It's their last day in Rosewood before they have to head back to New York, and Hanna and Caleb want to make sure it doesn't go to waste. Right now, they're sitting around a table at their favourite breakfast joint, accompanied by Spencer, Toby, Aria, Emily, and Alison. Hanna's watching Caleb like a hawk to make sure he doesn't need help with anything (he's still incapacitated from the accident), and he's doing the same with her.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay another couple of days?" Emily asks, taking a swig of her orange juice. She's hardly seen the couple since they've been there (or since they left the last time, for that matter). Aria and Alison nod in agreement, looking at the couple intently.
"I have to get back to work," Caleb replies, shaking his head. "And I only brought a week's worth of clothes," Hanna adds. She's not too keen on starting off the New Year in old clothes. The other girls look disappointed. "You're more than welcome to come back to Manhattan with us though." The last time all five girls were in New York together was the day Alison came back, Ezra got shot, and Shana died, so it would be nice for them to be able to experience it in peace.
Their conversation is interrupted when the waiter comes by with their orders. The sudden influx of smells causes Hanna's stomach to turn, and it becomes pretty clear to the other girls that she doesn't feel well; for one thing, the colour's practically gone from her face. Spencer and Toby (who, other than Caleb, are the only other people who are aware of the true cause) exchange glances.
"You okay?" Aria asks, unwrapping her silverware and resting her napkin on her lap. Hanna nods, looking to Caleb for some help. She doesn't want to break the news to them just yet. It's still really early. He's stumped too, and as soon as she sees that, she's ready to save herself. "It's just a little bit hot in here." One hand is gently rubbing her stomach, and the other is using the laminated cardstock menu to move air towards her face. Another exchange of glances, this time between the three people who are out of the loop.
"Anyway, as Hanna was saying, we would love for you to come visit us in Manhattan sometime." Finally, a save from Caleb. "We don't have a ton of room in our apartment, but we'll figure something out."
Hanna's losing the fight to fight back the puke, and in the middle of Caleb's sentence, she finds herself up and running for the bathroom. Spencer gets up to follow her, as does Toby until he realizes what following her entails and sits back down. "Caleb, is she alright?" The question comes from Emily this time. All Caleb does is shrug in response. Hanna told him she wanted to wait, and even though that isn't what he wants, he's going to respect her wishes.
Meanwhile, Spencer's waiting outside the stall for Hanna, wishing she hadn't gotten up right away. She's not too fond of the sound or retching. Eventually, it stopped and the stall door opened to reveal a rather disoriented-looking Hanna emerges. "Feeling better?" Startled, the blonde looks up to see her friend handing her a paper towel. She's hesitant to respond at first, for obvious reasons, but she nods and takes the paper. "Better than ever." That proves to be untrue when she finds herself leaning headfirst over the toilet again. Spencer steps into the tiny cubicle with her to hold her hair, and hopes that no one else they know will walk in and see this.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Hanna sighs and nods. That's technically true; medically speaking, she's perfectly fine. Physically, on the other hand, she feels like she's on the brink of a slow and painful death. "Can I tell you something?" Spencer's released her hair and stepped away at this point, and the blonde is heading towards the sink to rinse out her mouth and wash her hands. The brunette nods, looking as though she doesn't already know what's coming. The time she spent in Rosewood High's Drama Club was definitely paying off now.
"Well, uh—" She doesn't know how to say this. This is the first time she's had to; the only other person who knows (as far as she knows) was in the room when she found out. "Spencer, I—" Spencer's practically ready to wring the words out of her. She already knows, thanks to Caleb's loose lips, but she knows she's not supposed to and isn't interested in causing any friction between them. So, tries her hardest to appear clueless. "Caleb and I— We're having a baby." And there it is. It's out in the open. The words have been uttered for the first time, and there's no taking it back now. But from the look on Spencer's face, Hanna's not sure she would ever want to.
"Congratulations." The blonde finds herself wrapped (or trapped) in Spencer's embrace, squirming to get loose. Her chest is still a little bit sore, so she's not a huge fan of frontal hugs right now. "Can you congratulate me from, like, a foot away?" The embrace ceases and Spencer takes a step back to allow Hanna some space. "Thank you... And thank you. You're actually, uh— One of the firsts to know. Other than Caleb, of course," Not completely true, but Hanna doesn't know that. "Do you think we could keep this between us for like... another month?"
"Of course." Spencer has no problem with keeping Hanna's secret. The problem is with making sure Toby doesn't accidentally say anything. She's sure she doesn't have anything to worry about, but she can't help but think that way.
"Thank you. I don't look like I've been puking, do I?" Hanna's facing the mirror now, inspecting her outfit for any tell-tale stains. "No, you look fine," Spencer replies, examining the clothing as well. "Get back out there, Mama."
Breakfast's over, and everyone's saying their goodbyes. If Hanna's correct, they've all agreed to meet up again, tonight, to watch the ball drop and ring in the New Year, but she's not certain. Everything sounded like a jumble to her. Caleb pulls her close (at least, as close as he can) and kisses the top of her head. He knows she's had a rough morning so far, and he wants to do everything he can to turn it around. Before he can suggest further plans for the day, she speaks up. "I know it's our last day in Rosewood, but would it be alright if we just went home and relaxed for a few hours?" She still hasn't completely recovered from her bout of nausea during the gathering, and she doesn't want to be out where everyone can see her if she needs to vomit again. That, and she really needs a nap right now.
