Benny woke early the next morning hot and stuffy wrapped in his duvet. He rolled over to the cool side of the bed, thankful that it was always empty. Regrettably, now he was wide awake but it was still seemingly nice to lay in bed and relax. With the way things were heading this morning tranquility wouldn't be lasting too much longer. Should he make the final, life changing decision to keep his baby, his mornings would be filled with chaos - he grimaced at the thought. At the same time the idea didn't seem that unpleasant, he was growing increasing lonely in the apartment by himself.
In the moment things had been quiet, but he'd lied in bed for more than an hour just staring at his bedside lamp, and his alarm went off for work. He had a dreadful day ahead; skydiving? No thank you. The stress of creating a lie and following through with it - deceiving his friends - would be too much. Getting in a plane and jumping from a tremendous height, although not mentioned in his booklets, was no doubt off of the tables for any pregnant person.
It would be just as easy to call in and take the day off. Nobody would have any suspicions, except Cable who would probably ridicule him the moment he came back into the office for being a 'chicken'.
He needed to work, not for the money, but for the distraction. Sitting at home would ultimately lead him to think about the pregnancy, even more than he was already. Even though home was still the best place to throw up and he could pace out any cramps in peace, the confines of his four walls would drive him insane.
Benny climbed out of bed and drifted to the bathroom, he did his morning business. It seemed that he needed to urinate more frequently than usual. Such was to be expected according to his symptom diary provided in the pack he was given. Benny wasn't one for being meticulous but he did recognize the importance of reading up about what he'd gotten himself into, in order to make an informed choice. He was in for a tough ride.
Benny made himself some toast and a decaf coffee - caffeine would be something he'd miss dearly. He also prepared himself some lunch: a bagel with cream cheese, lettuce and tomato. After the night prior he felt slightly too traumatised to make himself anything for the day ahead. Lunch and a bag of dry snacks was just enough to last the day with his small appetite.
After a light breakfast he showered and dried himself off, again looking himself in the mirror at the changes, nothing had changed since the last time he looked. He was slightly concerned at how much weight he had gained thus far, it hardly seemed normal. The last thing he could handle would be twins, or perhaps worse, triplets. One was just enough. Regardless, he got dressed and packed a bag like he was told to; including slacks and shoes.
He left shortly after, making his usual commute to work via taxi. The guzzling and chugging of the taxi still made his stomach queasy. He spent the journey staring out of the window. He paid his driver and went on his way. Through the scanners and up several floors to the TAC office. When he walked out from the elevator he was greeted by the others who all appeared to be waiting for him.
"Where've you been? I've been calling your cell." Bull hung up the phone, and put it back into his pocket. "We agreed to meet at 8." Benny frowned, unsure as to what was going on.
"At 8? Oh. I'm sorry guys. I must have forgotten." More likely that he missed that crucial part of information when he'd fallen asleep in the meeting yesterday.
"I've been calling you for an hour now." Benny searched his pockets, having not heard his phone ring out at all, suddenly made him worry as to why that was.
"It's at home...damn. I left my phone at home." That was a first, he'd never been so forgetful. His phone was always in his pocket of all things to forget, especially today. If he'd forgotten his phone, what else might be have absentmindedly forgotten. Come to think of it, he wasn't sure whether or not he'd locked his front door or even whether he'd turned the bathroom tap off on the basin. Was he developing 'pregnancy brain brain' already, or was the thought of potentially jumping from a plane making him too nervous to think.
"It's fine. We all have those days." Bull smiled lightheartedly. Seeing Benny with a fresh pair of eyes this morning, not as a co-worker or even as a best friend, but as somebody a whole lot more - a partner. He still couldn't believe it, in fact he spent most of the night last night thinking about the incredibly bizarre possibility of having a child with Benny. He could tell that Benny was still on edge about bring pregnant but Bull felt practically ecstatic. Being able to have another chance at being a father was a fragile, unpredictable yet exciting experience.
"Are we gonna get going or what?" Cable interrupted impatiently.
"Now we're all here..." Bull took a final sarcastic head-count of his employees, "let's go." Everybody picked up their bags and joined Benny in the elevator.
