Topanga stared at the clock next to her bed. It was nearly 3AM, and she was still awake, tears stinging her eyes.
"Stress," the doctor had said, "And your nasty fall to the floor didn't help, either."
Cory had been devasted, and, surprisingly, so had Shawn. Shawn, who Cory had called the minute he heard about Topanga's emergency trip to the hospital. Shawn, who drove as fast as he could down the highway, nearly getting into accident after accident as he rushed to greet his friends. Shawn, who, Topanga was beginning to realized, really DID care about her and what happened to this baby.
"Two months of bed rest," the doctor said, "And, if things go smoothly and you listen to my orders, the baby should be fine. You just need to relax and rest until the baby comes."
Topanga could have sworn the relief in Shawn's eyes showed more than in Cory's.
"Cory..." Topanga looked over to her husband, sleeping upright in a chair by the hospital window, "How do I tell you? How do I tell you that I love Shawn?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The sunlight streaming through the window burned her eyes, and Topanga awoke from her restless sleep. Cory had apparently removed himself from the room, and in his place sat Shawn, head in hands, crying softly.
"Shawn?" Topanga asked, her voice hoarse, "Shawn, what's going on? What's wrong?"
"I shouldn't have tried to leave," he replied after a few moments. "I should have told you long ago how I felt, Topanga. I don't love Rachel, and she knows it as much as I do."
"I know why you didn't tell me," Topanga tried to comfort him. "You told me on the phone. You thought that Cory could provide for me and the baby, and it was just the best way to handle things. But Shawn... It's not. I love Cory; that much is true. But I really think... I think I'm IN love with you."
Shawn looked up at her for the first time since they started speaking. He couldn't recall her ever looking more beautiful than at that very moment, with the sunlight dancing across her face, her eyes open wide in anticipation of his reaction. "What are you saying?"
"Did you and Rachel get married?"
"No... Cory called before we were about to leave with the news of... you and the baby, and how you almost lost it. Topanga, I had never been so worried in my life. Whether or not the baby is mine, I still feel connected... responsible... It's either mine or my best friend's, and I'd feel horrible if he or she were to die because of something I might have caused."
"It's not your fault," Topanga said, starting to cry herself, "It's my own stupid fault for falling. And I was mad at you, Shawn. So angry. But the truth is I love you, and I want to be with you, and I want us to raise our child together."
"I want that more than anything." Shawn rushed to her bedside, taking her hand in his. "You have no idea how much I've wanted you to say those words... Even before you became pregnant, I've wanted to tell you just how strong my feelings were for you, but I thought the truth would ruin everything. I didn't want to lose two of my best friends, and I knew I would. But you KNOW we can't be together."
"We can't just pretend we don't feel this way," Topanga said, growing frustrated. "What do you suggest? We ignore our feelings, and I continue feeding Cory lines about how this baby is definitely his? How he's the only one I love? How he's the only one I've ever made love to?"
"That night wasn't an accident. You know that, and I know that, now. It was meant to happen. As for our future... You of all people know what something like this might do to Cory. How long have we known him, Topanga? Practically our entire lives, right? Do you really want to lose him forever?"
"No. I don't. I love him so much. I'm just afraid that my love for him is one of friendship these days."
"And you don't think that will change?"
Topanga thought for a moment. "How long have you been in love with me?"
"Since we were kids. I had the biggest crush on you for years, and then I fell in love with you."
"And have YOUR feelings changed?"
Shawn paused, staring at the ground. He swept his hand through his shaggy hair, and looked back at Topanga. "You have a point."
"So what do we do?" Topanga asked again. "Do we give in to our feelings? Or do we pretend?"
"Stress," the doctor had said, "And your nasty fall to the floor didn't help, either."
Cory had been devasted, and, surprisingly, so had Shawn. Shawn, who Cory had called the minute he heard about Topanga's emergency trip to the hospital. Shawn, who drove as fast as he could down the highway, nearly getting into accident after accident as he rushed to greet his friends. Shawn, who, Topanga was beginning to realized, really DID care about her and what happened to this baby.
"Two months of bed rest," the doctor said, "And, if things go smoothly and you listen to my orders, the baby should be fine. You just need to relax and rest until the baby comes."
Topanga could have sworn the relief in Shawn's eyes showed more than in Cory's.
"Cory..." Topanga looked over to her husband, sleeping upright in a chair by the hospital window, "How do I tell you? How do I tell you that I love Shawn?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The sunlight streaming through the window burned her eyes, and Topanga awoke from her restless sleep. Cory had apparently removed himself from the room, and in his place sat Shawn, head in hands, crying softly.
"Shawn?" Topanga asked, her voice hoarse, "Shawn, what's going on? What's wrong?"
"I shouldn't have tried to leave," he replied after a few moments. "I should have told you long ago how I felt, Topanga. I don't love Rachel, and she knows it as much as I do."
"I know why you didn't tell me," Topanga tried to comfort him. "You told me on the phone. You thought that Cory could provide for me and the baby, and it was just the best way to handle things. But Shawn... It's not. I love Cory; that much is true. But I really think... I think I'm IN love with you."
Shawn looked up at her for the first time since they started speaking. He couldn't recall her ever looking more beautiful than at that very moment, with the sunlight dancing across her face, her eyes open wide in anticipation of his reaction. "What are you saying?"
"Did you and Rachel get married?"
"No... Cory called before we were about to leave with the news of... you and the baby, and how you almost lost it. Topanga, I had never been so worried in my life. Whether or not the baby is mine, I still feel connected... responsible... It's either mine or my best friend's, and I'd feel horrible if he or she were to die because of something I might have caused."
"It's not your fault," Topanga said, starting to cry herself, "It's my own stupid fault for falling. And I was mad at you, Shawn. So angry. But the truth is I love you, and I want to be with you, and I want us to raise our child together."
"I want that more than anything." Shawn rushed to her bedside, taking her hand in his. "You have no idea how much I've wanted you to say those words... Even before you became pregnant, I've wanted to tell you just how strong my feelings were for you, but I thought the truth would ruin everything. I didn't want to lose two of my best friends, and I knew I would. But you KNOW we can't be together."
"We can't just pretend we don't feel this way," Topanga said, growing frustrated. "What do you suggest? We ignore our feelings, and I continue feeding Cory lines about how this baby is definitely his? How he's the only one I love? How he's the only one I've ever made love to?"
"That night wasn't an accident. You know that, and I know that, now. It was meant to happen. As for our future... You of all people know what something like this might do to Cory. How long have we known him, Topanga? Practically our entire lives, right? Do you really want to lose him forever?"
"No. I don't. I love him so much. I'm just afraid that my love for him is one of friendship these days."
"And you don't think that will change?"
Topanga thought for a moment. "How long have you been in love with me?"
"Since we were kids. I had the biggest crush on you for years, and then I fell in love with you."
"And have YOUR feelings changed?"
Shawn paused, staring at the ground. He swept his hand through his shaggy hair, and looked back at Topanga. "You have a point."
"So what do we do?" Topanga asked again. "Do we give in to our feelings? Or do we pretend?"