Thank you once again all for the very nice reviews. Everyone seems to be happy with the oneshots. C= As usual, fell free to suggest any additions to them if you wish! Now as for current suspense in these onehots, with a new baby coming into the picture I may or may not put up a poll if it'll make it easier to figure out what gender it should be.
Disclaimer: I can dream, can't I?
Chapter Eleven Summary: Time to start planning for the newest arrival. With seven months until the baby comes, the Danforths have to start preparing the house. What changes are they going to have to make? And is everyone really as happy as they seem?
Chapter Eleven: Baby Issues
"Ok, how about that one?" Taylor inquired as she pointed to a bright yellow crib in one of the furniture catalogs.
"Looks too expensive." Chad shook his head. "Why can't we use Cheryl's old crib? I can put it back together."
"We don't know that it's going to be yet. We can't just give the baby that crib. Suppose it does turn out to be a boy?" Taylor replied.
"I can paint it blue or something. Maybe even paint it yellow for the time being." he offered as he flipped through the pages some more. "Besides, why should we even start looking for a new crib now? We won't even know the sex of the baby till like the six month mark or something."
"We had to rush to get everything before Cheryl came." Taylor reminded him. "We can't procrastinate again. And besides, there's extra planning to do. Like where it's going to sleep."
"I can call a contractor and see if they can add an extra room somewhere." he suggested.
"Are we even going to be able to afford something like that?" she asked.
"Well after diaper expenses, new furniture, maybe a new paint job for wherever it's going to sleep, toys, and other essentials..." Chad replied as he typed everything into a calculator. He sighed and leaned back on the couch, "We'll be lucky to have enough money to buy a kid's meal from Burger King for dinner. For five."
"Are we really that bad off? Maybe you misplaced a decimal." Taylor offered as she took the calculator and began retyping everything.
"Hey, there was a serious cut on paychecks at the daycare center. I'm bringing home half of what I used to." Chad sighed.
Taylor shook her head. "There has to be something we can do."
"I can find a better paying job." Chad suggested.
"No you're not." she insisted. "You love it at the daycare center and you know it."
Chad was the first to admit it. It was way better than owning some bowling alley. He got paid to goof off most of the day and all it took was to watch over a handful of kids. "Well, maybe I can work more hours." he said. "I have two days a week off, but if I can get them to let me work one of those days..."
"You do that, and I'm going to demand extra hours at my job." Taylor retorted, knowing he'd have to back down from it.
"You know you can't handle that with a baby. It's too much stress." Chad shook his head.
"Then you're not putting in more hours." Taylor replied. "There's another way around."
"Ok then you tell me what that way is." Chad answered.
Taylor sighed, knowing she had backed herself into a corner. "I'll let you know as soon as I think of it."
--page break--page break--page break--
"I'm serious, man." Chad told Troy the next day as he sat down in the Bolton's kitchen to have some coffee with his best friend. "What am I supposed to do?"
"Find a way to get more money." Troy shrugged. "Did you think about getting just a few more hours?"
Chad sighed, "Tay won't let me. She said if I do that she's gonna get more hours at her job. And that's not gonna be good for her or the baby." He picked his head up and raised an eyebrow. "You didn't tell anyone yet, didya?"
"No, and I promised I'd keep it a secret." Troy rolled his eyes. "What, you don't trust me with a secret?"
"Nah, not that." Chad shook his head as he looked down at his mug. "Guess I'm just stressed is all."
"Look man," Troy started as he sat down across from Chad, "this is supposed to be a happy time. And you can't be happy by worrying about money problems or what you can and can't afford. Have you tried asking Kelsi and Ryan for some of Travis' things they don't need anymore?"
"I can't bother them with that." Chad replied. "Besides they should save them in case they decide to have another baby. Or if Sharpay and Zeke ever decide to have one."
"Yeah well I say we wish them luck with that later." Troy said simply as he put his coffee down. "But here it is in a nutshell - you need a plan."
