No Time to Waste
by TheRealXenocide
`
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, settings, or anything else you recognize from the show Lizzie McGuire. The plot, at it's base, has been around since Homer, and this variant since Henry Ford. However, this is the first I've seen it applied to Lizzie.
`
Chapter 53
Comfort Zone
`
That night was roughest on Lanny. He'd manage to sleep for a couple of hours, lay awake for an hour or so before falling asleep again, only to awake a couple of hours later again. He awoke from the last of these cycles to discover he'd overslept, and missed Melina's morning appointment. He was only marginally relieved when his parents reminded him that this one was only to take the blood the test needed. Before he could protest, or worse, they told him that he could go with her tomorrow to the appointment for the results, if Mrs. Bianco didn't object.
She didn't. The Onasis's already knew she wouldn't, as that was one of the things that had been decided the day before. But the kids weren't to know about that, yet.
~~~~~~~~
At four that afternoon, Lizzie, Matt, Jo, Miranda, Daniella, Gordo, Ethan and Kate were all in the McGuire back yard at the request of Ethan and Kate, who had called a little after noon to ask for this meeting. They had to wait until this late due to Matt's session with Dr. Hyde.
The others thought they knew what they were going to hear, as it was why Kate's parents had thrown her out. They were still surprised, however, at the way they were told. They were expecting an uncomfortable mix of happiness and fear. But Ethan was so obviously happy about it, there were moments when they wondered if he shouldn't be tethered to something to keep him from floating away. While Kate was more reserved, it was clear that Ethan's enthusiasm was giving her confidence.
All of the other teens noticed Ethan and Kate's reactions. Until then, the only people their age that any of them had known who had gone through this were Larry and Parker. Compared to that, Ethan and Kate were surprising them.
It gave them a lot to think about. One, in particular, found himself beginning some serious introspection.
~~~~~~~~
At ten the next morning, Melina, her mother, and a haggard looking Lanny were in the office of her family doctor once again. They couldn't help but notice a model of a human head and neck, with something red and butterfly shaped near the base of the neck, had been placed on the desk.
The doctor still didn't approve of a non family member being here, but knew Melina well enough to know that it would be a bad idea to ague the point. Once everyone was seated, she began. "Well, Melina, I'll get to the point. Your tests came back, and you have a condition called hyperthyroidism. What that means is that your thyroid gland," she pointed to the colored sections of the model, "is producing too much of its hormones. This causes an imbalance that can cause a long list of relatively minor problems, including irregular periods and anxiety."
"And the morning sickness?"
"It probably contributed to that, indirectly. As I said, one thing this can cause is anxiety. Add that to the stress you felt due to your concern that you might have been pregnant, and it makes sense that you would have experienced some physical signs. The timing was unfortunate, but . . ."
"What caused this?" Lanny asked, interrupting the doctor, and cutting off Mrs. Bianco, who was about to ask that very question.
"That's why I wanted to have this appointment in the morning, just in case either this or it's opposite, hypothyroidism, were detected. There are many possible causes. In order to be sure, I have to give Melina a series of scans and other test. When I got the results late yesterday, I made arrangements to have all those tests done today, as needed." She looked squarely at the girl, who was clearly growing impatient with all this. "But, I do have a guess for the cause of this case. First, I need to check something." She stood up and walked to Melina. "I just need to feel for swelling around your neck, near the thyroid." She pointed to the model. When Melina craned her neck, he checked. A small smile crossed her face. When she returned to her chair, she asked. "Do you remember that case of the flu you had a couple weeks before school ended?"
"How can I forget? As if being sick wasn't bad enough, I recovered just in time to suffer through finals' week."
"One possible, but uncommon, side effect of a viral infection like the flu is called subacute thyroiditis. Basically, it's a swelling of the thyroid gland. This can cause the thyroid to leak excess hormones. And your thyroid does feel slightly swollen."
"If that's what caused it, then why the tests?" Mrs. Bianco asked, cutting off both youngsters.