"So the day will go as follows: we'll be given the tour, then given a crash course in aviation..." Marrisa began, "followed by drop practice and health and safety." All of the above sounded horrific, even to begin with Benny was terrified of heights. Why he had to go in the first place was questionable.
"Then the drop?" Danny imposed excitedly.
"Ultimately. I for one can't wait!" Marrisa hardly seemed the daring type but she was the most enthusiastic about skydiving. The lift doors open and the team stream out, meeting the coach parked out front of the building. Benny hadn't noticed the coach sitting there when he came in, he was off his game today.
"Here, let me." Bull grabbed Benny's rucksack from his shoulder and flung it over one of his own, "go get in." Benny yanked the bag back.
"What are you doing?" He asked, rather aggressively.
"I'm taking your bag, I was going to pack it away for you." He had innocent intentions but hardly thought it through.
"I asked you not to treat me any differently. I'm pregnant, not an invalid." Benny spat out, louder than he probably should have. Bull was surprised to see Pitbull Benny, he rarely came out, especially not over trivial things like this.
"Got it, from now on, no special treatment." Bull backed away, not wanting to make any more of the situation. It would be easier to let it be and have Benny in a pleasant mood rather than his ferocious alter ego.
"Like I said before, nobody can know." He made stern eye contact, making sure that Bull had gotten the picture. He was serious this time and Bull, it couldn't be clearer, Benny wasn't going to tolerate any of Bull's charity.
"And nobody will."
"Good." Benny climbed the stairs of the bus and took a heavy seat next to Chunk. Watching as Bull too sat down. He sighed angrily. Chunk raised a brow, knowing that he'd have to ask rather than get any kind of explanation.
"What's up with you two?" As if he didn't already have a rough idea as to why the two of them were out of sorts. It hardly took a genius to decode their behavior - as subtle as it was.
"I told him." Benny spat, still frustrated. Chunk's eyes blew up, he hadn't expected Benny to act so quickly. He was sure that he'd still be hounding his friend on day 14 to come clean, given how stubborn Benny was.
"And?" Chunk intensely stared at Benny, eager to know more.
"He's onboard." Dumbfounded, Chunk would never have guessed that Bull would take the chance to be stung twice. Chunk understood Bull to be the way he was as a result of his failed marriage, that his cold and cynical nature was a reflective mechanism.
"Then why are you all huffy? Surely that's a good thing?" Chunk could get whiplash from Benny's indecisive nature. Just last night he wasn't sure as to whether he wanted Bull to know, worried about him rejecting the pregnancy. Now Benny was still in-edge about Bull being on his side.
"I told him not to treat me like a charity case, I don't want his help or special attention."
"Is this about his taking your bag for you?" Chunk scoffed, astounded by what was actually happening.
"It's more than that Chunk." Benny sighed with a heavy heart.
"No it's not. Listen, he's gonna want to help you," he lowered his voice, "you're carrying his child. It's only natural that he'd feel inclined to want to assist you. Cut him some slack. If he wants to carry your bag, let him." Chunk told Benny straight, Benny shook his head, he thought to himself, 'Of course nobody would understand.'
"I'm perfectly capable of carrying my own bag. I'm the same person today than I was before I got pregnant." Chunk had a realisation, this was hardly about having help, it was about change. That things were not the same and this was just the beginning.
"You're not. You're tired, nauseous and a little forgetful - I might add - should you want to have the baby, you'll have to accept the help." Chunk put it frankly.
"What if I don't want it? What then? I don't want to raise any suspicion." If the rest of the group knew about the baby then it would complicate things -like things could get any more complicated. Instead, he'd have to deal with everybody's opinions and expectations, when the only ones that truly poi mattered were his own.
"I get that. Just go easy on him. He's probably overcompensating, since he feels guilty about not being there for your sister." Chunk spoke words of wisdom. It hadn't really crossed his mind that Bull night actually be deflecting.
"You're right." He exhaled with anguish.
"How you doing today?" Chunk had to move the conversion along. He stopped to take notice of Benny's complexion and appearance.
"Not great, I'm terrified Chunk."
"What about skydiving...suppose you're not coming up with us?"
