"Great news!" The doctor came in and startled Luke who was trying to look calm for Rebecca. "You're pregnant!"
"What?" Rebecca exhaled. Panic struck all over her face and Luke was numb.
"I'm joking, you have the stomach flu," the doctor laughed nervously.
Luke rolled his eyes and felt his heart beat slightly slower at the relief. Ever since Rebecca wasn't feeling good and the regular over-the-counter drugs weren't working, Luke had finally decided to take her to the hospital the morning after. Delphine didn't mind Rebecca staying a few more days in Calum's home as long as there was someone taking care of her. Now, there was three days left before Christmas and Luke hadn't stopped thinking about where Celeste might've hid the ring because Luke was to spend the rest of the holiday time until New Years at his parents' home.
"I suggest a lot of rest and away from stress and internal tension," the doctor said. He had a funny middle eastern accent and his little name-tag said 'Dr Ahmed.' He had a dark beard that covered half his face and dark brown eyes. The doctor was just as tall as Luke and had long hair that stopped just before the bottom of his neck. It looked greasy and thick or maybe it was from all the hair product he was using. "Are you seeing a therapist?"
"No," Rebecca shook her head.
"Well your stress levels seem to be high. Not enough sex?" the doctor chuckled.
Luke watched Rebecca turn bright red as he smirked. "I can assure there is plenty," he laughed along. Rebecca smacked Luke's arm and he let go of her hands to rub his sore skin.
"The stomach flu should go away in a few days after I prescribe this pill to you. You should take one a day until the pain goes away and if your head hurts, don't take this, just take a break," the doctor said.
"Thanks," Rebecca said.
"So are you two married?"
Both Rebecca and Luke shook their head. "Are you planning for a baby?"
Again, they shook their head. "But you're not using protection."
Rebecca looked up at Luke and he bit his lip, shaking his head slowly and readjusting the black baseball cap on his head. "I see," the doctor said, "It has nothing to do with her stomach flu but I just want to give you guys a heads up about it."
Luke felt uneasy now. He hadn't been using protection and what if the doctor was wrong and one day she was pregnant before they were officially married? Yes, Luke loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her at this rate but he had so much going on for him at the moment that he didn't even know how he would keep up with the relationship itself while he was gone. Noah would obviously be two steps ahead of Luke if Luke and Rebecca didn't do well with long distance. It was a no-brainer by now but the thought still bothered him even as many times as Rebecca said that she loved him and he loved her back.
"Even so, birth control has a lot of defects within your own body and protection sometimes breaks. I suggest if you're not wanting to start a family now, you should keep to yourselves in bed," the doctor said.
"Thank you," Luke said, cutting the doctor off, "We'll take care of it."
The doctor nodded. "Well you're free to go, just make sure to take the medication until the pain goes away. I have to warn you, if things aren't going right, you'll find yourself addicted to the numbness if gives you. I say have your boyfriend monitor your medication intake."
"I'm a big girl," Rebecca said nervously, "I won't do anything I'm not supposed to."
After picking up prescription at a near by chemist, Luke took Rebecca back to his place and she didn't argue when the turned left into Luke's driveway and not right into Calum and Lynn's property.
"Are you hungry?" Luke asked. Rebecca shook her head. She had been quiet the whole time in the car and picking up the prescription was no different.
"You're awfully quiet," Luke said. Rebecca frowned. Luke wanted to know what was wrong so that he could make her feel better. Her feelings were his number one priority now.
"It's everywhere," she told Luke, "I'm like the country's biggest slut."
"Who said that?" Luke asked.
"No one has to say it. It's true! People are wondering why my wedding hasn't gone through and why I'm walking the city with you."
Luke nodded a few times and then just hung his head. It was hard to love in the spotlight. It was hard to love someone like this when cameras were shoved in your face 24/7. It was just hard to love in general, Luke thought. Maybe it was easy to love but the obstacles you had to face were hard.
"Come on, let's get inside," Luke said, "We can talk more about it."
"No," Rebecca said quietly.
"Well are we going to start living in my car?" Luke chuckled.
Rebecca rolled her eyes and got out of the car before Luke unlocked the door of his house and let her in.
"You're going to need your own key sooner or later," Luke said, "I'll have it customised. Do you like minnie mouse?"
Rebecca laughed and slowly went up the stairs and took a seat on the couch, exhausted. "We're not living here when we're older. I don't think I can get up the stairs."
