A/N: Everyone, I am so sorry! I have been trying and trying to update, but every time I would try, I would get an error message saying that the server for could not be found. So please don't be furious! Also, as a warning, I won't be able to update until after the 18th of August, because I leave tomorrow for a long awaited vacation. auggy1984: Thanks for reviewing. To be honest, I didn't think you would review that last chapter, because it was pretty Amy based. But thanks. :) Duckygirl: Glad you like my story so much. Thanks for the review! Kursk: Yay, I'm glad you decided to review this chapter. Thanks! I'm sorry for the late post, but I tried to update yesterday, and the site wasn't working. This chapter has some Madison in it, so I hope you all will be happy about that.
[3.13] A Girls' Day Out
----September 18, 2004----
Madison paced her tiny apartment. She kept a steady eye on the telephone. She desperately wanted to call Ephram and tell him all about their child; their daughter. She walked over to the phone, pulled up a chair, and sat down. "He should know." She said, aloud. She slowly picked up the phone and stared at the buttons. "But maybe his Father's right? What if was to ruin his life?" She asked herself. She put the phone back on the hook. "I don't want to hurt Ephram. I still care about him." She placed her hand over her roughly 7 month pregnant belly. "But should he really be kept in the dark about something as big as having a child?" She picked up the phone and dialed Ephram's phone number, but used a dialing code to block her phone number from Ephram's caller I.D.
----
Ephram was working on a report for school, when he heard his phone ring. "Let the answering machine pick it up." He mumbled to himself. He quickly wrote down another sentence and the phone continued to ring. He glanced over at the phone and saw that the message machine was full and it would either keep ringing until the caller hung up or someone answered it. "Fine, fine, fine. I'm coming." He moaned. Ephram stood up and walked over to the phone and picked it up. "Hello?"
----
Madison's body tingled as she heard Ephram's voice at the other end of the line. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come. She wanted to just fall into his arms again and tell him everything that she'd been hiding from him and now that he was finally on the other end of the phone line, she couldn't make a sound.
----
"Hello?" Ephram asked, impatiently. He glanced at the caller I.D. Blocked. It figures. He thought, dryly.
----
Madison quickly put the phone back on the hook and let out a breath that she didn't even know she had been holding in. "Why can't I tell him?" She bit her lip out of nervous confusion and ended up tasting a few drops of blood. She grabbed a napkin from the counter and dabbed it on her bleeding lip. She got off the chair and wobbled her to her room, took a seat at her bed, and pulled a dusty framed picture out of a drawer. She brushed the picture off with her hands, to reveal her and Ephram at a park. "I'm so sorry, Ephram." Then a few salty tears dripped from her eyes onto the glass, that covered the picture.
----
"Is anyone there?" Ephram asked, as her heard silence on the other end. Then he heard a clicking noise. "Hello?" Suddenly a loud beeping hit his ear drum, signaling that the other line had been hung up. "Great." He said, sarcastically. "That was a wasted three minutes." He hung up the phone and walked back to his report, flopped down on the floor, and began writing again.
----
"Do you know if your gonna have a boy or girl yet?" Delia asked, excitedly. She was sitting in the backseat of Mrs. Abbott's car, with Amy.
Amy shook her head. "Nope. But your brother and I are going in a week or so for a check up and we'll probably find out then."
"What do you want?" Delia asked. She was happy to be out of the 'all boy house'. She loved shopping and she was glad that Mrs. Abbott and Amy had invited her to go shopping for Amy and the baby.
"Oh, I don't know. I'll probably be happy with anything." Amy said.
"I hope it's a girl!" Delia replied.
Rose, from the front of the car, laughed. "Why is that, Delia?"
"Because of Ephram. He misses Mom a lot and it would be cool if it could be a girl." Delia explained.
Amy smiled at the 11-year-old. "What was your Mother's name again?"
"Julia. Julia Brown." Delia replied.
Amy slowly nodded her head, as if forming a plan. "Ahh, okay. That sure is a pretty name."
Delia grinned. "Yeah. Dad thought so." She leaned back in her seat. "Thanks again for inviting me."
Amy smiled. "Hey, your gonna be an Aunt. Why shouldn't you be able to help pick out stuff the your niece or nephew."
Delia smirked. "I think I'm gonna be the only kid in my class who is an Aunt."
"Do you want to be an Aunt?" Amy asked.
"Yeah, I guess so. It sounds like it could be cool, I guess." Delia answered. She eyed Amy's belly. "Umm..can I?"
Amy laughed. "Sure. Here, give me your hand."
Delia held out her hand and Amy took it, then placed it on her steadily growing stomach.
"Has it moved yet?" Delia asked.
"I'm sure it has, but I just haven't felt it." Amy replied.
Rose stopped the car. "We're here!"
