a/n--- Thanks Mediate89 for betaing this and everyone who reviewed for me. I appreciate the feedback. Checkout liljenrocks and shes a boozer for some more good stories! Just as a warning... Lemon is in this chapter.

Chapter 16

I frowned at the all gifts I'd gotten. Where was I taking them to exactly? I was still mad at my mom and I didn't exactly live at the Kimkirks'. I picked up a yellow baby gown and held it against my stomach, sizing it up; I still had a ways to go. I looked around at Paul who was stuffing bags inside of bags.

"Don't even bother," I told said with a sigh. "I don't even know where I'm taking all this stuff to." I bit into a chip and chewed it, looking at everything again. I'd gotten plenty of presents-- yellow and green and tons of gift cards. Paul paused and leaned over to kiss my cheek.

"I'll put it in my room, okay?" I shrugged and watched him as he started carrying stuff outside and putting it in the back of his truck. I didn't care what he did with it right now. I was feeling too stressed and unstable to worry about petty things. I rested my head on my hand and continued to stare out the living room window.

"Sarah?" I heard my mom's voice behind me. I turned my head and followed her with my eyes as she walked around the chair and sat down beside me. "You can tell Paul to take everything to the house... or I can tell him." My eyes widened in surprise. Was she actually going to speak nicely to Paul? "I saw how he stood up to his family for you; I realize maybe he's not as bad for you as I thought he was." I could practically hear the creak of her pride cracking as she spoke. "I guess he does actually care for you and the baby. I realize his mother isn't that bad, either. Paul is more than welcome to come to the house and help you put away everything and visit if you're willing to come back home."

I could feel a heavy weight being lifted off my shoulders. "Thank you. You have no idea how much easier this makes it for me." I reached over and gave her a hug. We sat there talking softly while Paul finished getting everything into his truck. When he'd packed up the last box he came back and craned his head around the doorway.

"Ready?" He asked with a smile. My mom patted me on the knee and let herself out of the room. I nodded and held my hands out to Paul so he could help me up.

"Yeah, we're going to my mom's house." Paul raised an eyebrow and walked over to pull me out of the chair.

"I guess I'll drop you off, then."

"No, you're coming too. She invited you. She's had a change of heart and I'd appreciate it if you would at least pretend to like her for an hour." He sighed and nodded obligingly. I couldn't help but smile knowing I'd won him over again.

It became normal for Paul to drop by during the week after school from then on out. My mom never said another harsh word to him, and my dad acknowledged but didn't speak to him while he was there. Being able to have Paul so near was a big factor in helping me cope with everything.

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It had been a week since the shower. The doctor had declared that my complete bed rest was no longer necessary and I was finally able to gain a little independence. It was a huge relief. I'd hated being so closely monitored by everyone. On my first day on my own I'd decided to sit on the porch and wait for Paul since I had nothing else to do. I'd quit working at the store unless they absolutely needed me which was more of Mr. Kimkirk's idea than my own. He'd said that after I had the baby though, I could come back if I wanted to.

I smiled as Paul pulled into the driveway and got up, grabbing my thin sweater and overnight bag. It was pouring rain, the way it had been all day. I held the bag over my head and hurried across the grass to the truck. "Hey honey," he greeted me, flashing me his "dazzle" smile.

"I didn't think you'd ever get here." I looked him over. He'd taken off his shirt and tossed it onto the floorboard, leaving him in only his shorts. His chest was glistening with drops of water and I reached over to brush some of them off. He smiled at the gesture and reached up to make my hand in his. We drove the rest of the way in silence and before I knew it we had arrived at his house.

"No one is here," I commented as he cut the engine.

"I know. They won't be home until around six. It's only four." He grinned slyly. "That means we can be as loud as we want to be." I smiled shyly and we both got out to make a mad dash for the front door. Once we were safely inside I tossed my bag and sweater onto the couch and kicked off my flip flops. We proceeded to his bedroom without bothering to turn on any lights and were immediately wrapped up in each other's arms. Paul kissed me roughly and I ran my hands across his body, feeling his muscles. His skin was smooth and perfect.

His hands slowly started to push up my shirt and I glared when he paused. "Keep going," I ordered, and he continued. I lifted my arms so he could pull it off and watched his eyes grow wide at the sight of my chest. I knew it was from being six months pregnant, but Paul seemed to ogle as he unhooked my bra.