"I don't know if I can talk my way out of this one. Let's just hope that Dylan or Cable don't make me go up otherwise the only thing that'll be falling from the plane will be vomit." Benny had pictured it over and over in his head, each time was worse than the last. He'd pictured himself vomiting everywhere, accidentally tripping and stumbling out the door without a parachute, that the plane would crash. His fear of heights was amplified by his anxiety about the baby.
"Maybe take a motion sickness tablet?"
"I have. Can't be too careful."
"You'll be fine."
"Doubtful, I'm already in bad shape and we're only sitting on a coach." Benny was greatly concerned that his morning sickness was in fact abnormally extreme. He'd feel nauseous in any moving vehicle, not a week ago he was planning to invest in a motorcycle - such image was completely out of the picture.
"Just try and take a nap or something? It'll take a few hours to get there." Benny knew it was no lie that pregnant women were lethargic, little did he know is that the lethargy was a constant medium, even after a long night's sleep. He hadn't felt this tired since he was a rookie officer on the force.
"Good idea." Whilst the coach seat was wildly uncomfortable, nothing seemed like a better plan than to sleep and ride the whole journey out.
Benny never really managed to fall asleep until the very last moment, the coach had been far too uncomfortable. Tossing and turning, with the belt being too tight around his mid-section or it would dig into his throat. It was far from the ideal place to rest his head. Regardless, he managed to briefly catch a few winks, during that time he had a profusely vivid dream.
In said dream, Benny envisioned the birth of his child. What in actuality was only a twenty minute power nap, felt like hours of excruciating pain.
"One more push, then you're done Mr Colón." Benny lay in the hospital bed, knees tucked to his chest, he gripped them tightly. The joints of his fingers ran white as he bore down to push once more. A raging contraction shot through him; everything hurt, from his back to his hips, including his new nether-regions. Surrounding him was all his friends and even his sister, each egging him on, cheering and mimicking how to breathe.
Bull held Benny's hand, despite the death like grip that Benny held on to him with, he didn't wince or complain. Instead he kissed Benny's knuckles supportingly. He gathered Benny's attention, "you can do this. It's almost over, do it for the baby." As by that time Benny was exhausted, shaking with fatigue. Benny bit down on his bottom lip and nodded.
The contraction peaked and the doctor told Benny to push, with a rippling and almighty shriek, Benny pushed, he used the last reservoir of strength he had and gave the greatest push of them yet...
He woke with a chilling scream, beams of sweat collecting on his forehead and his heart beating uncontrollably.
"We haven't even jumped yet." Cabled mocked, both Danny and Marrisa chuckled.
"You okay?"
"Fine...fine." Benny exhaled heavily with relief, he was glad not to be in the delivery room anymore. His dream had given him raw insight into how tough birth would be, even from the short extract of reality, it was greatly offputting. He had a low pain threshold, dealing with giving birth seemed scarier now than ever.
"What was that about?" Bull asked from across the isle, he'd been watching Benny sleep, trying to analyse what he could have been dreaming about. Something unpleasant he presumed, given how unsettled Benny was as he slept.
"Bad dream is all." A very bad dream indeed.
"Alright." Although skeptical, he really didn't want to pry. All suspicion to himself, he and all the other TAC members got off of the bus.
"Are you gonna tell me what really happened?" Chunk grabbed his bag and Benny's rucksack from the compartment, hoping that Benny hadn't noticed. As suspected, he wasn't any wiser. Chunk simply scoffed at Benny's rampant "pregnancy brain". Bull had turned round to call the two out for walking so slowly when he saw the act. Slightly disheartened, he left well enough alone. Yet he couldn't control his mind from making a big deal out of something rather insignificant.
"God it was awful. I was in labor Chunk, fully fledged legs in styrups, doctor between my groyn. Worst experience I've ever had, and that was only a dream." Benny shuddered, talking about it made him feel incredibly embarrassed.
"You know what comes after that though right? People describe it as magic, when you meet your child for the first time."
"Is it worth going through all that pain?" Benny couldn't picture the sunshine after the storm. With no connections to anybody with children and having never really met many children, he was clueless about the joys of parenting.
