Chapter 14: More Plans
Eleanor stares at her son, mouth open. "What?" she finally manages to say.
"Abby and I are gonna have a baby."
Eleanor holds her head in her hand. "I think I'm getting a migraine. Where's your father?" She takes a few deep breaths. "Emily, can you please call Mr. Carter. Tell him to get here now, and that's its important."
"Yes, Mrs. Carter," she says, walking out of the kitchen to go call him.
Eleanor Carter regains her composure, and then walks out of the kitchen. "This is just great John, just great," she tells her son. "Just wait to see what your father has to say about this!"
Once she is gone Carter goes and sits down at the table. He buries his head in his arms. "That went great," Abby says sarcastically.
"You do realize we are completely screwed, right?" Carter tells her. "They are gonna cut me off, I just know it. She's probably planning it all out now. I'm done, gone," he tells them, freaking out.
"John…" Abby tries to calm him, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry. It's just… I'm scared Abby. I don't know what's gonna happen." That was the first time he was ever really scared, and the first time he ever admitted to being scared. He didn't like to show he was weak.
"I know. I'm scared too," Abby tells him. Carter goes over and embraces her, and they hold onto each other, both feeling much safer in each other's arms.
---
Jack Carter sat down on the sofa next to his wife. Carter and Abby sat across from them holding hands and looking worried. Jack Carter had just found out the news that Abby was pregnant with Carter's baby, and he had said nothing so far.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, he speaks. "You two are to finish high school," he begins calmly. "Get married, and go to college. Get a decent job, etcetera. You two are welcome to live here for the time being- in the pool house that is. Abby, after the baby is born, we will get a nanny, and you will continue with school. Does that sound okay?"
"That's it?" Carter asks, expecting to a far worse reaction from his father.
"Yes, I believe so," Jack replies, getting up.
---
It was a few hours after the conversation with Jack Carter. The maids had already made up the pool house, and that's where John and Abby were headed. Carter takes out the key to the pool house and opens it up, flicking on the light. They step in. In front of them is the kitchen, off to the right is the living room, and on the far right was a hallway leading towards the two bedrooms.
Both exhausted from the trip from Chicago, they go into their room and lay down on the bed. "You think they are really gonna make us get married?" Abby asks.
"Yeah," Carter responds, looking up at the ceiling from where he is on the bed. Abby is the same, just on the left of him.
"I don't know if I want to. I mean I want to, just not yet," Abby tells him.
"Yeah, I know what you mean."
Abby gets up and pulls down the sheets on the bed and climbs in. Carter does the same on his side, and they climb in together. Abby snuggles up real close to Carter, and Carter holds onto her. He plays with her hair, and softly whispers, "I love you," into her ear, but she has already drifted off to sleep.