And a Baby Makes Three (Closed to silvertongue217)

[AlwaysFaithful]

Katherine Doyle stared at the pregnancy test on her bathroom counter. "Fuck." She snarled. It was positive. How in the hell could this happen? The 27 year old woman did not plan on having children. She scrubs her hands over her face, her pale grey ,nearly colorless eyes stare at the test, willing it to magically change to negative. Deciding it wasn't going to happen she ran a hand through her long mahogany hair before tying it back. "Hell, it's gotta be Asher's." She eyes the big German shepherd to laid in the hallway, watching his mistress. Leaving the bathroom she hunted for her phone, she was 5'6" an athletic 120 pounds, built like a runner. She grabbed her phone off the bedside table, next to her gold badge. Kat was a police officer in Chicago, to be more precise, she was a member of Chicago's most elite SWAT team. When there was a problem police couldn't solve, they called her unit. They never failed. Now everything would change. Pacing her bedroom she was dressed in basketball shorts and a snug black tank top, which exposed her naturally gold dusted skin, a legacy of a native American heritage.

She bit her lip, finding Asher's number and dialed it. Blowing out a breath she waited, knowing she was about to rock her best friend's life over a simple mistake they'd made. It had been one night of weakness, and the next morning they'd agreed to keep it at a one night, and after some awkwardness, they'd returned to their usual, albit strange friendship. Now it would all change again. She briefly thought about just having an abortion and moving on, never to tell Asher. But she quickly denied that idea, while she personally didn't have anything against abortions, she couldn't lie to Asher, even a lie by omission, by not telling him. They would decide together, besides, even if she didn't think she was the type to be a mother, she couldn't get behind the idea of getting rid of the child, even if it was going to complicate her life in so many ways. She paced her room, listening to the ringing phone, waiting for Asher to answer.

 

[silvertongue217]

Ring Ring

Ring Ring


Asher groaned wincing as the ringing phone hit his hang over hard. He slowly opened his eyes fumbling with his hands and grabbing his phone off the bedside dresser.

“Please go away” He groaned looking at the caller ID

It was Kat

“Shit” Asher mumbled knowing if he didn’t pick up she would get worried. He carefully untangled himself from the bed sheets and rose naked out of his small bed before tumbling into the bathroom.

“Hang on a minute” He said his voice heavy with sleep. He muted his phone washing up for second before taking care of his business. He ran a hand through his jet black hair and rubbed his green eyes scatching idly at his five o clock shadow as he finally hit unmute.

“What are you doing calling so early?” Asher said moving out of the bathroom and sitting on his bed “aren’t you supposed to be at work?” He asked worriedly.

 

[AlwaysFaithful]

Kat winced, hearing his groggy voice, she often forgot he didn't rise as early as she did. it was 7:05am, she'd been up for two hours already. "Sorry," She muttered and waited patiently for him to return. She sat down on the edge of her bed. "Uh, I took today off, it's just monthly training, so I was able to skip out." She mused almost absently. she closed her eyes as she sighed. "Asher.....I've got some news." She said, realizing it probably sounded bad when she said it like that so she hurried on. "You remember our one night stand a couple months ago?" She asked, a bit nervously, of course he did, how could one forget that? finally she just spit it out, "I'm pregnant." Its yours was implied. Sex was low on Kat's priority list so there was no chance this baby was anyone elses. "I've taken four tests, and I'm going to make a doctor's appointment to confirm. But I know I am." She continued softly, "I've been sick some mornings recently, and a few other early symptoms." She chewed on her lower lip as she waited for any response from the man who she called her best friend.

 

[silvertongue217]

There were some things in life you just were not prepared for. She said the words but they sounded faint as if she was talking down a really long tunnel. Ash about dropped the phone as the word ran through his mind.

Pregnant

She was pregnant and he knew she wouldn’t be telling if she wasn’t sure it was he who knocked her up. His mind raced as he went back to that drunken night they both decided to throw caution to the wind. In a way it had been like a dream to him simply because he had a crush on her for quite a while. Even so after they agreed to keep it that way with crushed Ash more than he cared to admit it. The sex was good (actually amazing) and with their connection he hoped for some thing more.

Now he was regretting that wish

“Pregnant” he said saying the words as if he was trying them on “your pregnant” he repeated rising off of his bed.

