Chapter Sixty-One - Pregnant And Clueless!
A bleary-eyed Brooklyn dragged herself out of bed, but a bout of nausea hit her again and she dashed to the washroom. She was tired of this stomach bug for the last two days, ever since Ryder forced her to eat the giant hamburger he had ordered for lunch at work. It had been nearly a fortnight since she had started working in Ryder’s uncle’s company with Brandon and him. They were sponsoring her education, and she was glad to resume her studies finally. With full-time work, her only option, therefore, was to study online just as Brandon did. Although the pay wasn’t much still she was glad to be a trainee in the accounts department as it helped her gain in-depth knowledge in her chosen field of study.
After she arrived here in LA, she waited every day for Nikolas to come to take her back with him. Despite his accusations, she still loved him. She had expected her departure to affect him, but sadly; it hadn’t. Brandon informed her he had found his mother and was happy with her. She tried to be happy for him, yet a strange sense of loneliness and dejection engulfed her heart. She realized he didn’t need her anymore, now that he had his mom to love him. Maybe it was just a physical desire on his part that was doused the moment they had sex. She cried every night, thinking of her unrequited feelings for him, thinking of how low Nikolas thought of her.
Thankfully, Ryder tried nothing weird with her, as she had been dreading all along. In fact, she was glad that he had met a girl at the office, Amy Mitchell, and dated her diligently. It seemed as if he was quite serious about Amy. In the last few days, Brandon had tried to ask her for details of her relationship with Nikolas, but she was too hurt to tell him anything.
“What happened? Are you still sick? Didn’t you take the medicine that I gave you yesterday?” asked Brandon as he walked into her room. Brooklyn emerged from the washroom and slumped to the bed, unable to get up.
“I took all the medicines that you gave me. It’s not working, Brand. I think I need to see a doctor,” said Brooklyn, lying down again. Brandon sighed and felt her forehead, looking anxious.
“You don’t have any fever. Get ready and I’ll take you to the doctor before going to work,” he said. Brooklyn nodded and got ready for work. She couldn’t afford to skip work and rest at home since she didn’t want to disappoint Ryder’s uncle, who had given them such an excellent opportunity. Brandon took her to the doctor and waited outside while the doctor checked her. Finally, it was done and a pale and shocked Brooklyn emerged from the doctor’s chamber.
“What happened? It’s a stomach bug, right?” asked Brandon, leading her toward his car. He had bought Ryder’s uncle’s second-hand Ford Escape at a cheap price and was paying it off in affordable installments. It was the first car he ever possessed and was very proud of it.
Brooklyn could not look at him. She did not know how to tell him it wasn’t a stomach bug at all, as they had thought. She was actually pregnant! It had shattered her completely as at nineteen; she was quite clueless about pregnancies. She didn’t wish to abort Nikolas’s baby but had no means to provide for it. Her meagre salary wasn’t enough to bring up a child properly and she couldn’t even complete her education to get a better job.
“I’ll drop you home. You can rest for the day,” said Brandon.
“No, I’m fine, Brand. I’ll go to work,” she insisted. She couldn’t take the risk in case she lost her job. Brandon didn’t argue and started his car. Brooklyn knew she should confide in her twin, but today she wasn’t in the mood. She would wait for the blood test report to confirm first.
Brandon noted her pale face and frowned. Was it just a stomach bug, or was it something else? Why else would she look so distraught? He didn’t ask her anything and just drove her to the office. The whole day, they didn’t get time to catch up. During the lunch break, Ryder and Amy whisked both of them away to the cafeteria. “What’s up with Brooklyn today? Is the bug still roaming around in your system? I swear, I’m never feeding you another hamburger in my life!” chuckled Ryder.
“It’s not funny, okay,” said Brooklyn, rolling her eyes.
Amy brought a plate of seafood pasta and Brooklyn again felt nauseated at the smell of it all. Brandon got her plain toast and chicken soup. “Can you eat this?” he asked her with concern. Brooklyn was relieved to see the bland food.
“Yeah, I’ll eat it,” she said.
