Chapter 8: Patchwork

Author's Note!

I am SEVENTEEN for goodness sakes. I'm not here to publish my story or please my readers. I'm here to share my ideas and stories. Don't thrash fanfics because they're exactly that! Fanfics. If you want great stories with professional standards, go to the bookstore. Firstly, Ana is pregnant and hormonal, she isn't thinking straight and she's over-imagining things. Secondly, she's not running away. She's married, you geniuses. She can't have male friends/confidantes? Geez.
Ps. I really am trying to portray Ana with her pregnancy hormones but I've never been pregnant... So ALL THE MOTHERS IN THE HOUSE PLEASE HELP! (:

After explaining everything that had happened, I remained silent while Ethan took some time to absorb and understand. Which was alright because the restaurant he had taken me to served the best Clam Chowder and I had been having killer cravings for this. Spooning what was probably my fourth bowl for lunch, I watched Ethan deliberate on what to say. As my good friend of such a long time, I had always come to him for advice. Getting married did not change that.

"Well, Ana." He cleared his throat, not yet looking at me. "How does it make you feel?"

"Feel?" I squeaked, pursing my lips together.

Ethan nodded, "How did you feel when Christian brought Elena back?"

I did not even have to think. Just the mention of those words sparked little fiery red ants through my system, "Really upset." The image of this early morning replayed through my head and I drank more soup to chase it down.

Ethan sighed a little, "Why?"

I looked up at him in confusion. "Isn't it self-explanatory?"

He shook his head and took a bite of his crispy fish, "No. I can only infer on why you're upset but I rather find out properly why you are."

"Because he brought her home, Ethan." I glared at him for making me say it out loud. "The woman who had tried to take him away from me countless of times! I felt so betrayed. And when he asked her to stay in his drunken state, I just felt like my world was crumbling to my feet." I shook my head and pressed my palms against my temple. "Part of me felt as if he had just chosen Elena over me... My heart couldn't take that."

"But Christian has loved you wholeheartedly ever since the day you met him. Why the sudden doubt? Don't you think that's a little irrational?"

"Irrational?" I scoffed.

Tell him. My inner goddess chided at me.

I had missed out the largest detail of this whole drama. What could be argued as the catalyst of this saga. Ethan picked up on my discomfort. Turning on an inquisition similar to his sister's, he probed. "What is it?"

The hardest person to tell was over. "I'm pregnant, Ethan."

It almost made me laugh as Ethan, drinking his water midway, choked and spluttered it all over a nearby plant. He coughed and patted himself while I broke into a fit of giggle. He swallowed and drank another gulp of water to steady himself, "OH MY GOODNESS!"

Ethan jumped to his feet and came to my side, pulling me up into his chest and clasping me to him. "Congratulations, Ana!" He squeezed me and then quickly pulled back, "I'm sorry, was that too much for the baby?"

Excitement bubbled through me just as much as it had in Ethan. The table of onlookers now tuned into our conversation. "Everyone!" Ethan lifted his glass to the restaurant, "She's pregnant!"

I laughed harder as everyone in the restaurant clapped, smiles spreading across their faces and people shouting their congratulations. I beamed into Ethan's overjoyed face, "Ana, you're going to be a mother!"

Lost in the excitement, I hugged him back. At the back of my mind, I could not help but feel that this should have been how Christian reacted. Becoming parents should have been something we were excited about together. We should never have been separated over this matter.

As we sat back down at our table, the waiter brought out a complimentary chocolate cake for us to share. "Wait," Ethan's smile faded, "Is that why..."

I nodded sadly, "He doesn't want the child, Ethan. That's why everything happened."

Clenching his jaw, Ethan looked conflicted as he glared at a spot in the cake. It was as if he was fighting some internal emotions, balling up his fist while in deep thought. By the time I had finished the cake, he was still buried in his mind.

"This changes things." He finally mumbled under his breath.

I raised my eyebrows, "What?"

"You have to tell him, love." Ethan instructed me, his eyes boring into mine. "Tell him what you just told me, word for word."

"I have." I whined.

"Knowing you, I doubt so." Ethan gave me a half smile. "You've got to sit him down and talk things through with Christian. I'm not going to be able to be here for you all the time, Ana. He is and he will." Before I could think of anything to say, Ethan called for the bill. "Christian's the only one who can protect you from Elena."

