Chapter Seven
Lucas decided he’d had enough for one night. “We’ll finish this business tomorrow. Enjoy your last week as a single lady, because on Friday we will marry,” was all he said before walking out her front door.
Amy collapsed on the sofa and allowed herself a good cry. How could she have ever fooled herself into thinking he would believe that her child wasn’t his. Why had she not gotten rid of that test? If she’d only emptied her garbage can, then she could’ve held her secret to herself for a few more precious months, maybe even more if she found the right clothing.
She’d only confirmed the pregnancy recently. She started to feel sick and ran into her guest bathroom, which was the closest. She rarely used it, unless she got sick. She threw up in the toilet as all the stress from the day caught up to her and then laid there for a moment.
When she got up to wash her face, she looked down and moaned. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she berated herself as she spotted the test in question. How could she have left the pregnancy test in there?
She couldn’t believe she’d left the smoking gun out where he could see it. This was all her fault.
Feeling defeated, Amy dragged herself back to her room and cried herself to sleep. She just wanted the day to be over with. She would find a solution to her current problem in the morning.
The next morning Amy woke up feeling miserable. She ran to the bathroom and emptied her entire stomach, plus some. She showered and threw up some more. She was just starting into her second trimester; the morning sickness should be over with.
She knew she was losing weight, as her clothes were fitting her loosely, which should’ve been the opposite. She really hadn’t worried too much about it, as everything she’d read so far had shown that morning sickness was a normal part of the first trimester.
She weakly sat on the floor of the tub as the steaming water washed over her. She threw up some more and when there was nothing left, she continued to dry heave.
She sat in the tub shivering, but was too weak to climb out. She was frightened by the weakness in her body. “Please God; let nothing happen to my child. I will bear nine months straight of sickness if you will just spare my child,” she weakly muttered out loud.
Since she couldn’t find the energy to climb out of the tub, she grabbed the nearby towels and threw them over her in an effort to keep warm.
She couldn’t even get up to call into her job. She would get fired for sure, as Lucas would just assume she was a no call, no show, in an attempt to avoid him.
She fell asleep from the pure exhaustion that had stolen throughout her entire body. She thanked the blackness so she wouldn’t have to feel the overwhelming cold and achiness consuming her.
Lucas decided to wait until Amy left before he would head to work, just in case she decided to try and run. He’d put the guard on alert to notify him during the night at any time if she was to leave the building. The employees of his company were very loyal to him as they were treated well. No questions were asked; they just told him he would be notified.
He hadn’t slept well and was feeling cranky. When it was starting time and she still hadn’t left the building, he was furious. So she figured now that she was pregnant she could skip work.
Over his dead body! She wasn’t avoiding him to try and come up with more lies for him.
He marched down to her apartment and let himself in. She wasn’t in the living room or kitchen.
He was even more furious. She hadn’t even bothered to get out of bed. Well, she’d gotten the husband, so he figured she didn’t want to work anymore. Why work when you could get all you wanted for free?
He walked down to her bedroom and swung the door open, ready to rip the covers off of her and have a rip roaring fight. He needed to yell and vent his anger and she was the expected target. He was angry about everything and he desperately needed a target to take out his frustrations on.
When he opened up her door and her bed was empty, he began to feel his first stirrings of unease. Had she left without him knowing? That wasn’t possible. He had a very secure building.
She wasn’t a prisoner but his staff was very loyal and they would’ve told him if she’d left. He double checked his phone to make sure he hadn’t somehow missed a call.
He turned to go into the living room and noticed her bathroom door was shut. He walked over to it and listened for a moment. There was no sound from inside. Without thinking of her privacy he opened the door and walked in.
Lucas was terrified when he saw her small body lying there, barely covered up in the tub. Had she taken her life? No!!! He ran to her and fell to the floor, then breathed a sigh of relief as he saw her chest move up and down. She was shivering, even in her sleep and had dark purple smudges under her eyes.
He took a good look at her and then noticed how small she looked. She’d dropped some significant weight. Weren’t pregnant women supposed to gain weight? How hadn’t he noticed the changes in her body?
That was an easy question to answer. He hadn’t noticed because he’d done all he could to avoid looking at her too closely. He’d avoided her as much as possible so he didn’t take her right there on her desk at work. He’d hoped to have gotten over her by this time, as he’d never been so hooked on any woman.
He knew no one could fake this kind of illness. He immediately felt guilty at what he’d put her through last night. Thinking back, he could see where she’d looked worn and exhausted and he’d not cared at all. He’d only cared she was trying to fool him.
