A.J. was quietly cleaning Amanda’s apartment while she slept. He was in the middle of clearing off the coffee table when he saw Amanda coming into the living room, wrapped in her favorite blanket. He smiled and looked over at her.
“Hey, baby,” he said as she sat on the couch. “How do you feel?”
“Ugh, don’t ask,” she muttered.
A.J. gave her a sympathetic look and ran his fingers through her hair. “Well, you don’t have to do anything but rest today,” he said softly.
“Good,” Amanda said as she laid on the couch.
“Is there anything I can do for you?” he asked while rubbing her stomach.
“Do we have Ginger Ale?”
“I think there might be a bottle of Canada Dry in the refrigerator. Do you want some of that?”
“Yes, please.”
“Okay,” A.J. said then kissed her forehead.
He went to the kitchen and filled up a glass of Canada Dry. A.J. had just put the cap back on the two liter when he heard the doorbell ring.
“I’ve got it,” he said as he went to the door.
A.J. opened the door and smiled when he was Howie and Nikki standing outside.
“Hey!” Nikki said as she stepped in. “We came to see if you guys would like to come see a movie with us.”
“We would, but Amanda’s not feeling too well,” he said softly as he glanced at Amanda who was asleep on the couch.
“Aw, that’s too bad. Is she okay?”
“Some sort of stomach flu, I think. She didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Aw, well, tell her I hope she feels better,” Nikki said. “We’ll see you guys later.”
“Bye,” A.J. said then shut the door behind them.
A.J. crept back into the kitchen and grabbed her glass of ginger ale. He placed it on the coffee table and quietly went into the guest bedroom to use the computer. A.J had just turned on the computer when he heard Amanda walking down the hallway. He leaned back in his chair to check on her.
“Baby?” he said as he got up and peeked his head out the door.
A.J. stepped out into the hallway and caught a glimpse of her going into the hallway bathroom. He walked over to the bathroom and saw that she left the door open a crack. He lightly tapped on the door.
“Honey? You doing okay?” he asked gently.
“I’m fine,” Amanda said softly.
A.J. stood outside the door and heard her retching into the toilet. He opened the door and stepped into the bathroom.
“Ugh, I hate throwing up,” she whined as she flushed the toilet.
“I know,” he said as he held back her hair.
She continued to vomit and A.J. gently rubbed her back. Amanda flushed the toilet and sat down on the floor. A.J. kneeled in front of her and smoother out her hair.
“Are you done?” he softly asked.
“I think so,” she said as she rubbed her stomach.
“I think you should get into bed,” he said as he offered her his hand.
Amanda slowly stood up and fell against A.J. He caught her before she hit the floor. She looked up at him as he held onto her.
“I’m taking you to the doctor,” said as he helped her out of the bathroom.
“Alex, no!”
“Too bad,” he said as he set her down on the couch. “You’re going and that’s final.”
A.J. helped her tie on her sneakers and observed her as she placed her head in her hands. He rubbed her back as he sat beside her.
“Do you need me to carry you?”
“No, I think I can walk on my own,” she said as she slowly stood up.
A.J. grabbed her arm and carefully guided her to the door. He shut the door behind them and helped her into the car. A.J. shut the door and got into the driver’s seat. He had just turned the ignition on when she grabbed his arm.
"Don't drive off," Amanda said as she opened the car door and vomited. She pulled back up and looked at A.J. "Okay, I give up. Take me to the doctor."
A.J. gently patted her leg as he pulled out of the driveway. Luckily, the doctor’s office wasn’t very busy. They only waited twenty minutes before she was taken into the examination room. He patiently waited as they asked Amanda to urinate in a cup and drew some blood.
Amanda laid on the bed and A.J. gently rubbed his hand on her stomach as she stared up at the ceiling. He quickly looked up when he saw the doctor coming through the door.
“Hello, Miss Banks. How are you doing today?” he asked with a smile.
“I could be better,” she said as she sat up.
“Well, the test results came back fine. The good news is that it’s not the flu.”
“Then what is it?” A.J. asked as he squeezed Amanda’s hand.
“You’re pregnant, Miss Banks,” the doctor continued.
