Recap:
There was a note tied to the handle of the carrier. He tore it off and opened it up. "Kimberly Kellner-Brown. I can't do this. Don't call."
--- Amy kissed his arm. "Goodnight, Ephram."
"'Night, Amy." Ephram said sleepily. "Goodnight, Kimberly."
Chapter 8:
The next morning Ephram awoke to the sound of Kimberly crying. It was only 5:30, but oddly enough, it didn't frustrate him much. He shook Amy a little bit. "Ames," he said softly in her ear.
"Hmm?" She said, sleepily opening her eyes and stretching.
"Kimberly's crying. Come on, we've gotta go out and get something to give her, right now."
"Oh, okay," Amy said, getting out of bed. She looked in the mirror. She didn't look great, considering she had just slept in her clothes and makeup with her hair down. She ran her hands through her hair a few times. That would have to do. "Let's go," she said.
Ephram was already holding Kimberly. "Would you take the carrier out to my car?"
"Of course," Amy said.
"Try to be quiet," Ephram said. "I'm sure everyone's still asleep."
Ephram scanned the baby formula section of the grocery store, trying to figure out which would be the best kind for Kimberly. Amy was holding her. She seemed to calm down a bit more when someone was carrying her other than when she was just sitting in her carrier.
"Here," Ephram said, picking up a can and reading it. "For newborns to 3 months. This should be good." He put it in the cart and grabbed four other ones to go along with it. He found a section of bottles nearby and put one in the cart as well.
"I don't know if we have time to get anything else, Ephram," Amy said. "She seems really hungry."
He nodded and smiled. He couldn't help it, seeing Amy holding his baby, the way she was being so supportive. "Okay, let's go."
Ephram buckled Kimberly's carrier into his car as well as he knew how and climbed into the driver's seat. Amy sat in the back with Kimberly so that she could feed her on the way home.
"How do you think this is gonna go down, with your dad and all?" Amy asked Ephram as they made their way back to his house.
"I don't know," Ephram said. "Hopefully not too bad. It's not like this has anything to do with me anyway, so I don't think he'll try to kill me or anything like that."
"You're right."
Ephram remembered that Amy hadn't called her parents since the night before. "Amy, do I need to take you home? Do you think you're going to be in trouble?"
"Actually, yes, please. I think I'll be okay though as far as punishment goes, it's only eight o'clock and I hope that Bright has at least tried to cover for me."
Ephram pulled into the Abbott's driveway a few minutes later. "Bye, Amy," he said. "I love you… and thank you so, so much," he said gratefully.
Amy leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Call me in a few hours." She turned to Kimberly. Amy kissed her own hand and put it on the tiny child's forehead. "Bye bye, Kimberly. Hopefully I'll see you soon."
After dropping Amy off, Ephram drove the short distance back to his house. He took a deep breath before carrying Kimberly into the house. His dad was probably in the living room, drinking coffee, reading the Pinecone. Delia was probably still asleep, with it being Saturday morning.
He found out he was right when he walked in, sure enough. Ephram had decided to go the direct route, to just carry Kimberly in and show her to Andy. Andy was sitting on the couch reading the paper. He looked up when he heard Ephram come in. "Hey Ephram, where were y—" he stopped mid-sentence when he saw the carrier. "Oh, Ephram," was all he could say.
Ephram just nodded slightly and went to sit down next to his dad. "She was on the doorstep last night."
Andy looked shock. "I can't believe Madison would do this," he said.
"Me neither," Ephram said, "But she did. She left a note and everything." Ephram pulled the note out of his pocket and showed it to his dad.
"Wow," was all Andy could say. He fixed his eyes on Kimberly. "She really is beautiful, Ephram," he said, the realization that he was seeing his first grandchild for the very first time hitting him. Suddenly Andy started crying a little.
"Dad," Ephram said.
"No, it's alright," Andy said, putting a hand up. "She's just… can I?" Andy said, beginning to unbuckle Kimberly from her carrier.
"Sure," Ephram said.
Andy lifted his new granddaughter out of her seat and cradled her in his arms. An overwhelming sense of love and peace filled his heart as Kimberly cooed softly.
"Dad," Ephram said. "Do you think this is the right thing? Having her here with us right now?"
Andy continued to stare at his granddaughter for a few minutes before looking back up at Ephram. Somehow, he knew. "Yes. I do."
By nightfall the next evening, not only did all of the Brown's find out about Kimberly, but the Feeney's, the Abbott's, and possibly a few other families in Everwood all knew as well. Everyone was perfectly fine with it. As a matter of fact, they were almost content. Except for one of them. That one, being Harold Abbott.
As strange as it was, Bright and Amy's parents never had even heard about Madison's pregnancy. Somehow the Abbott kids had managed to let four months go by, assuming that their parents knew, when it was a fact that they did not. Edna and Irv had known, but had decided to not say anything about it the Harold and Rose, just in case they didn't know and Andy didn't want them to know. Andy really had been serious about confidentiality this time.
"Amy, I-I just can't allow you to see this boy any longer. You're simply not ready," Harold told his daughter that night in a discussion he, along with Rose, was having with her. Although Rose didn't particularly agree with what his husband was telling her, she had decided to just keep her mouth shut for the time being.
"But you were perfectly fine with it until you knew!" Amy shouted. "He's had an ex-girlfriend who was pregnant, he's had a daughter for the past four months, how is it any different now?" Amy was upset. She couldn't believe that her parents were going to try to tear her away from Ephram.
"It's very, very different," Harold said gravely. "He now has a CHILD to take care of Amy, do you really think that you are ready to be in a relationship with a father? You are seventeen, and need to be thinking about college and a future career. Not babies," Harold said the last word like it was the word "spiders."
"I don't care," she said. "I am ready, no matter what, because I love him. I LOVE him, Dad!"
Harold rolled his eyes. "Amy, you are forbidden to see or talk to that boy. If I ever find out that you disobeyed me, there will be serious punishment in your future." He began to get up and walk out.
"MOM!" Amy cried out desparately, her wet tears now beginning to overflow.
"Come on, Rose," Harold said, walking out.
"Mom," Amy sobbed again after he had left.
Rose watched her husband walk down the hall from the doorway. She turned to Amy and said softly, "Go ahead and call him one last time. Just don't stay on long."
Amy nodded and began to furiously wipe at her tears.
Ephram was sitting at the kitchen table feeding Kimberly when the phone rang. He figured someone else would answer it.
"Ephram," Delia said a few seconds later, walking into the room with the phone. "It's Amy," she said, handing the phone over to him, "And she sounds like she's crying."
Suddenly Ephram became very concerned. He held Kimberly's bottle up with one hand while holding the phone with the other. "Amy? Amy?"
He heard Amy sniffle. "Ephram," she choked, not knowing what else to say.
"Amy, talk to me… are you okay?"
"I… my parents found out about Kimberly… and they… they never knew…"
Ephram closed his eyes, not wanting to think about where this was going.
"They won't let me see you anymore, Ephram," she said, starting to sob again.
Ephram felt his heart drop to his feet. He felt his own tears immediately. "Amy…" he said, feeling helpless.
"I know, I know," she said barely in a whisper. Her heart hurt so much she could barely speak.
"I'm sorry."
-----
Don't kill me. =( Of course, Ephram and Amy are meant for each other... but you'll just have to see how it plays out!