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A Runaway Family

Chapter 11

Should've, Could've, Would've

Tris' POV

"Sour cream or cheddar cheese?" Shauna asks, standing in front of the million choices of chips. Seriously, just grab one and let's go already.

Shauna and Zeke arrived at the cabin just in time to catch both Marlene and I before we left to go food shopping. Tobias offered to watch the kids to give me a little break this morning. A break he thought I so desperately needed apparently, since I woke up in such a terrible mood. It's been far too long since our last grocery haul, I think even Uriah started to eat the coffee tables legs this morning out of the lack of food back in the cabin. I think the last time we went to the store was about three weeks ago when my shoulder finally healed up, which I'm very thankful for. I love how overprotective my husband is, but even his horn dog self wouldn't go against the Doctor's orders. He literally had us wait to have sex until my stitches dissolved into my skin and I was no longer in need of the pain killers. I thought that the both of us were going to go sex crazed for those three weeks.

For the past three weeks now…All we have done is have sex on top of more sex. It kind of feels like we are two horny ass teenagers all over again with all of the sneaking around that we have been doing. From sneaking a quickie in the shower, to innocent touching here and there. To pretending like we are training, but really running off to have him pounding in and out of my eager pussy or mouth. It feels like we are catching up for those three weeks that we lost. My man can't seem to get enough.

We were all sad to see Shauna and Zeke go of course the last time they were here. I'll be honest though, with the lack of Tobias being at the office, I thought for sure Zeke and Shauna wouldn't make it out here so soon, but there they were at the butt crack of dawn five weeks later. Not that I mind though, I'm happy that Uriah and Tobias have Zeke. That trio isn't the same without them all being together. I love Shauna to death. She is a total sweetheart and magically knows how to control Zeke. Not that there is any way possible to control that man, unless you are holding his sex life over his head that is, but still the whole gang isn't complete without them.

Shauna happily jumped out of her car eager to come with us, leaving Zeke behind with Tobias, Uriah and the kids. Although we all know that Uriah is counted as one of the kids. He can be a full time job, just as much as Zeke is to Shauna. I don't know how Marlene even puts up with it all, I'm pretty sure Uriah would have starved to death or gone without any clean underwear by now without her.

"How about cookies and crackers?" Shauna asks, turning into the next isle. Crackers sound great right now, I think as my stomach does a flip flop. I swear I feel so nauseous today.

"Crackers," I say.

"Can we go to the ladies section... I need to stock up," Marlene says, as we finally finish up in produce. We have three carts filled to the max with drinks, milk, frozen stuff, canned goods and even produce food. You ask, we got it. We all turn our heavy carts, heading back towards the hygiene section of the store. I need shampoo any who. I stop my cart behind Shauna, as Marlene glances at the large variety of woman products. When was the last time I bought tampons? Wait do I need any? Oh shit…When was the last time I had my period? I feel every cell in my body begin to chill as I realize it's been far too long since the last time I needed a tampon. I've always been like clock work, well other than the two times I was- Oh shit! Oh my fucking god. Could I be?

It's this moment that I realize all the symptoms I have been having nausea, mood swings, my breasts being tender…Oh, I'm so fucked!

I try to patiently wait for the girls to begin walking again. Waiting for the time that they are not looking back or paying any attention to me. Fuck, this can't be fucking happening right now. I glance at the numerous pregnancy tests before me… "First response, Clear blue, Early detection, Equate digital." I read off the boxes while I glance back towards the girls who are still walking and pushing their carts forward. They are both oblivious to my sudden pause… Shit just pick one. No, not one… I take three different tests, rushing to the front of my cart and burying them all under the frozen pizza and French fries.

They can't know. I need to know first. Shit what do we do if I am. We should have, we could have, we would have…..But we didn't.

