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Grace stood behind the counter at the dinner, her hair had grown quite a bit, and fell past her shoulders, and she kept it the shade of deep brown that it had been since she arrived in the small town three months earlier. She was now living in an apartment across from the diner. Chloe's parent's owned it also.
Absently she twisted her engagement ring around her finger. She couldn't bear to take it off, she honestly still loved Luke, but she couldn't be with him knowing that she could be pregnant with another man's child.
Her cell phone rang, causing her to jump in surprise. No one called her cell phone. At least not when she was at work, and then it was always Chloe, but Chloe was standing on the other side of the diner, serving an elderly couple that always came for breakfast.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, on the LCD screen was a name that hadn't been there in three months. Adam. "Hello?" Grace asked cautiously.
"Jane is in labor."
"But she's not even eight months along!" Fear ran through Grace's veins like ice.
"I know... just get here Grace. Please." Adam's voice pleaded to her through the line and Grace nodded.
"I'll be there." She hung up the phone and saw Chloe hurrying across the diner towards her.
"What's wrong?"
"I have to go. Joan went into labor. I'm sorry. I just ... I have to go." Grace grabbed her jacket off the coat rack and ran out to her car and started speeding down the highway.
Grace yawned tiredly as she pulled onto the off ramp that would lead her down the main street of Arcadia, directly to the hospital. She glanced at the clock, it was after eight p.m. She had been driving since seven that morning. She was tired. Exhausted. Drained. She just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for about a week. But more importantly, she had to check and make sure Joan was okay, that Joan and her baby were okay.
Grace climbed out of her car after finding a parking place at the hospital, suddenly very aware that she hadn't changed out of her short uniform. She wasn't sure they would recognize her even. Short skirt, shoulder length brown hair. She looked so... girly.
Pulling her jacket tight around herself she walked inside the hospital. "I'm looking for the maternity ward." She said softly to a nurse that sat behind a oversized desk.
"Down the hall and to the right." The older woman smiled at Grace and she nodded.
"Thanks." Grace stepped back then headed down the hall, then turned right at the first large corridor. At the end was another nurse's station. "Hi... I'm looking for Joan Rove's room."
"Grace?" Grace looked up and saw Adam standing a few feet away. "You came."
Grace nodded slightly before Adam engulfed her in his arms. Slowly Grace wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder. "I'm so glad you're here Grace." Adam told her softly.
"How is Joan? The baby?" Grace asked moving back from him slightly to look up at his face.
"They're both fine. Jane is in that room, Baby Jane is in ICU." Grace couldn't help but smile.
"Jane?" Adam shrugged, and then nodded. "It was Joan's idea."
"Ya know this means you're going to have to call Joan something different now... can't be confusing the two of them."
"Her name is Elizabeth Jane... we're gonna call her Beth."
"That's a good name." Grace smiled. "Can I see Joan?"
"Yeah, she's sleeping right now. So be quiet." Adam walked with Grace down to Joan's room and Grace walked in and sat down in the chair beside her bed.
The anxiousness was building her in stomach. She was afraid Luke would show up. Of course he would, this was his sister.
"Grace Polk is wearing a dress? That doesn't fall past her knees?" Joan smiled drowsily at her friend. "Hey. Glad you made it."
"Hey... you feeling okay?"
"I'm worn out... but I'm okay." Grace nodded and then bit her lip. She wasn't sure what to say. "Grace... Adam told me about the affair." She jerked her head up and looked at Joan with wide eyes. "He told me about it last night."
Grace opened her mouth, and then closed it again. "Oh..." Quickly she stood up. "I... need to go."
"Grace stop."
"No... look, I appreciate that Adam called me to let me know that you were having the baby, I'm thrilled you're both okay, but I need to leave."
"I want you to stay." Joan sat up slightly. "I'm not mad... okay... I am... but you're my best friend, Adam is my husband. I love you both. And... I forgive you for it."
"You shouldn't." Grace said wrapping her arms around herself.
"Maybe not, but I do... is that why you left Luke?"
"Part of it."
"What's the other part?" Grace looked down at the floor, and kicked at the spotted tiles with her white tennis shoes. "Grace?"
"I'm pregnant." Grace blurted out unintentionally. She hadn't wanted to tell anyone. She still wasn't showing. She could leave and no one would know, but too late. Joan knew, and Joan would probably tell Adam and Luke.
