Chapter 92
Ella rolled over in bed and felt her stomach lurch. She eased up out of bed and made her way to the bathroom to take a shower. Roman grinned as he heard the water come on. He thought about joining her but decided to go make breakfast instead. Pulling on his own bathrobe he made his way down the stairs. He had some cinnamon rolls he made yesterday so he put them in the oven to warm.
She came downstairs fully dressed.
"Hey." She said. "I thought you didn't have to be up early today."
"I thought I would make you breakfast." He told her.
She grinned and kissed him.
"Thank you." She murmured.
"Seems only fair since you get to spend the day baby shopping with Nic." He said and saw the minute look of sadness on her face.
He tugged her hand and pulled her into his arms.
"Hey." He said.
"It's getting better," she told him. "I no longer sob my heart out when the B word is mentioned."
"You haven't watched Finding Nemo this month either." He added.
She nodded and reached for the coffee pot to pour out a cup.
"I haven't have I?" she said softly.
"Nope." he leaned forward and kissed her just as Nic walked in.
"Will you two stop that." She muttered.
"Sorry Nic." Ella grinned. "Are you feeling grumpy?"
Nic glared at her.
"I can understand no coffee." She began.
"Stop." Roman muttered. "I'm going to go upstairs before you even go there." He took out the rolls and put them on the table before disappearing.
Ella waited for a moment before she ran to pick up her handbag. She pulled out the organiser and looked into it.
"What's up?" Nic asked quickly.
"Nothing. Just checking something out." El grinned at her. "Anyway is this the no sex thing?" she asked the other girl.
Nic looked at her before bursting into tears.
"Hey." Ella said and walked over to her and took Nic into her arms for a hug.
"I think Geoff is having an affair." She sobbed.
"Are you sure?" Ella asked and felt Nic shake her head. "Have you talked about it?" she asked her.
Nic pulled out a tissue and wiped her eyes before she blew her nose.
"I can't." she murmured. "I don't want him to know that I know."
Ella put her finger under her chin and lifted her head so that she looked at her.
"You either confront him or you give him a taste of what he is missing."
"But we can't make love." Nic said quickly.
"I'm sure that making love is not the be and end all of your relationship."
Nic looked down again before she looked up and smiled.
"Thank you step mama." She said.
"Are we going shopping?" she asked her.
Nic nodded.
Ella grinned and put her organiser into her handbag before grabbing her keys and leading them out.
"See you later." She shouted up the stairs.
She went out the door before turning around and walking back to the kitchen and pouring half the cup of coffee down the sink and grabbing a couple of the rolls. She juggled them in her hand going out to the car.
Nic looked at her and Ella held out her hand with the spare roll in it. She grinned and took it.
"What are we buying today?" she asked Nic.
"Clothes and looking at baby furniture." She said.
Ella grinned at her and set off driving them to the city.
They pulled up at the shopping centre and Ella parked the car before they got out and went upstairs to the precinct.
They walked around the centre looking at bits and pieces before heading into the baby shop.
Nic walked from rack to rack. Picking one outfit after another before putting them back.
She looked at Ella and grinned.
"Am I boring you?" she asked her.
"What?" Ella muttered. "Sorry, my mind is elsewhere."
"Not hot male models?" she asked.
Ella laughed and shook her head.
"He was gay Nicole. You have to get over it."
Nic looked at her for a moment a dreamy expression on her face.
"I did not mean like that." Ella added quickly.
"Sorry it's hormones." She grinned, blushing. "That and being banned."
Ella chuckled.
Nic looked round the shop.
"I really wish I'd found out the sex now." She moaned.
Ella walked over to a section and picked up a baby shawl and stroked it. Nic watched her.
"El." She said after a minute. "Let's go get a coffee."
Ella focused on her.
"Sorry?" she asked.
"Ok, you are scaring me. I said let's go get a drink." Nic put her arm through Ella's and led her away to a café.
"A cup of Decaff. " she ordered form the waitress.
"Make that two." Ella said.
Nic waited until the coffees arrived before she asked.
"Are you pregnant?"
Ella looked up quickly.
"No." she said.
Nic looked at her for a long moment. Her eyes were exactly like Roman's. She sighed and pulled out her organiser again.
