Dance of a Lifetime

by Frank Downey

  "Sophia? What is it? What's wrong?"

  Sophia held up a small, thin piece of plastic for Cait to see. And then she told Cait what it meant.

  "I'm pregnant."

  Chapter 93 - The Problem, And Should We Make It Go Away?

  "Oh my God. What are you going to do?" Caitlin asked Sophia.

  "We leave for the Olympics in two weeks. All I can do is get it taken care of, and hope that I can do that in time for me to heal to skate."

  "You mean, an abortion?"

  "What else can I do?"

  Cait thought for a minute. "Have you told Warren yet?"

  "No. I just found out for sure right now. He's the next step."

  "Do you think he'll want you to get rid of it?"

  "Of course. I've known that all along. Driven, over-achieving Warren? The Man with the Plan? Of course he's going to want me to get rid of it."

  "Do you want to?"

  "I don't want to be pregnant in the first place."

  "That's not what I asked you."

  "It's not a question of want," Sophia sighed. "At least you got me to stop crying. Now I get to go tell Warren."

  "If Paul's down there, you can send him up," Cait told her.

  Sophia took the elevator down to the second floor. She went to Warren's room. He opened the door for her.

  "Paul, can you get lost for a bit? Cait's in the room, she said you can go up there."

  "Surely," Paul said. "I was going to go see her anyway. Ciao," and he was gone.

  "What's up, Pookie?"

  "Sit down," she said. He did, on the bed, and she sat next to him. She was staring at her hands. "Warren, there's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to tell you. I'm pregnant."

  Warren looked at her. "Pregnant?" he said in disbelief. "Are you sure?"

  "I took a home test and it was positive. I've known, anyhow. I missed my December period, and now I'm three days late for January's, and I've been getting sick in the morning."

  "How did this happen?" he asked her.

  She took a deep breath. "I missed a day. The pill, I mean. When we were in Japan, what with the time change, I got confused. I think I missed it the first or second day we were there, I'm not sure, I just know when we got back here and I got back on the proper day, I had an extra." She looked at him. "I'm so sorry."

  "Hey, it happens. One day, huh? My God we are fertile. And do you realize our child was probably conceived in a shower in Nagano, Japan?"

  Sophia laughed in spite of herself. "I never thought of that. Anyway, I'll go get a blood test but there's no doubt in my mind that I'm pregnant. And we need to get this taken care of post-haste so that I'll heal in time for the Olympics."

  Warren stared at her, when he realized what she had said. "'Taken care of?'"

  "Yeah. I don't know if there's a clinic here in Madison that does it or not."

  "You mean an abortion."

  "Well, yeah."

  Warren took a deep breath. "OK," he said, in a tone of resignation.

  Sophia caught it. "Don't you think that's the best thing to do?"

  "It's your body, Sophia, it doesn't matter what I think."

  "Of course it does, Warren! Your opinion counts in this."

  "I don't mean this to be snippy, but you seem to have already made your mind up."

  "Well, that's only because I knew you'd want me to terminate the pregnancy." She looked at him, and realization dawned on her face. "Oh my God," she whispered, "you don't, do you?" He didn't say anything, just stared into space. "You're so driven and committed, I thought for sure you wouldn't want an untimely pregnancy messing that up."

  He looked at her. "Do you really want my opinion? Really, truly, even if it's not what you want to hear?"

  "Yes, Warren, I do."

  Warren took a deep breath. "If you terminate the pregnancy, you'll break my heart."

  She looked at him in astonishment. "What?" she croaked.

  "Absolutely break my heart. I'll get over it, and it is your decision in the end, but, no, I do not want you to get an abortion."

  "What about the Olympics?"

  "What about them? Sophia, you're in the first trimester. You're allowed to fly. You're allowed to exercise, and ice dancing is a low-impact activity. See a doctor, don't take my word for it, but, trust me--the Olympics are not an issue. You can skate in the Olympics two months pregnant."

  "What about school?"