Lucas stood up and wrapped his arms under her body, lifting her from the tub. She immediately snuggled closer into his grasp, seeking warmth, even in her sleep. The towels fell from her body and his gut clenched in shock.
She’d lost even more weight than he’d first thought. She wasn’t having a good pregnancy. He should’ve been paying attention. He laid her on the bed and covered her up, while her body curled into a ball. She let out a slight moan, not once waking. He noticed the slight bump on her stomach for the first time.
Wow, he thought, that bump is my child. It really slammed into him that he was going to be a father in six months. Now that his anger had fled away, the idea of a son was an amazing thing.
In six months he would be holding his baby. He would be throwing balls with him in a few years and bouncing him on his knees.
He was shocked to find that he already loved his unborn child. He loved the precious baby that was growing inside her. He wouldn’t let anything happen to him or his mother.
Lucas called the family doctor and then climbed into the bed and pulled her into his arms. He simply wanted to warm her up. He needed to protect both of them. He’d never felt such terror as seeing her lying in that empty tub.
She curled around him and let out a sigh. After a few minutes her body finally quit shaking. He held her and rubbed her back, willing her and his child to be okay.
When Lucas heard the knock at the door, he let the doctor in, scared that there was something seriously wrong.
“Amy, there you go, open up your eyes. That’s a good girl. My name is Dr. Scott and I’m going to check you over okay. Do you know what happened this morning?” was what Amy woke up too. She had no idea how she’d gotten into her bed, but the warmth felt so good.
“I was throwing up a lot and then climbed into the shower and couldn’t get back out,” she mumbled in a cracked voice. She finally looked around and noticed Lucas standing there behind the doctor.
“I don’t know how I got here, or really what happened. I was just so cold and so tired,” she finished.
“Save your energy Amy. We’re going to make sure you and your child are okay,” said the doctor, comforting her. She closed her eyes again, since they felt like they had ten pound weights on each one.
She felt him touching her and then a slight pinch, but the worst part of the whole thing was being uncovered periodically. She faded in and out of sleep. Finally she heard the doctor quietly talking to someone. It felt more like a dream. Maybe it was.
“She’ll be fine. She needs to be on bed rest until I get these tests back, but it looks to me like severe morning sickness, leading to dehydration. There’s no bleeding but she’s undernourished.
The baby seems to be fine though. I will want her to come in to the offices in a day or two for an ultrasound, but it seems she’s about three months along and otherwise healthy. Get a lot of fluids into her today such as soups and juices. The more calories, the better.”
“That’s great, Scott. I appreciate you rushing over here so quickly. I’ll see you on Friday.” Then she heard some steps and the door shutting. She faded back out to the blissfulness of sleep.
Lucas paced in the apartment after he called in and cancelled all appointments for the day. He wanted to shake her awake and force feed her, but the doctor had told him that rest was just as important as food. He’d given her sleeping aids and anti-nauseous pills and told him to keep an eye on her to make sure she ate and drank whenever she woke.
She partially woke several times and he practically force fed her. She mumbled complaints, but took his administering.
By the time darkness hit Lucas was exhausted. He went into the room and climbed in bed next to her once more that day. He pulled her close to him and fell into a deep and exhausted sleep. He felt that he could sleep an entire week with her in his arms.
Lucas felt Amy squirming around a bit and opened his eyes. They were facing each other and she was staring into his eyes with shock, embarrassment and panic. “Morning,” he mumbled. “Did you sleep well?”
Her eyes opened even further at his casual words. He knew she was confused, he could see it.
She was most likely wondering how they’d gotten into bed together and if they’d done anything.
“Don’t look so panicked. All we did was sleep. You were freezing all day and night until I laid down to share some body heat,” he said lazily. He felt pretty good waking up with her. He hadn’t slept that well in far too long to remember. He hadn’t woken up once during the night.
“Excuse me,” she said as she tried to untangle herself from him. “I um, need to use the bathroom please,” she turned bright red. He let her go and she quickly stepped into the bathroom.
Lucas was grateful that he’d dressed her. He wouldn’t have been able to handle watching her walk naked away from the bed. Not after her body had been molded to his the entire night.
He continued to lie there, not able to get out of the bed. He was wearing nothing except a pair of boxers that would show her the restraint he’d used in letting her go. When he heard the shower start he decided he’d better get dressed.
Amy was in the bathroom long enough to make Lucas start to worry. He was about to go in after her when the door finally opened. She was wearing the robe he’d seen hanging off the back of the door. She took his breath away.