"To be safe. The good news is that if it is subacute thyroiditis, there may be no treatment needed. The swelling normally fades on it's own, and when it does, the hormone levels return to normal. However, there are some far more serious things that can cause both hyperthyroidism and thyroid swelling, and I'd like to be sure we're NOT dealing with any of them. So, if you're ready, Melina, I'd like to get you a complete answer as soon as possible."
Before Melina could answer, she felt a hand on hers. She turned to Lanny. "To be safe."
Her dislike of being 'poked and prodded' faded, and she agreed.
~~~~~~~~
Reggie came over to visit with Matt after lunch, hoping they could find something to do on this soggy day. They started playing video games, but Reggie noticed that Matt wasn't playing very close attention to the game, and was making stupid mistakes because of it. "Hey, man, you okay?"
"Hmm, what? Oh, sorry bout that." Matt was letting himself get distracted by memory of what happened the last time it rained this heavy. But Miranda was at her house, spending time with Lily. He needed to get his mind off of that thought. For now. "I never did ask you, did you enjoy the time you spent with Lily at the mall?"
"If you're going to make another 'hanging all over me' remark . . ."
Matt smiled at the reminder. "Well, you have to admit, if it had been anyone else, you'd have found it funny."
Now Reggie smiled slightly. "I guess I would."
"Seriously, though, with Miranda and me being together so much, it's good that you two get along okay. You don't mind, do you?"
"What? Nah, she a good kid. I don't think it's possible to be in a bad mood around her. Besides, if that girl in the pet store was any indication, having her around might get me a few dates."
Matt shook his head. He knew Reggie well enough to know the real reason he'd said that. Not that he needed to with Matt, but Matt wasn't going to call him on it. "Don't let her mom hear you say that." Something else hit Matt. "Pet store?"
"Yeah. Lily wanted to look at the puppies and kittens. And, of course, she started begging her mom for one of the puppies."
"And her mom said no?"
"Yeah. I think she wanted to, but with Miranda and all . . ."
"Miranda wants a dog." He told Reggie about the dog they met during Miranda's first drive. "She'd asked for one before, when we found those pups under the back deck. But at that time, Lily was still too little."
A look was coming to Matt that Reggie was all too familiar with. "Hold on, man, what are you thinking about doing?"
"Your friend and my girlfriend, who happen to be sisters, both want a dog. AND they do need to spend more time together . . ."
"Hold it. I see where you're going, and I'm with you. BUT we ask Daniella first."
"Daniella? I thought you always used ma'am?"
"She said she didn't like ma'am."
~~~~~~~~
Late in the afternoon, Lanny was sitting again in the doctor's office next to Melina and her mother. Lanny felt weary, not only from lack of sleep, but from the day. Even though she knew how important this was, and she was trying to get though these tests for him as well as herself, one thing would never completely change.
Melina was NOT a good patient.
He fell into his old habit of trying to keep her from smart-mouthing herself into more trouble. In this case, that meant acting as a buffer between the doctors and her irritable remarks. A job about as easy as it was pleasant.
But now, the doctor had told them that, unless there was a major surprise in the results, Melina had undergone her last test of the day. So, while the doctor conferred with a specialist over the results, they waited. He chanced a glance at Melina, and was surprised to see she was looking at him with an expression he wasn't familiar with.
"I'm sorry."
He blinked in surprise. He'd heard her say that word a couple of times in the last few weeks, but it was still something he wasn't used to. "What?"
"I'm sorry I've been such a . . ."
"I know you don't like doctors." He cut her off before the insult.
"Understated as always." Mrs. Bianco chimed in. "Lanny, if ever the phase 'opposites attract' were true, it would be for you two. While she's complaining to anybody in earshot, your showing the patients of Job in taking it. And at her worst, you tried to make sure you were the only one who took it." She couldn't tell whose embarrassment was more amusing. "Lanny, have you ever considered a career in psychiatry." She added, only half joking.
Before the boy could get over his surprise, the door opened, and the Biancos' doctor came in. All eyes were on her as she sat behind her desk. "The tests confirm what I suspected. It's nothing more than subacute thyroiditis."
"How do we fight it?" Melina asked.