It was Joan's turn to stare in shock, her mouth opening and closing several times before closing and furrowing her brow. "You don't know which of one the father is do you?"
Grace shook her head before slowing walking back over to sink down into the chair. "That's why I couldn't marry Luke. I couldn't marry him knowing that I was pregnant, and that it might not be his. I don't want to lie about it anymore. I did it... I'm not proud of it but... it happened, and I have to face the consequences for my actions. And if it is being alone for the rest of my life... or carrying a child that doesn't belong to the man I love... so be it."
"What are you going to do?"
"Leave. Go back to where I've been staying. I have a job there, and an apartment, I actually made a friend." Joan smiled faintly.
"I'm so proud. What about the baby?"
"I couldn't bring myself to have an abortion. I'll have this child... I guess if it turns out to be Luke's I'll let him choose whether he wants custody or not..."
"And if it's not?"
"I don't know yet. That's mostly up to you and Adam. Do you want a child around that isn't yours? A reminder of a mistake you made?"
"Is that what it is to you?" Joan cocked her head to the side.
"No. This is my baby. I'll love him or her, no matter who the father is."
"Then why are you so willing to give your child up?"
"Because I don't deserve to have this child. It was conceived in the middle of a huge lie."
"How can you think that Grace? That you don't deserve a child you are carrying? You got pregnant for a reason. I know it."
"Right... I don't think so Joan. I got pregnant because I was stupid. I love my child, and I always will, but that doesn't change the fact that I know I got pregnant because of my own stupidity."
Joan sighed. She wasn't getting anywhere with this. To her relief Adam walked in seconds later. "Hey." She smiled at him and he walked over and kissed her tenderly.
"Here... baby's first photos." Adam handed Grace a picture taken obviously minutes after Joan gave birth, baby sleeping against her mother's chest before she was taken to ICU.
"She's beautiful." Grace murmured. "I'll um, leave you two alone... and Joan? Could you not tell anyone about... ya know?"
Joan nodded and watched as Grace left the room. "You okay?" Adam asked her quietly and she nodded.
Grace stood behind the counter at the dinner, her hair had grown quite a bit, and fell past her shoulders, and she kept it the shade of deep brown that it had been since she arrived in the small town three months earlier. She was now living in an apartment across from the diner. Chloe's parent's owned it also.
Absently she twisted her engagement ring around her finger. She couldn't bear to take it off, she honestly still loved Luke, but she couldn't be with him knowing that she could be pregnant with another man's child.
Her cell phone rang, causing her to jump in surprise. No one called her cell phone. At least not when she was at work, and then it was always Chloe, but Chloe was standing on the other side of the diner, serving an elderly couple that always came for breakfast.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, on the LCD screen was a name that hadn't been there in three months. Adam. "Hello?" Grace asked cautiously.
"Jane is in labor."
"But she's not even eight months along!" Fear ran through Grace's veins like ice.
"I know... just get here Grace. Please." Adam's voice pleaded to her through the line and Grace nodded.
"I'll be there." She hung up the phone and saw Chloe hurrying across the diner towards her.
"What's wrong?"
"I have to go. Joan went into labor. I'm sorry. I just ... I have to go." Grace grabbed her jacket off the coat rack and ran out to her car and started speeding down the highway.
Grace yawned tiredly as she pulled onto the off ramp that would lead her down the main street of Arcadia, directly to the hospital. She glanced at the clock, it was after eight p.m. She had been driving since seven that morning. She was tired. Exhausted. Drained. She just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for about a week. But more importantly, she had to check and make sure Joan was okay, that Joan and her baby were okay.
Grace climbed out of her car after finding a parking place at the hospital, suddenly very aware that she hadn't changed out of her short uniform. She wasn't sure they would recognize her even. Short skirt, shoulder length brown hair. She looked so... girly.
Pulling her jacket tight around herself she walked inside the hospital. "I'm looking for the maternity ward." She said softly to a nurse that sat behind a oversized desk.
"Down the hall and to the right." The older woman smiled at Grace and she nodded.
"Thanks." Grace stepped back then headed down the hall, then turned right at the first large corridor. At the end was another nurse's station. "Hi... I'm looking for Joan Rove's room."
