Chapter Twenty: A toast you won't forget- Part Two
The shower was turned on, Lucy already standing in the tub to wash herself off. Natsu didn't bother asking. He just hopped right in and grabbed his body wash. Lucy didn't mind the intrusion. In fact she greeted him with a kiss on the cheek before shifting out of the way. The couple rotated, one getting wet while the other got soapy until they were both clean.
Natsu was in the middle of rinsing off his soap when they heard the doorbell ring. "What the hell?" He muttered, eyes staring at the shower curtain as if it might provide him with some answers. "What time is it?"
"I have no idea," Lucy said. "I didn't think we took that long..."
"Maybe someone showed up early?" Natsu asked as he washed off the rest of the soap. He jumped out of the shower to grab a towel. "Take your time finishing up. I'll go see who it is."
"Okay," Lucy smiled, glad she would get some more time with the hot water. She wanted to relax her muscles after what they did. Seeing guests was something she wasn't ready for yet.
Natsu dried off in a rush, some parts of his skin still damp but suitable for now. He threw on his clothes, making sure they weren't wrinkled before heading to the front door. Natsu made sure to close both the bathroom and the master bedroom door just in case. He didn't want anyone besides himself getting a peek at Lucy.
Natsu opened the door to greet their guests. It was his mother, father, brother, and sister-in-law. "Hey guys!" He grinned as he stepped back to allow them in. "Need any help with that?" He looked down to see two aluminum pans, one in Igneel's hands and the other in Zeref's.
"We got it," Igneel smiled as he walked past his son. "We're gonna put these in the kitchen."
"Sounds great," Natsu watched as the two males strolled off, then chuckled when he heard his dad mention smelling ham. "Oi! Don't eat any! Lucy'll kill ya!" He just counted himself lucky Lucy hadn't caught him after sneaking a tiny piece before she popped it in the oven.
"Happy Thanksgiving," Natsu's mother, Grandeeney, said as she wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back, wishing her a happy Thanksgiving as well before parting to give Mavis a hug.
Natsu easily picked her up. "Damn! I swear you get shorter every time you visit."
The woman giggled, merely shrugging when he set her down. "Wow," she looked around at the house. "This is really nice."
"Right," Natsu grinned. "Lucy's busy right now, but I'll give you guys a tour!"
Igneel and Zeref joined their wives as the tour started. He showed them the living room, dining room, kitchen, and so on until they got to the master bedroom. Happy was curled up right in front of the closed door. "Lucy's getting ready in there, so I'll show you guys lat-"
"I'm ready," Lucy's voice came from the other side of the door before it swung open, revealing the woman in jeans and a sweater. "Come on in!" Happy scurried away from the sudden noise, going off to the living room to continue his nap.
Natsu's family shuffled in the room to get a look. He glanced around, seeing Lucy already cleaned up the bed and hid the items they just used before guests arrived. "You look nice," he whispered, kissing her temple before looking down to see her outfit of choice again.
She wore a light blue sweater with dark jeans. Her hair was pulled into pigtails, giving her an innocent look. Natsu held back a laugh. He knew Lucy was anything but innocent, especially after what they just did.
That thought quickly vanished when he saw Lucy press her palm against her stomach, a slight grimace showing on her face. "You okay?" He asked, hand coming up to rub at her back.
"Yeah," she breathed. "Just feeling a little weird..."
Natsu leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Was the sex that bad?"
Lucy laughed, playfully pushing at his chest. "Shut up."
Natsu was about to tease her more, but he stopped when he saw his family coming back towards the door. He led them to the backyard to finish the tour, then ultimately ended in the living room where they took a seat to begin chatting. It wasn't long until their other guests arrived. Lucy was in the middle of pulling the ham out of the oven when Levy came strolling in the kitchen.
"Wow, Lu," the woman sniffed the air, "that smells great."
"Thanks," Lucy turned to face her friend, her brow raising when she saw Levy's smile didn't reach her eyes. "Happy Thanksgiving. How are you?"
Levy kept her fake smile. "Good. Happy Thanksgiving to you too." She held up two pans wrapped in foil. "I brought cheesy baked mashed potatoes and stuffing."
"Great," Lucy helped her set them on the counter. "It smells wonderful."
"Thanks," Levy said softly. She turned to see if anyone was near. "Lucy, can I talk to you about something?" In a whisper, she added, "in private?"