  "You'll be due in early September, from my calculations." Sophia nodded agreement. "We should have the baby at home, in Boston. We'll have to take a semester or a year off--take a sabbatical--but that shouldn't be a problem with our GPA's."

  "What about skating?"

  "If you can get back in shape for the end of the Grand Prix next year, we request the USFSA to assign us to Cup of Russia and NHK, they are the last two. If not, we shoot for Nationals. Skaters have had babies before."

  "Having a baby is a big responsibility. We're young. We're still in school. We've got the skating. It'll be tough."

  "No doubt," Warren agreed.

  She looked at him. "But you still want to do it?"

  "Yeah, I still want to do it. Look, I know the timing sucks. I know it's inconvenient. I know it was a mistake. But that's a baby in you, Sophia. A baby that got made because we love each other. You won't be in this alone, you know."

  Sophia started crying. "I didn't expect this. I really didn't expect this."

  "Sophia, what do you want?"

  "God, I don't know. I was convinced you'd want me to abort. Now I see how wrong I was, and why, I should have known you might not. However, I've come to terms with the fact that this pregnancy was going to be terminated. I don't know what to think."

  "Whatever you decide, I love you, you know."

  "I know. Warren, I need to think." She got off the bed, walked over to him, and kissed him. "We'll talk later, OK?"

  "OK, Pookie."

  She left his room and went to her own. Cait and Paul were on their way to eat. They invited her along, but she declined. When they left, she picked up the phone.

  "Mom?"

  "Hi, honey. How are you?"

  "Not so good," Sophia told her. "Mom, I'm pregnant."

  "WHAT?"

  "Yup. Two weeks before the fucking Olympics, and I turn up pregnant."

  "How did this happen?" Sophia explained. "OK, so what are you going to do?"

  "That's why I called. I've suspected this for a month. I was all set to have an abortion. I thought for sure Warren would want me to have an abortion."

  "He doesn't."

  "No, he doesn't."

  "What do you want, Sophia?"

  She sighed. "I don't know. I was so convinced he'd agree with the abortion idea... well, maybe I convinced myself. Now that he doesn't... I'm so confused."

  "Can I tell you a story?"

  "Sure."

  "This is about a friend of mine. She got pregnant, younger than you. She didn't have your money, and her relationship with the father wasn't nearly as wonderful as you and Warren are. In fact, the father wanted her to get an abortion, and she thought about it, long and hard. In the end she decided to have the baby."

  "What happened?"

  "Well, the father left, she had to raise the baby alone, and the kid put her through hell for a while. But the baby grew up to be happy, healthy, altogether delightful, and the National Champion in Ice Dance."

  Sophia cracked up laughing. "Your friend is you. Neat trick, Mom." Then she got serious. "You considered aborting me?"

  "Oh, yeah, I did. And your father wanted me to."

  "Why didn't you?"

  "I just couldn't. You were a part of me, Sophia. And, you know what? Even when you were going through your difficult period, I didn't regret keeping you. And now look how you've turned out."

  "Aw, Mom..." Sophia sniffled. "I take it you think I should keep the baby."

  "Hell, no! 38 is too young to be a grandmother!" They both laughed at that. "No, seriously, honey, you
have to do what is right for you. What I'm telling you is, if you have the baby, you'll be fine. And Warren will be there, and not leave, and you know that as well as I do."

  "That I do. Thanks, Mom."

  * * *

  The next morning, Sophia woke up and made some phone calls. Then, she went to class, and, after that, went to the student health center.

  Then she went to see Warren.

  "What's up, Pookie?"

  "I went to see an OB-GYN. I asked him all about the Olympics. He said the same things you did. They took a blood test. The results will be in tomorrow, but the doctor thinks I'm definitely pregnant. He wants to do an ultrasound before we leave for Switzerland." She held up a piece of paper. "This is the address for a clinic here in Madison. If we want to have an abortion, this is where we go, and we should be able to get it done in time for me to skate in the Olympics."

  "OK. So what do you want to do, Sophia?"

  "Do you love me?"

  "Of course."

  "Will you stay with me?"

