by Amy Brent
Shareena had told herself after hearing about his way with women, that maybe she was different. Maybe it’s why he actually brought her around his friends, and their relationship was slowly progressing over time.
They rarely talked about family, or money, or financial stuff. She could tell it was a sore spot with him, so she avoided it. There was no reason it had to be brought up right now. She wasn’t in a hurry to get settled down or married, those things could come in the future when the time was right.
Right now, her time with Charlie was fun. He seemed to be enjoying her and she was enjoying herself with him.
Except the puking. Shareena groaned and grabbed the glass of water she’d set on her bathroom sink and swirled it around her mouth, hoping to get the disgusting taste out of her mouth so she could call her doctor.
Forcing herself to her feet, the room spun a little bit and she wobbled to the bedroom to find her cell. Calling her doctor, she explained the situation and the nurse told her to come in right now and they’d fit her in.
Thanking her, Shareena hung up. She brushed her teeth and threw on some clean clothes. She knew she really needed a shower, but couldn’t bring herself to do it at this point in time. Grabbing a bowl, she went to drive to the doctor and didn’t want to risk throwing up in her car.
When she got there about twenty minutes later, she signed in and was still clutching the bowl to her chest. She had dry heaved a couple of times, but it appeared that she’d cleared most of her system out by now, and it was just the motions without the big mess at this point.
The nurse got her into a room right away, took her vitals, including her temperature. When the nurse saw that she didn’t have a fever, she looked slightly puzzled. She then gave Shareena a reassuring smile and told her the doctor would be right in as soon as she was done with the patient she was currently talking too.
Sitting on the bed, holding the bowl in her lap, Shareena closed her eyes and waited. When the door opened, she nearly fell off the bed, not realizing she’d started to fall asleep.
“Well, I’d ask you how you are doing, but since you’re here because of a tummy bug, is it a safe bet to guess you’re feeling like crap?” Her doctor asked her and gave her a gentle smile. The woman was an older lady with gray hair, who had a belief in mixing modern medicine with holistic approaches and whole body wellness. It suited Shareena’s desire to trust nature, while still giving her access to medicine when she needed it and know that it was actually warranted. Her doctor didn’t prescribe unless she absolutely had too.
“I’ve had better days Miranda, I’m hoping you can tell me what’s wrong, fix me up, or at least make me feel better while I suffer?” Shareena told her, then felt the dry heaves coming on and buried her face in her bowl for a few moments.
“How long have you been feeling this way?” Miranda asked her, rubbing her chin looking at Shareena.
“A couple of days, but this is the first time it’s been bad like this.” Sighing in relief when the sensations stopped, she closed her eyes for a moment.
“I want a urine sample; do you think you can pee for me, then we can talk?” Her doctor asked her and Shareena realized she did have to go, so she nodded.
Digging a cup out of the cabinet above the sink the doctor handed it her, gave her instructions on how to use it, and where to leave it in the bathroom.
“I need to see another patient, but it should be quick. I’ll come back in about twenty minutes after we’ve had time to test your urine for a couple of things.” Miranda patted her on the arm as she walked past her. “You’re going to be fine, even if you feel like crap right now.”
Shareena nodded, and clutched the little plastic cup to her chest. She went to the bathroom and followed the doctors’ orders, peeing in the cup. She went back to the room and sat on the bed, waiting. It was almost an hour later when the doctor came back again.
“Sorry, that took a little longer than I expected. But we have the results from your urine.” Miranda shut the door, talking as she walked into the room.
“And?”
“You are pregnant. I need to do a blood test to confirm, but I’m guessing based on your vitals, that’s all that’s wrong with you at this point. Once we do a blood test to confirm and figure out your levels, I’ll know when to order an ultrasound, unless you know exactly when you conceived.” The doctor was making some notes on the computer and glanced up to look at Shareena. “When was your last period?”
“I don’t remember?” Shareena said, making it sound more like a question then a real answer. “How is this even possible… we always used protection except…. Oh my god.”
“I’m guessing you just remembered something?” Miranda said quietly.
“We weren’t careful once. It was just once though.” Shareena closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I mean, I know it can happen, but…. I can’t even…”
“Well, let’s get you in for an ultrasound, and then I can refer you to a midwife or doctor of your choice, and you can discuss your options.” Miranda said in a very non-judgmental way. Writing a couple of prescriptions on her medical pad, she ripped them off and handed them to Shareena. “This is for the ultrasound, take it across the hall to radiology, and have them schedule you. Here’s the proof of pregnancy to get you into a doctor or midwife, and this is for labs, which is next to the ultrasound office. Good luck Shareena. If you need anything, just let me know, okay?”
“Thank you,” Shareena said, picking up her bowl, and feeling in complete shock.
“Oh, wait, here’s one more. Here’s a prescription for some prenatal vitamins. Although, I highly recommend you buying gummy ones instead. I’ve heard women have had less trouble with them than the horse pills you get from the pharmacy.” Miranda said and smiled at her.
