Chapter 28: Friday's Reveal

The sounds retching ached loudly for silence. Alice Smith who had a bad case of morning sickness opened the bathroom door after she spent the last twenty minutes wanting to die from all the stomach bile crawling their out of her esophagus. She quickly washed her face and hands before she retreated to make herself something to eat.

"Feeling any better?"

Alice jumped back when a voice startled her. She looked behind her and breathed out a sigh. It was only JB, dressed in a simple baby blue dress with her hair thrown up in a bun. From a-far she looked a lot better than she did for last two days.

"Yeah, only morning sickness bug." She responded, strolling over to kitchen. "What about you?"

JB let out a soft laugh." Yeah, I actually feel better. You were right about the honey. My stomach or throat doesn't hurt as badly anymore."

Alice's lips curled into a thankful smile." That's good to hear." She pulled out a carton of eggs and placed it delicately on the counter.

"Do you want any eggs and pancakes?" The pre-teenager gave an eager smile in return.

"Oooh, I'd love some pancakes with chocolate syrup and sprinkles!"

"Good!" She said grabbing a mixing bowl for the pancake better. "Would you mind helping me?" JB nodded, taking the egg carton, grabbing a couple eggs and cracking them on the side of the bowl. "Scrambled, hard boiled or an omelet?"

"An omelet, please."

Taking the eggshells from JB's hand Alice separated the egg-whites from the yolk. Then she went back to refrigerator, looked in the veggie drawer and returned with yellow, green, red peppers, tomato and some cheddar cheese. She began mixing all the veggies in the mixture and turned the heat on the under the pan to med-low.

After that was done, she decided to start making the pancakes. JB whisked together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt; set aside. In another bowl, they whisked milk, butter, egg and then added the dry ingredients into the milky mixture. Alice turned another burner on the electric stove and placed a non-stick skillet over a medium flame. Eventually they spooned two or three tablespoons of the batter onto the readying rounded cast iron. After it was done cooking, Alice flipped it onto a plate and got it ready for toppings.

"Mmmhm, this smells fantastic!" Exclaimed the giddy kid as she sniffed the air.

Alice waft the sweet smell towards her nose with her hands and inhaled it. She and JB went over to the living room, turned on Netflix and began browsing. JB used her fork and knife to cut into her fluffy flapjacks.

"Let's watch Gilmore Girls." JB suggested, lifting her work filled with her cheesy omelet to her mouth. Alice nodded in agreement, scrolled until she found Gilmore Girls and pressed play on their Firestick remote.

Later that night, Polly returns from her trip and JB and Juniper head over to her room. Polly and Alice continued to clean up after the mess they made at dinner time. Polly told her about her vacation, all the new sights that Juniper learned while she was there. Alice told her about her last two days with dealing with JB's sickness and her morning sickness. The mother and daughter seemed to bond over their pregnancies. Polly's was a little bit different. She was only a teen when she found out about her twins.

Her mother on the other hand was pregnant with her fourth child -- so that meant she knew what she was doing. And also maybe she need to be more protective when is having sex. Her mother told her that her and FP have a habitual problem when it comes to using an proper methods.

Now she understood why her mother had been so worried about her. Both her and her mother got pregnant when they were teenagers. The lack of knowledge led to those predicaments or in her mom's case. Polly had been using protection, but the condom broke.

In Alice's case she lost her memory for a month after the fire. She clearly wasn't on birth control because Hal's prison and FP... he'd wore condoms. She remembered when she met Edgar she stopped taking her birth control on the regular -- which when she slept with FP Jones and those times he hadn't worn a condom (she learned much later about that little fun fact.) and little Jones' swimmers found their way into her fertilized egg. Curse his sperm of steel.

JB and Juni went to bed around sixteen minutes prior and Alice and Polly were sitting in the living room catching up, drinking some tea on the sofa, curled up in two blankets.

"There's something bugging you, Mom." Polly broke into Alice's thoughts.

Alice shook her thoughts away, sipped her tea in the mug and exhaled. She had been stuck in her head about what FP had said yesterday while they were on the phone, during his lunch break.

"FP told me that he forgives me for everything that has happened." Polly's jaw slacked.

"He did?" She nodded.

"Yeah. And that's not it!"

"What?"

"He told me he misses me and that he thinks about me. In his dreams!"

Polly smile widened more as she took in her mother's happy face. She hadn't seen her like this in quite sometime. She told her about the time FP came over at midnight to bring her mother's cravings. She wouldn't even do that for her and that was her mother. She knew FP cared for her mother. She wasn't blind like her sister and Jughead. She could see the awe in his eyes when he looks at her.

"See I told you he'd forgive you didn't I?" She sipped at her tea again. "He totally adores you, Mom. Can't you see that? Whenever you think he's not looking he is. He really cares about you and more than you'll know."

Alice looked over at her eldest in surprise. She wasn't expecting a relationship talk to come from her daughter. But it was happening even if she didn't like it. She couldn't stop it.

"Really?"

Polly rolled her eyes." Yes, Mom. He's the guy that came over with chimichangas in the middle of the night just for you. There's not many guys that would do that -- once you find that person who does... don't let them go."

Alice sighed into her mug that was pressed to her lips." It's a lot more complicated that."

Polly shook her head." What's so complicated?"

"For starters, I'm pregnant with his child and secondly there's a lot of baggage with FP and I... I lied, he's lied to me. I'm not even --" Her denial rant was cut short by Polly interrupting her self-pity.

"Don't even start that nonsense. Who cares if your pregnant right now. Who the hell cares that it's a lot baggage. I've never seen Dad... ever do anything that makes you smile like FP does, Mom. Give him and yourself a chance at happiness. No more what if's, or wondering. It's time to face the music. You love him and I'm sure as hell sure he love you too. So what the hell are you waiting for?"

She knew Polly is right about one thing — okay more than one. It was time for another chance even if she was scared. She'd never find out if she never tries.

A few hours later, FP finally showed and picked up his angel. She thought about asking him or telling how she feels but she chickened out. Right now wasn't the right time. He brought her back from Alice's placed her into her bed and headed off to his.

—xxx—

Now that it was Friday -- Alice and FP were elated by the final reveal. In just two steps they would be finding out what gender it is -- a boy or a girl. She's officially fourteen weeks along in her pregnancy and also safely in the second trimester. Now that she is safe out of the warnings. In your early stages it's more fragile for your baby. Alice knew that so know she was out of the woods gave FP and her some relief.

Alice was propped on the exam bed as Dr. Shan started to ultrasound. FP stood next to her bedside, eyes shadowing over the blank screen waiting for him to tell them.

"Are we ready to find out what you are having?" Both parents smiled and nodded.

"Yes, Doc." FP said as he urges.

The Doppler moved across her petroleum jelly belly bump and the two watched the screen with a smile.

"You are having a..."

—-xxx—

What do you think the baby's gender will be?