Thanks everyone who reviewed! And this is what I get up to when I should be studying the difference between mitosis and meiosis…(LOL, just realised that's sort of linked in with this.)
"Hello?" Sandy called out, walking into the house.
The silence that answered him caused Sandy to decide that the boys were out, and Kirsten was either in the garden or bedroom judging by her car being parked outside.
Sandy set his case down and made his way to the bedroom, to see if Kirsten was there. The room was silent, but the sight of a packet of lollies and Kirsten's jacket and shoes lying across the room meant that she must be there.
"Kirsten?" Sandy called out, heading towards the en suite. A small squeak issued from within and Sandy shrugged; the tap did squeak sometimes.
Sandy was about to turn around and head out of the room, when the sight of the bathroom door opening caught his eye. Kirsten came out looking shocked, with tears falling down her face.
"What is it?" Sandy asked, rushing over and taking Kirsten in his arms.
To Sandy's surprise, Kirsten's face broke into a grin as she pulled away.
"We're having a baby!" Kirsten announced.
"What?" Sandy asked, convinced he had been hearing things.
"We're having a baby!" Kirsten repeated, the grin on her face growing bigger-if that was possible.
"You mean…you're pregnant?" Sandy asked, his face full of shock.
Kirsten nodded her head as Sandy's face broke into a grin emulating Kirsten's. Taking Kirsten in his arms, Sandy kissed her then spun her around as Kirsten giggled.
"I can't believe it!" Sandy exclaimed. "When could that've happened?"
"That night we stayed at the hotel," Kirsten reminded him. "Remember? We thought we'd be safe that one time. And then today I was looking through my organiser and realised I was two weeks late-can you believe it, Sandy? We're gonna be parents again!"
"Oh my God," Sandy said, lost for words. This was all so quick; so sudden. "This is amazing! And you're pretty sure you are? I mean, you took a test?"
"Four," Kirsten nodded. "And they all came back positive."
"You took four tests?" Sandy asked, amused.
"I wanted to make sure it was right," Kirsten replied, with a sheepish grin.
"Mom, are you alright?" Seth asked as Kirsten stumbled into the kitchen, pale and dark-eyed.
It was three days since Kirsten had found out she was pregnant; the day after she'd booked an appointment at the doctors and had a test. The results had come back positive and Sandy and Kirsten were waiting for the right moment to tell the boys. In the morning was not high on their list, especially Kirsten's.
Kirsten nodded and Ryan and Seth watched on in amusement and Kirsten got some orange juice and lollies for breakfast.
"No coffee?" Seth asked, shocked, waving his cup around.
"Oh, Seth, don't," Kirsten moaned, as the smell hit her. "Keep it away from me, please."
A look of shock filled Seth's face.
"Ryan? Ryan, did you hear that?" Seth said in astonishment. "Mom just rejected coffee! Mom-coffee! Something is not right-are you sick?"
"I'm okay," Kirsten protested. "I'm just feeling a bit off this morning."
"You've been feeling off a lot lately," Ryan observed, remembering Kirsten's bleary eyed hellos for the past few mornings.
"You're right-she has," Seth realised. "Are you dying?"
"What?" Kirsten asked. "Of course not."
"Do you have cancer?" asked Seth.
"As far as I know, I don't."
"A virus."
"No."
"Cold?"
"No."
"Stomach bug."
"Seth."
"Hey, is that all you're having?" Sandy asked, walking into the kitchen and looking at Kirsten's feeble breakfast.
"Oh, don't you start, too," Kirsten complained.
"You need more than that, honey," Sandy told her. "I'll make you some toast."
"You know what this is like?" Seth begun, jokingly. "If I didn't know better, I'd accuse you of being pregnant, Mom."
Sandy halted in putting the bread in the toaster, Kirsten shot Sandy a helpless look, Ryan stopped eating and the smile on Seth's face turned to a look of astonishment.
"Oh my God," Seth declared.
"You're pregnant?" Ryan asked, his face now mirroring Seth's.
"This…isn't the way we planned to tell you," Kirsten begun.
"Nothing is with these two," Sandy interjected.
"I only found outa few days ago," Kirsten explained. "With one of those home pregnancy tests-"
"Four," Sandy cut in, followed by a glare from Kirsten.
"Anyway," Kirsten continued, "we were waiting for the right time to tell you. And please, don't tell anyone else yet."
"And you think you are?" Seth asked.
"With four positive test results, nausea, tiredness, cravings and a doctor's confirmation, I don't see there being any other option," Sandy pointed out.
"Congratulations!" Ryan said with a smile.
"Yeah, that's great!" Seth exclaimed, his face now lighting up. "Isn't it?"
"Of course," Kirsten smiled. "Or it will be once this morning sickness goes away."
"So, when's the baby due?" Seth asked, returning to his normal chatty self. "When's the ultrasound? Boy or girl-do you have a preference? Will you want to find out before the baby's born? What will you call it?-"
"Seth, don't call the baby 'it'," Kirsten winced. It made it seem like the baby wasn't real; wasn't a person.
"Okay," Seth agreed, rolling his eyes. "What will you call the baby? What room will you use? The spare room? If so: where will the guests sleep? What hospital will you choose?"
"That's fantastic," Ryan cut Seth off, noticing the bewildered looks on Sandy and Kirsten's faces. "I'm really happy for you guys."
"Is anyone going to answer me?" Seth whined.
"Thanks, Ryan," Kirsten said. "Oh, Seth, we don't know anything yet."
"But you only have less than nine months to prepare!" Seth reminded them. "How far along are you, anyway?"
"We think I'm about six weeks," Kirsten answered.
"But you've only been home for what-two, three?" Seth calculated.
"You count from your last…never mind," Ryan finished off, upon catching the recognition in Seth's eyes.