A slightly uneasy feeling washed over Lucy, but she ignored it in favor of not seeming rude. "Sure. We can go to the guest bedroom."
They passed by the spare room on their way to the guest bedroom. Natsu and Lucy still hadn't decided what they were going to use it for, so right now it held their boxes they hadn't unpacked yet. Lucy entered the guest bedroom. It had a simple full sized bed with fresh sheets. So far that was the only things in the room. They really weren't expecting overnight guests anytime soon.
"What's up?" Lucy asked when she shut the door behind them.
Levy walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge then patting beside her for Lucy to sit. She took a seat next to her friend, wondering why she was being so secretive. Silence fell between them as Levy gathered her thoughts. She pulled out her phone, but didn't do anything with it except set it in her lap.
"I wanted to talk to you about something," Levy's voice was barely above a whisper.
Lucy couldn't help but frown. Her friend's behavior was a little unsettling. "Is everything alright?"
Levy shook her head. "I... I was talking to a co-worker the other day..." She paused, eyes falling to her lap. "We were just talking about something, then she asked me if I was following the latest news in Crocus..."
Lucy felt her heart sink. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't open her mouth to say a word. Levy continued, turning on her phone to show a news article covering Lucy's court case with Jackal. "Lucy, why didn't you tell us?"
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she still couldn't say anything. She merely dropped her head, a lock of blonde hair shifting to cover her eyes, but there was nothing she could do to hide her quivering chin.
"Oh Lucy," Levy wrapped a hand around Lucy's shoulders. It was enough to make Lucy let out a sob before covering her face with her hands to hide her crying. Levy wanted to ask, "did he really beat and rape you?" but she didn't. It wasn't that she didn't believe Lucy was telling the truth in court, it was that Levy didn't want to believe something like that could happen to her friend.
Lucy's reaction was all the confirmation she needed. Levy held her tightly, whispering how proud she is that she stood up to her abusive ex-husband. "Not a lot of people could do that, Lucy."
Her words helped a little, but it also brought back the pain of going through the trial. Lucy was trying to put it past her, but it was difficult when brought up. "H-how m-many people know?" Lucy managed to say between the sobs that racked her body.
Levy frowned, wishing the question hadn't been asked. "Gajeel... Erza, Gray, and Juvia... I don't know if Erza told Jellal yet..." Shortly after Levy found out she told Gajeel, only to learn a few days later Erza already knew since she kept up-to-date with the latest news in Crocus. When asked why she didn't say anything, Erza said she was respecting Lucy's privacy.
"If Lucy wanted us to know, she would have said something."
Levy wished she'd told Gajeel not to say anything. He told Gray, who told Juvia. The only person Levy wasn't sure knew was Jellal, and she doubted Erza would keep that even from him. "I'm really sorry, Lu."
Lucy shook her head. She scrubbed at her eyes, trying to rid herself of tears before finally facing her friend. With a broken smile, she said, "it's okay. Everyone was b-bound to find out anyways..."
Lucy made a mental note to stay by someone tonight at all times. The urge to cut surfaced in her head, the need to drag that razor against her skin to dull the pain in her heart. She felt embarrassed they found out, but at least she didn't have to see their initial reactions or tell them in person.
Lucy remembered talking to Igneel and Grandeeney about it a while back. They'd reacted just how she imagined: sad, trying to comfort her, telling her they'd help if she needed it, then finally with hugs and words of comfort that brought Lucy to tears. It was a lot harder dealing with that than this was, but that was because she dealt with their raw emotions. At least Levy had time to prepare herself.
Lucy shifted on the bed since her jeans were digging into her skin. She wished she would have bought some bigger jeans the last time they went to the department store, but she was being stubborn and insisted she didn't need new clothes. Now she regretted it, feeling the material dig into her skin.
"If you need anything," Levy started, "don't hesitate to ask."
Lucy replied with a tight hug. "Thank you." She sniffled, her tears slowly drying up. She could already feel her nose and cheeks were red. She would have to clean up again before going back out there. "I've just been so emotional these past few months."
It was true. She had adjusted to her life with Jackal. Sure she feared what he would do to her next, but she was used to it. Ever since her mother passed away she'd been riding on an emotional roller coaster. With divorcing Jackal, getting together with Natsu, and now settling into their new life, Lucy was tired. She hoped things would finally calm down now that the hardest parts were over with.
Levy nodded in understanding. "Just know any of us would do anything to help you. If you ever need us."
