A/N#1: Hello everybody. Hope y'all are doing fine. When I wrote this one-shot, it quickly passed the 15,000+ word length and charahkids suggested that I split it, so that's what I'm going to do. Huge thanks to him for beta'ing for me and being so awesome. :)
Also, one guest reviewer said they were confused about the timeline. I apologize for that. There is no particular connection between any of the one shots, nor will there be unless I specifically mention it in an author's note. So, just see the stories on their own.
And to those of you who went to ComicCon and got to see some of the Chuck cast (Zach especially) how I envy you.
Once again, thanks for the continued support. Seems you guys really liked the last chapter, and Nancy's portrayal. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. Oh, and let's see if we can get to 100 reviews by this chapter. OK? :D
I don't own CHUCK.
Chpt 5: Full House (Part1): 6714 words.
"Did it change anything? Having a kid? Did your priorities change? I'm a spy. I can't even process the idea..."
~/0/~
Friday, March 6th 2026
She didn't flinch as the sharp needle pierced her skin. Honestly, she was too caught up with the list of things she needed to do today. Even though it was Friday, things at work were still going at their usual upbeat pace and she had a meeting scheduled for later in the day. Then she had to collect her two daughters, Emily and Shamia from school and take them to dance class after she was finished at the office. Chuck would have to pick up their eldest child, CJ and the youngest, the twins, Levi and Lisa from school.
The nurse was speaking to her, but that was only background noise to Sarah. I should be paying attention…
"Pardon me?" Sarah said.
"I said you're one of the few adults I've taken a blood sample from who haven't passed out, gotten squeamish or winced at all."
"You should meet my husband then, he does all of those." Sarah laughed.
The nurse, Charmaine as her name tag said laughed, before rubbing some alcohol around the spot. "I'll bring you some juice. It's advised that you don't move for at least ten minutes. So feel free to lie on the examining table for a while."
"Ok." Sarah said. "Do you know how soon the results from the tests will be back?" Sarah asked. She was anxious to find out what was wrong with her. She'd already given the nurse her symptoms which had plagued her for the past three weeks. There had been a few dizzy spells, she had been feeling nauseous for the past four days, and lately, she was feeling more tired than usual.
"The doctor is going rush the results, so they should be back in about two hours."
Sarah nodded, and thanked the nurse, before she left the room to bring back Sarah's juice. As she lay on the examining table, Sarah closed her eyes and quickly said a prayer, hoping that her blood work would be fine. Chuck had noticed her symptoms, and had insisted on her seeing a doctor, even though she protested that she was fine. However, she relented as they agreed it was best for her if they found out what was wrong in the early. Ellie had warned them that a nasty stomach flu was going around, so Sarah hoped that if that was the case, the doctor would give her some antibiotics, order some rest and she'd be fine. Of course, having five children under the age of fifteen didn't make rest so easy to come by. She just hoped it wasn't anything too serious.
/\
Sarah decided to grab some lunch for her and Chuck before heading back to Carmichael Industries.
"Hey Chuck." Sarah said when she entered his office. He looked up from the computer which he had been typing furiously on.
"Hey babe." Chuck said and greeted her with a kiss.
"I brought you lunch." Sarah said taking a seat opposite him and holding the takeout bags up.
"Great. Cause I am starving." Chuck said. "You always take such good care of me."
"And you me." Sarah said and handed him his lunch.
"Why do I only have about ten chips left?" asked Chuck as he looked in his bag.
"Sorry." Sarah said. "I got hungry on the way back and I may have snacked on a few."
"Well I hope you won't mind if I return the favour." Chuck said as he began eating his cheeseburger. "How did the doctor's visit go?"
"The nurse took a blood sample. She said the results should be back in at least two hours."
"Oh ok."
"But remember I'm gonna pick up the girls from school and take them to dance rehearsals."
"And I have to pick up CJ and the twins. I won't forget this time." Chuck assured her as he remembered the first time.
/
Flashback
Friday, November 28th 2025.
She was supposed to pick up the twins and take them to Water Babies, while Chuck was supposed to collect the girls after Science Club which finished at four-thirty.
When Sarah got home with the twins, she was surprised the only noise was the soft hum of a Nina Simmone record floating through the house.
"Hey guys." Chuck greeted the twins first. "Did you have fun at swimming class?"
