Hello again lovelies! Thought I would update this Chapter as an early treat for you guys for Halloween. Hope you guys have a fun and safe Halloween!
Anyways, this Chapter is going to pick up from the last chapter and then skip to two weeks later for Anabelle's 20 week ultrasound. Hope you guys are excited!
I don't have much to say, so here's Chapter 14, enjoy! :)
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*RECAP*
"Hi Sean," My voice cracked. I was trying to fight back the tears that were slowly starting to form.
"Anabelle, are you okay?"
I swallowed the lump in my throat. It was silent for a few seconds before I decided to finally answer.
"No," I whispered.
"Are you home?"
"Yes," I whispered again.
"Okay. I'm coming over. I'll be there in ten minutes."
The line went dead and I laid there, continuing to stare at the ceiling.
*End of Recap*
.
*Anabelle's POV*
.
.
I opened the front door, revealing Sean holding a brown paper bag in his hand. Sean smiled at me as he held up the brown paper bag. "I brought Chinese." I gave him a small smile, opening the front door all the way, so that he could enter.
He walked inside the house. "Thanks for the food, but I'm not that hungry. But feel free to make yourself comfortable and serve yourself the food," I said to him, while closing the front door.
We walked inside the living room. Sean walked into the kitchen, still holding the paper bag. "Where are your plates?" He asked, from the kitchen.
"They're in the cabinet next to the fridge," I answered, switching on the television. Sean came back into the living room, with two plates and the brown paper bag. He set the stuff down on the coffee table.
"Are you sure you're not hungry?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. I just ate some food not too long ago."
"Okay. I brought an extra plate, just in case if you do get hungry." He opened the bag, taking out a few of the containers and set them down on the coffee table. "So Anabelle, how are you?"
I shrugged my shoulders, watching as he opened up one of the containers. He looked up at me, noticing that I was silent. He set down his plate on the coffee table, got up from the small couch and walked over to where I was, sitting down on the empty spot right next to me on the bigger couch.
"Look, I know we don't know a lot about each other and you probably don't trust me at all, but I think we should start to trust each other and talk to each other about things, you know? We're having a baby. We're going to be spending lots of time together, so I believe it's time we start developing a trusting friendship. If that makes sense."
I gave him a small smile. "Yeah, I guess you might be right."
"You guess? I am right. I'm always right." He said, giving a smug look.
I scoffed. "Oh okay, whatever you say."
He gave me a small smile, before he became serious again. "Anabelle, I'm really worried about you. You've been more distant and less bubbly since the day we talked at the cemetery. What's going on? You can tell me, I promise. Maybe I can help you."
"It's not that simple Sean. It's personal."
"I understand. It's personal, but you can trust me. I want you to be able to confide in me. I'm not some asshole who's going to tell the whole world about what's going on with your personal life. I have more respect than that.
Look, if you don't want to tell me, it's fine. I'm not going to force you to tell me something you're not comfortable telling me about. I just-I. What can I do to help? I don't want you to be distant or sad. I just want to help. What could I do to make things better?"
"Nothing. There's nothing you can do to make things better." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Anabelle, please. Let me help. I'll do whatever you want me to do, just name it. I'll-"
"My dad has cancer," I said, my voice sounding very monotoned. My chest felt heavy, my eyes began to water, and my body just began feeling weak. I was hurting, badly. I couldn't hold in the pain anymore. I suddenly broke down in tears. I felt Sean's arms quickly wrap themselves around me. He pulled me closer, holding me tight, but not too tight.
My head rested on his shoulder as I cried. He pushed back the strands of hair that were covering my face and began wiping away my tears. "Sean, why is this happening?" I sobbed. "Why is this happening again?"
"Shhh. Hey, look at me." I slowly lifted my head from his shoulder, but I didn't look at him. I stared down at my lap, wiping away some of the tears that were making its way down my cheeks. "Anabelle, look at me, please."
