To Believe In Promises (Tumbling Down trilogy - DM fanfic)

Picture Perfect (Ch.27)

Me: I swear to god Maddie! How did you know!
Maddie: I heard Dad talking to Tyler on the phone. I didn't-
Me: Maddie, I swear, do not tell anyone!
Maddie: Mom has to find out eventually, Kenz. I'm not going to say anything, but she has to know.

*Melissa's POV*

Maddie: But she has to know.

Creeping around the corner, I see Maddie pacing around her room. The door is open, but barely ajar.

I push the door just a smidge, so I can hear. I know I shouldn't eavesdrop but...

Maddie: Tyler knows, right?...What'll happen in October? Will he be home?... What do you plan on doing?...What can Mary- wait how does she know and not Mom? ...

Mary? Tyler's mother? What does she know about my own daughter?

Probably a lot, I'll admit, but that doesn't make me any less...angry? Jealous? Upset? Somewhere around there.

Maddie: Well what are you gonna do about the baby now that Tyler's gone?...Okay, okay, sorry. Calm down. Who else knows?

Baby?! What baby?

I wait outside my daughter's door, crossing my arms, much like mothers do in movies. I know I shouldn't worry; I know I shouldn't pry. But with Mackenzie, you can't wait for her to come to you when she's ready, simply because she never is.

Maddie finishes up her conversation with her sister and then walks out of her room. Or tries to, anyways.

Maddie: Mom!
Me: Who were you just talking to?
Maddie: Mom, please-
Me: Mads, your sister will never talk to me about her problems, no matter how much time I give her. Please don't do the same thing to me.
Maddie: It's Mackenzie's problem. Not mine.

She tries to go around me, but I don't let her. Looking at her, I see she's near tears.

Me: Maddie I don't care what it is, just tell me. I don't want Mackenzie hurt or you upset.

She pinches her lips together, which I know is where Mackenzie got it from. After looking around for a bit, she says:

Maddie: You canNOT tell Mackenzie that you know.
Me: How bad could it be?
Maddie: Depends. It's a bad situation, but not really a bad thing.
Me: What does that mean?
Maddie: Mackenzie's pregnant!

What? Mackenzie is what?

*Mackenzie's POV*

Mariah: So you really are pregnant?
Me: Mhm.

My hands rest over my barely there bump.

Mariah: How is that gonna work? I-I mean, like-
Me: I don't know. After this semester is over I'm going back home. My dad already knows so I might go stay with him. I'm afraid of my mom to be honest. And I might take online classes. Not sure. Or do you mean with Tyler?
Mariah: Any of it. I'm glad you have school planned out though.
Me: Well I honestly have no idea what to do with Tyler. He won't be around for most of the pregnancy. And I know he's beating himself up for it. But he needs to do this Marines thing. For him. And as much as I hate it, I'm okay with it.

Mariah's phone dings. She checks it, then pushed herself up from her bed.

Mariah: That was Lacey. Gonna go eat and maybe shop. Need anything?
Me: No, I'm fine.
Mariah: Call if you do.
Me: Thanks.

She nods and heads out. And I'm all alone in this tiny little dorm room. I mean, I'm okay with it, but it did help having someone to talk to.

I decide to nap, because that's all I ever do when I get bored. But I'm woken by the sound off phone ringing. I answer without checking the caller ID.

Me: Hello?
Tyler: Can't have the common curtesy to keep your skype available?
Me: Oh my god, sorry. I was napping.
Tyler: What else is new?
Me: Shush. I'll call you on Skype. Give me a minute.

I hang up without hearing a response and lean over the bed to get my laptop. Upon opening it, my Skype pops up, as per usual. I have a missed call notification, and I answer it.

After a few seconds of the Skype beeping call, Tyler's face pops into view.

Me: Hi.
Tyler: Couldn't wait for me to say 'okay'? Wow.
Me: I'm impatient. You know that.

We talk for nearly a half hour. Of course it ends with me trying not to cry.

When I hang up, I grab his sweatshirt and hold it close. It doesn't smell like him anymore, obviously, but I want it to. My hormones are so out of whack and I cry. I usually don't cry about being away from him but today I do. No thanks to this baby.

My arms squeeze the fabric as if it's him; but it isn't.

I want him back home. I want to go home. I want him back in my arms.

Before I know it, I hear my phone dinging. When I check it, the reminder about the OBGYN visit is there. Fuck, I don't want to go.

Because the first visit I had was in Pittsburgh, I had to transfer and that pushed my visit back a little.

With a groan, I get up and make myself look somewhat presentable. Then I drive the short distance to the OBGYN.

I see lots of women here, all with varying sizes of baby bumps. And surprisingly, though some of them are obviously older than me, I do see some girls my age or possibly younger than me. I don't get stared at. I don't even feel judged.

"Mackenzie Ziegler."

I get up and follow the nurse to a room and get up on the table. She does all the normal things a nurse does: take blood pressure, temperature, ask for my height and weight, etc. It's not long until a doctor comes in and has me lie down.

Doctor: So it says you're about 11 weeks along?

I nod.

Doctor: And is the father in the picture? I know with you young girls, sometimes-
Me: He is. He just couldn't make it today.
Doctor(nodding): That's good. Really good. Ready to hear the heartbeat?

I nod, feeling nervous.

Lying back, I close my eyes, only opening them when I feel the cold gel on my stomach.

There's that weird swishy sound, and then a clear, steady heartbeat. It's sounds just like Tyler's.

I raise my hands to my eyes, trying to keep my tears at bay. I look over to the screen when the doctor points out where the baby is.

I've never felt any good emotions towards this baby, really. Just fear. But hearing the heartbeat makes me feel nothing but happiness.

By the end of the appointment, I'm crying. Happy tears. Happy happy tears.

I have my baby pictures in hand as I leave the building. I get in my car and see back to campus as soon as possible. I skipped my English class to come here, and I know Mariah is in some medical, nursing class right now so I have the dorm to myself.

Using the small, crappy scanner/printer me and Mariah share, I scan the images into my laptop.

I haven't responded to Tyler's emails in awhile because just as I'm thinking about answering, he always calls or is on Skype. But I want him to have these to keep.

I type out, "I went to the doctor today and got these. We love you" and attach the images.

My finger clicks the send button and I close my laptop.