The Boot - Next Steps (Book 2)

Chapter Two

A/N: For the sake of the book we'll just say that Bailey is three months further along than Lucy, so as of now Lucy is about five weeks and Bailey is about seventeen weeks. I'll do my best to keep track :)

BAILEY

It took forever, but John and I finally managed to make some room in our schedules for an OB appointment. It's been a little over two months since we found out about the pregnancy, but life just kept finding one way or another to keep us busy.

We pulled into the parking lot a little early, so we sat in the car for a bit. My stomach feels uneasy for what must be the hundredth time today, and I groan quietly as I rub my belly. The bump isn't that big yet, but it's there.

John reaches for my hand, providing me with much-needed comfort. "Nervous?" he asks.

I respond with a nod. "Extremely."

"Everything is going to be just fine, I know it," he assures me.

"I sure hope so," I mumble. "After this can we go get some fried pickles?"

John quirks a brow. "But you hate fried pickles."

I shrug. "What can I say? Your baby is making me want some crazy things,"

"If my baby mama wants fried pickles, then fried pickles she will get," John nods.

I giggle at him. "My knight in shining armor."

We sit in comfortable silence for a moment when suddenly, John gasps, his eyes widened. I look at him, confused. He takes a second to collect himself before he starts to chuckle. "Wow."

"What is going on?" I ask.

He grabs my hand in his, gently rubbing my skin with the pad of his thumb as he gazes out the window at nothing in particular. "We haven't told anyone."

"Yeah?" I'm even more confused now. "I thought we agreed not to tell anyone until I'm out of my first trimester."

"Yes, I know, I'm just realizing..." he laughs to himself. "I wonder what Henry will think."

My eyes widen. "He's going to be a big brother."

Henry is his 20-year-old son from his first marriage. The two of them have always been close, and I quite like Henry. He's a good kid.

As far as Henry knows, John didn't want more kids. It has been casually mentioned from time to time. I wonder what he is going to think when he finds out.

"We don't need to tell him now. I know we agreed to wait to tell anyone else until you're past the first trimester," he says. He knows that Lucy is aware of the pregnancy, and he understands why I told her. I needed someone to confide in. And Lucy had been through a similar situation, with an accidental pregnancy when neither one of them had wanted kids just yet. The main difference for John and me is that we didn't want to have any kids at all. As far as I know, Tim and Lucy may have wanted it someday, but neither of them was ready for it yet.

"But...?" I encouraged him to finish his thought.

"But..." he sighs, trying to organize his thoughts into actual words. "I'm worried."

"About what?" I ask.

"What is he going to think about all this? He's twenty years old, and now he's going to have a baby sibling. He thinks we didn't even want to have kids."

"Well, it's not like we lied to him about that. We didn't want to have kids. We can't help it if the situation just... happened, and we ended up changing our minds."

"He's going to be shocked."

"Well, obviously. Everyone is."

"You know what I mean, Bailey. This is a big age gap. Twenty-year-olds don't normally get told that their parent is having another kid."

"That's true," I nod, humming thoughtfully. "I'll tell you what."

"Hm?"

"If I know Henry, he wouldn't want us to wait longer than we need to before telling him the news. He'd rather know as soon as possible. He doesn't like secrets being kept from him."

"Right..." I can tell by the tone in his voice as well as the look on his face that he has absolutely no idea where I'm going with this.

"I told someone about it, it's only fair that you get to tell someone too," I explain. "Besides, Henry'll be my stepson someday, right?"

"Right."

"I already consider him to be a part of my family. I want him to know."

"Yeah? We're going to tell him eventually."

I roll my eyes, mildly amused that he still doesn't get it. "John."

"What?"

"I'm trying to say that I'm fine with telling him now rather than later."

"Wait, seriously?"

I nod. "Obviously not 'now' as in this exact moment, but like... very soon. Maybe we can arrange a meet-up sometime this week and we can tell him."

"As far as he knows there isn't any sort of special occasion. He lives so far away that we don't really have the chance to visit him or hang out unless something is going on."

"Something is going on."

"He doesn't know that, though. If we suggest a visit out of nowhere for, as far as he knows, no reason... he'll know something is up."

"Isn't that the whole point of telling him?"

"He's going to get suspicious. I don't want him thinking up every even mildly plausible possibility and stressing himself out. For one, because it's not fair to him, but also because I don't want his heart to overwork itself."

"Right," I nod my understanding. But my expression quickly turns into a frown as a thought occurs to me, managing to instantly sour my mood. My hand wanders to my subtle bump, and I rub it gently.

"Hey, what's the matter?" John asks, tucking my hair behind my ear, helping me to better see his expression, which is now masked with concern. "Are you feeling sick?"

Nausea churns in my stomach as I contemplate my answer. "Yes and no."

"What do you mean?"

"Yes, I'm feeling sick. But that's not what's wrong, at least, not primarily."

"Then what is it? What's bothering you?" John kisses my cheek. "We're going to be getting married. I want you to feel like you can confide in me. I want to help you. And I can't do that if you won't tell me what's going on."

"I- I don't know how to phrase it without possibly offending you."

He smiles warmly. "I love you, Bailey. There's nothing you can say that would offend me."

I nod, taking a deep breath in an attempt to ground myself, which unfortunately has very little effect in doing so. "What if the baby gets Henry's condition?"

"What?"

"I don't know if I'd be able to live with the guilt of bringing a baby into this world, knowing that he or she has a risk of having this condition and is going to struggle so much because of it."

His lips part slightly, and I can tell by his eyes that he is calculating the right thing to say. "I understand where you're coming from. Do you want to know something?"

I nod.

"I had the same fear the other day."

"Seriously?"

"Mmhm. So I looked it up, and according to the internet, Henry's condition doesn't appear to have been caused by a genetic factor passed down by his parents."

"That makes me feel a little better."

"But?"

"But I still want to confirm with a doctor that it's not genetic, just in case."

He places a soft kiss on my forehead. "If it'll help you to have peace of mind, then I'm all for it."

Before I knew it, it was time for the appointment. John gives me a quick kiss before we unbuckle our seat belts, get out of the car, and head into the clinic.

QOTC: What is/was your favourite subject in school?