Chapter 5: Mallory

I sat on a park bench in Stoneybrook Park nervously wringing my hands together. This morning, everything in my world was perfect. I was doing great in school; I had great friends and a great boyfriend. I thought about how excited I was when I received the news that I had gotten an internship with the Stamford newspaper and I couldn't wait to share the news at the upcoming BSC reunion. I was looking forward to seeing what all of the girls were up to, including Jessi, who has been one of my best friends but we lost touch a bit when we decided to go to schools on opposite coasts.

I'm not sure what compelled me to go to school in California. I had tons of scholarship opportunities. Yet I found San Diego State fascinating, and I absolutely loved being near the beach. When they offered the full ride scholarship, I knew my choice. While I could have gone to Princeton, I would have graduated with a significant amount of student loan debt. I wasn't thrilled with the campus, and I didn't want to have to pay for significant amounts of student loans either, especially when I could get a full ride elsewhere. Besides, I liked the idea of experiencing life on a different coast.

And I loved it, absolutely loved it. San Diego is a fabulous place, and I don't ever want to leave. I am 100 confident that I made the right decision, at least school-wise.

But now, even thinking about all of the great things in my life, I just couldn't smile.

Going home for the summer when you're in college, you know, you do all of the things that most college kids do. Work a summer job (or in my case, my internship is paid), reconnect with friends, travel and of course, you plan all of your regular friendly doctor visits. In my case, this week I've seen the dentist, my optometrist and my general doctor/gynecologist. All very routine stuff.

Well, I'd been really rundown lately, but I associated it with moving back home for the summer and all of the emotional baggage with it. Plus, I've often found that when I push myself so hard during final exam times, I often end up getting sick once finals are over, because adrenaline somehow gets you through the actual finals period, but the exhaustion and over-exertion from studying, staying up late and all of that hits you like a ton of bricks once all of those stresses are finally over. This seemed to be the case, or so I thought.

Well, my last appointment this morning was for a general physical and all of that fun yearly stuff that women have to deal with (men have it so easy, I swear). I was getting ready for the not-so-fun part of my visit when my doctor, Dr. Parks, came in and asked me to change back into my clothes and she would be back in a minute. I was confused, we'd only done routine blood-work and I'd given her a urine sample. Was something seriously wrong?

I nervously put my clothes back on and sat down in one of the chairs in the exam room. Dr. Parks knocked and I told her I was dressed. She came in and sat down at the desk area, setting a chart down in front of me.

"Mallory," she said slowly, "you indicated on your updated health form that you are still taking birth control pills, correct?" I nodded. 'Oh God,' I thought, 'do I have some weird disease?'

"And when I originally prescribed these to you last summer, you were not sexually active, correct?" I nodded again, feeling a sudden sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Dr. Parks, is something wrong? I mean, am I sick or something?" I finally spat out, just wanting to get the bad news over it.

Dr. Parks managed a smile. "Oh Mallory, do not worry. You are perfectly healthy, at least as far as I can tell. The reason I'm asking these questions is, it appears that you are pregnant," Dr. Parks finished.

My mouth dropped open in sudden shock. 'Pregnant?' How? That was the whole point of taking the pill, and I take it diligently EVERY day at the same time just like the directions tell you to.

"How is that possible?" I finally asked. Dr. Parks eyed me with a bit of sympathy. I wanted to smack her. "Mallory, do you take your pills at the same time every day?" I nodded. "I even have an alarm set on my cell phone to remind me," I added quickly. She sighed.

"Well Mallory, while most birth control pills are effective when taken properly, there are some cases where they don't always work. Did you use any other form of protection?" she asked, knowing that she was referring to condoms.

I shook my head negatively. "Not all of the time," I replied numbly. We had been SO careful. I could only think of a handful of times when we hadn't used a condom. This couldn't be happening.

Dr. Parks nodded. "Well Mallory I'd like to run a few more tests, just to make sure that everything is good and healthy." I just nodded as Dr. Parks left me alone in the office once again.

Once she was gone I burst into tears. How could I have been so stupid? My mother had EIGHT kids, no wonder I'm super fertile. I'm so fertile even the damn birth control pills can't stop me from conceiving.

Dr. Parks returned, did some more tests and confirmed that I was indeed, six weeks along. She prescribed some pre-natal vitamins, gave me some instructions, and set up a follow-up appointment for a few weeks from now.

I was shaken out of my memory when I felt someone's arms wrap around me. "Hey beautiful," the voice said softly in my ear and for the first time since I had heard the news I relaxed slightly.

