Chapter 7

Cassie made sure her eyes weren't noticeably puffy before she made her way down the stairs. She'd cried herself to sleep many times through this long, boring summer, but this time had been worse than ever. Her boyfriend, her lifeline, had come back from his summer vacation to tell her he didn't want to go out with her anymore.

Scumbag.

She kept telling herself she should be angry rather than miserable, but it was no use. She needed him, she realized as she fingered the necklace he'd given her for her seventeenth birthday. Who else could she go to when this whole thing with her parents became too much for her? Who else could make her laugh when all she wanted to do was curl up and die? How was she supposed to get through the next few weeks alone?

Not that her parents were actually leaving her alone, of course. That would be a refreshing change.

She followed the smell of eggs and bacon into the kitchen, but hesitated in the doorway when she saw Daniel standing at the stove. Over the past few weeks, their relationship had been... weird. Her mom still didn't seem to know about the night spent with Dominic, and part of her was grateful for that. The rest of her was resentful for the watchful eye he'd kept on her ever since.

But no matter how confused these conflicting feelings made her, she still missed the good old days when they were friends. When she was glad to have him as her dad. Now whenever they were in the same room they were either fighting or uncomfortably silent. She hated it. She just didn't know how to fix it.

"Good morning," Daniel said when he finally saw her standing there. "I was just making myself some bacon and scrambled eggs. Do you want some?"

Cassie gave him an odd look and walked past him to sit at the table. "Since when do you have eggs and bacon for breakfast?" she asked.

Daniel shrugged. "Just a craving."

"Isn't Mom supposed to be the one with cravings?"

Daniel didn't answer for a second as he brought two plates to the stove and started dishing out the food. "I think she's too busy throwing up to care about cravings," he finally said as he picked up the plates and brought them to the table.

Cassie cringed. That wasn't a pleasant thought.

She watched his face as he handed her a plate and sat down with his own. She couldn't believe how much he'd changed over the last year. He looked thinner, there were black circles under his eyes, and while he still smiled sometimes, it never looked real anymore. He looked almost... old.

But the changes that stood out the most were the marks she could plainly see on his arms. She hadn't actually seen them when they were at their worst, and he'd managed to conceal them all through the winter and spring under long-sleeved shirts and sweaters. A few weeks earlier when the weather had turned warm and Daniel had worn a t-shirt for the first time, it had taken all her willpower not to stare in horror at his arms. She hadn't failed to notice that no matter how hot it got, when he left the house he always wore long sleeves.

When she finally tore her eyes away from him, she swallowed the lump in her throat and picked up her fork. The food looked good, but she really didn't feel like eating.

One glance at Daniel showed that he didn't, either.

"Are... you okay?" she asked.

Daniel stopped absently poking his food to look over at her. "What? Oh... yeah, I'm fine. Just... thinking about today."

Cassie's stomach did a somersault when his meaning sank in - this was the day they were doing that blood test thing on the baby. In just a few hours, they might know whether or not the baby was sick.

She knew she should say something, but she didn't have a clue what. Nothing she could do or say would make a difference anyway, she thought. Either the baby was sick or it wasn't. It wasn't like it was her problem or anything.

"So, what are your plans for today?" Daniel asked before she managed to come up with something to say.

"I don't know," Cassie said. "Whatever." She shoved a forkful of eggs in her mouth in the hopes that it would prevent him from asking her further questions, but it didn't work.

"Going to see Dominic?"

She chewed, swallowed, and sighed. "No, I won't be seeing him anymore," she said as casually as she could.

Daniel stared at her for a moment, and then looked down at his plate. "I'm sorry."

Cassie had to fight the urge to laugh at that. Sorry? He'd disapproved of Dominic from the moment he'd met him. He was probably inwardly rejoicing that Dominic was out of the picture now. "Yeah, like you even care," she muttered as she took another mouthful.

"Excuse me?"

Cassie regretted her words instantly, but she knew she couldn't take them back. She shrugged it off, hoping he wouldn't press the issue. "Nothing."

"No, you... you said I don't care, and that couldn't be farther from the truth," he said indignantly. "If something's going on in your life, I want to know so I can help you."

His words made her feel uncomfortable for some reason, so she pushed her plate away and got to her feet. "Thanks, but I don't need your help," she said. "Good luck with the baby thing."

She hurried out of the room before he could call after her, and carried on down the hall to the front door. She had every intention of heading straight for her car and driving off, but to her surprise, Sam was coming up the porch steps as she stepped outside.

"Hey, Cass," she said, giving her a bright smile and holding her arms out for a hug. "Going somewhere special?"

"Just... out," Cassie said as she briefly embraced her. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm going with your mom to her appointment," Sam said. "I figured she could use all the moral support she could get."