"If it wasn't, you wouldn't be here. Hell, none of us would be here." Chunk's words were compelling but barely persuasive enough.
"Well, whatever that was, it wasn't magical." Benny recalled the amount of bodily fluids coating the doctor's gloves and scrubs and how the room smelled of sweat. That compiled with the agony and the beady eyes watching him, made the whole ordeal more traumatic than he first imagined.
"Just get it out of your head. Its over now. It was only a dream." No matter how potentially unrealistic his imagination was made little difference. He was petrified.
"I don't know if I want to do this, Chunk." He shook his head profusely.
"You can't base your future on one silly little dream, a few painful hours for what? A lifetime of happiness."
"I need a drink." Not likely to happen but still gravely needed to calm his nerves. Needless to say, Benny had little patients and energy for the pre-flight crash courses. All that was running through his mind was the dream, everything else around him was bolderdash.
Once inside the airport, they were brought to the changing rooms where there they would all get dressed into their spare clothes,
"With boys to the left and girls to the right." Made for a very unnerving atmosphere in the men's changing room. With Chunk, Bull and Benny all fighting for something to say, the ladies changing room on the other hand was full of chatter.
"I've never been skydiving before, this'll be so exciting." Marrisa exclaimed eagerly whilst Danny unzipped her dress.
"I have, only once though. It was a team building excursion one year at the FBI. Our division had extra funds left over." She replied with a smug grin. Danny had always been a thrill seeker and very outgoing; Marrisa, not so much. It was great to see this side of her.
"I know exactly how I'm going to do this; a couple of flips and maybe try and some turns. The V-R headset has given me a lot of practice." Cable had been using her virtual reality headset to run simulations of the jump since they were first offered to go up. She knew that the real thing would be a lot more exhilarating but at least she had a routine down to film with her go-pro.
"Good luck, when that air pressure hits you, you'll be flailing around just trying to stay in position." Danny could recall her own experience of trying to keep herself flat in the air, it was not a graceful three minutes.
"It'll be fun watching me try though, right?" Cable laughed.
"I just wonder how the guy's will manage. Benny's extremely phobic of heights." Marrisa hadn't really thought about the boys, it barely crossed her mind whilst confirming the session. Bull had ensured her that everything would be fine, that Benny would "pluck up the courage to overcome his fear".
"Oh yeah! Something tells me he shouldn't be going up at all." Danny had noticed Benny's change in behaviour recently, even though she wasn't in the office as often as everybody else.
"I wonder what's up with him? He told us he went to the doctor's but never said anything about what's wrong. I know he's a private guy and all but we're his best friends." Benny had simply told his team that there was nothing to worry about and that he would be out of the woods relatively soon.
"As long as you don't go snooping around, Cable. If Benny doesn't want to tell us then it's obviously nothing serious." Marrisa seemed the only sane one in the room.
"Do you think Bull will jump?" Cable quickly changed the subject.
"Not if Benny doesn't." Danny replied.
"Really?"Cable asked, rather surprised.
"Of course! Bull would never leave Benny alone like that."Marrisa confirmed, it was only recently that the two had been in a similar situation at the top of the new sky-bridge that had opened. Bull had tried to get Benny to cross but the illusion bottomless glass made Benny too scared to cross. Bull had waited with Benny until the others had returned.
"What's going on between them two anyway?"Admittedly, she wasn't as close to Bull and Benny as the others, and often felt quite out of the was young and different to everybody else, it made her unique but hard to bond with. Bull often saw Cable as a daughter figure or a niece rather than a close friend.
"Who knows? Men are complicated creatures."Danny scoffed, her checkered love life read like a thriller novel - full of ups, downs and suspense.
"That they are. That they are. Especially those two, I've got to say." Marrisa had known Bull for a very long time, longer than anybody on the team and she still found Bull hard to read; predictable but reserved.
"I wouldn't be totally surprised if they were gay." Danny shot out bluntly. Marrisa and Cable fell apart with laughter! "It's not far of a stretch. The way those two have been acting, all distant and sketchy..." Danny defended herself.
"The two probably just fell out, It probably happened just after we took on Benny's sister's case." Both Danny and Cable nodded in agreement. It was around then that the two began acting differently, The group were fully immersed in the Colón family drama a few weeks ago, which was something nobody wanted to relive.