“The way you’re behaving, I could almost think you’re pregnant!” laughed Amy, making Brooklyn freeze with shock. How did she figure it out when she had told no one? Was it that obvious? She looked down at her abdomen, but it was still the same flat as ever!
“Are you crazy? She’s just nineteen. How can she be pregnant without a man in her life?” said Ryder, rolling his eyes at his girlfriend.
“Why are you overreacting? All I’m saying is she has the symptoms of pregnancy. I didn’t say that she’s pregnant,” said Amy, grunting in annoyance. Brandon looked deep in thought and glanced at his twin’s pale and tense face. It made him even more suspicious. Was she pregnant then?
“Whatever, she doesn’t even have a boyfriend, so it’s just a bug in her tummy,” pointed out Ryder.
“How can you be so sure? Are you her guardian?” asked Amy angrily.
“Please Amy, Ryder, can we eat in peace?” said Brooklyn, feeling uncomfortable with their topic of bickering.
“I’m not her guardian, but I know her and Brand well,” said Ryder.
“First, a stomach bug always causes stomach pain and diarrhea. Do you have those Brooks?” asked Amy and Brooklyn shook her head. “See? Now I’m sure that it isn’t a bug,” added Amy.
“It seems you are a better doctor than the one she went to,” said Ryder. Amy looked at Brooklyn excitedly.
“Brooks, show us the prescription that the doctor gave you,” said Amy, making Brooklyn’s jaws drop in panic.
“Brooks, it really doesn’t matter whether it’s a bug or a pregnancy. We can only take care of you if you tell us what exactly happened,” said Brandon at last.
“Yes, true,” said Ryder.
“Exactly! Look, I’m three years older than you. I can help you in every way. I can be your agony aunt,” said Amy, making Brooklyn laugh.
“So spill already,” said Amy. Brooklyn glanced at their anxious faces and realized that she had to tell them. After a few months, they would find out anyway, as she didn’t have anywhere else to hide.
“I’m pregnant,” she said with a sigh, glancing at Brandon’s jaw-dropped look.
“See? I was right,” said Amy triumphantly.
“Is it Nikolas’s?” Asked Brandon angrily. Brooklyn noted the way he didn’t call him sir any longer. He looked furious, as if ready to explode.
“Yes, but there’s nothing to get worked up about. We love one another,” said Brooklyn quietly. She didn’t want Brandon to fight with Nikolas about this.
“Does he know about it?” asked Ryder. Brooklyn slowly shook her head.
“Please promise me that none of you will tell anyone about this. I’ll tell him if he comes to get me,” said Brooklyn, making them all gape at her.
“Did you two fight, Brooks?” asked Brandon with a sigh.
“Yes,” said Brooklyn, as tears stung her eyes.
“Don’t cry, Brooks. We fight with the people whom we love the most. I’m sure that your Nikolas will come to get you soon,” Amy consoled her. “We can survive this pregnancy together. You can move into my house. I have my grandparents, parents, my brother, and his family, all living together. It’s an enormous house and we can easily accommodate you. Living alone might be very daunting, especially for the first time when you don’t have a clue what you should do. There’s no one to cook nutritious food for you at your place. Brand sucks at cooking,” said Amy, making Brandon grin.
“I think that’s a marvelous idea. I’m totally clueless about all this,” said Brandon.
“Yeah, Brooks. Amy is right,” said Ryder.
“I don’t want to be a burden to your family, Amy,” said Brooklyn, feeling guilty.
“No worries at all. My family is friendly and open-minded and they’d love to have you home. Please don’t decline, Brooks. Believe me, you can’t handle this on your own,” said Amy.
“I’ll think this over and inform you, Amy. If Nikolas doesn’t come to get me, if I don’t inform him, if I have to go through this pregnancy alone, then I’ll surely take your help. Thanks for your offer. I’m indebted to you all,” she said, wiping her tears away.
“We’re always there for you, Brooks. Just relax and be happy,” said Ryder.
“Yeah. If needed, we could confront Nikolas Ardolf for you. Just tell us,” said Brandon.
“No, Brand, promise me you won’t do anything of the sort,” said Brooklyn. Brandon sighed and looked at his twin.
“I promise I won’t,” he mumbled. He could do anything to make her happy.