"As I suggested this morning, it doesn't normally need fighting, because the swelling is temporary. I'll want a follow-up in a couple of weeks, and if your condition hasn't improved, we'll discuss other options then, but I don't think you have any reason to worry."
'If you only knew . . .' Melina thought.
~~~~~~~~
"STOP!" Daniella Sanchez finally hollered, stopping the two boys before they could start again.
When the boys first came to her with the idea, she was surprised. True, she had been thinking about talking to Edward about getting a pet for the girls, but she wasn't sure Lily was up to her part of the care of a dog, and the situation with Miranda was still a problem. But the boys persisted, giving several arguments in favor. What moved her more than their arguments, however, was the way Matt spoke. He wasn't using the heart felt, almost soliloquy way of speaking he used when talking about his feelings for Miranda. Rather, he and his friend were talking like a pair of overeager kids.
Which, she realized, was exactly how he should sound at his age.
She took it as a good sign, and made a note to tell Miranda, after the dog was given. But she'd let Miranda decide rather or not to tell Matt. For now, she'd let the boys think they'd won a harder battle than it had really been. "I'll agree on four conditions. First, Edward has to agree. If he says no, then no dog. Second, you wait until Monday." She nodded to Matt. "It's the start of a week here for you two, and that will make it easier for Miranda to help with it. Third, you get a female. I don't want a male dog marking its territory all over my house. Fourth, you get it from a shelter. I don't want you two paying a pet store price, in case this doesn't work. Agreed?"
Everything except the timing were things the boys had already figured out, and they quickly agreed.
~~~~~~~~
"I could get used to this." Kate purred in Ethan's ear the next morning.
It was the third morning since they'd learned she was pregnant, and Ethan had been moved into her suite.
As insistent as Susan had been about them not doing anything while they weren't sure about Kate's condition, she had been equally insistent about Ethan moving into the guest suite with Kate when they knew. Now it was called The Apartment, and was to be considered private except for emergencies.
Their first night here had begun comforting one another, discussing their decision to raise their child. However, since they'd had to be 'hands-off' for the ten days since she'd moved in, they couldn't help themselves, and were up until almost sunrise making love.
True to Susan's words, nobody bothered them when they slept in, and all that was said about it once they emerged were a couple of friendly jokes. Kate still blushed at the memory of Mr. Kraft asking Ethan if they needed to reinforce the bed.
And yet, it was almost as if those jokes helped put the young couple at ease. The next two nights, while they still made love when they went to bed, they didn't push themselves into all-night marathons. They managed to get to sleep at a more reasonable hour, and awoke rested. They also awoke as they fell asleep, in each other's arms.
Kate was the first to awaken this morning. As she lay there, watching Ethan sleep, she realized that this was what she'd been missing in her life. Knowing all he knew about her past, this man gave her his love without judgement. Of course, he was doing much the same as she was when they first hooked up. But, even though he never said anything to her, she'd made the connection between her rudeness when they returned from Rome and the beginning of his time as a playboy. 'Did you love me, even then?' she wondered to herself. With what she was thinking about asking him . . .
Her thoughts were disrupted by Ethan's stirring, then waking. He liked the feel of her in his arms. "This is nice." He said groggily.
She giggled, then gently kissed his cheek. "I could get used to this." Kate purred in Ethan's ear.
"That's good to know from my fiancee."
She lightly punched his shoulder. Then she realized that he'd just opened the door. She decided to walk through. "Listen, Ethan. I've been thinking about something. We haven't talked about 'when', but I think we should."
"When? When what?"
"When to get married."
"Katie, we have talked about it."
"Not since we first thought I was pregnant. Ethan, I know it's not the same as it used to be, but I don't want our child to be born to unwed parents."
Ethan hadn't expected that, and it showed on his face as he tried to understand the implications. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"I hope so. Ethan, if you're okay with it, I'd like to get married before the baby arrives."
Ethan was speechless for a moment, emotions washing over him. Finally, tears in his eyes, he managed to force out his two word answer. "I do."