"Yeah well our plan only covered two kids. Dylan and Cheryl. And we can't take any money out of Dylan's college fund for the new baby." Chad replied. "And we also can't force Dylan to dorm at a university so we can convert his room to one for the baby."
"Maybe it can share Cheryl's room." Troy suggested. "That way the two can share a room and by the time Dylan finishes college his room can easily become the baby's and he'll move out."
"I'm not even sure that's a possibility. And besides, if the baby turns out to be a dude how can he share a room with Cheryl? And when Dill starts college we can't force him to board with a baby." Chad replied.
"You can't have an answer for everything. How do you think Gabriella and I felt when we found out she was having twins?" Troy asked. "The room we were working on for the one baby had to be made for two and we had to squeeze in two of everything. Two cribs, two changing stations, two dressers...."
"At least you had a spare room. My house is only good for four. And we've already established that we can't convert a portion of the dining room into a bedroom, not for anyone." he said.
"Well what if I helped you pay for a few baby expenses?" Troy offered.
"You got four kids to think about, Troy." Chad shook his head. "Focus on them."
"So then who's supposed to worry about your family?" Troy asked.
Chad couldn't give a complete answer right away. Who did he have to help him out besides his friends? Troy had both of his parents to help them out of a jam when they needed help. Gabriella had her mother as well and she made plenty of money to contribute to them under any circumstance. Where was Chad's family? His sister was so busy traveling and they weren't even that close. His parents weren't around anymore. Taylor's brother died in the war and her sister had no memory of anyone including herself. So with those losses, Taylor's parents pretty much shut her out. Who did they have to support them?
"Me." Chad finally answered. "I can worry about them and take care of them."
"Dude, not by yourself." Troy sighed. "Your friends worry, too, you know."
"I know." he nodded. "And I appreciate that man, really. But I can handle it."
"You're not gonna do something crazy, right?" Troy asked hopefully.
"Dude, relax." Chad rolled his eyes. "It's not like I'm gonna sink to being a drug dealer or something. I'll figure something out."
"But I'm still gonna chip in somehow." Troy said. "I'll talk to the guys. We can all chip in for a big gift for the baby shower when it rolls around or something."
"Like what?" he asked doubtfully.
"Name it." Troy replied right away. "I mean it can't be something like a contractor but if you need new furniture or a crib or something we'll get them for you."
Chad wasn't one to beg for help. Sometimes he was even too stubborn to ask for help. But he knew he needed some help. And he couldn't put everything on Troy. "You know what, just don't worry about it." Chad said. "I'll handle everything."
--page break--page break--page break--
The night afterward, Chad was busy going through a few things he had. He had to get everything together, he knew it. At least then they'd have a little more money together and be able to afford everything they needed. But so far he wasn't having much luck. He couldn't find enough stuff to sell.
"What are you doing?"
Chad nearly jumped up at Taylor's voice. He turned and saw her in the doorway of their bedroom. "Just going through a few things we can do without." he answered casually as he continued moving objects out of the closet.
"Drop the act, Chad." Taylor said as she stepped into the room and sat down on their bed. "We're not getting rid of anything."
"Tay we need the extra money and you know it." Chad said. "And I'm not letting you work longer just cause I'm planning on it."
Taylor just shook her head. "Do you honestly think we're in that much of a predicament?"
Chad raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Taylor thought for a minute, trying to figure out how to explain it. "Do we need more money? It would certainly help. Is it the most important thing? That's up to you." She folded her arms and looked at him seriously, "Because where I'm standing we have something more important to worry about."
Chad sighed and nodded. He knew what Taylor was talking about and he knew she was right. "I was just trying to figure out how to help us through."
"It is sweet of you to care and to really want to take it in your own hands, but it isn't all about you." she said. "You'd be surprised what one can find out in a few days."
"Ok, you lost me." Chad said.