Lucy wanted to laugh. "Thanks. It feels... nice." It warmed her heart knowing people actually cared about her. For a while she honestly believed they'd been better off without her in their lives.
Lucy and Levy stayed in the bedroom for a few more minutes. Lucy wiped away the stray tears while Levy told her how much she missed her. They lost track of time. The only thing to break them out of their little moment was a soft knock coming from the door, followed by Natsu's voice.
"Everything okay in there?"
"Yeah," Lucy called, her voice a little scratchy. "We'll be out soon."
"Okay. Just wanted to tell you your dad and Virgo showed up."
"Thank you," Lucy sighed. She wasn't sure if she wanted to see her father. Despite him making an effort she still felt weird around him. She guessed that wasn't going to change easily, but she was okay with that. It wasn't good to force it.
"Are you ready to get back out there?" Levy asked, glancing at the door where she could hear Natsu walking away.
"Yeah, just give me a minute to freshen up."
Levy waited on the bed while Lucy wiped at her face with her sleeve. She was thankful her friend decided to stick around. Being alone wasn't the best option for her right now, even if the thoughts of self-harm were slowly fading. It was better to be safe than sorry.
A few minutes later the two girls were leaving the guest bedroom to reenter the kitchen. Lucy checked on the food before she started moving it to the folding tables Natsu set out for today. There were two tables set up next to each other. One in the dining room while the other was pushing halfway into the living room.
Having something to do helped ease Lucy's troubled mind. By the time she finished setting up she was already forgetting her troubles. Lucy heard giggling, then saw children running through the kitchen before spinning around to head back down the hall. Lucy couldn't help but smile when she saw the similarities the kids shared with Gray and Juvia.
Lucy thought it would be hard seeing their kids, but it only filled her heart with happiness. Seeing them reminded her not of her infertility, but of the possibilities. 'We should talk more about adoption,' Lucy thought as she went to grab some plastic cups. 'Who knows... Maybe in a year or two we can actually grow our family.'
She knew it wasn't wise to rush into the decision. She still had a long way to go with her recovery. Natsu was doing pretty well, but they couldn't avoid alcohol forever. It was one of the main reasons he was doing so well. As she thought about that she grabbed a bottle of sparkling apple cider to place on the table. Lucy was proud of Natsu for his successful three months without alcohol.
She stole one last look at the food before calling everyone in to eat. Despite it looking delicious, Lucy felt nauseous. There were so many smells in the air, messing with her stomach. Regardless, Lucy sat down between Natsu and her father when everyone joined her to eat.
Everyone dug in, passing plates to one another while chatting about the football game showing later that day. Lucy smiled when she saw Juvia making her kid's plates. They smiled up at her with an adoration Lucy couldn't describe.
Lucy's plate consisted of a little of everything while Natsu's was piled so high it looked like it would topple over if someone whispered near it. Lucy wrinkled her nose when Natsu poured some hot sauce in a small bowl by his plate. The spicy smell made her stomach twist again. She shifted in her seat, discretely tugging at the waistband of her pants to relieve her discomfort.
Luckily no one seemed to notice as they carried on, eating their meals and talking about whatever came to mind. Lucy smiled when Erza brought up the time they all went on a camping trip together. That got Gray and Juvia's kids begging to go camping, only to pout when they were told it would be impractical to go camping this time of year.
Lucy remembered that camping trip. The girls and boys were complaining that there wasn't enough room in their tents, so Natsu and Lucy volunteered to sleep outside. In the bed of Gajeel's truck they laid down a few blankets, huddled in their sleeping bags, and counted the stars until they fell asleep next to each other.
If only Lucy could go back to that moment. She would have confessed her feelings for Natsu instead of holding off in fear of her father finding out. Of course her mother still would have gotten sick, her father's company would have failed, and she'd be put in the same situation as before.
"You okay?" Natsu whispered when he noticed the watery brown eyes staring absentmindedly at her plate.
She startled a bit, but not enough to rouse attention. "O-oh, yeah." A small smile crept on her lips. "I was just thinking about the camping trip."
By now the others had changed the subject, now talking about the time Gray got kicked out of a supermarket because he stripped down to his boxers. Natsu's mind snapped back to that weekend in the woods. He got eaten alive by mosquitoes, they didn't pack enough food so by the last day he was starving, and the shower station was closed for repairs so everyone carried a little more sweat than desired, but it was one of the best weekends of his life.
