CLAIMED // 18+

Chapter Nineteen - Sebastian

A couple hours ago, I thought I'd destroy the world if anything were to happen to Elaine when I heard her voice suddenly cut off while we were on the call. She sounded nervous, and then all of a sudden, I couldn't hear her anymore. Until an unfamiliar female voice responded.

"Hey, this is Elaine's friend, Paulina. She fainted, but don't worry, the ambulance is here."

Elaine told me a lot about her best friend Paulina before, so I guess a part of me felt a tad relieved. However, the fact that Elaine suddenly passed out sent me into a panic. I quickly headed over to the hospital, and there, I saw Elaine in the ER. She was sleeping peacefully, with an IV drip attached to her hand. I immediately made sure she was moved to a VIP room and was given the best doctor in the entire hospital.

"Everything's okay with her, right? She's totally healthy and fine, right, doc?" I can't keep my patience as the doctor returns after taking a few blood tests of Elaine.

"We ran a couple tests on her and thankfully, yes. She's completely fine." he replies "though, I do have some news."

"What is it?"

"She's pregnant. Three weeks."

As soon as the words leave his mouth, I can't control my happiness anymore. Or the tears in my eyes. Well, I did cry a little when I had to wait for Elaine's results but this is different. These are happy tears, and it's the first time I've ever cried out of overwhelming happiness.

"What did the doctor say?" Paulina asks me, and I tell her.

She puts her hands up to her mouth and widens her eyes "oh my god!"

I wipe the tears off my eyes, and notice how's Paulina's staring at me. She doesn't look away as I tell her "Elaine will be really happy to know you're here. She's been super sad for the last couple weeks, ever since you two got into, um..."

"Got into a fight because I didn't approve of you?" she continues. She takes a sigh "we've been best friends for pretty much our whole lives, and there's possibly not a single thing I don't know about her. So naturally, I care about Elaine a lot and always want what's best for her. But, I was stupid to think she couldn't make her own decisions. And, now I see it."

I raise a brow as Paulina continues to speak "you're madly in love with her, aren't you?"

"I can't imagine a life without her." I reply.

"She loves you a lot too, and trusts you a lot more than she trusts anybody else." Paulina tells me "promise me, Sebastian. Promise me that you'll continue to love Elaine and cherish her, and make sure she doesn't ever regret giving her all to you."

It doesn't take me even a second to answer that. I don't have to think, I don't have to wonder. I'll make sure my love for Elaine never stops. No matter what, I'll give her the best fucking life she ever imagined.

"I promise."

***

Elaine

The smell of hospitals.... I could recognize it in any way. It is so familiar to me, and I'm so accustomed to it, that at some point, I think I practically made it feel like home. It sounds absurd, but it's true. The last two years with my mother went by just like this, in  a hospital room. While she laid on the bed, I told her stuff that would make her laugh and perhaps distracted-- distracted from the things that were happening to her.

The disinfectant smell curl into my nostrils, and a familiar warmth is wrapped around my hand. I've no idea for how long I've been out. I open my eyes, but they strain due to the lights. In a moment, I re-adjust my vision and see Sebastian staring at me with my hand in his hands, and his eyes filled with concern. I must have made him really worried.

Of course I did. I literally passed out in the middle of a street and I was literally talking to him on phone. 

"Sebastian?" I say his name. He leans in and kisses me on the forehead "oh god, you scared me so much, Elaine!"

"I'm sorry," I try to get up, and a nurse helps me from the side "I didn't mean to worry you like that. I'm okay now."

Sebastian wouldn't let go of my hand and keeps staring at me, tucking my hair behind my ear and then caressing my cheek as he says "I'm glad you're okay." I smile, but then I shift my eyes across the room and see Paulina standing on the other end of the bed.

"Paulina?"

She smiles, as her lips tremble "you have no idea how it felt to see my best friend lying on the floor, in the middle of a street."

"I'm so sorry, Paulina." I tell her immediately "I didn't want to hurt you like that."

To see Paulina back like this makes me feel so good. I swear to god, I thought I'd never see her again. I thought our friendship was over. Forever. 

She quickly walks over and wraps her arms around me "I should be the one apologizing, you idiot!" she pulls away and grabs my shoulders "I didn't realize how much I hurt your feelings when I said what I said. I didn't realize how..."

Paulina glances at Sebastian and then looks at me again "I didn't realize how much you really love this man. And how much he loves you."

"Oh, Paulina..." I pull her in for a hug again "I'm so happy you're back."

As I'm hugging Paulina, and looking at Sebastian as he's staring at me with so much worry and love in his eyes, I can't help but think of something completely different from any of this.

I should be happy to see Sebastian. I should be happy to see Paulina.

But instead, I have Cal in my mind. And the video he sent me. And the words he told me. 

I can't tell Paulina about it. I'm sure she's had enough of dealing with Cal for once. And dealing with my never-ending problems. And obviously I can't tell Sebastian anything...

If he were to see that video, I wouldn't know what to do with myself anymore. And the thing is, it's totally possible that he'll be seeing that video someday soon. Because Cal will make him see it, and I can't just sit around and do nothing. I can't just wait for him to show up and ruin my life. I have to do something.

I look at Sebastian's face. He's kissing my hand, and his eyes literally look like he just cried. I can't believe I made him worry to the extent he cried. But also, he looks like he wants to tell me something. In fact, Paulina does too.

"Is everything alright?" I shifted my eyes from Sebastian to Paulina "did the doctors say something? Why did I faint? I'm never this weak."

Paulina weirdly smiles at me, and throws me furthermore into confusion. I look at Sebastian, as he holds my hand tighter and leans closer.

"Baby... we did it." He tells me "we're having a baby."

My heart nearly jumps out of my chest "seriously? I'm pregnant?"

"Yes, for three weeks now." Paulina adds, grinning from ear to ear.

And suddenly, I'm crying for a different reason and all I can think of is about the little life growing inside of me-- the little life me and Sebastian finally made.

[To be continued...]