Through Time and Space: A Love Story

Chapter Nine: A Difficult Decision

   The last couple of months had been the greatest time of Maeve's life. For the first time in her 28 years of living, she was able to fully enjoy the holidays. She was in love. It gave her a new perspective on life and on herself. There were many wonderful gifts from all of her friends, tons of fun games, caroling, plenty of tasty sweets, and lots of laughter. But the thing she loved most was the sex. There was so much of it with Jenos. It felt good to be treated like a lady. She loved the endless pleasure she got from him. It helped her sleep better at night and she was always happy.
   Everything seemed perfect to Maeve. Until Ash started acting weird. She became distant and anti-social. She seemed to have been avoiding Maeve like the plague. Whenever Maeve ran into her, she seemed to be preoccupied with something. It almost felt as if she was purposely ignoring her existence. None of it made sense because of request that they try to make amends. Maybe it was the guilt from the suicide attempt. Whatever it was, Ash giving her the cold shoulder hurt. When Jenos wasn't around, or when she was in the shower, the distance she felt between them hurt so much that she'd cry. Her best friend was right there in front of her, and yet she felt so far away. This mysterious rift between the two was bigb confusing and heartbreaking. But Maeve was too stubborn to give up on her. She planned to get to the bottom of this one way or another.
   On her way to the dining hall, she could hear voices coming from one of the rooms nearby. Out of curiosity, she crept up silently to listen in.
   "This whole thing does seem a bit over the top, but her reasons are justified," one voice said. It sounded like Makoa.
   "I suppose yer right," a second voice said. Maeve recognized the pirate's voice immediately: it was Dredge. "Come to think of it, I haven't been fishing since the incident." Maeve's ears perked up at the mention of fish. It was her favorite thing to eat.
   "We could all use the change of scenery," Barik said. "And I agree with Makoa: Ash is doing the right thing." Ash was involved? That confused Maeve even more. Why would Ash go fishing? Was she doing it to spite her? Or was she looking for an excuse to get away completely? Both possibilities were hurtful, but she couldn't rule them out because she felt like Ash hated her. Fighting back tears, Maeve continued on to the dining room so she could find something to eat. She got up to the line and grabbed a plate of beef brisket, honey glazed carrots, potatoes au gratin, and a slice of chocolate cake.
   She hardly ate much of it, the thought of Ash hating her killing her appetite. She only managed to eat half of it before she threw the rest away. Maeve slowly made her way back to her dorm room, looking at the stained glass murals that depicted the past. One scene showed the Paladins coming together after the war. Maeve spotted herself on Ash's back, teasing her. She smiled a little, but it was still painful to look at. She made her way back to her room and flopped onto her bed. Maeve curled up into a ball and stared blankly at her wall. She had so many questions she needed answered, but she was too afraid to talk to Ash.
  Out of the blue, she felt immediate regret for eating. She quickly jumped out of bed and ran to her bathroom to throw up. A hand pulled her hair back while she did so. When her stomach was empty, she looked up and saw Jenos. It was comforting to know he was there, taking care of her. She stood up and hugged him tightly while he stroked her hair.
   "You need to rest," he said. She nodded her head and he brought her to her bed. They cuddled up and she fell asleep almost immediately. The next morning, she felt sick again and ran back into the bathroom to throw up.
   "I think you should get that checked out," Jenos said, scaring her. She must have woken him up. He picked her up and took her to the infirmary. Pip was nowhere in sight, but Furia was there setting up fresh IV bags. Jenos placed her onto a bed and Furia turned to check on her.
   "What brings you two here?" she asked. "You don't look so hot, sweetheart." She placed her hand on Maeve's forehead. "No fever, though."
   "I have a really bad upset stomach," Maeve told her. "I've been really restless lately. I hardly ate anything yesterday because I couldn't stop thinking about Ash. I'm afraid she hates me." Tears started welling up in her eyes.
   "Upset stomach? You could be feeling guilty. Although...." Furia grabbed a syringe and attached a needle to it. Then she grabbed a small white cloth and a blue tourniquet. She wrapped the tourniquet around Maeve's arm and dabbed at a spot on her arm with the cloth. Finally, she picked up the needle again and Maeve closed her eyes, bracing herself. She could feel it poke her blood vein. No more than three sections later, Furia placed a cotton ball over the entry point and bandaged it. She placed the vial of Maeve's blood by a microscope. She placed a small drop onto a slide to be examined. Moments later, she turned back with a slightly shocked expression on her face.
   "What is it? Am I okay?" Maeve asked nervously.
   "You're perfectly fine," Furia reassured her. "However, I'm not 100% if what I'm seeing is correct. I need you to help me do a second test just to see if I'm right. Tell me: have you gone to the bathroom at all this morning?"