Spending the night sleeping beside Lucy, counting the stars, watching her peaceful face as she drifted to sleep, then waking up next to her... He wanted those moments to last forever, and now he got his wish. All he had to do was not mess up, and he'd get to spend the rest of his life going to bed with Lucy and waking up beside her. It was honestly a dream come true.
Natsu rose to his feet before his brain registered what he was doing. The movement caused a breeze to drift by Lucy, filling her nose with not only the combination of food on Natsu's plate, but the smell of hot sauce mixed with his body wash. Her stomach churned, causing her to grip onto her thighs just to hold back the urge to dry heave.
"I'll be right back," Natsu said before exiting the room. He was gone for less than a minute before he returned, a slight bulge protruding from his right pocket.
"I umm," Natsu started, completely unprepared. "I was gonna wait until later to do this, but I honestly don't think I can." Thinking about how happy he was to be with Lucy assured him he was making the right decision.
Natsu grabbed his glass of sparkling apple cider, raising it in the air for everyone to see. "I'd like to start off with a toast. First off, thanks for everyone who came here today. I know this was a little last minute, but I think it turned out pretty fu-" Natsu stopped when he realized there were children present. "-Freakin' awesome."
He saw everyone nodding as they waited for him to say more. "This year I'm thankful for friends and family. Without you guys I don't know what I'd do." Then he glanced down at Lucy, seeing her eyes were still wet, but no tears formed yet.
"And I'm thankful to have Lucy back in my life. I can't even begin to tell you how much I missed you," his cheek twitched at the same time his eyes pricked. If he didn't reign it in he'd surely tear up soon. "Anyways, thanks for joining us today." He raised the glass a little bit more, everyone else raising theirs to clink against the people closest to them.
Natsu watched as everyone took a sip of their drinks. He gulped, realizing the easy part was over. He set his drink down after taking a sip, then slid his hand into his pocket.
"There's something else I wanted to do today."
Instead of continuing to stand, Natsu pushed his seat back just as he pulled a small box from his pocket. He wasn't even down on one knee before he heard his mother gasp. "Lucy," Natsu started, feeling his hands shake as he looked up at the woman he loved. "I know this is probably too soon, and we still have a lot of work we need to do, but I don't think I can wait another minute without knowing. I think it's true that time heals all wounds, but when I'm with you it feels like time stands still. I know that probably doesn't make sense, but you just make my wounds hurt less when I'm with you."
Natsu could hear himself starting to ramble. He decided now was the best time to proceed, not wanting to risk going on a rant about time and wounds. He was never all that good with words anyway.
Lucy stared down in shock when Natsu opened the box, revealing a diamond ring. Her eyes raked over the silver band, two small diamonds surrounding a bigger one in the center. She looked up at Natsu's soft green eyes, seeing the mixture of nervousness and love.
Everyone sat still, waiting on bated breath as Natsu asked, "Lucy, will you marry me?"
The air around Lucy felt extraordinarily thin as she went to take a breath. She slowly opened her mouth, ready to say that three letter word Natsu was wanting to hear, but instead a hand was quickly slapped over her mouth as she jumped from her seat.
Lucy bolted from the chair to run to the kitchen sink. From the dining room everyone heard her puke in the sink, all while Natsu was still kneeling by her chair. "Uhh," Natsu slowly dropped his hands, unsure what to do. He imagined a million possibilities, but Lucy running away to vomit was definitely not one of them.
Levy went to check if she was alright while Natsu stayed on the ground. Was he supposed to get up? He had no idea. He'd only seen a handful of romantic movies, but they never ended like this.
"Lucy, what's wrong?" Levy's voice could be heard from the other room.
"I-I... don't feel so w-" Lucy started, but then her voice faded out just as Levy yelped.
"Lucy!"
At hearing Levy scream, Natsu rose to race to the kitchen. With the box still in his hand he rushed over to where Levy was barely holding Lucy up. Her eyes were closed, her body going limp in Levy's arms.
"What happened?" Natsu shouted as he grabbed Lucy. Panic swarmed him as he carelessly tossed the ring to Levy.
"I don't know!" Levy said just as more people gathered in the kitchen. "She was fine one second, then the next she passed out!"
"Should we try to wake her?" Gray asked, subconsciously unbuttoning his shirt before Juvia slapped his hands away.
"Juvia thinks Lucy should go to the hospital."