“Can you meet at our usual café” He asked going over to his closet “we need to talk about this and I think this is some thing that shouldn’t be over the phone”

 

[AlwaysFaithful]

She remained quiet, letting Ash process what she'd said and what it meant. She nodded, "Yeah, I can be there in twenty minutes." She said softly, she stood and began to get changed, saying her goodbyes to Ash. She dressed in a pair of jeans and a emerald green t-shirt. She brushed her hair, lying the long mahogany locks up in a snug tail. Sliding on her tennis shoes she grabbed her wallet and her badge out of habit. Leaving her house she went to her black dodge pickup truck. Sliding in she drove the few blocks to the café her and Ash favored. She parked and got out, greeting the waitress, Ashley by name and settling into their favorite booth in the corner. With a sigh she shook her head when Ashley offered to get Kat a coffee, Kat loved coffee immensely and she hated saying no. "Ah, just orange juice for me." She said as she waited for her best friend, her hand absently rested on her stomach, of course it didn't feel any different, but just the knowledge there was a baby growing inside of her was hard to comprehend.

 

[silvertongue217]

She hung up leaving him alone with his thoughts. He was tempted to crawl back in bed and pretend this hadn’t happened but she was waiting for him and he wouldn’t do that to her. Instead he rose going to his closet and pulling out his jeans and a fitted black polo shirt. He brushed his messy spiked air into some thing more fitting and left the house opting out of using his beat up old mustang. He preferred to walk most days in an attempt to keep off the pudge he worked so hard to get rid of after high school. Luckily the café was within walking distance and he reached it seconds after she did.

“Coffee for me please” He said to their usual waitress giving her a small smile as he sat down. He leaned back studying her hoping that he didn’t look to hung over.

“I never thought I would be here with you like this” Ash said shaking his head “First off I thought about it and I don’t want you to abort the baby yeah I may be having a crisis of faith but you know my family” He said softly watching her “It just doesn’t feel right”

 

[AlwaysFaithful]

She smiled when she saw Ash and when he sat down, he mentioned how he didn't want her to abort the baby. She let out a slow breath. "I thought about that too, and I don't think I could have done it." It just didn't feel right to her either. She thanked Ashley for her drink and ordered her usual omelet and bacon with a side of French fries. The waitress took Ash's order, if he wanted anything, before leaving. "I'm not sure how this happened. I mean I know nothing's 100%, but I'm on birth control, we used protection." She scrubbed a hand over her face, in her mind, using both should have made it nearly impossible to conceive. And yet here they were on that 0.1%

Eyeing her friend she murmured, "This changes everything, at least for nearly 10 months." While they'd decided that abortion was out of the question, they could still place the baby up for adoption, but again, something about that just didn't sit right with Kat. For better or worse this was her mistake, and she needed to deal with the responsibility of that, even if it meant changing her whole life around in order to raise a child.

 

[silvertongue217]

“For ten months?” Ash said snorting and shaking his head “There was a fan favorite saying of my dads remember if you were stupid enough to make the mess then you should be the one who handles it like it or not this is our child I would understand if you didn’t want to necessarily keep it but I will be a part of his life all the same” He said as the waitress brought him his biscuits and gravy.

“It is a lot to take in” He said softly looking out at the street “I mean you’re a bad ass cop who has been working to get where she got for years I know how much this will derail you” He said placing his hand on hers “but we can make it work if any one can its us” he remarked lightly.

 

[AlwaysFaithful]

She nods, "Yeah I feel the same way, we screwed up, we gotta deal with it." She said, digging into her meal, she always ate with speed though always cleanly. Probably a product of the fact that being a cop she often skipped meals, or got called away in the middle of meals. She nodded, "Yeah I'm gonna gave to talk to my Lt. I can remain on the team as a negotiator or a sniper, but the moment I say the word "Pregnant" they'll pull be off entry and bomb detail." Which was okay, Kat preferred to be a sniper or the negotiator. "But after the baby I don't know. I mean, I expected to be a cop until I had to retire, but if you add a baby in, I don't know if I should remain a cop or not. Hell there's no way I'm gonna be a desk jockey, either I'm in the field or I'm out completely." There was no half way with Katherine. Turning her hand over in his, linking fingers, she nodded, "Yeah We can make it, some way, some how." She had confidence in that.

 

[silvertongue217]

“I wouldn’t pay to much mind to all that stuff” Ash said soft5ly shaking his head “were going to have a lot on our plate come soon enough there’s no sense in worrying about things ten months from now” He reminded her even as his own mind raced with his most recent decision. He opened his mouth as if to tell her then stopped deciding now wasn’t a good time.

