We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Thirty-One

A/N: Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! They are very appreciated! Enjoy!

The Next Day

As soon as Lucy heard the phone start to ring, she started saying various cuss words in her mind. She was right in the middle of making dinner and didn't really have much time to talk unless if Carter, Shelby and Dave didn't mind eating a burnt meal. Turning everything on the stove down to low, she rushed over to the cordless phone. "Hello?"

"Luce, it's me." Carter greeted. He was still at the hospital even though his shift ended about a half hour ago.

"Hey, where are you? You were supposed to be home by now." Lucy asked, trying not to sound like she was nagging. She took the phone with her back into the kitchen and continued cooking. "Shelby and Dave should be here any minute now and dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes."

"I know, and I'm sorry to do this, but I'm gonna be stuck here for at least another half-hour. You should just start eating without me." Carter explained.

Lucy sighed. "You aren't going to leave me here alone to tell our friends, are you?" She hoped not because she wasn't sure she would be able to withstand Shelby's endless questions by herself.

"No, of course not. I'll just be a little late. I promise."

"Ok." She replied. "Just get here whenever you can. I'll keep a plate warm for you in the oven."

"You're the best Luce. I'll be there as soon as I can. Bye." Carter exclaimed before hanging up.

Lucy put the phone down and continued stirring the spaghetti sauce that was cooking on the stove in front of her. She wasn't mad that Carter was delayed at work; those kinds of things happened sometimes. What worried her was that she was going to be left here alone with both Shelby and Dave. When she had called Shelby this morning to invite them to dinner Shelby was more than curious about why, all of a sudden, Lucy was inviting her and Dave over to dinner. Of course Lucy had tried to convince her friend that there was no ulterior motive behind the invitation, but Shelby wasn't convinced. Finally Lucy had to placate her friend by explaining that she and Carter had something they wanted to tell them. She then quickly excused herself from the phone call to avoid the numerous questions she was sure Shelby had about what the announcement was. She still wasn't sure what their reactions will be when they were told that Carter is the father of Lucy's baby. Somehow she doubted that they would accept it as easily as her mother had. There would be doubts…and questions. If there was one thing Shelby loved, it was interrogating people. It had been a hobby of hers ever since Lucy met her. She smiled as she remembered their first meeting.

Lucy watched from the living room window as the moving truck slowly backed into the driveway of the house next to hers. She waited patiently for the truck to come to a complete stop and for the people inside to get out. The house next door had been vacant for months, and Lucy was happy to see someone moving in. She was even happier when she saw a girl her age climb out of the truck. She had long, brown eyes and eyes as blue as the ocean. Lucy ran into the kitchen, discovering that her mother was making cookies. "New people moved in next door! They have a girl my age. Can I go say hi?" Lucy asked, her voice full of excitement.

"Sure." Barbara smiled. "Just don't go anywhere else except next door, and be back in five minutes. These cookies are almost ready and I know you love eating them when they're still hot."

"Ok." Lucy ran out the back door and over to her new neighbors' house. She found the girl sitting on the step as her parents started taking boxes out of the truck.

"Who are you?" The girl asked as she saw a stranger approach her.

"Hi. I'm Lucy Knight." She smiled.

The girl looked up at the stranger and gave a slight smile. "I'm Shelby Thomas. You live around here?"

"Yes. I live next door." Lucy replied. She was about to ask another question, but Shelby was already speaking again.

"Do you like it here?" Shelby asked.

"Yes. It's great here." Lucy exclaimed.

"I don't like it here. I wish I was still in St. Louis. Have you ever been there?"

"No. I haven't." Lucy replied.

"It's nice. Do you want to sit down?" Shelby asked.

"Sure. Thanks." Lucy replied, sitting next to Shelby.

"So are your parents divorced?" Shelby asked.

"Divorced?" Lucy repeated. "No. I don't know my father."

"Oh." Shelby replied, looking at the ground. "Sorry."

"It's ok." Lucy replied.

"My parents are divorced. That guy over there is my stepfather. He's why we moved here. So you live with your mom?"

"Yes. It's just me and her."

"Do you like that?" Shelby asked, looking over at the girl.

"Yes." Lucy nodded. "I better get back to my house. My mom is making cookies. Do you want to come over and have some with me?"

Shelby thought about it for a moment before her face broke out into a grin. "Sure. Just let me ask my mom."

The sound of someone knocking brought Lucy out of her trip down memory line and she quickly looked at the stove to find that her spaghetti sauce was about ready to burn. She turned the heat down low and then hurried to the door. "Hey!" She smiled upon seeing Shelby and Dave in the doorway. "Come on in."

