Chapter 3
After the doctor finished speaking with them and they made another appointment, they were back in the truck, driving. Kate was quiet again, staring out the window.
"Feelin' better?" Sawyer asked, glancing sideways at her.
She only nodded. Sawyer tapped the steering wheel in frustration. She had reverted back to being quiet, and seemed tenser than when they first got to the office. He didn't know what to do to make her feel better.
"Do you know, while we were waiting in there, I was hoping that the test would come back negative," she said softly.
He glanced back and forth between her and the road. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," she said, looking down. "I didn't want the responsibility."
"Didn't?" he repeated.
She smiled. "It's an adventure, right?"
He grinned. "Right."
They continued to drive on in silence. Kate noticed that she wasn't familiar with their current surroundings. Strange, she thought, because she knew the way back from the office to his house well.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Takin' the long way," he said. "Ain't no rush to get home, right?"
"No."
They passed a park, and Sawyer came to a halt at the stop light. Kate looked out the window and watched the children running onto the structures. The light changed and Sawyer started to drive. She grabbed his arm.
"Wait!"
He slowed down his driving. "What?"
"Stop. Go back."
"What're you – "
"Go back!" she insisted.
He pressed on the break and made an illegal U-turn in the middle of the road. Luckily, there was no one around to spot it. He started to slowly drive back down the road.
"Stop here," she urged him.
He turned around again, stopped and turned the car off, as they sat on the side of the road. He leaned forward and looked out her window and saw the park. He looked at her bewildered.
"That's why you wanted to stop?"
She stared out the window, and let out a small laugh. "I guess it is kind of silly…"
He leaned back into his seat, realizing why she'd wanted to stop. He pulled the keys out of the ignition and opened his door. As he'd hoped, she turned her attention to him.
"Where are you going?"
"Let's go for a walk," he suggested.
She stared at him curiously, for a moment, then unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the truck. They walked on the grass a few feet away from where the children played on the slides, the swings, and the jungle gyms. They stood together, observing the scene. Kate watched the children playing happily, and the parents that sat on the benches to the side, chatting. She leaned close to Sawyer.
"Is that going to happen to us?" she whispered, eyeing the parents with a grimace.
He looked over, and shook his head. "Hell no."
She laughed. "It's funny, isn't it? Everything's going to change."
He looked her up and down. "Not everything," he said slyly.
She smiled. A blue and red soccer ball rolled their way, bumping right into Sawyer's foot. They both looked down at it and three children ran to them – one girl, two boys. They stared up at Sawyer, and he peered down at them, his eyebrows lowered.
"Sorry," one of the little boys said nervously.
Kate laughed, quietly. He grabbed the ball and he ran back to play with the other little boy. The girl, however, stood, her light blonde hair blowing in the wind. She stared up at Sawyer with bright, clear blue eyes. As Kate looked down at her, she was reminded of Claire.
"Are you a giant?" she asked in a high-pitched voice.
He looked at Kate sardonically, and she tried to repress her grin.
"No," he said, annoyed. "I'm not."
"Then why are you so big?"
"Why are you so small?" he retorted.
"Sawyer…" Kate warned.
"I'm just a little kid," the girl said innocently. "I'm a'posed to be little."
"Well I'm a man, and I'm supposed to be big."
She stared at him for a moment, her head cocked to the side.
"You have girl hair," she finally concluded. "You should get a hair cut."
"Listen, kid. Maybe you better go back to your mom, all right?" Sawyer said, growing increasingly irritated.
The girl turned and looked over at her mom, then turned back to them.
"She's talking."
"Well I don't think she'd want you talkin' to strangers."
"Will you play with me then?"
"No," he said, gruffly.
She looked at Kate. "Will you?"
"I…don't think that's such a good idea," Kate said, regrettably.
"Why not?" she pouted.
"Tara!" a woman with similarly blonde hair called, angrily. "Get over here!"
The girl gasped and ran away from them, much to Sawyer's relief.
"You're mean," Kate laughed, shaking her head at him.
"She wouldn't shut up," he reasoned.
"She's a kid." She folded her arms with a teasing grin. "Is this how it's going to be when our kid is born?"
He sighed, and looked around. Something caught his eye, and he grabbed Kate's hand.
"Come on," he said, without looking at her.
"What?" she said, being pulled along by him.
They walked together, hand in hand. She looked around, and finally spotted what he saw. It was an ice-cream truck – the old fashioned kind with the pictures all over it. She smiled, slightly, and looked up at him, confused. But he didn't look at her. They made their way to the truck, until Sawyer stopped, digging his wallet out from his back pocket.
"You wanna Screw Ball?" he dimpled as he teased her.
She laughed, rolling her eyes, and looked around at all the colorful pictures, trying to decide which one she wanted. She pointed at the one she wanted, letting her finger press against the strawberry shortcake bar picture, and looked up at him innocently, feeling like a little kid again.
"Lemme get a Strawberry Shortcake and a Chocolate Éclair," Sawyer told the man.
Sawyer paid the man and handed Kate her ice-cream. She smiled shyly.
"Thank you."
They walked slowly across the grass in the direction of the truck. They each opened their snacks and began to indulge. Sawyer put his arm around her shoulders as they strolled…