Mending the Soul (26 page)

"Diane, it would mean a lot to both of us if you would accept this pregnancy and your future grandchild."  Jenna added.

"Well, you two sure have a way of surprising this old lady, huh?"  Diane said after a few minutes of silence.  "You definitely have a knack for shocking me into saying some pretty stupid things!"  She smiled and dropped her eyes to the ground.  "I'm sorry for being a grumpy old bag.  Of course I'll love and accept my grandchild, as long as you guys promise to stop dropping these damn bombshells on me like this.  My heart can't take much more!"  She teased.

"I don't think mine can either.  Imagine hearing the doctor tell you that you're pregnant…I had no idea!  I laughed in her face and thought she was joking!"  Jenna said as Diane came over and hugged her.

Diane turned to her son.  "I'm sorry Nicholas.  Thank you for putting me in my place.  I just want what's best for you."

"I know mom, Jenna and I want what's best for me too."  He said smiling as the two women both smacked his arms.

Diane smiled.  It had been so long since she had seen her son joking around like that.  Not since before Leslie died.  She knew that she had Jenna to thank for that, and she had just acted like a first class idiot towards her.  Trying to make up for it, Diane turned back to Jenna.  She wanted to take an interest in this pregnancy and show both of them that she would be there for them.  "How far along are you?"  Diane asked.

"I'm not sure.  I have an appointment to go back this week to find out.  My guess would be that I'm only a few weeks along, but I really don't know."  Jenna told her.

"Well, if you need anything, be sure to let me know.  Even if you need someone to go to the doctor's with you or whatever, just ask."  Diane offered.

Jenna's heart swelled.  "Thank you.  That means a lot to me, especially since I lost my parents a while ago."

"Well mom, we better get going.  We're anxious to show Emma her new room.  We were up late last night working on it.  If you need me, here's our new number."  He said as he wrote Jenna's phone number down on a piece of paper for his mother.  "And, remember, the baby is a secret for now!"

"Got it!  Congratulations guys, and I sincerely apologize!"  Diane said, the look of shame in her eyes told just how sorry she was for her outburst.

Nicholas gathered the kids out of the back yard and packed everyone into the Xterra after a final goodbye from everyone to Diane.  During the short drive back home, Nicholas told Emma and Colby that him and Jenna had a surprise for them when they got home.  The kids chatted about it excitedly the rest of the way, wondering what it was going to be.

Nicholas and Jenna sat them down in the living room when they reached the house and told them that him and Emma would me moving in and living with Jenna and Colby.  Both of the kids cheered, enjoying the fact that they would be having sleepovers every night.

"But that's not all.  Emma, you have a brand new bedroom.  Jenna worked really hard to make sure that it was something you would like.  Are you ready to see it?"  Nicholas told her.

"YEAH!"  Emma shouted as Nicholas and Jenna led her and Colby up the stairs.

They stopped outside of the closed door to the former guest bedroom.  Nicholas told Emma to close her eyes before he opened the door.  Seeing her eyes closed, he turned the handle of the door and slowly exposed the room behind it.  Colby's shout of how cool it was got Emma so excited that she opened her eyes so she could see it.

Emma walked into her room slowly as she looked around, silently.  The walls were painted an ocean blue, with bright colored fish and seahorses painted all over, as if they were swimming.  Hanging in the corners were fisherman nets with big seashells and stuffed animals from the 'Finding Nemo' collection.  Her toy chest had been painted to look like an underwater treasure chest, and there was an aquarium next to it with real, live fish in it.

Jenna began to worry as Emma walked around her new room quietly.  She touched all of her furniture, her new bedding, and the painted walls.  Panic started to set in when Jenna saw Emma's face.  'Oh no!  She hates it!  I try to do something nice for her, to make her feel like this is her space, and she hates it!  Wonderful job, idiot!'  Jenna thought to herself.

Just when Jenna was about to let the teary flood gates flow, she realized that there was little arms wrapped around her waist.  Jenna looked down to see Emma hugging her tightly.  She looked over at Nicholas who was smiling proudly at his two favorite girls with tears in his eyes.  He gave her a small nod, helping Jenna to realize that it was ok to breathe again.

Jenna bent down to Emma and took her in her arms.  "Do you like it?"  Jenna asked softly.

"I love it.  This is my most favorite room ever!"  Emma told her, then whispered, "Thanks Mommy."

Jenna felt her eyes filling with tears again as she tilted her head back and rolled her eyes up to try to avoid letting those tears fall.  Luckily, Colby broke the tender moment before the waterworks started.

"Can we have fish for dinner?"  He asked, laughing as he ran over and jumped on his mother and Emma.

Emma somehow got him into a headlock and began giving him a noogy, thoroughly frustrating Colby.  When he finally escaped, he started fixing his hair with his hands.  "Do I need to school you too?  Don't mess the 'do!"

"Yeah, like I'm afraid of you!"  Emma teased.

Jenna and Nicholas watched as the two kids verbally sparred.  Finally deciding she'd heard enough, Jenna pulled Colby out of the room to give Nicholas some time alone with Emma, to show her where all of her stuff was, and to make sure she was ok with living there.  Jenna dragged Colby to his room to have a similar talk with him, to see how he felt about Nicholas and Jenna moving in.  She told him that he was to listen to what Nicholas told him, and that Nicholas had the same ruling powers as Jenna.  Jenna wanted to make sure that Colby knew this was Nicholas and Emma's house now too.  Colby seemed fine with them moving in, and actually appeared to be happy with it.  Jenna wasn't sure if it was because he was happy to have one of his best friends living there or if it was because of a father-figure moving in, which was something sorely lacking in Colby's life.  Either way, Jenna was happy that Colby was so accepting of it.