"Wow," he breathed, reaching out to touch one of my breasts. I pushed his hands away, my chest was too sore for him to feel. I shoved his pants down in one jerk and then shimmied down my own. We pressed back against each other once we were completely undressed. I was starting to get hot already from being so close to him but I loved the heat; it was comforting, it was Paul. After a few minutes of kissing against the wall we made our way over to his bed.

I stared emitting moans and gasps when he started to suck on the curve of my neck and nibble at my ear. I entangled my fingers in his hair as he went lower, trailing kisses down my body. He skipped my stomach entirely, going straight between my legs. I whimpered when he started to run his hot tongue along my folds. "Umph... Paul," I gasped. I was feeling a balloon of pressure building up. I squirmed, I felt like I was about to pull his hair out.

My body clenched, shivered and then relaxed. Paul slid back up beside me, pressing his mouth onto mine, and moving so that he was on top of me. I shifted, adjusting to get comfortable. "I want you so bad," he said as he traced his finger along the side of my face. I kissed it when he touched my lips.

"Show me."

Paul rolled off of me. "Come here." I sat up and let him guide me so that I was on my knees facing away from him. "Fuck," he moaned as he pushed into me. He stayed perfectly still, not moving and I let out a loud moan with him. I moved slightly, showing him that I wanted him to keep going and he slowly started to thrust, moving his hips back so that it felt like he was entering me again each time. I had to grip the headboard tightly for support.

"Harder," I growled when he slowed down for a moment. His breathing was getting heavier and I shut my eyes, unable to focus as he obliged.

"God, you have no clue how good this feels," he grunted. His movements were getting rougher and rougher and I dug my nails into the wood.

"Paul… faster," I whined loudly. I couldn't have been quiet if I'd wanted to. Everything was intensified from this position. Paul was mumbling loudly to me under his breath, saying things I hadn't heard him say in a long time. Suddenly he slammed into me harder and growled loudly. I had beads of sweat forming on my forehead but the heat made everything more exhilarating.

I felt the speed of his thrusts picking up and I bounced back against him, creating a new friction. I was gasping now, yelling anything from Paul's name to exactly what I wanted him to do. A little while later I tightened around him, not being able to take it anymore and felt him give in with me. I stayed still while he wrapped his arms around my middle and kissed the side of my face.

"You were so fucking good," he murmured. I was still catching my breath. The rain was beating down on the roof; I hadn't noticed it before. I moved away as he pulled out of me and we collapsed beside each other on the bed. I laid there with him for a few minutes before we started getting dressed. Everyone would be back soon, and we didn't need to be caught like this.

"You look all flushed and glowy now," Paul snickered at me as he pulled his shorts on and nothing else. I rolled my eyes and tried to make sense of my hair that was sticking up in stacks. I ran my fingers through it, combing out the tangles.

"You have a big stupid "I got some" grin on your face." I leaned over and hooked my bra back on, noticing that he was staring again. "They're boobs, Paul. You've seen them before." I snatched up one of his shirts and put it on. I grabbed a pair of sweats and put those on next. "I'm still hot."

"Come on, I'll get you some tea." He grabbed my hand and pulled me along behind him. "You want to run down to the pizza place before everyone gets in?" I shrugged; whatever Paul wanted was fine with me. We made our way down the small hallway and through the little living room, stopping dead in our tracks when we reached the kitchen.

Mrs. Kimkirk was sitting at the table with an amused look on her face. I felt the blood rush to my own when she shook her head at us. I was horrified at the thought of her hearing us have sex when we weren't holding anything back. Paul glanced at me before walking to the fridge to pour me a glass of tea. I pressed one hand over my stomach, watching as Paul rifled around to find a box of Gold Fish crackers. He opened them and sat down beside me looking calm and collected. Mrs. Kimkirk looked at Paul and then me before saying sternly, "You'd better hope you don't end up in the hospital again."

Paul laughed loudly, not seeming the least bit shameful that his mom had heard us. I kicked him under the table and shot him a look. "I'm fine," I said quietly. Mrs. Kimkirk laughed and got up to grab her cigarettes from the kitchen counter.

"Are you going to make the pizza run for me tonight, Paul?" Paul nodded and stood up, stretching and yawning. I paid particular attention to the way every muscle in his body shifted when he moved like that. He was gorgeous.

