That Would Be Enough

13

Kate was starting to feel a bit run-down, and she was truthfully a little happy that Maddie would be spending the night with her father on Wednesday. She would still miss her like crazy, but it was nice just to be able to relax and not worry about her. When he'd picked her up, Kate give Jason a firm reminder about checking her blood sugar. Jason was not going to let that happen again and face the wrath of his ex.

Lin got out of the shower that Thursday morning, a towel wrapped around his waist, and knelt down next to where Kate was still in bed. Her hand was to her head and she had no desire to get out of bed.

"Can I get you something?" He asked gently.

She shook her head. "I just feel awful."

"Maybe a bath or shower would feel good?" He suggested. Kate nodded, and Lin went back into the bathroom to run her a bubble bath. Kate stripped her clothes off and climbed into the hot water, feeling her body relax. After a few minutes of relaxing, she felt her stomach churn and knew she was about to throw up. She managed to get out of the tub and to the toilet in time.

Lin had since dressed and started the coffee when he heard his girlfriend throwing up. He walked to the bedroom and saw her on the floor. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her body, then began rubbing her back.

"Do you feel any better?" He asked.

"No," she said honestly. Lin looked at his watch. She was due into work in less than an hour.

"You should probably call in sick to work," he said. She nodded, then flushed the toilet. She found some clean underwear and pajamas and crawled back into bed. Lin had somewhere to be, so he left her with some crackers and water. He kissed her head and reluctantly left her.

When the same thing kept happening multiple times a week, Lin became concerned. By mid-morning she seemed better, but it also happened in the afternoons sometimes. When she was struggling one evening with Maddie, he decided he should say something. Madeline was battling bedtime and Kate was feeling awful.

"Madeline, go brush your teeth now," she said, obviously almost at her limit. "Don't make me ask you again."

The little girl ignored her mother, instead choosing to play with some of her toys in her room. She was in her pj's but was still in the mood to play. Lin decided to step in. He walked over to Maddie and knelt down next to her.

"Sweetheart, your mother asked you to go brush your teeth," he reminded her gently. "Let's go."

"I wanna play," she said as she tried to put some clothes on her Barbie doll. Lin gently took it from her hands and set it down in her dollhouse.

"Sorry, it's time for bed," he told her, taking her hand. "Let's go."

Maddie thankfully didn't argue any further and followed Lin to the bathroom. She asked him to sing the toothbrushing song, which he now knew thanks to listening to Kate. Once she was done, Lin had her use the restroom then join him on the bed for story time.

After he'd finished the stories, Lin wandered out to the living room where Kate had already holed up on the couch with a blanket. She looked exhausted. Lin walked over and sat on the edge of the couch.

"Sweetheart, you've been feeling sick for a while now," he pointed out, gently rubbing her side. "Do you think maybe something's going on?"

"Like what?" She asked, rubbing her head.

"Well," he paused. "We're careful, but do you think there's a possibility you might be pregnant?"

She scoffed at the suggestion. "No," she said. "I never got morning sickness with Maddie."

Lin's older sister had three boys of her own, and each of her pregnancies had been different. She'd gotten morning sickness with one of her sons, but was fine with the other.

"Well, maybe we should get a test just to make sure," he suggested. "I'll pick one up tomorrow."

"Okay," she relented.

"Alright," he said. "Let's get you to bed."

Kate slipped into bed a few minutes later, and Lin joined her so they could cuddle a bit. He spooned her from behind, pressing gentle kisses to her neck and hair.

"Do you really think I could be pregnant?" She asked him.

"Well, there's a chance," he pointed out. "Have you missed a period?"

"No, not yet," she said. "I'm due later in the week."

"Maybe it's nothing but it'll give you peace of mind to do a test," he pointed out. She agreed, and couldn't keep her eyelids open any longer. A few minutes later, she was fast asleep.

Kate again felt sick the next morning, and she further worried she might be pregnant. Not that it was a terrible thing. She loved Lin and so did Maddie, and he'd make a wonderful dad. But, they weren't married and they still weren't terribly far into their relationship. Having a child together would obviously be a huge adjustment.

She pushed her way through work, but immediately collapsed on the couch when she got home after picking up Maddie. Lin came home a little later with a bag from the pharmacy. Kate breathed out, dreading the test. What if it was positive? What if it was negative - what was going on with her body?

They made their way through their regular evening routine. Lin made a simple dinner, then took the lead putting Maddie to bed. When he came out, he grabbed the bag from the kitchen and set it on the coffee table.

"Moment of truth," he said as he sat down. "Should we get it over with?"

Kate nodded and pushed herself up to sitting. She grabbed the box out of the bag and headed to the bathroom. Kate did the deed, then held the test up, letting it face down as the instructions said. She set the timer for three minutes and paced the floor. When her timer went off, she took a deep breath and then looked at the test. Positive.

Kate's heart skipped a beat. Was she really pregnant? With Lin's child? Her mouth fell open in surprise. She'd really thought it was a false alarm. She swallowed, wondering what this would mean for their relationship. She sat on the toilet seat and just stared at the test..

A few minutes later, Lin knocked on the door. "Baby, you okay?"

"Uh, yeah," she said. "You can come in."

Lin could tell she was feeling a bit unsure. He sat down on the bathtub side, directly across from the toilet.

"What does it say?" He asked gently.

"Positive," she said softly, then looked up at him. Lin couldn't help himself - he smiled widely. He'd always wanted to be a dad. Obviously, it wasn't the best scenario, but Lin loved Kate and thought they were heading into a long-term relationship, and possibly marriage.

Lin squatted down in front of her and put his hands on either side of her face. He kissed her sweetly then looked at her face.

"That's amazing, Kate," he said.

She nodded, but didn't seem entirely convinced. "This isn't how it's supposed to work."

"I know it's kind of out of order," he admitted, sitting back down. "But I love you and I want to be with you. And I adore Maddie."

"But I'm gonna get huge again and we'll have to have pregnant sex," she complained. Lin couldn't help but laugh.

"You're beautiful," he assured her. "And you're going to be beautiful pregnant. We don't have to have sex while you're pregnant if it makes you uncomfortable."

"I'll look disgusting," she got teary eyed, making Lin smile. It was amusing that this was what she was most concerned about.

"No you won't," he said firmly. "How could I think you're disgusting when you're carrying my child?"

Kate smiled through her tears and bit her lip. "So...we're doing this?"

"I'm all in," he told her. They both stood up and kissed, then wrapped their arms around each other. Lin let his hand travel to her belly and stroked it gently. She obviously wasn't showing yet, but inside there was a tiny little thing that was theirs. Half his and half hers. He couldn't wait to meet it.