"Oh... right." Cassie felt stupid and selfish for not even thinking of that. "I, um... haven't seen her yet this morning, so... tell her I said hi, okay?"

"Okay," Sam said, looking concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm cool." Cassie jogged down the porch steps and gave Sam a slight wave. "See you later."

Thankfully, Sam didn't stand in her way or ask any more questions as Cassie hurried down the driveway and got into her car. The last thing she saw as she started the car and backed out into the street was Daniel meeting Sam at the door and letting her inside.

When the door closed behind her, Cassie felt as though she'd been shut out of their lives forever.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Janet had just sat down on the lid of the toilet with her face in her hands when she heard a soft tap at the door.

"What is it?" she called.

"It's just me," Daniel's muffled voice said. "Sam's here."

Janet sighed. Time to face the music. "Okay. I'll be right there." She stood up slowly and went to the sink to splash water on her face in the hopes that it would wake her up a little. It didn't really work.

She'd been through four months of this crap already, and even though she wasn't even halfway through the pregnancy yet, she just wanted it to be over. She knew this morning sickness would have worn off by now if she could just stop worrying about the baby. It had started to ease off over the past couple of weeks, but today... even Daniel had looked a little green around the gills when he woke up that morning. The bacon and eggs she could smell must have been his way of tempting his appetite. She hoped he'd been successful.

Once she'd dried her face, she opened the door and started down the stairs to start the day. She couldn't even be bothered with makeup. She knew she'd look half dead no matter what she did.

She somehow managed to put on a brave face for Sam over the next few hours, but whenever she caught Daniel's eye, their mutual worry almost overwhelmed both of them. Janet was immensely grateful for Sam's presence, as she knew if she and Daniel had been alone, they would have spent the entire day in silence.

As it was, Daniel barely said two words to anybody, both at home and at the academy hospital. Janet felt like slapping him a few times just to get a reaction.

For once, Janet wished she didn't know everything about a medical procedure being performed on her. She knew the doctor was being as careful as she could, but all throughout the long procedure she couldn't stop worrying about all the things that could potentially go wrong. They were thrusting a needle into the baby's tiny body in order to get this blood sample, after all. There was a very real possibility that it could be injured or even die.

Her. It was a girl, she realized as she looked at the ultrasound screen. They were going to have a daughter. She could tell already that she was going to be beautiful and perfect.

It was all so unfair.

The hours between arriving at the hospital and receiving the results were the longest of Janet's life. Once the test was complete, she was taken to a private room to rest while they monitored the baby. Sam regretfully said goodbye a minute later and went back to the base, but Daniel parked himself in the chair beside Janet's bed to keep her company.

Not that he was particularly good company. He just sat there staring at his thumbs half the time, and the rest of the time he was shifting position and glancing over at the clock. She would never have thought she'd see the day when she wished he would start babbling incessantly about something... anything.

"Daniel," she said after ten minutes of silence.

He looked up at her as though she'd just roused him from a dream. "Yeah?"

"Could you... I don't know... hold my hand or something?"

Guilt instantly transformed Daniel into the man she knew and loved. "Of course," he said, scooting forward in his chair and taking her hand in both of his. "I'm sorry." He kissed the back of her hand and stroked it nervously as he forced a smile for her.

Janet forced one in return and massaged her tiny baby bump with her other hand. She kept one eye on the fetal monitor, watching for any change in the baby's heartbeat. To her surprise and relief, everything seemed to be fine. She half expected to find she was dreaming the whole thing.

By the time Dr. Warner arrived, she was sure she was dreaming.

"We've checked the baby's blood twice," he said. "We could find absolutely no trace of the disease."

Janet stared at him, dumbfounded. She'd been hoping and praying so hard to hear those words, but once they'd been said, she found it near impossible to believe them.

Daniel, on the other hand, came to life as soon as the announcement was made. He laughed joyfully and stood up to shake Warner's hand and clap him on the shoulder. By the time he turned back to Janet and sat down beside her on the bed, she'd snapped out of her daze to some extent and could return the hug he gave her.

"We really are going to be okay," he said in a choked voice. "God, we're having a baby, Janet!"

Janet couldn't help but laugh at his excitement, and she eagerly accepted the kiss that followed.

A moment later, Dr. Warner cleared his throat to get their attention. "I, um, think you should stay maybe another hour, Janet," he said. "Just to be on the safe side."

Janet nodded and smiled. "Thank you," she said.

Warner nodded, and then quietly left the room.

As soon as Janet met Daniel's gaze again, a slow grin started to spread across his face. "I don't think I've ever felt so relieved in my entire life," he said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Janet laughed and pulled him back into an embrace. She could certainly relate to that.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

To be continued...