Mrs. Kimkirk started digging into her purse. "Next time at least shut the door. And don't assume you're alone." She handed Paul a twenty. "And kids, use protection from now on." My cheeks burned at her little joke. Paul however snickered and decided to take a stab back.

"Yeah, I can see why we'd need to."

Mrs. Kimkirk rolled her eyes and shooed us out of the kitchen. "Paul, at least put on a shirt before you go." I nodded in agreement. I didn't like people staring at him when we went somewhere.

I got up from the kitchen table and followed Paul outside. "I'm absolutely mortified," I admitted after I shut the door of his truck. He flashed me a grin and started backing out of the driveway.

We arrived at the pizzeria about ten minutes later. Every Friday was pizza night, every Saturday was Chinese. Paul hopped out of the vehicle and went inside to get the pizzas. I picked at my nails while I waited for him -I hadn't even been painting them anymore- and started to think about the baby. Some days I felt like I could do a great job of taking care of it. Other days I felt like I should have listened to Paul months ago and ended the pregnancy. I was worried I couldn't take provide for it financially. I couldn't depend on my parents all the time and I didn't want to take all of Paul's money. He was already handing every check over to me.

Paul returned, pizzas in hand and handed them to me to hold while he drove. "Paul?" I asked quietly, picking at the sticker on top of the box. "Can I tell you something?"

H glanced at me and nodded. "You know you can. What's up?"

I scratched part of the sticker up. "I'm scared," I said bluntly. "I'm scared I can't do this. I don't think I can take care of the baby like it should be taken care of. I'm worried I won't be able to buy everything it needs, or that it'll do without something because I won't have enough money." My lower lip started to tremble.

Paul reached over for my hand. "I know what you mean. I've been thinking about everything too. I think we can take care of him, though if we really try to and he won't do with out anything, I can promise you that." He rubbed his thumb along the back of my hand. "It'll all work out."

I kept my eyes on the road ahead. "I've been thinking that we should have gone ahead and put it for adoption or something. I just don't know. I want to keep it so bad, but I just don't know...." I let my words get away form em and spoke the forbidden. "What if you end up not wanting us anymore and leaving?"

Paul hit the brakes and I grabbed onto the dash to keep from falling out of my seat. He pulled over to the side of the road and turned to glare at me. "Sarah, I am tired of hearing you say things like that. It makes me feel like shit that you still don't trust me to stick around. I'll always be for you and for the baby. Always. Even if I imprint we can still be friends. I'll never leave you." I looked into his eyes. They were filled with frustration and anger and I instantly regretted expressing my concerns. I knew I wouldn't be able to speak so I sat silent and he continued. "I won't make you raise the baby by yourself. It's my baby too and I hate that you're doubting my feelings for it. I know I was a jerk in the beginning but you no longer have any reason to believe that I don't already love this baby."

My eyes were starting to water and I reached up to wipe them with my sleeve. Paul shook his head but his expression had softened. He faced forward and turned the key in the ignition. "Have I not been helping out enough? Have I not made efforts to be as active as I can in this pregnancy? Is there something more you want me to do to prove myself?"

I shook my head and let a few tears fall down my cheeks. Paul sighed and reached over to take my hand in his. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "I love you. I just can't stand the fact that you don't trust me. I know I don't deserve your trust, I treated you like shit, but I'm trying really hard to make it up to you." We pulled into the driveway just then and he cut the engine. I stared at the floor while we sat in silence, ready to keep listening if Paul wasn't finished. He didn't say anything else, however; instead, he leaned across the seat to kiss me. I couldn't help but kiss him back as he massaged my lips with his.

He pulled away and locked eyes with mine. His eyes were dark, almost black, and traced with vulnerability. "Stop crying before we go inside, okay?" He whispered. "I don't want them to know we've been fighting." He took the pizza boxes from my lap and hopped out of the driver's side. I wiped at my eyes and stayed in the truck until I deemed myself calm enough to go back into the house.

When I finally returned to the family I sat down and watched everyone else eat. I'd lost my appetite after arguing with Paul. I sipped on some water for awhile before standing up. "I'm sorry, I don't want to be rude but I'm going to go to bed a little early tonight. I'm not feeling well." I excused myself and made my way to Paul's room. I shut the door quietly and slipped under the covers on his bed.

