CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
(chapter title – Baby Mine, part 1)
A week after Prom, Ella woke up early in the morning when she felt bile rise in her throat. She made a mad dash for the bathroom and emptied the contents of her stomach. She felt herself trembling as she cried and vomited some more. She was done vomiting five minutest later. She slowly rose, flushed the toilet, washed her hands and face before brushing her teeth and went back to bed.
At school the following week, she was sick again and every day after that.
"Tomas, I think we need to go to the doctor. I think I might be pregnant." Ella told Tomas.
"How can you be so sure?" Tomas asked.
"I've been throwing up every morning for the past two weeks and I've missed my period." Ella told her boyfriend.
"Let's go to the free clinic downtown. It's also private." Tomas suggested. Ella nodded and pushed her food away from her as she rested her head on Tomas' shoulder.
Right after school, the two of them headed to the clinic downtown. Ella told the nurse at the front station what was happening with her. The nurse had her fill out paperwork and have a seat.
Ella found a seat towards the back of the cramped waiting room, Tomas sitting next to her.
It took Ella five minutes to fill out the paperwork, which was a good thing because a nurse called her back. Tomas and Ella rose from their seats and followed the nurse toward the back of the clinic.
The nurse had Ella remove her shoes so the nurse could take her height and weight. Ella picked up her shoes as she and Tomas followed the nurse to an examining room. She had Ella sit on the examining table as Tomas sat in the chair next to the examining table.
The nurse asked Ella some personal questions as she took Ella's vitals. Ella answered every question honestly. The nurse glanced at Tomas for the first time.
"Are you two sexually active?" the nurse asked.
"Yeah. We've been for about three months now." Tomas answered as the nurse handed Ella a paper gown.
"Put this on. You can leave your underwear and bra on. Dr. Nichols will be right with you." The nurse told Tomas and Ella. Ella stripped out of her clothes as Tomas folded them neatly and put them in a pile.
Ella sat back on the examining table as a female doctor entered the room. She introduced herself as Dr. Nichols as she shook Ella and Tomas' hands.
"Well, what seems to be the problem?" Dr. Nichols asked, pushing her glasses to the bridge of her nose.
"I think I might be pregnant. I've been throwing up every day for a while and I missed my period." Ella told the doctor.
"When was the last time you two had sex?" the doctor asked.
"A month ago at Prom." Tomas answered.
"Okay, Ella. I'll want to perform a pelvic exam on you. I also want to do a urine test and a blood test." Dr. Nichols told Ella as she continued to examine her. Ella reached out for Tomas' hand and squeezed it.
Ella decided to do the pee test and the blood test first. She came back into the examining room and hopped back onto the table.
Tomas held Ella's hand as the doctor performed Ella's pelvic exam.
"I'm going to take this to the lab – I'll be right back. Ella, you can go ahead and get dressed, sweetie." Dr. Nichols told Ella as she exited the examining room. Ella took off the paper gown and put her clothes back on.
She was brushing her hair into a ponytail when Dr. Nichols came back, a smile on her face.
"Congratulations you two! Ella, it looks like you're about six weeks pregnant." Dr. Nichols told the couple. Ella felt all the color drain from her face.
"There has got to be some mistake – I can't be pregnant! My parents will kill me! I can barely take care of myself, let alone another human!" Ella told the doctor as she felt a panic attack coming on. She slowed her breathing and focused on having her breathing be nice and even.
"You can move in with me. We have a spare bedroom that you and the baby can stay in." Tomas told Ella, kissing her temple.
"My dad is gonna neuter you!" Ella told Tomas.
"It'll be okay. I'm sure they will love you, baby or no baby," Dr. Nichols told Ella, handing her a prescription for pre-natal vitamins. "I want you to take these once a day for the remainder of your pregnancy. I'll be your OBGYN, so that's all set."
"Babies are super expensive. I was also planning on going to college, but now, that dream is gone." Ella said, leaning against Tomas.
"There are scholarships for pregnant girls who want to go to college." Dr. Nichols told Ella, handing her some brochures for the scholarships, Lamaze classes and anything else baby related.
That night, Ella and Tomas told Ella's parents that Ella was pregnant. Just as Ella feared, Marius yelled at her while Cassidy looked and sounded disappointed.
"What example are you setting for your brothers and sisters? What were you thinking? We're very disappointed in you, Ella." Cassidy told her eldest.
"You were going to ride in the Olympics! Now that dream is gone!" Marius yelled. Ella felt tears stream down her cheeks as her parents continued to lecture her. Tomas wrapped an arm around her shoulders, letting her know it was all right.
