"Blake, please." The blonde was currently bouncing the sobbing infant on her hip, trying (and failing) to soothe him. She might've been able to if she knew what was wrong with him, but she didn't. "I know you're not hungry, because you wouldn't eat when I tried to feed you. I know you're not tired, because you wouldn't sleep when I put you in your crib. I know you're not dirty, because I just changed you. You're not lonely, because I'm holding you and you're still crying. So, what's the problem?" she questioned, as if Blake could respond to her. She wished he could; maybe then, she could give him what he needed and get some peace and quiet.
An exasperated sigh escaped the blonde's lips as she turns on her heels to exit the nursery. She hadn't wanted to wake Caleb up; he had a full day of work ahead of him and needed the rest, but she needed Blake to stop crying so that she could go back to sleep and get the rest that she needed. "We're gonna talk to daddy, okay? Maybe he can figure out what you need," she assured (more for her own sake than for Blake's), gently patting the child's back as she carried him back to the master bedroom. Caleb was already awake and waiting when they got there, looking just as exhausted as she was. "Nothing's working," Hanna began, handing the child to his father and crawling into bed. The male put the infant against his shoulder, picking up where Hanna left off and patting his back gently as he tried to come up with a solution. "Did he eat at all?" Caleb questioned, glancing over at Hanna, who looked as if she was going to fall asleep sitting up. "No, he didn't want to." A puzzled expression replaced his sleepy one. "Are you sure he's your son?"
The cold glare that followed gave Caleb chills. "Sorry. He's not tired because he just woke up... Did you change him?" Hanna nodded. "He might as well be the cleanest baby in Rosewood." The father pursed his lips. All the bases were covered, or so he thought. "Here, take him for a moment. I'm gonna look this up," he told her, handing her the baby and then reaching for his phone. Hanna propped the baby up on her legs, a small part of her hoping that a change in position would calm the child. But it didn't.
It took about five minutes for Caleb to find something. Blake was still crying, and Hanna still looked like she was ready to pass out. "Has he worn that onesie before?" he questioned, gesturing for Hanna to hand the baby back to him. "Caleb, it's almost three am. Do you think that's something I would remember at three am?" The male rolled his eyes, not caring whether or not she saw. "Just guess," he replied, a bit too shortly. Hanna shook her head, as if that was going to jog her memory. "No, I don't think he has." Caleb nodded slowly before setting the baby down in the space between them and starting to strip him. Hanna helped, setting the garment aside once it was off. Within what seemed like seconds, Blake's wails turned into whimpers. "That's it? He put up that huge fuss, just because he didn't like his outfit?"
Caleb chuckled. "I guess he is your child after all." Cue another glare from Hanna. "Alright, alright. Go back to sleep. I'll put him back in his crib," he told her, picking Blake up and starting back towards the nursery. Hanna curled up under the covers, ready to get back to sleep. The baby would be awake again in a few hours, and she wanted to get as much sleep as she possibly could before then. Caleb returned moments later and snuggled up to his fiancee. "We're letting him sleep naked from now on," he mumbled, wrapping an arm around Hanna, who let out a yawn. Normally, she would've protested; dressing Blake was one of her favourite things to do, but she didn't want him to be uncomfortable. "As long as he's happy." Her eyes were growing heavier, so she shut them. "You should get some sleep," she began, voice as somnolent as ever. "You have work in the morning."
The blonde couldn't see it, but Caleb was smiling at her. "You're right," he replied, releasing his grasp on her for just a moment so that he could prop himself up and peck her cheek. Hanna smiled sleepily. This wasn't some huge gesture, but it still made her feel like one of the happiest people in the world. Caleb usually had that effect on her. "Goodnight," he whispered, before returning to his original position; lying on his side with his arm wrapped around her torso. "I love you."
Hanna woke up again at eight. Caleb was already awake and getting ready for work. He was currently standing in front of the full-length mirror that was mounted on their bedroom door, buttoning his light blue Oxford shirt. She didn't greet him right away; she was too distracted by the action. It wasn't until he turned around that she gained the presence of mind to speak. "Did you sleep well?" she asked, sitting up on the bed and folding her hands in her lap. He nodded. "Like a baby." Hanna scoffed, but after thinking about it for a second, realized he wasn't lying. They'd both slept like babies; their sleep schedule was built around Blake's. "Did you?" Caleb asked, reaching for his tie and attempting to tie it. The operative word was attempting. Hanna watched him struggle with the thin piece of fabric, and after witnessing two failed attempts, she stepped in. It was weird; she could've sworn that she saw him tie one before. "I've got it," she told him, getting out of bed and walking towards where he was standing. In a matter of moments, the tie was tied and Caleb was free to get back to whatever else he needed to do. "Thank you," he said, pressing a tender kiss to her lips before turning back towards the mirror. "Don't mention it," the blonde replied, heading towards the bathroom to brush her teeth.