  "We can discuss the particulars of that after the Olympics, but the short answer is--yes. I'm not going anywhere."

  "I can't do this alone."

  "You won't."

  "You promise?"

  "I promise."

  She looked at the piece of paper in her hand, and then ripped it up. "Well, then, let's have ourselves a baby, shall we?"

  Warren got up and wrapped her in a bear hug. "What made you decide?"

  "Well, you had me half decided before I left the room yesterday. Just seeing how much you wanted to keep it made me realize that I did, too. But, then I talked to my mother. Did you know she considered aborting me?"

  "No, but considering her age and circumstance, I'm not surprised."

  "Right. She told me she didn't, because I was a part of her. Warren, this baby is a part of us. I can't get rid of it. Now that I know you'll support me, no way can I get rid of it."

  "My sentiments exactly."

  "I love you, Daddy," Sophia giggled.

  "I love you, too, Mommy." Warren agreed. "Which reminds me. Now I get to tell my parents!"

  Chapter 94 - Media Mumblings

  Sophia and Warren walked down to the dining hall for supper together. Paul and Cait were already there.

  "So, what's the verdict?" Cait asked Sophia.

  "Well... you're going to be an Auntie." Sophia said with a broad smile.

  "You're going to have it?"

  "Yeah."

  "All right, what is going on?" Paul bellowed, making the other three laugh.

  "I'm pregnant," Sophia told him.

  "Ah," Papa Bear said. "Is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

  "We've decided that it's a good thing," Sophia told him. "An inconvenient and difficult thing, but a good thing."

  "You gonna be able to go to the Olympics?"

  "Yup. Talked to a doctor about that today. The only problem is I'm dealing with morning sickness. That won't affect us much--we have no competitions in the morning--except that it makes me lose my appetite. So, I have to force myself to eat so I don't lose strength."

  "No cravings for pickles yet?" Papa Bear joked.

  "No, silly, that comes later, after the morning sickness," Sophia grinned.

  "Who knows?" Paul asked.

  "My mother knows. She was cool. I have to tell my dad. And Warren's parents know."

  "Oh, and what a pleasant conversation that was," Warren said ruefully. "They're OK about it, now, after reading me the riot act."

  "We need to tell Crash and Jessie," Sophia reminded him. Then she turned back to Cait and Paul. "The only other people that know are you two."

  "We're not keeping it a secret, though," Warren said. Sophia nodded agreement. "In fact, we need to tell the USFSA."

  "Yeah, the medical staff they bring along with them to the Olympics has to know."

  * * *

  On the ice later that day, they told Kathy, their coach in Wisconsin.

  "Oh, Jesus. Now I know why you've been so weak."

  "Yeah, that's what we're most worried about--the doctor says we can go and compete, but the morning sickness is making me weak," Sophia told her.

  "Listen to me. I have a two year old, I know what I'm talking about," Kathy said. "I didn't take my hiatus from coaching until the kid was almost born, so I coached through the first eight months of the pregnancy. Sophia, you absolutely need to eat. Even if food is unappetizing. Fruits and vegetables are best. The morning sickness sucks, but if you eat, you will not feel weak. Trust me."

  "That's pretty much what the doctor said," Sophia told her. Then she smiled. "I had a massive salad for lunch, I held it down, and I feel pretty good."

  "Good. Now let's see Romeo and Juliet, OK?" Kathy commanded.

  * * *

  The morning sickness actually got better over the next week and a half. Sophia did manage to remember to eat, and their practices were good.

  Word about Sophia's pregnancy had not spread to the wider world yet, though Sophia and Warren had no doubt that it would. In fact, they had no intention of hiding it, and would be making it public when they got to Switzerland and were interviewed.

  However, the proverbial shit hit the fan before that had a chance to happen.

  Sophia and Warren were semi-famous, and getting more so. The "story" of what had happened to Warren the previous year had gotten them some attention. Being the first dance team in twenty years from the USA to win a medal at Worlds had only added to that. Then, their impressive win at Nationals had cemented it. Daniels and Kelleher were getting as much attention as any of the skaters representing the USA in the Olympics--a novel position for ice dancers. The fact that Sophia turned every head the minute she stepped onto the ice didn't hurt--and the whole "love story" angle didn't hurt, either.

