The Soldier's Baby Surprise (For the Baby's Sake, Book 1) (6 page)

Chapter Eight

             
Willow walked into her apartment and exhaled heavily. To say she was exhausted would be an understatement. She placed her purse and bag on the table near the door, then headed for her bedroom to change out of her work clothes. For the past month, her routine had been the same. After she made it home from work, she would get comfortable, start dinner and await the first text from Chase.

              The only time that’d been different was two weeks ago, when he’d gone on a mission. Knowing that he was on a dangerous assignment and not being able to have any contact with him had almost driven her over the edge. She didn’t know how the military wives and girlfriends did it. The relief she’d felt to receive that first text message from him after his mission was over had nearly left her in tears. A few of the men in his company had been injured, but there hadn’t been any fatalities.

              Despite the week of non-communication between them, it had been interesting to get to know Chase through texting. He was charming with a wicked sense of humor. Like her, he was an only child. He’d been in the Army for eighteen years. His favorite food was pizza. He preferred basketball over football and one of his favorite hobbies was camping. On the surface level he was an average guy, but underneath the superficial level there was a dynamic man.

              She stifled a yawn as she changed her clothes. Man was she tired. She was tempted to lie down and take a nap until Chase text her, but she was afraid she’d sleep through the night. So she sucked it up and made her way to the bathroom. After a refreshing shower she dressed for bed, then she head for the kitchen. It was later than she’d thought. The clock showed it was eight o’clock. That meant tonight’s meal was going to be a simple salad topped with some of the grilled chicken she had in the refrigerator.

              She’d just pulled out all of the ingredients when her cell phone chimed. When she picked it up, she smiled at the message.

             
“Hey beautiful. How are you?”

              “Hey you. I’m fine. Just a little tired,” she typed back.

              “I can understand that. I won’t keep you long. Just wanted to check in and say hello.”

              “It’s always nice to hear from you,” she responded.

              “I know it’s a little ways off, but do you have any plans Saturday night?”

              “No. Why do you ask?”

              “I’m going to have availability to video chat. I won’t have long because I want to speak with my parents as well, but it would be nice to see you and hear your voice.’

              A surge of joy filled her. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and her hands. “That sounds wonderful.”

              “Good. I’ll be in touch later on this week with the time, the video messenger I use, and my video chat name.”

              “Great. I look forward to it.”

              “So do I. Unfortunately it’s almost time for me to get my day started, so I’m going to keep my promise and not keep you long.”

              A part of Willow wanted to protest, but a bigger part of her was ready to eat, take a shower and go to bed. That part of her won out.

              “In that case, I hope have you pleasant dreams,” she typed.

              “You too.”

              She sat down the cell phone and began making her dinner. A short time later, she climbed into bed freshly bathed, with a full stomach. She yawned as she rested her head on the pillow. Her last waking thought as she drifted off to sleep was how nice it would be to have Chase’s arms around her. Unfortunately, they had a few more months to get through before that happened. She looked forward to that moment.

* * * *

              “Willow, you look terrible.”

              She raised her head up off the arm of her couch and glared at her best friend. “Thanks, Geneva. You really know how to make a person feel better.”

              Geneva waved a dismissive hand. “You know what I mean. Seriously, do you have the flu?”

              “Newsflash, it’s not flu season.”

              “Then maybe it’s a bad cold.”

              Willow shook her head. “I’m just run down. I’ve been working myself too hard. I’m doing my best not to worry about Chase all the time, but I haven’t been successful. Because of that I’m not sleeping well at night.”

              Geneva sat down on the sofa next to Willow and placed a palm to her forehead. “Hmm. You don’t feel warm. Any sneezing or coughing?”

              “No.”

              “Runny nose or sore throat?”

              Willow rolled her eyes. “No, Mom.”

              “Don’t get mouthy with me. I’m just doing what a best friend should be,” Geneva retorted.

              “Making a person feel even worse than they already did? Congratulations! You’re doing a wonderful job.”

              “You can’t be too ill, you still have the ability to be a smart ass.”

              Willow turned over onto her side and groaned. “You can leave now, Geneva.”

              “Not with you like this. Something is clearly wrong. We just have to figure out what.”

              As much as Willow wanted to argue she couldn’t. Her stomach had just started to rebel so viciously, she knew she was going to throw up. She sat up as quickly as possible, brushed by Geneva and made a mad dash to her bathroom. As soon as she leaned over the toilet everything violently came up. She was only half aware of Geneva entering the bathroom behind her.

              Her friend flushed the commode and rubbed her back soothingly. If Willow could have thanked her, she would have. Instead everything in her stomach had come up so now she was plagued by dry heaves. What seemed like an eternity later she sank to her knees, depleted of energy.