~~~~~~~~
A/N: How will everyone else react to this? Who was doing the 'serious introspection' after hearing the decision about the baby? What else have Lanny and Melina's parents decided? Stay tuned.
by TheRealXenocide
`
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, settings, or anything else you recognize from the show Lizzie McGuire. The plot, at it's base, has been around since Homer, and this variant since Henry Ford. However, this is the first I've seen it applied to Lizzie.
`
Chapter 53
Comfort Zone
`
That night was roughest on Lanny. He'd manage to sleep for a couple of hours, lay awake for an hour or so before falling asleep again, only to awake a couple of hours later again. He awoke from the last of these cycles to discover he'd overslept, and missed Melina's morning appointment. He was only marginally relieved when his parents reminded him that this one was only to take the blood the test needed. Before he could protest, or worse, they told him that he could go with her tomorrow to the appointment for the results, if Mrs. Bianco didn't object.
She didn't. The Onasis's already knew she wouldn't, as that was one of the things that had been decided the day before. But the kids weren't to know about that, yet.
~~~~~~~~
At four that afternoon, Lizzie, Matt, Jo, Miranda, Daniella, Gordo, Ethan and Kate were all in the McGuire back yard at the request of Ethan and Kate, who had called a little after noon to ask for this meeting. They had to wait until this late due to Matt's session with Dr. Hyde.
The others thought they knew what they were going to hear, as it was why Kate's parents had thrown her out. They were still surprised, however, at the way they were told. They were expecting an uncomfortable mix of happiness and fear. But Ethan was so obviously happy about it, there were moments when they wondered if he shouldn't be tethered to something to keep him from floating away. While Kate was more reserved, it was clear that Ethan's enthusiasm was giving her confidence.
All of the other teens noticed Ethan and Kate's reactions. Until then, the only people their age that any of them had known who had gone through this were Larry and Parker. Compared to that, Ethan and Kate were surprising them.
It gave them a lot to think about. One, in particular, found himself beginning some serious introspection.
~~~~~~~~
At ten the next morning, Melina, her mother, and a haggard looking Lanny were in the office of her family doctor once again. They couldn't help but notice a model of a human head and neck, with something red and butterfly shaped near the base of the neck, had been placed on the desk.
The doctor still didn't approve of a non family member being here, but knew Melina well enough to know that it would be a bad idea to ague the point. Once everyone was seated, she began. "Well, Melina, I'll get to the point. Your tests came back, and you have a condition called hyperthyroidism. What that means is that your thyroid gland," she pointed to the colored sections of the model, "is producing too much of its hormones. This causes an imbalance that can cause a long list of relatively minor problems, including irregular periods and anxiety."
"And the morning sickness?"
"It probably contributed to that, indirectly. As I said, one thing this can cause is anxiety. Add that to the stress you felt due to your concern that you might have been pregnant, and it makes sense that you would have experienced some physical signs. The timing was unfortunate, but . . ."
"What caused this?" Lanny asked, interrupting the doctor, and cutting off Mrs. Bianco, who was about to ask that very question.
"That's why I wanted to have this appointment in the morning, just in case either this or it's opposite, hypothyroidism, were detected. There are many possible causes. In order to be sure, I have to give Melina a series of scans and other test. When I got the results late yesterday, I made arrangements to have all those tests done today, as needed." She looked squarely at the girl, who was clearly growing impatient with all this. "But, I do have a guess for the cause of this case. First, I need to check something." She stood up and walked to Melina. "I just need to feel for swelling around your neck, near the thyroid." She pointed to the model. When Melina craned her neck, he checked. A small smile crossed her face. When she returned to her chair, she asked. "Do you remember that case of the flu you had a couple weeks before school ended?"
"How can I forget? As if being sick wasn't bad enough, I recovered just in time to suffer through finals' week."
"One possible, but uncommon, side effect of a viral infection like the flu is called subacute thyroiditis. Basically, it's a swelling of the thyroid gland. This can cause the thyroid to leak excess hormones. And your thyroid does feel slightly swollen."
"If that's what caused it, then why the tests?" Mrs. Bianco asked, cutting off both youngsters.
