Sorry for the shortness. Hope you enjoy it all the same!

Chapter Seventeen

Me… a mother…

The next morning, I woke up feeling a bit queasy. I got out of bed and ran to the bathroom, and threw up. Ikuto rushed in.

"What's wrong?" he asked, startled.

"N-nothing!" I told him. "I just felt a bit sick. Maybe it was the dinner we had last night."

"Come lay down," Ikuto said, "I'll fix you breakfast in bed."

I smiled. I could tell he was worried about me. "No, no, it's fine. I feel better now. Let's have breakfast together," I told him. I brushed my teeth to get the awful taste away, and walked out of the bathroom, and headed to the kitchen. Ikuto followed me.

"Amu, if you're not feeling good, you should rest," he told me.

"No, really, Ikuto-kun, I'm fine." I opened the refrigerator and a sudden smell of rotten cheese came wafting out. I closed it quickly and covered my mouth and nose with one hand. After a second, I said, "I think there's rotten cheese in the fridge… could you check?"

He walked over and opened the fridge. I took a deep breath, while I was holding mine. "I don't smell anything," he said, and closed the door.

I sat down. "Well I definitely smelt it," I said.

He sat down next to me. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

I was thinking things over, so I didn't answer him. I had a strong sense of smell all of a sudden. I felt sick when I got up. Morning sickness…?

"Ikuto," I said, "I think I'm pregnant."

He looked at me with surprise. "Wh… what?" he asked.

I nodded. "C-could you do me a favor and go get a test for me…?"

He nodded, kissed me goodbye, then left. I put my hand on my forehead, resting my head. Me, pregnant? I was eighteen, for God's sake! Sure, I was married, but shouldn't we have had more time? Couldn't we have more time to spend together, just the two of us? It won't be the same anymore, if I'm pregnant. If I have a son, or a daughter.

Wait a second. Me… a mother… that image didn't sit right in my brain. I took a deep breath. I won't be able to do it! I can't be a mother! Especially at eighteen! I could have so much left to do in my life! A baby… a child… that can change that!

I got up and started pacing. Why? Why? I was still pacing when Ikuto got back. He handed me a bag, with different tests. I was sure he had no idea what he was doing when he was there. I thanked him, then walked into the bathroom.

Well, this part is awkward and embarrassing. I have to pee on a stick. Great.

When I was finished, I walked out of the bathroom, setting the test down.

"Well?" he asked.

"We have to wait…" I read the box "three hours to find out," I told him.

He let out a breath. I could tell he wasn't happy about waiting. I don't think he was very patient, something I had noticed earlier on in life. "Well," he said, "want to watch a movie while we wait?"

I nodded and he led me to the family room, where he turned on the TV. After watching a movie without paying attention to the plot, and watching an episode of a show we didn't know, understand, or care about, it had been three hours. I walked over to where the test was, and picked it up with shaky hands.

"What does it say?" Ikuto asked, coming up next to me.

"A p-pink plus sign… Th-that means… I'm pregnant…," I stammered.

He ran his fingers through his hair. After a second or two, he started to laugh.

"I-Ikuto! Why are you laughing?" I scolded.

"Aren't you happy? You have to be happy, right? Amu, we're going to be parents! You and me, raising a child! We're going to be a real family!" His smile was so big and the happiness he possessed was so close to being tangible. I smiled.

"I am happy," I said. I started laughing, too. "I'm so happy!" I hugged Ikuto, and we kissed. "Do you want to know the sex of the baby before we have it?" I asked.

"What about you?" he asked me. "What do you want?"

"Whatever you want," I said.

He thought for a bit. "Let's keep in a surprise," he said.

I nodded, though I was a little disappointed. I kind of wanted to know what the gender of the living creature growing inside me was. But I was happy either way. It didn't matter the gender, we were going to be a family.

I've been waiting to do this chapter. I've wanted to do this from the beginning. I'm so happy I get to. :)

Hope you enjoyed! I'll try to update soon.

~Grace