Will seemed to go into a tailspin after Alicia's engagement. He was drinking almost every night, and constantly picking up girls in bars near campus. Some of them were undergrads, and Alicia worried that he was going to get himself into trouble.
When he showed up late for the mock trial, bleary eyed and half-drunk from the previous night's debauchery, she lit into him. She was as angry with Will as she had ever been. She berated him for almost ruining his future, her own future, and that of their classmates.
He refused to talk to her. They still lived together, but they didn't hang out the way they once had. Alicia spent most of her time in class, at the library, or in her room studying. Will spent his time God knew where. Alicia brought her car from Chicago at the beginning of their fourth year. She would leave after classes on Friday to drive to Chicago, and then come back Monday morning in time for class. She was exhausted, but it was one way to avoid Will.
In the spring just before graduation, Will started seeing a girl named April. She was a perky redhead who was athletic like Will. They played in a softball league together that was really an excuse to get drunk. Alicia liked April, and she seemed good for Will. She would go to their games to cheer them on, and then the three of them would go out together after.
Soon, it was the week before graduation. Alicia and Will's classmates were all out celebrating the end of final exams, but they had chosen to stay in, rent movies, and drink tequila shots for old time sake. April had gone home for the weekend. She knew they needed to say goodbye.
Will went to the kitchen and poured two shots, handing one to Alicia.
"I can't drink it," she said.
He had known for weeks that something was not right with her. Between studying for the bar, and finals, they were all exhausted. However, Alicia looked like she could barely drag herself out of bed in the morning.
He thought tonight would be his last opportunity to convince her to stay in Washington for a awhile. To tell her that she needed to rethink her engagement to Peter.
"What is wrong with you? For the last month or so, you've looked like death warmed over. You should see a doctor or something. It might be cancer, or something serious like that," Will said.
"I don't have cancer, Will. And I'm appalled that you would even say that."
"Then what is it, Alicia?"
"Get your drink, and come over and sit down on the couch," she ordered.
"So what is going on?" he asked.
She swallowed. "I'm pregnant."
At first, he thought she was joking. This was a joke. This could not have happened to Alicia. Alicia who had entire life planned down to the names of her children.
"How the hell did this happen? You, who are so cautious about everything you do," Will said in disbelief.
"I went off the pill for a while. Then we went away for a weekend in Wisconsin, and I forgot my diaphragm…."
"Stop! I don't need to hear the details," Will said.
"You asked how it happened! Will I need you to be supportive. Please."
"I'm assuming Peter doesn't know yet?" he asked
She shook her head. "I got in my car last weekend, to drive to Chicago and tell him in person. In the state of mind I was in, I didn't trust myself to drive. Peter expects his life to unfold a certain way, and this is a huge bump in the road."
Will drank another tequila shot. "If he calls off the engagement because of this, I'll marry you. We'll raise the kid together, you and me."
"Oh Will, stop it. You know that isn't going to happen. You aren't ready to be a husband, or a father."
He wanted so badly to tell that he was capable of changing. He would become the man he could be. For her.
"You need to call him and tell him, Alicia. If he loves you, you two will work this out."
She kissed him lightly on the cheek, and went into her bedroom. When she came out about ten minutes later, her face was streaked with tears.
She fell into Will's arms, crying uncontrollably.
They sat on the couch together for a long time, not really speaking. Will didn't know what Peter had said to her, or what he'd suggested she do. He silently cursed him for causing Alicia this obvious pain.
Eventually, she fell asleep, and he picked her up and carried her to her bed. Alicia woke up with Will next to her with his arms around her.
"Will, you know this completely inappropriate right?" she said.
"Why? Nothing happened. We're both still fully clothed."
"Alicia, I lov.. I like the fact that I can be there for you as a friend. I just wish it could be more than that."
"It can't, Will. That's pretty obvious now," she said.
He kissed her neck, and gently stroked her hair. "You are going to be a wonderful mom."
"This all too much for me to absorb right now. Passing the bar. Interviewing for jobs. Getting married and having a baby. It's almost like I'm being pushed headlong into full blown adulthood, and I'm not ready."
"You'll do fine. You are the strongest person I know," Will said.
"What am I going do to if I have to raise a child on my own? The thought of it alone is so scary…."
"This is Peter's baby, and he has an obligation to support you financially if no other way," Will said.
"You sound like a lawyer," she teased.
"Well I can represent you if you need me to. Once I pass the bar, of course. I'll go make coffee. De-caf, of course," he said.
"Great. I'm going to take a shower, and get myself together," Alicia told him.
She was in the shower, and Will was in the kitchen when he heard the knock at the door. His first thought was that it was probably April, back early from her visit to her parent's house.
It was Peter. The last person Will wanted to see right now.
"Hello Will. Can you please get Alicia for me? Now," Peter said.
To Be Contiued… Reviews are appreciated. Thanks.