Shareena took the last prescription and it took her a few minutes to walk out the door to start moving forward with her next step. In a daze, she had no idea what her plan was, or how to even tell Charlie.
Oh god, telling Charlie. She closed her eyes and groaned loudly to herself. This was the last thing she wanted to do.
A couple weeks had passed, she’d had confirmation of her pregnancy via the blood test, and her first ultrasound. She’d seen the heartbeat, and that the baby was viable. She was offered to council her on her options. She was keeping the baby. She hadn’t planned on having a baby but now that she was going to have one, she couldn’t do anything but keep it. Now she just had to figure out what to do. Her one-bedroom apartment and her cat would need to get a bigger house of some sort, she had a decent amount of savings and good credit. She could probably buy a small house. She was planning on raising this baby alone, but she knew she shouldn’t make any real plans until she’d spoken to Charlie.
Shareena was inviting Charlie over for dinner tonight. She set her table with candles, and a white cloth and was ordering pasta, salad and garlic bread from an Italian place down the road that had amazing food. They even delivered. When she got the table all set, she put a bottle of apple cider in the middle. It was a non-alcoholic drink, so she could have some too.
When Charlie arrived a little while later, she let him in and he kissed her, backing her up until she hit the wall and she moaned into his mouth. She loved his strength, his stocky build, he wasn’t scared to use his strength when it came to sex games, and she loved the way he made her feel.
“Hungry?” She whispered to him between kisses.
“Smells good, almost as good as you,” he told her as he pressed kisses against her mouth and his hands wandered all over her, gently squeezing and touching her.
“Let’s eat, and we need to talk before we do anything else,” Shareena told him. She hoped he’d still be in the mood for sex after she dropped this big bombshell on him.
“Eat? We can do that. What is there to talk about?” Charlie asked her, tilting his head to the side curiously as he took a step back and cleared his throat. He adjusted himself and then followed her to the kitchen to eat.
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He sat down and grabbed a bowl of the pasta to load up his plate, then some bread. He eyed the salad, but skipped it and Shareena raised a brow at him and then smiled. She loaded her plate up and it was the first time in a couple weeks she actually felt hungry.
“Cider?” She asked him holding up the bottle after pouring herself a glass. “If you prefer, I have beer in the fridge.”
“Cider is fine,” he told her and then started to eat his food. He closed his eyes and sighed in bliss as the food touched his tongue. It was good and he could appreciate a fine tasting meal.
“I wanted to talk to you,” Shareena started to stay and then felt like a cork was lodged in her throat. She didn’t know how to bring it up or even say it. Honestly, it just needed to be spit out.
Charlie shrugged and waited for her to continue talking. He picked up his cider and took a sip.
“I’m pregnant.” She just said it, and then regretted it. He started to choke on his cider and sputter, she jumped up from the table and pounded on his back. She felt bad, it wasn’t probably the best way to state what was going on.
“That’s not what I was expecting to come out of your mouth,” Charlie told her when he finally stopped coughing. He looked at her and his eyes widened as they settled on her stomach. Realization dawned on him when he remembered their first encounter. He hadn’t been careful like he normally was and it looks like he was going to pay the consequences for it.
“Well, it wasn’t how I was planning on telling you, but it just… well it’s out now.” Shareena told him and sighed and sat back down in her chair to pick at her food. She waited for the news to sink in, not wanting to pressure him or upset him further.
Charlie put a bite of food in his mouth and chewed slowly. He looked thoughtful. He swallowed his food then looked up at her.
“What is your plan?” He asked her quietly. He didn’t make accusations, or sound angry. It was a simple question. To Shareena, she felt like she was standing in front of a firing squad, her answer could change everything. Swallowing hard she opened her mouth to answer him.
“I plan on keeping it.” She finally said quietly, “I would hope that you’ll choose to be involved, I like you Charlie. I really like you. While this wasn’t planned, I do feel a connection to this baby already. I can afford it if you want to walk away, and I won’t pressure you. But, I do sincerely hope that we can move forward, and at least stay friends.”
“Friends?” Charlie sputtered at her staring in shock. “What I feel for you would make it impossible for us to just be friends, Shareena.”
“What do you mean?” She asked him, blinking trying to understand what he was telling her.
“Friends. I cannot just be friends with you. I’m attracted to you, and while an unplanned pregnancy wasn’t on my list of things I was hoping to have happen anytime soon, we can figure this out together. But friends? I think I’m insulted. What exactly was I to you?” Charlie asked, feeling as if she was about to tell him he was just for sex, and she felt nothing more for him. Until this moment, he hadn’t even realized how deeply he’d started to care for her.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” blinking at him rapidly, she realized that she hurt his feelings.
“Then how exactly did you mean it?” He asked her.
“I mean, well… I just meant that I’m an adult who can take responsibility for her choices and actions in life. I like you a lot and I have strong feelings for you too. I also don’t expect you to feel the same way as me, or even be supportive or want to be involved when a surprise situation happens. I just… wanted to give you choices too. I don’t want you to feel trapped. If you want to be here, I want it to be because you want to be.” Shareena told him and then reached out to touch him. “I want you involved. That’s my personal preference. But I don’t want to make you feel like you have no options or choices in this situation. We are both adults, we both should be on the same page in this.”