Even pale, underweight and makeup free she was spectacular. He was beginning to think waking up with her daily wasn’t such a bad thing. He thought they could actually make the marriage work and before long he would be able to hold his baby, their baby.
“Thank you for calling the doctor. I uh don’t know what happened yesterday. I think, maybe I haven’t been eating enough or something. The baby seems to zap a lot of energy,” she said with a small smile while rubbing her belly unconsciously.
She was nervous and didn’t know how to deal with it, or what to say. She’d never woken with a guy in the morning. She didn’t think they’d had sex, but wasn’t a hundred percent on it. She was already falling in love with Lucas and needed to back up some and figure things out.
One minute the guy was being an arrogant jerk and then the next he was fretting over her and making sure she was well. She couldn’t figure him out. It was confusing and she was more scared than she’d ever been before. That was saying a lot, considering the way she’d grown up.
Lucas spent the day with her at the apartment. She napped off and on and started regaining some of her color. Later in the afternoon, she was well enough for a trip to the doctor’s office.
They didn’t speak on the way there, both of them thinking of different things. She was anxious to see that the baby was unharmed and he was scared about what would happen if his child, that he hadn’t even known he wanted, was harmed in some way.
She couldn’t believe she was going to see the first images of her precious child. Once she knew she was okay and could actually see her moving inside of her, Amy would feel much better.
They walked straight back into the doctor’s office, where he gave her privacy as she changed.
Next they sat there and waited together for Dr. Scott to come in. She would’ve much rather Lucas waited in the front office, but she could tell there was no way he was going to miss the ultrasound.
The door opened, “well you look much better this afternoon Amy. Let’s see how your child is doing, shall we?” the doctor said, going straight to the ultrasound monitor. He rubbed some sort of goo on her belly and she jumped a little at the coldness.
There was nothing for a few moments and then, there on the monitor, she saw a perfect little face. “This is the new three dimensional ultrasound monitor. We get a much clearer image of the unborn babies. It’s still a little early to determine the sex, but it looks like all is healthy and well,” Dr. Scott reassured them both.
He took down some measurements. “It looks like your due date will be December seventeenth.
You are just over three months along. Your child is fully formed and about the size of a peanut in its shell. But the heartbeat is strong and developing nicely. Would you like to hear it now?” he continued on.
Amy and Lucas both nodded yes. Suddenly the only sound in the room was a gentle thumping sound that was moving quickly. No one said a word as the beat continued on. Lucas looked from the monitor to Amy’s face and saw tears streaming down her cheeks.
The moment was so moving for him, he became a bit choked up and had to turn away. His child was strong and safe. Amy was beautiful and he was so glad she was the one carrying his baby.
He could see the love and excitement shining through her. He could see she was already in love with their child and he knew she would be a phenomenal mother.
They may have started things the wrong way, but he knew it would all work out. Dr. Scott printed them off some pictures from the ultrasound and sent them on their way. Neither of them spoke while walking out of the office. They were both thinking of the images they’d just witnessed. They were both imaging the precious child that was going to soon be gracing their lives.
Lucas took Amy to lunch and they were both so excited about the baby being in good health they dropped their guards and had a very nice time together. Amy figured he’d dropped the whole shotgun marriage idea. She figured wrong.
After the lunch he drove up to the family home. “Why are we here?” she asked him nervously.
“We have some wedding things to discuss with my parents,” he replied.
“Lucas, I’m not getting married to you. I won’t be forced into a marriage for any reason. I may be old fashioned but I believe in getting married for love and nothing else,” she said, hoping he would finally drop the ridiculous argument.
“Amy, I’m also old fashioned and I believe a child needs both parents. You won’t raise my child alone. I won’t argue about this. He will have two parents. You can’t keep my child from me.” The tone in his voice terrified her. She knew that he wasn’t going to back down.
Amy bowed her head and dealt with the acceptance. She was going to have to marry a man for her child’s sake, not because he loved her. He was giving her no other choice in the matter. She was frustrated she’d made the poor mistake of sleeping with him. She wouldn’t regret her child, she just wished she’d made her with someone who would’ve walked away and never looked back, or loved her unconditionally.
She wasn’t willing, nor prepared to share her child with another person. Sure, it would be great to have a happy, loving family, but she couldn’t think of many couples that actually stayed together. The divorce rate rose each year and she’d never wanted to be added to that list of statistics.
They walked into the house with no other words for each other. He’d made his point, she’d made hers and he’d won. She knew he would always win; she just really had hoped he wouldn’t have wanted to play in the game of fatherhood.