"I took out some money from the checking and savings accounts." Taylor explained. "And Dylan and I struck a compromise. He gives a small portion of his paycheck to us as long as helps us shop for the baby and he can get one little thing from each trip."
"How little are we talking?" he quirked an eyebrow.
"Something as simple as a book." Taylor answered. "And trust me, he refused to give us anything otherwise."
Chad chuckled. "Someone picked up on your stubbornness."
"Hey, he got it from you, too, and you know it." Taylor defended herself.
"So what's the shorter version of this?" Chad inquired.
"We won't have enough money for a contractor but we'll have plenty for new furniture and everything." Taylor grinned.
"You're joking?" his eyes widened.
"Do you expect me to joke much?" Taylor asked.
"Especially not this time." Chad smiled widely. "Tay, you think of everything! What did you do?" He pulled her in for a tight hug.
"Let's just say I actually spend more time looking through the bills and our accounts than you do." she giggled as she hugged him back.
--page break--page break--page break--
"So did you guys finally work something out or is there more arguing we need to worry about?" Dylan sighed at dinner.
"We don't argue that much." Chad said.
"Do you really?" Dylan asked doubtfully.
Chad shook his head. "That's not the point."
"Look, we finally worked out a few details and checked over a few necessities and we know what we'll need to start getting ready for." Taylor explained. She looked at Cheryl. "Cheryl, we're going to divide your room up evenly so the baby can share the room with you."
Cheryl dropped her fork. "What?" she gasped.
"We can't kick Dill out of his room. And when he starts college and he's still living here what's gonna happen when the baby starts crying at night?" Chad replied.
"Can't it move in somewhere else?" Cheryl begged.
"There's no other space in the house." Taylor shook her head. "And it's not moving into our room."
"Move it into the living room. I don't wanna give up my room." Cheryl moaned.
"Cheryl, we have to put our foot down with this." Taylor said calmly. "There's no other space in the house and you have plenty of free space in your room. We'll figure out the perfect way to divide the room up so then you can both share it and still have some privacy."
"Yeah well there won't be much with some baby screamin in my ear!" Cheryl argued. "I'm not doin it." She pushed her dinner away rom her and stormed away from the table.
"Cheryl, you sit back down here right now." Taylor scolded.
Too late; Cheryl had already stormed out of the dining room and up to her bedroom.
"What are we gonna do with her?" Chad sighed.
"Do you wanna divide up my room instead?" Dylan sighed.
"Dill, we're not doing that. End of story." Chad insisted. He sighed and rested his head on his hand. "Guess after all this we're still gonna have to look for a new house. Maybe we should count our losses while we're ahead."
"No, we're not selling this place." Dylan shook his head. "This is our home. Where are we gonna find a better one?"
"We know you're right Dill, but what other choice is there?" Chad asked. "We have enough money for the necessities but not for a contractor. We don't even have a garage to convert into an extra room or anything."
"And we don't have any extra rooms in here?" Dylan asked.
"Not unless there's one I don't remember." Chad shook his head. He picked his head up when he heard the phone ring. "Phone."
"I'll get it." Taylor said. She stood up and left the dining room the pick it up from the living room.
"So we're really gonna have to move?" Dylan asked in a disappointed manner.
"Not too far, hopefully. We'll stay close enough so you can finish school where you are. But now not only do we have to think about what furniture to get we'll have to figure out what kind of house we'll be able to afford and still have enough cash left over." Chad said.
"What about the deal Mom and I struck?" Dylan asked.
"It'll help, but I'm not sure how much." Chad shook his head. "And before you ask, no you're not putting in more than you already are."
"So then what are we gonna do when the baby comes?" Dylan questioned. "Dad we're supposed to be thrilled about this. How can we be thrilled if we got other things to worry about?"
Chad sighed. "I wish I knew." he admitted. "Maybe..."
"We got it!" Taylor exclaimed.
Chad stood up from his seat right away. "What'd we get?" he asked eagerly.
