As Violet grabbed Mila's hand and gave it a yank, Mila noticed someone standing there, hands in his pockets, not crying, not even looking worried at all. A stoic, unconcerned Dominic Donahue.
They'd been sitting in a waiting area of the hospital for what felt like forever - Mila, Britani, Violet and Randall. Star tried to join them but was sent packing by Violet and Randall in a surprising show of solidarity. Samantha called Mila 3 times. She was trying to get things under control back at the arena and said she'd be there ASAP.
“This is not happening.” Mila thought, “I can't lose someone I love so much, not again. I won't make it!”
“Is there a Mila Stevens here?”
A voice suddenly cut through Mila's thoughts.
“Me! How is he? Is he ok? Can I see him?”
Mila jumped up from her chair so fast she stumbled a bit. Luckily Violet caught her.
“Whoa there, girl!” she said, steadying Mila on her feet
“Are you Ms. Stevens?”
“I am!”
The doctor stepped forward and offered her hand, “I’m Dr. Wahler, I’ve been treating Trevor since he was brought in.”
She seemed kind and friendly, but also very straightforward.
“Trevor's got a pretty severe concussion and some bumps and bruises, but he's going to be fine. He's awake and asking for you.”
And then it happened; Mila collapsed to the floor.
“Mila!” Britani screamed.
“Nurse, grab a stretcher. Guys stay back!”
Her friends looked on nervously as Dr. Wahler examined Mila's eyes and checked her heartbeat.
“As I suspected, she's just fainted. Her body is still responsive and she's breathing. Nurse, get her to room 3 and raise her legs in the bed. It’s more common than people think when you’ve gone through something traumatic. Sudden spikes in blood pressure can happen to anyone.”
Mila began to come to, groggy and confused.
“What happened?”
Dr. Wahler took her hand before answering.
“You fainted honey, you'll be okay, but I need you to lie down for a bit while I run a couple of quick tests to make sure everything is good with you!”
“No! I have to get to Trevor; he's waiting for me!”
“And he'll be fine waiting a bit longer”, Violet said, “he's going to be fine, he's tough!”
“I can go let him know you're having a couple of tests done and you'll be in as soon as you can.” Randall volunteered.
Exhausted, Mila finally gave in.
“Thanks, Randall. I'll be as quick as possible.”
“No problem,” he said, heading off down the long hallway.
Mila was soon ushered off to a blood test and a few x-rays of her head.
Before long, she was lying in a bed, waiting impatiently for the results. Violet and Britani were on either side of the bed. Suddenly there was a light knock at the door before Dr. Wahler stuck her head in.
“Ms. Stevens?”
“Yes, can I please go see my boyfriend now?”
“Umm, ladies, may I speak with Ms. Stevens privately for a moment?”
Britani stood up from her chair, her perky-sounding voice not matching the look of fear in her eyes.
“Of course, come on Vi. Mila, we're just going to go grab some coffee, we'll be right back.”
The girls left the room as a serious-looking Dr. Wahler closed the door behind them.
“What's going on?” a suddenly frightened Mila asked.
“Mila, I have the results of your tests.”
***
Mila stood in her bathroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror. It was 2 days after Trevor's accident, and he was staying with her while he healed. They'd both been granted time off and with Christmas in just 2 weeks, it was all kind of blurring together.
Ever since she spoke to Dr. Wahler at the hospital that day, Mila had been on autopilot. She knew sooner or later she'd have to face reality. But that reality is what had her up at 3 am, staring at herself in the bathroom mirror.
“You can do this. Everything will be alright. You've got this, you can handle it.”
A knock interrupted her internal pep talk.
“Babe? Are you okay? You've been in there for a while now.” Trevor said.
Mila hadn't spoken to Trevor about her test results that day at the hospital. She hadn't spoken to anyone about them. She'd been so focused on Trevor and quite frankly she wanted to process the truth on her own for a bit.
“Yeah, I'll be out in a minute baby,” she said.
“Okay, I just wanted to check. Do you need anything? I'm going to go grab a bottle of water from the kitchen.”
“Umm, yeah, you can grab me a bottle too if you would. And then get your butt back in the bed!” she replied, smiling through the serious tone she was attempting to keep.
“Are you going to punish me if I don't?”
There was the telltale hint of mischief in his voice.
“You're supposed to be resting Trevor!”
“That didn't stop us last night!”
That was true. Mila had found herself overwhelmed in a mix of emotions; gratitude that Trevor was okay, fear and confusion over her test results, pure passion in the moment, but most of all, her incredibly intense love for this man. She knew it'd only been a few months, but she also already knew she never wanted to live without him again.
“Go get the water you horn toad!”
Mila could hear Trevor laughing as he walked away.
Finally, she took a deep breath and looked down at the truth she was having so much trouble wrapping her head around, at what had been interrupting her sleep for two nights, at what Dr. Wahler had told her at the hospital.
And there it was, staring back at her.
“It's not like I didn't know”, she thought, “so why am I still feeling so surprised?”
There in front of her were two bold, screaming pink lines that made Mila whisper to herself.