"Uh huh." Levi answered, and Lisa who tended to be quieter nodded.
"That's great." Chuck told them. He then turned his attention to his wife. "And hello to you too." He greeted, kissing her quickly.
"I was wondering when you'd get to me. I was beginning to feel neglected." Sarah pouted.
Chuck looked at the twins, who were busy removing their shoes and stepped closer to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, "I promise to make it up to you tonight." He whispered into her ear. His voice was low and husky, his breath warm on Sarah's ear and suddenly the room temperature increased. She felt a shiver of anticipation run through her body. Chuck stepped away from her, his eyes dancing with mischief as he took in Sarah's state. He then turned to the twins, helping them take off their shoes. Sarah meanwhile controlled herself, shaking her head slightly to get rid of the cobwebs.
"Levi, Lisa, go put your stuff in your room ok." Sarah said and watched as the twins climbed the stairs. She looked around the house and noticed that Chuck had been cleaning. CJ was spending the weekend at his best friend's Max's house so she expected the house to be quieter than usual, but Emily and Shamia were always involved in some boisterous activity.
"Um, Chuck? Where are the girls?"
Chuck looked at her with wide eyes. "The girls?" he asked confused. "You were supposed to collect them."
Sarah shook her head. "No Chuck...Remember I left work early so I would be able to get the twins from school and to swimming class on time." Sarah said.
"Oh my goodness Sarah." Chuck said and ran a hand over his face. He pulled his phone from his pocket and Sarah did the same.
"Four missed calls from Ellie and two from Devon." Chuck said.
"I've got one from each." Sarah said. "I didn't even here my phone ring. Levi must have accidentally put it on silent when they were watching Elmo on the way home."
Chuck sighed. "I'll call Ellie." He said going for the hand phone and began dialling. Sarah sat down with him as he made the call, anxious for news about their two girls. After confirming that Ellie had picked them up from school, after the girls couldn't get through to Chuck, they both were very relieved. Sarah then talked to Ellie for a bit before talking to each of their daughters and informing them that their father would be coming for them.
End flashback
/
"Gosh, forget your children once and no one lets you forget it." Chuck joked.
"I'm just glad the school called Ellie." Sarah said. "But I admit, it could've been worse. I remember reading this one article where a lady went to the store and forgot her baby was sleeping in a crib, and another guy forgot to collect his son from football practice and the boy was there in the rain.
"I'm sure the girls have forgiven you."
"Sure. That's why they wrote that note saying 'Don't forget about Emily and Shamia!' in red ink and posted it on the fridge."
Sarah laughed. Emily and Shamia sure did love taking Chuck on the guilt trip for his forgetfulness.
"Well I think I made up for it with those trips to the mall and the amusement park."
"What were you working on before I came in?" Sarah asked, changing the subject.
"Oh Beckman hired us for an outside job. There have been some recent attempts by someone or as I suspect some group to hack into the National Treasury's system. I was just making some notes." Chuck said. "But I really don't feel like talking about work right now."
"Really, what should we talk about then?"
"Do you want to go out with me?"
"Like on a date?" Sarah questioned.
"Uh huh. I'm thinking sometime next week."
"Chuck." Sarah sighed, "I'm not so sure. We will have to get either your mom or mine to watch the kids, or we will have to get a sitter, and you know how much hassle that can be sometimes."
"Come on Sarah, this time next week, you'll be busy helping out with a bake sale at one of the kids' school or some other fundraiser or attending a PTA meeting or a doing a business presentation, and you'll wish you would've spent one night alone with your husband.
Chuck rose from his chair and walked over to her. He began massaging his shoulders, and then bent his head to whisper in Sarah's ear. "Say yes Sarah."
Sarah slipped her eyes close, as Chuck's warm breath tickled her. "Ok." She accepted, her voice having a slight tremble to it.
"Great." Chuck said and stepped away from her. "I got magic coming your way baby."
Sarah laughed at his antics. "I'll be looking forward to it."
The rest of their lunch was filled with light banter. Afterward, they cleaned up and went their separate ways. Carmichael Industries while it focused on cyber-terrorism had been expanded to now encompass a technology division. He had a meeting with Morgan to discuss ideas for their upcoming game release, while Sarah had to go over some of the company's contracts with the legal team.
~/0/~
For the second time that day, Sarah found herself in the doctor's waiting room, anxiously tapping her fingers on her leg.
