Damaged Goods

Chapter 12- A Day & a Package of Diapers at a Time

Aria walked out of the bathroom at the doctor's office white as a ghost, eyes unseeing. How could she have been so careless, so stupid! She was a nurse, she should've known better than to fool around unprotected and now she was pregnant! What would she do, she's on the run from criminals for Christ's sake!

What would Marcus say? Oh God! Was it even his? The only other person she had been with recently was Colin. What a disaster that would be!

"Aria, baby what's wrong?" Marcus questioned.

She didn't have the heart to tell him, rather she just handed the positive pregnancy test to him and walked right on past, avoiding eye contact and walked right on into the designated clinical room the doctor was waiting for her in.

Marcus looked at the stick in his hands and after realizing what this meant dropped to his knees. He was terrified of becoming a father, ecstatic to share something so precious with Aria, angry for the awful timing and worried how Aria was taking the news. He needed to see her and took off towards the room she had went to.

"Am I still welcome in here with you?" he asked, understanding she had every right to say no.

She took a deep breath and still not talking, simply nodded her head 'yes.' Marcus sat down beside her and laced his fingers with hers, waiting on the doctor's words of wisdom with a shaky breath and a heavy heart.

"Well Miss Greene, it appears we've found the reason for your headaches and tiredness. This is normal most of the time in the first trimester. How about you change into the gown and lay back for me and we'll see what's going on, okay?" The doctor requested whose name read, "Dr. Martin."

Aria did as she was asked after undressing and putting on the gown and shortly later the doctor walked back in with a hefty looking machine. The doctor pulled out an instrument oddly shaped like male genitalia, rolled a condom over the tool and squirted a liberal amount of lube onto the stick. Marcus gulped, choking on spit when he realized where that was going to go. Really?! Was that protocol? Maybe they should get a second opinion...by a female doctor.

"Relax, Marcus. They fetus is too small to use the normal wand on my abdomen. This will help us see it and guess about how far along I am," Aria explained.

He shook his head up and down, trying to convince himself this was totally fine. It wasn't. Marcus was freaking out on the inside. She spread her legs and the doctor inserted the stick, gently wiggling it around. Before long a black and gray image popped up onto the screen, not that Marcus could tell what the hell he was supposed to be seeing.

"Ah, here we are," Dr. Martin began. "It looks like everything is normal so far, I'm going to take some pictures and measurements to see about how far along you are. It's still very early to tell much, but let's see what we've got."

This was the moment of truth; would the fetus belong to Marcus or her deranged ex? She pictured a blonde headed, blue eyed little girl with dimples, then a black haired gray eyed little boy. Both would be beautiful, sure. Both would be brought into this world under dangerous, unconventional circumstances. But one would be around his father while the other would never know him. How did this happen?!

"Alright, judging by the current size and symptoms in combination with your last cycle it appears you are only about a month along. I'd like to schedule an appointment in a month to check your progress and I'll get you on some prenatal vitamins but for right now just eat healthy and keep doing what you're doing," Dr. Martin said enthusiastically.

That was the moment Aria felt completely and utterly devastated. The father could be either one and only time would tell. She would have to wait months to get a paternity test if she decided to and until then it would be gnawing at her insides. Did she want to know? At this point she didn't have the answer to that. All she knew was that in roughly eight months she would be a mother.

-- --

Aria hadn't been really with it the rest of the day and Marcus didn't know how to react. He knew the timing couldn't have been worse, but she didn't even act badly about it. She literally had no reaction at all, negative or positive. It was as if she was just a shell of the person she had once been and it was incredibly depressing. She didn't seem to want to do anything but sit in the hammock and stare blankly out at the water. This wasn't normal; she should be happy, sad, angry...anything would be better than this!

"Aria, please just talk to me! Tell me what you're thinking," Marcus pleaded.

She acted as if she didn't hear him, and maybe she didn't. Maybe he was being too harsh on her. Pregnancy is a huge step for anyone. Add in Mason and his buffoons, Colin and his drama, a newly started relationship, losing all contact with anyone you've grown close to and moving halfway across the country and any over-hormonal person would be distraught too.

"Marcus, I feel so lost. I feel so alone. I can't do this, I really can't!" Aria said. Her walls were crumbling down around her and there was no stopping them at this point. "How am I supposed to raise a child when I can't even keep myself safe? It deserves a happy, loving family and I can't offer that."

"Sweetheart, come here," Marcus cooed. She leaned into his embrace, savoring the comfort he always seemed to provide.

"I've told you this once and I'll do it again. I'm not going anywhere. There's a good chance this baby is mine and that's not something I take lightly or will just run away from, okay? So what if this isn't how you expected it to happen? Does life ever do what you expect?" Marcus whispered into her hair.

That earned him a little laugh and her shaking her head 'no.' Finally! Some kind of reaction! All hope wasn't lost just yet.

"I tell you what, tomorrow we can go and pick you up some vitamins, some healthy food and maybe a few first things for the baby. I know it's still really soon, but we will think of it as a time to celebrate new beginnings alright? Don't worry about anything but you and keeping my baby happy. The way I see it, that is my child too and as a soon-to-be-dad for the first time, I deserve to do this the right way. I swear to you I will keep you and the baby safe with my life. Let's just take this a day and a package of diapers at a time," he suggested.

She looked up at him and gave him a tender kiss, spilling her feelings into how relieved he had made her feel. Pulling away, she smiled, satisfied that she felt things would really be okay. She wasn't alone, she was still standing, and she was falling undeniably in love with this man.

------*------*------

Aww! What'd you think? Who is the daddy? Will they ever get to know? Feedback people! ;)

I'm putting a lot of time and creativity into updating quickly and all for you; please return the favor and vote/fan/comment. Right now...before you forget! :)

XO- Carly