As soon as the toothbrush made contact with her mouth, the sound of a crying baby filled the room. "Caleb, can you get him?" Hanna called, not wanting to leave the bathroom with a mouthful of toothpaste foam. "Already on it," Caleb replied, already halfway to the nursery. The blonde finished brushing and headed towards the infant's room herself. By that time, the crying had died down. Hanna entered to see Caleb sitting in the rocking chair, cradling the infant, who was now cooing happily. She wished she hadn't left her cellphone in the bedroom; this was definitely a photo-worthy moment. "I can take him, if you wanna finish getting ready," she told him, leaning against the changing table. "Yeah, of course," he replied, pressing a kiss to the baby's forehead before handing him to her and turning on his heels to head back to the bedroom. "Where's mine?" Hanna asked, a fake pout on her lips. "Right," he replied, kissing her as well, and then going back to his business.
With a smile on her face, Hanna shook her head and looked down at the baby in her arms. "You lucked out, kiddo," she whispered. "You ended up with one of the best guys in the world as your dad." Hanna couldn't help but be slightly jealous of the child. He was going to grow up in a household with parents who loved each other; not only that, but unless some twisted act of fate stole Caleb away from them, he was going to be in their lives forever. God-willing, Blake wasn't going to have to deal with divorced parents or an absentee father like she did. It took Caleb's return to the room to snap her out of those thoughts. "I'm heading out," he told her, leaning against the doorframe. "I'll see you when you get back then," Hanna replied, moving towards him. "What do you want for dinner?" He shrugged. "Surprise me." Hanna loved that kind of answer, mainly because her usual response to 'surprise me' started with a call to their favourite pizzeria and ended with them both indulging in the cheesy goodness. "Sounds good... I love you." Caleb grinned. "I love you too, Han," he replied. "And I love you too, Blake," he added, running his thumb along the infant's hairline. "See you later." With that, he was on his way.
Hanna saw him on his way, as she usually did, following him down the stairs and standing in the front doorway until she could no longer see his car. Never in a million years did she think this was the life she would be living at twenty-three years old. Up until the end of high school, she wasn't even sure she wanted kids, and she was adamant on not staying in Rosewood any longer than she needed to. Instead, she pictured herself building her own fashion empire (or at least being a part of someone else's), but now here she was, a stay-at-home mom in the heart of Rosewood. Even though she loved her little family with every fiber of her being, and even though their little suburban home was straight out of one of her dreams, she wasn't sure that this was where she wanted to be. She wanted more out of life. She craved it.
The sound of Blake's cries snapped her out of her thoughts. "You're probably ready to eat now, huh?" she asked, stepping back into the house and closing the door behind them. The last time the infant had eaten was before this morning's clothing fiasco, so he must've been hungry. "Don't worry. I've gotcha."
It wasn't long after that that Spencer texted her in desperate need of a study break. Caleb being at work all day meant Hanna was the only adult in the house, and even though she enjoyed the solitude some days, she craved social interaction on others. Today was one of the latter. She obliged Spencer's request, and within fifteen minutes, her friend was in her living room, sitting on her couch, playing with her son. "He's getting so big," the brunette commented, admiring the infant who was making grabby hands at her. "I know," Hanna replied, glancing down at Blake. "He's growing up way too fast." Spencer grinned. "I can't believe—" Hanna put a hand up, stopping her from saying what she was going to say next. "I know where he was born. I was there. There's still a stain." Hanna grimaced, thinking about the blood stain that, despite several trips to the car wash, was still very much present in Caleb's back seat. "It's still pretty unbelievable," Spencer replied, giving her friend a gentle nudge.
"Anyway," Hanna began, wanting to change the topic of conversation. "How's that law school treating you?" If Hanna recalled correctly, her friend had started taking courses at UPenn a few weeks ago and, like Caleb, was commuting between Philadelphia and Rosewood daily. Spencer sighed. "It's kicking my a—" She paused, looking down at Blake and then up at Hanna, and then correcting her statement accordingly. "Butt. It's kicking my butt." Hanna chuckled at her friend's correction. "Hey, at least it's only three years." The brunette started to laugh, but stopped within seconds. "Hanna, can you hold Blake for a moment?" she asked. The request caught Hanna off guard (her friends usually couldn't put Blake down whenever they came over), but she heeded it anyway, taking the baby back from her friend. Spencer bolted out of the room as soon as Hanna had a secure grasp on the child. "Spence?" Hanna called, getting up from the couch to follow the taller female. "Spence, are you alright?"