"Grace?" Grace looked up and saw Adam standing a few feet away. "You came."
Grace nodded slightly before Adam engulfed her in his arms. Slowly Grace wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder. "I'm so glad you're here Grace." Adam told her softly.
"How is Joan? The baby?" Grace asked moving back from him slightly to look up at his face.
"They're both fine. Jane is in that room, Baby Jane is in ICU." Grace couldn't help but smile.
"Jane?" Adam shrugged, and then nodded. "It was Joan's idea."
"Ya know this means you're going to have to call Joan something different now... can't be confusing the two of them."
"Her name is Elizabeth Jane... we're gonna call her Beth."
"That's a good name." Grace smiled. "Can I see Joan?"
"Yeah, she's sleeping right now. So be quiet." Adam walked with Grace down to Joan's room and Grace walked in and sat down in the chair beside her bed.
The anxiousness was building her in stomach. She was afraid Luke would show up. Of course he would, this was his sister.
"Grace Polk is wearing a dress? That doesn't fall past her knees?" Joan smiled drowsily at her friend. "Hey. Glad you made it."
"Hey... you feeling okay?"
"I'm worn out... but I'm okay." Grace nodded and then bit her lip. She wasn't sure what to say. "Grace... Adam told me about the affair." She jerked her head up and looked at Joan with wide eyes. "He told me about it last night."
Grace opened her mouth, and then closed it again. "Oh..." Quickly she stood up. "I... need to go."
"Grace stop."
"No... look, I appreciate that Adam called me to let me know that you were having the baby, I'm thrilled you're both okay, but I need to leave."
"I want you to stay." Joan sat up slightly. "I'm not mad... okay... I am... but you're my best friend, Adam is my husband. I love you both. And... I forgive you for it."
"You shouldn't." Grace said wrapping her arms around herself.
"Maybe not, but I do... is that why you left Luke?"
"Part of it."
"What's the other part?" Grace looked down at the floor, and kicked at the spotted tiles with her white tennis shoes. "Grace?"
"I'm pregnant." Grace blurted out unintentionally. She hadn't wanted to tell anyone. She still wasn't showing. She could leave and no one would know, but too late. Joan knew, and Joan would probably tell Adam and Luke.
It was Joan's turn to stare in shock, her mouth opening and closing several times before closing and furrowing her brow. "You don't know which of one the father is do you?"
Grace shook her head before slowing walking back over to sink down into the chair. "That's why I couldn't marry Luke. I couldn't marry him knowing that I was pregnant, and that it might not be his. I don't want to lie about it anymore. I did it... I'm not proud of it but... it happened, and I have to face the consequences for my actions. And if it is being alone for the rest of my life... or carrying a child that doesn't belong to the man I love... so be it."
"What are you going to do?"
"Leave. Go back to where I've been staying. I have a job there, and an apartment, I actually made a friend." Joan smiled faintly.
"I'm so proud. What about the baby?"
"I couldn't bring myself to have an abortion. I'll have this child... I guess if it turns out to be Luke's I'll let him choose whether he wants custody or not..."
"And if it's not?"
"I don't know yet. That's mostly up to you and Adam. Do you want a child around that isn't yours? A reminder of a mistake you made?"
"Is that what it is to you?" Joan cocked her head to the side.
"No. This is my baby. I'll love him or her, no matter who the father is."
"Then why are you so willing to give your child up?"
"Because I don't deserve to have this child. It was conceived in the middle of a huge lie."
"How can you think that Grace? That you don't deserve a child you are carrying? You got pregnant for a reason. I know it."
"Right... I don't think so Joan. I got pregnant because I was stupid. I love my child, and I always will, but that doesn't change the fact that I know I got pregnant because of my own stupidity."
Joan sighed. She wasn't getting anywhere with this. To her relief Adam walked in seconds later. "Hey." She smiled at him and he walked over and kissed her tenderly.
"Here... baby's first photos." Adam handed Grace a picture taken obviously minutes after Joan gave birth, baby sleeping against her mother's chest before she was taken to ICU.
"She's beautiful." Grace murmured. "I'll um, leave you two alone... and Joan? Could you not tell anyone about... ya know?"
Joan nodded and watched as Grace left the room. "You okay?" Adam asked her quietly and she nodded.