I slowly turned my head in his direction. "Anabelle, I'm extremely sorry to hear about your father. I don't know why these things happen, no one knows why these things happen. They just do. I don't know if you're religious or not but I'm just going to say it anyway.
Life can be full of unexpected things, either happy or sad, but no matter what things may happen, just always keep a loving heart, a positive mind set and have strong faith. Cause God will stay with you through all of it. Be strong. Because things will get better. It may be stormy now, but it never rains forever.
Let me tell you something about what cancer cannot do. Cancer is so limited.. It cannot cripple love, it can not shatter hope, it cannot corrode faith, it cannot destroy peace, it cannot kill friendship, it cannot suppress memories, it cannot silence courage, it cannot invade the soul, and it cannot steal eternal life.
So continuing having hope. Spend every minute with your father. Create more memories with him. Tell him you love him, appreciate every day that you have with him. Just know, that your father will get through this. He will fight. Just never lose hope. Never stop believing in hope because miracles happen every day."
I stared at him, as he wiped away my tears. "Smile. I don't like seeing you sad." I gave him a small smile. "There you go. There's that beautiful smile that I like to see," He said, smiling.
Sean looked around the room, his eyes stopping on the guitar case, near the television. "You have a guitar?" He asked, as he got up from the couch and walked over to where the guitar case was. "Uh, yeah. I'm still learning how to play it," I said, adjusting myself on the couch while wiping my tear stained face.
He grabbed the guitar case and laid it down on the coffee table, away from the Chinese food. He opened the case and took out the tan-colored acoustic guitar. He sat down next to me and began to lightly strum the guitar. "I think I might know how to cheer you up. I'm going to sing you a song."
"You're going to sing? You sing?"
"A little. I sing in the shower sometimes. Okay, I don't know if you know this song but I'm going to sing it, cause it's one of my favorites. Okay..." He began strumming the guitar and I immediately recognized the song. It was one of my favorites as well.
"If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea,
I'll sail the world to find you
If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see,
I'll be the light to guide you
Find out what we're made of
When we are called to help our friends in need
You can count on me like one two three
I'll be there
And I know when I need it I can count on you like four three two
You'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah
Whoa, whoa
Oh, oh
Yeah, yeah
If you tossin' and you're turnin' and you just can't fall asleep
I'll sing a song
Beside you
And if you ever forget how much you really mean to me
Everyday I will
Remind you
Ooh
Find out what we're made of
When we are called to help our friends in need
You can count on me like one two three
I'll be there
And I know when I need it I can count on you like four three two
You'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah
Oh, oh
Yeah, yeah
You'll always have my shoulder when you cry
I'll never let go
Never say goodbye
You know you can
Count on me like one two three
I'll be there
And I know when I need it I can count on you like four three two
And you'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah
Oh, oh
You can count on me 'cause I can count on you"
I stared at him, a big smile spread across my face. "Wow. You sing amazing! I didn't know you could sing like that!"
"Yeah, well. I only sing in the shower when I'm home alone. No one really knows that I sing, except you."
"Well, I'm honored," I smiled,"You really do sing amazing."
He smiled and I quickly noticed the light shade of pink that tinted his cheeks, which caused me to smile even wider. "Thank you. That really means a lot to me."
"No problem."
He set down the guitar back inside the case. "Now are you hungry?"
"Yeah, I could fit some fried rice with sweet and sour chicken."
"Great, I'll serve us some food."
"Okay." I watched as Sean began filling up both of our plates with food. Sean was not the person I thought he was. He was actually a really sweet, thoughtful, and caring person. I used to think of him as a playboy. A rude, arrogant, and thoughtless person. But boy was I wrong.
My mom would always tell me to never judge a book by its cover. But I did exactly that. Sure, I don't know him completely but so far he has proven otherwise. And I'm really glad he has.