Paul had scared me today for the first time in awhile. He hadn't yelled at me in months. I knew he was trying hard to be a good boyfriend, and preparing to be a good father, but this all seemed so much more complicated than it should have been. Everything had changed so thoroughly in the past few months and I was having an incredibly hard time adjusting.

I buried my face into the pillows and cried for the second time in a day. I'd been nuts to think that this was a good idea. I loved Paul like crazy but I shouldn't have allowed myself to carry his baby. I wasn't ready to commit to such a huge responsibility with a guy like Paul. He could be sweet when he wanted to be, but he's not the type of man I would have chosen to raise a family with.

I was engrossed in my pity party when the door opened and a sliver of light ran across the floor. I knew who it was. Sam didn't make Paul patrol on the weekends anymore because of Paul's garage job so I never spent the weekends alone. The door shut again and I heard Paul rustling toward me. I turned in bed so that I was facing away from him.

"Sarah, stop crying, okay? You don't have anything to be so upset over. You're making everything out to be worse than it is."

I sniffled and blinked away the blurriness that was forming over my eyes. "I have plenty to cry about. I'm sixteen and pregnant. I'm scared and I'm huge and my back hurts. I'm not ready to have a baby. I don't want to be a mom." I was working to keep my voice low so his parents wouldn't overhear but it was hard through my tears. I could hear his voice shaking when he spoke.

"And I'm seventeen and about to be a dad. I wish I didn't have to go to school so I could spend my time working for money to support my child. I'm constantly running around and doing shit with Sam so that when I finally do get to the garage, I'm tired as hell. You're constantly complaining about how uncomfortable you are—well, I'm sorry. Sometimes I feel like shit too and no one ever offers to rub my sore back." I sobbed and pulled the comforter over my head. "I didn't ask for this either, but I'm making it work and so will you."

Paul reached over and yanked the blanket off of me.

"Stop it!" I yelled, covering myself again. My breathing was coming in gasps now and I gave up trying to be quiet. "If that's the way you feel then just leave! I don't want you to screw up your life for me. The baby doesn't need a father like you, anyway."

I heard a loud bang as soon as the words left my mouth and I jumped. The sound was immediately followed by a rap on the door. "Paul? Sarah? What's going on?" Mrs. Kimkirk was worrying on the other side. I shakily brought myself to a sitting position and looked up at Paul who was standing tall a few feet away.

"Stay," he demanded. I shook my head.

"I want to go home."

The knock sounded again and Mrs. Kimkirk pushed through the door a few seconds later. She assessed the scene for a moment before rushing over to the bed and putting an arm around me. "Honey, what's wrong?" She asked, smoothing the hair out of my face. "Did Paul say something to you? He didn't hit you did he?" She shot her son a warning glare. Paul took a few steps back toward the wall and leaned against is, folding his arms across his chest.

I shook my head and wiped my eyes, trying to steady my breathing. "I want to call my mom. I want to go home. Please." Mrs. Kimkirk hugged me tightly and rubbed my back.

"Oh, honey. Do you think you can stick it out for the night? Paul can sleep on the couch, he doesn't have to be near you. I'll take you home first thing in the morning, I promise. I'd hate to have you call your parents this late at night."

I nodded reluctantly and moved a hand on my stomach. Mrs. Kimkirk placed her hand on top of mine. "Is she alright?" The baby shifted and Mrs. Kimkirk smiled. "She can feel what you feel, you know. Babies are very susceptible to their mother's emotions. If you're upset, she gets upset too." That explained why she'd seemed so restless during our little spat. I suddenly felt awful for involving an innocent baby into all of this.

I snapped my head up when the light switched on and Mr. Kimkirk came into the room. He met eyes with his wife and turned to Paul. "Come on, son. Get your things and come out here." Paul grunted softly as he moved away from the wall. I didn't look as him as he walked over to grab a pillow from the bed and followed his father out of the room. As soon as they were gone Mrs. Kimkirk stood up.

"You should get some sleep, honey. Just let me know when you wake up and I'll bring you home." She smiled kindly and turned to leave. Before she reached the light switch I looked to my left and saw a large crack in the nightstand. The nightstand that had been dangerously to where I was lying. I swallowed loudly and snuggled under the covers. Mrs. Kimkirk bade me goodnight and shut the door behind her.