“I'm pregnant...”
Chapter Thirteen
“ Okay, I've had time to sort this out so why are those pink lines screaming at me?”
Mila sat down on the toilet to try and give herself a moment. Dr. Wahler had told her she needed to make an OBGYN appointment ASAP to get on prenatal vitamins and to figure her due date. It all felt overwhelming to her but at the same time.
“If I'm really honest with myself, this is what I always wanted. Being a Mama was always in the plans, it was always in my heart. But those dreams died with Mikey...I thought.”
“Babe do you plan on coming to bed or are you camping out in there?”
“Trevor,” she thought. “How do I tell Trevor? Will he be happy? Angry? Scared? What if he decides he wants nothing to do with me or the baby?”
Deep down Mila knew he would never do anything like that. But, in that moment, alone with her thoughts, all she could do was gently rub her belly and whisper.
“My baby...”
In an instant, she stood up, readied herself, picked up the test, and walked out of the bathroom.
“Hey, there you are! Finally, you going to join me?” Trevor said.
Mila stood there in the doorway, her nails making crescent-shaped marks in her palm as she gripped the test.
“You okay?”
“We... we should talk,” she said.
“Okay, this sounds serious.”
“It is.”
Mila made her way to the bed where she sat down. She raised her hand and slowly let her fingers unwrap from around the test, those pink lines still screaming from her palm.
“I'm... pregnant.”
Trevor looked down at the test and slowly raised his head till his eyes met Mila's.
“Trevor, say something please.”
Trevor suddenly got up from the bed, running his hands through his hair with what Mila could only assume was anger. Disappointment? She felt the tears start falling.
“You don't... you don't want it do you?
”
Suddenly he whipped his head around to finally look at her, only now it was tears of anger falling from Mila's eyes.
“Mila! How could you th-”
“No! I don't care if you want us or not, I'm having this baby and that's final! We'll be just fine without you if that's the way you want it!”
Mila suddenly felt very protective of the little life growing inside her. It was funny, she'd only known of its existence for two days and she was already in love.
“Mila, how could you ever think I wouldn't want our child? Yes, our child! That baby is a part of me, how could you think I'd walk away from it, from you? Is that really what you think of me?”
Mila, realization hitting like a ton of bricks, looked up at him. His face was twisted in a sad display of anguish.
“You're scared.” Mila said.
Trevor hung his head as if ashamed of his own emotions.
“You're not him Trevor. You could never be him.”
“What if it's some genetic thing, something beyond my control? I don't ever want my child to feel anything like I did growing up Mila.”
Mila let out a soft chuckle.
“Well would you look at us, putting the fun in dysfunctional!”
Finally, Trevor let out a laugh that almost sounded like a sigh of relief.
“Yeah, I guess we are!” he said.
Trevor walked over to where Mila was sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Do you have any idea how much I love you Mila?”
As he said this, his hand tentatively reached down and gently touched her belly before dropping to his knees.
“And you, little one. You both terrify and excite me. But I want you to know I'll always be here for you. I love you already. And I need you to know that I love your Mom very much, so don't be giving her too much trouble okay?”
Mila let out a laugh through her tears.
“We've got a lot to figure out, huh?”
“Yeah, but that can all wait until tomorrow.”
Trevor stood up and put a hand out for Mila to take. When she did, he kissed her with such passion it both literally and figuratively took her breath away.
Suddenly it was as if all the pent-up emotions of the last few days came spilling out, as they kissed each other with every bit of love they had.
Trevor gently laid Mila down on the bed, his eyes never leaving hers.
“I love you, and we’re going to get through this.”
Mila was a ball of emotions and hormones.
“I love you too, and I know we will.”
He kissed her forehead and pulled her in close against him.
“Goodnight baby daddy” Mila said.
Trevor, still laughing, could only respond with
“You’re a rare gem, Mila Stevens, you know that?”
***
Mila sat nervously in her doctor's office waiting for the doctor to come in. Trevor was sitting in a chair next to the exam table, holding her hand.
“Ugh! Why do doctors take so long!? They disappear out that door and turn into the cable guy who says he'll be at your house between 10 and 6 but shows up at 8:30!”
Trevor laughed at her frustration.
“Relax babe, it won't be long, I'm sure -”
Just then a knock sounded on the door.
“Am I good or what?” Trevor said.
Mila smiled and smacked him playfully as the doctor entered the room.
“Hello there, Mila! How are we feeling today?”
“Hi Dr. Miller. I’m okay, a little nauseous and starting to get tired pretty easily, but otherwise doing fine.”
“Good to hear!”
She looked at her clipboard before continuing.
“Your blood sugar test came back negative and all looks like it's progressing nicely.”
Suddenly she turned to Trevor, extending her hand for a handshake.
“It's always good to see a Daddy involved!” she said as Trevor shook her hand.
Trevor smiled at Mila, squeezing her hand and looking directly into her eyes.
“So, when can we find out the baby's gender?” Mila asked.