"I wouldn't dream of it. I imagine living closer to home which would be good for both of us," Luke said. He took a seat next to Rebecca and kissed her temple. "Do you need anything?"
"I'm fine."
There was silence between them and Rebecca suddenly remembered something and she tapped Luke's forearm excitedly. He laughed as he rose his eyebrows, urging her to speak to him.
"So when Indie and I were together, she got hungry and we had kangaroo burgers. It was so good," Rebecca said, licking her lips at the memory.
Luke threw his head back in laughter and shook his head. "That's what you were so excited to tell me?"
"Well duh," Rebecca said matter-of-factly. Luke rolled his eyes playfully and Rebecca punched his arm. He winced and laughed with her.
"It was really good. I see why she likes them," Rebecca said.
"You'll have to get used to them, she's pregnant and she loves them. She seems to love you sometimes too."
"Hm, reminds me of someone else I know."
As a joke, Luke put his hand on his stomach. He rubbed it the way he saw Indiana rub her own stomach and the way pregnant women did it. There was a devious little smile on his face as he did so and Rebecca pushed him over.
"You're stupid," she said.
"But you love me," he said back, proudly.
"Maybe."
For dinner, Rebecca hesitantly let Luke order a pizza. She had been eating healthy so far with only a little bit of junk on the side. Luke didn't think she needed to lose some weight. In fact, she was perfect to him no matter what she looked like. Though, he admired her desire to keep healthy.
"We can have salads and all that quinoa stuff next week," Luke said, swallowing the last of his second pizza piece.
"I have a feeling you'll be saying that every week," Rebecca laughed.
"Well good, I don't have to feel guilty now," Luke chimed.
The next afternoon, Rebecca and Luke were making lunch in his kitchen. He was checking on the sweet potato chips baking in the oven as Rebecca was grilling some turkey patties. On the side, Rebecca was making some type of sangria that she liked and convinced Luke that everyone would love it.
"It's totally healthy," Rebecca told him, "Except for the alcohol."
"But what's a lunch without some alcohol?" Luke laughed.
"Exactly."
Soon, Lynn and Calum came over and they were all eating together. Calum and Luke were talking about stupid things and Luke overheard Rebecca and Lynn talking about what they could do once the boys left. They were leaving in a little bit more than two weeks and now Luke didn't really know if he could deal with a long distance relationship. The only other thing he missed before from tour was his dog that was now his parents' dog because Molly lived in his parents' backyard.
"My cousin's son wants to join that junior master chef thing," Calum said randomly.
"What?" Luke laughed.
"You know that cooking competition for kids? My nephew, he wants to do it."
"Is he a good cook?"
Calum shrugged. "He's eleven."
"Oh great. He can probably grill a steak better than I can walk on two feet."
"Not probably," Calum said, "He does."
After lunch, Luke loaded the dishwasher and turned it on after putting some soap in it. Then, he joined everyone on his patio. They were looking out at the city. Everyone was doing something, out in the hot summer, enjoying the heat or desperately trying to escape it.
"So Rebecca knows you're leaving early?" Calum asked.
"Yeah," Luke breathed.
"She okay with it?"
"She should be. I kind of just told her to get used to it. Dick move but she agreed."
"She's never done this before and neither have you. Obviously she'll agree with it. You can't just tell her to 'get used to it' because you can't. You'll want to hold her some nights and you'll want to be able to kiss her. You'll want to hear her voice and see her smile sometimes. It sucks Luke. You can't tell her to get used to it if you can't get used to it."
Luke stood there, absolutely stunned. There was more than just FaceTime calls, endless texts and cheesy tweets and Instagram posts to a long distance relationship. He didn't know how he was going to do that.
"How do you and Lynn do it?" Luke asked.
"We don't," Calum shrugged.
"What do you mean you don't? You're together right now, aren't you?"
"People, humans... we have needs and wants. I gave her the approval of fulfilling her wants and needs when I'm not here and she gave me hers."
"No way. I could never do that."
Calum just shrugged his shoulders again and his voice got quieter. "It's not something we're proud of but it stays between us. I'm not telling you to do it, you just asked."
Luke nodded, understanding. "Well how do I keep a relationship without swingers?"
Calum let out a laugh and shook his head. "I honestly have no idea."