Natsu cringed. 'Is this serious? It has to be. Otherwise why would she just pass out?' He looked back at Lucy's face, seeing no signs of consciousness. "Okay," he said as calmly as he could before lifting her up into his arms, one hand around her back while the other was under her knees. "Can someone get the door? Lucy's keys should be on the hook over there."
Igneel went to grab the door while Zeref took the car keys and followed them outside. Natsu went to grab the door handle to Lucy's car, but was stopped when Grandeeney said, "we'll drive you." She motioned over to her SUV parked on the curb.
Deciding it was better to be close to Lucy, Natsu nodded and headed to his mom's car. He didn't like this one bit. He had no idea why Lucy would faint. It's not like she was tired or anything. She'd never done that before.
Natsu sat in the backseat with Lucy on his lap the entire ride to the hospital. He didn't take his motion sickness pill beforehand, so he was nauseous the whole time.
Right as they pulled up to the emergency drop-off, Lucy opened her eyes. A groan tore from her throat as she blinked up at Natsu. "Wha-?" She closed her eyes again, furrowing her brows to fight off the headache setting in. "Natsu?"
"We're here," he said as he helped her into his arms while shifting out of the vehicle. Igneel helped him while his mom went to park the car.
Right behind her was five other cars, each carrying a different family from the party. It seemed like no one was going to wait around at their house, all wanting to find out what happened to their friend.
Jude and Grandeeney entered the emergency room's waiting area at the same time, each walking up to Igneel to find out what was happening. Igneel looked just as confused as they were. "They told Natsu to put her in a wheelchair, then they rolled her off. He went with her. She woke up, but all she could do was mumble."
Concern flashed through their eyes. "Can we go back there?"
"I don't think so," Igneel said as he looked at the door they went through. "They didn't seem to want Natsu back there." He let out a strained chuckle when he recalled how stubborn his son had been, insisting that he went with Lucy until they gave up and let him.
"The nurse said to wait out here." Igneel glanced over to the waiting area with rows of chairs facing a TV. The local news played, but it couldn't be heard over the murmuring coming from down the hall.
In no time at all the waiting room was flooded with twelve adults and two children, all waiting for Lucy. The rest of the waiting room was pretty bare considering it was a holiday. Only three other people were scattered in the area, all watching the TV despite the noise coming from Lucy's concerned friends.
Igneel wished he had more information, but he was limited to what he saw. They would just have to wait for some news when it came through. They all stood for a few more minutes before trickling over to the chairs when they realized the wait would be longer than they thought.
They only hoped Lucy was alright.
ASDFGHJKL
Lucy sat alone in the doctor's office. Natsu had left when the doctor asked for some privacy. He refused at first, but when Lucy gently asked him to listen to the doctor he finally cracked. She only thought about the pain in his eyes as he left the room, only to watch as the doctor walked out with him.
Lucy was beyond tired. She didn't remember passing out. All she remembered was feeling sick, then being in the car. She only really regained consciousness when the doctor flashed a light in her eyes. That was enough to snap her awake.
Then she got a few things done. They took her blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, and even some of her urine. They asked her a series of questions which she answered the best she could considering how dizzy she felt. They gave her some water and sent her to the doctor's office.
After some time the doctor returned. With a stern look, he asked, "do you feel safe at home?"
Lucy widened her eyes. "What?"
"Do you feel safe at home?" He repeated, no traces of emotion in his voice.
"Yes," Lucy furrowed her brows. "Why would you ask that?"
"When checking your heart rate I noticed some scarring on your stomach. Are those self-inflicted?"
She felt her face warm in humiliation. "Y-yes."
The doctor went to sit on a stool, bringing out a clipboard to write down her answers. "When was the last time you cut yourself?"
Lucy had to think about it. A month? Maybe a month and a half ago?" She wasn't exactly marking her calendar.
"Are you seeking help?"
Lucy nodded, relieved she could bring some good news to the table. "Yes. I see a counselor about it."
"Good," the doctor wrote that down. While he was jotting down his notes, Lucy's eyes wandered to the door.
"Why did you tell Natsu to leave?"
The doctor didn't look up as he said, "I sent your husband out because it's standard here to when abuse is suspected."
Lucy skimmed over the 'husband' part, instead focusing on the abuse. "But he isn't abusing me!"
"Well, we don't know that without asking first," he finally looked up at her. "It's important to make sure you feel safe when asking. If he was in here you might have been compelled to change your answer."