“Well, typically we can't tell the sex of the baby until at least ten weeks along. And given the last date of your period that you can recall you're about 6 weeks along. That doesn't mean that he or she won't make their little debut today! We have had cases where a baby’s gender is detectible at as early as seven weeks, but it’s rare!”
“Oh...”
“I know, you're disappointed Mila, but like I said, there's always a chance he or she could make themselves known during today's ultrasound!”
Mila braced herself for having to hear "Wait another week", but as soon as that cold gel hit her belly she jumped.
“Ahh, cold cold cold cold!”
“Sorry about that, it gets pretty cold! Now, let's see what we’ve got going on here!”
After a few minor adjustments Dr. Miller suddenly pointed to the screen and said, “There's your baby, see right there!”
“Looks like a jellybean!” Trevor blurted out.
Mila couldn't help but laugh. She knew Trevor had been just as nervous as she was all morning and jokes were always his nervous habit.
“See that flicker right there?” asked Dr. Miller “That's the heartbeat. Would you guys like to hear your baby's heartbeat?”
Mila could hardly contain herself.
“Yes!”
Dr. Miller pushed a button on the machine and instantly the rapid sounds of tiny life filled the room. It sounded like the ocean, in the most beautiful way possible. Mila couldn't stop the tears as she turned her head to look at Trevor, whose own tears were threatening to spill over.
“Oh my God...”
Trevor could only manage an “Oh wow...”
“Yep, we've got a good, strong heartbeat there! Everything looks great! Let's take a couple of pictures here for you guys!”
After taking a few still shots of the ultrasound, Dr. Miller tried, and failed, to find out the sex of the baby. Honestly, as they walked hand in hand out of the doctor's office, neither Trevor nor Mila minded not knowing right now. Their baby was healthy and that was all that mattered.
About an hour later they found themselves in a corner booth of a small diner, finishing lunch.
“Hungry much?” Trevor asked, laughing as he watched Mila down her turkey melt.
“Hey, I’ve got to feed the jellybean!” Mila said, through a mouth full of French fries, causing Trevor to laugh even harder.
“So, we should probably tell our friends.” he said when he finally quit laughing.
“I was thinking about that and why don't we just do it Christmas Eve? We're having them over then anyway, so everyone will be there.”
“Plus, they'll all find out at the same time so no one can bitch about being the last to know. You're a genius Mila!”
“You say that like it's new!” she said with a wink.
“Of course not, I've always admired your big... brain!”
Both laughed before Mila's face turned serious.
“What about our families?” she asked, the concern evident on her face and in her voice.
Trevor let out a long exhale of the breath he'd been holding.
“Well, mine are our bosses so they're going to have to find out.”
“Yeah...”
“Do you want to tell your family?”
Mila stared out the window as if the answer would suddenly appear in the parking lot. The truth was, she didn't. The less they knew about her and the life she had built in New York, the smaller the chances were that they could somehow destroy it. And their destruction was not something Mila was willing to gamble on now.
Finally. pulling herself out of her own head, Mila turned to Trevor.
“You and our friends, you are my family!”
Trevor reached across the table and took her hand.
“Well then, let's go home shall we?”
Mila smiled and nodded.
As Trevor paid the bill she bundled up in her coat and made her way outside into the beginnings of another snowstorm. This one was only supposed to be a few inches, but it was beautiful, nonetheless.
Hands in her pockets, Mila looked up at the sky. Home and family- two things she never thought she'd have again, and she'd somehow managed to find them both –
“In the same amazing guy.”
Chapter Fourteen
M ila sat on the couch with her laptop. Christmas was now less than a week away and, ever the diligent planner, Mila was attempting to put the final touches on the Christmas Eve celebrations with their friends. Every once in a while, she’d stop to rub her belly.
“Babe, relax. The place looks great!” Trevor said, “We've got dinner all planned out, everyone is coming - Britani, Violet, Randall and whatever flavor of the week he's bringing. Are Britani or Violet bringing anybody?”
“I think Violet is seeing someone. She's been super weird acting lately.”
“Lately?”
Mila glared at him with a smirk on her face.
“Okay, yes, she's always weird, but I love her. But I don't know what's with her lately.”
“Have you asked Brit?”
“No, I was going to ask Pheebs because we all know she knows everything that goes on in that place!”
Trevor laughed loudly. “The Gossip Queen? Of course, she does. She knew about my father and Lydia a whole month before the rest of us!”
Mila nearly spit out the water she'd taken a drink of.
“Wait, what?! How did she know that?”
“Lydia's father was an investor in the company when it was getting off the ground. Long after the deals were made and were over, Lydia kept showing up at the office for ‘meetings’ with Dad. Even though she was just a secretary at her Dad's company.”
“So, everyone in the company knows about Lydia?” Mila asked.
“Lydia, the 2 before her, and Tiffany. I guess she's the side chick to the side chick.”
“Dang, what about his wife?”
“Carolyn? Pfft, she doesn't care what he does as long as he keeps her funded!”
“Then why does she occasionally throw him out?”
Trevor sighed as though he couldn’t even believe what he was about to say.
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