Marius and Cassidy kicked Ella out of the house. She and Tomas packed up her things and headed out the door.
"You two are NEVER seeing your grandchild!" Ella yelled at her parents as she headed out the door. She slammed it behind her, not caring if she woke up her siblings or not.
"I cannot believe she did that!" Marius fumed as Tomas' car zoomed out of the driveway and into the oncoming night.
"I think you were too hard on her, dear." Cassidy told Marius as she checked on Jace and Felicity. They were both sleeping, which Cassidy was happy about.
"You were hard on her, too. If we only had kept her away from him-" Marius started when Cassidy shot him a death glare. "What?"
"They are so in love, Marius. Can't you see that? If we kept her away from him, she would only resent us more than she ever has in her whole life. He completes her and she completes him. They're like Romeo and Juliet – star-crossed young lovers," Cassidy told her husband, getting off the couch and went to the master bedroom, Marius following right behind her. "Go away, Marius. I'm calling Ella and I'm sure she doesn't want to talk to you."
Ella picked up on the third ring just as they pulled into Tomas' driveway.
"Hello?"
"Ella, it's mom. I just wanted to say, you know I love you unconditionally. You made a mistake, but this baby is a blessing. I will be there for you, no matter what." Cassidy's kind words floated to Ella's ear.
"Thanks mom. I knew I could count on you to support me." Ella told Cassidy, smiling.
"Your dad is really trying, El. Just give him a chance." Cassidy told her eldest.
"I can't – he kicked me out of the family!" Ella told Cassidy, tears welling up in her eyes.
Ella and Cassidy talked for a little bit before Ella went to help Tomas put her things in the spare bedroom.
"You okay?" Tomas asked, kissing the top of Ella's head.
"I don't know!" Ella complained, sitting on the bed. Tomas sat next to her.
"What happened?" Tomas questioned, wrapping an arm around her waist.
"Mom is totally in favor of me having this baby. Dad, however, is against me having it. I just want this baby to be here so I can assure my dad that I can be a good mother!" Ella sobbed. Tomas drew her close to him and kissed her temple, his hands going to her stomach.
"It's a shame that we can't share a dorm room when we're at college." Tomas told his girlfriend as they got ready for bed that night. The two of them were taking a shower together.
"What do you mean?" Ella inquired as she rinsed the shampoo out of her hair. She felt Tomas kiss her neck, his arms wrapped around her.
"The girls have floors 1-3. The boys have floors 4-6. I think you're on the second floor. I'm on the fifth floor." Tomas explained, kissing Ella's shoulders. He turned her so that she was facing him and looked her over.
Ella, Sara, Tomas and the rest of the graduating seniors received their diplomas from their favorite teachers. Ella smiled as Mr. Turner, the choir teacher, handed her a diploma. She hugged him and walked across the stage.
To celebrate the graduation, Tomas, Sara and Ella went to a movie and out to dinner.
Ella had gotten a job at an animal shelter. There were dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets and every other small creature imaginable. The shelter also had horses and ponies. Tomas worked at Marius' law office in the mailroom.
The two of them moved all their things to their dorm rooms at the end of the summer. Ella squealed when Sara entered the room. The two of them talked excitedly as they unpacked their boxes and bags of stuff.
Summer ended and fall was approaching. Ella decided to take some child development classes and some business classes. Tomas was also taking the same child development classes that Ella was.
The day before they were to start classes, Tomas proposed to Ella. She said 'yes' as a beautiful ring was placed on her left ring finger. He kissed her, taking in her sweet taste. Ella returned the kisses, happy to be his forever.
The first day of classes went really well. Since Ella was the only pregnant girl in her Birth and Infant class, she would be the class model. The students would take turns measuring Ella as the baby inside of her grew. They would also be asking Ella all sorts of health questions, not only about her, but about her unborn baby and her fiancée.
At lunch, Ella ate more than she had in her entire life. She had lunch with a few friends from her class, including Sara and Tomas.
"So, you're eating for two?" a girl from her class, Meg, asked.
"Yeah. I have to be careful of what I can and can't have." Ella answered, helping herself to some more salad.
A few moments later, Ella was full and headed back to her dorm, Sara right behind her.
"What should I do if you go into labor?" Sara asked as Ella rubbed her stomach. She was three months pregnant and so far, the baby was healthy and happy.
"First, call Tomas then call my doctor – Dr. Nichols. Both their numbers are in my phone. Then call my mom." Ella instructed as she continued to rub her stomach.
"Are you okay?" Sara asked, looking up from her Astronomy homework.