I opened my eyes and found myself face to face with a gorgeous red gerbera daisy and an even more gorgeous tall, blond, blue-eyed man who was flashing the most beautiful smile at me.

If someone would have told me years ago that I would have fallen in love with Jeff Schafer, I would have told them they were nuts. For one, Jeff is my younger brother's age (the triplets, that is) and still to this day is extremely good friends with Byron.

Jeff, however, was extremely bright and skipped a grade when he was in middle school so he entered college the same year as I did. Jeff had a full ride scholarship as well, to basically any of the California Universities. Jeff loved southern California, and wanted to go somewhere further away from home. Sunny Winslow, a good friend of his and Dawn's lives in the San Diego area, and Jeff fell in love with the campus when he and Dawn visited Sunny.

Jeff and I re-connected when we discovered we were in the same Psychology class second semester of our freshman year. Psychology was once of those courses that we were all required to take, but Jeff and I had completely different major interests. Jeff is a Computer Science major, and I'm a journalism major. We didn't even recognize each other at first, but the chemistry was there from the start.

At first, we both tried to ignore it. After all, we had always kind of known each other, via my friendship with Dawn and his with my brothers. But after awhile our friendship just kept getting stronger and stronger. We hung out all of the time, we formed a mutual friend base and he became the closest friend I had on campus. It took awhile, but after a couple of months the chemistry between us was undeniable and we've been dating ever since. The triplets gave us trouble about it at first, but they got over it. Especially Byron, since he opted to join us out here for college while Jordan and Adam stayed on the east coast. Byron and Jeff are still best friends, and it's been great hanging out together.

For some reason though, Dawn and Mary Anne (and the rest of the BSC members) didn't know about us. It wasn't as if we planned not to tell them, they just haven't figured it out yet and we haven't bothered to announce it. Last summer Jeff and I were apart since Jeff had to spend summer with his dad, and I was here in Stoneybrook. So really, other than those friends of ours who live in the San Diego area and see us, most don't know about us.

I could only imagine the shock on Dawn's face when she learns that a) I'm dating her brother and b) I'm having his baby. That brought me back to reality as I realized Jeff was now sitting down next to me, looking at me with concerned eyes.

"Baby, what's wrong?" he asked as I cringed inwardly at his choice of words. I pulled away from him, I couldn't face him. I didn't want to see his crushed face.

Jeff wouldn't let me though; he knows me too well and had grabbed me back into his arms before I could retreat into hiding. I looked into his beautiful deep blue eyes and I couldn't help it, tears started falling down my face. Jeff took his hand and wiped the tears, pulling my face up to his. His kissed me lightly then looked into my eyes.

"Mal, obviously something is wrong. You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" I nodded. He searched me and said, "Did something go wrong at your doctor's appointment this morning?" he asked, with a bit of worry in his voice.

This is why I can never hide anything from him. Jeff is so observant. I could tell he was really worried that something was seriously wrong with me, so I put his worries to rest. "Nothing's wrong, persay, at least, I'm not sick, I'm actually perfectly healthy," I said slowly, finally finding my voice.

Jeff left out a quick sigh of relief. "Then what has you so upset bab-" he stopped before he could say the word "baby," and then his eyes widened. "Are you pregnant?" he asked.

Again, how in the world he figured this out is beyond me but heaven knows I'd never be able to lie to Jeff, ever. He'd figure it out in a matter of seconds.

I simply looked at him, my tears confirming the words he had said. Jeff immediately pulled me into his arms. "Shhh, Mal don't cry," he said soothingly as I tried to stop the tears from falling.

"Mal, it'll be okay, we'll get through this," he said as I looked up at him in shock. "Aren't you upset?" I asked, with a bit of surprise in my voice.

Jeff sighed. "Of course I'm upset love. I didn't exactly expect to become a father so soon. But Mal, remember the conversation we had before we decided to have sex?" Jeff reminded me.

I remembered. We'd had a long conversation about the consequences, and while we would do our best to be as careful as possible, we agreed that once who chose to take that step that we would have to accept and work through any consequences from our actions.

"I want to keep our baby," I said firmly. Jeff nodded. "So do I," he whispered, as I noticed he'd been holding my hand ever since I told him the news.

"So, we will. We'll figure out a way to get through this Mal. I'm just glad that you're healthy. You had me worried there for a minute," Jeff admitted, squeezing my hand gently.

