Till Thee End Of Times

Chapter 11

In the aftermath of Miranda's pregnancy revelation, silence hung heavy in the air between Ben and Miranda. Their emotions were a tangled mess, with anger, confusion, and shock swirling around them like a maelstrom.

After what seemed like an eternity, Ben finally broke the silence. "So what now?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Miranda swallowed hard, struggling to find the right words. "I don't know," she admitted, her voice trembling with emotion."I don't know what I'm doing here," Miranda continued, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. "I didn't plan for any of this to happen."

Ben couldn't help but feel a pang of empathy for her. He knew Miranda wasn't the type to plan something like this, especially after what happened with their daughter. "I'm guessing you didn't tell your husband yet?" he asked.

Miranda shook her head, the guilt and shame visible on her face. "No," she said. "I didn't want to hurt him. I didn't want to hurt anyone.

"But you're here now," Ben said, his tone gentle yet firm. "And this isn't something we can just brush under the rug. You need to tell your husband about the baby, Miranda. He deserves to know."

Miranda bit her lip, her hands shaking. "I know," she said, a sob escaping her throat. "But I'm afraid. I'm afraid he'll leave me. I'm afraid he'll take my son away from me."

"You can't live in fear like that," Ben countered. "The truth always comes out in the end."I know you're scared, Miranda," Ben said, his voice growing softer. "But you need to be honest with your husband. He deserves to know the truth, and so does your son."

Miranda nodded, though her expression was still full of doubt. "And what about our daughter?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. "What if she finds out? How will she react?"

Ben sighed, a pained look on his face. "That's a conversation we'll have to have as a family, Miranda. But we need to deal with one thing at a time."

"Oh, you were right about your tennis kit," Ben said, trying to mask the tension in his voice as Milanie returned to the conversation. "Give me then keys and I'll take you to school."

As Milanie stood waiting by the door, a glint of curiosity in her eyes betrayed her seemingly unconcerned demeanor. But still, she kept up the charade, not once acknowledging Miranda's presence.

"Thanks, Dad," Milanie said, her tone uncharacteristically short. "Let's go. I don't want to be late."As Ben reached for his keys to take Milanie to school, a sudden beeping sound came from his pager. A sense of urgency washed over him as he quickly checked the message.

"I'm sorry, Milanie," he said, his voice tinged with concern. "I have to go assist some doctors. There's an emergency."

Milanie, sensing the gravity of the situation, dropped her facade and turned to her father. "What's going on?" she asked, her eyes wide with worry.

"It looks like there's been a severe accident," Ben explained, quickly gathering his things. "They need me in the ER. I'm sorry, Milanie, but I don't think  I can take you to school right now."

"It's fine daddy. Go on do your job. "I'll call Uncle Curt then," Milanie suggested, pulling out her phone. "He can pick me up."

Ben, aware that Curt was out of town, stopped her before she could dial. "Curt's away on business, remember?" he said, his concern for his daughter's safety growing. "I don't want you taking the bus alone, either. It's not safe."

Milanie sighed, clearly frustrated by the situation. "What am I supposed to do then, Dad?" she asked, glancing towards the door.

Ben could see the frustration in his daughter's eyes and knew that missing tennis practice would only add to her disappointment.