Rescue Me

Rescue Me | Chapter Twenty-Four

A bell chimed as Jared pulled the door open for Andrea. Anxiety overwhelming her as their eyes met briefly when she passed by. Not only for herself and the uncertainty of what was going on within her body. But she was also anxious because Jared hadn't said a word to her since she'd told him of the possibility. She couldn't wrap her head around his silence. It's not like he should be surprised, they couldn't keep their hands off each other.

Leaving Jared's side, Andrea made her way to the back of the store. Her hands slightly trembling as she grabbed two pregnancy tests and walked to the front.

Jared stood in line at the check out counter with a handful of items. His mind was swimming with the possibility of being a father.

When it was their turn, the couple stepped up to the register, placing their items on the counter. A little Italian lady stood behind the register with a sweet smile on her face as she looked at Andrea.

"You don't need these my dear, I can tell you the answer is yes. You're glowing. How bad is the morning sickness?" She asked.

Andrea panicked, her eyes quickly looking up at Jared to see a look of surprise on his face as he stared at the clerk before turning to look at her.

"Um, it just started yesterday... but it's awful." She replied quietly, returning her gaze to the elderly woman.

The cute little lady looked Jared over and smiled, "This one.. you did well, dear, the baby will be beautiful. Don't worry, he's just in shock too, he'll come around." She picked up one of the items to scan it, "Ah, ginger lozenges. See, he's already thinking of you."

Jared wrapped his arm around Andrea's waist, pulling her close and kissed the top of her head. Burrowing his nose in her hair, inhaling her lavender scent; completely thrown by the accuracy of this elderly woman's words. He was shocked, although he didn't know why, he couldn't keep his hands off of her; of course she was going to get pregnant eventually.

After handing Jared his change, the Italian walked around the counter grabbing Andrea's hands.

"My dear, you have quite a journey ahead of you. Just be patient with him and with yourself, everything will work out in the end." She said with a sweet smile.

"Thank you for being so kind. May I ask what your name is?"

"Yes, my dear. My name is Serafina."

"Serafina. That's lovely!" Andrea exclaimed, "It was great to meet you."

Serafina lifted her eyes to Jared, tapping his arm to get his attention. Her head bobbing between him and Andrea, a pensive look on her face.

"It seems you two are in the middle of an argument. My advice, and I know you're not asking, but I'll tell you anyway..." she giggled, "Get it all out in the air. My Lorenzo and I were married sixty-five years before he passed and I'm sure that's the only way we stayed together. There were days we fought like cats and dogs. A couple times I even wanted to kill him. Same for him, I'm sure, but we always said what was in here." She said, tapping her chest.

Andrea felt the tears welling in her eyes as she fought to keep them at bay. She knew she had to talk to Jared, to finish their conversation about yesterday. A sigh of relief escaped her as Jared squeezed her tighter into his side, rubbing his hand across her hip. She felt that was his way of saying it was going to be okay, and laid her head on his shoulder.

They said their goodbyes to Serafina and headed back towards the cafe. As they sat down, Andrea hid their provisions in her bag, away from the prying eyes of her least favorite person in the group.

--

After dinner and a shower, Andrea stood naked at the vanity staring at her reflection. Her hands drifted to her tummy as her eyes flitted to the white plastic tube on the counter. Closing her eyes, she lifted the test into the air and took a deep breath.