              The toilet flushed again as she closed her eyes and slowly eased up against the tub with her eyes closed. She didn’t move a muscle as she heard the water come on. A few seconds later, a cool towel was placed against her forehead. It was so soothing, she moaned in appreciation.  

              “Did you eat something that didn’t agree with your stomach over the past day or two?” Geneva asked.

              “No,” Willow whispered. “I’ve been too exhausted to cook, so I’ve been sticking to salads, soup and sandwiches.”

              “Have you had any other symptoms?” Geneva questioned.

              “No. I just started feeling like this earlier this week.”

              Willow opened her eyes when Geneva lowered the lid on the toilet and sat down. A true look of concern was on her face.

“When did you have your last period?”

              The unexpected question took Willow aback. “
What?
What does that have to do with anything?”                

              “Possibly a whole lot, so tell me when.”

              Willow was silent as she did a mental calculation in her head before pushing to her feet and racing to her bedroom. Her math had to be off, she couldn’t be late. She opened up her underwear drawer, dug to the bottom and pulled out the small calendar she kept there. Her heart began to race as she flipped through it until she reached the current month. Shock consumed her once she did.

              She was way behind schedule! 

              Panic filled her as she went back to the previous month to count the days again. Even though she knew it wasn’t a mistake, her mind wouldn’t accept what her eyes saw.

              “So what’s the verdict?” Geneva asked as she entered the room.

              Willow placed the calendar back into the drawer before turning to face her friend. “I think we need to go to the store and get a pregnancy test.”

Chapter Nine

              Geneva had made Willow take two and it was still hard to believe. She was pregnant with Chase’s baby. The doctor’s appointment she’d set for Monday was just to confirm it officially, but her body had left no doubt. Since the pregnancy tests she’d taken had come up positive her body had been in full mutiny against her. If she wasn’t nauseous she was exhausted. The only thing that had made it bearable was Geneva had barely left her side. She was truly the best friend everyone wanted to have during a time like this.

              Unfortunately Geneva refused to be on standby in the next room tonight when she revealed her unplanned pregnancy to Chase. Her stomach was in knots. She had to calm down or she was going to throw up again. Something she’d already done enough today. She prayed that her doctor would be able to prescribe her something to help with the nausea.

              Willow sat down at her desk, booted up the computer and logged into video chat. The week seemed to fly by once she’d realized she was expecting. She’d refrained from telling Chase she was pregnant via text message. Since she couldn’t tell him face-to-face, she figured this was the next best thing. There was no way she could wait to tell him this when he arrived back home.

              She jumped when the video chat site alerted her that she had a call coming through from Chase. After connecting the call, she couldn’t help it when her breath exploded from her chest. To see his smiling face filled her with warmth.

              “Hey beautiful,” he stated.

              At the sound of his voice, she unexpectedly burst into tears. A look of concern appeared on his face.

              “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

              She gave a slight shake of her head as she tried to compose herself. “I’m sorry,” she finally managed to get out. “It’s just so nice to see you.”

              A look of understanding appeared on his face. “It’s wonderful to see you, as well.”

              She reached for a facial tissue and dried her eyes. “Since I know what I look like when I cry, it’s clear you’re just being nice.”

              He chuckled. “Of course not. It is good to see you. While texting back and forth helps, I’ve missed your bright smile and gorgeous eyes.”

              “Thank you. By the way, I like the beard. It gives you an edgy look.”

              He rubbed the side of his face. “Just trying something a little different. As long as I keep it neat, I don’t get any hassle for it.”

              “Do you have everything you need there?”

              “I do, but if that changes, I’ll let you know.”

              She attempted to respond, but yawned instead.

              “Did you have a long day?” Chase asked.

              She hesitated, knowing that they were getting ready to broach the subject that had worried her all week.

              “No. I just haven’t been sleeping well lately.”

              His brows furrowed together. “Is everything okay?”

              She shifted in her seat, terrified at how he was going to respond to what she was about to say.

              “Yes and no. Chase, I have something I need to tell you.”

              His expression turned serious as he leaned closer to the video camera. “What is it?”

              She decided it was best to take the direct approach. “I think I’m pregnant.”

              Several moments of silence passed as shock appeared on his face. “What?”

              “At first I thought it was just stress, but earlier this week, I became violently ill. Geneva was here at the time and after quizzing me on my symptoms, I realized I might be expecting.”

              “How sure are you?”

              “Two store bought pregnancy test sure, but I have a doctor’s appointment on Monday to confirm everything.”

              Chase was quiet for so long she started to squirm in her chair. Finally he released a heavy breath.               “I’m not sure what to say right now. Everything between us is so new.”

              “I know. I’m still shocked myself.”

