Chris couldn't believe his eyes. This couldn't be right. Pregnant?
Christina? Little Christina? Did she even have a boyfriend?! His mind was
racing a million miles a minute.
He opened the door a crack and peered in at her. She was curled up on her side, sniffling. Poor girl. Her secret had been revealed, and a pretty incriminating secret. But Chris couldn't just keep this to himself. He had to tell Frank. After all, it was his grandchild. He closed Christina's door, and headed down the hallway to the molded plastic chairs, where Frank sat apprehensively.
"Frank," he hissed, holding the file awkwardly in his hand like it was a baby with a damp diapered rear. "What is it, Chris? What did you find out? Is Christina all right?" he asked, standing. Chris took a deep breath, held it, and exhaled.
"Well, if you call pregnant all right, then she's just fine," he said, not surprised when he saw Frank's jaw drop. "What? What did you say? Did you say...p-p--pregnant?!" he cried in a hushed whisper, grabbing Chris's arms.
"Yep. Almost four months along," Chris confirmed, holding out the chart so that Granddad could see for himself. "Oh my God...." Frank said as he read the results on the test. Sure enough, Christina was expected.
"So how do you suppose we approach her about this, Ramsey?" Frank continued. Chris folded his arms across his chest, and raised his eyebrows at Frank. "Your guess is as good as mine, Grandpa."
*
Sascha closed the door behind her quietly, and crept into the kitchen, where she found her mother sitting at the table, looking over a stack of photos that were splayed out in front of her. She had a sort of dismal smile on her face, and when Sascha shut the kitchen door behind her, she jumped.
"Oh, it's you," she said, placing a hand over her heart. "I didn't mean to scare you," Sascha said apologetically, frozen awkwardly in place. After a moment, Karen broke the thick silence.
"Come here," she said, tossing her head to the chair next to her. Sascha did so, and Karen put her arm around her, and Sascha leaned her head on her mother's shoulder. "I should've showed you these a long time ago," Karen said, flipping through photo after photo of the two of them with Ricky.
"You two look so happy together. I don't understand what happened," Sascha commented. She felt Karen sigh. "Ricky didn't explain everything to you? About how I was a stuck up priss and I thought I was too good for him?" she said.
"He didn't say that. But now that you mention it, I wouldn't mind hearing your side of the story.
*
As strange as it was, it seemed that Raven's confidence grew the closer that she came to the creepy old mansion. Adrenaline flowed through her veins like electricity, and was surprised to find that one of her slayer powers had already taken effect as she kicked in the door.
There he was, the fallen door at his feet, a coy smirk twitching at the corners of his mouth. He looked amused. "Welcome, Slayer. I've been waiting for you. Please, come in, come in. Mi casa es su casa," he rasped in his trademark vocals.
"It appears that I already have," Raven retorted, locking her eyes into his. She stepped up and onto the door with her black calf-high boots, and walked over it so that she was face to face with her prey.
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Either way, only one of us is going to walk away from this. Flying doesn't count, either, Batboy. In 'supernatural' terms, I'm going to vaporize you," she whispered into his face. "It's up to you, Caleb."
Caleb admitted a small chuckle, and took Raven's chin beneath his thumb and forefinger. Suddenly, she felt something go wrong inside, like a string snapping from a guitar. As if she'd lost some of her resistance. She knew that she couldn't let Caleb know, so she kept her expression hard.
"No, little girl," Caleb said, his eyes burning into hers. "It's up to you." Caleb lowered his head and ran his cheek against her neck, and paused with his lips at her ear.
"It depends on if you're going to play hard to get," he whispered, his breath moist in Raven's ear making her stomach rebel at the same time her senses struggled to hang onto the feeling. She remembered what Lucy said, and concentrated. Mind over matter, she thought. She was finally able to step away from Caleb and speak.
"Who's playing?"
*
"Why is it up to me? You were almost her dad, which makes you......co- grandpa!" Frank whined. Chris sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Honestly, Scanlon, you're about as mature as your youngest daughter. Fine, we'll approach her together, all right? Need me to hold your hand for you, too?" Chris mocked. "Can it, Chris," Frank hissed as the two entered Christina's room, knocking on the door as they opened it.
"Christina, honey?" Chris said as they neared her bedside. Her response was a sniffle. The two men pulled up plastic chairs and sat on either side of her. "You know, don't you?" she asked meekly, her eyes full of tears and shame. Each man took one of her hands and rubbed it.
"Yes, but it's okay, really. We want to help you through this. We're both here for you," Frank said gently. "Yeah, Christina, and your parents, Kevin and Lucy, will support you too-" Chris began. "NO!" Christina exclaimed, sitting up in bed, and grabbing her stomach with a moan. "Hey, hey, hey, easy," Chris said, easing her back down. "Sweetheart, we have to tell them. It's their right to know. Maybe you'd feel better getting it off your chest," he continued.
"No!" Christina repeated. "I can't tell them, and neither can you. At least not yet. Please," she begged. Chris and Frank exchanged worried glances. Before they could respond, the nurse entered the room.