It took Hanna a moment to catch up with Spencer, and she might not have found it at all if it weren't for the retching sound coming from the bathroom. Her first thought was to follow her friend into the small room, but she wasn't sure if whatever she had was contagious, and the last thing she wanted was for Blake to get sick. "Hey, do you want me to call Toby for you?" she asked, resting against the door frame, face riddled with concern. "N-no," Spencer replied. The retching sound continued, and at this point, Hanna was feeling pretty nauseated herself. "Okay, well you're puking in my bathroom, so I have to do something." She paused. "Hold on, I'll be right back." She couldn't do anything if she was still holding Blake, so she went back to the living room and set him down in the bassinet, and then returned to the bathroom to check on Spencer. "Have you been feeling sick this whole time?" The blonde asked, digging through the cabinet to see if she could find a thermometer. Spencer nodded, wiping her mouth on some toilet paper. "Geez." Hanna closed the cabinet, thermometer in hand, and stuck it under her friend's shoulder. "It's stress. Law school is stressful," Spencer insisted, attempting to stand up. "Stay down. Since when do you puke when you're stressed?"
Hanna knew it wasn't the most appropriate question to ask her friend, but something didn't add up. They went through two years of -A taunts together, and while Spencer suffered a mental breakdown about halfway through it, she couldn't recall her ever becoming physically ill. Either this was something new, or law school was more stressful than dealing with a homicidal stalker. "I don't know... Since school started?" The blonde was extremely concerned at this point. The thermometer beeped and Hanna reached for it, hoping it would provide them with an explanation, but the temperature it displayed was within normal limits. Spencer attempted to get up again, and this time, Hanna decided to help her. "Do you have any other symptoms?" Hanna asked, grabbing a rinse cup, filling it with water and mouthwash, and handing it to her friend. It was a moment before Spencer replied; she was too busy trying to wash out her mouth. Spencer had a few, but wasn't comfortable with disclosing them with her friend, so she simply shook her head. "That's weird." Spencer shrugged. "Not that weird. It makes sense."
The blonde opened her mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by Blake's crying. "You're sure you don't want me to call Toby?" Hanna asked, stepping out of the bathroom and gesturing towards the living room. "I'm sure he would be glad to take you home and take care of you." Spencer nodded. "Yeah, it's fine. I feel better already." Everything about this seemed odd to Hanna, but if Spencer insisted that she was fine, she couldn't easily tell her that she wasn't. "Okay, well no more Blake time for you for a bit. I know you're his godmother, but he hasn't had all his shots yet, and I don't want him getting sick." Spencer put her hands up in surrender. "Alright, Mama Bear. Calm down." Hanna smirked at her. The nickname wasn't one she would've chosen for herself, but it was fun to hear, regardless. She picked Blake up and began to play with him, turning his cries into laughter, while her friend sat on the couch and watched. "Is he always so quick to calm down?" Spencer asked, resting her hand on her stomach for a brief moment. "Not always. Caleb and I spent almost an hour trying to ca— Wait!" she exclaimed when she noticed the position of Spencer's hand. It might have been a natural action, but to Hanna, it might have been the missing link. "Spence, are you...?"
Spencer looked at her for a moment, unsure of what she was referring to. Hanna, wanting to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible, continued her question. "Pregnant?" More silence from Spencer. Hanna took a seat on the couch next to her friend and put Blake to sit on her lap. "Spence, you can tell me. You were the first to know about Blake, remember?" Spencer shrugged. "Maybe." Hanna raised an eyebrow. "Maybe? So you're not sure?" Spencer nodded. "I haven't taken a test yet, no." Hanna frowned. "You're going to have to soon," she told her, reaching for her friend's hand and grasping it gently. "If it's positive, I'm screwed," Spencer responded, tears beginning to well up in her deep brown eyes. "Hey, come on... It'll be okay. You have a great support system. Me, Caleb, Toby, Aria, Emily, Alison... We've got your back." Spencer still seemed pretty upset, so Hanna handed Blake over to her, hoping that would calm her down. "And I'm sure Blake wouldn't mind having a little friend to play with."
That seemed to calm the brunette down a bit, though she was still visibly distraught. "That would be cute, wouldn't it?" Hanna nodded. "Just imagine the play dates. We'll gossip over coffee, the kids'll play in the living room. It'll be perfect." Spencer liked the idea of that, but the frown remained on her face. "That doesn't make the timing any less awful," she commented, handing the baby back to Hanna. "I still have three more years of law school. Do you know how difficult that's going to be if I have a kid?" Hanna frowned. That had completely slipped her mind, but now that she was thinking about it, that was quite the inconvenience. "You're right... But hey, maybe this is all in your head. I'm not a doctor. I'm just calling it as I see it. You might not even be pregnant." Spencer nodded, focusing on a wrinkle in the rug beneath her feet. "I should take a test..."