Lucy shook her head. "He's not hurting me. These are from something else... Something out of my life now."
"That's good," the doctor went back to his notes, giving Lucy the chance to think.
She remembered every time she went to the doctors since marrying Jackal. He was always there, never allowing her to be alone with anyone. Maybe if they'd followed those rules she could have sought help, but in the end she probably wouldn't have. Her mother's life was on the line, so she was completely at his mercy.
A shiver passed through her spine at the memory of that horrid man. She hoped he was having 'fun' in prison. She couldn't imagine how a guy like him would do in a place like that. He might act tough, but in the end all he was able to do was beat on a woman who wouldn't defend herself and a man who was exhausted and sick. He wouldn't fare well in prison surrounded by other criminals.
"-filia?"
Lucy blinked, realizing the doctor was talking to her. "What?"
"I asked when the first day of your last menstrual cycle was?"
Her lips twisted into a frown. "It's been a while. I've been having irregular periods for years."
"I see," the doctor marked something on the paper. "Well that probably explains why you didn't come in sooner."
"What do you mean?" Lucy asked as the doctor stood up.
"Give me a moment," the doctor said before leaving the room. He returned a few minutes later with a large machine on wheels. "I looked for your husband out there. I'm not sure where he went," he said as he plugged the machine into the wall.
"Can you lift your shirt?" The doctor asked, missing the way Lucy flinched.
"Wh-why?" She didn't want to show any skin to the doctor, medical or not. Besides, why would he need to see her torso.
"Just up until you hit under your chest. I need you like that for this to work." He flashed her a soft smile, "I promise I'm a professional. If you want I can page the front desk to get a female nurse in here, or I can try to find your husband."
"He's not my husband," Lucy whispered, though right now she wished he was. "He's my boyfriend."
"Oh," the doctor nodded. "My apologizes. I can still try to get a hold of him."
Lucy pulled her phone from her back pocket. "I'll just text him." She only half-trusted this doctor. She'd rather send the message herself than risk him sending out a fake message. The doctor went to a phone on the wall, calling for a female nurse to join them.
A minute later a female showed up, standing off to the side to act as a comfort. Lucy sighed after sending the text. She didn't know when she got so paranoid, but in cases like this she'd rather be safe than sorry. When a minute passed by without Natsu showing up, Lucy finally lifted her shirt, stopping when she hit her bra. At least there was a female in there with her.
"I'm going to tuck this into your waistband," he held up something that looked like a cross between paper and thin fabric. Slowly he moved until he could tuck it in. Lucy tensed at his touch, but it was over before she knew it.
"And last but not least, the gel."
Lucy raised a brow when he grabbed a tube of gel. She realized now what he was trying to do. "Why are you trying to give me an ultrasound?" She'd had a few before when she was trying to conceive, but they all showed the same thing: nothing.
"Because Lucy," the doctor started as he squeezed out some cold gel on her lower stomach, "you're pregnant."
Lucy barely reacted. "No I'm not." She didn't say anything else, because anything more would have been a waste of breath.
"If you say so," the doctor let out the first laugh of the night. "I gotta say, you're the only patient I've had to keep a straight face after saying you're pregnant."
"Because I'm not," Lucy was now scowling. "I'm infertile."
"Well that can't be true," the doctor's laughter ceased when he noticed her put-off demeanor. "The test came back positive?"
"What test?" Lucy thought back. Just as she realized which one he was referring to, he answered.
"You're urine test. We drop a pregnancy test in there just to be safe. Your fainting is most likely just a side effect. Are you taking any prenatal vitamins?" He asked as he turned on the machine.
Lucy's anger didn't fade. It only grew. "Why would I take vitamins if I'm not pregnant?" She was getting tired of this doctor messing around with her. She flashed her eyes over to the door, wondering where the hell Natsu was. Just at that moment she received a text from the man, saying he was on his way back to the room. Apparently he got caught up talking to both their dads since neither male would leave Natsu alone until he gave an update.
"You'd be surprised how many women take the vitamin without being pregnant. It's good for skin, hair, and nails." When the machine was loaded, he grabbed the transducer probe and pressed it against her skin, smearing the gel to coat her belly.
Lucy's frown didn't fade until she heard a sound thrumming coming from the machine, followed by an image of her uterus. Only, instead of seeing it empty like she had so many times before, she saw the blurry imagine of the outline of a baby.