“Lucas, Amy, I’m so glad to see you guys. We have much to discuss. All the arrangements have been made. Amy, you run along with Katherine and get your gown picked out so we can get the alterations done,” Joseph said talking a million miles a minute.
Amy was whisked around the house and shown the flower choices and cake. She was fitted into a dress that was far more beautiful than anything she’d ever seen before. Amy had pictured her wedding day when she was young, as most little girls did and this was a dream wedding. It would’ve been perfect if the groom was in love with her. It would’ve been even more perfect if she believed marriage could last forever.
Well, she was being given more than most women were. She would have a safe home and get to be a mother. She could deal with anything as long as she had her child in her arms. She knew it was a marriage of convenience but she would just have to deal with that. She knew it would get lonely, but how lonely could she really be having her child with her.
Besides, she’d planned on being a single mother so she would just look at it like being a single mother with a roommate, who also loved her child very much.
They stayed at the house most of the day and had dinner with Joseph and Katherine, who she was already in love with. Katherine was quiet and seemed to get overpowered by Joseph a lot of the time but it was obvious to anyone who was around them that he adored her in a way that made Amy ache. She had a quiet dignity about her that let everyone know even though Joseph had the loudest bark she was truly the one in charge. She was the kind of mother Amy had dreamed about having in her miserable years growing up.
They were both kind and caring and they listened to her as if what she had to say was the most important thing in the world. She only wished she’d grown up with parents like them. But since she was marrying Lucas, they would be her parents. That was a great benefit to the union . It was something positive to look forward to. She still thought the marriage was a bad idea but the more time she spent with Lucas outside of the office the more she thought her life wasn’t completely ruined.
By the time Lucas took her back to the apartment building Amy was almost asleep on her feet.
She’d been through a very full day but for the most part, it had been a good one. She would always enjoy visiting with Joseph and Katherine and nothing had been greater than seeing the ultrasound of her unborn child.
She must’ve looked at the picture a hundred times throughout the day. She’d choked up when Lucas had handed the photo to his father and she’d seen the sheen of tears in his eyes. She knew beyond any doubt her child would be loved beyond compare. She would have so much of a better childhood than most children.
“Well son, this is the greatest gift you could’ve ever given your mother and I,” was all he said as he engulfed both of them in a bear sized hug.
Amy smiled to herself as she thought about how wonderful of a man he was. Lucas put his hand on her back as they walked into the building and went straight to the elevator. She felt a tremor run down her spine at his touch. She had tried so hard to resist her attraction to him and it took everything in her to try and maintain some distance.
They stepped off of the elevator and Amy headed for her door. “Not tonight Amy, we’ll use my apartment,” Lucas startled her out of her own thoughts.
“I just want to go home alone Lucas,” she said. “It’s been a very long day and I need some time to myself,” she finished in a pleading tone, with a hint of annoyance.
Lucas sighed aloud and simply steered her past the door and down the hallway. “Amy you will be my wife in a few days. I’m not only taking you as a wife on paper. We’ll live together, sleep together and be together in every way that a husband and wife are meant to be. I will only marry once. You will be provided for very well and in turn I expect to be taken care of. You will share my bed,” he once again spoke in that voice that brooked no room for argument.
She was suddenly very alert and seething mad. She was getting really sick and tired of him throwing his weight around and just expecting her to follow along with everything that he demanded.
“Okay Lucas, I’ve accepted that we are to be married and I plan on doing my ‘wifely duties,’ but for the next few days I’m not your wife and I would like to enjoy my apartment before my jail sentence begins,” she said to him, wanting to strike out and hurt him.
She had the opposite effect of angering him. Lucas had to keep from smiling at her. If she saw that then she would think he was laughing at her, which in a way he was. He was thinking he was going to definitely enjoy his marriage. He wouldn’t have been happy with some woman who catered to his every whim. He had enough people willing to do that. He liked that his future wife had a strong personality and felt a desire to fight him. He knew that he wouldn’t get bored with her ever.
He knew he could push the issue and she would stay with him but he also knew to win the war was far more important than to win each and every battle. He’d put her through the wringer already and her health was far more important than anything else. He would let her have this one.
“Fine, we’ll do it your way. It will make the honeymoon that much better,” he said as he led her back down to her door. Just as she was about to go through the open doorway he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, long and hard. Let her think about what she would be missing out on tonight he thought as he noticed her swoon.
He walked away feeling pretty good about himself. That was until he got into his apartment, alone and in need of release. He sighed as he turned his shower faucet to cold and prepared himself for a hell of a long week.