A/N: Hey, guys! I'm so sorry it's been so long since I've updated. Writer's Block hit me and then I lost all motivation to write for a bit, but I'm back and I am determined to not go on another hiatus until this story is complete. Lord knows Riverdale is giving us WAY too many hiatuses, I'm not gonna be like them. Hahaha! Anyway, here's Chapter 17...FINALLY (Lol)! Enjoy! MWAH!
Alice lay in her bed that night, staring up at the ceiling and wanting nothing more than to tell FP that he was right. That dream...that nightmare. It was only telling her the truth that she needed to hear. The truth that FP had tried to tell her. The truth that she needed to see a doctor about the baby as soon as possible. She was no longer a young woman in her twenties and she was approaching the dangerous age for women to have babies. As long as she stayed stubborn and away from a medical professional...her baby was in danger. And if there's one thing Alice hated more than the Blossoms...it was her children in danger.
Turning to look at her bedside table, she gazed at her cell phone on its charger. With a sigh, she reached over and dialed FP's number to tell him about her changed mind.
The next day, Alice failed to eat most of her breakfast as morning sickness hit her harder than she remembered it doing when she were pregnant with her first three. Must be the age. She had different cravings than when she was pregnant for Chic, Betty, or Polly. And she certainly noticed how much more her head ached when she stood from the dining room table too fast. Must be the age.
Pinching the bridge of her nose, she sighed, willing the headache to leave her be as she brought her plate over to the sink.
"Mom?" A voice from one of her children came from the bottom of the staircase.
"Oh. Good morning, honey." Alice smiled as wide as she could at her son. "I called the doctor and set up my appointment for this morning. Would you like to join me?" She awaited his answer as he made his way over to the refrigerator to take out the pitcher of orange juice. "I don't really wanna go alone."
Chic took a sip of the juice right from the pitcher and Alice's eyes widened as she watched him do so. "He's not going?" He asked about his father when he finally swallowed his big gulp.
"Uh...no. I told him it'd be best if I did this one alone. Just because of the Black Hood and...everything." She responded with hesitation. "Chic?" The pounding in her head caused her to briefly wince in pain. "Do you always...drink the juice directly from the pitcher?"
He wiped his mouth. "Oh. It's an old habit. I didn't even realize I did it. I'm sorry."
"That's fine. Just...next time pour a glass, sweetie."
"Yes, ma'am." He answered, setting the pitcher back in the fridge.
Alice suddenly felt deja vu. It took her a second to figure out why as she watched her son's back turn when he faced the ice box. But in a snap, she remembered. He HAD done that before. Several times. She'd watched him drink from the pitcher in the past and she never said a word. She just...accepted it or let it happen. Like she was under some type of spell. And now she had finally broken the spell in some way. No longer in a trance around him. Was that what FP was talking about when he mentioned her voice getting higher around Chic or her treating him like a baby?
"What?" Chic asked with a grin when he turned around, seeing his mother staring at him.
"Oh, nothing. I'm just...I don't know." She shook her head. "Are you gonna come with me to my ultrasound?"
Chic grabbed a bowl from a cupboard and poured himself a bowl of cereal. "Of course, Mom." He smiled at her from the table. "I'd never let you go alone."
