The Decision

by Patricia Roberts

  “You really don’t remember?” he asked shocked. Shelby looked confused at him. “It was one year ago tomorrow that I got down on bended knee and asked you to marry me.” Shelby gasped and ran to him. “How could I forget?” she asked him laughing. “So I thought that since we will be on a plane most of the day and getting settled into the condo that we could celebrate tonight.”

  “That sounds wonderful what did you have in mind?” She wanted to celebrate but she had been getting everything ready for the vacation and she was exhausted. “Well seeing how we are going to be going out a lot I took the time to stop by and grab a pizza your brother made special just for us. Then knowing your love of chocolate I got us some candy and popcorn to go along with our movie for tonight, that just so happens to be grease” he told her smiling. “You’re the most amazing man alive. I love you so much Shelby” said hugging him tight. “I love you two baby. Now come on lets go eat before it gets cold and we can cuddle on the couch afterwards.”

  That night they ate dinner and then snuggled on the couch singing the songs from grease. Shelby knew in that moment how thankful she was for him. Not every husband would sing songs to a movie he didn’t like she thought smiling. The next morning they all arrived at the airport and John was acting suspicious.

  “Dad what are you up to?” she asked him. “Nothing” he told her laughing. They had a safe flight and arrived to see a huge condo waiting on them. “Before you go in I have one final surprise” John told them. “I knew it” Shelby said laughing. He opened the door and Shelby gasped. There was Paige and Cliff standing there smiling. “Grandma” Shelby said going over to hug her. “What is going on?” she asked her. “Well I couldn’t let all of you have all of the fun” she told her.

  “It’s good to see you again” Stephen said giving Paige a hug and Cliff one also. He had become close to both of them and was even friends with Cliff’s son Roger who had PTSD also. “You look so much better than the last time I seen you” Paige told Shelby with tears in her eyes. “Thanks I feel great” she told her smiling. They all settled into the rooms that night and Shelby had a surprise for Stephen. He had just settled into bed when she came in wearing a bathrobe and smiling.

  “What are you up to?” he asked her. “Well I felt bad that I was too exhausted to do anything last night so I thought I could surprise you tonight” she told him. “Really?” he asked sitting up. “Yes I thought that you could help me take my robe off. I don’t have anything on underneath” she said giggling.

  Stephen hopped up and walked over to her. He undid the robe and carried his wife over to the bed. He undressed and got under the sheets with her. They made love to each other and fell asleep in each other’s arms. The next morning they both came downstairs in a great mood.

  “So what is the plan for the day?” John asked them. “I did some research and found that you can go fishing out on a boat. I thought us men could do that and the women could go shopping” Cody said smiling at Haley. “Sounds good to me” Stephen said. “I like the idea also Cliff said with Ryan, nodding his head. When they got out on the boat Cody took a seat next to Stephen. “I think we all needed this break” he told him.

  “I know what you mean. I haven’t felt this relaxed in a long time.” “I was hoping we could talk” Cody said uneasily. “Sure what is going on?” he asked concerned. “I think I need to apologize to you” Cody told him. “What could you possibly have to apologize about?”

  “When you called me over that night to tell me that you were diagnosed with PTSD I did something stupid” he told him. “What?” Stephen asked him.

  “I went to Shelby and told her to not marry you. I thought that she wouldn’t be able to handle you if something happened. Looking back now I know it was stupid and I shouldn’t have said it. Shelby stood up for you and told me to mind my own business. That there was no way that she was going to be without you and that she loved you. I guess what I am saying is that I am sorry I said anything at all. I have observed you with my sister over the past year and I have never seen her happier. You seem to be maintaining your symptoms” he told him. “No problem” he told him and walked away.

  Cody could tell he was upset and cringed. Had Shelby not told Stephen about their discussion? Stephen had never been angrier at Shelby before. How could she have kept something like this from him? He thought they didn’t have any secrets.

  “Hey are you alright man?” Ryan asked coming over. “I just found out that when I told Cody about my PTSD that he went to Shelby and told her not to marry me. I had no clue it had even happened. I don’t like the fact that she kept it from me” he told him. “I understand your hurt but I think you should go talk to Shelby about it. Maybe she had a reason for it.”

  “Maybe” Stephen told him. Shelby had a great day shopping with the girls and catching up with her grandmother. She was headed back to the room with her arms full of bags when she spotted Stephen sitting on the couch. “Hey baby did you have a good day fishing?” she asked him. “It was alright” he said frowning. “What is the matter?” she asked him. “I think that we need to talk” he told her. “Alright it sounds serious” she told him. “I think it is” he told her. Shelby sat beside him and he sighed.

  “Shelby you know how much I love you right?” he asked her. “Of course” she told him. “I am really hurt by something you did.”

  “What did I do?” she asked concerned. “Cody talked to me today and wanted to apologize about asking you not to marry me” he told her. Shelby looked down and bit her lip. “I understand that he had issues with what was going on but how could you not tell me what happened? Were supposed to be a team and then I find out you kept this from me.”

