Naomi wakes up with a start, her stomach churning.
She rushes to the bathroom and retches into the toilet.
It's probably just work stress, she tells herself.
While her coffee brews, she places her hand over her stomach which is still weakly grumbling. She hasn't been polishing the podiums for very long but she's already been assigned a bunch of different errands.
She sits down with her hot cup of coffee and relishes the taste. After this she needs to get ready and then go to City Hall...
She didn't have to be so worried about getting the job. For whatever reason not many people were leaping at the opportunity to clean desks and run back and forth the building to get coffee for people and the day after interview they emailed her back.
She can only hope that she'll get a pay raise and different responsibilities soon. She can't count how many times people have looked at her with annoyance for being even slightly behind in giving them their caffeine. She can understand not being able to function without a boost... but the amount of caffeine these people ingest is insane!
But it's not her place to judge. They pay her, after all.
As Brianne said before they graduated, fall is just around the corner. Naomi has to pull on a jacket and gloves before she goes to work now.
Hopefully she doesn't mess anything up and her shift will go by quickly...
Her shift goes by quickly, indeed. Her boss sends her home after finding her running to the bathroom to throw up two hours into her shift.
"See a doctor, it's probably food poisoning or something," he said, pushing her out the door.
Naomi frowns; just because she vomited doesn't mean she can't do her job! She fidgets with her gloves, not feeling like calling the doctor just yet. Her pay for today's going to get docked...
Her mind quickly turns to her mysterious illness. What did she eat? Is something more serious wrong with her? Is she dying!?
Only one way to find out.
***
Calvin scowls deeply. He was sleeping off a hangover when Naomi called him in a panic and insisted that they meet up right now and no it can't wait, Calvin!
"What is it?" he demands irritably, "And why the hell are we meeting in a dog park?" Naomi couldn't stand being cooped up in the house. She hasn't been allowed at work for just a day but she feels like her leave will never end.
Naomi winces at Calvin's tone, "I went to the doctors...and...we're going to be parents. I'm pregnant."
Silence hangs between them for several moments.
"You're...what?" Calvin's legs actually go weak. This can't be happening.
Naomi bends her knees to look him in the eyes. His breathless expression makes her heart beat rapidly and anxiety lances through her veins. She unconsciously grips a handful of her hair.
"Pregnant. I'm going to have your baby Calvin! Calvin what are we going to do!? I don't make a lot of money, I can't support a child! What will people think!? young, unmarried..."
Naomi's words go into Calvin's ears and right back out again. He looks away from her tired, anxious face and tries not to freak the fuck out right there.
He was just out partying with the guys backstage last night, like he does most nights when he isn't with Naomi. They were on top of the world, having a blast... he can't be a father right now!
Naomi's sniffles snap him out of his panic. He instinctively wraps her into a hug.
"Don't worry," he says to them both, "We'll figure something out..."
Naomi's tears don't stop, but she clings to him desperately.
"How can you be sure? Neither of us make any money! I'm not even getting paid maternity leave! My boss just promised that I could keep my job once I get back, like that's supposed to help!"
He pulls back, projecting a weak confidence that he does not at all feel.
"Don't worry," he repeats, "We'll pool our resources... my parents... well they won't be thrilled at first, but they had kids young too. I'm sure they'll help us." If they don't, they're absolutely fucked, but he doesn't say that.
All Naomi can do is try and accept his false optimism.
For the time being, Calvin spends all the time he can with Naomi and their baby. The temptation to keep going out at night with his buddies is nearly crippling. His phone is turned off when he leaves the theatre. The pictures of the crew out at some house party claw at him whenever he turns it back on.
"Thanks for coming over again," Naomi soft voice brings him back.
He manages a thin smile, "Of course I did. Where else would I be?"
Both of them know the answer, but Naomi pretends she doesn't.
They decide to distract each other instead.
But when the lights are off and Calvin is asleep, her mind goes full throttle. What if their money isn't enough? What if she can't go back to work? Will her boss even take her back? He said he would but what if they find someone else to replace her while she's pregnant? Will her body recover quickly after she gives birth?