"Well, lets hope they get over this soon."The friction between the two was creating great levels of tension and barely any work was getting done.
"Don't we all." Marrisa echoed in agreement.
Getting changed made him feel incredibly self-conscious, unbuttoning his vest top already seemed too revealing. Whilst both Chunk and Bull both knew about him being pregnant, he still felt ashamed of his physique. Benny faced the other way, hanging each item of clothing on the pegs provided. He left little opportunity for peeping toms to catch a glimpse of anything, once his shirt was off, he had his tee ready in hand.
Bull had seen, it wasn't intentional, but he didn't look away. The slight bulge along Benny's waistline lay bare. He had to remind himself as to what hide beneath the skin - his child - a baby. Lest he not forget to refrain from becoming emotionally attched; no matter how difficult that would test to be. Although brief, the sight brought with it an overwhelming sense of paternal pride. So much so, he had to turn his head in fear that somebody would see him gawking or even blushing with excitement.
The three men stayed rather silent as they got dressed, Chunk was relatively surprised, having thought that the two had made amends. Then again, nothing was really going to have had changed over the course of 12 hours.
The gang all came from their respective rooms wearing bright orange jumpsuits, Danny had made the remark that they all looked like inmates from 'Orange is the New Black', it did lighten the mood somewhat.
Dylan took them all to see the planes, walking around the wearhouse. Luckily the police had finished investigating the plane in question so there was no tape or restrictions. Next was the pre-flight instructions and health and saftey. There Dylan took the time to discuss the different types of falls, how to exit the plane and of course how to release the parachute. Dylan also went over the health and safety aspects and fitted everybody with a harness.
"Now, there are risks associated with jumping, so I will have to get you guys to sign a liability contract." Dylan handed out a clipboard and pen to each of the members, to sign a waver for any damages or injuries sustained during or as a result of the jump. "The waver basically outlines the possible risks, including muscle pain, fractures and lost property. Only take up with you what you wouldn't mind losing. We get it all the time; people losing their watches, rings...you know."
"Got it, no rings." Bull reiterated.
"Now, I don't know if any of this applies but there are certain possibly dangers of skydiving whilst pregnant. Not too long ago we had a woman suffer from hypoxia which is where the mother and child doesn't receive adequate oxygen at altitudes above 7000 ft. The likelihood of bodily harm is amplified whilst pregnant as bones and muscles are not as strong." Benny looked to Bull, who was also looking at him. His heart had sunk to his stomach as was beating excessively. Had he had the guts to tell the truth about his predicament, he would feel less petrified.
"If somebody among us was?" Bull responded.
"Then I'd advise them to tell me and I'd have them stay behind...none of you are pregnant right?" Dylan asked, just to be sure.
"Girl, I couldn't be further from pregnant." Danny replied sarcastically, her current relationship situation was far from intimate, she was as single as it came and glad for it.
"Good, alright then. Let's get up in the air!" Dylan prompted the pilot to start the engine as she opened the gate. The engine of the plane chugged and spewed awake, the blades began to turn and everybody climbed in and took their seats.
"Bull..." Benny whispered with a worried expression written across his face. He didn't know what to do with himself.
"It's okay. You don't have to jump." Bull placed a comforting hand on Benny's lap and stroked his knee. He gave a reassuring smile trying to calm Benny the best he could without raising suspicion.
"Seatbelts everyone." Dylan reminded. Once all belts were fastened she called to the pilot, "Lift her up Hank!" Hank drove the plane down the runway and gently lifted the nose into the air. Benny closed his eyes tightly and held his beath, he felt like crying, he was so terror-stricken.
"Lift-off is usually rough, it should be calm sailing from here on." Dylan snorted, as she looked around at the troubled faces before her. "Once we get to 11000 ft I'll give you all the chance to jump. Rest assured your gear has been thoroughly checked." Afterall, it would be understandable that the group be nervous, as that is what the company is being taken to court for.