At the check out I make sure that my cart is the first one up. I cover my personal items with bags of French fries, making sure they are the first things on the conveyor belt. I look up at the cashier, signaling back at the girls with my eyes and then glancing back down at the hidden boxes. Luckily she gets my drift and nods, as she glances back at the women I'm with and quickly scans the three boxes and places them in a brown paper bag and places them on the counter close to where I'm standing as she continues. I wait for my chance to grab the bag and stuff it into my purse. Good thing I'm carrying my big purse today. She smiles and nods, mouthing off "good luck," as her hands never falter. I am momentarily relieved as Marlene nor Shauna didn't noticed my exchange with the woman as they were to busy talking. Now to get home.

We walk into the house all carrying as much groceries as we can. I secretly worry that they will notice that I chose the lighter bags over the heavier, bulkier ones. I start acting like I massively need to pee, like I have been holding it for the past hour. It's not a complete lie, honestly I have been holding it, knowing I needed it to take the three tests that burn a whole in my purse. Suddenly loud screams and things crashing grabs a hold of my attention. My eyes land on a very distressed Ethan sitting in the middle of the living room, his father's arms are wrapped around him tightly in a bear hug, as he is being rocked back and forth. Suddenly I don't know what has come over me, as tears are streaming down my face. I can't help the sobs that escape my eyes, as I drop all of my bags and run towards my loving husband and my baby boy. All these constant changes, all the ups and downs… I bury my head between an arm and a head, joining in on the rocking. Marlene and Shauna stand back in shock. I don't know what has gotten into me, well I do now, but they don't know that, as I'm beyond emotional suddenly.

It doesn't take Ethan long to calm down, as he finally stops crying and yelling and goes back to playing with his Trex. I stand back up taking the bags that I had dropped back into the kitchen. Tobias stands, confused by how one minute I'm a total bitch, then I'm sobbing and now I'm back to being quiet and getting back to the task at hand.

"I guess I'll go help with the rest of the food," he says, carefully. I wonder if he thinks I might break down again.

"Sounds good. I have to pee," I blurt out, grabbing my purse from the floor and heading upstairs. I feel Tobias' eyes on my back as I climb up the flight of stairs and towards our bedroom. I think I hear him question why not use the half bath downstairs, but I don't turn around nor do I reply back to him. I just need some space and some time to find out if this is truly happening or not.

I enter our room, closing the door behind me as I dig for the brown paper bag in my purse. I mindlessly throw my purse on the bed as I head for the bathroom. I wasn't kidding when I said I needed to go. I work on unwrapping each one of the tests first, laying them out in line as I unbutton my jeans and lower my zipper. I can't help the thoughts that go through my mind as I perform each task…What if I am, what if I'm not. Tobias and I agreed a long time ago that we didn't need protection. We are two adults that are fully committed to each other, agreeing that whatever happens, happens. I remember the last time I was pregnant with Maddy. Even though Tobias and I agreed on whatever happens, happens, I still felt the fear in the pit of my stomach about his reaction to the pregnancy. Of course it was fear from my past, because telling Eric I was pregnant was hell.. I feared for not only my life, but for Ethan's life as well. I knew just like I know now that I don't have to fear Tobias, but this is totally different, we are on the run. We have two psychopaths coming at us at any moment. How can we protect this baby from them too? How could we have been so stupid? What if Tobias doesn't want the baby? What if he wants me to get rid of it? I couldn't do it then and I know I can't do it now. I can't help the tears that fall down my cheeks at all the possibilities that run through my mind. I take a deep breath trying to calm myself. I need to get this done and over with, I need to know now. Nodding to myself as I lower my jeans and panties. I sit down on the toilet, picking up the first test and placing it between my legs. I can't help my right leg that continues to jump up and down as nothing happens. Oh come on, don't have stage fright on me now. I sigh, reaching out and turning on the faucet with my other hand, letting the slow stream of the water soothe my nerves as I finally let go. I pee just enough for the first test, then the second one and then finally enough for the third. I place the cap on each one of them as I finish up, clean myself and stand up. I just finish washing my hands and glancing at the tests when suddenly the door swings open and Tobias appears glancing at the three tests that are laid out on the counter. FUCK!