“Why didn’t you just say that to begin with?” Charlie asked her and shook his head. This woman in front of him confused him.
She quirked a brow at him and snorted, “Like I have any previous experience with a conversation like this? I think I’m lucky to have just spewed out basic information and let the dust settle.”
“So… what happens next?” He asked her, deciding to just move on.
“I go to the doctors, I figure out a due-date, and I guess I decide what I want to do from here. I mean, I’m keeping it, but there’s so many birth and pregnancy options and it’s a little overwhelming.” Shareena muttered, “Like, if I want a water birth, I may need to go with a birth center. But since it’s a first baby, I maybe should do it in a hospital, or… it’s complicated.”
Charlie nodded, not really understanding anything she just said. He was mentally ticking off insurance stuff, and if he could help out to pay for the pregnancy, and how they would balance and manage raising a child together if they didn’t cohabitate.
“I think we need to consider moving in together. Give it a trial run before the baby is here to see if we can handle being a family. If not, then we have time to figure out how to be… friends as you put it and raise the child in a mutually beneficial situation for all of us.”
Shareena nodded, not trusting herself to speak, the panic at the idea of having her personal space invaded, even by a man she liked had her wanting to go hide in her room to breathe.
“We’ll be okay; we’ll figure it out as we go along.” He told her and squeezed her hand.
Charlie was at work. His thoughts were filled of Shareena, the baby they’d accidentally made together, and trying to figure out how his work schedule would make him a half-way decent partner.
He’d spent the last few years just screwing off, and he’d been lucky, and extremely careful with women. Until her. Something about her had him lose his head, and he still wasn’t sure what it was that made him lose track of time or get lost in physical sensations so he made errors or mistakes.
She was different. He could tell that much, but what did that mean? That he loved her? He knew her, but they were still getting to know one another. You can’t just meet someone and love them, could you? He believed in chemicals and animal lust, but the heart and emotions getting involved where a different story and he’d always made a point not to get involved.
He was on a stake out with his partner, a grumpy old man named George Stiff who was snoring next to him and let him do most of the watching. They were waiting for a navy man to get off the ship to arrest him. They didn’t want to create a scene, and approaching him once he got off the boat was the best way to avoid a scandal. Pictures of the man had been sent to the Navy Intelligence Office, they had included him selling weapons and items off the ship in different ports. He had to be held accountable, and the evidence was solid. So it was just a matter of picking him up.
He had a picture of the man in his lap, and was mentally checking off the men and women who got off the ship until he saw the one they were looking for. Nudging his partner to wake him up, he started his car, and followed the sailor. Who veered away from the groups heading towards the bars and downtown area?
Following him, he was curious what the man was up too. When he went into an alleyway, he parked outside of it and got out of his car, drawing his weapon. He nodded at his partner then went into the alleyway, only to see the sailor go through a back door of a building and it slamming shut. Following him, he went to the door and tried the handle. It was unlocked and he went in.
A large warehouse with boxes and bins were stacked in small rooms, and the place looked like a maze. Following the flashes of the man’s white uniform, he found him stopping to open a box and take a gun out. He was busy loading it when Charlie approached him.
“Mr. Danner? We need to talk, can you put the weapon down?” Charlie approached the man cautiously.
“Who are you?” The sailor looked at him, nervously, his hand tightened on the gun and it made Charlie raise his gun a notch highe
r.
“I’m Charlie, with the Navy Intelligence Office. I need you to come with me, we need to ask you some questions.” Charlie tried to be calm and address the situation to keep the situation defused. The last thing he expected was the man’s eyes to widen and him to shoot at him. Feeling a burning sensation in his shoulder, he realized he’d been hit, and he fired back before diving to the ground as the man shot at him again.
“Put the gun down Danner, I don’t want to shoot you, last warning,” Charlie told him, taking cover behind some of the boxes and bins. He saw a glimpse of his partner coming up behind him, and kept talking, to distract him. Shooting a man was the last thing he wanted to do, so if they could get out of the situation all alive, in relatively one piece that would be his goal.
His partner put a gun to the back of Danner’s head and told him to drop his weapon. When the sailor did, cursing, Charlie stood up and came out, his shoulder throbbing in agony.
“Think you can handle cuffing him?” Charlie asked, feeling a little dizzy and light headed.
“Sure, we need to get you back to get that looked at, think you can make it?” Stiff asked him, eyeing the blood pooling into his clothes.
“Yeah, if anything weird happens, my girlfriend may need to know. She’s my last called number in my phone.” Charlie told him as they walked out to the car.
“I’m driving, get in the passenger seat,” Stiff ordered him, not wanting him to drive wounded.
They rode back to the station where they dropped the suspect off, and Charlie ended up being forced to go to the hospital emergency room to be checked out and treated, then had to write a report about shots fired and being hit in the line of duty. He sighed, he didn’t get in fire fights very often, but this was his least favorite part of the job.