Chapter 25
Jude walked into G Major, determined to tell Tommy she was pregnant. As she walked towards Studio A, she could see Kwest bent over the sound board, obviously working. She opened the door slightly and poked her head in and saw Tommy was in the recording booth, in the middle of recording his vocals.
"Kwest!" Jude called, getting the former engineer's attention. Kwest looked over at her, his gaze quizzical. "How long?" She asked.
"We just got started. It could be awhile." Kwest stated. "Want me to-"
"No, I'll wait." Jude said, ducking out of the room and into the main lobby of G Major. Jude let out a sigh and collapsed on the sofa, and put her head in her hands. Who am I fooling? She thought. She wasn't ok with this. She was scared and wanted nothing more than to hide in the safety of his arms and wish every problem they had away.
"Hey," A soft voice said. Jude looked up to see Ryland Michaels standing before her.
"Hi." Jude said, trying to look cheerful.
"You look like shit." Ryland said matter-of-factly.
"You know how to make a girl feel special." Jude muttered. Ryland just shrugged.
"You want to talk about it?" He asked.
"No. Not really." Jude replied, leaning back into the sofa.
"You have lunch yet?" Ryland asked. Jude raised her eyebrows.
"Ryland. It's 4:30."
"I'm well aware of the time Harrison." Ryland said, grinning. Jude couldn't help but smile at him. "There it is!" Ryland proclaimed, beaming proudly at Jude's smile.
"Yes, I'll go to dinner with you."
"Lunch." Ryland corrected.
"Whatever." Jude said, pushing herself up from the couch and following Ryland out to his conservative red convertible Sebring. As they got into the car, Jude sighed and glanced back at the building. It would be hours before Tommy would be done recording, and this way, at least she'd be getting her mind off of her problems.
"You ready?" Ryland asked, turning the key into the ignition and bringing the car to life.
"Let's do it." She said and Ryland smiled back at her and pulled out of the parking spot.
Ryland drove them to a small, out of the way dive. It was a cute place, a bit cheesey, but Jude found she liked the atmosphere. The pair ordered their meals and talked about almost everything and nothing at the same time.
After they finished eating, Ryland went up to pay the bill as Jude waited over by the door. She felt a wave of nausea overcome her and she groaned and hurried off to the restroom before she ended up making a scene before the whole diner.
She knelt before the small stall just as the bile from her stomach rose into her mouth. She heaved into the toilet, and she heard the door open behind her, but she didn't turn to see who came. Her heaving subsided and she leaned back, gasping for breath.
"Jude…" A soothing voice rang in her eyes. Jude leaned back into the person, too exhausted to keep herself upright. She felt Ryland's body shift as he reached around her and flushed the toilet. He rubbed her shoulders gently for a few moments and then maneuvered her so she was leaning up against the wall. He stepped away from her and Jude heard water running and he came back with a damp paper towel which he wiped her face with.
"Thanks." Jude breathed out, feeling like she just wanted to close her eyes and never open them again.
"Should I be concerned about an eating disorder?" Ryland asked, frowning. Jude shook her head. "You don't look sick." He observed.
"It's because I'm not." Jude said, standing up on shaky legs.
"Then why were you heaving your guts?" Ryland asked as Jude made her way over to the sink and rinsed her mouth.
"Because I'm pregnant." Jude blurted and her eyes widened as she spun around to face him.
"That would explain a lot."
"Ryland, you can't tell anyone." Jude said, her eyes pleading.
"I won't. It's none of my business to share." Ryland said, his eyes soft.
"Good." She said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Can I ask who knocked you up?" Ryland asked, "Cuz, I'll kill the poor bastard if you want." Ryland offered. Jude smiled at him and chuckled.
"You don't need to get out your gun yet."
"Who said I had a gun?" Ryland challenged. Jude shook her head.
"Anyway, I'll tell ya if I need you to kill the 'poor bastard.'" Jude stated and Ryland looked pleased with the response.
"Come on, let's get you home." Ryland said, his hand falling to the middle of her back to lead her out of the restaurant. Jude shook her head.
"I don't want to go home."
"Then where"
"I need to go back to G Major." She said. Ryland stared at her questioningly and Jude stared at him pointedly. Ryland got her meaning and nodded slightly.
"Of course." He said, and led her out of the diner and back out to his car.