Unexpected
Chapter 31
I stared at Chloe in awe for a few seconds before I realized my mouth was hanging open. She watched me intently, waiting for a response. I wasn’t sure whether I should be happy or worried. There’s no way it wasn’t mine, but what was I going to do about it?
“Are you sure?” was all I could manage to say. My voice sounded shaky and unsure.
She nodded slowly and looked out the window. “The doctor said it’s been about a month and a half.”
I thought for a minute. That’s about the time Chloe and I had slept together for the first time. The only time. Just my luck. I sleep with a girl once and she gets pregnant. What are we going to do? This is going to make its way to the press immediately, no doubt. It could ruin my career. Fans will turn against me, start hating the band for my mistake. How can I be so stupid?
“Harry, stop worrying,” Chloe said quietly. The look on my face must have given away what I was thinking.
“Chloe, what are we going to do?” I felt tears well up in my eyes. She pulled my hands into her own and gave them a reassuring squeeze.
“Take care of it,” she answered. “It’s ours.”
I knew she had a point but I had no idea how? I have the money for everything, but I want to be there for it, not just provide nannies and babysitters and people who do everything for me. I want to have a real father-child relationship with it, not just dump it with someone it doesn’t know. This is my baby, this is my responsibility.
I felt a small smile creep across my lips as I thought more about what I’d created. I’d created life. A child I could teach. A child I could show the ways of life. A child I could call my own.
*Chloe’s POV*
I watched Harry as a million thoughts must have run through his head. When the doctor told me I’m pregnant, I didn’t know what to think. Should I keep it? Should I tell Harry? How would I be able to provide for it? Would Harry stay with me if he knew? I quickly decided I would tell Harry and hope for the best. I really doubted he would leave me over something like this. He would want to take responsibility. This was our child, he would do anything he could to make sure it grew up safely and happily.
I waited back in my room for everyone to return from the concert and I frequently glanced down at my stomach. It was hard to believe there was a tiny human growing inside of me.
When he entered my room a while later, I knew I’d have to tell him right away. As soon as the words left my mouth, I watched his face for a change. His features instantly became confused and scared. It was hitting him harder than it had hit me. After all, he was the reason this had happened.
“Are you sure?” He looked at me with pleading eyes as if begging me to tell him it was all a joke.
I nodded, keeping an eye on him until I couldn’t take his emotional look anymore. I told him what the doctor had told me and waited what seemed like an eternity for him to answer. When he didn’t, I tried to reassure him and tell him everything will be alright.
“What are we going to do?”
I could tell he was feeling helpless and lost in this situation. If I were in his place, I would have no idea what to do, either.
“Take care of it. It’s ours,” I answered. There’s no way I was giving it up. It’s been living inside of me for nearly two months now, there’s no going back. It may not have been meant to happen but, in a way, I’m glad it did.
I hate having to call it and ‘it’ but I’ve already decided I don’t want to know what it is until it’s born. I want the suspense and being able to imagine scenarios for either gender. I could pick different names for a boy or a girl and decorate neutrally so whichever gender it turns out to be, it will be happy.
I watched Harry, deep in thought, waiting for him to say something. I waited for a while, not wanting to interrupt whatever was going through his head. After a few minutes, he looked down toward my stomach and back up at me. His green eyes were questioning, as if asking me if it was really in there. If there was an actual baby growing inside of me.
I nodded slightly and watched as Harry slowly moved his hand out of mine and onto my stomach. His thumb traced little shapes around my belly and his eyes never left my stomach. It was almost as if he was trying to talk to the baby without really talking.
I felt myself smile as I realized Harry wasn’t going to make me do this alone. He was going to take full responsibility. He was going to be an amazing father.
He looked up at me again after a few minutes. He looked me in the eyes and slowly leaned forward, planting a passionate kiss on my lips.
“I love you, Chloe.” He pulled away from me and whispered in my ear. A chill ran down my spine at the sound of his voice so close to me.
“I love you, too, Harry,” I answered.
He lay down next to me, his face nuzzled in my neck. His large hand still rested on my stomach, his thumb tracing shapes all over. After a few minutes of silence, he began humming so quietly I could barely hear him. I played with his curls and watched as they stretched out and bounced back as I tugged on them and let them go. Soon, his humming subsided and his breathing evened out as he fell asleep on my shoulder. Before I knew it, I was asleep, too.
*Niall’s POV*
We sat out in the waiting room for almost an hour before Paul told us we may as well go in and see her. We all made our way down the hallway and quietly opened the door. Harry had fallen asleep on Chloe’s shoulder, his injured hand resting on her stomach. Chloe had her head rested on Harry’s; it was a sight for sore eyes. I snapped a picture on my phone to show them in the morning.
I saw Chloe’s arm was wrapped in a new bandage and I guessed everything had gone well.
Paul told us we could stay the night at the hospital either in the room or on the bus in the lot and we all decided it would be best for us to sleep on the bus and give Harry and Chloe some privacy. I know if I had to wake up to a room full of people who weren’t there when I’d gone to sleep I would be angry.
We left the room and shut the door behind us, not wanting to wake them. As we boarded the bus, everyone muttered goodnights and climbed into bed. The top one remained empty as a reminder to us all that Chloe and Harry were together, even if the circumstances were bad.