Caleb nods, getting a proper grip on his crutch and beginning to limp towards the car. Hanna helps him get situated in the passengers side before sliding into the drivers seat. She has no clue how she's going to make it the whole two hours tomorrow; she's not used to driving for long periods of time, and she knows she's gonna have to pull over quite a few times along the way. An extended stay in Rosewood was looking better, and better by the minute. She starts the car and pulls out of the restaurant parking lot, trying to think about anything and everything but the contents of her stomach. Caleb's still trying to find a comfortable position for his leg.
"I told Spencer." Caleb looks over at her inquisitively. Just a week ago, they were in this same car arguing about whether or not they were going to start telling people, and she was against it, so he's right to be surprised. "She handed me a paper towel and held my hair. I couldn't get around it, even if I wanted to." That clears things up a bit. "Are we waiting to tell the rest of them?" She's not even sure about that anymore. She told Spencer not to say anything, but now that it's out there, it doesn't really make much sense to continue to keep it under wraps.
"What do you think?" He wants to. He definitely wants to. And maybe, just maybe, they can do it while he's sober this time. "We can tell them at the thing tonight." Hanna's all up for it. In fact, she's already got an idea of how she's gonna do it. "Tonight it is."
The first thing she sees is the alcohol. There are at least three open bottles on the coffee table, and she can't pour herself a drink out of any of them. At least Caleb agreed to stay dry with her for the night. They're all sitting in Toby's living room, watching New Year's Rocking Eve and chatting up a storm. It's a wonder they have anything left to talk about after breakfast.
Caleb's good arm is wrapped around Hanna's waist, and she's trying to rest against him comfortably without hurting him. They're both pretty anxious about tonight; the ball is dropping in Times Square, and the proverbial bomb is dropping in Rosewood. They're both anxious about breaking the news tonight; the decision was made pretty hastily, but they agree that it wouldn't hurt to get it over with.
"I'm gonna start pouring the champagne," Toby says, rising from the couch and moving towards the kitchen. Spencer gets up to help him, taking a headcount, noting Hanna, who mouths the word water to her, and gestures toward Caleb as well. The brunette nods and steps into the kitchen to help her boyfriend. Aria, Emily, and Alison are going on about the performance that's happening on the television. Hanna's trying to focus on it as well, but then Caleb brings her even closer to his body, and his thumb grazes her tummy, and her attention is back on him again.
He grins, and presses his lips to her temple. She, in turn, pulls away and presses her lips to his. "You can't wait three more minutes?" Aria shrieks, catching a glace at their affection out of the corner of her eye. She's the only one here without someone to kiss, so she's a little bit prickly. Hanna rolls her eyes at her and turns back to Caleb, who leans back in to kiss her again.
Spencer and Toby come back out with the glasses about a minute later. They pass out the alcoholic beverages first, and the remaining glasses of water to the expectant couple. By the time everyone has their drink and is comfortable, the countdown's started, and there's about thirty seconds left in the year. Thirty seconds until Hanna and Caleb share their secret. Twenty-nine, twenty-eight...
Hanna's eyes are shifting between Caleb and the television. She's visibly nervous now. Caleb is, too, but not as explicitly. Fifteen, fourteen...
Emily and Alison are holding hands. Aria's checking her phone to see if Ezra's texted her; she doesn't want to be the ex that gets left in the previous year. Spencer's keeping her own countdown on her phone, just to see if the timing on the program is accurate, and Toby's watching the seconds pass. Hanna looks at Caleb again. "Ready?" she whispers. "If you are." Three, two, one...
The jumbled sound of exclamations fills the room. While five people shouted the typical sentiment for the holiday, two announced that they would be having a baby. Naturally, the announcement took precedence. There's silence in the room, with the exception of the noise coming from the television, followed by an even more jumbled series of congratulations and questions.
The room feels much livelier now. To think, people are more excited about a baby than a new year. They hold up their glasses to toast to the new year, and to the new generation. And when that's all said and done and everyone's finished their drinks and gotten the hype out of their system, they all get up to leave. Hanna's the first one out the door, regrettably. She has to drive home, and then back to New York in the morning, so she wants to get as much sleep as possible before she has to hit the road. Everyone gets a hug goodbye; first Aria, then Alison, Emily, Toby, and the biggest one is reserved for Spencer, who promises to come visit them as soon as she gets the chance. Hanna's excited about that. She likes having her friends close; it's one of the things she misses the most about living in Rosewood.
Caleb settles for smiles and kind words. Hanna's the only person who knows how to juggle the crutches and the sling, and he's not trying to worsen any of his injuries tonight. Hanna helps him to the car like she did earlier in the day, and pulls out of the driveway, but she doesn't drive home immediately. She pulls into the nearby woods instead and parks the car. "Hanna, if you need directions—" Caleb begins, only to be cut off by his girlfriend.
"I want my New Year's kiss," she tells him, putting the car in park. She's tired, but this is worth the quick stop.
"Do you now?" She nods, leaning over, running her top teeth against her pink petals. "How can I say no to you?" He quickly closes the space between them, uninjured arm going up to caress her cheek, and then pulls away. "Happy New Year."
Author's note: Three chapters in a week? Guess that's what happens when the show comes off of hiatus and your favourite ship is no longer together. I'm not sure if I'll be able to top this rate, but I'll try! Let me know what you think about this chapter though, and thank you for reading.