"Well, somebody knows his stuff!" Sandy teased, sitting down at the table and handing Kirsten the toast he made her.
"Dude, I'm don't even wanna know how you know that," Seth said, before turning on his parents with a disgusted look. "And it looks like Ryan's not the only one who knows his stuff. Happy as I am that you're pregnant, you do realise that you have seriously scarred me for life, don't you?"
"How so?" Kirsten asked confused, to which Seth shot her an exasperated look.
"Every time I think of or look at my sibling, it's going to be proof that you guys…you know," Seth said. "And that really is an image I could go without."
"What about when you think of and look at yourself?" Sandy asked wickedly. "Ever wonder how you came about?"
"Argh, please!" Seth complained, placing his plate and glass in the sink and covering his ears with his hands. "I'm happy for you guys-really I am, but please, enough sharing! Ryan, come on. Let's go to school before they traumatise us further."
"See ya," Ryan said. "And congratulations-I think it's great."
Ryan and Seth shot out of the house. Kirsten and Sandy looked at each other; Kirsten unable to suppress her giggles any longer.
"Poor Seth," she declared, in a far from convincing manner.
"I think he took it well, for him," Sandy proclaimed, smiling. "Considering the way the boys found out."
Kirsten smiled before quickly paling.
"Uh oh," Kirsten muttered, standing up and running out of the room.
The next few weeks were a blur of morning sickness, nausea, lollies and happiness for Kirsten. Although the nausea had by no means gotten any better, the happiness and excitement grew further as time progressed.
Kirsten was woken up too early for her liking one Saturday morning as Seth barrelled into her room, holding a tray of plain toast and orange juice.
"So," Seth begun. "I was looking on the net after my date with Summer coz I noticed your morning sickness was kinda bad. And it turns out that it may be related to low blood sugar levels. So you see, Mom, the trick is to eat often. You know; a snack here, a bit there-a meal every now and then."
"Well, I didn't know that," Kirsten admitted, smiling-Seth had become incredibly over-protective of her and the baby since finding out she was pregnant. "Thanks, Seth."
"No problem," Seth said. "Just try to follow my advice, will you? I know you eat like a sparrow, but please-for the sake of this foetus that is the result of something I'd rather forget-eat right."
"It's alright," Kirsten assured him. "I'm taking care of both of us."
"There are all those packets of Starbursts I'm finding around the house," Seth said critically.
"The…baby has a sweet tooth," Kirsten protested.
"Hmm," Seth said sceptically. "Oh yeah-Summer says congrats and to call her if you ever need a baby sitter."
Kirsten and Sandy had finally given the boys permission to tell their girlfriends providing no one else knew until the first trimester was over.
"She might regret offering that," Kirsten warned, as Sandy walked in. "Hey Sandy-it looks like we've got three baby sitters now. Summer offered up her services."
"Four," Seth corrected her. "Marissa did as well."
"Even better," Sandy said, kissing Kirsten's head.
"That was very sweet of them," Kirsten told Seth.
Seth smiled and looked like he was about to say something when the smell of coffee wafted through the open bedroom door.
"Oh no," Seth said, before running out of the room as Kirsten stood up and ran for the bathroom. "Ryan-keep that coffee far, far away! It's a trigger for morning sickness!"
Sandy gazed around the baby store; his mouth dropping open at the sight of every price tag on every baby item imaginable. How Kirsten had talked him into baby shopping already, he'd never know.
"Oh Sandy, isn't this cute?" Kirsten cooed, holding up a tiny white outfit with small, golden-colored ducks trailing across the front. She was going to try to resist baby shopping for awhile, but the temptation was just too strong.
"Is that real gold those ducks are made from?" Sandy asked, examining the price tag on the outfit which-he had to admit-was pretty cute.
"I thought you'd've learnt by now that nothing's sold here at a moderate price," Kirsten frowned, looking put out.
"It is…pretty cute," Sandy admitted reluctantly, as Kirsten's face broke into a grin.
"It would suit the baby-boy or girl," Kirsten gushed. "Couldn't you just imagine them in this outfit? It's so adorable! Oh, Sandy-we have to get it! It was just make everything seem so…real!"
Sandy watched helplessly as Kirsten charged up to the counter. Sandy couldn't help but smile: she'd become so alive since she found out she was pregnant-Sandy had, too. He couldn't remember seeing Kirsten like this since before they'd found out her mom was sick. Ever since then, Kirsten had become more uptight. Less the vivacious, bubbly twenty-two-year-old he'd married, with a beguiling shyness and reservedness.
Kirsten walked back to Sandy, looking pleased and happy with her new purchase.
"Ready to go?" Sandy asked.
"Oh come on-you could show a bit more enthusiasm," Kirsten complained, walking out of the shop.
"I am enthusiastic," Sandy insisted.
"I got this, too," Kirsten said, pulling out a book entitled The Pregnancy Companion out of the bag, which gave a week by week account of what stage the baby and mother were at.
"But honey, you still have that one you had with Seth," Sandy reminded her.
"Yeah, I know, but things have changed since then," Kirsten declared, followed by a prickling feeling on the back of her neck. It felt like she was being watched, Kirsten realised, stopping in her tracks and looking around.
"What is it?" Sandy asked.
Kirsten looked around, seeing nothing unfamiliar. She must have become paranoid after than incident with Richard. But that had been, what-a couple of months ago, now?
"Kirsten?" Sandy asked.
"Nothing," Kirsten insisted. "It was nothing."
Okay, so it's all started up now. Not much has happened, I know, but the next few chapters will add on to it more and more. So let me know what you think-if you love it, hate it, have any suggestions, whatever. (Also if you know the difference between mitosis and meiosis that would be great. I have my science book in front of me but that requires searching and effort…)
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed!