Page 105 of Jackson
“We are not getting married just becauseI’m…”
“Say the word, baby, goon.”
“We’re…oh fuck, Jack, we’repregnant!”
It was only then that she smiled, a fucking huge smile that lit up her face, making her eyes sparkle and glisten with more unshedtears.
“Well, technically you are, but I’ll take some accolade for my part,” Isaid.
I placed my hand over her stomach; she covered it withhers.
“You knew weeks ago, didn’t you?” shesaid.
I nodded. “I don’t know how, instinct, whatever. Or the fact your tits hurt, you’ve been moody, pissing all the time, and all you want to do is fuck the life out of me. I read about it, I like this stage of pregnancy. Can we stay at this pointforever?”
She started to laugh and then cry. I pulled her to my chest and rocked hergently.
“Don’t cry, baby, we’ve got this, trustme.”
“I don’t know why I’m crying. We need to do a test. I can’t wait for a doctor’s appointment. There must be an all-night chemist somewhere,” shesaid.
I untangled myself from her and stood. “Leave it to me, I’ll be back as soon as Ican.”
I rushed from the house, stumbling as I fiddled with my car keys in the door lock. I drove to an all-night pharmacy and rushed through the door. The pharmacist looked up from reading amagazine.
“My girlfriend is pregnant, what do I need?” I asked as I approached hiscounter.
“Congratulations, how far along isshe?”
“I don’t know, we need to do a test and I need…things,” Isaid.
“Okay, I can tell you’re a little excited. Let’s start with a test.” He produced a slim box from behind him and placed it on thecounter.
“Vitamins, and shit like that. I want her to be healthy, what do yourecommend?”
He proceeded to place a couple of boxes of vitamins andwell womentablets, as he describedthem.
“There must be other stuff we need,” I said, as I looked at the small horde on thecounter.
“It’s a little early to be worrying, she needs to take the test first. You also need to make an appointment at her doctor’s as soon as possible. They’ll advise on the nextsteps.”
I paid and as I grabbed the bag from the counter, he wished me luck. Did I look like I needed luck? I ran all the way back to thecar.
My fingers itched to make calls, to tell Perri and Dexter. I wanted the world to know I was going to be a father. I didn’t think I’d ever been excited about something as much as I was thatnight.
“Baby, get your arse in the toilet, did you drink more water?” I called out as I barrelled through the frontdoor.
I heard her sigh. “I have vitamins andwell womenshit as well. We need to work out a healthy eating plan,” I said. She sighedagain.
“Oh, and no more of that.” I snatched the bottle of water from herhand.
“Jack, for fuck’s sake,” shesaid.
“That plastic has chemicals, we’ll get a proper water bottle orsomething.”
“Yeah, a properplasticone. Just give me the damn testkit.”
I stood, hopping from foot to foot as she peed over the stick. We then waited, counting down the minutes. I checked my watchconstantly.
“Is it working?” I asked, after a couple ofminutes.
“It says to wait four and yes, I think it’s safe to say it’sworking.”
She held up the stick and already a faint blue line was visible in the small window. I held my breath as the line darkened and was joined by a second one. I had the instruction pamphlet open and I read out the results, results I alreadyknew.
“Baby, you’repregnant!”