Oh crap! I forgot about the rehearsals. Damn it! She checked her watch; it was already ten past three. The girls' rehearsal was at 3:45. She'd never make it through her appointment, pick them up from school and get them to their rehearsals in time. She searched her handbag for her phone and dialled Emma.
-"Hey Mom."-
-"Hi sweetie. How are you?"-
-"I'm fine. I need you to do me a favour please."-
-"Sure, anything."-
-"I'm still at the doctor's office, so"-
"You're still at the doctor?"- Emma interrupted, confused. -"You just said you were fine."-
-"Mom, really, it's nothing to worry about."- Or at least I hope so…. -"I'm waiting on my blood tests results. Anyway, I won't be able to pick the girls up from school and take them to dance rehearsals. I'd hate to put you out, but can you please take them?"-
-"Of course. I can be at their school in five minutes."-
-"Thanks you so much Mom. Tell them I'm sorry I couldn't make it, but I'll make it up to them."-
-"It's no problem dear. I do however expect a full report on this doctor's visit." -
-"Yes mom. "- Sarah said mockingly. -"I love you, and thanks."-
-"Love you too baby girl. Bye. "- Emma said and they both hung up.
/\
"Mrs. Bartowski." The assistant called out looking at the sole occupant in the room. "Dr. Blackett will see you now."
Sarah sighed and rose from her chair and made her way to the office. She took a deep breath before knocking on the door and entering. Time to find out what's going on…
"Sarah, it's so nice to see you again." The doctor greeted one of her oldest patients and held out her hand for a hand shake.
"Likewise Judy."
"I have the test results back." The doctor said.
Sarah mentally began preparing herself. "Ok, just tell me. What is it? Is it the stomach flu? Or is it something worse?"
"Sarah, Sarah." Her doctor said to stop her ramblings. "It's not the stomach flu."
Sarah exhaled then, glad it wasn't the case. Judy continued to gloss over her file. "It says here that you missed your period."
"Um, yea." Sarah said, and then a thought hit her. "Is it menopause? I mean, I'm only almost thirty-nine, but I've heard about early menopause." Sarah rambled. She had missed her period last month, but had attributed that to the hectic life she was currently living and the stress that came along with it.
The doctor shook her head again. "It's not menopause either."
Sarah sighed, relieved. Ok. Ok. This is good. From the calm countenance of her doctor, Sarah was beginning to get confident that it was not anything major. "Then what is it?"
"You're pregnant. Congratulations." The doctor said with a smile. She watched Sarah, waiting for her reaction to the news.
"Excuse me?" Sarah choked out. "Did you just say that I'm pregnant?" She asked with emphasis on the last word. The doctor nodded. Sarah began shaking her head no..."There's no way that I can be pregnant." Sarah said convincingly….. She had been pregnant four times before, surely she would've recognized the symptoms…'But you've been so busy, it was easy not to notice' a voice in her head told her….
"The blood work and your symptoms tell another story." Dr. Blackett said.
"Am I being Punk'd?" Sarah said loudly. "Seriously, is Ashton Kutcher ready to jump out from behind the curtains?"
During her time as a doctor and later an OB/GYN, Dr. Blackett had seen pretty much all of the reactions to a pregnancy. These ranged from ecstatic, yet scared and when it came to the unplanned pregnancies, which she found to be an occurrence with a lot of her teen patients, it was disbelief, sheer terror and sometimes resentment and anger. In those situations, it was her duty as a doctor to inform the expectant mothers of their options: abortion, depending on the stage of the pregnancy and adoption.
Looking at Sarah, she realised that she was in absolute disbelief…clearly this was an unexpected pregnancy. "Sarah, I can tell that this pregnancy is a surprise." That's an understatement Sarah thought. "And I hope you don't think I'm out of line when I say this, but I've seen you and your husband together when you came in for appointments during your other pregnancies, and I'm confident that this baby will be just as loved as its other siblings." the doctor tried to assure her patient of fifteen years.
"How far along am I?"
"The hormones in the blood sample indicate you're still in your first trimester. Around ten weeks."
Sarah nodded.
"You're my last patient for the day, so we can hear the heart beat today if you'd like."
