close as strangers | calum hood

epilogue (part 1)

Calum

Jaden and I didn't plan our wedding until I got back to Australia. I knew it was stressful on her because she wanted a perfect night. I went along with whatever she wanted.

When I walked in on Jaden sitting on our couch with her head in her hands, I knew something about the wedding was stressing her out.

"You okay, love?" I asked as I sat beside her and pulled her into my embrace.

"Yeah." She mutter weakly, "I just have a pounding headache."

I frowned, "Maybe you should call it a night. We can continue this in the morning." I said, referring to the wedding papers that were laid out on the coffee table.

"You're right." She sighed and slowly stood.

"I'll feel better in the morning."

But she didn't. The next morning, I was woken up by Jaden climbing over my body, jumping off the bed, and running into the ensuite to throw up. I quickly got up and ran to her side, kneeling beside her and holding her hair back.

"Oh baby." I sighed as her head was in the toilet bowl.

"I'm okay." She gulped deeply as she lifted her head.

"Do you need to see a doctor?" I asked, extremely worried at this point.

But she refused, "No. I'm fine."

Throughout the day, Jaden was throwing up. Sometimes she would just have her head in the toilet and try to vomit, but nothing would come up. She kept complaining about how sore and tired she was. To help ease the wedding planning on Jaden, I invited the boys over.

"Hey Cal." Luke smiled as the three boys stumbled in.

"Jaden's too stressed to deal with this on her own, now?" Michael asked.

"No, she's just really sick. Like she's been puking and telling me how sore and tired she is." I explained with a sigh.

"Maybe she's running a fever? You think it's the flu or food poisoning?" Ashton suggested.

"Guys, I'm really craving apple pie." Jaden said as she walked up to the group.

"We can make some tonight." I suggested with a smile.

"No," She argued. "Like, right now."

So Michael ran out to the bakery down the street to pick up some apple pie. The rest of the boys and I worked on the wedding planning while Jaden passed out on the couch.

"I'm worried. She's been so moody lately, too. Maybe all this stress is negatively affecting her. Should we hire a wedding planner?" I asked.

"I think that would be a good idea." Luke nodded.

"The venue takes care of most things, like the cake and seating. But maybe a professional should work on the program and all that. Jaden should have to do it by herself." I frowned as I read over the guest list.

Suddenly, Jaden jumped out of the couch and ran into the powder room that had an entrance from the living room. There, we heard Jaden as she regurgitated her previous meal. I got up from my seat and walked into the bathroom, where Jaden was panting on the floor. I kneeled beside her and began rubbing her back to comfort her.

"Maybe she's pregnant?" We heard Ashton suggest.

With his words, Jaden looked up at me and bit her lip nervously.

"Jaden? Is there something you're not telling me?"

She sighed and leaned back into the wall. "Calum, I'm sorry. I haven't had my period since last month. Since you came home, you've been going in raw so I started to think that maybe I am pregnant. But I haven't checked. I wanted to tell you first but I wasn't even sure how to bring it up."

I watched the girl as tears started forming in her eyes. I placed a hand on her thigh and smiled gently at her.

"Jaden, don't apologize. I can ask Michael to pick up a test and we can see."

-

So Michael came back to the condo with pie and a pregnancy test. It was a good combination. We all had a slice of the pie while Jaden took the pregnancy test in the bathroom.

"You nervous?" Ashton asked.

I nodded slowly, "Yeah. I am. But no matter the result of that test, I'm gonna be here."

Michael chuckled, "I'm gonna be the best uncle ever."

Our little group started laughing. Then, the door to the powder room opened, and Jaden emerged. Our undivided attention was on her.

"Relax," She commented. "The test is on the sink. We have to wait two minutes."

"So you really let Calum go in raw? You're one lucky man, Cal." Luke said as he smirked playfully.

"Maybe it was all part of his plan, he wanted this kid all along." Mikey shrugged.

As we were talking, Ashton stood and walked into the powder room. From a distance, we could see his eyes hovering over the test that rested on the sink. After a few minutes, we were interrupted.

"Guys," His voice called from the bathroom.

Jaden walked in first. Eagerly, she picked up the test from the sink and read the results. We all watched her intently. When Jaden's lips pursed into a tight line, I wasn't sure what to expect.

"Calum..." She whispered as she looked up at me.

I could see tears forming in her eyes. What this good or bad?

"We're gonna have a baby."