Stumbling Through It {C.H}

Chapter 16

"So how's your new job?" Calum asked me. We were currently hanging out with Luke and Ashton in Calum's living room. I had started coming over recently just to chill with Calum and his friends. Daniel laid on his stomach on the floor, playing with ninja turtle action figures. Luke sat with him, playing along, but listening to our conversation.

"Good! I mean it's only been a week, but I think that I could stay there for a while. Maybe work my way up the ranks."

"What do you do there?" Ashton ate from a bag of microwave popcorn.

I shrugged, "Right now I just assist the head reporter. She's been working on a story, so when she types I usually file paperwork and stuff like that. Ooh! But Monday she is going to take me to interview a pregnancy doctor and a patient." I told them.

"Pregnancy?" Luke questioned.

"Well it is a parenting magazine."

"What do you know about parenting? Unless you have a secret child we don't know about." Ashton joked.

I rolled my eyes, "Well it was the best job I could get. Plus I don't really need to know about being a parent when I'm sorting papers."

"If you need to know about parenting, just ask me." Calum chuckled, his eyes on his son, who was currently shouting 'hi-yah!' and karate chopping Luke's leg.

"Yeah, I'm actually pretty surprised at how good at parenting you are." Luke admitted with a nod of approval.

"Surprised?" Calum scoffed, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I mean, Daniel's turning out to be such a good kid." Luke smiled at the boy and began tickling his sides, causing Daniel to erupt into a fit of giggles.

"Honestly, I thought Luke would make the best father out of all of us." Ashton said.

Luke held up his hand, "Hey, I still could be. I just don't have a kid yet. We have to wait and see."

"Well Mike's the next one in the dad club so we'll see how that goes." Calum then turned to me, "Michael's fiancé is pregnant." He informed me.

I already knew that, but I pretended I hadn't overheard them that one day, "Oh wow! That's cool."

Ashton nodded, "Yeah, he is the last one to be getting married, but the second to have a kid." He said like he had been keeping a score.

"It's funny how things change and how quick time goes." Luke said, "I mean, it feels like just yesterday we were all awkward ugly teenagers in a band, who couldn't even get a girl's number. But now look at us. We're like old men, with wives and children."

"That's deep, man." Calum nodded.

"Hey," I raised both my hands in front of me, "In your defense, I though you were pretty hot as teenagers." I laughed, thinking back to my fangirl days.

"Okay, but you have to admit, the 2011 fringe was cringeworthy." Ashton laughed along.

"Well, maybe a little."

-

Giana walked quickly through the long hallways of the hospital. I struggled to keep up with her energetic pace.

'I should really work out more' I though to myself as I breathed briskly, lugging a big bag on my shoulder.

"Room 343, right there." Giana pointed to the room where we would be meeting the doctor. She knocked on the door before entering. Inside, an African American man in scrubs sat behind a desk, writing on a form.

"Ah, you must be from Parenthood Magazine!" He greeted us, friendlily, "Please take a seat." He motioned to the two chairs in front of his desk. Once we sat down, I pulled my laptop out of my bag, opening up a document.

"Hello, I am Giana, and this is my assistant Ellie." Giana introduced us.

"I am Dr. Ed Graph, one of the maternity doctors here at the hospital."

"Alrighty Dr. Graph, I will just ask some questions and Ellie will record it." Giana nodded towards me and I started the voice recorder. Then I prepped my hands on the keyboard of the laptop, getting ready to type his answers. Giana led the interview, asking the doctor his opinions on certain methods of so and so and facts of such and such.

I typed frantically trying to keep up with him what he was saying. I was thankful we were also recording it, because my notes were missing whole sentences, and probably weren't coherent with each other.

"Great, that will be all for the questions." I sighed in relief when Giana finished the interview, "Now would you be so kind as to show me some of the equipment so I can take pictures?" She asked, holding up the camera around her neck.

"Why, of course. Follow me." The three of us stood up, exiting his office.

Giana turned to me, "Ellie, you can go take a break, if you want."

I nodded graciously, "Yes, thank you."

"I will meet you back in the waiting room." She smiled as she walked off, behind the doctor.

-

I massaged my cramping fingers as I rested in the waiting room for the maternity ward. It was relatively empty. A few nurses came and went. A dirty blonde haired girl emerged from the hall, looking nervous as she walked towards the exit. She looked to be only a teenager.

Another woman walked into the waiting room, checking in with the receptionist, before taking a seat a couple chairs away from me. She seemed around my age, maybe a year younger, I couldn't really tell. She seemed both nervous and excited. She gently placed a hand on her stomach.

"Are you expecting?" I asked, striking up a conversation.

She nodded with a sparkle in her eyes, "Yes. You?"

I laughed and shook my head, "Oh no, I work for a magazine, we are just doing an interview." Saying that made me feel like I had power. Sure, I was really only an assistant, but it made me sound pretty cool.

"Oh that nice." She smiled.

"How far along are you?" I asked. She didn't have a noticeable baby bump yet.

"Eight weeks. Little bit of a shock when we found out." She chuckled, one of her soft curls falling in her face. Her hair was dark brown and curled into long, loose spirals. I remember how much I wanted curly hair when I was younger. I wished I could have had hair like hers rather than my straight hair.

"Unplanned?" I question, mentally scolding myself for sounding prying.

"Yeah, but we are very happy about it."

"That's good! I'm Ellie by the way." I introduced myself, so I seemed less like a random, creepy woman.

"Livi. So what magazine do you work for?"

"Parenthood." I answered.

"Oh! I was reading that just a few days ago. Trying to study up!" She giggled.

Before I could respond, Livi was called into her appointment.

"It was nice meeting you." She said, pulling her purse over her shoulder, and starting down the hall.

"You too."