Shattering Truth

Chapter 9

With time, Elena became acquainted with the realization that life is life and that things happen simply because that's what life is - a series of things happening. Good things, bad things, carefully planned things, things that happen without any reason at all.

Pain was frequent. It became a constant companion of hers. So much that she had almost gotten used to it. Some people would find that sad, to travel through life with a suitcase full of pain, but she had thought it only made her stronger, more prepared.

"Where the hell is she?" Jacob asked nervously, his brows knitting closely to each other, "I'm dead and I move faster than she does."

This made Elena chuckle, and not in a painful way. Jacob often made all sorts of puns about him being dead which, in the beginning she had to admit it did hurt, but with time she got used to it like one gets used to all other kinds of distasteful jokes. It was her way of coping. It was probably his way of coping as well.

"Relax," Elena said gently, "She will be here any minute now."

Jacob smiled at her, or better to say he smiled at the motherly tone of her voice, which made him believe she will be a better mother than he initially gave her credit.

They were in the doctors office for an ultrasound. Elena let him tag along, which she usually didn't, because he had a tendency to get emotional and calming a person only visible to you in a public place can be a little bit tricky. Not to mention crazy. She barely convinced Dr. Edwards that she's fine and that she doesn't need his help anymore since she's completely focused on the baby now.

She showed him the picture of one of the ultrasounds she's been on before but he couldn't see the baby, which made him sad. She tried to make him feel better by saying she's only three months in and that everything is still a little bit blurry, but it didn't help. So she decided to let him in on this, thinking how maybe he could see the baby better this way.

He was there when she called her parents to let them know she's pregnant. When she told his mom who cried about getting a piece of her son back. When she told all of their friends.

His mom often brings her cheesecake which makes him happy and sad at the same time, because she loves cheesecake but he will never be able to bring it to her again.

"Mrs. Black," the door of the office fall open and a young woman with curly black hair and big blue eyes storms into the room. There's a file in her hands with Elena's name on it, and Stefan watches her carefully as she puts the file down and instructs Elena to lie down on the table. "How are you feeling?" She lifts her shirt up, revealing her small baby bump.

"Marvelous," Elena answers cheerfully while the doctor is putting elastic gloves on each of her hands.

"Is the morning sickness gone?" She spurts some cold, transparent gel on Elena's stomach.

"Yes."

Jacob coughs.

"Well, not completely," she corrects herself, wanting to playfully smack her husband on the arm.

The doctor smiles while rubbing the gel all over Elena's stomach with the ultrasound extension.

"Well, everything seems fine," Jacob makes a few steps towards the machine, hovering above the doctors head, "Vitals are good," she nods satisfied, and Elena smiles at Jacob squinting at the screen, "The baby seems to be developing as it should. It's healthy," Elena keeps staring at its little feet and hands and she hopes the head won't be as big when the baby decides it's time to come out.

"Oh, Elena," Jacob says silently, his face inches from the screen, "I can see it."

"Do you want to know the sex of the baby?" The doctor asks.

The insides of Elena's eyes flare up, and she looks at Jacob for confirmation. He looks at her surprised before pulling a smile across his face. He nods, "Yes, if you want to."

"Yes," Elena replies cheerfully.

"Just a second then," the doctor starts moving the extension over her stomach and looks closer at the screen, "Ah, there. Congratulations, it's a boy," she turns her head to smile at Elena, but Elena already is smiling widely.

She didn't care is it a boy or a girl, as long as it's happy and healthy and theirs. As cheesy as it sounds, it's the closest thing to the truth.

"I'll give you a minute," the doctor says when she notices anxiousness mixed with happiness on Elena's face, so she gets up from the stool and leaves the office.

Elena keeps staring at the screen. A boy. Will he be just like Jacob? Will he have his fathers eyes and smile and the same black hair? Or will he be nothing like him? She spent a few minutes trying to decide which is worse.

"A son," Jacob says after few minutes of silence, "Please promise me you will at least introduce him to football," he says jokingly, turning his head from the screen to Elena, "Hey, what's wrong?" he asks when he notices the expression on her face.

"Nothing," she shakes her head against the pillow, "I just keep thinking of how much he will remind me of you," she answers honestly, because anything other would be a lie, an illusion, and she promised herself to be the one in control.

Jacob glares at her for a bit, speechless, before he says, "I think he will be like both of us, and then again, nothing like us but more like himself," he sits on the bed next to her, taking her hand into his and caressing the top of it with his thumbs, "He may have the color of my eyes or hair and he may possess the gentle way you smile or the swift sound of your voice. And with time, you will get accustomed to those things, the things which might have initially hurt you, but with years, as he grows up, you will be proud of him because of things that have nothing to do with how much he reminds you of either of us," he lets go of her hand and places his palm on the top of her bare stomach.

She smiles at him and covers the top of his hand with hers.