   "No, I haven't, come to think of it," Maeve realized. "Why do you ask?" Furia opened a box above her desk and grabbed something out of it. She handed Maeve a small white stick. "What's this for?" She turned to Jenos. He looked equally perplexed.
   "Just take this with you to the bathroom," Furia instructed. "You have to pee on it and wait for about half an hour. After that, I want you to bring it back to me." Completely confused, Maeve did what she was told. A full 30 minutes in the bathroom? What was she gonna do in that time? She took her phone with her and decided to play a couple of games while she waited for her timer to go off. She got so sidetracked that the alarm caught her by surprise. She shut her phone off to wash her hands before returning to the infirmary. She handed the stick back to Furia, who looked at it briefly. Her eyes widened.
   "Of course! I had a feeling that's why you were feeling sick!" she exclaimed.
   "What is it?" Maeve asked her.
   "Maeve, you're pregnant!" Furia said excitedly. Maeve and Jenos looked at each other in astonishment. They were gonna have a baby. Maeve was finally gonna be a mother. She shrieked and pounced on Jenos, tears of joy coming out of her eyes.
   "I'm gonna be a mother!" she cried. "I'm so happy!" She kissed him repeatedly, thankful for having someone like him in her life. Jenos looked equally excited about the news. Looking into his eyes, Maeve could see that he wanted this just as much as she did. She knew he really loved her. The thought made her heart flutter. "I can't wait to tell the others about this, especially A--". She didn't finish her sentence. How was Ash going to react when she found out Maeve got pregnant? There was only one way to find out. Maeve grabbed her phone from her pocket and turned the screen on. That's when her heart sank like a rock. She saw the date: February 14th. It was Valentine's Day. Maeve cursed herself for forgetting such an important holiday. Of all days to get such big news, too.
   There was no need for Maeve to text Ash first because a text came from her. "Wanna meet up Wednesday? I wanna show you something cool." Maeve knew immediately she was referring to her fishing trip. That improved her mood a little. "Sure thing. Heard you went out fishing today. Can't wait to see what you caught. 😋" Maeve hoped her text seemed cheerful enough to mask the dread she felt about telling Ash the news she'd just gotten. The anticipation was gonna kill her. She had to keep herself busy until Ash gave her a time and location to meet.
   "I have to go," she told Jenos and Furia. Without waiting for a response, she bolted out the door and left the Magistrate's headquarters. She took off for the forest of the Leipori. There was someone she had to see. She was intercepted by two guards, who recognized Maeve immediately. They let her pass through and she headed into the heart of the hidden village. Surely enough, Moji was there caring for some plants. Another guard noticed Maeve approaching and alerted Moji of her presence.
   "It's good to see you, Maeve!" she said hugging her. "Happy Valentine's Day!"
   "Good to see you too, Moji," Maeve replied. Moji's familiar, Mr. Snugglesworth, came bounding out of the woods and jumped on Maeve, both heads licking her profusely. "And you, Mr. Snugglesworth."
   "What brings you here?" Moji asked her. "It's rare for you to visit us here."
   "I was feeling kind of bored being cooped up in Crosswind Hold, so I came here to get some fresh air and spend time with you," she lied.
    "Awwww, that's sweet of you. Wanna help me garden?" she asked. Maeve nodded her head and the two went to work. Moji explained all the different kinds of plants the Leipori grew and what each one was used for. She also described all the different types of treatment each plant needed. Maeve did her best to focus on what Moji was saying so she wasn't thinking about Ash. It was difficult, but she managed. She heard a bell chiming softly throughout the forest village.
   "Time for lunch!" Moji declared. They broke to take a break. When they sat together, Moji looked a little concerned. "Why aren't you eating anything?" she asked.
   "I haven't had much of an appetite lately," Maeve told her.
   "Are things still rough between you and Ash?" she asked.
   "That's half of it."
   "And the other half?" Maeve took a deep breath. She had to steel her nerves enough to get it out in the air.
   "I'm pregnant," she finally said. Moji's jaw dropped. Maeve expected this reaction from her.
   "Oh dear. I'm afraid of what Ash will say when she finds out," Moji said. They were silent the rest of the time. Before they could return to the garden, Maeve got another text from Ash. "You won't believe the size of this fucking fish!" At this point, Maeve was so depressed that even the mention of fish couldn't cheer her up. "Can't wait to see it for myself." she texted back.
   "Do you need to go back home and rest?" Moji asked sadly.
   "Yeah, I think I should," Maeve said dryly. Moji got up to hug Maeve again.
   "Get well soon," she said. "I hope things work out for you. And thank you for spending time with me today. It made me happy." Maeve was able to give her friend a small smile.