"Yeah. We get to hear the baby's heartbeat tomorrow. I'm so excited!" Ella told her best friend as she got into bed. As soon as her head touched the pillow, Ella was out like a light.
The following day after class, Tomas, Sara and Ella were crammed into a small examining room. Dr. Nichols smiled as she entered the room, followed by a young nurse pushing a fetal monitor.
"So, today's the big day – you get to hear your baby's heartbeat." Dr. Nichols told the three people in front of her. Ella was already on the examining table, holding Tomas' hand. He smiled and squeezed her hand back.
Dr. Nichols hooked Ella up to the fetal monitor as Sara watched and took notes. Dr. Nichols then lifted Ella's shirt to her chest and rubbed some gel on her stomach. She then got a wand and ran it over Ella's stomach. A loud thudding filled the air.
"What is that?" Ella asked.
"That is your baby's heartbeat," Dr. Nichols answered. "Have you decided what sort of birth you want? Natural or C-Section?"
"Natural. Tomas and I talked about it and we decided on natural." Ella told the doctor.
"Okay. At your next appointment, we'll see how much weight the baby is gaining and you'll get to see your little one on the ultrasound screen." Dr. Nichols told the young couple. Tomas leaned down and kissed Ella's forehead. She smiled and looked up at her wonderful fiancée.
The two of them thanked the doctor as she wiped up the gel on Ella's stomach.
"Have you two decided on names yet?" Sara asked as they headed back to the dorms.
"Helena for a girl and Rory for a boy." Ella and Tomas answered in unison.
"I love those names." Sara told her friends as Ella's phone rang. She excused herself from the conversation and returned ten minutes later, a big smile on her face.
"Aunt Bridget had her baby – a little boy she and Grantaire named Anthos Tyler. Anthos is from The Three Musketeers and one of Grantaire's favorite books. Tyler because they really liked the name." Ella told her friends, grinning from ear-to-ear.
"Congratulations to your aunt and Grantaire." Tomas told Ella, kissing her forehead as the three of them climbed into the elevator. His hands went to her stomach and laid them there. Ella put her hands on top of his and gently squeezed them.
Sara looked at her friends and sighed, hoping to have someone like Tomas one day.
Two months later
Ella and Tomas found themselves back in the examining room. This time, they were there to find out what they were having.
"Congratulations you two – you're having a little girl!" Dr. Nichols told the couple, looking at the ultrasound screen. Ella smiled and squeezed Tomas' hand. The little girl was stretched out and was facing them.
"She's beautiful!" Ella breathed, feeling tears in her eyes. Tomas kissed the top of Ella's forehead and looked at the screen.
"Looks like everything is on schedule. Two days before your due date, we'll get you a room in the birthing suite. I would like you to take three months off school." Dr. Nichols instructed Ella. She nodded and thanked the doctor.
"Honey, I just realized something – Helena's due date is the last day of class before Spring Break. We have our Birth and Infant class that day." Tomas told Ella as they went to his house to do laundry.
"Wouldn't that be funny if I went into labor during the class?" Ella joked. Tomas smiled and kissed her forehead, looking into her kind eyes.
A month later
Ella was up on a pedestal, demonstrating for the class how big she was. Sara was currently measuring Ella's middle. She wrote down the results and showed it to the teacher. The teacher smiled and announced it to the class.
"So, if Ella has blond hair and green eyes and Tomas had brown hair and eyes, what will their baby look like?" the teacher asked as Ella took her seat.
"She'll probably have both her mother and father's genes." A boy called from the back of the class.
"Right, Greg," The teacher said as the bell rang. "Have a good Spring Break everyone and I'll see you next week!"
Everyone filed out of the classroom, Ella and Tomas being the last ones to leave.
"Ella, when you go into labor, can you call me?" the teacher asked, handing Ella a business card with her information on it.
"Sure." Ella answered, taking Tomas' hand in hers.
"When's your due date?" the teacher asked as the three of them walked out of the building.
"Any day now." Ella answered, suddenly squeezing her eyes shut as something trickled down her leg.
"Are you all right?" Tomas asked, taking Ella aside. He looked down at the ground at a large puddle. "Honey, your water broke. Let's get you to the hospital."
The teacher was glad to go to Ella's dorm room to get her overnight bag and tell Sara that Ella had gone into labor. Tomas called Dr. Nichols and Cassidy as they went to the hospital.
"Easy, sweetie. It's okay." Tomas soothed as he squeezed Ella's hand.
In no time, Ella was changed into a hospital gown and was in the delivery room.