"Come." Ethan said, taking my hand.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you to Christian, you two have to talk." Ethan stated matter-of-factly.

I halted in my footsteps and jerked him to a stop as well. The fear was crippling. The idea of facing my husband after what had happened over night was daunting. Avoiding Christian was my attempt at keeping us together for as long as possible. An abortion would separate us and so would keeping the baby.

Not relenting, Ethan tugged me forward gently towards the exit. Luke, who had been taking a call outside, joined us in our stride as we headed for Ethan's car. "What's up?"

"Any idea where Christian is?" Ethan asked Luke as he opened the passenger door for me.

Luke nodded, "On his way to Ana's office." As he said this, he turned to judge my expression. Of course, I was petrified. "Claire's PDA is hooked to Christian's iPhone." He explained.

"Perfect." Ethan smiled at us both. "We can resolve this now."

"By feeding me to the shark?" I groaned, crossing my arms and refusing to budge.

"Since when is she so melodramatic?" Ethan hissed at Luke.

Luke chortled and sniggered, pretending to be telling Ethan a secret by covering his mouth slightly with his palm. "It's the pregnant hormones." Both men tumbled in laughter at my predicament.

I narrowed my eyes at them, "I can hear you."

"Come on love, climb in." Ethan gestured to the car. "Luke boy here and I are whisking you to your prince where your love for each other will be rekindled." Petulantly, I crossed my arms tighter and shook my head. It irritated Ethan and he took it as a challenge. "If you don't go in on your own accord, I will make you."

Standing at the sidelines watching me getting harassed and not doing a thing about it, Luke leaned against the car door and laughed at me. The world's men were losing their minds. Maybe they should all carry children and then they will become sympathetic towards pregnant mothers.

"I'm counting to three." Ethan threatened, folding his arms as well.

"Stop treating me like a child!" I snapped.

"Then stop acting like one!" Ethan retorted.

"Fine!" With much attitude, I lifted myself into the car.

Ethan shut the door and lingered there for a moment talking to Luke. Whatever he said only made Luke laugh harder. That irritated me and I knocked at the window for them to break it up. Both men turned to me and then split, Luke opening the back door while Ethan made it to the driver's side.

"Ana, I think the only one who can handle your pregnancy hormones is Taylor." Luke pointed out.

"What makes you think I'm having problems controlling my hormones? And what makes you think they're because I'm pregnant?!"

"Pretty much because you're really dramatic right now and you're making things worse than they actually are." Ethan supported Luke. "Oh, and you're pregnant."

"The fact is my husband doesn't want our child, pretended to, came back drunk with a woman I detest and then she gave me flowers for the abortion!" I defended myself, pleading with them to see my case.

Ethan smacked his lips together, "The fact is that you have a very loving husband who made a mistake and a crazy ex girlfriend who is trying to break you both up!"

"And you're letting her win!" Luke piped in from the back.

"Your childish reaction to all of this is going to drive him away for good." Ethan tapped on the steering wheel at the red light.

"I actually think it might be the hormones." Luke whispered. "Taylor warned that they disillusioned his wife."

Ethan gave me a sideway glance of mock fear filled with caution, "Maybe we should keep her sedated." Noticing that I was not entertained one bit, as he pulled up outside my building, he put a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Lighten up, love."

"We. Have. A. Problem." Luke's tone took on a dangerously serious edge.

Ethan and I turned to see what was approaching the car. "Should I stay?"

"Definitely not." Luke said without even looking at Ethan. "Ana, get out of the car now!" Both Luke and I flew out of the car just in time for Ethan to make his getaway.

Ballistic and close to exploding, Christian maintained his facade of calm as he made his loomed towards Luke and I with Taylor in tow. Looking as sexy as usual, my husband was dressed in a personally tailored tuxedo and had his hair in an appealing mess.

"You. Had. Lunch. With. Ethan." Christian gritted his teeth together as he came to halt before me.

My body responded in his close proximity, a myriad of emotions playing each other out. Anger and betrayal came first. "You had a drink with Elena AND took her home."