I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking back on what was said. Neither Paul nor I were ready to be parents, that much was obvious, but I was ashamed in knowing that he was doing a better job than I was at trying to accept the situation. He really had been working hard at putting us—me and the baby before himself, but there was a part of me that would never forget the Paul that would call me a whore and a liar and leave bruises all over my body.

I rubbed my nose against the pillow and inhaled Paul's scent. It made my heart ache. I needed Paul, I always would and so would our baby. I regretted saying that the baby didn't need a father like him. That's what had set him off; that's why he'd cracked the nightstand. Paul wouldn't have to be so angry with me if I wasn't constantly challenging him and trying to bring him down. He'd been so helpful and dedicated to me lately. He didn't deserve my antics.

It was one o'clock before I decided to get out of bed and go to the living room. I shuffled my way over to the couch, careful not to make much noise. I knew that if Paul was awake he would be able to hear me moving around. When I got to where Paul was lying I kneeled down and gingerly placed a hand on his arm.

"Paul?" I whispered. Paul shifted and I could see his eyes shining in the dark.

"Yeah?" The tonelessness of his voice made me cringe and I reached out to run my hand through his thick black hair.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things. I love you, Paul and I believe you when you say you won't leave." I fought to fight back more tears. It seemed like every other conversation I had these days resulted in me crying. "I know you care about the baby and I know you're working hard to be a good dad…"

Paul sat up and took both of my hands into his large, warm ones. "I'm the one who should be sorry," he whispered. "I was lying here thinking about what I'd said. Don't let any of it bother you, okay?" He leaned down and brushed his lips against my cheek. "I love you, too."

I smiled and sniffled and Paul reached up to wipe my eyes. "Come on, let's get you to bed." He got off the couch and helped me to a standing position. As I got up I felt my stomach brush against his and his hand automatically went down to feel the baby. "How is he?" Paul inquired, rubbing his thumb along the spot the baby just kicked. "We didn't scare him too much, did we?"

I shook my head. "No, she likes the sound of your voice, even if you're yelling. She gets excited every time you talk." Paul smiled and touched his forehead with mine.

"I'm sorry for being such a jerk. The baby shouldn't have to hear me yell and neither should you. I'll work on it, I promise." I stood on my tip toes and gave him a kiss to let him know that everything would be alright; however, the simple action sent a jolt through my spine and I couldn't suppress a groan. Paul immediately brought his hand around and rested it on my lower back.

"Back hurt?"

I shook my head and took a deep breath. I didn't want Paul to think I was being a baby. Between school, running patrols and working at the garage, he averaged about eight hours of sleep a week and he never complained. He had been right about that when we were arguing; his body was stressed just like mine was and he took it all in stride, unlike me who was constantly complaining about being hungry, hot, sore or tired.

Paul pulled away and led me out of the room. "Let's get to bed and I'll give you a backrub."

I sighed but didn't protest. My ankles were swelling too and although I wasn't going to complain about being in pain, I wasn't going to pass up a shot at relief. I would just have to give him a massage tomorrow night.

When we reached his bedroom he switched on the bedside lamp and I sat on the edge of his bed while he went to rummage around in his closet. A few seconds later he emerged with a small plastic bag, looking sheepish. He walked over and sat down beside me.

"I got a few things for the baby the other day," he mumbled. I raised my eyebrows. Paul had gone baby shopping? He reached inside and pulled out a tiny blue onesie with the words Daddy's Little Man printed across the front, and a little blue t-shirt with a matching blue hat and tiny blue booties. I rolled my eyes. Of course he'd gotten boy things.

"Is there anything pink in there?" I teased. Paul stuffed his purchases back into the bag.

"Why would I want my son wearing pink?"

I shook my head and snuggled down into the covers. "What are you going to do with all of that stuff when the baby comes out with girl parts?" Paul reached over to turn off the lamp but not before I got a glimpse of the blush in his cheeks. I smirked and turned to face the wall. Paul settled himself beside me and started to gently knead my back. I almost moaned at the sensation of his warm hands soothing my sore muscles.

After my body was entirely relaxed Paul reached around to drape an arm over my side so that his hand was covering my stomach. We always slept this way when we were together. It made him feel safer to know that I was safe beside him and it gave him peace of mind to know that the baby was resting under his hand while he slept. It was comforting to me as well and I wasn't awake for longer than a few more minutes.

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