As the altitude increased, Benny's stress levels did also. He began having a panic attack, exhaling and inhaling abnormally quickly and trembling. Bull held Benny's hand and squeezed it tightly, he breathed in Benny's ear, "Stress isn't good for the baby. You've got to calm down."
"I can't, it's too high...we're too high up." He gulped.
"Look at me." Bull demanded, Benny shook his head. "Look at me." Bull grabbed Benny by the chin and pulled him in. He had no choice but to open his eyes, for the first time since they took off, he could see. "It's okay, you're going to be alright." Bull and Benny made intese eye contact.
"I'm going to be sick." Benny's bottom lip quivered and his voice wavered.
"No you're not." Bull told him sternly. "There's nothing to worry about, being in the air isn't scary. You're not going to jump and I'm going to be here with you. We're just flying, it's perfectly safe." Benny nodded and took a deep breath in and exhaled. He knew his fear of heights was irrational, flying was a safer mode of transport than cars, but that fact still didn't make him feel any more assured.
"Right, were at optimum height. Whose first?" Dylan took off her seat belt and stood up. The plane was flying straight now so there was very little resistance making the plane more stable.
"Me!" Danny jumped up first.
"Eager, I like it." Dylan gave Danny's gear a final look and tightened her straps. "Make your way round the edge of the plane and hold onto the handle until you're ready to jump." Danny followed the rope handle around the edge of the plane until she reached the door.
"Ready!" She yelled, giving a thumbs up.
"45seconds, remeber. Then release the tab." Dylan gave her the go-ahead to jump and Danny wasted no time before taking the leap. Dylan watched as Danny began to make her decent. The clear skies were perfect for skydiving.
Marrisa and Cable were next, the two had decided to jump together with one parachute. Marrisa had developed cold feet once in her harness and Cable thought going with her would make for some excellent photos.
"Want me to stay?" Chunk asked Benny, before taking off his belt.
"No, go on. You'll regret it." Benny replied through horse breath.
"Alright, I'll see you on the other side." Chunk rushed to make his jump, racing with excitment. Dylan gave Chunk a pat on the back and he bravely jumped from the plane. Benny winced as Chunk vanished from sight. He couldn't imagine not seeing him ever again, should something happen, such thoughts made him extremely distressed once again.
"Are either of you going to take the leap of faith?" Dylan coaxed.
"No, we're good." Benny's eyes exploded with fright. Bull had warned Dylan before hand that he may not be jumping, especially if Benny would refuse to jump.
"Are you sure? We could do a Tandum jump if you're slightly scared?" Dylan offered. Even the idea of jumping out of a plane with the instructor was still out of Benny's comfort zone.
"Why would we jump out of a perfectly good plane?" Benny joked and laughed fakely.
"No problem. I'll have to leave the two of you to make your way back with Hank, your friends will need me once they land." Dylan stood, ready to jump. Once given the approval she too made her way to the bottom.
"Alright you two, I'll be coming in for the landing." Hank called from the cabin. Not too soon after, the plane took a slow nosedive as the pilot maneuvered through the high altitude.
"Bull, this time, I'm going to be sick."Bull frantically looked around for something to catch the vomit in as Benny covered his mouth. When Benny turned a sickly green, Bull gave up and unknowingly put out his own hands.
Benny threw up straight into Bull's hands. As if this day wasn't traumatizing enough already. Benny continued to retch and empty his stomach, it went down his jumpsuit, all over his and Bull's lap and splashed all over the floor. Bull looked on with horror, trying to hold himself back from also flooding the plane.
"Let it out, let it out." Bull spoke, comfortingly.
"I'm sorry." Benny wiped his mouth and surveyed the damage. He felt utterly and completely humiliated.
"It's fine." Bull flicked his hands, getting most of the sick off. He looked around for a towel or something of equal value to clean some of the mess up.
"It's this baby, I can barely hold anything down." Benny admitted with defeat. He'd been ill before, plenty of times, he was actually quite a sickly child. Yet, he'd never experienced such discomfort and fragility before.
"Sorry that you're having to go through this." Bull spoke, sympathetically.
"It's not your fault - completely." The two chuckled lightly.
"Congratulations on being an anomaly."
"Had to be me, hu?" One in every 800 million - was it? And Benny Colón had to fall victim to cruel joke on behalf of the universe.