"NO!" Sarah almost shouted. "I'd prefer for Chuck to be here when we conduct any examinations. He hates to miss such things." It was true. Chuck had seen to it that he was there for each of her doctor's appointments during pregnancy, and had loved seeing his children on the ultra sound screen. Sarah would never forget how special those moments were, the happiness, love, and hope that were contained in his eyes. She didn't want him to miss out on this one.
The doctor nodded in understanding. "That's no problem. You can talk to my secretary on your way out and set up an appointment at your earliest convenience." She said. "But before we do that, I want to talk to you about this pregnancy. Pregnancies which occur after the woman passes the age of thirty-five are what we in the medical arena refer to as high-risk pregnancies." She noticed the alarmed look on Sarah's face.
"I've heard about those. Often times, the mother's health and that of the baby's are put in jeopardy." Sarah said. Her hands instinctively touched her stomach. After five kids, her stomach wasn't the same. Not that she had expected it to revert to its rock hard state, especially after the twins. However, she had maintained her work out regime, so her body was still toned. Her eyes flickered to her toned stomach…her baby…Baby number six was in there…
"I'm not saying this to scare you or anything. But it is my duty to confer the dangers and risks associated with these sorts of pregnancies." The doctor said and proceeded to explain to Sarah. "I admit, that your body is in fantastic shape after your pregnancies and you are fit for your age, so I don't think we should have much if any at all problems. I advise you to take it light, avoid the stress, strenuous work outs, try to get lots of rest, maintain a healthy diet, stuff like that. In fact, the majority of my patients who have had these so called high risk pregnancies went on to have problem-free pregnancies and gave birth to healthy babies." The doctor said. "However, if I see need for concern as the pregnancy progresses, I will place you on bed rest." she warned.
Sarah nodded, taking the advice to heart. Nothing would happen to this baby, not if she could help it. "What about work?" Sarah asked.
"You should be ok for now, just be sure to take it easy. This pregnancy can be rough and might wreak havoc on your body. I'll write up a prescription for your pre-natal vitamins and then you can be on your way."
"Thank you." Sarah said, taking the prescription.
"Any time." The doctor said. "Oh and Sarah?" She called. Sarah turned from the door. "I had my son when I was forty-three. I know how terrifying and nerve-wrecking it can be. Remember I'm only a phone call away."
Sarah smiled at that, and then bid her doctor goodbye.
/\
Sarah sat in her car, replaying the news in her head. She was pregnant. She still didn't believe it. She took out her phone and dialled Chuck.
-"Hey Chuck, where are you?"-
-"Hey Sarah. I'm at CJ's school."-
Sarah looked at the clock on the dashboard. It was already past four. He should've been home by now with the kids. Her mind began to go in overdrive and her eyes enlarged in panic. -"Why are you still there Chuck? Is something wrong with CJ? And where are the twins?"- She shot the questions of in quick succession not allowing Chuck to get a word in.
-"Sarah! Honey calm down. I was called in by the school's deputy principal earlier at work. CJ and a couple other boys were found tagging the walls."- Chuck explained.
-"He did what!?"- Sarah screeched. He knew better.
-"Yea! I couldn't believe it either. I'm trying to wrap up things here."- Chuck sighed and Sarah could hear the tiredness in his voice. -"I asked Morgan to collect the twins for me, so you can pick them up from their house."-
-"Ok. But tell CJ we will deal with him later tonight."-
-"Did the blood tests come back? What did the doctor say?"-
Sarah hesitated before answering, -"Everything is fine."- Well it wasn't a complete lie! And I'm certainly not going to tell him about the baby over a phone call. -"She gave me some vitamins, but we can talk later tonight. Love you, bye."-
-"Ok. Bye, love you too."- Chuck said and hung up.
~/0/~
Sarah knocked on the blue door of Morgan and Alex's home, and waited for someone to answer.
"Sarah!" Alex squealed when she saw her standing there. "It's so good to see you." She said as she ushered her inside. "It feels like forever since we've been together."
"Yup, it's been too long. We should go out for dinner or something soon."
"Definitely."
Sarah looked around the house, observing that it was clean, no toys carelessly left here and there, but it was also quiet. "Thank you so much for picking up the kids. Today just didn't go as planned." Sarah said.
"Oh, it's no problem. My Criminology class ended early today, so I was happy to."
"It's awfully quiet thought. Where are the kids?"