“The question is where do we go from here” He said pushing that away for another day “I mean not only about us but how we approach this we are two people having a baby we agreed that the night wasn’t going to be repeated and we live separately… should we move in together? For the time being?”

 

[AlwaysFaithful]

She nods, "Yeah," SHe couldn't jump ahead of herself, and worry about things that they didn't need to worry about yet. She listened to him, watching him curiously, nodding. "I don't know. I guess that's something to think about. I mean my house can be modified for a baby. It's got a yard with a fence, My guest room can be converted into a nursery, it still gives me my office, and really, how often do I need a guest room?" She said, it really wasn't all that often, so it wouldn't be a hardship to change it into a nursery. "If you want to give living together a try, we can." She honestly wasn't sure how it would work out, but they could give living together a try, she'd never actually lived with another person, after turning eighteen and leaving the foster system.

 

[silvertongue217]

HE nodded even as the thought of living with her filled him with nervousness. He had his own small studio apartment just how he liked it but with the baby coming he wanted to be around as much as possible. He could find one of his friends to take its ownership up he reasoned finding himself begining to get excited at the thought.

"Well then thats settled then" He said reaching out and taking her hand "I will go ahead and work on getting moved in I know you have work today" He said checking his phone and rising "I should have things settled once you move in I will take the couch for now" He said smiling at her even if it was one born of nerves

 

[AlwaysFaithful]

She nods, "Alright, I'll lock Jasper up so that he doesn't give you any problems." The dog was a highly trained personal protection dog, no matter how well he knew Asher, he wouldn't allow the man into the house until Kat was there to tell him it was okay. Kat knew they would need to work on that, once Asher moved in, to insure that Asher could come and go without fear of Jasper stopping him. Though the dog likely would just accept that the man lived there, once it was apparent that he wasn't leaving. Then it would be likely that he wouldn't need to be retrained to allow Asher in the house. "I'll see you later then." She said as they went their separate ways.

Kat returned home to change and leave Jasper in her bedroom. Then she went to work to go through their monthly training drills.

 

[silvertongue217]

He worked quickly calling a few of his buddies that owed him a favor and arranging them to help him move. Of course they wanted to know why he was moving in with some chick but he was still processing it so instead he paid them to not ask questions. Finding some one to rent out his apartment proved easier than he thought as well and he was able to find a halfway decent friend how he thought wouldn’t short him on the rent.

All in all things moved quickly for Ash so much so that when five in the evening rolled around he was inside the house and sitting on the couch. It was then that the full reality of his situation hit him.

He was going to be a father

He found the urge to smoke or drink kicking up but made no move to indulge his habits to rocked with fear and nerves. He had no idea how to be a parent…. He was 24 after all and just coming into his own. More than that his big decision to join the Navy know seemed like a slap in his face. Oh sure son go ahead go join up and defend your country and try to gain favor with your best friend slash love interest but oh wait now you have a kid who you might or might miss out on seeing grow up.

He sighed leaning back and closing his eyes trying to stay calm. It was a fools errand however and soon he was pacing brows furrowed as he tried to figure out what he was going to do.

 

[AlwaysFaithful]

Katherine told her LT that she was likely pregnant, and he nodded, immediately saying that she was off entry team, and would be kept as a sniper or negotiator until it was too risky for her to be in the field at all. For now though, she was allowed to join the rest of the team for monthly training. She geared up and met up with them. "It finally happens! Miss I'm always early is finally late!" A blonde haired man teased. "Bite me!" Kat smirks at him, Hunter was often Kat's partner at work, he was her scout when she was a sniper, he was lead entry and when necessary was her secondary negotiator.

The other members chuckled and ribbed her too, but soon they got down to busy, this team was impeccable. They could communicate without speaking, just looks, motions and hand signals. They made it through training and without getting a call they all were able to get out of work on time for a change and Kat drove home. "Hey," She greeted, finding it strange to have someone there when she made it home. She slid off her boots and went to the kitchen, getting a bottle of water before going up to let Jasper out before going back to Ash in the living room.

 

[silvertongue217]

“hey” said shuffling his feet a little nervously before leaning back “I hope work was well” He said deciding to be as good house mate as possible “ I went ahead and ordered some of your favorite food” He said pointing in the kitchen “ I am not sure what your usual night itme routine is and don’t want to get in you way” He said laughing and getting up to pull some thing out of his messenger bag.

“However I do know what our usual friends night in is” He said shaking the cheesy action films in the bag at her “so you grab the drinks I will grab the food and you and I can chill out on the couch like usual” He said coming over and kissing her cheek before going to her tv and taking out the movies.