* * * * *
At the management headquarters in central Sydney, Luke dropped four magazines with his face and Rebecca's face on the cover. They looked tired and overwhelmed, frustrated and upset. The headlines were stupid and he didn't want to read them. He threw the magazines at Wilson.
"What are these?" Wilson asked, annoyed.
"You're our manager. It's your job to keep this stuff from happening to us," Luke said angrily. "Do your job or you won't have a job."
Wilson rolled his eyes. "You have a publicist," he said.
"And you're in charge of her. Do your job Wilson!" Luke boomed.
"Let's be real here Hemmings. This isn't about you, this is about your new girlfriend who doesn't want to be known as Australia's biggest slut. It's too late Luke, she already is and there's really nothing you can do."
"Shut up. I said to do your damn job and you're sitting here arguing with me."
Wilson rolled his eyes just once more and opened up his laptop, glaring over at Luke who took a seat on the opposite end of his wooden desk and tapped his foot on the carpeted floors.
"You can leave you know," Wilson said.
"I want to make sure these are stopped from being printed," Luke said.
In a swift moment, Wilson was talking to the editors of the four magazines and then he made sure that the magazines were not to be made. If they did, Wilson threatened to sue for some stupid reason that Luke didn't understand. All he knew was that one problem was solved but he had so many more to try to solve.
Later that day, Luke went home with Michael. They were going to Luke's parents' home for dinner with the rest of the band and Luke's brothers. Now, his parents were having him over more and it made him feel somewhat belonging and a part of a damn family but it still hurt to know after all these years, they only started to invite him now. He shouldn't even need an invitation. It should've been a regular thing but it wasn't.
"Is Rebecca meeting you or something?" Michael asked. Luke shook his head and sighed, tapping his fingers on the window ledge.
"Actually she refuses to interact with me as much until I resolve things with Noah," Luke said.
"That makes no sense," Michael laughed.
"I don't know. I guess she just doesn't want bad blood but I really hate that guy."
"Because he loves your girlfriend just as much as you do."
"I guess so."
"I think that's real nice of her but it's kind of weird. She should just stop seeing Noah. She needs closure, don't you think?"
"Yup."
They reached Luke's parents' house and they walked right in. Luke ran to his black labrador and rubbed her back frantically as she wagged her tail and panted in front of him.
"You missed me," Luke said to Molly, "Right?"
At dinner, it wasn't as awkward as Luke thought it would be. His parents asked about the upcoming tour, the girlfriend situation and of course, why Rebecca didn't come. Luke told them she wanted to be home and they were okay with it. It was true anyway.
"I got a promotion last night," Ben said. Everyone at the tables turned their head at him and so did Elle, who was slightly confused why everyone was looking at her father.
"That's great," Luke exhaled with a smile. His older brother returned the smile but shrugged it off, looking uncomfortable again.
"What's the matter?" Ashton asked, "Are you moving away?"
Ben looked down at his lap and sighed, nodding. Luke didn't know how to feel. His whole life, his brothers had always been here, at home. They lived fifteen minutes away from Luke and it was always like that.
"Where to?" Liz asked. Luke could hear the hope in her voice as she hoped maybe the move was closer to home so she could see Elle way more. Luke wanted that too. Hope was wrapped around his heart as it beat against his chest.
"Townsville, Queensland," he said. Luke's eyebrows went up. He wasn't expecting that at all. Townsville was so... far.
"Ben," Liz frowned.
"I know. But I'm getting paid so much more if I take it. So I said yes," Ben said.
"When do you leave?" Luke asked.
"Sunday morning."
"Where's Elle going?"
Ben shrugged. "With me."
"Who's going to take care of her? I'm sure you can't do that with your long hours," Andrew perked up.
"Well I can't leave her here. Her mum's not already here. I'm not leaving her," Ben said.
Luke looked at Elle. She didn't seem too upset. She didn't know.
"She's closer to her grandparents. They live up in Cairns," Ben pointed out.
"It's still a lengthy commute," Calum said.
"I know," Ben sighed.
Luke tried to see it from Ben's point of view. Your daughter's welfare came just before yours and everything you could want is right there but that meant your daughter had to suffer. Luke's stomach churned. What if that happened to him?
What if one day, he and Rebecca were so happy together but his stupid dream was in the way?
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I'm going to fix all of the spacing and etc once the story is finished :) love ya xxxxxx please vote! please vote! please please please!!!!!!!1!1!1!!!