Waking Up.

Chapter 43: Shotgun Doctor.

It usually took Samantha twenty five minutes to reach my house. She got there in less than ten. When she got to my room, she looked like she was gonna shit a brick.
"Trish, we gotta go see the doctor!"
"We can't!" I exclaimed.
"Why not?!?"
"Hello? Eric's a doctor, it's easy for him to get medical records!"
"But pregnancy tests aren't always reliable, we need an expert opinion!" I rubbed my temples with my hands.
"What would Aspen say? What would mom and dad say?!?"
"What would I say?" I heard a voice ask; dad. I almost shit my pants when he stepped inside the room. He had his arms crossed. I shook my head.
"Nothing dad, nothing." He raised an eyebrow and pointed a finger at me.
"I'm watching you," then he walked out. Jade set her head in my lap, whining. I pet her and sighed.
"What should I do, Samantha?!?" She thought for a few moments. Then she said,
"Let's call Marleen, she'll know what to do." She dialed her number and waited. When Marleen picked up, she said,
"No time to explain, go to Trish's house now." Then she hung up without another word. She sat next to me on the bed and rubbed my shoulder.
"It's gonna be ok, Trish. Just breathe."
"Samantha, do you promise to stay my friend even if I am...pregnant?" I whispered the last word, tears in my eyes. She smiled and nodded her head.
"I promise, Trish." It was about ten minutes before we heard Marleen pull up. When she turned the corner, I asked,
"Is anyone else upstairs?" She shook her head and asked,
"What's going on?" Samantha looked at me, then at Marleen and said,
"Aspen and Trish..." She trailed off. Marleen smiled wide and said,
"They did it?!?" I nodded. She clapped and sat on the other side of me. "Tell me about it!!"
"There's more, Marleen." Samantha said. She frowned and looked at me.
"What is it?" I sighed and said,
"I'm late."
"For what?" She asked. I looked at her, a few tears slipping out. When it finally dawned on her, she covered her mouth.
"You're serious?!?!? You might actually be..." Samantha covered her mouth and shushed her.
"SHH, her mom is down stairs."
"You mean she doesn't know?!"
"No, not yet." She stopped to catch her breath.
"Why'd you want me to come?"
"We need help. She doesn't know what the hell to do." Marleen stopped and thought for a few minutes. Then, she sighed and shrugged.
"Trish, if I were in your shoes...I'd tell Aspen before anyone, figure out what he wants."
"But, what if he leaves me?" I cried on her shoulder. They stayed with me until 7:00. When they left, they swore not to tell anyone else. As I laid my head on the pillow that night, I looked at my phone on the night stand. After two hours of consideration, I sat up and called Aspen. It rang three times before he yawned into the phone,
"Hello?"
"I need to see you." He didn't respond for a couple minutes. Then, he said,
"Where?"
"At the old house ASAP." I hung up and threw on a coat over my PJs and ran to the house. Once there, I sat on the porch, waiting. He pulled in at 12:45, dressed in a sweat shirt and sweat pants. He got out of the car and smiled.
"What do you need?" When he saw my expression, he frowned and sat next to me.
"What's wrong?" He asked, setting a hand tentavly on my knee. I inhaled, looked at him, and said,
"Aspen, I'm late." I stared at him. His eyes widened and he leaned a little closer.
"Like, 'late' late?!"
"Yes." He paused for a few moments, breathing. Some tears slipped out and I said,
"It's not for sure yet, and I understand if you want to leave me..."
"I will never leave you, Trish." He stated, holding my hand in his. "No matter what happens, I'll be here."
"Promise?" I asked, smiling.
"Promise." He stated. I hugged him and he kissed my forehead.
"What should I do, Aspen?" He thought for a moment.
"We have no school tomorrow. Ill come to your house at 12:00, and we'll tell your dad together. Then we'll all go to the hospital and get our results."
"That's not a good idea, dad will kill you." I stated. He shrugged,
"There's nothing else to do, we have to tell them. It's the only way we'll know for sure." We said our good nights and I slipped back in bed, pulling the covers over my face, I rubbed my stomach. I whispered to it;
"I don't know if you're in there, but if you are, it's mommy." I cried myself to sleep.
I sat at the breakfast table, gripping my spoon like it was a rope hanging off a cliff. Roxie looked at me and Cory asked,
"Are you ok Trish?"
"I'm fine," I replied quickly, smiling. Dad was coming home at 10:00, and I didn't know how I was gonna hang on until 12:00 to have Aspen over. Naomi and Eve had been watching me since I got up, and I felt confined. Once I finished my pancakes, I went to the living room to watch max and ruby with the little kids. And yes, I eat my pancakes with a spoon. Naomi sat next to me and held my hand.
"Trish, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, Naomi. I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" She asked, looking at me. I smiled and nodded. Eve tapped my shoulder,
"Mom wants to talk with you on the back porch." I excused myself from the little kids and left to the back door. Once there, Eve and Naomi slipped in, Eve locking the door. I frowned and turned to them.
"What're you guys doing?"
