Chapter Sixteen... Preparing To Be No Longer Nineteen...
After an eventful New Year's Eve, we didn't have any more dramas with Becca wandering off into... God knows where. She was getting more confident in everything though, and I couldn't help but sadly think that she was growing up way too fast. In just four months, she would be four! Addy had only five months until she was one!
And worse? I had one day until I was twenty years old!
My life had passed by so quickly, I wasn't sure what to make of me no longer being a teenager. It was hard to comprehend. My little girls were not so little anymore. Soon I'd be starting college, making a new life for myself. I'd had almost a year off of studying, and now I was setting my heart on becoming a doctor like my big brother Nathan.
As I grew up and changed, so did my whole extended family.
Jenna, of course, was engaged, and I finally got to meet her fiancé. She reckoned she was ready for kids, but I doubt she'd jump right into it even though she claimed she would. Nathan had finally met a girlfriend, who was a nurse he worked with. My parents were getting ready to travel Australia, and I was excited because I'd get to visit them in the land down under, somewhere I'd always wanted to go. My little brother Adam would be moving in with us, for a while anyway. Cameron was more thrilled to have him than I was, but we had an in-house babsitter if we needed him.
As for Cameron's family? Well his sister Sarah was still a child in her mind, but she was beginning to grow up... finally! His parents were travelling with my parents to Australia, so that would be interesting...
Our families were taking on their own forms as well.
After my birthday, my parents and Cameron's parents would be setting off to Australia. Adam's things were already in the fourth bedroom of our house, and if we had another baby during his time here, Becca and Addy would have to share a room. Addy had become oddly territorial, for a seven month old. Becca actually found herself being the friendlier one, and I think that was partly to do with her adventure on New Year's Eve.
I sat in bed that night, thinking something was oddly different about me. I couldn't pinpoint it, I just didn't feel like myself. Cameron seemed to notice my vagueness.
"Rose?" he questioned after putting a stubborn Addy to sleep finally. "Are you okay, honey?"
"Huh?" I said, snapping out of my thoughts and back to reality.
"Are you alright?" he chuckled lightly at my surprise.
"Um... I think so?" I questioned my own answer.
"You were off with the fairies," Cameron giggled. "I thought maybe Becca might have taught you how to join them."
"No, I was just thinking," I sighed.
"About?" he asked.
"Umm, I'm not actually sure," I frowned. "Something seems totally off about me, and I don't know what it is."
"Maybe the fact that you're twenty tomorrow is playing with your head," he suggested, taking in my expression of confusion.
"Maybe," I smiled weakly.
"Don't stress about it," he winked. "Until you're twenty-three. Then, freak all you want."
I laughed.
"I don't get why, though," I frowned again. "I just feel... vague?"
"I think that's a fair assumption," Cameron chuckled. "You're acting vague, especially tonight. But you've been like it all week. I thought that maybe you'd just been consumed too deeply in your thoughts, and something bad might be happening soon."
"Bad?" I asked skeptically. "What does that mean?"
"Well, you had that same vague expression the night Addy was born," he explained. "Like afterwards, you know. I don't know... nothing bad happened there, but you kept thinking something would. Because you couldn't see how you could deserve to be so blessed..."
"Addy? What's Addy got to do with this?"
"Well, she was supposed to be a boy," Cameron pointed out. "And well, I remember that you were worried when the doctor frowned, thinking something was really wrong with her. Until you were informed that they'd told us the wrong sex."
"You've lost me now," I said, rolling my eyes.
"Uh... never mind, then," he sighed, looking confused. "I've confused myself."
"You're trying to tell me something, just come out weith it," I pleaded.
"Maybe... well, maybe something karmically bad is gonna hit us hard," he explained. "Because you have that look like you're expecting it to. And, well, I remember that you thought something would the night Addy was born..."
"Because the power went out for an hour," I gasped.
"Which was what scared you," he smiled.
"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure that I'm afraid of getting old and dying," I sighed.
"Me too," Cameron chuckled. "But I'm more afraid of losing someone I love."
"Like me?" I asked.
"Yeah," he grinned.
Our lips met, and though I'd been confused by Cameron's words, I felt more at ease now. But I still couldn't shake that odd feeling like something was off.
>>>>
I almost didn't make it to the bathroom as I awoke in the morning with a sickening feeling in my stomach. It felt like food poisoning, it was so intense. Even after I'd emptied the contents of my stomach, I still felt totally off. My head spun, and I struggled to remain standing up. It was four in the morning, and Cameron stood behind me, looking a little green as well.
"Are you alright?" he said slowly, trying to help me up.
"Food... poisoning... I think," I managed to say as I pulled away from the toilet and laid my head down on the ice cold tiled floor.
"I feel a bit off, too," Cameron admitted.
"Your sister's damn chicken," I scoffed, rolling my eyes. Sweat had drenched me, something that wasn't common in the middle of Winter.
"I know," Cameron gasped, gathering his phone and dialing.
I remained on the floor with my cheek resting on the cold floor. My stomach churned, and I hadn't felt this sick before in my life. Even morning sickness wasn't this intense!
"You and your 'something bad will happen' crap," I groaned.
"Sorry," he soothed, getting off the phone. He'd called Sarah, funnily enough.
"Sar doesn't have it," Cameron said softly. "She said mom and dad are fine, too. And they ate a lot of chicken."
"What about Becca?" I asked.
"Well, the kids have both been silently sleeping tonight," Cameron smiled. "I only checked on them half an hour ago, and I hadn't gone back to sleep yet. Maybe it's just you."
"I thought you said you felt funny, too," I sighed.
"Yeah, but more like I need to eat, I think," he explained.
"Whatever," I groaned.
After Cameron left the room, I drifted off to sleep. It was hours later that I awoke, and Cameron had placed me in bed at some stage.