  “I am so sorry Stephen. We weren’t married yet and I just thought I could handle it. I didn’t know that it would make you this upset” she told him. “How could it not? I thought that we didn’t keep things from each other. You made a big deal about me talking about Lily and then I find out you kept this from me.”

  “I don’t know what to say” she told him with tears in her eyes. “I think I am going to go for a walk.”

  “Please don’t leave” she told him. “I need some time by myself” he told her and walked out sadly.

  That night Shelby didn’t eat and cried herself to sleep. She hated that he was this upset about it. She hadn’t meant to do anything to upset him. At the time she didn’t think it was that big of a deal and dealt with it on her own. Looking back she realized that she should have told him. That night Stephen got back late and seen Shelby was asleep. He slept next to her but felt like they were hundreds of miles apart. The walk had helped him and he realized he may have been too hard on her. The next morning Stephen got dressed early and went down to eat. He knew he needed to talk to Shelby but she was still asleep and he wanted her to get some rest. He kissed her on the forehead and headed down to eat.

  “Hey Stephen where is Shelby at?” Samantha asked him. “She was still asleep” he told her. “Is she feeling okay? I know after you left for your walk last night she didn’t come down to dinner.” Stephen hated that he had made her feel that she couldn’t be around people. “I am sure that she is fine.”

  Shelby awoke a few minutes later in the room and noticed Stephen wasn’t there. She wasn’t even sure that he had come back last night. She felt so sad that this was happening to them.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  John noticed that Stephen looked upset about something and asked to speak to him out on the balcony while everyone was eating. “Are you okay?” he asked him. “I don’t know” Stephen said pulling at his hair. “Alright what is wrong?” John asked him. Stephen and John sat down on the patio chairs and Stephen told John what all had happened yesterday. “There is a part of me that is so angry at her but another part of me says we weren’t even married yet.”

  “I can understand where you’re coming from but think about Shelby also. She has always been the older sister and she told Cody what she thought without holding back. I am
sure that is what she thought she was doing and then they both let it go. Cody probably assumed that she got upset and told you what happened and wanted to apologize to you.”

  “I never thought of it like that. I think you will feel a lot better once you talk to Shelby” he told him. Cody hadn’t meant to but overheard them talking. “Hey” he said coming out. “Hey” Stephen told him. “Listen I hope I didn’t make you guys fight.”

  “Were alright” Stephen told him looking down. A few minutes later Shelby made it downstairs to breakfast and could see Stephen talking to John outside. She sighed and sat down to eat and her grandmother looked at her and knew something was up.

  “Let’s take a walk” she said after eating. Shelby wanted to stay and talk to Stephen but she got up to walk with her grandmother. “How are things?” Paige asked her. “Alright” Shelby said looking down. “Do you want to know one of the things that I always loved about you?” “What?” Shelby asked her. “You could never lie to me. So don’t start doing it now” she said sternly. “Stephen is angry with me.”

  “Why?” Paige asked concerned.

  “Before I got married to Stephen he told my dad and brother he had PTSD. After he left Cody became concerned and didn’t think that I needed to marry him. He came over and told me that and we got in a fight. I told him to mind his own business and that I was going to marry him because I loved him. I thought that was the end of it. When I came back from shopping yesterday Stephen was waiting for me upset in the room. When I asked him what was wrong he told me that Cody apologized to him about coming and asking me not to marry him. He got real upset that I didn’t ever tell him what had happened. I mean at the time we were not even married so I didn’t think that it mattered that much. He started telling me how we shouldn’t keep secrets from each other and how he couldn’t believe I did that to him. I never did anything to intentionally hurt him and I hate that he is feeling that way right now. He stormed out of the room last night and I don’t even know if he came back” she said with tears in her eyes. Paige hated seeing Shelby so upset like this. She could see both sides of the story.

  “Shelby I understand why you did what you did. You were not married to Stephen yet and you didn’t think any more about it, but I can also see why he would be angry. Stephen was completely blindsided yesterday.”

  “What do you mean?” Shelby asked confused. “Cody probably told him that because he assumed he knew and it embarrassed Stephen that he didn’t know what had happened.”

  “I get your point” Shelby told her. “What I do know is even with you keeping that from him Stephen loves you. It kind of reminds me of when I first got married to Cliff. I had forgot to tell him I was going shopping with some friends and he had searched the town for me all day. We got in such a horrible fight that night, but it taught us both to talk things out with each other” she said smiling.

  Shelby smiled at her grandma and gave her a hug. As they made their way back Shelby seen Stephen standing outside waiting on her. “I think I am going to find Cliff. We will meet you down at the beach.” “Alright” Shelby told her. “Hey” she said to him. “Hey, could we go and talk?” he asked her. “Of course” she told him and they headed out to the room.

  “I need to apologize” Stephen began. “You have nothing to be sorry about” she told him. “I think that I do. I was in such shock that the conversation had happened and that I didn’t know anything about it that I took it out on you last night. I should have been more understanding.”

  “Stephen you had every right to be upset with me. I shouldn’t have kept something like that from you. You were right when there shouldn’t have been secrets from each other but I honestly did forget about it after it happened.”