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*20 weeks pregnant*
Walking down the hallways at school these past few weeks has been.. Well.. Interesting. I guess. Well, let me start off by saying that everyone obviously knows that I'm pregnant. The stares and the side conversations that begin as I walk by, give it away.
Word has officially gone around school, saying that Sean is the father. Which was a complete shock to everyone, apparently. I don't know how the school found out he was the father, but it's whatever now.
"So, you're officially halfway through your pregnancy! How are you feeling? Are you excited?" Lianne said, as we both stood near my locker. "Excited? More like nervous and scared."
"Why? You should be excited as well. I mean, after all, in twenty more weeks you get to hold your daughter in your arms. I think it's exciting."
"Yes, I'm excited but I'm really scared too Lianne. What if something goes wrong with the baby? What if I'm not a good mother? What if-"
"Ana stop. Your daughter is going to be perfectly healthy and you're going to make such a fantastic mother. Stop worrying so much. Okay? Everything's going to be okay."
"Okay," I said, closing my locker. "Now let's go to English. Maybe reading some Shakespeare will help you get your mind off of things."
"Yeah, maybe," I said, as we began to walk to Mrs. Lenore's class.
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*Sean's POV*
"So, where's the appointment going to be at? Dr. Reynold's office or at the hospital?" I asked, as we both got inside my black 2014 Jeep Wrangler. Anabelle had her twenty week ultrasound with Dr. Reynolds today.
"Hospital, and after the appointment, we should go visit my father." She said, while putting on her seatbelt. "Sounds great."
I turned on the car, slowly beginning to pull out of her driveway. "So, after we visit your father, uh- do you want to get something to eat?"
Please say yes. Please say yes.
"Sure," She said, giving me a small smile.
Yes.
"So, how are you and Kayla?"
"Hm? Oh. Kayla. We're good."
"You sure? You don't seem so convinced," She said, her full attention on me.
"I don't know. It's just-I don't seem to like her as much as I did a couple months ago. Things are different now, I guess."
"Different how?"
"I don't know. All she ever wants is sex. Don't get me wrong, sex is great but I don't want just that. I want to get to know her more. I want to be able to connect with her on a level other than physical. You get me?"
"Mhm. You want to connect with her on an emotional level. You just want to be able to know how her day was, how she's feeling, stuff like that, right?"
"Yeah, exactly. But every time I try to get to know her or do anything like that, she changes the subject and then wants to have sex. I don't know. I just don't want that kind of relationship."
"Well, I'm not one to give relationship advice or get in between your relationship with Kayla but if you're unhappy, then end the relationship. But first, let me ask you this question. Do you see a future with her?"
I stared at the open road in front of me. Now that I think about it, I don't. I don't see a future with her. I mean, we're graduating in a few months, I should be thinking about my future. Right? And when I think about my future, I just don't see Kayla in it.
"No. I don't."
"There's your answer. If you don't see her in your future or see things working out later on, then end it. You shouldn't keep being in a relationship if you know that deep down in your heart, it won't work out."
I pulled up to the hospital, parking in a parking space closest to the entrance. I turned off the engine and looked over at Anabelle. "You're right. Thank you."
"No problem," She grinned. There was a small silence. "Anyway, let's go check up on our daughter," She said, opening the car door. A small smile formed onto my lips. "Okay," I said, getting out of the car as well.
We walked inside the hospital and made our way to the elevators. We entered the elevators. We waited a few seconds, before exiting the elevators into the Maternity Ward.
I sat down in the waiting room and waited as Anabelle went to the front desk to sign herself in. She came back with a couple of magazines in her hand. "What's that?"
"Oh just some pregnancy and parenting magazines I got from the pile near the front desk. I thought that maybe we should read it while we wait."
"Oh okay." I took the one on parenting. I opened it and turned some of the pages. My eyes landed on a page that quickly caught my attention. 'Preparing for Fatherhood.'
I read each of the Headings.