"Morning, mommy," Becca smiled as she looked on at me.
"Hey, Bec," I smiled back, giving her a one-armed hug.
"Do you feel better, mommy?" Becca asked, placing her cold little hand on my forehead.
"A little bit," I answered with a weak smile.
"Daddy said you got food poisoned," Becca said quite fluently.
"Yeah, I think I did," I smiled.
I remembered that I'd come home and cooked a piece of chicken because I was still hungry. I must have given myself food poisoning, because I remember the chicken tasted a bit funny. But stupidly, I still ate it.
Cameron came in at that moment, and Becca scurried away. I'm not quite sure why, though.
"Feeling better?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah, a little," I told him.
"How did you get sick and no one else did?" he asked, frowning.
"I cooked that bit of chicken when I came home, remember?" I answered with a frown. "And it tasted funny, not like it should. I think I did this to myself."
"Probably," Cameron laughed.
"Not funny," I groaned.
"Well, at least you're not throwing up now," he winked.
"Eugh, I still feel off though," I moaned.
"Becca and Addy are downstairs with your parents," Cameron then said.
"Do they know I was up sick?"
"Yeah, they came up to see you, but you were sleeping."
"Oh."
"Food poisoning is funny, how it makes you sick."
"I wasn't that sick when I was pregnant! Either times!"
"Well, I felt sick until I ate at four this morning. Had a piece of apple pie."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because at first I thought I had what you had, but you were really sick. Really. And I just had a mild tummy ache, and well I had the flu last week, so yeah."
"You're annoying me. Go away."
"Jeez," Cameron frowned. "You're moody."
"No, I'm sick," I snapped.
"Are you sure it was food poisoning?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"Where are you going with this?"
Cameron laughed out loud, and I sat up quickly. Woah, too quickly. I had to lie back down... Cameron looked at me, and he looked slightly worried.
"Rose, I think you should go to a doctor," Cameron suggested.
"Why? It's food poisoning," I snapped.
"I don't think so," Cameron sighed. "Hon..."
"Okay, I am not pregnant!" I shouted perhaps a little too loudly.
"Well, I'm just suggesting it," Cameron laughed.
"Not funny," I scoffed.
"You said last week that you were late," Cameron pointed out.
"No, I didn't!" I snapped. "I said I was late for taking Becca to daycare, so I kept her at home!"
"Oh," Cameron sighed.
But as I thought about it, I realised I was late. By five days, though. NOT a week. Still. I'd been so worried about getting old, I'd forgotten that we were actually trying to have a baby. Until now, that was.
"Oh, jeez," I sighed. "Where the hell has my brain gone this week?"
"I'll leave you alone to pee on a stick," Cameron giggled, walking outside.
I remembered sitting on the toilet when I found out I was pregnant with both of my girls. And was I really gonna have another? Hmm... not too sure.
Until that little pink plus sign appeared once again.
I wasn't quite sure what to think, because a part of me had hoped that Addy would be one before we'd actually conceived again. But my body being the fertile machine it was, had once again proven it could easily conceive.
I hastily grabbed another test, not actually believing my eyes. And when it, too, turned out positive, I sat frozen on the toilet. A light tap at the door sent the two tests flying to the floor.
"Who is it?" I asked, kicking the tests away.
"It's Cam," Cameron answered. "Did... you... fall in the toilet?"
"Nah, I'm taking a shower," I answered, getting up and turning the water on.
"Can I come in?" he asked.
"No!" I snapped.
"Why... why not?" he asked, confused.
"I just wanna be alone."
Cameron burst through the door, and I had undressed ready to take a hot shower. He saw the two tests scattered on the floor, and his face filled with joy.
"Wow," he grinned. "Another baby..."
"I think... Addison's only seven month's old!" I began in a panic. "Becca's not quite four and I'm twenty years old today! And I'm about to have a thrid child! Oh, my God! What the hell?! What the hell?!"
Cameron looked blankly at me.
"I thought you wanted this," he said, looking hurt.
"It's all happening too fast," I sobbed, tears falling from my distressed eyes. "Yesterday I was freaking out because something felt off about me, and then today I find out that I'm pregnant again! And I'm guessing that's why I feel odd!"
"Calm down, Rose!" Cameron hushed. "I thought you'd be excited."
"I thought I would be too," I cried.
"I think you're just in... shock..." Cameron gasped.
He wrapped me up in a towel and held me to him. I cried for about ten minutes, just feeling totally overwhelmed. My body had been through this twice, it could do it again. I could do it again. I always thought that my shock when I found out I was pregnant with Becca would be hard to beat, but this definitely topped that.
"Shh..." Cameron soothed.
When I finally stopped crying, I began to feel happier. My life was just moving so fast, I'd never pictured that I'd have three kids before I was 21.
Never.
But I guess that was just my life.
>>>>
After my dramatic morning, I felt lighter than air for the rest of the day. Other than when my intense morning sickness plagued me. I wasn't used to being so sick, considering with the girls I'd only ever been sick occasionally, not so full-on. But I guess each pregnancy is different.
Of course, when my parents saw me darting off to the bathroom way too often, they became suspiscious, and so we had to tell them. Mom looked shocked, but she had a "Rose is pregnant... Oh, my God!" shock that had appeared on her face each time. Of course, they were both happy, and no judgement came this time.
We had a nice lunch, which I couldn't keep down. We had ice cream, which I actually managed to keep down. And then we had takeaway Chinese for dinner, which I also didn't keep down. But I would visit the doctor in the morning to see why I was so sick...
All in all, it was a great birthday...
I was no longer nineteen, but I had my two girls and my perfect husband.
And my little jelly bean on the way.
Life couldn't be much sweeter. :)