My rebellion did not sit well with Christian, I saw his grey eyes tighten ever so slightly. "It's not a bloody competition."

Jealousy burned through me next. "Because you'd win hands down."

Grey eyes widened and Christian's anger radiated off him. Luke and Taylor slipped away ever so slightly, tucking themselves in an unseen corner. Thankfully, there was nobody along the streets to watch our battle.

"I did not cheat on you, Ana." Christian seethed, balling up his fists at his sides.

Bitchiness reigned in me now. "How'd you know? You were too drunk to even remember who you're married to."

At my accusation, his hard front flaked slightly. I observed as his fists relaxed and his expression softened, "I watched the clip Ana, I heard what I said and saw what I did." Good. I did not have to explain my anger to him. "I'm sorry I hurt you, I wasn't myself."

His apology softened my own heart and in response, pain pulse through my veins next. It manifested in the form of pearls rolling down the sides of my face.

"Oh, my dear Ana." Christian cooed, his heart breaking as he took me into his chest without warning.

I lavished myself in his embrace, letting my tears stain his expensive jacket as I enjoyed the feel of us as one. In this moment, I could forget that we were on two different sides. I could forget that we had a child together.

Christian kissed the top of my head lovingly. "I was afraid of losing you when you told me about the baby." He confessed. "So I pretended I was alright with it but on my way to work, I became really frightened." I lay my ear against his chest and listened to his heart beat. "I realized I wasn't ready for a child, I wasn't ready to be a father and I panicked."

I sniffled into his chest once more and he kissed me against my head again. "But Ana, I'm not running away. Initially, I was bloody pissed at you for being so irresponsible... But a child... That's mine..." Just like my thoughts had been at the idea of a baby, his voice swooned along. "In you. My child is growing in you... If you think about it, that really makes you mine."

I was overjoyed from the inside out. Christian has verbally confirmed that I could keep his child... My child... Ours. That he was not about to abandon me, but rather, he was steadily warming up to the idea. It was reassuring, calming my nerves and soothing the hormones Luke and Ethan had been teasing me about.

"But in my moment of panic, I told Taylor to run home to check on you personally so I could go to the bar across GEH. I just needed some time to... Think. Some space to... Come to realize that I had to mature up to take care of our baby... I sat there drinking and trust me, I understand your obsession with alcohol. That stuff really makes you forget the world. And so I kept drinking."

The arms around me tightened and Christian kept talking. "Eventually, I got so drunk that I woke up in bed... Without you." There was a sense of hopelessness in his voice, a quiet sense of loss and fear. "Why did you leave me?"

I controlled my sobbing a little, "I couldn't sleep with you after what you did. It..." I blinked the tears away. "Hurt too much."

He encircled me closer to him, as if reassuring me of his undying love. "I'm tired of apologizing to you, Ana. I shouldn't even be making these mistakes. I never want to hurt you." Christian pulled away slightly, his fingers coming to cradle my chin and tilting it up so my eyes could lock with his. "I want to love and cherish you, make you feel like you're the most loved girl in the world."

"You do." My head was saturated with the intensity of his love, exploding in my face and allowing every good thing that he had ever done for me resurface.

Christian gave me a skeptical glance. "Most of the time." I added sheepishly.

"I know when I fail." Christian told me. "You tend to play this cat-and-mouse game with me."

The manner in which he labelled my behavior and response to his mistakes made me giggle a little. I was rewarded with a bright smile, "I love that sound. One day I will record it and set it as my ring tone."

"What would your colleagues think!" I shrieked excitedly at that thought.

"They'd be dead jealous of course." Christian laughed at my response. "Your giggle is a prized possession. Mine. "

I wrapped my arms around his waist, "Yours."

Christian chuckled, a sound of pride. "Yes, your little date with that bastard really doesn't affect me as much now that you're mine."

My heart stopped when I felt his habit kicking in again. Christian was like a modern day gollum. He would often lift my wedding band to his lips as a reassurance that I officially and legally belonged to him.

I saw my life flash before my eyes as he lifted my hand. Immediately, he turned to look at the other hand. When they both came up vacant, I knew I was in deep trouble.

Too Close; Alex Claire
Don't matter; Akon
Pompeii ; Bastille