'Never Underestimate Your Role'
'Be Involved With The Pregnancy'
'Talk About It'
'Plan To Be There'
'Prepare For The Changes'
The list was longer than that, but those were just a few. I continued reading the article. This article was starting to make me nervous about the whole pregnancy again. There was so much that Anabelle and I had to discuss about.
Like, who's last name is the baby taking? What are we going to name our daughter? Stuff like that. I would need to get a job as soon as possible. I want to be able to provide for Anabelle and most importantly my daughter.
"Sean?" There was so much things that had to get done before the baby arrives. I just don't know where to start. "Sean?"
Anabelle's voice broke me away from my thoughts. "Yes?"
"They called my name. Let's go."
"Oh, okay, yeah. Let's go," I said, getting up from my seat, leaving the magazine on the chair. I followed Anabelle down the hallway to one of the rooms. We arrived to the room and entered.
"Dr. Reynolds should be in here shortly," A nurse said, smiling. I helped Anabelle onto the bed. "Okay, thank you." She nodded before exiting the room.
Anabelle started taking slow deep breaths. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just a little nervous. I was doing some reading last night on some pregnancy stuff and it made me a little nervous. I just want this appointment to go smoothly."
"Don't worry, it will. Everything's going to be fine." Just then, there was a knock on the door, before it opened completely, revealing Dr. Reynolds. He smiled at the both of us as he closed the door. "Good Afternoon, Anabelle and Sean. How are you guys?"
He walked over to where we were and shook both of our hands. "Hello, Dr. Reynolds. We're doing great. I'm just a little nervous."
"And why is that, Anabelle?"
"I don't know. I just want everything to go smoothly. Make sure my baby is doing just fine."
"Well don't be nervous, we'll get to the ultrasound soon but first are some routine questions. Well, you're officially halfway through your pregnancy. How are you feeling? Any new symptoms since your last visit?"
"Uh, well I've noticed that I gained more weight. I still have the usual cravings that come and go every once in awhile. Oh and a couple weeks ago, I think I felt the baby kick. It felt like popcorn popping in my stomach or like butterflies."
"Wait, what? She kicked and you didn't tell me?" I asked, feeling somewhat upset. "Oh, Sean.. I wasn't sure if she was really kicking, that's why I didn't tell you. I didn't want you to get excited for no reason. But I'm sorry, I'll be sure to tell you next time."
"Well, Anabelle, you did indeed feel your baby moving. Many women describe those movements the way you did. Later on in your pregnancy, you will feel full on kicks. I bet you were excited when you felt those movements?"
"Yes, of course! I couldn't stop smiling the whole day."
"Okay, well. Let's start the ultrasound. During the ultrasound, I will also take measurements to check on the baby's growth. I will also check the gender again, and here's why. We normally check the gender between 16-22 weeks. 20 being the best week. I checked during the 15 week ultrasound because, you could find out the sex if the baby was in the right position, in your case, your baby was in the right position. But sometimes, at that early stage, a baby's sex organs can be a little underdeveloped, which can sometimes give a wrong reading. But, just in case, I will check again. Sound good?"
"Yes," We both said, simultaneously. "Great, let's get started."
Anabelle laid back on the bed, lifting her shirt, revealing her baby bump, it wasn't small but it wasn't big either. It was actually pretty cute.
I held onto her hand, as Dr. Reynolds began squirting the gel onto her lower abdomen. He turned on the computer screen and began moving the wand around. After a few moments, Dr. Reynolds paused the screen.
"Well you're definitely having a girl. See?" He said, pointing to the screen. I smiled as I looked at the sonogram. "That's my little girl there," I whispered, gazing at the screen. I felt Anabelle gently squeeze my hand. "I'm going start taking the measurements now."
"Okay." Dr. Reynolds took a few minutes to take the measurements. "Okay, Anabelle. Everything looks great. Your daughter is around 6 1/2 inches long and weighs about 10 1/2 ounces. Now I'm going to check on the baby's heartbeat, just to make sure everything's going well."