Tobias' POV

I stand up from my place on the floor, it has taken me over thirty minutes to get Ethan to calm down from his most recent meltdown. It wasn't anything big that triggered it really, just the usual, Maddy touched his T-rex and that seemed to set him off. I'm not at all surprised that he let go though. Poor kid, it's been months since we have been home. He doesn't take to change all that well to begin with, let alone everything else that he has seen and heard. Although Tris and I don't make it a habit to lie to the kids, we also don't want to scare them by telling them everything.

I'll admit I did feel a sense of relief wash over me when I heard the front door open. Uriah and Zeke had made up some excuse earlier about cutting down some more firewood for tonight, leaving me alone with the kids. Of course at that time, neither one of them seemed upset or anywhere close to that. I'll be honest though, I needed help. It had been a long time since Ethan had a meltdown so bad that he threw his favorite toy across the room and couldn't calm himself down enough to stop yelling and crying. I had no choice but to give him a bear hug from the back, trapping his arms to his chest so he wouldn't be a danger to himself or Maddy. Life with a kid that has autism is never easy, but it's what I signed up for. I love both of my kids just the same, no matter who has my blood and who doesn't. Evelyn be damned for what she said about Ethan, he will always be my son.

We were all surprised to see Zeke and Shauna arrive early this morning. Shauna didn't waste any time jumping out of her car and jumping into the van with Marlene and Tris. I would imagine that she needed some girl time or some shit that would let her be far away from Zeke for a period of time. I know with all of the twists and turns that they take to assure they aren't followed…It would make for a long trip, especially when you are traveling with a Pedrad.

I was completely caught off guard when Tris not only joined us on the floor and circled us in her arms, but began crying too. She has been really off lately, I don't know what the hell has gotten into her. She's never this emotional. Period? Maybe? Even last night when we were making love in the car. Yes, the car. Don't judge, I have two kids and an Uriah to deal with. She yelled at me for grabbing her boobs too tightly. It caught me by surprise when she did that, as I have been known to be even rougher than what I was at that moment. She just continued riding me, like it was normal for her to scold me while I was deep inside of her. Not to mention this morning she was taking a shower while I was shaving. Normal, right? That was until she cried out, I'm talking about tears and sobbing all over the place kind of thing, I thought something was terribly wrong so I pulled the shower curtain back worried about my wife. There she was crying that her ass had gotten too big. Honestly, I thought her ass looked phenomenal, fuckable if anything. I can't help it, I love Tris' ass. Mind you, Tris has had two kids. I have only seen her through one of her three pregnancies. While I might love and appreciate what it does to Tris' body, she on the other hand, does not. But she has always found a way to bounce back from her pregnancies, always taking her weight gain like a pro and figuring out how to get rid of it pretty quickly. But that this morning, I don't know what the hell that was. Again, maybe she has PMS?

I stand up from my place on the floor, Ethan's meltdown is long forgotten as he is now grabbing his Trex and playing with it. Just as fast as Ethan has switched gears, so has Tris. She suddenly stops crying and stands up grabbing the grocery bags and going into the kitchen like nothing has happened. Like she wasn't just rocking and holding Ethan in a tight bear hug and crying with him. She's too young for menopause? I think to myself, scratching the back of my neck. I better keep that comment to myself.

"I guess I'll go help with the rest of the food," I say, watching for her reaction. But she gives me nothing.

"Sounds good. I have to pee," she suddenly blurts out, as she moves quicker than I have seen her move in days. It's as if the floor is made out of lava and she might get burned by it if she doesn't move her ass. Okay? I watch as she grabs her purse from the floor and heads up the flight of stairs. I can't help but wonder if something is going on that I don't know about. I decide to shrug it off, walking out of the cabin to help everyone with the van full of groceries.

"Hey, is Tris alright?" Marlene asks, as she passes me with her hands full of grocery bags.

"Yeah, why?" I ask. Okay now I know I'm missing something if Marlene is catching on to something.