"Oh of course. The universe is out to get you, didn't you know that?" Bull teased.
"Heck, I do now." His faith in God still troubled him, was this God's plan? Had this been a blessing or a curse? He wasn't sure. What he did know, is that he didn't deserve it. He had accomplished nothing in life worthy of being blessed nor had he committed great sin.
"Have you thought about it anymore today?" The tension thrashed down like lightening in a storm.
"I have..." Benny nodded, his lips perched in an upside-down smile.
"Yeah?"
"I'm still not sure. I had this dream and it kinda opened my eyes a little to something I hadn't given much attention to." It had only been a few days since the 'big reveal' but he hadn't even given labor a second thought.
"Right..."
"What about you, have you...you know...?"Trailing off, Benny felt too self-conscious to continue.
"I couldn't even sleep last night, so much was going through my I don't regret sleeping with you, if that makes a difference?" Bull revealed, quite shamelessly.
"You don't?" Benny scoffed. He had felt pretty embarrassed after the fact, like he had no self-control. He would have never guessed that Bull actually enjoyed himself, what with the way he acted not hours later.
"Sex doesn't have to be about love, it was a night of passion." Bull replied, enthusiastically.
"Even still..." He reservedly shrugged, Benny had never been one for casual sex, despite being quite handsome in his youth. Partially because of his Catholic morals and partially because of his overbearing sister.
"Even better, something great came out of it." Bull's fervent excitement was all too cringeworthy. Bull was evidently more joyful than Benny, even though he wasn't the one carrying "something great".
"We can't make any rash decisions and rush into anything, we need to give it careful thought. Just don't get too excited or anything." Until he knew exactly which way his emotions were driving him, it was best for Bull to remain nonchalant about the ordeal to avoid being heartbroken once again. Although, it did seem like a wasted request.
"Would you blame me if I did?" Bull did, he could admit it. Yet, he hated the fact that Benny was so indecisive. Right then and there took on the important job of persuading Benny, any way he knew how.
"Bull..." Benny began.
"I know."Bull nodded, he understood what would come next and didn't really want to hear it, "We're on the ground, would you look at that."Being so lost in conversation, neither of them had even realized that the plane had landed and that they were no longer moving.
"I hadn't even realised."Benny was relatively surprised with himself for not freaking out when the plane hit the ground.
"We made it, see, it wasn't that scary was it?"Bull coaxed mockingly.
"Well no, I suppose not."If looks could kill, Bull would have been in pieces splatted all over the walls of the plane by now.
"Dylan's going to be mortified when she sees this mess."
"Luckily I still have my other clothes to change into...I do regret not bringing a second pair of underwear." His current pair were soaked through with vomit. He was sticky and smelly, and in desperate need for a shower.
Dylan wasn't as horrified as they had expected her to be. Instead she laughed, saying that 'it happened all too often', she was incredibly level headed and supportive. She performed necessary first aid; testing Benny's blood pressure and monitoring his pupil dilation. Benny assured her it was simply motion sickness accompanied by his nerves.
Benny's legs had turned to jelly as he trembled and stacked over his own feet. Bull helped him from the plane where his friends all stood crowding round. Benny felt incredibly bashful walking past the others, with his clothes covered in sick, he knew he'd never live this day down. Dylan took the two to the shower room to get cleaned up. Bull let Benny take his shower first but waited outside the door holding Benny's clean clothes.
Benny threw the jumpsuit in the corner, he pondered over whether it would be best for Dylan to just throw the thing away. He stripped off and stepped under the shower he'd been running. The warm stream washed away all the dried sick.
An absent-minded hand slipped towards his stomach, never had he admired how soft his skin was. He did notice the subtle rise that wasn't there before. It was conflicting, the growth brought such pride but also crippling anxiety, he didn't know what to do with himself or how he was ever going to make a decision. Today was the first time he'd even referred to his bump as a "baby". It was only too easy to be frustrated with his position when he felt as sick as he did, like Chunk said, it won't last forever. Yet, he couldn't stand being stuck like this.
He broke down. With the water erasing his tears as they fell, he let the stress freefall.