Chapter 50:
July the previous year…..
"I can't do this." I cried out as another wave of pain washed over me. They were getting more intense and coming at me faster than I could recover. "I am never letting anyone touch me again."
"Come on focus Tess."
"I am focused." I snapped back.
"Deep breath in and give me one more good push."
"Why the hell are we not doing this in a hospital where there are drugs?"
"Because you woke me up 10 minutes ago."
"You could have driven really fast."
"Oh yeah I sure I'm that talented, I can drive and deliver a baby at the same time."
"Oh shut up, just shut up and make it stop." I said, "I don't want to do this anymore."
"Too late. Come on push Tess, push. Almost there."
That November 9 months ago…
"Okay Tess that's enough for you."
"Ha, you should have said that two of those ago." I laughed a little having a hard time staying up right now. "You make them way to strong and they taste way to good."
"Michael, can you take tipsy here home?"
"Good thinking Mel, get me a ride home." I said as I felt her arm go around my shoulder, "Damien's drinks are to die for."
"Yeah you are going to wish you were dead in the morning." Melanie answered as she was now holding me up.
"It's my birthday," I said swaying and falling into Michael now, "I'm allowed to do this once a year." I laughed now, "nice catch."
"I got her Mel." Michael said, "I'll have her home in no time so she can sleep this off."
"Thanks Mike." Mel answered "trust you to get her back safely so that her mom doesn't kill us."
"Count on me."
January…
"Mel, are you sure, I mean it makes sense as to why I am puking up cornflakes every morning. That just can't be right."
"Sorry Tess." She answered "I checked it twice. So who is the unlucky guy?"
"Are you sure?" I asked looking at her my eyes almost beginning her to check the results again they had to be wrong.
"Tess I'm positive it's positive." She said. "I mean I know it's not what you wanted to hear but other than that your acting like this is physically impossible."
"Uh yeah well uh I haven't been with anyone since Josh, and he and I broke up in August." I said looking at her with a blank stare on my face.
"You and Michael are pretty close."
"Two dates since my birthday doesn't make us close; besides I dumped him just before Christmas." I said. "We never slept together."
She looked at me. "That's not what Damien told me."
"What'd he say?" I said looking at her now with wide eyes with the blank expression.
"You sure you want to know?"
"Mel I'm pregnant and I don't remember having sex!" I tried not to yell because I didn't want to attract attention. "That's a small problem; you'd think I'd remember that."
I listened as she recanted the story; all I could think was that son of a bitch.
Three days later…
I pounded on his apartment door, he was home I knew he was home and he was going to have some explaining to do.
"Hey Tess." Michael said when he opened the door. I pushed him out of the way and into his apartment. "Yeah it's nice to see you too."
"How could you?" I yelled as he pushed the door shut.
"What?"
"Oh you know what." I continued to yell.
"Calm down Tess." He said. "You are going to make the neighbors mad."
"I don't give a shit about your neighbors or who hears." I said, "did you ever plan on telling me that you and I slept together?"
"What in the hell are you talking about?" He said giving me a confused look, "you were there, why would I have to tell you?"
"Maybe because I was lit." I said, "I was drunk and you used that to sleep with me. How could you do that? What were you thinking?"
"Wait a minute," he said, "you were all over me. I was taking you home and you came onto me."
"I would have hit on Yogi Bear." I said, "I wasn't with it, I didn't know what I was doing, hell I don't remember you driving me home."
"You knew what you were doing." He told me now. "So don't come crying foul to me. It's not going to fly Tess."
"I'm pregnant, you got me pregnant!" I said throwing my hands up in the air.
"Wow," he said as I watched a smile come across his face, "that's great."
"You're insane!" I said taking a few steps back from him. "This is not great, I am not having a baby right now, I can not have a baby right now and you and I are going to fix this."
June….
"I'm just going to be gone a few weeks Mom, no big deal. Mel and I are going down to Portland. Hang out with some friends from med school before we all start our internships in the fall."
"Tess, I don't know, you're leaving for Chicago in September I'd rather you stay home with us." Carol said.
"I'll be back before you know it and I promise that I will spend all my free time with you then. I just want to spend some time with friends before we all go our separate ways." I had to get out of Seattle. I had been able to hide my ever expanding body for now but I knew that I wouldn't be able to do it to much longer that and I couldn't have the baby here they would find out.
"Have a safe trip, call me and call me often." She said. "And you will be spending time with your father and I before you go so don't go making any more plans."
"Promise mom." I said as I shot her a wave and ran out the door to meet Melanie who was parked in the yard. I jumped in the car. "Ready?"
"Yeah are you?"
"She didn't want me to go." I said sighing.
"Michael gave you money?"
"Yeah he did, enough for us to stay down there until the baby is born. And he signed the papers so there's a family in Portland waiting for us. Or rather for me."
"I don't know how you managed to hide this from everyone."
"Pure luck. Kate is the only other person who I know that knows."
"Couldn't hide it from her."
"You can't hide anything from someone whom you share a womb with for 9 months."
"True."
"She'll be down in a week; she knows that I'm not ready to be someone's mom. I can't be someone's mom, but she wants to be there for support."
"You don't think she'll tell your mom do you."
"I trust Kate more than I trust anyone else, she won't." I said. "She knows as well as I do how my parents would react and neither one of us want to see our father in jail because he killed Michael."
"Oh and your dad, of all dad's would do just that." Melanie said.
I leaned back against the seat. "He would, so Portland here we come."
July….
"Heads out." Mel said. "Almost there Tess."
"You're doing good sis." Kate said. "You can do this come on I know you can."
"It hurts." I said from behind gritted teeth.
One more push later and the sounds of a newborn baby's wails filled the room. "You want to see her Tess?"
I didn't know what to say to that one, part of me wanted to and the other part of me didn't want to.
"You should Tess." Kate said, "you don't want to wonder for the rest of your life and you should say your goodbyes." She moved from beside me. "Hold her, kiss her, tell her you love her knowing this is the best for both of you. I'll go call the family and tell them they have a girl."
I nodded knowing that she was right and I could see that Melanie was agreeing with her. I reluctantly took the baby from her and with tear filled eyes, said one of the hardest goodbyes of my life.