"But how? We have two years of school left. How are we going to raise a child? What about our scholarships? Will they kick me out of school?" I asked. Jeff laughed slightly. "Mal, you are not the first college student to have a baby, and you won't be the last. I'm pretty sure your scholarship is based off of academic merit. They can't kick you off of campus for having a baby," he replied, reassuringly. "Now, maybe if you had gone to that private Catholic school your dad wanted to send you to…" he trailed off as I laughed. Jeff was always great at finding some way to make me laugh, even in the most distressing situations.

"As for the other questions, I'm not sure. When the baby's born I'm sure Sunny and Liz would be willing to help us out."

I hadn't even thought about that. Sunny and her well, partner I guess, Liz Brown run a couple of affordable daycare centers. See, Sunny and her dad moved down to San Diego after Sunny graduated high school. Sunny was burned out with school and didn't really have any desire to go to college. Her dad had owned a bookstore in Palo City, but he sold it and got a great job at a publishing company down in San Diego. Sunny ended up getting a receptionist job for the American Cancer Society.

Sunny's mom died of cancer when she was in middle school, and it has been extremely hard on her and her father. That was one of the main reasons they moved. There were too many memories of her mom in Palo City.

Anyway, Sunny always had a love for kids and did some volunteer work with kids in the community, which is how she met Liz. Liz is older than Sunny, and she did go to college to get a teaching degree. However, Liz has a ton of money. Her family is very rich, and she really doesn't have to work if she doesn't want to.

Well Sunny and Liz hit it off and Liz shared with Sunny her idea about having an affordable daycare facility (it started off with single moms trying to work and still take care of their kids but it's open to anyone who doesn't have the money for expensive child care). Liz put up the money and Sunny came up with the idea that they would operate on donation only, and all donations would go towards cancer research.

Liz loved the idea, and the American Cancer Society loved the idea, and they've been very successful and have three centers now. Sunny still works with the ACS, they loved her idea for the centers and have hired her as a consultant to assist with other outreach ideas.

I knew Sunny and Liz would love to help Jeff and me out with childcare. And, I already know many of the workers at the centers and they are all great with children. I relaxed a little.

"We also might be able to apply for a university-owned apartment…when are you due?" Jeff asked.

"Late December, early January," I replied. Jeff smiled. "Ah, a New Years' baby, perfect. You should be able to finish the semester. I had already petitioned to stay in an apartment next year instead of a dorm, maybe now I have good reason to believe that I'll actually be approved," Jeff said with a smile.

I stared at him, completely and utterly never more in love with him as I was in this moment. "How did I get so lucky?" I finally stated, as I laid my head down on his chest and he enveloped me into his arms.

"I'm the lucky one Mal," he responded, kissing the top of my head. "We have a great future ahead, I promise. You, me and this little one," he said, touching my belly lightly.

Neither of us knew how to tell our parents. We knew they would be devastated. Most parents don't want their kids to be in these kinds of situations.

Jeff walked me home from the park and had asked me to be ready to meet up again at 3:00pm. We had agreed not to say anything to our parents…yet anyway.

I sat outside reading a book, trying to keep my mind off my situation. I completely ignored my sister Vanessa's attempts to sneak around me. I have a sneaky suspicion she has a boyfriend and just didn't want any of us siblings to hear about it for fear of teasing. Vanessa always was a very private person.

After a bit I went upstairs to freshen up in the bathroom. I didn't know what Jeff had planned, but I was sure it was something to help cheer me up.

"Mal, Jeff's here!" Vanessa called from downstairs. I grabbed my purse and headed downstairs. Jeff had somehow gotten permission to borrow his mom's convertible, which was awesome. I jumped into the car and said good-bye to Vanessa. She just smiled and went back into the house.

"So, where are we going?" I asked but Jeff just grinned. "You'll find out. Let's take her for a spin, shall we?"

Somewhere along the road I feel asleep. When I awoke several hours later, I could smell the aroma of salt water. I opened up my eyes and my mouth dropped. "Jeff, what are we doing in Sea City?" I asked.

Jeff looked over at me and grinned. "I thought we could use a little time to ourselves, away from Stoneybrook. It's just for one night," he stated as we pulled up to a small hotel that was located on the beach.

"What about my parents? And I didn't pack anything; I don't even have a swimsuit!" I babbled on as Jeff parked the car and popped open the trunk and produced a bag of mine and handed it to me.

"Vanessa packed the bag for you, and said she'd cover for you," Jeff explained.

I opened up the bag and saw that Vanessa had remembered everything that I would need. I pull out a small piece of paper and saw that Vanessa had written something on it:

Mal,

Hope you have a good time, and sorry if I forgot anything important. Mom and dad had to go to Stamford for some fancy work event for dad, so they shouldn't suspect anything. I imagine they'll be getting home late.

