Now, this chappie might surprise ya or maybe not. It's kinda predictable. ;-)
Anyway, I had to sorta speed up the time for the purposes of this chapter.
Here's chapter six. Hope it pleases ya.
(Short chappie)
(Golden SunTavern- Sacramento, California)
(During the second week of September)
"Hey, Gina! How 'bout a game of darts, huh?" Gus- a regular customer at the popular bar- said loudly.
Gina- who was a waitress here- looked over her shoulder and grinned at the more than slightly tipsy man. "Maybe some other time, Gus," she said, then, headed up to the bar.
"What do ya need, doll?" Chad- one of the bartenders- asked.
"Two beers, one martini, two white wines," she said, setting her tray down on the bar.
Chad nodded and smiled. "Ya know, it didn't take very long for you to become popular around here. You're the best thing to happen to this bar in a long time," he said as he began preparing the drinks. He'd become quickly attracted to her.
Gina smiled and leaned against the counter. "You're just saying that," she said.
"Yeah. 'Cause it's true. Tell me something, Gina. Why haven't some guy made you his blushing bride yet?" Chad asked.
Gina's smile faded quickly. No one knew of the life she'd left behind and she planned to keep it that way. It was nobody's business, as far as she was concerned. She'd already filed it under "past." And the past was meant to be forgotten. This was her life now. Okay, this wasn't why she'd left. Waitressing in a bar wasn't her lifelong dream. This was just a start. Something simple. It wouldn't be forever. She smiled tightly at Chad. "Beats me," she said in response to his question.
Chad chuckled as she picked up the tray and headed off. He watched her go. He liked how mysterious she was. It was part of her appeal. 'But I wouldn't mind solving the mystery,' he thought as he rested his elbows on the bar.
After Gina'd delivered the drinks, she headed for the back room- which was sort of a employees' lounge. The tired, blonde woman flopped down on the couch. She just needed a few minutes. Wouldn't hurt anything since two other waitresses were on duty. Gina closed her brown eyes. Why did Chad have to bring up marriage?
Jason's face appeared before her mind's eye and she felt that familiar twist. She'd finally gone through with dealing with the legalities. The divorces papers had been mailed. She couldn't stay his wife in any form if she wanted to move on with her life. And she did. She had to.
She suddenly thought of her parents. She knew they, of course, knew by now of her actions. She was sure they were outraged and stunned. As well as Jason's mom. And his friends. Her friends, too. Then, there was... Jade. Gina felt a sharp pang. She wondered how Jason'd explained her absence to the little girl.
'But I had to leave. I'm no good for her. She'll understand when she's older. She will,' she told herself. She'd made a decision and she was gonna stick to it.
"Gina," a male voice said.
Her eyes flew open to see Chad standing in front of her. Chad. She knew he was into her. He didn't do a very good job of hiding it. Not that she wasn't flattered since he was a decent enough guy and not bad on the eyes at all. She enjoyed the flirting they did from time to time. He was also an excellent distraction- when he wasn't mentioning marriage. "What's up, Chad?" she asked lightly.
"Mind if I join ya? Lou's tending the bar and things are shockingly slow right now anyway," he said.
"Have a seat," she said. He nodded and sat next to her. She gave him a wary look. "But if you're gonna start talking about anything marriage-related-"
"That's the furthest thing from my mind. Even if it wasn't, I wouldn't bring it up because when I did, you got this "deer caught in the headlights" look. You're obviously a commitmentphobe," he said with a laugh.
She cocked her head. "Something like that," she said seriously.
He grinned and covered her hand with his larger one. "Then, we should be best friends because I'm not a big fan of exclusive myself at the moment," he said.
She grinned at him and lay her head on his shoulder.
(Kimberly's Apt)
(The next day- Saturday afternoon)
Kim sat on her couch with her legs curled underneath her. She was holding a pillow tightly to her body and staring off into space. She was feeling a million things at once. It was just funny how things sometimes turned out the way you hadn't expected them to. She was just totally blown away.
The phone began ringing, but, she ignored it. The last thing she felt like doing right now was talking to anyone. She just wanted to spend the remainder of the weekend in her apartment... letting this newest discovery really sink in.
The thing was, she'd developed the strong urge to sleep more than necessary... she'd been having a lot of headaches... easily repulsed by certain smells... dizzy spells. Naturally, she began suspecting... Well, a visit to the doctor today had confirmed her suspicions. She was, indeed, pregnant. Six weeks pregnant with Jason Lee Scott's baby. Oh. My. God.
Kim thought back to when the baby'd been... conceived. They hadn't used any protection. No. They'd been so completely focused on their desire for each other. It'd mostly been about providing each other comfort, nothing more really. Kim never would've expected this in a zillion years. What'd happened that night hadn't ended that night...
She shook her head. A baby. Jason's baby. She'd have to take a loooong break from gymnastics- of course. What would she do for money? Sure, she had a decent-sized nest egg, but, that'd only take her so far. She shook her again, not wanting to think of that right now.
Oh, boy. When her mom and friends found out... When Jason found out... She winced. 'He so doesn't need this right now. I mean, he's still dealing with the Gina thing and so is Jade. The last thing he needs is this,' she thought.
She felt as if this were all her fault- even though she knew Jason wouldn't blame her. She felt awful... but, she couldn't have an abortion. The thought of that horrified her. In spite of everything, she knew she wanted this baby. And even if Jason didn't take the news well, she knew he'd never push her to get rid of it. It would be hard, but, she wanted this baby. She knew Jason would take responsibility for his actions.
'This doesn't have to change things between us. We'll just be two friends who share a baby. It's not like things like this never happen,' she thought. But, her heart was pounding. Even though she knew he wouldn't tear into her about this, she was still nervous about telling him.
This was just so wild! She was actually pregnant. The fact that Jason was the father was more shocking. Kim stood and headed for her bedroom. When she reached it, she walked over the full-length mirror. The overwhelmed brunette stared at herself for a long time, then, slowly placed her hand on her flat-for-now belly. She was gonna be a mother. The idea was terrifying, but, amazing.
"It won't be easy, but, whatever happens, you're gonna be just fine, sweetie," she told the unborn child in a soft, assuring voice. That was for sure.
Stay tuned.