Hanna rose from the couch and grabbed her keys off of the coffee table. "Come on." Spencer looked up at her, confused. "I'm taking you to CVS to buy some pregnancy tests." Spencer hesitated for a moment, but stood up as well. "Can Blake go out dressed like that?" Hanna glanced down at the baby, who was still in his onesie from earlier. Normally, Hanna would've taken him upstairs and put him in something a bit more presentable, but she wanted Spencer to get this done as soon as possible (and didn't want a repeat of last night's clothing fiasco). "He'll be fine. Let's go." Without another word, Hanna grabbed the diaper bag, turned on her heels, and headed out the door, with Spencer following closely behind.
They returned about thirty minutes later with five tests (Hanna insisted on Spencer taking more than one, just in case) and a gallon of water. Blake was falling asleep by then, so Hanna instructed Spencer to drink the water while she went upstairs to put the child down. "I should be studying," was the first thing Spencer said to her when she got back. Hanna couldn't argue with that, but she shook her head anyway. "You came over here for a study break, remember?" The brunette sighed, knowing her friend was right. "Just get this done, and then you can get back to your books." Another sigh from the taller female. She knew Hanna was right, but she wanted this to be over so that she could stop thinking about it. Instead of responding, she took another long sip from the gallon. Hanna turned the television on to pass the time. They finished two episodes of Grey's Anatomy before Spencer got up to take the tests. Hanna, not wanting to be that friend, waited outside the door until Spencer came back out. "Now, we wait."
This experience took Hanna back to when she was waiting on the results of her pregnancy test. Things happened much more quickly then, but it seemed their attitudes towards an impending pregnancy were the same, as were the circumstances through which the idea popped into their heads. She could only hope that Spencer would be more accepting of the news than she was. She spent the first three or so months of her pregnancy unsure of whether or not she even wanted the child, and nearly damaged her relationship with Caleb in the process, and she couldn't bear to watch the same thing happen to her best friend. But she knew how demanding Spencer's life was. Her law school status was just one of the many hats she wore. On top of that, she was working on her mother's campaign for Pennsylvania senate, interning at a law firm, and continuing to build a resume that most aspiring lawyers could only dream of possessing. Even with the alternative options on the table, she was sure that this would be the source of a number of problems for her friend between now and whenever the decision that was made was completed. The timer beeped at the end of the five minutes, and Hanna was the first to get up to go check the results. Spencer followed suit, much less energetically.
"Are you ready for the verdict?" Hanna asked, standing directly in front of the tests so as to block Spencer's vision. The brunette nodded, albeit reluctantly, and braced herself for the worst. "Alright, we have..." She paused, counting the results. "Four positives and one that could go either way." The room was silent for a moment. Spencer looked as if she'd seen a ghost, and Hanna was relying on her reaction to react herself. "Are you okay?" The blonde finally asked, concerned as ever. "I'm not sure," Spencer responded, leaning against the wall, suddenly unable to stand on her own. "I mean... There's always—" The taller female shook her head, not wanting to talk about this anymore. "I should get back to studying." Hanna wanted to stop her, but she couldn't. She knew what this felt like; she went through the same thing not too long ago, mixed feelings and all. The most she could do at this point was offer her support and hope for the best, whatever the best was. "I'll walk you out," she finally said, exiting the bathroom, but pausing outside of the door until Spencer decided to follow. "Call me when you get home, alright? Or if you need anything. Call me if you need something too." Spencer nodded weakly, grabbing her keys and jacket from the living room on her way out the door.
"I'm here for you, alright?" Spencer nodded again and headed to her car. Hanna waited on the patio until she could no longer see her friend's car, and then went back into the house. A huge yawn escaped her lips immediately afterwards. She wasn't surprised; that was an emotionally strenuous activity, and she wasn't running on much sleep to begin with. It would have been weird for her not to be tired. The blonde quickly made her way up to the master bedroom and collapsed onto the mattress, eyes shutting as soon as her head hit the pillow. She was so far out that she didn't hear Caleb's car pull into the driveway, or the front door open and close, or him calling her name when he entered their bedroom, and she certainly didn't notice him standing over her with five positive pregnancy tests in hand.
Author's note: I hope you guys didn't miss me too much! As you can see, I didn't exactly pick up where I left off (but a four month time skip isn't all that bad). I have the Rivers family reunion saved in another document, but I haven't had the muse to complete it (it was originally intended to be a part of the last chapter, if that tells you anything), so you'll most likely be seeing it as a flashback in a later chapter. As always, let me know what you thought of this chapter, and if you have any ideas for future chapters. I love reading your reviews!