"Tell us what's wrong," Eve demanded, blocking the door. I raised an eyebrow and tapped on the screen door to outside.
"I could just go through here."
"We'll lock you outta the house."
"I'll climb in a window."
"We'll lock them too. Tell us what's wrong." She repeated. I opened my mouth, closed it, and looked away.
"You guys are going to hate me..."
"No we won't, Trish, just tell us," Naomi inturupted. I gave her a small, sad smiled, then I said,
"I lost my virginity." Eve stared at me like I'd just grown two heads, and Naomi yelled,
"HOLY MARY MOTHER OF GOD!!! To Aspen?!?!" I nodded, tired. She clapped and said,
"Why would you have any reason to be sad..." She trailed off. "Oh, Trish, you don't mean?..."
"I don't know for sure yet. Aspen's coming at 12:00 to talk with dad about what we should do." Naomi covered her mouth and nodded.
"I suppose you don't want us to say anything, right?" I nodded. They both agreed to stay quiet, leaving me alone in the back porch. I sighed and looked out onto the lawn, where Jade was sniffing around. She barked and wagged her tail, unknowing of my dispair. Or maybe she sensed it.
When dad showed up, I thought I was going to die. We both sat in the living room, watching chopped. The contestant had to make something out of sunflower seeds, apples, rye flour, and sardines. Delicious. Dad was yelling at the TV.
"You're so stuipid! Make a purée!"
"I don't think that's a good idea," I stated, frowning. Everything went according to plan, until Naomi walked in and saw dad on the couch. She froze in the doorway, holding a bag of Cheetos. Oh, how I hated Cheetos. He turned to see her and gestured to the screen.
"Aren't they dumb?! She's making a crust when she should be making a purée!"
"Uh, yeah. Haha, dumb." She stared for a moment too long. Dad frowned and smirked to the side.
"You're hiding something." Her eyes darted all over the room, searching for a safe place.
"No I'm not!" She replied quickly. He nodded.
"Mmhm. Right. Tell me."
"I-I can't."
"Tell me or you're grounded." He pointed a finger at her. She rubbed her arm with one of her hands.
"You're gonna have to, dad. I can't tell you." He frowned, looked at me, and asked,
"If she's willing to be grounded, it's probably bad. Do you know what she's hiding?" I shrugged and raised my eyebrows.
"I have no idea." He got up and set his hands on her shoulders.
"Naomi, I need you to tell me. Whatever it is, I promise I won't get mad at you."
"I'm not worried about you getting mad at me," she replied, looking down. He stopped and thought for a moment. Then, he sprang backwards and yelled,
"You did it with Alexander, didn't you?!?" She gave him a surprised look and shook her head,
"No dad.."
"Naomi! I expected better from you! We need to talk to him.."
"Dad! I didn't do anything..."
"Naomi, I'm not arguing with you right now! C'mon," he grabbed her arm and started dragging her near the doorway. I got up and pulled on his arm.
"Dad, let her go!!" She was crying because she was scared. He kept going,
"Trish, this doesn't concern you."
"She didn't sleep with Alexander!"
"What else could she be hiding..."
"I spent the night at Aspen's last night!" I yelled, pulling his arm off of her. She ran around the corner to were mom was standing, hugging her tightly. Dad stopped, looking at me. I continued,
"We had sex, and I'm late. He was going to come at 12:00 to talk with you. That's what Naomi was hiding!" Mom gasped, staring at me with wide eyes. I'd never seen dad look so disappointed, and I felt a pit rise in my stomach.
"Trish..." He trailed off, shaking his head. I looked down, feeling guilty. Mom sighed and walked up to me, setting her hands on my shoulders.
"Is it true, Trish?" I nodded, tears slipping out. She let a few roll herself and then pulled me into a hug. She stroked my hair and shushed me. I cried,
"I'm so scared, I don't know what to do!" She rocked us back and forth. Naomi sniffled, Eve hugging her. The little kids were playing upstairs. Dad, infuriated, disappeared around the corner. We heard a cabinet open and close. He returned with a 12 gauge shot gun, pulling me and mom along with him.
"What're you doing, Eric?!?" She asked. He set me in the car and got in himself.
"I just wanna talk to him." She got in next to him. He started speeding towards Aspen's house, crazy in his eyes. We pulled up and he loaded the gun.
"Don't kill him!" I exclaimed, getting out with him.
"I just wanna talk to him," he repeated.
"Dad!"
"I'm just gonna kill him."
"Dad! We can't just..."
"I just wanna talk to him," he knocked on the door and waited. I saw Vicky's car in the driveway, meaning everyone was home. Mr. Gold answered the door, but Aspen was sitting visibly in the living room with Trevor. He pushed past Mr. Gold, aiming the shot gun at Aspen. When Aspen saw him, he pushed Trevor out of the way and set his hands up. Vicky stood in front of Trevor, blocking him. Rae stood half way up the stairs, and Mr. Gold appeared with a colt 44 revolver. Aspen got up and said,
"Can we just talk?"