  So, people knew who they were. They had gotten some media coverage. However, the media coverage that they got two days before they were to leave for Switzerland was not the type they would have wanted.

  Warren was in the store that day, and saw Sophia on the cover of the National Enquirer. Curious, he picked it up, bought it, took it back to his room, and started reading.

  "The Skeletons In The Closet Of America's New Ice Princess!" the headline screamed. Warren read the whole thing, the horror becoming more apparent on his face with every line he read.

  "Sophia Daniels, the new queen of American Ice Dance, is not the sweet and innocent young lass she seems to be. In fact, her past reads like the erotic passions of a steamy romance novel!"

  "Young Miss Daniels was known in her hometown of Oceanview, Massachusetts, as someone who was free with her favors. She plowed through a long line of young men, from a very young age, before apparently snaring her current love, her partner, Warren Kelleher."

  "'Oh, she was wild, ' one former boyfriend told The Enquirer. 'Anything you wanted to do, she did. And she was only thirteen when I met her. She had more experience than girls twice her age. I knew her when she met Kelleher, and it was pathetic how she turned his head. He was an innocent, and she lured him right in.'"

  "' And she was a party girl, too. She'd drink or take anything you'd give her.'"

  "What makes this even more depressing is that her relationship with her partner seems to be a scam! A friend from the University of Wisconsin, where she and Warren both attend, told the Enquirer, 'I personally know three guys that Sophia has slept with, and none of them are Warren.'"

  "What's more stunning is that Miss Daniels apparently had an affair with another skater on last summer's Champions on Ice skating tour--and that the other skater was also female. 'She's gay, and she's using Warren as a beard, I'm convinced of it, ' a skating insider told The Enquirer. "

  There was more, but Warren had read all he could take.

  He called Sophia. "Honey, you'd better get down here. We have a problem."

  Chapter 95 - Strategies

  Their phones stared ringing off the hook almost immediately. They were never shy about co
mmunicating to the press, especially with the well known figure skating writers--people like Jared Hurstell of the NY Times, Fred Rausch of the Chicago Tribune, Tina Bowman of USA Today, and Jim Pitman of their hometown Boston Globe. All these people, and others, had Warren and Sophia's phone numbers. And, those who didn't were calling Stephanie Langson, the USFSA's director of media relations--and she was calling Warren and Sophia.

  "Listen, Steph, this is what we should do," Warren told her. "Set up a press conference for Friday, the day after we arrive in Switzerland. Tell all the writers we'll answer anything they want to ask, but not now. We've got to get ready to go, and that, for us, includes straightening out our classes."

  "Gotcha," said Stephanie. "If you commit to a press conference, I can hold them off until then. You guys need a PR person, or an agent, or something!"

  "No thanks!" Warren laughed.

  "Anyhow, Warren, I have to ask you--how much of the Enquirer story is true?"

  "Some of it. We'll explain more at the press conference. We need to decide, between the two of us, what to talk about and what to evade. At least they don't know about Sophia's pregnancy yet, that we get to spring on them ourselves."

  The phone went silent for a minute. "What? Sophia's pregnant?" Stephanie finally asked.

  "Yeah. They didn't tell you? We told Curtis, and the medical staff." Curtis Ingalls was the president of the USFSA.

  "Nobody told me!" Stephanie explained. "Jesus, Warren, if the media want to portray her as a slut, she just gave them more ammunition. Does she have any idea who the father is?"

  "Goddammit, Steph, you should know better than that! I am the father, of course!"

  "Are you sure?"

  "Stephanie, except for the two months we were broken up last year, Sophia has not slept with another man besides me for five years," Warren said, and it was almost true--and Warren didn't worry about the whole Jessie/Crash thing getting out.

  "OK. Well, I'll set up the press conference, and you guys decide what you're going to say."