   "I'll be back again soon," she assured her. With that, she returned to Crosswind Hold. Maeve feared the worst was about to come. She hoped that Ash would be accepting of it, but she was also afraid Ash would hate her forever. And it's not like she could blame her for it, either. Maeve got back to her own house so she could shower and get herself ready to see Ash. The more problems arose, the more Maeve regretted ever trying to find love. All she wanted was to be happy. This was far from happiness.
   Back in her house, she let herself cry in the shower, thinking about the good times when she and Ash could enjoy a platonic, stress-free friendship with each other. Maeve missed those days. She thought about everything that led up to this day. As she did, looked down at her stomach. The thought of being pregnant was still baffling to her. She always wanted kids, but she never imagined this would be the position she'd end up in just to have them. She felt a faint sense of regret ever losing her virginity. It felt more like a curse than a blessing.
   Maeve didn't realize how long she had been in the shower until the water turned cold. She shut it off and grabbed her towel. She sat in her bed with it wrapped around her. She had all but lost motivation to get dressed, wondering if it was worth the trouble. She was half tempted to run away from everyone and isolate herself. Running away from all of her problems sounded tempting, but she knew it was wrong, especially now that she had a baby on the way. She finally got up and dressed. She went out the front door to meet Ash. Not long after she stepped out, she noticed a note on her mailbox that she had somehow missed before. "I left a blindfold inside your mailbox. Put it on and do NOT take it off. I'll explain later." Maeve opened her mailbox and grabbed the black blindfold, placing it over her eyes like Ash told her to. A little while later, she could hear the sound of horses coming down the street. They came to a stop in front of her. She was escorted into the carriage by the driver, who had gotten out to help her climb in. She could smell lavender, a scent that always brought her comfort.
   "What is the point of this again?" Maeve asked.

   "It's so the surprise isn't ruined," Ash reminded her. They rode in silence after that. Maeve was too anxious to speak. After a while, Maeve noticed another familiar scent. She could smell the spray of a waterfall.

   "Why are we going to Jaguar Falls? I thought you said Makoa was keeping it in his lab at Serpent Beach," she said. They came up to their destination shortly after. Ash hopped out and helped Maeve get out safely.
   "Listen, Maeve. I had to lie to you so you would agree to meet me out here," Ash confessed.
   "Why would you do that?" Maeve asked. Ash took off her blindfold so she could see everything that had been set up. There was a table for two set up with a white cloth, folded linens, silverware, and candles. It was situated right next to the rose garden that had become so near and dear to them.
   "Ash, what is all of this for? You didn't have to--" Maeve didn't finish her sentence. She was stunned into silence and her jaw dropped the moment she saw Ash. "Oh. My. Gods." Ash took her by the hand and led her to the table. She pulled out a chair for Maeve to sit in before taking her seat.
   "Is all of this really necessary?" she asked. Ash reached across the table to hold both of Maeve's hands.
   "Yes, it is necessary. What I did on Christmas was inexcusable. I did what I felt was best to make up for everything that happened. I shouldn't have ruined what we had, and I'm really, really sorry. I did all of this hoping you would give me a second chance," Ash lamented. Maeve's expression turned from shock to sadness and her head dropped. She had to fight the urge to cry.
   "I appreciate this, Ash, I really do. But... there's something I need to tell you. And you're probably not going to be very happy about it," Maeve said, holding back her tears. Ash looked terrified.
   "What's going on?" she asked anxiously. There was a long silence. Maeve struggled to breathe properly. It was taking more strength and courage to get the truth out than she knew she had.
   "I'm pregnant," Maeve finally said. There was a look of disbelief on Ash's face. She knew this was coming. Her worst fears were now a reality. She tried to avoid Ash's eyes, but she couldn't do it. Then Ash became furious.
   "You slept with Jenos?" she said in a quiet, yet fierce voice. Maeve nodded weakly. Ash stood up, trying to calm herself down, but failed. She put her fist through the table, destroying it and everything she had spent so much time working on. Her anger scared Maeve, more than it ever had.
   "I don't fucking believe this," she said and turned to leave. Maeve quickly grabbed her hand, trying to stop her.
   "Wait, please give me a chance to explain," she said. "Please don't go, Ashley." Ash ripped her hand away and turned back to look at Maeve, her eyes burning with hatred.
    "Don't you ever call me that again. You've lost that right," she snapped. Ash's harsh words froze Maeve in place. They felt colder than any ice Imani could ever produce. She sat there, unable to move or speak. She felt completely numb inside. The pain was unbearable. She couldn't even cry anymore. When she could finally stand up again, she climbed to the top of the waterfall and looked out at the world around her. She could see the sun setting on the horizon. How ironic that this would be the scenery at a time when Maeve felt as if it was time for the sun to set on her life as well.
   "I'm sorry, Ashley," she whispered before letting herself fall. Then her whole world went black.