Wayne and I went back to my house, with Curly not far behind us. She stayed for about half an hour before she had to take off. We did the only thing we could while we were alone . . . Homework. I sucked at math, while Wayne was a genius. Then again, he stunk at French where I had the highest in my class. It was one of the many things that made us so compatible, the fact that we needed each other. I wouldn't survive without his tutoring and he wouldn't survive without mine.
He closed his books and fell down on my bed after sighing and kicking off his shoes. I laughed at him and laid down beside him. It didn't take long for him to wrap his arms around me and I was happy to accept his embrace. He was always so warm and I genuinely felt safe in his arms, now more than ever. His breathing was slow and relaxed as he gently ran his fingers along my stomach.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"What?" he said lazily.
"Why are you stroking my stomach?"
"Because I want to. It's fascinating."
"Fascinating? Are you saying I'm fat?"
"No. . . Not yet."
"Do you want me to kick you off the bed?"
"No, it's just weird that there's actually something growing inside of you. A living, breathing little human being and we saw it today. It's kind of . . . amazing."
"So being judged and called irresponsible by our entire modern society is amazing?"
"No, the fact that you're the mother of my child, now that's amazing."
That made me blush, but luckily he couldn't see it. He was really amazing. He was so supportive about this whole thing and he was determined to keep the kid. Where the hell did I find this guy?! Oh yeah, he saved me from Dean. The memory made my skin crawl. I loved Wayne too much to see him get hurt like that. If Dean sliced that bark just a little bit deeper, it would've gone into Wayne's heart and . . .
I gasped at the thought. It was too much to bear. I couldn't lose Wayne. I can't believe I've been doubting that I need him lately. I honestly love him too much to lose him. The mere thought of it made me want to die. I sucked in a breath of air and closed my eyes, trying to stop the tears running down my face.
"Jamie? What's the matter? Are you okay? Come on, talk to me." Wayne's voice brought me back to reality. I opened my eyes to let the tears spill over and grabbed Wayne, my head against his chest.
"I don't want to lose you, I love you too much. I love you, I love you, I love you . . ." I sobbed the same sentence over and over again. What was wrong with me? I'm a strong person and I've never had trouble keeping my emotions to myself, but now I was crying like a baby. He held me up against his chest as tight as he could, lightly running his fingers down my back to calm me. He held me for a minute or so, before, suddenly, he started laughing. I looked up at him, tears still streaming down my cheeks, trying to figure out what the hell was so funny.
"Why are you laughing? What's so funny?" I said with a stuffy nose, making him laugh even more.
"It's the pregnancy hormones. It makes you weepy and emotional."
"I'm not weepy, emotional maybe, but I'm not weepy."
"If you say so."
I hit him with a pillow before I started sobbing again. "Why don't you believe me? It's not my fault." I howled.
He kept laughing and held me tightly again until I stopped crying. I sniffed and had an immense headache.
"Better?" he asked.
"A little." I answered as I looked up at him, my eyes suddenly unnaturally wide.
"Are you okay?" he asked, looking worried.
I didn't answer, I just jumped up and bolted to the bathroom. Wayne ran after me and held back my hair as I puked my guts out in the toilet. I felt a little bit better afterwards, but puke scent and a headache didn't mix well.
Wayne sat by my side until I felt good enough to stand up. He helped me up and smiled warmly at me.
"I'm not kissing you before you wash out your mouth." he said.
His comment made me smile, but I still felt weak. I washed out my mouth and headed me back to my room. He made me lie down on the bed, kissed my forehead and pulled the blankets over me.
"I have to go. Stay in bed until your parents get home, okay?" he whispered.
"Okay." I replied in a hoarse voice.
He kissed my forehead slowly one last time before he took his bag and headed for the door.
"I love you." I croaked.
He laughed and replied: " I know, I love you too."
It was 2 Weeks later and I had started to show a bit. The little bump under my shirt seemed to be bigger every time I looked at it. My sister came through from Washington. I told her not to mention anything to our parents. I had to tell them myself, so she told them she was on 'vacation' as a cover. She would tell them the truth after I dropped the bomb. I suspended the news as long as possible, but when my mom made a comment about my "weight gain" and how I had a really big appetite, I decided it was time to tell them the truth.
"Mom, Dad, there's something Wayne and I need to tell you." I said, looking at my parents sitting across from me and Wayne. He hadn't looked up once and he was playing with his fingers, like he always did when he was nervous. Liz was standing behind us, leaning against the doorframe. I stared blankly at them for a while, trying to find the words to explain what I'd gotten myself into. My parents were patient people, so they didn't rush me at all.
"What is it, sweetheart? Is something wrong?" my father asked.
"Well, technically yes, but I . . ." I couldn't continue. I just didn't know how.
"It's okay, sweetie. You can tell us." my mother said sweetly and smiled to assure me.
I stared at them and felt a single tear roll down my cheek.
"I'm pregnant." I choked it out.
"What?" my father whispered.
"You're going to be grandparents." I said stretching out my arms like I'm unveiling a magic trick, trying to hold back my tears and make it seem like good news. My mother put her face in her hands and shook her head, as if she was trying to shake out the thought.
"Wayne? Is this true, son?" my father asked.
Wayne looked up for the first time, his eyes red rimmed and watery.
"Yes, sir. It's true" he struggled to admit it.
My heart ached for him. I didn't want him in a position like this, having to feel responsible for it when it was my fault. I wanted to hug him, but I decided not to do so in front of my parents. My dad looked disappointed and I could see slight moisture build up in his eyes.
"But . . . But I gave you a...?" he said it as a question, but didn't finish because Wayne interrupted him.
"It happened before that, sir. She's almost ten weeks now." Wayne said, staring into my fathers' eyes. "I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't mean for this to happen." Wayne said, the tears streaming now.
I couldn't take it anymore, I wrapped my arms around Wayne and hugged him like I'd never hugged someone before. He hesitated before hugging me back whispering in my ear.
"I'm sorry Jamie, I'm so sorry."
"I'm sorry too, but I want you to know I still love you."
Liz sat behind me as if to protect me from everything around us and Wayne pulled away to look at my parents. My mother seemed to have recovered, but she now stared at us as if she was watching a romantic teen movie. Wayne let go of me and stood up, looking at my father.
"Sir, can I speak to you in private?"
"Yes you can. Let's talk in the kitchen."
Wayne's POV
I felt like a scumbag! Jamie's dad would never forgive me for this, but I loved her and I wanted to make up for this some how.
I followed Jamie's dad into the kitchen, all the way thinking of how I could make this up to him, to all of them, even though I already knew what it was and strangely enough, I really wanted to do it.
"What do you want to say, son?" he asked."
"Sir, I-I feel like a complete douche bag..." He smiled at my use of words. "... but I just want to say that I'm really, really sorry. I love Jamie, I always have and I promise to take care of her. I'll make up for this in any way I can. Can you forgive me, sir?"
He looked into my eyes. I wished I could be the man he was. Strong, responsible and brave, but I wasn't.
"Wayne, I forgave you the second you admitted it." he said with a smile.
"Really? B-But aren't you mad?"
"Of course not, I'm disappointed, but not mad." He put his hand on my shoulder. "You've been like a son to me ever since you became friends with Jamie. You were brave to come out and tell the truth. I'm proud of you Wayne." He gave me a hug. Not even my own father had ever hugged me! I returned it, but I still hadn't said what I wanted to.
"Sir, I still have something to say."
"What more is there to say?"
'Take a deep breath Wayne and just tell him.' I thought.
"I want to marry Jamie. Maybe not now, but I want your permission to do so somewhere in the future."
He smiled at me. "Permission granted."