Recap:
"Bye," Amy said softly while hugging Ephram. She was about to board her plane. "It's only eight weeks, right?" She said while letting go of his hand.
"Amy," Ephram shouted after her.
She turned around.
"Wait for me," he said intently.
Chapter 3:
Six weeks later.
Amy… Amy… Amy… I get to see Amy. This was the main thing that was running through Ephram's mind while on the plane back to Denver. Of course we was excited to see Bright, Delia, and even his dad again, too. The first thing I'm gonna do is hug her, then kiss her, and tell her how much I missed her… God, eight weeks IS a long time…
The dinging sound of the plane interrupted Ephram's thoughts. "We are now arriving upon Denver International Airport. Please buckle your seatbelts and get ready to land," the flight attendant announced over the speaker.
Amy and her brother were rushing through the airport. Amy was so anxious. Did he have a good time? Did he learn lots of new things? Did he miss her?
"Amy, are you okay? You look like you're hyperventilating or something," Bright commented as they walked.
"Yeah, I'm just really excited," Amy replied. "The first thing I'm gonna do when I see him is hug him, kiss him, and tell him how much I missed him… God, Bright, eight weeks really is kind of a long time, you know? I missed him so much."
"Yeah, sure," Bright said, not sure how to respond to her thought overflow. "Well, I missed him too."
The airport was huge, and there were lots of seats at every gate. It didn't look like anyone had come off a plane yet, though. "We're right on time," Amy said, checking her watch. She looked up at a nearby board. "It looks like his plane was a little delayed," she said. "Come on, let's sit," she told Bright.
She didn't know that the newest member of her boyfriend's family was resting, perfectly content, just on the other end of the gate.
Ephram got off the plane. He knew Amy and Bright would be there to greet him when he got inside. His dad couldn't make it because of an appointment, or so he said.
From a distance, he thought he saw her sitting way over by the window. He could only see the back of her head. The long, blonde hair was familiar. She turned and started walking toward him, but the closer she got, the more he realized that she wasn't Amy. No, it definitely wasn't Amy, because she was coming from his other side. Wait… oh my God. Ephram thought.
The three met in the exact same spot, with Bright looking on behind them. "Madison," Ephram and Amy said simultaneously. Ephram felt like he'd gotten the wind knocked out of him. So did Amy.
"W-W-What are you doing here?" Ephram asked Madison. That's when he noticed the change in her body. His heart almost jumped out of his mouth.
Madison was definitely surprised to see Amy there. "I… had to tell you something."
Amy was trying not to cry. She may have only been about four months along, but Madison was definitely showing. She glanced over at Ephram. He obviously had not known about this, which made her feel slightly better, but not much. Amy just stood there, frozen, not knowing what else to do.
"Well, I guess it's obvious," Madison said, trying to lighten the mood, which was practically impossible. "Ephram… I'm pregnant."
Tears spilled over Amy's cheeks as she looked from Ephram to Madison. Ephram noticed and immediately took Amy's hand, trying to assure her in some way, when really what he needed the most was someone to reassure him.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!"
It was the first thing Ephram screamed when he walked into the doors of his own home for the first time in over eight weeks. Andy squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and walked into the living room from the kitchen.
"I was going to."
"BUT YOU DIDN'T. How could you keep this from me?!"
"I was trying to do what was best for you! Do you really think that I should have told you that your 21-year-old ex-girlfriend was pregnant right before you left for New York? You never would have gone!"
"Does that make the fact that you told her to leave Everwood and NEVER tell me about this okay?" Ephram screeched. "She told me everything, Dad. Everything, so you can't hide it anymore. I can't believe this, I just… I can't believe it. I thought you were actually starting to learn, but you still have a very long way to go before you even get into the 'just okay' father category to me!" Ephram stormed upstairs.
Andy closed his eyes and waited. Mostly for Delia to come downstairs and ask him what was wrong. He stood there for about three minutes before Ephram came walking back down the stairs. He stopped at the bottom and said quietly, "How, Dad? How could I let this happen?" He started crying.
Andy walked over to him. "Ephram, this is not your fault. Actually, it's mine."
"No, Dad, you were right all along. I've been so stupid. I've acted like a little kid. I don't know how I ever could have let myself get so deep into a relationship with her."
"Ephram, hear me out. While I regret not talking to you more about sleeping with her, I don't regret letting you experience the relationship. You've become a much more mature and knowledgeable person because of this."
"That doesn't help the matter, though. I'm not ready for this, Dad. What about my last year of high school? What about you and Delia? What… what about Amy? Dad, I... I think I love her. I don't want to lose her because of this."
"I don't think you will. Not if she really cares about you. Look, Ephram, I'm not going to stand here and tell you that this is going to be easy. But the same people you've always had are still going to be there for you. And Madison, if she needs them."
Ephram ran a hand through his hair and sat down on the couch. "She said she was coming in to see you again on Thursday," he mentioned quietly. "I'm going to be there, too."
"That's fine."
Amy had spent the past two days since Ephram had returned home in her room. She was scared and confused. "How am I supposed to know how to feel or what to do?" Amy said softly out loud.
Suddenly Amy's phone rang. She reached over to the nightstand and picked it up. "Hello?"
"Hey, Amy."
"Ephram," she said breathlessly.
"How are you?" He didn't really know what else to say.
"Um… I'm okay… I guess…" she paused. "I think that's what I should be asking you."
"I'm fine, I just… can you come to my Dad's office? Like, right now?" Ephram tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "Madison is supposed to be here any minute and I just need you here."
Amy's breath caught in her throat. She thought about it for a minute. "Okay," she finally said. "Just give me ten minutes."
By the time Amy got to Dr. Brown's office, Madison was already there. She looked scared. Ephram looked downright terrified, but he seemed relieved when Amy walked in. She immediately went and sat down next to him on the bench. Madison was sitting in a chair a few feet away from them. The whole thing was very awkward for Amy.
"We're having this meeting here mainly to discuss the matter of Madison being pregnant," Andy looked at Madison. "I've already done a checkup and everything seems fine. Amy, neither Madison nor I expected you to be here, but Ephram wanted you here, so… here we all are."
Ephram looked upward, realizing that his dad was just about as clueless as he was about this whole thing.
Madison spoke before Andy could say anything else. "I know I haven't really talked to you since I first told you about nine weeks ago. I'm sorry, I just couldn't do what you asked me to," Madison glanced at Ephram. "I couldn't just not tell you, Ephram."
Madison was getting emotional. Amy looked down at her hands, the reality of the whole situation hitting her.
"Madison, please, don't… you didn't do anything wrong," Ephram tried to say.
"Maybe not just a few days ago, but about four and a half months ago I did…" Madison choked out.
Ephram closed his eyes. Amy reached for his hand and kissed his shoulder, trying to stay calm—for him.
"Alright, alright," Andy said. "Madison... have you chosen to keep this baby?"
"Yes, I have."
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Okay... fourth chapter coming soon! Thanks for all the reviews so far!!