Second Chances

Chapter 37

“It’s mine. I’m pregnant.” Maddie said.

I looked down at the purple stick in my hand and read the word again. Pregnant. I looked back up at the woman in front of me, my eyebrows raised and held it up. “This… this is yours?”

“Yes.” She said with a slight nod.

“You’re… pregnant?” I asked.

“I am.”

“How… when… how?”

Maddie’s eyes got that evil twinkle for a split second. “Well, Jimmy, when two people are in love…”

I chuckled and shook my head. “I know how. But how? You’re on the pill… aren’t you?”

“That’s exactly what I said to Maya, but the week before we got back together I was sick and on antibiotics. The antibiotics counter acted the birth control.”  She said.

I ran my hand through my hair and looked at the stick again, then back at Maddie. “And… it’s mine?”

As soon as the words crossed my lips I was filled with regret. I saw the pain flash across her face and she crossed her arms over her stomach. “Of course it’s yours! Are you really gonna stand there and ask me that? You’re the only man I’ve slept with in over a year, James.”

I placed the test back on the counter and stepped forward and pulled her hands away from her stomach, intertwining our fingers. “Baby that’s not what I mean at all. I just… Nancy and I struggled for years to get pregnant. We weren’t even trying.”

“Every couple is different… hell every pregnancy is different.”  Maddie said looking up at me.

“So we’re having a baby?” I asked, it starting to finally sink in.

“Maybe.” She replied, looking away.

My heart sank to my stomach instantly and I felt the color drain from my face. “Maybe? What do you mean maybe? You don’t mean you’re thinking about getting-“

“NO!” Maddie cut me off, her head snapping up to look at me. “No, I wouldn’t be able to do that. I mean… I’ve been taking the pill still and I’ve been drinking and I know neither of those things is good for a baby, especially so early on.”

Something dawned on me with her words, and I felt myself become angry. “Wait a second. You found out when you and Maya were in here for a bit right?”

Maddie nodded.

“I’m going to ignore the fact that you lied to me when I came in and asked if you were okay, but I’m not going to ignore the fact that you kept drinking all night.” I said, moving past her back into the bedroom.

“Jimmy.” She started but I cut her off.

“No, don’t Jimmy me. You just said that you know it’s bad for the baby, but you kept doing it after you found out? I obviously can’t be mad about you drinking before because you didn’t know, but I can get mad about you continuing to drink all god damn night. That’s my child your hurting, Madelyn. I’m not okay with that.” I said as I whipped around, pointing towards her stomach.

Maddie shook her head and grabbed my hand, dragging me out of her bedroom and towards the kitchen. She opened the fridge and pulled out the huge Birthday Girl goblet that she’d been drinking from all night and handed it to me. “Taste it.”

I looked down at the mixed drink in the glass, then back up at her. “What?”

“I said taste it.” She said again and reached out to gently push the glass towards my mouth. I took a sip as she asked and was surprised at the taste. “Shirley Temple. And before you ask, the ‘wine’ that I had was this.” She used air quotes on the word wine before she reached into the fridge again and pulled out a bottle of Welch’s sparkling grape juice that we bought for the kids to toast with and slammed it on the counter. “You really think that I’d knowingly harm my baby? Our baby?” She shook her head and wiped a tear from her cheek. “I wasn’t sure how the conversation would go when I told you, but I never imagined you’d treat me like this. I knew that if I suddenly was drinking water people would pick up on it, especially my sister. And you know Bridget can’t keep her mouth shut when it comes to something big.”