Unexpected

Chapter 22: All That Matters

Baby.

After getting to go home, once more Emily has put Norman on restrictions. But it doesn't matter- not when she is carrying their baby. Ever since she told him, his whole body feels lightened and free of pain. Sure, he has a fractured wrist and his body aches, but he feels alive once more. It's all too real for him now. Risking his life for stupid things isn't worth not being around for his children. You think he would have thought of that several times before because of Mingus.

Sitting on his couch, Emily has her head on his lap and reads her book, while Norman thinks about the baby, her, and Mingus. He doesn't care what sex the baby is. He doesn't care about the paparazzi or Gimple- Daryl's fate for that matter. All he cares about is his family.

"Norman?"

"Hmm?"

"I feel...funny." Sitting up, Daryl looks at her and exams her whole body.

"Funny how? Good funny or bad funny?" He tries to stay calm, but inside he is panicking.

"I...I think bad funny." She sits up and Norman calmly stands up and brings her to her feet.

"Maybe we should go see a doctor. Just in case." Tears start to form in her eyes and her whole body slumps forward, hair now dangling over her face with her head pressed to his chest. "Hey... Hey come on. Honey, it's fine."

"I don't wanna lose this baby too...." There it is. The association. The hospital now equals loss for her. Nothing good will ever come out of a hospital in her eyes.

"Honey, we just need to go get you checked out. Okay? We're not losing our baby. They're fine." Looking up into his blue eyes she knows he's right. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she follows him, not understanding how he could be so calm.

***

Sitting in the doctors office, Norman is thankful that Dr. Jacobs could see them at this time. Beth stirs in her seat and tries to ignore the feel in her abdomen. It's unnerving waiting to see the doctor. Emily never enjoyed going to see someone who could say 'hey you got four months to live before the cancer kills ya'. Even as a child she found it chilling.

"Emily?" Standing up they follow the nurse through a door and she takes them back to an exam room. Emily is beyond nervous and wishes that there was someway to just do this with out bad news.

"Hello, Emily. Norman. What seems to be the problem today?" Dr. Jacobs asks as he cleans his glasses.

"I'm having a weird feeling in my abdomen. Like a pushing or squeezing and it's making me nervous."

"Does it hurt near your vagina? Or pelvic area?" He says as he looks over a file or two.

"Nnn...no. Just my abdomen."

"How far along are we?"

"Four months...." She worriedly says and Norman just looks at her. He thought she was only three months along. How had a month slipped by him? Or did she not tell him? If she's four months, Norman was only home for two days and they only had sex once. He highly doubts it's from thy one time. So who's baby is that?

"Hmm, I see. This is a dangerous time. Well, I'm gonna take a look at the baby and see if we can't figure out what's going on."

***

"Well, it all seems to be fine. Just some intestinal blockage. You should be fine. Just invade take these, it will help you pass it and will cut some of the pain down." As they leave the doctor's office,  Norman is still thinking about who's baby is growing inside his wife. Did she cheat on him? I mean he doesn't think she would do that, but Emily has proven mischievous in the passed. But unfaithful? How would he even ask her?

"Yer quiet." Emily says as she gets in the car.

He goes to start up the car but stops. Looking at her, he examines her facial features. He looks for some kind of guilty look, but doesn't see one.

"Norman?"

"Who is he?" He asks calmly and Emily laughs until she notices he's not joking.

"Who's who?" She says a bit defensive. Taking in a deep breath, Norman turns in his seat and calmly asks her the question he's dreading to hear the answer too.

"Who's the guy you've been seeing?" He regrets asking her that question because her face goes white and now he can see that he's caught a liar in his nets.

"It was nothing Norman..."

"I didn't ask what it was. I asked who it was." He stays completely calm and she shakes her head and looks out the window before looking back.

"Norman, I love you..." She starts getting upset and he just sits there listening to her pained guilty sobs run down her ashen cheeks.

"So you cheated on me....well that's perfect. Thank you." As calmly as he can, he starts the car up and drives to his place. Once he gets there, he gets out of the car, opens her door for her and then leaves he standing in the parking garage. In the elevator, Norman waits for the doors to close, hits his floor and as its rising, he pulls the emergency stop button. It jerks to a stop and he takes one big breath before unleashing his rage. He beats his hands and fists against the hard metal frame. He punches out the glass that makes up a layer of the back wall- causing it to shatter and for shards to become lodged in his fists. His hand bleeds as he screams and hollers at the top of his lungs until he finally takes a big deep breath, calms down and allows the elevator to proceed to his floor. Once he gets there, Emily is standing at the entrance, ready to plead her case, when she sees his cut up hand dripping large amounts of blood on the white tiled floor.

But he is as calm as ever.