Taylor ran back into the dining room. "That was Gabriella on the phone. She talked to her mother and apparently she knows someone who can help us redecorate the house."
Chad didn't even care if it meant more than Troy might know about their expected addition. He was still lost on 'who can help us redecorate the house'. "Wait a minute...so are you saying..." he started with a smile.
"We got a contractor!" Taylor exclaimed. "One we can afford!"
"That means we'll have enough room for baby Danforth!" Chad grinned. "When?"
"Two weeks. We have that long to plan and everything." Taylor smiled.
Chad hugged Taylor and spun her around. "Yes, we're finally getting somewhere! We are problem-free!"
"Hey if you're that happy, imagine how thrilled Cheryl's gonna be when she finds out she won't have to share her room." Dylan chuckled with a smile.
"We gotta go tell her." Chad realized. "I'll go break the news." He ran upstairs. "Woo-hoo!"
Dylan leaned back in his chair laughing. "He sounds happy." he observed.
Taylor just smiled and hugged Dylan. "You might want to think about what you want to do with that portion of your paycheck, Dill. You can't force us to take it from you now."
--page break--page break--page break--
"So how did Cheryl take it?" Taylor wondered as she slipped under the blankets.
"You didn't hear her jumping for joy?" Chad asked with a chuckle.
Taylor giggled. "So she was happy."
"Ecstatic." Chad nodded. "She gets to keep her room and the baby will get their own room. Boy or girl."
"So on our next day off we'll start planning the room, right?" Taylor asked. "Not too big but not too small? Somewhere up here?"
"Definitely." Chad nodded in agreement as he sat down next to Taylor.
"And you're not going to put in more hours?" Taylor quirked an eyebrow.
"No more than just a couple a week." Chad promised. "And only if it's an emergency or the situation calls for it. And you're not gonna work more, right?"
"Of course not." Taylor shook her head. "Believe me, at least one person above me in that building will think it's a scam to sue them."
Chad chuckled. "Well, now you'll know what to do when you have a real reason to sue them." he joked.
"I'll be sure to remember that." Taylor giggled. "But until then, we need to get through this. So after a good night's sleep, I'll go in tomorrow and after dinner we can search through a few more catalogs. And you'll thank Troy and Gabriella?"
"Of course." Chad nodded. "Tomorrow on my break. I'll also see if Troy told anyone else about our little surprise. But I'm hoping now, cause I wanna keep them in suspense."
"Well they'll really be surprised then." Taylor smiled.
"Yeah but we won't be." Chad grinned as he got closer to Taylor and rubbed her leg. "Cause we'll know exactly what the baby's gonna be like."
"Oh will we now?" Taylor raised an eyebrow and smiled coyly.
"Yes we will." Chad nodded. "I can see it all right now."
"Care to share?" Taylor inquired.
"Gladly." Chad grinned. He switched his arm so it moved around Taylor and pulled her in close. "If it's a boy, he's gonna have my hair, of course," he paused and pecked her on the lips, "and your hair color," and again, "and my fast reflexes," he kept doing so for every thought, "my eyes...your smile...my athletic skills...your talent...and our stubbornness."
Taylor couldn't help but giggle. He was really trying to butter her up. "And if it's another girl?"
Chad only smiled and did as he did with the first assumption, "If it's a girl then she's gonna have your looks...probably my hair...and hair color...your lips...my smile...your brains...your confidence...my ego...your class...and my charm."
"Don't assume everything right off the bat." Taylor shook her head with a smile. "The possibilities go on."
Chad tilted his head so it would get closer to hers, the smile remaining on his face. "So how about we talk about them all night?"
Short chapter and lame-ish ending in my opinion, but I was also trying to get it finished before going to work. And sorry if that's often my excuse on a Friday but I also got distracted by TV. What? Degrassi was on and I got addicted. Not my fault. T_T Anyway, I'll put another chapter up tomorrow and it'll turn out better with a lot more going on. Don't worry, I got an idea that I know I'm not going to forget.