  “I realize that now that I have had time to think about it” Stephen said smiling. “So what now?” she asked him. “How about we get changed and go enjoy the rest of our trip” he told her. “I would like that” Shelby told him. Stephen helper her stand up and held her face in his hands. “I love you Shelby. We may fight but always remember that I love you.”

  “I love you two” she told him kissing him softly on the lips. The rest of the vacation they had a blast and they were heading back home. Shelby had woke up in the middle of the night and got sick and Stephen carried her back to bed. “I feel horrible” Shelby told him. He received a phone call from Ryan a few minutes later telling him that most of the girls had been up sick all night. “It must have been something that you ate yesterday” he told Shelby. “We ate lunch at a fish house. Maybe that was it” she told him.

  Over the next couple of days most of the girls remained sick and thought that they had food poisoning. Most of them started to feel better but Shelby couldn’t seem to get better. “Alright that is it you’re going to the doctor” Stephen said after the fifth morning of being sick. “I think your right. I will call in to the school and go to the doctor.”

  “Do you need me to take you?” he asked her. “I can go by myself” she told him smiling. Later that day she went to the appointment and her doctor came in. “Hey Shelby” Doctor Collier said. “Hey Doctor Collier” she told him. “So what seems to be going on?”

  “I am not real sure. I just seem tired all the time and I have been getting sick every morning. I seem to get better as the day goes by but I can’t seem to get over this. We went on vacation about a week ago and all of the girls got sick with food poisoning and I thought that was what I have, but most of them have been fine for the past few days.”

  “Have you had a fever?” the doctor asked her. “No” she told him. “Is there a possibility that you could be pregnant?” the doctor asked her. Shelby was shocked at what he had said. She knew from when she started dating Stephen that he didn’t want any kids. He was still trying to heal over what had happened to Timothy all of those years ago.

  “Pregnant?” she asked shocked. “You’re having a lot of the same symptoms pregnant women have. You’re sick in the morning, tired, and feel better as the day goes on. That happens a lot during the first trimester of pregnancy. How about we take a test and then we will know what we’re dealing with?”

  “Okay” Shelby said shocked and sat there numb and waiting as they took the test. What would Stephen do if she was pregnant? He had made it clear early on that he didn’t want to have any more children. She felt so shaken by everything that was happening when the door opened.

  “Alright I got your test back” Doctor Collier told her. “Alright what does it say?” she asked him. He smiled at Shelby. “Congratulations Shelby you’re going to be a mom” he told her. Shelby gasped and couldn’t believe what she had just been told. She was going to have a baby.

  “I don’t understand I have been on birth control since I got married.”

  “Birth control is not always one hundred percent accurate. Now I want you to go see a special OB-GYN. With your history with heart issues I want you to be able to have a safe pregnancy.” Shelby nodded and sighed. That was just one more thing that she was going to have to worry about on top of everything else going on in her life.

  “Thank you” she told the Doctor and made it out to the vehicle before she broke down and started to cry. What was she going to do now? She knew this would be one of hardest things to tell Stephen and she was worried.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Shelby felt like she was in shock as she drove around town. She knew that she needed to tell Stephen but she didn’t know how to. She had just pulled up to the house when she got a text from Samantha. She told her she was coming over in a few minutes to return a dish she had borrowed a few weeks before. Shelby made it into the house and had sat down when she heard the doorbell ring. She went to the door to let Samantha in and they went to the living room. Samantha noticed right away that something was wrong. She started to talk but could tell that something was bothering Shelby. Samantha had been talking for five minutes but Shelby had not heard a word she had said.

  “Shelby are you alright?” Samantha asked her. �
��I am sorry my brain is a little scattered right now.”

  “It’s alright didn’t you go to the Doctor? Stephen told us this morning how you were still sick.”

  “Yes” Shelby said with tears in her eyes. “Shelby what happened?” Samantha asked coming to sit beside her. “I went to the Doctor and he gave me some unexpected news.”

  “Is it your heart?” Samantha asked worried. “No although I do have to worry about it for a while” she told her. “Well what is it then?” she asked her. “I told the Doctor my symptoms and he asked if I was pregnant.”

  “What?” Samantha asked shocked. “I know I was shocked to. He wanted to do a test of me and it looks like you’re going to be an aunt” she told Samantha crying. “Oh Shelby I am so happy for you.”

  “Thanks” Shelby said looking down. “Aren’t you excited?” Samantha asked her. Shelby sighed and stood up.

  “You know when I was a little girl I used to daydream about marrying someone and having a house full of babies. When I met your brother I felt like I had finally met my prince charming. When we were dating we got to talking about a family and he told me he would not be okay with us having children.”

  “What?” Samantha said frowning.

  “I think he still holds so much guilt over what happened to Lily and Timothy and he didn’t want to go through something like that. When he told me that it hurt because that is all I had ever wanted in life. He told me if that was something I was after it would be a deal breaker for us. At the time I thought that it would be hard but that I loved your brother enough and it would be fine because I had Stephen. Then when the doctor told me today that I was pregnant I have been feeling so numb from it. I have no idea how I am going to tell your brother and what he will do when he finds out. I am so worried about his PTSD affecting him if I tell him or if something goes wrong.”