"Dr. Ramsey? Can I speak with you for a moment, please?"
*
He opened the door a crack and peered in at her. She was curled up on her side, sniffling. Poor girl. Her secret had been revealed, and a pretty incriminating secret. But Chris couldn't just keep this to himself. He had to tell Frank. After all, it was his grandchild. He closed Christina's door, and headed down the hallway to the molded plastic chairs, where Frank sat apprehensively.
"Frank," he hissed, holding the file awkwardly in his hand like it was a baby with a damp diapered rear. "What is it, Chris? What did you find out? Is Christina all right?" he asked, standing. Chris took a deep breath, held it, and exhaled.
"Well, if you call pregnant all right, then she's just fine," he said, not surprised when he saw Frank's jaw drop. "What? What did you say? Did you say...p-p--pregnant?!" he cried in a hushed whisper, grabbing Chris's arms.
"Yep. Almost four months along," Chris confirmed, holding out the chart so that Granddad could see for himself. "Oh my God...." Frank said as he read the results on the test. Sure enough, Christina was expected.
"So how do you suppose we approach her about this, Ramsey?" Frank continued. Chris folded his arms across his chest, and raised his eyebrows at Frank. "Your guess is as good as mine, Grandpa."
*
Sascha closed the door behind her quietly, and crept into the kitchen, where she found her mother sitting at the table, looking over a stack of photos that were splayed out in front of her. She had a sort of dismal smile on her face, and when Sascha shut the kitchen door behind her, she jumped.
"Oh, it's you," she said, placing a hand over her heart. "I didn't mean to scare you," Sascha said apologetically, frozen awkwardly in place. After a moment, Karen broke the thick silence.
"Come here," she said, tossing her head to the chair next to her. Sascha did so, and Karen put her arm around her, and Sascha leaned her head on her mother's shoulder. "I should've showed you these a long time ago," Karen said, flipping through photo after photo of the two of them with Ricky.
"You two look so happy together. I don't understand what happened," Sascha commented. She felt Karen sigh. "Ricky didn't explain everything to you? About how I was a stuck up priss and I thought I was too good for him?" she said.
"He didn't say that. But now that you mention it, I wouldn't mind hearing your side of the story.
*
As strange as it was, it seemed that Raven's confidence grew the closer that she came to the creepy old mansion. Adrenaline flowed through her veins like electricity, and was surprised to find that one of her slayer powers had already taken effect as she kicked in the door.
There he was, the fallen door at his feet, a coy smirk twitching at the corners of his mouth. He looked amused. "Welcome, Slayer. I've been waiting for you. Please, come in, come in. Mi casa es su casa," he rasped in his trademark vocals.
"It appears that I already have," Raven retorted, locking her eyes into his. She stepped up and onto the door with her black calf-high boots, and walked over it so that she was face to face with her prey.
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Either way, only one of us is going to walk away from this. Flying doesn't count, either, Batboy. In 'supernatural' terms, I'm going to vaporize you," she whispered into his face. "It's up to you, Caleb."
Caleb admitted a small chuckle, and took Raven's chin beneath his thumb and forefinger. Suddenly, she felt something go wrong inside, like a string snapping from a guitar. As if she'd lost some of her resistance. She knew that she couldn't let Caleb know, so she kept her expression hard.
"No, little girl," Caleb said, his eyes burning into hers. "It's up to you." Caleb lowered his head and ran his cheek against her neck, and paused with his lips at her ear.
"It depends on if you're going to play hard to get," he whispered, his breath moist in Raven's ear making her stomach rebel at the same time her senses struggled to hang onto the feeling. She remembered what Lucy said, and concentrated. Mind over matter, she thought. She was finally able to step away from Caleb and speak.
"Who's playing?"
*
"Why is it up to me? You were almost her dad, which makes you......co- grandpa!" Frank whined. Chris sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Honestly, Scanlon, you're about as mature as your youngest daughter. Fine, we'll approach her together, all right? Need me to hold your hand for you, too?" Chris mocked. "Can it, Chris," Frank hissed as the two entered Christina's room, knocking on the door as they opened it.
"Christina, honey?" Chris said as they neared her bedside. Her response was a sniffle. The two men pulled up plastic chairs and sat on either side of her. "You know, don't you?" she asked meekly, her eyes full of tears and shame. Each man took one of her hands and rubbed it.
"Yes, but it's okay, really. We want to help you through this. We're both here for you," Frank said gently. "Yeah, Christina, and your parents, Kevin and Lucy, will support you too-" Chris began. "NO!" Christina exclaimed, sitting up in bed, and grabbing her stomach with a moan. "Hey, hey, hey, easy," Chris said, easing her back down. "Sweetheart, we have to tell them. It's their right to know. Maybe you'd feel better getting it off your chest," he continued.
"No!" Christina repeated. "I can't tell them, and neither can you. At least not yet. Please," she begged. Chris and Frank exchanged worried glances. Before they could respond, the nurse entered the room.
"Dr. Ramsey? Can I speak with you for a moment, please?"
*