"You little son of a bitch!" He stated. Aspen's dad yelled,
"Drop your weapon."
"No fucking way Landon, he went too far."
"What're you talking about, Eric?" He asked. I'd forgotten they worked together. He turned, enraged.
"Where the two of you home the other night?"
"No, we'd gone with some friends, why..." He trailed off, lowering his gun and turning slowly to Aspen. Aspen sighed, looking at me. Mom grabbed the gun from dad and hit his chest. Mr. Gold said,
"Aspen, mind telling us what's going on?" He nodded, walking over to me. He grabbed my hand and gave me a small smile. Then he explained,
"Trish came with me that night. It wasn't her fault I lost control, and we forgot to use protection. Trish is late, and we were planning on telling you this morning, Mr. Rodgers. We wanted to go to the hospital to get a professional opinion." Vicky and mom both nodded. Vicky said,
"I think that's the best idea, let's get going." Aspen, Vicky, Mr. Gold, Trevor, and Rae all got in their Mercedes and started driving towards the hospital, while me, mom and dad got in our car. Once everyone was there, we all got out and walked up to the front desk. The lady at the desk smiled and said,
"Good morning, Eric."
"Hey Sandra, we need a doctor right away."
"Alright, what for?" He looked at me, then back at her.
"Pregnancy test." Sandra looked up, trying to guess who. When she couldn't figure it out, she handed him a clip board.
"Sign here, here, and initial here." He signed all the papers and we sat in the waiting room. Vicky sat with mom, trying to comfort her. She sat there, beside herself. Trevor sat next to his mother, feeling awkward and unsure of why he was really there. Dad sat next to Landon, Landon trying to keep him calm. It was working for now, but he was clearly upset. He had every reason to be. I sat with Aspen by my side, rubbing my knee, trying to comfort me. Rae sat across from us, staring. She looked at Aspen, pointed to him, and said,
"You know, this is your responsibility."
"I understand, Rae." He said, looking to her.
"If she is pregnant, you're going to be apart of that baby's life." He nodded and squeezed my hand.
"And hers," he added. I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes. A young doctor in a white coat came out,
"Trisha Walter?" I looked up, standing. He gestured me to follow him. Mom came with me, but everyone else was told to stay and wait. She held my hand as I sat on the table and he asked me an array of questions.
"Are you sexually active?"
"Not usually."
"Uh huh, and what do you mean specifically?"
"This was my first time," I stated, feeling awkward talking about it with a male doctor.
"Do you have any STD's?"
"No."
"Do you smoke or do illegal drugs?"
"No."
"When's the last time you saw a doctor?" I shrugged. Mom piped up and said,
"Two and a half years." He jotted it down and smiled at us.
"Ok, I'll be right back." He left the room and returned ten minutes later with a little cup and a needle.
"I need you to urinate into the cup, then I need a blood sample. Bathrooms across the hall." I nodded and got up to the bathroom. I don't know if you've ever tried peeing under pressure, but it is the hardest thing you'll ever do in your life. Not even joking. It took me twelve minutes to get one little sample. When I returned, he had me sit on the table.
"Ok, please hold out her arm, this might sting a little." Might? That was comforting. He stuck it in my shoulder and drew the blood. Pain erupted in my nerves, and I held back a scream. He smiled and walked out, leaving me alone with mom. She sat on the table with me, cradling me in her arms. I squeezed my eyes shut and cried,
"Mom, I'm so sorry!"
"SHH, sweetheart. It's ok."
"No it's not! What are we going to do?! I'll have to quit school and Aspen'll leave and..." I cried into her shoulder. She lifted my head and looked at me.
"Calm down. Aspen is not leaving you. He's spent the last two and a half years by your bedside. I don't think he'll scatter to the wind now because you're carrying his child. You won't have to quit school because I won't let you. No matter what happens, everything will be fine, I promise you, Trish." She rocked me back and forth until the tears stopped. I sniffled and smiled at her.
"I love you, mom." She swept some hair out of my face and kissed my forehead.
"I love you too, baby." We sat patiently waiting for the doctor. A few nurses came in, but with no news. A short old lady came in and handed me a jug of what looked and smelled like lemonade.
"Drink this, we need to do a cat scan. You have half an hour." I nodded and started drinking. Mom turned on the TV and we caught another episode of chopped. A nurse came in with a movable table and gestured me to sit down.
"Can't I just walk?"
"It's just hospital protocol, please." She patted the bed and I laid down. Mom waited outside the two way mirror as I laid on the table of the cat scanner. It looked like a giant dough nut with a table going through the middle. A mechanical voice instructed;
"Breathe in." I did as it said. "Breathe out." I did as it instructed until the nurse told me to get back onto the table. We waited two more hours before the doctor returned to the room with a clip board. He smiled at us and sat down.
"Alrighty then."
"Am I pregnant?" I asked.

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Well, I'm letting you lovely people decide. Should we have a pregnant Trish, or a blank-shooting Aspen? You decide. If no one can decide within four days of this update, I'll write two endings. Hope you all liked the chapter, enjoy the next one, bye! :)