"To be safe. The good news is that if it is subacute thyroiditis, there may be no treatment needed. The swelling normally fades on it's own, and when it does, the hormone levels return to normal. However, there are some far more serious things that can cause both hyperthyroidism and thyroid swelling, and I'd like to be sure we're NOT dealing with any of them. So, if you're ready, Melina, I'd like to get you a complete answer as soon as possible."
Before Melina could answer, she felt a hand on hers. She turned to Lanny. "To be safe."
Her dislike of being 'poked and prodded' faded, and she agreed.
~~~~~~~~
Reggie came over to visit with Matt after lunch, hoping they could find something to do on this soggy day. They started playing video games, but Reggie noticed that Matt wasn't playing very close attention to the game, and was making stupid mistakes because of it. "Hey, man, you okay?"
"Hmm, what? Oh, sorry bout that." Matt was letting himself get distracted by memory of what happened the last time it rained this heavy. But Miranda was at her house, spending time with Lily. He needed to get his mind off of that thought. For now. "I never did ask you, did you enjoy the time you spent with Lily at the mall?"
"If you're going to make another 'hanging all over me' remark . . ."
Matt smiled at the reminder. "Well, you have to admit, if it had been anyone else, you'd have found it funny."
Now Reggie smiled slightly. "I guess I would."
"Seriously, though, with Miranda and me being together so much, it's good that you two get along okay. You don't mind, do you?"
"What? Nah, she a good kid. I don't think it's possible to be in a bad mood around her. Besides, if that girl in the pet store was any indication, having her around might get me a few dates."
Matt shook his head. He knew Reggie well enough to know the real reason he'd said that. Not that he needed to with Matt, but Matt wasn't going to call him on it. "Don't let her mom hear you say that." Something else hit Matt. "Pet store?"
"Yeah. Lily wanted to look at the puppies and kittens. And, of course, she started begging her mom for one of the puppies."
"And her mom said no?"
"Yeah. I think she wanted to, but with Miranda and all . . ."
"Miranda wants a dog." He told Reggie about the dog they met during Miranda's first drive. "She'd asked for one before, when we found those pups under the back deck. But at that time, Lily was still too little."
A look was coming to Matt that Reggie was all too familiar with. "Hold on, man, what are you thinking about doing?"
"Your friend and my girlfriend, who happen to be sisters, both want a dog. AND they do need to spend more time together . . ."
"Hold it. I see where you're going, and I'm with you. BUT we ask Daniella first."
"Daniella? I thought you always used ma'am?"
"She said she didn't like ma'am."
~~~~~~~~
Late in the afternoon, Lanny was sitting again in the doctor's office next to Melina and her mother. Lanny felt weary, not only from lack of sleep, but from the day. Even though she knew how important this was, and she was trying to get though these tests for him as well as herself, one thing would never completely change.
Melina was NOT a good patient.
He fell into his old habit of trying to keep her from smart-mouthing herself into more trouble. In this case, that meant acting as a buffer between the doctors and her irritable remarks. A job about as easy as it was pleasant.
But now, the doctor had told them that, unless there was a major surprise in the results, Melina had undergone her last test of the day. So, while the doctor conferred with a specialist over the results, they waited. He chanced a glance at Melina, and was surprised to see she was looking at him with an expression he wasn't familiar with.
"I'm sorry."
He blinked in surprise. He'd heard her say that word a couple of times in the last few weeks, but it was still something he wasn't used to. "What?"
"I'm sorry I've been such a . . ."
"I know you don't like doctors." He cut her off before the insult.
"Understated as always." Mrs. Bianco chimed in. "Lanny, if ever the phase 'opposites attract' were true, it would be for you two. While she's complaining to anybody in earshot, your showing the patients of Job in taking it. And at her worst, you tried to make sure you were the only one who took it." She couldn't tell whose embarrassment was more amusing. "Lanny, have you ever considered a career in psychiatry." She added, only half joking.
Before the boy could get over his surprise, the door opened, and the Biancos' doctor came in. All eyes were on her as she sat behind her desk. "The tests confirm what I suspected. It's nothing more than subacute thyroiditis."
"How do we fight it?" Melina asked.
