It's the morning of her doctor's appointment and Hanna is shaking. She quivers first thing in the morning as she pulls the blankets off of herself, and a few minutes later in the shower, and as she's getting dressed. The tremor continues as she tries to put on some mascara and lip gloss (which was the bare minimum in her eyes), and as she sits on the bench outside of the apartment building, waiting for Caleb.
All she can think about is how much she doesn't want a child right now. Her opinions of parenthood have come a long way since she was a sixteen year old in Rosewood, but she hasn't. She would prefer to get her career started first, and then think about children. Her thoughts are interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Caleb's footsteps. She grins at him, and him at her, and he offers her his hand to help her up.
"I was thinking we could get something to eat after your appointment," he begins as they begin to walk towards their destination (the doctor's office was only about a block away). "Baby or not, you've still gotta eat." Hanna pauses for a moment, and then continues along the sidewalk. "Sounds good," she finally replies, very curtly. She doesn't mean to be so rude to him. She just doesn't want to think about the possibilities. Caleb holds her hand just a little bit tighter.
When they reach the office, she lets go of his hand. "Maybe we shouldn't." Anxiety is gnawing away at her like a dog would a new bone. Caleb can tell, and he places a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's just a test, Han. You've been through worse."
Hanna sighs and nods and starts up the stairs. Caleb follows her. He's nervous about this too, but he would never tell her that. Not now, at least.
Fifteen minutes into their waiting room stay, a nurse calls Hanna into the examination room. She looks at Caleb with fear-filled blue optics, and he looks back at her with soothing coffee ones and a soft smile. They get up together, and head to the back. Hanna keeps close to him; close enough for her to speak to them as the nurse leads them to the room.
"How are you so calm?"
"We don't know anything yet."
"But that's the thing... We don't know anything yet."
"Han, it doesn't make any sense to stress over something you're not even sure is true."
Caleb was one to talk. When Hanna and the other girls returned from the dollhouse, his stress levels went through the roof. He was constantly worried that something horrible would happen to her, and that he wouldn't be able to save her.
"That makes it all the more stressful."
They reach the room and the nurse explains the procedure. Once she's done, she hands Hanna a plastic cup and sends her off to put it to use, and tells Caleb to get comfortable. Once the nurse is gone, Caleb rests his head against the wall and closes his eyes for a few minutes.
His coffee brown eyes open again when he hears someone enter the room; Hanna. The blonde sighs and takes a seat on the long examination table. There's silence in the room for a bit; awkward silence.
Caleb straightens up and moves towards her, taking her hand once he's close enough. "You don't need to worry, Hanna," he assures, running his thumb over the back of her hand.
"I'm not worried. It's just— We can't have a kid now, Caleb."
"Why not? I mean... It's not like we're not financially stable. I have a good job, and—"
"You do. I kind of wanted to make something of myself first. The fashion world is demanding, and I'm never gonna make it if—"
Hanna ceases to speak and the two direct their attention towards the doctor, who stands in the doorway. Neither of them are sure how long he's been there, but they both hope he hadn't heard their entire conversation.
The doctor clears his throat, and then looks down at his clipboard. "Congratulations, Miss Marin. You're pregnant." There's some uncertainty in his voice, as if he's unsure of how to break the news. Caleb sighs and looks at Hanna. Hanna runs toward the garbage can to puke.
"Alright, now we can panic," Caleb says as he holds the diner door open for Hanna. Hanna's still mystified, and hardly even thanks him as she steps into the building. The diner is relatively busy, but they still manage to find a booth in the back. Hanna slides in on one side, and Caleb slides in on another. "You know, they have really good chee—"
"I've had one before."
"Alright... Do you maybe wanna share some fries."
Hanna shakes her head at him, pouting.
"Hanna, you have to eat something. It's not good for the—"
The blonde raises a hand, and he immediately stops speaking. "Baby. I know. You don't have to bring up the baby every five minutes, Caleb. I know it's there." She sighs. She knows he's only trying to helpful and supportive, but she wants some time to think.
"I don't have much of an appetite anyway. I'm too nauseous."
"Alright... But I'm still getting fries. You're free to have some if you want."
Hanna nods and takes out her phone.
"Texting your mom?"
"Playing Candy Crush."
He reaches across the table and taps the power button at the top of the phone. Hanna raises her eyebrows in protest. "Rude!"
"I wanna talk to you."
"About what?"
"Us. We have a lot to think about, and—"
"And it can wait until we get home. Caleb, I don't wanna think too much into things right now. I'm sorry."
He frowns, but nods in agreement. "Then maybe we can talk about something else. Have you heard from Spencer lately?"
"Yeah. Last I heard, she took her LSAT. She's really getting her life together... Not that it wasn't already together." The blonde sighs. Thinking about all the progress her friend was making didn't do much to make her feel better. "Have you heard from Toby?"
Caleb nodded. "He's still in Rosewood. Still a police officer. I heard he came across some big money though."
Hanna sighs again, rubbing her eyes. She's tired of talking about her friends. "Can we go home, please?"
Caleb's brow furrows. "Are you sure?" Hanna nods. She's ready for a nap, or at least to lay down and stop thinking about her life.
"Alright, we can go home."
Author's note: Sorry for taking so long to update this! I got carried away with school, but I have a huge break coming up, so you can probably expect another update or two within the next 2-3 weeks. What do you guys think of the story so far, though? I'm trying not to focus too much on what's canon for 6b, because from what I can tell, it's gonna be a mess, and I hope that's alright.