Just remember, you owe me!

Love,

Vanessa

"Wow, you really thought of everything, didn't you? How did you organize all of this so quickly?" I asked.

Jeff just smiled. "What makes you think I didn't have this already planned before this morning, Mal?" he said, and then winked. "Come on, let's check into the hotel."

We locked up the car and grabbed out stuff. I took in the view while Jeff checked us in. I just love Sea City. My parents still come down here every summer, even though most of us kids aren't able to go anymore.

Our room was small, but perfect. The doors opened up to a small balcony with a view of the ocean. I walked outside and sighed contentedly as I closed my eyes and just felt the breeze from the ocean hit my face. I felt Jeff's arms wrap around me and I relaxed into his embrace.

"Thank you," I said softly and Jeff gave me a quick squeeze. "Anytime my love," he replied as he gave me a quick kiss. "I hate to break this lovely moment but we do have dinner plans in about an hour," Jeff said.

My eyes widened. "An hour?" I replied. "What am I going to wear, I need to shower, oh, and I hope Vanessa packed the right make-up-" Jeff grabbed me and cut me off. "Go ahead and shower, don't worry about your outfit, and I know for a fact that Vanessa packed the right stuff," Jeff replied calmly.

I eyed him. There was definitely something sneaky going on but Jeff just smiled innocently. "I have a few errands to run, but I'll be ready when you're ready. Go ahead and shower," he said and with a kiss on the cheek he was out the door.

Jeff had really outdone himself. When I had finished getting ready Jeff presented me with a beautiful off-white flowing sundress, which fit me perfectly in every area. Then, we went out to a very nice restaurant that was right on the beach near the water. It was a place I hadn't been to before in Sea City, but I supposed that was because as kids all we cared about was tourist attractions like "Burger Garden."

We shared sparkling cider and had a fabulous Italian dinner and then we went for a walk on the beach. As we walked hand in hand, the waves crashing nearby and the sun beginning to set, I closed my eyes and sighed happily. We had been silent for so long that when Jeff spoke, I jumped slightly.

"Mal?" Jeff asked softly. I opened my eyes and turned to look at him. Jeff had a strangely serious look upon his face. What happened next, I couldn't have predicted, even though all of the warning signs were there.

As Jeff knelt down on one knee, my whole body felt like it was about to shake. Then, when the small box was opened and I saw what I knew to is the Schafer family diamond on top of a simple gold band, my mouth dropped, causing me to raise my right hand to cover my mouth.

"Mal," Jeff said, finally finding his voice, "I've known for awhile that I couldn't imagine spending my life without you, and I didn't want to wait any longer to tell you so. I love you, more than anything, and want to have you in my life always. Mal, will you marry me?"

I stared at him in complete shock. I felt so many emotions at the same time, yet all I do was cry and nod my head in affirmative as Jeff grinned, stood up and slipped the ring on my left hand. We reached for each other and kissed passionately, clinging onto each other as if we were to let go, the moment would slip away.

Finally, we broke and Jeff held me in his arms, each of us silent.

"How soon do you want to get married?" I asked finally. "I mean., it won't be long before I'm showing and you know our parents-"

"Mal," Jeff said cutting me off. He pointed up to a small gazebo that was ahead of us. As I looked closer, I could see what appeared to be a minister, and…"Byron and Vanessa!" I yelled aloud as my siblings appeared next to the minister.

"How about now?" Jeff asked softly as tears ran down my face. "You planned this whole thing?" Jeff nodded. "Vanessa and Byron were in on it the whole time?" Jeff nodded again. "I-I don't know what I say," I blurted out.

Jeff grabbed my hand as we approached the entrance to the gazebo. "Say you'll marry me. Tonight. Here," Jeff asked softly. I looked into his eyes. Those clear blue eyes were full of love, understanding and maturity. I at once felt at ease, and knew my decision. I nodded and Jeff left me to head to the front of the gazebo. Once he took his place beside Byron, the ceremony began.

The ceremony was short, brief and perfect. With the sun setting and the waves behind us, Jeff and I became one, with two of my siblings at witnesses. Jeff had even managed to get some simple gold wedding bands for both of us. We kissed, and before I knew it, I was officially Mrs. Jeff Schafer, as Byron and Vanessa signed the license to seal the deal.

I looked at my two siblings and simply said, "thank you." They just smiled. Then Jeff grabbed my hand as I waved good-bye to Byron and Vanessa. It was time to start the honeymoon.