"Morgan took them to the park for ice cream. I'm sorry, I was going to call, but it slipped my mind. "Alex apologized. "I'll call Morgan and let him know you're here.
"Thanks." Sarah said.
Alex went to retrieve her phone from on the kitchen counter and called Morgan. While there, she called out to Sarah "Can I get you anything?"
"A glass of water would be fine." Sarah said as she walked into the kitchen.
Alex handed her a bottle of water and a glass with ice in it. Sarah nodded in gratitude.
"Morgan mentioned that you had a doctor's appointment today. Are you ok?" Alex asked as the two ladies took a seat on the bar stools.
"Yes, I'm fine; it's nothing to worry about."
The two ladies made small talk and caught up while they waited for Morgan to return with the four children.
"Alex, we're back." Morgan said when he entered the house fifteen minutes later.
"We're in the kitchen." Alex called out to him.
They heard the pitter patter of little feet as the children made their way to them.
"Mommy!" Lisa and Levi shouted.
"Hey babies." Sarah smiled at them.
"Auntie Sarah!" Alex and Morgan's children yelled when they saw her.
"Hey Cassidy." Sarah said addressing the black-haired seven-year old first. She then turned her attention to the younger Grimes child, "Hi Adam." The four year old waved back. "You guys are getting so big." Sarah commented.
"Well they do have Morgan's appetite." Alex said as she saw Morgan searching the cupboards for a snack.
Sarah laughed at that. "Well thanks again." Sarah told Alex and Morgan before turning to her two curly-haired children. "Tell your Auntie Alex and Uncle Morgan and your cousins bye."
"I'll go get their stuff for you Sarah." Morgan said and left the room with a Grape soda in one hand and a Rice Crispie treat in the other.
"Bye bye Auntie Alex, Cassidy and Adam." The twins chorused.
Morgan returned with the twins' school bags and decided to walk them out.
"You guys could have stayed a bit longer you know." Morgan told her.
"I would've loved to. Really Morgan, but my Mom is dropping the girls off from dance rehearsals and I want to be there when they get home. But I promise, we will all get together soon." Sarah said.
"Ok. Drive safe." Morgan said. "Bye kids."
"Bye Uncle Morgan." They waved from the back seat.
~/0/~
"Mommy, you missed our rehearsals today." Emily, her nine year old, honey-haired and Egyptian blue eyed daughter accused. Her freckled face forming a pout.
"Yea Mom! You said you'd be there." Shamia, the light brown haired and beaver brown eyes piped up.
Sarah ran a hand through her blond hair. "I know girls. I'm sorry I couldn't make it." She apologized. "I had an appointment with the doctor this evening."
"Oh." Emily said, feeling bad for accusing her mother.
"Are you sick Mommy?" Shamia asked, her face filled with concern.
"No, I'm OK." Sarah assured them. "And I really am sorry about rehearsals, but I promise you, we will all be there to watch your routines on Monday."
"Even Uncle Casey and Aunt Gertrude?" Emily asked.
Sarah frowned slightly. "Your Uncle Casey and Aunt Gertrude had to go to Bogotá for a couple of days. I'm not sure if they will be back in time." She noticed that her information had caused the children to deflate.
"But I'm sure your Uncle and Aunt will do their best to make it, and if they don't, we will just record it for them and they can watch when they come back." Emma said, attempting to do some damage control.
"By the way Mom, where's Molly?"
"Oh, she's staying at her best friend Claire's house for the weekend."
"Oh." Sarah said. "Well I'm going to get some juice and check on the twins. Do any of you want any?" They all answered in the negative.
"Honey, I'm home!" Chuck announced when he opened the front door, with CJ behind him.
"Hey Chuck." Sarah greeted him when she entered the foyer and gave him a quick peck on the lips. She then turned to her son. "CJ. How was your day?"
"It was fine." He replied, shifting on his feet. "Can I go to my room?"
"Sure. You're not a prisoner; you're free to go around the house as you please." Sarah said and CJ made his way up the stairs quickly, retreating to the sanctuary of his room.
"Where are the rest of the kids?"
"Levi and Lisa are watching Frozen in the family room and the girls are with my Mom in the living room."
"Oh Emma's here?"
"Yea, I couldn't make it to their rehearsals, so I asked her to take them." Sarah explained. "She will probably stay for dinner."