Will the delivery even go well? Can her body handle giving birth to a baby? What if she's crippled after the birth? Is this worry bad for her body? Will the baby be ok? What if something goes wrong and she can't go back to work? Will Calvin's parents still help them? What if they need to sell the house to get more money? Where would they go?
She tortures herself with questions she can't answer every night.
Calvin falls asleep easily, but some of his dreams become nightmares. Being fired, having to grovel for a promotion...
He wakes up in a cold sweat. He powers his phone on to check the time. 5 AM. He wipes his forehead. Staying at Naomi's house is still strange for him. In his house his parents, cousin, and three younger siblings are all at home, even if not at the same time. Their TV is on at all times of the day, his siblings argue with each other (if not with him), or his parents are cooking or talking to someone or Isabel comes back from work with a story. Naomi's house is just...too quiet.
He tries to shake off the disturbing silence by making breakfast. He tries to stay quiet for Naomi's sake, but even the noise of egg shells cracking or a spoon or whisk clinking against a bowl is better than nothing.
When Naomi wakes up, Calvin is just pulling the waffles out of the oven. What she notices, though, are the shooting pains in her back.
"Calvin? Calvin! Calvin, please..." she calls out desperately.
This happens most mornings now. Calvin comes over quickly, ready to massage.
"Does that feel better?"
Naomi nods, and then a thought pops into her mind. "I miss coffee."
Calvin laughs, "Well you can sleep in, you know?"
"With this back pain? You must be joking."
Calvin leans forward and pecks Naomi on the lips.
"Let's just have breakfast." He hopes it'll distract Naomi from her concerns.
"Where are we even going to put a nursery?" she raises practical matters.
"Your mom's old room?"
Naomi mulls it over, "But what if she wants to visit? Where would she sleep?"
"Well, is she coming by soon?"
Naomi looks down as she picks at her waffles, "...not exactly."
He looks up, "So no?"
"She hasn't answered any of my calls," Naomi says.
Calvin looks up, shocked, "Does she even know we're having a kid?"
"...not exactly," Naomi forces herself to admit.
"Naomi! We could use her help, you know!"
"Look, I don't want to talk about this. I'm going to take a bath."
Calvin scowls.
Why are he and his parents on the hook for all of this?
He goes to the gym to blow off some steam.
The burning in his muscles doesn't really provide the release he's looking for, though.
His brain drifts to the parties he's been missing the past few weeks. This doesn't seem fair at all; his girlfriend gets pregnant even though they were careful, she won't even ask her mother for help, and he has to pick up the slack? Why does his life have to change so much? He's not even 19 yet! He should be like his friends, not having to worry about family stuff and going out at night.
He hops off the treadmill. There's no point in staying with Naomi tonight, he thinks. Not when they're both so stressed.
He turns on his phone and sees texts from his co-workers about a band in town that wants to go out and have some fun tonight. What better way to unwind? He types a message and presses "send".
Sounds fun, I'm in.
Naomi, unaware of Calvin's plans, cleans the bathroom vigorously after her bath, her mind darting back and forth between her pregnancy and her disagreement with Calvin.
It's not her fault her mother hasn't returned any of her calls! And Calvin has no idea what kind of reaction her mother would have if she knew she was pregnant so young. She's nothing like Calvin's parents, who have a large family! Her mother would explode!
But still, his words stay with her. All she's done is call and then hang up. There's no way her mother could know that she's pregnant yet. She stares at the phone for a very long moment before picking it up gingerly. She enters the Starlight Shores prefix and then the other digits.
She tries to swallow her anxiety before pressing call.
The phone rings and rings and rings and right before Naomi considers hanging up, someone starts speaking.
You have reached Sage Silverly. I'm not at the phone right now, please leave a message with your contact details so I can get back to you promptly. Have a nice day.
The phone beeps.
"Hello mother, how are you? I have some news..."
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AN: I'm sure no one saw this coming.
Anyways, some rolls are revealed!
Naomi and Calvin...are a couple living together! Naomi is working in politics.