"As I suggested this morning, it doesn't normally need fighting, because the swelling is temporary. I'll want a follow-up in a couple of weeks, and if your condition hasn't improved, we'll discuss other options then, but I don't think you have any reason to worry."
'If you only knew . . .' Melina thought.
~~~~~~~~
"STOP!" Daniella Sanchez finally hollered, stopping the two boys before they could start again.
When the boys first came to her with the idea, she was surprised. True, she had been thinking about talking to Edward about getting a pet for the girls, but she wasn't sure Lily was up to her part of the care of a dog, and the situation with Miranda was still a problem. But the boys persisted, giving several arguments in favor. What moved her more than their arguments, however, was the way Matt spoke. He wasn't using the heart felt, almost soliloquy way of speaking he used when talking about his feelings for Miranda. Rather, he and his friend were talking like a pair of overeager kids.
Which, she realized, was exactly how he should sound at his age.
She took it as a good sign, and made a note to tell Miranda, after the dog was given. But she'd let Miranda decide rather or not to tell Matt. For now, she'd let the boys think they'd won a harder battle than it had really been. "I'll agree on four conditions. First, Edward has to agree. If he says no, then no dog. Second, you wait until Monday." She nodded to Matt. "It's the start of a week here for you two, and that will make it easier for Miranda to help with it. Third, you get a female. I don't want a male dog marking its territory all over my house. Fourth, you get it from a shelter. I don't want you two paying a pet store price, in case this doesn't work. Agreed?"
Everything except the timing were things the boys had already figured out, and they quickly agreed.
~~~~~~~~
"I could get used to this." Kate purred in Ethan's ear the next morning.
It was the third morning since they'd learned she was pregnant, and Ethan had been moved into her suite.
As insistent as Susan had been about them not doing anything while they weren't sure about Kate's condition, she had been equally insistent about Ethan moving into the guest suite with Kate when they knew. Now it was called The Apartment, and was to be considered private except for emergencies.
Their first night here had begun comforting one another, discussing their decision to raise their child. However, since they'd had to be 'hands-off' for the ten days since she'd moved in, they couldn't help themselves, and were up until almost sunrise making love.
True to Susan's words, nobody bothered them when they slept in, and all that was said about it once they emerged were a couple of friendly jokes. Kate still blushed at the memory of Mr. Kraft asking Ethan if they needed to reinforce the bed.
And yet, it was almost as if those jokes helped put the young couple at ease. The next two nights, while they still made love when they went to bed, they didn't push themselves into all-night marathons. They managed to get to sleep at a more reasonable hour, and awoke rested. They also awoke as they fell asleep, in each other's arms.
Kate was the first to awaken this morning. As she lay there, watching Ethan sleep, she realized that this was what she'd been missing in her life. Knowing all he knew about her past, this man gave her his love without judgement. Of course, he was doing much the same as she was when they first hooked up. But, even though he never said anything to her, she'd made the connection between her rudeness when they returned from Rome and the beginning of his time as a playboy. 'Did you love me, even then?' she wondered to herself. With what she was thinking about asking him . . .
Her thoughts were disrupted by Ethan's stirring, then waking. He liked the feel of her in his arms. "This is nice." He said groggily.
She giggled, then gently kissed his cheek. "I could get used to this." Kate purred in Ethan's ear.
"That's good to know from my fiancee."
She lightly punched his shoulder. Then she realized that he'd just opened the door. She decided to walk through. "Listen, Ethan. I've been thinking about something. We haven't talked about 'when', but I think we should."
"When? When what?"
"When to get married."
"Katie, we have talked about it."
"Not since we first thought I was pregnant. Ethan, I know it's not the same as it used to be, but I don't want our child to be born to unwed parents."
Ethan hadn't expected that, and it showed on his face as he tried to understand the implications. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"I hope so. Ethan, if you're okay with it, I'd like to get married before the baby arrives."
Ethan was speechless for a moment, emotions washing over him. Finally, tears in his eyes, he managed to force out his two word answer. "I do."
~~~~~~~~
A/N: How will everyone else react to this? Who was doing the 'serious introspection' after hearing the decision about the baby? What else have Lanny and Melina's parents decided? Stay tuned.