"Oh. Well, what are you feeling? Chinese? Italian? Pizza? Or?" he left it open-ended for Sarah to make a suggestion.
"Pizza sounds good to me, but to be safe we should see what the kids want."
"Hi Chuck." Emma said as she and the two girls came out of the living room.
"Emma, so nice to see you." Chuck said and kissed her on her cheek.
"And hello to two of the most beautiful girls in the world." Chuck said turning to Emily and Shamia.
"Hi daddy." They both replied.
"Did you have fun at dance class?"
"Yup, the teacher said my Pirouette était trés fantastiqué." Emily said.
"And I finally got the chaînés done today. C'était trés bien."
"Great, and awesome that you girls are indulging in the foreign languages." Chuck said. "Your Mom and I are ordering in. Does pizza sound OK?"
They replied in the affirmative. "Ok. Great. Emma would you mind ordering? I need to talk to Sarah for a bit."
"Sure, and then we can go join the twins."
Emily shook her head defiantly. "Nope. I don't wanna hear 'Let It Go' again. The twins have watched that movie a million times." She said, "I'll just be in my room reading the latest Justice League comics Daddy got for me. But come get me when the pizza gets here." She said and climbed the stairs.
Emma and Shamia then left Chuck and Sarah alone and went to join the twins.
Chuck and Sarah sat on the couch and Chuck began massaging Sarah's feet. "Today has been such a long day." Chuck said.
Tell me about it. "What happened at CJ's school?"
Chuck sighed, before answering. "One of the security guards caught CJ, Max and two other boys spray painting one of the walls at the back of their school. When they saw him, they tried to run away. Anyway to cut a long story short, they were eventually cornered and sent to the principal. It seems the two other boys are regular troublemakers, so they were suspended for ten days. CJ and max have detention for a week."
"OK." Sarah said. "And what about damages? Do we have to pay for that? Cause if we do, it's not coming from our money; CJ can use whatever he has saved."
"I like the way you think Mrs. Bartowski. But no, they didn't do that much, so they cleaned the wall before they were allowed to go home."
"Well I hope CJ learnt a lesson." Sarah said. "And by the way, you've been holding out on me. This massage feels so good."
"I'm glad you like." Chuck said.
"And while I hate to cut this short, we have to go talk to him."
/\
When Chuck and Sarah got upstairs, they stopped outside CJ's bedroom door, deciding their tactical approach.
"So are we doing Good Cop/Bad Cop?" Chuck asked. "Cause if we are, I think I should be the-"
"What?" Sarah cut him off "No, we are not doing that."
"Silent Cop/Tough Cop then?" He proposed hopefully. Sarah shook her head no. Chuck slightly frowned, "Ok. What about a code word? Oh! We can use time machine in case things go south."
"Time machine?" Sarah repeated.
"Yea. We use time machine in a sentence and that's code word for back up and regroup."
"Chuck." Sarah said exasperatedly. "We are not going to interrogate some criminal, we are only going to talk to our son. "
"OK. OK. Fine." Chuck conceded.
Sarah knocked slightly on the door and they both entered the room. Chuck closed it behind them and stood against it.
"CJ." Sarah said sweetly. Her son however was on his computer playing a video game and had headphones on his ears. She walked up to him and tapped him on his shoulder, causing him to jump slightly.
"Mom, you scared me." He said and took of the headphones. "What are you two doing in here?" he asked when he noticed his father was also in the room.
"I didn't know either of us needed permission to enter any room in our house." Sarah said.
CJ gulped. "That's not what I meant."
"Anyway," Sarah said getting back on track. "Is there anything you want to tell me?" she asked, the smile on her making CJ uncomfortable.
"Well, um." He began, and trailed of unsure of how to continue. Sarah looked at him expectantly, one eyebrow arched. "I'm sure Dad already told you what happened!" he yelled. "So why don't you ground me or whatever and leave me the hell alone." He said, irritation laced in his voice.
Sarah stepped back in shock; he never raised his voice at her before. She felt the anger begin to boil and took a few deep breaths, deciding how to handle her son.
"Listen to me young man. You will not speak to your mother that way. "Chuck firmly stated. "Apologize to her. Now!"
"I'm sorry Mom." CJ said, not looking his mother in the eyes.
