Page 76 of Beyond Oblivion

“Cami…what?” he begged. “What the fuck’s going on? Is it bad? Did they find something?”

“I’m pregnant,” I blurted, laughing and crying at the same time.

Trenton shook his head, unable to understand.

“They did a pregnancy test as part of the lab work,” I continued. “Someone barged into the room right as they were about to put me under and screamed to stop because the test was positive,” I said, wiping my cheeks with the back of my free hand.

Trenton looked down, blinked, then returned his stunned gaze back to me. “They’re sure?”

I sniffed and nodded. “They’re sure. Dr. Ley will be in soon.”

“We’re,” he hesitated to say the words. “We’re having a baby?”

“We’re having a baby!” The words tumbled out through simultaneous tears and laughter.

“No fucking way!” he yelled, throwing his hands on top of his head. His eyes glossed over, and his face crumbled, his bottom lip trembling. “It’s… they’re sure? It’s not a mistake, right? They’re like…suresure?”

“We’re sure,” Dr. Ley said as he strolled in. The words he said next seemed to blur together as he explained that I was around six weeks, but because my periods were so irregular we’d have to wait to better pin down an exact due date, but it was likely early December. He talked about lab numbers, discharge procedure, and asked us to call for our first prenatal visit in the next day or two. As quickly as he arrived, he shook Trenton’s hand and left, leaving us alone.

I wiped a tear from his cheek as he stared at me, his bottom lip trembling. “December? I… just… wait a second. This is… this is real.”

“We’re really pregnant,” I beamed.

Trenton exhaled in total disbelief, and then gently cupped his hands along my jaw, leaning in to touch his lips to mine. When he finally backed away, he put a hand on my stomach, leaning down. “Hey, you.” His voice broke. “We’ve been waiting on you for a long, long time.”

“What if,” I began, but he shook his head quickly, closing his eyes.

“Please don’t. Don’t say it. Just… let’s just forget everything else and be happy. Right now, I just want to think about this baby, our family, and nothing else.”

I touched the back of his head. “Okay. You’re right. No what ifs.”

Chapter Eighteen

Trenton

“I don’t know this one.” I stared at the sonogram picture sitting on the nightstand, afraid it might disappear if I looked away.

Camille was lying in bed, the comforter pulled up to her underarms, the hospital bracelet still around her wrist as if it were the final mark of proof. She’d changed into my favorite T-shirt, wearing a simple black headband to push her bangs away from her face. She seemed calm, but I knew better. I could see the nerves simmering just under the surface by the way she fidgeted with the edge of the blanket.

“I want to scream it from the rooftops.” I felt manic, like the same electric buzz firing all over my body after a brawl. A Viking-like urge to raise my shaky fists in the air, saluting the sky while bellowing a victory roar—or something like that. It was animalistic, instinctual, and nearly impossible to contain. But Camille’s eyes softened, pulling me back, reminding me of the quiet strength she needed; a lighthouse, not the frat house cokehead with a megaphone. The next best thing would be to call everyone we knew, but there was just enough fear to keep me from reaching for my cell.

“But we’ve got time. We can keep this news just for us until it feels right to share,” I said softly, brushing a thumb over her knuckles.

She sighed, a ghost of a smile touching her lips, her hand instinctively resting on her stomach. “It’s so bizarre to think our baby is in there. Growing, sleeping, comfy, and warm. I want to finally be able to say it, but…” She trailed off, her voice catching in her throat.

“Thebutseems like it’s always there for us, huh?” I moved to sit on the edge of the bed, careful not to jostle her too much. “We’ve earned that hesitation. Hell, we’re the MVPs in the waiting game. But we’ve also been so damn patient for this. We’ve fought for that tiny, beautiful bean inside of you like it was the last PlayStation on Black Friday.”

“Fought,” she repeated like the word tasted bittersweet on her lips. “After years of trying and failing… I know you said to just focus on the happy, and I want to. But I feel like the moment I stop worrying and let myself feel joy, something’s going to go wrong.”

I nodded. I wanted to be positive, but considering what we’d been through, it was unrealistic to expect that from her… or from myself. “I can’t argue with that. We’re finally here where we’ve always wanted to be, but we’ve been in this cycle of hope and disappointment for so long that it feels like the second we eventhinkabout celebrating, it’ll vanish. Like the universe is sitting there, rubbing its hands together, just waiting to yank the rug out from under us.”

Her eyes flickered up to mine, her fingers tracing invisible patterns on the comforter. “Thank you. It makes me feel less crazy that you understand. I’ve prayed so often for this, and I have to remind myself to change it from asking for a baby to asking to keep this one safe.”

“Yeah, it’s the ultimate parent package deal—wrapped in equal parts love and sheer, gut-twisting terror. It’s like the unwritten contract we all sign when we bring a mini-me into the world: constant anxiety included, no refunds. But it’s the trade you make to raise a kid, to watch them grow, hit those little milestones, see that goofy pride on their face when they finally nail something. That’s the kicker, right? Love is precious because it’s vulnerable to a gazillion variables—one wrong move, andpoof, it’s all gone. Keeps you on your toes, keeps things… I mean how much can someone mean to you if they’re replaceable?”

She looked down at her middle, something I’d never get tired of. “I know I can’t shield this baby from everything that might go wrong, but if I’m lucky enough to meet her… or him… every breath, every laugh, every hug will be worth the risk a thousand times over.”

That hope, that tiny flash of light, was there in her voice, but it was fragile. And yet, I couldn’t help but feel it, too.

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