Nicholas was having the same sort of talk with Emma in her room, saying that this was there house now too, and that Emma needed to listen to whatever Jenna said.  Emma was so overjoyed, and Nicholas knew that they were doing the right thing by moving in there.  He just hoped that the kids would be as accepting of the new baby as they were of the new living arrangements…in time they would find out.

Jenna and Nicholas woke late the next morning, after getting some much needed sleep.
 
Jenna smiled through her sleepy state, feeling Nicholas' arms wrapped around her.
 
It was even more comforting for her to know that she would be waking up like that from now on.
 
As she rolled towards Nicholas to put her head on his chest, a wave of nausea shot through her body.

Jenna groaned as she threw the
 
bed covers
 
off her body and ran to the bathroom, making it to the toilet just in time.
 
While she was busy unloading her insides, Jenna felt a large pair of hands sweeping her hair from her face.
 
Holding her hair back with one hand, Nicholas used his other hand to rub Jenna's back.

After Jenna was empty, Nicholas got a wet facecloth to lay across her forehead.
 
"I'm guessing this is morning sickness?"
 
He asked.

"Must be.
 
Welcome to the wonderful world of pregnancy."
 
Jenna said sarcastically as she sat on the floor next to the toilet.

"Have you been getting sick in the mornings or is this the first time?"
 
Nicholas asked.

"I've been feeling shitty, but this is the first time I've tossed it up.
 
I hadn't really thought about it, I just chalked it up to stress.
 
After hearing the pregnancy verdict yesterday, it makes a whole lot more sense now."
 
Jenna told him.

"You're still looking a little green, can I get you anything?"
 

"No, it'll pass in a few minutes.
 
Hopefully it won't be as bad as I had it with Colby.
 
That was a nightmare.
 
I couldn't eat anything for about two months straight without getting sick."
 
She reminisced.

"I'm so sorry that you have to go through this Jenna.
 
If there was anything I could do to change it, I would."
 
Nicholas said, feeling bad that he was responsible for the way that she was feeling.

"I know.
 
We'll get through this."
 
Jenna said.
 
As if Nicholas's face told the story of what he was feeling, she added, "Nicholas, this isn't anyone's fault.
 
Neither one of us acted responsibly, and it happened.
 
No one is to blame…we're in this together!"

Nicholas smiled and grabbed for her hand.
 
He placed a light kiss on her palm, then traced circles over the back of it as they sat there waiting for
 
the nausea
 
to pass.
 
When he saw the color start to return to normal in Jenna's face, Nicholas got up and turned the shower on for her.
 
He helped Jenna up from the floor and watched her as she walked over to the sink to brush her teeth.

After cleaning her mouth, Jenna undressed and got into the shower, silently beckoning Nicholas to follow her.
 
He grinned from ear to ear as he shed his boxers and stepped into the shower stall with the woman he loved.

*****

After lunch, Jenna and Nicholas went to pick the kids up from his mother's house.
 
They had agreed to tell his mother about the baby, to kind of make up for the way that it came out about them being together.
 
Even though they had agreed to wait to tell people, there were a few people that they felt they owed the truth to, Diane being one of them.

When they arrived at Diane's house, the kids were in the backyard playing, giving Nicholas and Jenna the perfect opportunity to talk to his mother.
 
Diane looked worried when they arrived, thinking back to the phone call yesterday asking her to keep the kids longer.

Nicholas knew that there was no room for small talk.
 
He decided to get right to the point, to help alleviate some of his mother's worries.
 
"Mom, thanks for keeping the kids overnight.
 
Yesterday Jenna had a doctor's appointment for a checkup, and while we were there, we found something out, and we needed to discuss some things without having to worry about the kids too."

"What is it?
 
Is everything ok?"
 
Diane asked, looking over to Jenna with deep concern in her eyes.

"Well, I guess it's all in how you look at it."
 
Jenna told her with a nervous laugh.

"Mom, Jenna's pregnant.
 
We're going to have a baby."
 
Nicholas told her as a smile broke out over his face.

"Is it yours?"
 
Diane asked looking at Nicholas.

"Yes it's mine!
 
How could you even ask that?"
 
Nicholas spat, angered that his mother would even question Jenna that way.

"Well, you never know these days.
 
So are you going to do the honorable thing and get married?"
 
Diane wanted to know.

"No, we're not.
 
But Nicholas and Emma will be moving in with Colby and I."
 
Jenna told her.

"Oh, so you're shacking up and having an illegitimate child.
 
How special!"
 
Diane retorted.

"Mother!"
 
Nicholas yelled, standing up from the couch he was sitting on next to Jenna.

"Well forgive me for wanting something better for my son and granddaughter.
 
You better hope that Linda doesn't catch word of this.
 
She'll have a field day with her lawyers!"
 
Diane said haughtily.
 

"Well, she won't find out because you aren't going to say anything!
 
No one is going to know that Jenna is pregnant for a while.
 
We're keeping this quiet for now, for everyone's sake.
 
So, keep your mouth shut."
 
Nicholas raged.
 
Jenna reached up and grabbed his hand, sending a calming feeling through his body.
 
After a few deep breaths, he continued.
 
"Mom, we didn't plan on having this happen, quite honestly, but we are dealing with it and accepting it.
 
This baby is your grandchild, just as much as Emma is, and we hope that you will accept and love him or her, just as you do Emma.
 
Please don't make this harder for us than it already is.
 
We aren't saying that we're never getting married, but we aren't going to get married just because of a baby.
 
I stayed married to Leslie only because of the baby, and I know that my life wasn't as happy or as full as it could have been.
 
I don't want to do that again, neither does Jenna.
 
Neither one of us wants to compromise our happiness just because of a pregnancy."