"It's OK baby." Sarah said. She sat on his bed and motioned for both him and chuck to join her. "CJ, your father did tell me what happened. But I don't understand why you did it. You've never gotten in trouble at school before. Tell me what's going on." She knew adolescence was a rough time for teenagers; after all, hers was tumultuous to say the least.
"CJ, you know you can tell your Mom and me anything." Chuck said.
CJ took a deep breath before answering his parents. "Max and I didn't want to at first. But those two guys, Ryan and Shane, they said if we did, we would get invited to this party next weekend."
"CJ listen to me." Sarah said. "It's ok if people don't like you. You shouldn't do things you don't want to just to fit in. It's always better to be yourself. And if these boys try to pressure you or anything, tell one of your teachers or the principal."
"But Mom, then everyone will think I'm a tattle tale."
"It doesn't matter what people think about you. Sometimes doing the right thing makes people turn away from you." Chuck said. "But in the end, your real friends, like Max, they will always stick by you."
"OK. I promise I'll stay out of trouble." CJ said.
"Good." Chuck said and patted him on the shoulder.
"I'm going to go check on Emily." Sarah said as she and chuck turned to leave the room. "Oh, and by the way, no more computer usage unless it's school related or video games for a week."
"Aw Mom!" CJ groaned when she shut the door.
~/0/~
Emma had ordered two pizzas and they arrived within thirty minutes.
"Lisa, don't talk with your mouth full." Sarah admonished. "And Levi, chew with your mouth closed."
CJ took a sip of his soda and burped loudly. The twins laughed at that and tried unsuccessfully to mimic him.
"Ewww." Shamia said.
"You're so gross CJ." Emily told him.
"Manners people." Chuck said. "I think your mother and I did a good job of teaching you them. Use them."
Sarah quickly excused herself from the table, as she felt the familiar sensation of food making its way back up her mouth takeover. She quickly ran up the stairs, and ran into her' same Chuck's adjoining bathroom. After purging herself of the day's food, Sarah wiped her mouth and leaned against the cool surface of the bathtub. This feels nice. She closed her eyes, trying to control her breathing and return her body to normal. She lifted her T-shirt to look at her stomach and began rubbing circles around it. "You know baby…Mommy really needs to keep something down if you're gonna grow up to be healthy…I really want what's best for you."
She sat there for a while, waiting to see if another wave of nausea would hit her. When it didn't, Sarah cleaned up and then brushed her teeth. God I hope this inability to keep anything down soon passes.
Sarah sat on the couch in the corner of the room, trying to recollect herself before re-joining her family downstairs.
"Knock. Knock." Emma said as she entered the room.
Sarah cast a glance towards her as she entered.
"Do you mind telling me what is going on?" Emma asked Sarah as she sat down next to her daughter on the couch. When Sarah didn't reply, she continued, "Honey, are you sure you're feeling OK?"
"I'm fine." Sarah told her, and smiled to convince her.
Emma wasn't fooled. She placed her hand on Sarah's forehead and then under her neck, trying to determine if she had a fever. "You don't seem to be running a fever." Sarah shot her a look as to say 'I told you I was fine.' "But you feel a bit clammy. You know, you still haven't told me what happened at the doctor."
Sarah knew her mother was persistent, and at the moment, she didn't have the energy to keep deflecting. Wordlessly, she got up from the couch and moved to her dresser where she had rested her handbag. Sarah dug through it, until she found the brown paper bag she needed. Sarah hesitated, as she looked inside at the pre-natal vitamins. She felt conflicted, should she tell her mother about the pregnancy? On one hand, she wanted Chuck to be the first to know, but on the other, she wanted to get some advice….she wasn't sure how Chuck would take the news.
Emma noticed Sarah's hesitation. "Sarah?" Emma called out to her. She was beginning to grow very concerned, her daughter was acting strange. She got up from the chair and walked over to Sarah, hugging her from behind. "Honey, you're really beginning to scare me."
Sarah made her decision; she took the brown paper bag from her bag and handed it to her mother, then reclaimed her position in the couch, waiting for her to look inside. Emma looked at her curiously, before peeping inside.
She took out the pre-natal vitamins, and read the label on the box, her eyes widening in shock.
"You're pregnant?" Emma asked.
Sarah nodded. Emma walked over to Sarah and wrapped her hands around her. "That's not the reaction I was expecting." Emma said looking at Sarah who had a faraway look on her face. "Sarah? You're not happy about this pregnancy? Are you?"