"Because Tris has been really moody all morning. Like she might cut your head off, moody," she says, climbing up the steps to the door.

"I second that. She was even rude to me. She's never rude to me," Shauna says, with her bottom lip turning into a pout. Oh god, she is around Zeke way too much.

"Where is she at anyway? Is she not feeling well?" Uriah asks, noticing Tris' absence. Usually Tris would be down here supervising all of us, making sure that all of the cold items are put away first, but she isn't here, it doesn't take that long to pee either.

"I'll go check on her," I say, forgetting the groceries and rushing back into the cabin and up the stairs. I open our bedroom door. That's odd, we never close our door during the day. I look around the room, noticing her purse just thrown on the bed, which is another thing about Tris… she always leaves it on the desk. What the hell is going on. I don't bother knocking or giving my appearance away. I need to know what the fuck is going on with my wife, I need to know now.

I walk in on a very pale looking Tris with tear stained cheeks looking down at the bathroom counter. She looks up at me in shock and horror as I follow her gaze down, curious to see what she is so engaged in. There sitting on the counter are three lined up pregnancy tests. Oh fuck!

My mind races as Tris speaks, but I can't seem to register her words. Pregnant? How? I mean I know how, I was there. But, oh fuck! How the- I feel the sudden urge that I might be sick. How the hell could I have done this, let this happen. Well I guess that's what happens when you have sex with your wife and don't wrap it up, fucking dumb ass! I feel my hand running through my hair, tugging at the ends, almost to make sure that I'm awake and not in fact dreaming. Tris and I always talked about having more kids. Since we were married, we didn't bother to use any protection, letting nature decide for us….

But I just- now what do we do? We didn't think. Hell, we are not even ourselves anymore. We are on the run and in extreme danger. At any minute Eric and Marcus could find us. Pregnant?

"I'm so sorry, Tobias." Tris' words finally shock me out of my fog. She's apologizing to me? "I didn't realize, we never spoke about…" She stutters, unable to get a full sentence out as her sobs take over her, breaking me from my shocked state. I encircle her in my arms as tightly as I can, holding her together as she breaks down. It all makes sense now, the mood swings, the tenderness in her breasts… I rub small circles on her back, soothing her, shushing her sobs away.

"Tris, it'll be okay. We're going to figure this out, Love." I vow, as my mind begins to process that we might have another little one on the way. Whatever happens, I'm here, she's here and we are together. That's all that matters for better or for worse.

"But what if I'm pregnant, Tobias? I mean pregnant and being on the run, isn't really ideal?" She says, burying her face deeper into my chest.

"No, its not, but we will figure this out, I promise. As long as we are together." I say, promising her. Suddenly she calms down, pulling back slightly enough to look up at me, I see nothing but determination and certainty in her eyes.

"I can't… I can't give this baby up, Tobias," she says, stuttering, but sounding confident. Does she think I don't want it? That I'll leave her? Clearly this isn't the way I thought we would be bringing another little one into this world... Should we have thought about this ahead of time… of course. But still it would be my baby inside of her. On the run or not, I'm one lucky son of a bitch.

"I would never want you to," I say, letting her waist go to cradle the side of her face. I want to make sure that she hears me, that she knows where I stand, where I will always stand. "Tris, I love you, I love our kids... Whether it's two, three, or six… We will figure this out," I vow to her. She nods taking a deep breath, ready to face the test results once and for all. I keep my arms tightly around her body. Hoping that she knows that no matter what the tests say, I'm not leaving her. I'm here and ready to face whatever challenges are thrown our way. I take a deep breath as she reads each one and then turns back towards me with her eyes wide and her mouth wide open.

A/N

Leave it up to our favorite couple to be expecting at the worst possible time. Could things get any more wackier for the Eaton family? Stay tuned to find out next week.

With that said, I wanted to take a minute to all those mothers out there in the world reading this… May you have a wonderful upcoming Mother's Day! May all your children appreciate all that you do for them.

Revised with: FDFobsessed

Like always, happy reading, stay safe and healthy

Trini