We drifted off to sleep and hoped we would get news early the next morning. None of us knew what kind of news we were in for.
“Are you sure?” was all I could manage to say. My voice sounded shaky and unsure.
She nodded slowly and looked out the window. “The doctor said it’s been about a month and a half.”
I thought for a minute. That’s about the time Chloe and I had slept together for the first time. The only time. Just my luck. I sleep with a girl once and she gets pregnant. What are we going to do? This is going to make its way to the press immediately, no doubt. It could ruin my career. Fans will turn against me, start hating the band for my mistake. How can I be so stupid?
“Harry, stop worrying,” Chloe said quietly. The look on my face must have given away what I was thinking.
“Chloe, what are we going to do?” I felt tears well up in my eyes. She pulled my hands into her own and gave them a reassuring squeeze.
“Take care of it,” she answered. “It’s ours.”
I knew she had a point but I had no idea how? I have the money for everything, but I want to be there for it, not just provide nannies and babysitters and people who do everything for me. I want to have a real father-child relationship with it, not just dump it with someone it doesn’t know. This is my baby, this is my responsibility.
I felt a small smile creep across my lips as I thought more about what I’d created. I’d created life. A child I could teach. A child I could show the ways of life. A child I could call my own.
*Chloe’s POV*
I watched Harry as a million thoughts must have run through his head. When the doctor told me I’m pregnant, I didn’t know what to think. Should I keep it? Should I tell Harry? How would I be able to provide for it? Would Harry stay with me if he knew? I quickly decided I would tell Harry and hope for the best. I really doubted he would leave me over something like this. He would want to take responsibility. This was our child, he would do anything he could to make sure it grew up safely and happily.
I waited back in my room for everyone to return from the concert and I frequently glanced down at my stomach. It was hard to believe there was a tiny human growing inside of me.
When he entered my room a while later, I knew I’d have to tell him right away. As soon as the words left my mouth, I watched his face for a change. His features instantly became confused and scared. It was hitting him harder than it had hit me. After all, he was the reason this had happened.
“Are you sure?” He looked at me with pleading eyes as if begging me to tell him it was all a joke.
I nodded, keeping an eye on him until I couldn’t take his emotional look anymore. I told him what the doctor had told me and waited what seemed like an eternity for him to answer. When he didn’t, I tried to reassure him and tell him everything will be alright.
“What are we going to do?”
I could tell he was feeling helpless and lost in this situation. If I were in his place, I would have no idea what to do, either.
“Take care of it. It’s ours,” I answered. There’s no way I was giving it up. It’s been living inside of me for nearly two months now, there’s no going back. It may not have been meant to happen but, in a way, I’m glad it did.
I hate having to call it and ‘it’ but I’ve already decided I don’t want to know what it is until it’s born. I want the suspense and being able to imagine scenarios for either gender. I could pick different names for a boy or a girl and decorate neutrally so whichever gender it turns out to be, it will be happy.
I watched Harry, deep in thought, waiting for him to say something. I waited for a while, not wanting to interrupt whatever was going through his head. After a few minutes, he looked down toward my stomach and back up at me. His green eyes were questioning, as if asking me if it was really in there. If there was an actual baby growing inside of me.
I nodded slightly and watched as Harry slowly moved his hand out of mine and onto my stomach. His thumb traced little shapes around my belly and his eyes never left my stomach. It was almost as if he was trying to talk to the baby without really talking.
I felt myself smile as I realized Harry wasn’t going to make me do this alone. He was going to take full responsibility. He was going to be an amazing father.
He looked up at me again after a few minutes. He looked me in the eyes and slowly leaned forward, planting a passionate kiss on my lips.
“I love you, Chloe.” He pulled away from me and whispered in my ear. A chill ran down my spine at the sound of his voice so close to me.
“I love you, too, Harry,” I answered.
He lay down next to me, his face nuzzled in my neck. His large hand still rested on my stomach, his thumb tracing shapes all over. After a few minutes of silence, he began humming so quietly I could barely hear him. I played with his curls and watched as they stretched out and bounced back as I tugged on them and let them go. Soon, his humming subsided and his breathing evened out as he fell asleep on my shoulder. Before I knew it, I was asleep, too.
*Niall’s POV*
We sat out in the waiting room for almost an hour before Paul told us we may as well go in and see her. We all made our way down the hallway and quietly opened the door. Harry had fallen asleep on Chloe’s shoulder, his injured hand resting on her stomach. Chloe had her head rested on Harry’s; it was a sight for sore eyes. I snapped a picture on my phone to show them in the morning.
I saw Chloe’s arm was wrapped in a new bandage and I guessed everything had gone well.
Paul told us we could stay the night at the hospital either in the room or on the bus in the lot and we all decided it would be best for us to sleep on the bus and give Harry and Chloe some privacy. I know if I had to wake up to a room full of people who weren’t there when I’d gone to sleep I would be angry.
We left the room and shut the door behind us, not wanting to wake them. As we boarded the bus, everyone muttered goodnights and climbed into bed. The top one remained empty as a reminder to us all that Chloe and Harry were together, even if the circumstances were bad.
We drifted off to sleep and hoped we would get news early the next morning. None of us knew what kind of news we were in for.
6/16/13