new Star Labs project?"

Felicity chews her bottom lip, weighing out the validity of the information Oliver just gave.

"You're right. Curtis is the best person and he'll be very supportive too. So let's go with your plan then."

He smiles. He's extremely relieved. Arguing with a genius is really hard work.

"Okay, I really have to go now. I have that meeting with the board in an hour, so I can't stay in bed any longer."

Oliver doesn't argue, he helps her up from the bed and heads down stairs while she finishes getting ready.

When she reaches the bottom of the stairs, ready to leave for work he hands her a small cooler bag.

"What's this?" she asks amused.

"I packed you a few snacks, some iced lemon infused water bottles and a healthy lunch."

She wraps her arms around his neck giving him a soft kiss. "Thank you for always wanting the best for me and taking care of me and Legacy."

He responds with a smile and looks down shyly. "I love you." she whispers and he looks up into her eyes again. "I love you too beautiful."

She takes her purse and cooler bag and heads for the door.

"Felicity," he calls from the spot she left him, "I know you're strong and you're capable of amazing things, but Beautiful, please don't overdo it?" he pleads.

"I promise." she brightly smiles and leaves for QC.

XXXxxxXXXxxxXXX

"That felt more like an interrogation than a board meeting." Curtis announces stepping into Felicity's office once he closes the door.

"Tell me about it." she plops down in her chair behind her desk feeling worn out after an hour of trying to make people understand that you have to spend money in order to make money. "How do they expect us to continue with this project if they don't give us the funding for it? Are they crazy?!"

"Was that a rhetorical question because I would love to answer?" Curtis replies rolling his eyes as he takes a seat on the opposite side of Felicity's desk.

"Anyway, we'll have to go through the budget again and see where we can cut more costs, because I don't see how they're going to budge with this one. It's not like I really need this right now." she continues to speak taking out one of the iced bottles of water from the mini fridge in her office.

She presses the cold bottle against her face and her chest, seeking a bit of relief from the tinge of nausea that's never left since she woke up this morning.

"Are you okay?" Curtis asks concerned when she sits back down in her chair thirstily drinking from the bottle.

She puts back the cap on the bottle placing it on a coaster on her desk, folds her arms and looks at her friend and colleague worriedly staring back at her from the opposite side of her desk.

"Well Curtis, to be perfectly honest, yes and no."

His confused expression makes her realise that she shouldn't stretch this conversation out. The last time he asked her if she was okay, she told him she had cancer, no doubt those thoughts are probably swarming back into his mind.

"It's nothing bad okay, so you can breathe." she explains and he relaxes a little. "There's something I need to tell you, but first you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone about this. Not anyone Curtis, you hear me? Anyone."

"Yes, yes, sure I promise."

"I'm pregnant."

At first he looks like he thinks she's making a joke but when her face remains serious, it dawns on him that she's telling the truth and he jumps up from his seat screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Are you serious!" he yells, "This is incredible!"

"Curtis!" she whisper yells back for him to calm down before the whole of QC including her mother in law knows about the news. "Shut up, will you?!"

He calms down a little realising how loud he was, "what part of don't tell anyone about this did you not understand?" she grits her teeth scolding him.

"Oh yeah, sorry Felicity, but this is just…wow!" he sits back down in his seat. "Does Oliver know?"

"Yes he knows and yes it's a miracle really. We found out while we were on honeymoon. But I'm serious Curtis, you can't tell anyone. We haven't even told our families yet."

"So I'm the first one who knows?" he asks smiling from ear to ear.

"Yes, apart from me and Oliver and the doctors." she explains. "Look Curtis, my pregnancy is deemed high risk okay and we don't want to formally announce until after the first trimester."

"High risk?"

"Yes. Because my body is in remission and I had extensive treatment right before the pregnancy the doctor just wants to monitor me closely, but obviously there are certain things that I have to do to make sure that I don't put the baby in jeopardy."

"I understand."

"Now, that's where you come in. I need someone to be able to cover for me if I'm not feeling well and need to leave earlier or come in later or decide to work from home. The morning sickness especially is really bad and sometimes my body just doesn't want to co-operate."

"Why not tell your mother in law? I mean, I'm honoured you chose me, but don't you think she'll be able to pull more strings than I can?"

"Curtis, I love Moira and I appreciate everything she's done for me, but right now I love being in this bubble where it's just me, the baby and Oliver you know? Once the news is out, there will probably be a hundred people giving me advise on what to do and what not to do and I'm just not ready to face that right now….We chose you because we know we can trust you and because you are my friend."

His smile is blinding. "In that case, it will be my pleasure momma Queen."

She immediately frowns, "don't call me that. It's bad enough that you call your own mother that and besides momma Queen is Moira not me."

"Fine." he relents, "I'll work on another nick name then."

"That's great Curtis thank you." she says waiting for him to move, but he's deep in thought still plastered on the chair on the opposite side of her desk.

"Uhm Curtis?"

"Yeah?"

"While you're working on that nickname…can you maybe do it while organising a budget for the project please?"

"Hormones?"

"Don't push it." she warns while he reluctantly and very cautiously leaves her office to do as she instructed.

She gives a small chuckle when he closes the door and gently rubs her flat stomach. "Well Legacy, I wonder if your Uncle Curtis has just bitten off more than he can chew."