The air from her lungs left her in an instant. The doctor noticed, the corner of his lips quirking up at her reaction. "Lucy. You're pregnant. That's your baby."
ASDFGHJKL
Natsu had some trouble finding Lucy's room again after leaving. When he went to tell his family they hadn't found anything out, he was bombarded with questions he couldn't answer yet. He barely managed to escape from them before making his way back to the rooms.
Just before he went through the doors, Levy grabbed his shirt. "Wait. You forgot this."
Natsu turned to see the little box in her hands. His lips twitched into a smile. "Thanks," he grabbed it, pocketing the engagement ring before making his way through the door. He had to ask a few nurses, but he eventually found the room containing the love of his life.
Instead of being greeted with the soft smile he last saw Lucy wearing, he was greeted with the sound of crying. He rushed into the room, not bothering to knock. Lucy sat on the bed, her clothes back to normal as she laid on her side. The doctor was no longer in the room, leaving Lucy all by herself.
"What happened?"
Natsu assumed the worse based on her tears. He was expecting horrible news, not at all what she said. "N-Natsu... I'm... I'm p-pregnant..."
It took him a few moments to process the information. "You're... pregnant?" He looked down at her stomach, then back up at her face. "How?"
"I d-don't kn-know," she sobbed, wrapping her arms around her.
"H-hey," Natsu walked over to her, resting a hand on her side. "This is good news, right? No, better than good. It's amazing!" Despite knowing they weren't exactly ready to start a family, he couldn't deny the excitement that burst through his being at finding out she was pregnant. She could finally have a kid of her own. He could actually be a dad. They could have their little family after all.
Some part in the back of Natsu's mind still reminded him that adoption was still an option, but for now he needed to focus on what was in front of him, and that was a crying Lucy who refused to look at him.
"What's wrong, Lucy?"
She shook her head, slamming her eyes shut. "You don't want to know."
"I promise I do," Natsu tried to keep his voice calm, but he was barely holding it together. Lucy was pregnant? There was so much that needed to be done before she gave birth to a little baby girl or boy. Just as he started thinking about each gender, a crucial detail popped into his mind.
"When are you due?"
That seemed to be the wrong question to ask, only bringing her more tears. "Lucy. Please tell me what's wrong?"
"I'm... I'm... f-fourteen weeks..."
Natsu raised a brow. He couldn't understand why she sounded so upset. "Isn't that good?" He remembered hearing something about the longer someone was pregnant the less the chance of miscarriage gets.
With her eyes still closed, she confessed, "we only st-started having sex exactly fourteen w-weeks ago."
Natsu still wasn't understanding. "Isn't that good?"
She shook her head. "F-fourteen weeks ago w-was the l-last t-time... J-Jac-" Her voice cut out for a moment. "H-he r-raped m-me f-fourte-"
Lucy didn't have to finish for Natsu to finally understand. Fourteen weeks ago was when Jackal last raped her and Natsu started having sex with her. "So there's a chance it's not mine?" Natsu asked, wondering if that was why she was upset.
Lucy nodded, her head burying under her hands as she shed more tears. "I'm s-so sorry! I-I didn't mean to g-get pr-pregnant!" Lucy thought she couldn't conceive. It was the only reason she didn't have Natsu wear a condom. If she'd known there was a chance she would have told him so he could make the choice. Now she felt like she was trapping him.
Or worse.
She might be pregnant with Jackal's baby.
More tears flooded her already stinging eyes as she realized her life with Natsu might be ending soon. There was no way he'd want to be with her if she was carrying another man's baby.
Her fears were only worsened when she felt Natsu's hand lift from her side. She heard some shifting, expecting him to leave the room any minute, but instead she was surprised when she heard him say, "Lucy... Will you marry me?"
Lucy slowly pulled her hands away from her face. She opened her eyes, her vision blurry until she blinked away some tears. Natsu was down on one knee again, the same ring from earlier in his hands, outstretched to present it to her.
"I don't care if that baby isn't mine, because no matter what it's yours, and that's enough of a reason to love him or her." Natsu never felt so sure in his life. "If you'll let me, I want to help you raise your child... Our child... If it's mine, well then awesome. If not, I can live with that. I want to be with you forever Lucy, and something as petty as genetics isn't going to change that. I'll be the best dad I can be to that baby. That I can swear on my life."