Amanda let out a chuckle of disbelief. “Excuse me?”
“You’re two month pregnant.”
A.J. looked over at Amanda and then back at the doctor. “Are you sure?”
“It’s all right here in the results,” he stated.
“Baby?” A.J. said as he looked up at Amanda.
Amanda began to breathe heavy and her hand shook in his. He stood up and put his arms around her.
“I--I--,” Amanda said as she pointed to the basin beside the bed.
A.J. quickly picked it up and held it as she dry heaved into it. She gasped loudly and shakily breathed.
“Honey?” A.J. said softly. “Baby, are you okay?”
“No…no, this isn’t happening,” she stated as she got off the bed.
“Honey, calm down,” he soothed.
“I realize this is a big shock,” the doctor said. “If there’s anything we can do to help, don’t hesitate to call us.”
“Thank you, doctor,” A.J. said then looked back at Amanda. “Come, let’s get you home,” he said as he helped her out of the room.
The whole ride home, she was silent. A.J. reached over and took her hand, but she didn’t return his grip. He sighed and caressed her fingers with his thumb. When they arrived at her apartment, she went straight to the bedroom and shut the door. He decided it was best to leave her alone for a little while. Not sure what to do with himself, he picked up the phone and called Howie.
“Hey, did you change your mind?” Howie said in a cheerful voice.
“No, um, do you think you guys could stop by on your way to the theatre? I need to talk to you.”
“Sure, we’ll be there shortly,” he said.
“Great, see you then,” A.J. said then hung up.
A.J. let out a loud sigh and went into the kitchen. He decided to make himself a frozen pizza while he waited. After fifteen minutes of waiting, he heard the doorbell ring. He quickly got up and answered the door. Howie and Nikki stepped in and A.J. motioned for them to follow him into the kitchen.
“What’s up?” Howie asked.
“Amanda’s pregnant,” he blurted out.
“Are you serious?” Nikki said in shock.
“Do I look serious?”
“Is that what’s wrong with her?”
“Yeah, we just found out from the doctor today.”
“How is she taking it?” Howie asked.
A.J. shrugged as he took his pizza out of the oven. “I don’t know. She won’t talk to me.”
“Poor thing, she must be scared to death.”
“She has nothing to be scared of,” A.J. said. “I’m not going to leave her or nothing. I love her.”
“What about you?” Howie asked. “How are you taking this?”
“I’m still a little shocked, but I guess we had it coming.”
“Why didn’t you use protection?”
“We did most of the time, but there were a few times we got caught up in the moment,” he said with a sigh. “I guess that would be my fault.”
“So, what are you going to do?” Nikki asked.
“It’s really up to her,” he admitted. “I’ll stand by her decision. I don’t want to lose her.”
“I’m sure you won’t lose her,” Howie said as he patted his back.
“You’re probably right,” A.J. said. “You guys can go now. Thanks for stopping by.”
“Any time,” Nikki said then kissed his cheek. “Tell Amanda to call me if she wants to talk.”
“I will,” A.J. said as he followed them to the door.
He shut the door behind them and went back to the kitchen. A.J. stared down at his pizza and sighed. He was no longer hungry. He wrapped the pizza in plastic wrap then placed it in the refrigerator. A.J. went through the apartment and turned off all the lights. He walked to her bedroom and lightly knocked on the door before entering. Amanda didn’t respond, but he could see her shadow lying on the bed. A.J. carefully laid beside her and put his arms around her. He kissed her cheek then she rolled over and buried her head in his chest. A.J. rubbed her back and held her close.
“Are you okay?” he whispered.
“Yeah,” she replied softly.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m just really shocked,” she said as she looked at him. “I don’t know if I’m ready to have a baby.”
“I know,” A.J. said then kissed her forehead. “I love you and I’ll stand behind whatever decision you make. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I wasn’t worried about that,” she said.
“Then what?”
“This all happened so fast. I never expected it. I can’t help but think about how this is going to change things.”
“Well, there’s one thing that isn’t going to change.”
“What’s that?”
“The way I feel about you,” he said with a smile. “I love you, baby.”
“I love you too,” she replied then kissed him.