"I haven't watched Finding Nemo." Ella told her.
Nic grinned.
"Maybe you're getting better." She suggested.
Ella shook her head.
"I watch it every month."
She opened it up and looked at it again.
"See." She pointed out. "I'm late."
"Screwy system."
Ella shook her head.
"Nic, I'm 3 weeks late. I didn't give it a thought. "
"Surely." She began and saw Ella shake her head.
"It would have been while I was on assignment last month, so no he wouldn't necessarily have noticed. Aside from not watching Finding Nemo." She muttered feeling slightly embarrassed. "And if I am it's my own stupid fault because I thought it was safe and we risked it." She didn't say that they risked it loads of times in just the one night.
"Well aside from the whole you are talking about my dad here bit that is making me feel queasy we need to get a test."
She looked at Nic and started to cry.
"I can't." she said.
"Ella." Nic said sternly. "We need to do it so that we can find out and you can start looking after yourself."
Ella shook her head.
"I seriously can't." she muttered.
"Why?" Nic asked her gently.
"Because if it is negative I'll fall apart" Ella whispered.
"Step-mama." Nic said after a minute. "I won't let you do this alone."
Ella looked up and wiped her eyes.
"Fine." She said to her.
"You are only saying that because you know I'm not going to stop until you've pee'd on a stick."
Ella nodded.
Nic grinned at her.
She stood up and went to the counter to pay for the coffees to give Ella a moment alone. Then she moved back to the table and they went into a pharmacy. Nic wandered down the aisles until she came across the pregnancy testing kits and picked one up before heading for the tills.
"Er Love." The shop assistant said to her looking at Nic's expanded waistline. "I think you might be a bit late buying this."
Nic grinned.
"It's for a friend." She said and winked.
She paid for it and then dragged Ella to the taxi rank where they picked up a cab and went to Ella's studio. They walked in and found Ruby reading a book sitting on the sofa.
"Nic." Ruby gasped when she saw them. "You are so pregnant." She muttered.
Nic chuckled.
She handed Ella the bag and gave her a push towards the bathroom.
"So Rubes how is college? Is Annie here?"
Ruby went into the kitchen and put the kettle on to boil.
"Annie is out with Migual, then she has the late shift." Ruby told her.
Ella came out.
"Nic." She said softly.
"What?" Nic turned to her.
"I can't look." Ella confessed.
"I can't either." Nic told her.
"Look at what?" Ruby asked.
Ella looked at Nic for a moment before looking at Ruby.
"A pregnancy test." She said quickly.
Ruby grinned.
"Really?" she asked. "I know that they said you shouldn't but .." she trailed off.
Ella went and sat on the sofa putting her head in her hands.
Ruby looked at Nic before walking into the bathroom.
"What does a pink line mean?" she shouted out.
"Not pregnant." Ella said.
She looked up and her eyes met Nic's.
"Well I don't have to worry about how your Dad is going to react." She said before she burst into tears.
"I'm sorry Step-mama." Nic came over to her.
Ruby came and sat on the table in front of her.
"Did you want a baby?" she asked, suspecting that was a really stupid question.
Ella nodded.
She looked up and wiped her eyes.
"Well you'll just have to try again." Nic grinned. "I'm sure it won't be a problem."
Ella shook her head.
"No. Because I'll tell him about this and well, he'll do stuff." She tried not to go into detail and spare Nic some blushes. "I think this was like my only chance."
Ruby grinned and handed over the testing stick.
Ella looked at it for a long moment.
"Two pink lines." She said.
Ruby grinned.
"Two?" She asked not believing her eyes.
"I'm going to be a sister." Nic gasped.
Ella grinned as more tears poured down her face.
"Hey I thought you would be happy." Ruby told her.
Ella nodded.
"I am happy but I have to tell Roman and I'm really scared." She confessed.
"Of my Dad? He's a pussycat around you." Nic grinned.
Ella shook her head.
"Yeah sure, after he's hit the roof because he thinks I've tricked him."
Ruby chuckled.
"So you were upset because you weren't and now you are upset because you are." She laughed at her.
Ella grinned.
"Just you wait until you have to deal with hormones young lady." She said to her.
"See you are sounding like a Mum already." Ruby told her and saw Ella give a slow smile and press her hand on her stomach.