Sarah didn't answer, and that only made her mother more anxious. "Sarah!" Emma screamed, grabbing her face in both her hands and turning it so Sarah would look directly in her eyes. "I hope you're not thinking about doing anything stupid." Emma said. She knew her daughter, knew how much she loved Chuck and her family, but she also knew that her life was a bit hectic considering she was raising five children.
Sarah's eyes snapped then. "Mom, of all people should know that I'd never do anything to jeopardize what Chuck and I have…. If I did anything to harm this baby, if I thought about ending this pregnancy, Chuck would never forgive me…I would never forgive myself…"Sarah knew doing any such thing would probably tear their family apart. She had always dreamed of being part of such a warm, loving and welcoming family, and she'd never do anything to break them apart. "I'm not that selfish…I wouldn't do that just because life has been crazy the past couple of days. This baby, unexpected or not is half me and half Chuck and I love him or her already….How could you even think I'd consider something like that?" Sarah said, as she fought back the tears. Damn hormones!
Emma pulled Sarah into her arms, trying to shush her. "Hey, it's OK. I didn't mean to upset you or anything. Believe me, it was never my intention. I just wanted to know what you're thinking; you're not talking to me." Emma said. "Just tell me what you're thinking." Emma pleaded.
"I'm scared Mom. I don't know how I'm going to manage a baby and the other kids...I don't even know how I'm going to tell Chuck! When we had the twins, that was supposed to be it…And now, when I'm close to hitting forty, bam! Pregnant again." Sarah said.
"I admit, it is a big surprise. I really didn't expect to be changing diapers again until Molly had her first." Emma commented. "But, this baby, like you said, it's half you, and half Chuck. It's a product of your love for each other. Now I know I wasn't around from the beginning of your courtship, but I think I can safely say that your love is strong, the bond you two share is unbreakable. I'm sure Chuck will be happy about the new baby. Yes he'll probably be in shock, but I know he'll be happy. And as for how you're gonna manage a new-born and the other five kids, you're not alone in this. Chuck's going to be by your side, I'll be here, Molly, Mary, Devon and Ellie, Morgan and Alex, even Casey and Gertrude. You have your family, and I can say that we will all be here to support you." Emma said.
Sarah nodded her Mom was right, as usual. "Thank you. I really needed to hear that."
"You're welcome." Emma said and wiped Sarah's tears away. "Now there's something I need you to do for me. Sarah looked at her questioningly. "Take some deep breaths and please try to stop worrying about Chuck's reaction to the news. All this worrying won't be good for the baby."
"Yes Ma'am." Sarah laughed and gave her a mock salute.
They both turned their direction to the door when they heard a knock. Sarah shoved the vitamins behind the throw cushion. Chuck opened the door and popped his head in.
"Everything in here ok?" Chuck asked. Though the question was asked out loud, he looked directly into to Sarah's eyes. Had she been crying? Chuck could sense that something was wrong.
"Yea, everything is good. We were just talking for a bit. We'll be right down." Emma said and smiled.
Chuck still stood there, unconvinced, he wanted to ask Sarah what was wrong, but thought better of it. "Well you might wanna hurry. The kids have eaten almost all the pizza."
"Oh, well in that case, I better go try to save myself a slice." Emma said as she got up from the couch. "Remember what I said." She whispered into Sarah's ear and gave her a kiss on her temple. Emma smiled at Chuck before closing the door behind her.
"Sarah?"
Yea Chuck?"
"Are you sure you're ok?"
"Yes Chuck, I'm fine." She said, giving him a soft kiss on his lips to assure him.
Chuck smiled at her after they broke the kiss. He knew she was acting a little off and he was determined to find out what it was about. However, he decided it could wait until later that night when they got the kids to bed. The pair then returned downstairs to finish their pizza. An hour later, all the children in the household were showered and the older ones were preparing to watch a movie. It was nearing the twins' bedtime so Sarah was getting ready to tell them their story. Sarah sat on Levi's bed, thinking of possible ways to break the news to Chuck and her mind drifted back to the previous times she had done so...
AN#2:Thanks so much for reading. Read and review. The next part will be out in about two/three days.
And for those of you who follow my other story, have no fear, I'll be updating soon, I've just been quite caught up in the Crop Over Festival activities.