Full Bloom

Baby New Year

A few days after Christmas, I had my first ultrasound. I went by myself, since Karen was out of town and it would be really awkward to have my grandparents there. I still had yet to tell Oliver...but he was busy all week on a ski trip with his family, so I couldn't see or call him.

But tonight, New Year's Eve, he was coming back and going to the big party with my grandparents and I. Each year, Annie's family had a huge New Year's Eve party. I wasn't sure they'd be doing it this year, but Mary was determined to do all the things they normally did to help Annie feel better.

I walked into their house with my grandparents, greeted by a sea of people. Some were by the TV, some were smoking in the backyard, but most of them were in the dining room, eating around a cheese platter and some other appetizers that were set out.

"Jen! Jen! Come play with us!" Annie said, tackling me from behind.

"Oh...well I guess I have to now, since you asked!" I said, grabbing her back and tickling her, causing her to giggle and squirm away.

I followed her into the living room, where her cousins, all dressed in 2002 headbands, party hats, and paper glasses, were gathered around that silly Harry Potter game I got, each of them getting more and more frustrated.

"Let Jen try! She's really good!" said Annie.

I got down on the floor and did my best at getting that little styrofoam ball through those obstacles, but the fact that I even completed the course was impressive enough to this group of kids who were ten years old and younger.

Oliver got there not long after that, so I stepped away to catch up with him about his ski trip. After all this time, my heart still fluttered when I saw him. I knew we were young, probably so young that I didn't understand what "real love" was since he was my first boyfriend, but I tried not to let that bother me.

"And then I tried to hold onto the rope thing that brings you up the mountain. That was a total fail," he said, chuckling as we sat on one of the living room couches together.

I laughed along with him. "When you said you were going on a ski trip I was so surprised. You're so uncoordinated as it is."

"It was my parents' idea. Patrick did pretty well. I guess he got the athlete genes and I got the music genes," Oliver said. "Oh, that reminds me, check out my New Year's Resolutions for this year!"

I rolled my eyes as he took a piece of paper out of the pocket of his jeans. He did this every year. It was silly, but cute.

"How much did you accomplish from last year?" I asked.

"Uh...three, I think."

"Wow. Not bad for the twenty-five you wrote down!" I said, chuckling as his face became red from embarrassment. "Oh stop. I'm just kidding. I love your overly-long list of resolutions. How many do you have this year?"

"Only ten. Ten being the most important."

I snatched the list away from him, glancing over the first nine resolutions and then seeing number ten: "Grow a beard."

"Olie, stop. You're not growing a beard."

"Yeah-huh! I'm gonna do it."

"With how patchy your stubble already is? No. Just no."

"Oh come on! At least let me try!"

I rolled my eyes. "You can try it, but I don't have to like it."

We were talking for a while, going back and forth between snacks, greeting our other neighbors, and playing games with Annie and her cousins. I looked at the time. It was getting so late.

I didn't want to wait this long, but while everyone else was distracted with Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve since there was only a few minutes until the ball dropped, now would be my once chance to sneak away and have no one notice.

"Hey, let's go outside," I said, whispering into Oliver's ear.

"Huh? Outside? It's like five degrees!" he said.

"It'll be quick. I need to talk to you without all the noise. It's important."

He sighed. "Okay. But we'll have to make it quick."

We threw on our coats and went out to the back patio. I should've brought my hat, too. Oliver kissed me on the head.

"Well, what is it?" he asked.

"So, there's something I gotta tell you."

"I know. What is it? You really haven't been acting yourself these past few weeks and I've been wanting to ask what's up but I didn't know how, or if you wanted me to pry," he said. "But you know that you can tell me anything."

Uh...I don't know about telling you this one, Ollie...

"Thirty! Twenty-nine!" said the crowd from inside the house.

"I really don't know how to tell you this...but..." I said, trying to catch my breath.

"Twenty! Nineteen!"

"Jen, what is it? Are you breaking up with me?"

"What? No!" I said.

"Ten! Nine!"

"Jen, you're killing me. Just tell me what's going on!" he said.

"Eight! Seven! Six!"

"I...I...I'm pregnant! I'm pregnant and it's yours, okay!" I said, handing him the ultrasound picture from the pocket of my jacket.

"Three! Two! One!"

"What? Oh...my..."

"Happy New Year!"

Cheering and the clicking of noisemakers erupted from inside of the house. I saw silhouettes of people hugging and kissing through the curtains. Oliver, on the other hand, was laying face down in the snow, passed out.

I ran into the house and screamed for someone to dial 9-1-1. That literally could not have gone any worse.