When Lucy didn't say anything, he continued. "I love you no matter what. I just want to have a family with you. And besides, if you got pregnant once who's to say you couldn't get pregnant again? And adoption's still an option, just throwing it out there."
Natsu felt himself rambling, but he didn't want to stop now. "Please let me be a father to your child... To our child... I feel really silly proposing to you in a hospital while you're crying, but I really don't know any other way to show you how serious I am right now. I really, really love you Lucy, from the bottom of my heart."
Lucy was now crying for a different reason. She couldn't believe Natsu was being this understanding, though honestly she shouldn't have doubted him. He was full of so much love. It only made sense he would love a child even if he didn't conceive it himself. Besides, there was still the smallest possibility that he might be the father, though Lucy was doubtful.
If she was fourteen weeks pregnant, and they had sex for the first time exactly fourteen weeks ago, there was a slim chance it was his sperm that fermented her egg. It could take a few days to actually get pregnant, and Jackal had raped her the day before she made it to Magnolia.
"Pr-promise you'll love him or her? Regardless?" Lucy felt her voice cracking, but she stayed strong enough to hear his answer.
Natsu smiled, bringing his hand up to take hers. It was warm and comforting, just like his presence. "I promise I will love him or her no matter what." He knew he could live up to that promise. If Igneel and Grandeeney could love him like their own then he could certainly do it too. "Will you marry me?" He felt dumb asking three times, but she still hadn't answered him. "We don't have to get married right away. I just want to know if you want to."
"Yes," Lucy finally said. "I really want to marry you, Natsu."
The two joined in a kiss. It was wet due to her tears, but neither minded as he wrapped his arms around her to bring her closer. "I love you," Lucy mumbled against his lips before stealing another kiss. "You promise you're not mad?" She wouldn't blame him if he was. They weren't exactly ready for parenthood, but she knew if they worked together they could pull it off.
"Absolutely. Why would I be mad?" Natsu didn't give her a chance to answer before kissing her again.
When he finally released her lips, she voiced the question nagging at her mind. "Should I get a DNA test?"
"No," Natsu didn't hesitate. "Because if it is his, I don't want him to know about it."
"Would it be selfish to keep a baby away from him?" Lucy really didn't know. Normally she felt the father had the right to know, but this case certainly wasn't normal.
"I don't think so," Natsu said honestly. "I just don't want him to try to take the kid away from us."
Lucy tingled all over when he said that. She glazed over the fear of Jackal taking her baby, only focusing on how sure Natsu was that the baby would be 'theirs', regardless of DNA.
"Okay. We won't get a test."
Jackal forced himself on her, so he had no claims over her child. Besides, what judge in their right mind would take the baby away from its mother to give to a convicted rapist?
They kissed again, then Lucy happily extended her hand so Natsu could slip the ring on her finger. It was a little loose, but in his defense he didn't know her ring size. Lucy told him it was fine. They could always get it resized later. Right now she was just happy things seemed to be working out.
It was going to be a rough journey, but they could get through it if they stuck together. After all, everything was more fun when they were together.
"Hey Natsu..." Lucy whispered as they walked down the hall to the waiting area.
"Yeah?" He glanced down at her, mentally noting they would have to go shopping later for some clothes that actually fit her.
A coy smile rose on her face as she said, "I don't think I'm going to associate our first Thanksgiving with anal sex anymore..."
Natsu snorted. "Actually, funny story. After the doc asked me about your cuts, I asked him if maybe I caused you to faint from our sex."
Lucy's face flushed a few shades of red. "You did not!"
Natsu chuckled. "I did. He said no. Anal sex typically doesn't cause fainting."
She could only shake her head as they passed through the door, immediately greeted by their friends and family. Questions were thrown their way so fast neither Natsu or Lucy could grasp them.
To end them all at once, Lucy looked up at Natsu, then back at the group. "I'm pregnant!"
Before I even typed down Lucy's infertility I already planned for her to get pregnant. (There is a somewhat logical reason for why she couldn't get pregnant before. That will be revealed next chapter) Sorry for putting you guys through that, but it was important for the story.
Up next, Chapter Twenty-One: I Do
Can anyone guess why Lucy couldn't get pregnant until now? What do you think of their decision to not get a DNA test/keeping her pregnancy a secret from Jackal? Normally I hate when women keep their pregnancies from the rightful father, but I believe in this case Jackal doesn't have a right to the child even if there's a chance it could be his, but what do you think?