"So what's this announcement that you mentioned?" Shelby asked, holding Dave's hand as they entered the apartment.

"You'll just have to wait until Carter gets home to hear it." Lucy smiled.

"Come on! You're keeping me in suspense? That's not fair!" Shelby exclaimed, looking at Dave for some back-up on this issue.

Dave just smiled back at his fiancée. "Sorry, but I'm willing to wait until Carter gets here."

Shelby released the grip she had on his hand and lightly smacked him in the stomach. "Some help you are."

Dave and Lucy just laughed at Shelby's reaction, making Shelby roll her eyes. "So when will Carter get here?" Dave asked.

"He said he'd be here in about a half hour." Lucy replied. "Dinner's almost ready though, so I think we'll go ahead and start eating. Shelby do you want to help me get the drinks ready?"

"Sure." Shelby replied, thinking that this would be a good opportunity to pump Lucy for information on this supposed announcement. She gave Dave a quick kiss and then scurried into the kitchen behind Lucy. "Ok. So now that we're alone, why don't you tell me why you asked Dave and I to dinner tonight?"

Lucy sighed, realizing that Shelby wasn't going to give up. "I'm not telling you, so please quit asking."

Shelby didn't want to quit asking. She wanted to know what was going on. All day she had been thinking about what this announcement could be. Could it be that Carter and Lucy finally admitted their real feelings for each other? Does it have something to do with Lucy's pregnancy? She was dying to know what was going on and she hated being the last one to know. But she could tell by the tone of Lucy's voice that she wasn't going to get any new information out of her friend and decided to drop that subject. "So what do you want to drink?"

"Iced tea." Lucy replied. "But feel free to help yourself to a beer."

Shelby got the iced tea for Lucy and pulled out two beers for her and Dave. "Need any more help?"

"No thanks." Lucy shook her head. "I've got everything under control. Just go sit at the table and I'll bring everything out in a few minutes."

"Ok." Shelby nodded, leaving the kitchen with the drinks.

About twenty minutes later, they were all eating the meal. It was a simple meal consisting of spaghetti, garlic bread, and a salad. They had stayed away from complex topics of conversation and opted to stick with small talk. Lucy wasn't sure how much longer she could keep Shelby from hounding her about the announcement. She noticed that her friend was eying her suspiciously, as if trying to decipher what the announcement was from her external appearance. Lucy let out a sigh of relief when she saw Carter come through the door.

"Hi. Sorry I'm late. The ER was crazy today." Carter apologized, walking over to the table and standing behind Lucy's chair. He briefly thought about placing his hands on her shoulders, but rejected that idea because he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

"That's ok. Lucy's kept us entertained." Dave smiled.

"Yes, but she won't say one word about why we're here." Shelby interjected.

Lucy was very aware that Carter was standing right behind her chair and it definitely had an effect on her. She immediately felt more at peace just knowing that he was near. Standing from the table, she faced Carter. "I saved you some food. It's in the kitchen. I'll go get it." She wasn't surprised when he followed her into the kitchen.

"So, how bad has Shelby been tonight?" Carter asked with a grin.

Lucy shook her head. "She's been ok. I think she's really trying to be patient, but it's not a personality trait that she possesses."

He chuckled, then there was a silence as he watched her get his food from the oven. "How are you?"

"I'm…fine." Lucy nodded. She was practically fine so it wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth. If she had been truthful, she would have told him that she wasn't fine and she was conflicted by the fact that she loved him yet couldn't act on those feelings.

"When do you want to tell them?" He asked taking the plate that she handed him.

"Sooner would be better." Lucy smiled.

"Ok. Do you want to or should I?" It didn't matter to him whether he told them or if Lucy did it. But if Lucy didn't want to do it, he would step in.

Lucy made a face and sighed. "I guess I probably should."

He gave her a reassuring smile and kissed the top of her head. "Ready to go back out there?"

She was a little distracted by the kiss that he placed on the top of her head, but managed to nod her head and follow him back out to the table.

Carter sat down and started to eat, aware of the fact that Shelby was staring at him. She was undoubtedly waiting for the announcement.

Lucy looked at Shelby and Dave, giving them a small smile. Biting her lip, she counted to three before deciding to tell them the news. "So, I guess you're probably wondering why we asked you here."

"Uh yeah!" Shelby smiled.

"Well," Lucy looked over at Carter and then back at her friends, "as you know, I am pregnant." She figured that Dave most likely already knew that since Shelby wouldn't have been able to keep something like that a secret from him. "So Carter and I decided to invite you over here to let you know about something important. Carter and I had a one night stand awhile ago and Carter is the father of my child." Lucy looked at her friends, who were speechless, and then over at Carter.