Delia pressed the button on her seatbelt and hopped from her seat. She opened the door, then ran around to the other side of the car, and opened the door for Amy.
Amy smiled. "Why, thank you, Delia."
"No problem." Delia said, with a shrug of her shoulders.
Amy got out of the car and Rose locked th car up, then the 3 headed for the store.
----
"Oh, look at this!" Delia gasped, as she held up a pair of little light yellow booties.
Amy's jaw dropped open. "Oh my gosh! They're soooo tiny and so cute!"
Rose walked over to the 2 girls. "What's all the commotion about, over here?"
Amy and Delia let out a few giggles.
Rose still looked confused.
"Mom! Look what Delia found! They're totally cute!" Amy said, as she pointed to the yellow booties.
Delia handed the booties to Rose. "I think they're really cute!"
Rose smiled and plopped them in the basket, that had been halfway filled within 20 minutes. "Then we're buying them."
Suddenly Amy frowned. "But look how much stuff we have! So far, it's just for the baby and, well, I don't have the money for it."
Delia turned away. "Well, I think I have like ten dollars from chores and some from my birthday that I haven't spent yet. I could use that to get some stuff."
Rose smiled at Delia. She'll be an amazing Aunt. She thought. "Delia, it's great that you'd be willing to spend your money like that, but I think I've got it covered. You coming to help us pick out things is a major help in itself."
Delia spun back around and her eyes were bright and sparkling. "Really?"
"Definitely!" Rose assured her. "I mean, if you hadn't came with us, we may have never found the booties!"
"Or cute fuzzy blankets!" Amy pointed out, as she grabbed 2 fuzzy blankets from the basket and held them up.
Delia's smile seemed to grow.
"Hey, what do you say we take a rest and go over to the food court for something to munch on, then we can go get some maternity clothes for Amy?" Rose suggested. She glanced at Amy and then at Delia.
"I..Erm..we sure are hungry." Amy said, as she rubbed her belly.
"Yeah, me too. Hey, do you think the baby likes strawberry smoothies? 'Cause that's my favorite." Delia replied.
"Me too!" Amy replied.
"Then it's settled. A lunch break and then maternity shopping!" Rose said, as she pushed the cart ahead.
"Maternity. Ugh." Amy said, with a roll of her eyes. "I''ll look like a hippo."
Delia rolled her eyes. "Ephram doesn't think so. He thinks you look like a princess. He talks about it all the time!"
Amy smiled and placed her hand on Delia's shoulder. "Did he really say that?"
Delia nodded. "Yep." She cleared her throat. "'She is so pretty! I swear, she could be a princess!'" Delia said, as she tried to imitate Ephram's voice.
Amy laughed.
"I don't think you look like a hippo either." Delia said.
"Thanks, Delia." Amy replied, as they reached the food court.
"You're welcome." Delia replied.
Rose was already in line. "So, what do we want?" She asked. She was the next person to be waited on.
"A strawberry smoothie and a plate of fries." Delia answered.
"Umm...I think I'll have what Delia's having. But can you make my fries super sized and I want a bacon cheeseburger with the works." Amy replied.
"Next." The Cashier asked.
Rose stepped up. "Hi. I'd like three strawberry smoothies, two plates of fries but I want one super sized, a bacon cheeseburger with the works, and a mixed green salad with ranch dressing." Rose ordered.
"Would you like whip cream on the smoothies?" The Cashier asked.
Rose turned to look at Amy and Delia.
"Yeah!" Amy and Delia replied in unison.
Rose turned back to the man. "Yes. In fact...can you put extra whip cream on the smoothies?"
"It'll cost fifteen cents extra. Five cents a smoothie." The Cashier replied.
"That'll be fine." Rose replied.
The Cashier rung up the order and then looked back at Rose. "Eleven-eighty-three."
Rose reached into her purse and pulled out $12, then gave it to the Cashier.
The Cashier put the money into the register and then handed Rose back her change. "Your change is seventeen cents, Ms. Thank you for coming and enjoy your meal. It should be ready in a few minutes."
Rose placed the change in her purse and walked over to Amy and Delia. "Why don't we go take a seat, while we're waiting?"
Amy and Delia agreed. So the 3 walked around until finding a nice table and sat down.
"Have you and Ephram thought of names?" Delia asked.
Amy shook her head. "We've been so busy with everything else, we haven't had time to think of names yet."
Delia nodded. "Oh." They sat in silence for about 5 more minutes and then Rose got up and came back with a tray of their food. "Thank you, Mrs. Abbott." Delia said, as she took her smoothie and plate of fries.
"No problem, sweetie. It was my pleasure." Rose said.
Delia ate a few fries and then took a long drink of her smoothie. Then she looked at Amy. "Amy, are you and Ephram going to get married?"
Amy froze. She hadn't thought about it before and certainly had never talked about it with Ephram.