He takes out a small machine from a drawer and stands next to where Anabelle is laying. He turns on the machine, well it's not really a machine. It's more of a small box with a wand attached to it.
He placed the small wand onto her lower abdomen. After a few moments, the sound of my daughter's heartbeat filled up the room. I felt the corners of my lips tug upward. There's nothing more beautiful than the sound of her heartbeat.
Hearing her heartbeat gives me assurance that she's alive and healthy. "Well everything sounds good. She's got a strong heartbeat," Dr. Reynolds said, turning off the small box. He cleaned the wand and placed it back inside the drawer. "Here's the ultrasound pictures as well, before I forget."
"Thank you." I took the pictures from his hand and placed the pictures in Anabelle's purse. "You're welcome."
Dr. Reynolds grabbed a few napkins and handed it to Anabelle. She took them and wiped the gel off her stomach. She gave me the napkins and I walked over to the trash bin, quickly throwing them away before returning to Anabelle. "So before we end this appointment, I would like to discuss with you two about certain things."
"Okay, what kind of things did you want to discuss?" Anabelle questioned, as I helped her up.
"Well I wanted to talk to you two about your birth plan. Do you two have any ideas on what you want?"
"Um, no. We haven't really discussed it, but I was just planning to have just a natural birth. No C-Section, unless needed to. And no drugs," Anabelle answered.
"That's great. Many women seem to go that route. Many others seem to prefer a water birth because it seems to ease down on the pain, but it's your choice in the end. I'm only here to lay out your options. And since you are halfway through your pregnancy, I would like to recommend that you two search up some birthing classes. Those classes will help you prepare you for labor and delivery and the teacher will be able to answer any questions you might have. You can also look up any classes that you might need to prepare you two, such as, breastfeeding classes, if you do choose that option and there's also parenting classes that teach the basics such as diaper changing, feeding, bathing a newborn. Stuff like that."
Anabelle looked in my direction. "Uh, what do you think? I think that these classes will help us a lot."
"Yeah, I totally agree."
"Great. Let me give you some pamphlets about the classes. They will give you all the information you need. The name of the teacher and their phone number is on the back of the pamphlet. Call them and set an appointment, so you can sign up for the classes."
"Alrighty, thank you Dr. Reynolds," Anabelle said, taking the pamphlets from his hand. "No problem. Well, this concludes the appointment. Do you have any more questions or concerns for me?"
"No, that's all. Thank you very much."
"No problem," He said, shaking both of our hands. "I will see you in six weeks for another follow up Anabelle."
"Alright. Have a good day Dr. Reynolds."
I helped Anabelle off the small bed. "You too Anabelle." He opened the door for the both of us. We exited the room, thanking him once last time before making our way to the elevators.
"See, I told you that everything was going to be fine," I said, as we waited for the elevator. "Yeah, I know. I was nervous for no reason, but I'm extremely relieved to know our daughter is doing great."
"Yeah, me too."
The elevator doors finally open. "You ready to see your father?"
She smiled and nodded. "Yep. Let's go." She took my hand and held it, as we walked inside the elevator and made our way to the Oncology Ward.
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A/N
Yay! An update! Haha, so this Chapter is filled will lots and lots of Sean and Anabelle moments. I think their friendship is starting off really good, don't you think? Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this Chapter.
This Chapter is really long, it's a little more than 4000 words, which I'm really happy about. I just want to apologize for any spelling and/or grammatical errors in this Chapter. As I said before, the story will undergo some serious editing once it's finished.
And I will like to say again, that I hope you guys a fun filled and safe Halloween! Enjoy it! I know you guys are just dying to go out and stuff yourselves with candy. Or you can stay home, watch some Halloween movies and stuff yourselves with candy as well.
That's what I might do Saturday. Haha, Anyways I hope you guys are having a good week! Until next time! :)
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