              He dragged his palm down the side of his face wearily. “Do you want children?”

              “Yes,’ she replied without hesitation. “Do you?”

              “I’ve always said that if I did have kids, I’d prefer to wait until after I’d retired from the Army. Military life is hard on families. I’ve never wanted to subject anyone to that.”

              She bit her lip as she pondered his statement. He hadn’t said no, then again, he hadn’t said yes. Still, she could understand his viewpoint.

              “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make it happen, but I would like to video chat with you Monday night. If not we’ll text, but I definitely want to know the results.”

              She gave a small nod. “Sounds good.”

              One corner of his mouth curved upward. “It’s going to be okay, Willow. No matter what happens.”

              His confident words caused tears to spring into her eyes, but she managed to keep them from falling.

              “Thank you,” she whispered. “I needed to hear that.”

              “If I could hug you I would.”

              The floodgates opened again and she lowered her head as the tears began to fall. She tried her best to not break down completely.

              “Everything will be fine, sweetheart. No need to upset yourself.”

              She looked up at the monitor as she wiped a few tears away. “It’s just a lot to take in, you know?”

              “I do, but I want you to promise me something.”

              “What?”

              “Take this one step at a time. Once we know for certain then we can go from there. Now, as much as I would love to stay and talk to you longer, I have to get going. I have a few things I need to get done this morning before the day gets away from me.”

              “Okay. You have a good night.”

              “You do the same. Pleasant dreams and I’ll text you tomorrow.”

              Willow just smiled and gave a little wave before she signed off. As soon as she was certain the screen was completely closed, she burst into tears again. She had a feeling that after Monday, her life was going to change in ways she’d never even imagined. In spite of all of the adversity she’d faced and overcome, she was the most scared she’d ever been in her life.

* * * *

Chase sat at the computer a few more moments staring at the screen, before finally logging completely out and heading back to his living quarters. To know that Willow suspected she was pregnant had thrown him for a loop. It was his fault that he’d been reckless enough to initiate sex twice without protection. But for some reason he wasn’t as panicked as he thought he’d be at the prospect of being a father. Perhaps if it were any other woman he’d think she was after the security of his military benefits, but that wasn’t the case.

              As he’d stared into Willows eyes tonight, he could see she was afraid. That alone had given him the ability to remain calm. Regardless of what happened, she needed him to be strong and he would be. There wasn’t any other choice.              

              After he entered his room, he went straight to his cell phone and picked it up. Fortunately he’d been smart not to delete Geneva’s number. He pulled up her contact information then fired off a quick text.

             
“Hi Geneva, it’s Chase. I just finished speaking with Willow. Are you going with her to the appointment on Monday?”

              When she didn’t respond back right away, he began to strip down out of his BDU’s. When he was down to his T-shirt and boxer briefs, his phone finally chimed.

             
“Hey, Chase. Yes I’ll be there. Willow will be a nervous wreck otherwise.”

              “Thank you. I feel a lot better know you will be,” he typed.

              “I’m going to do my best and remain objective in this situation, but if you hurt her, I will find you and make you cry.”

              He chuckled. There was no doubt that Geneva would do her best. As much as he wanted to get on a plane and go home to check on Willow himself, he knew that she was in good hands with her best friend.

             
“I don’t doubt it, but believe me when I say I don’t plan to give you any reason to make good on that threat.”

              “Good. Now, I’m going to call Willow and check on her.”

              “Thank you. Have a good night.”

              “You too.”

              He placed his cell phone back on the charger, then made sure he was prepared for the day. He had a few meetings to attend, but at least there wouldn’t be any drills. Sure they were a necessary evil because they had to be prepared for anything that came their way. It also kept everyone from becoming stagnant.

              Regardless he knew he needed to get in bed. It was going to be hard enough to focus the next few days as it was. Being well rested would help. Or at least he hoped it would.

              A short time later he left his living quarters. He thought back to his conversation Willow. To know she could be expecting his child left him feeling a way he couldn’t explain. But he was a factual man. He didn’t make any plans based on “what ifs”. That would be a foolhardy way to proceed.

              Still, he wasn’t afraid to admit that he wasn’t certain he was ready to become a father. Not because he didn’t think he’d make a good one, but because he feared not being around enough. As a leader of a Special Forces Recon group, he was guaranteed to be deployed at least six months out of every twelve. It wouldn’t always be six consecutive months, but most of the time it was. He knew how tough it could be on the women and children waiting back home. He’d even witnessed a few men receiving “Dear John” letters. That was not something he wanted. 

              So if Willow was pregnant with his baby, he vowed to do whatever it took to make everything work out for the best for everyone. He would make it his personal mission to ensure that Willow and his child never wanted for anything.