Remember the Time

Chapter 35

August 10th, 1997

Mariah walked into the kitchen where Theresa was starting on breakfast.

Pat was sitting at the island drinking her coffee. "Good morning."

Theresa looked at Mariah. "I made you a cup of coffee."

"Actually, I'm on this new diet and I can't have caffeine at all." Mariah said.

Theresa raised an eyebrow. "Does this mean you're gonna stop drinking too? Alcohol is the worst when it comes to gaining weight."

Mariah chuckled. "Yes, it does. Also, I'm trying to avoid fish as much as possible and I need all of the meat I have to be cooked thoroughly."

Pat looked up at Mariah, continuing to sip her coffee.

Theresa nodded. "Of course. Any other requests?"

"Yeah, I need everything to be pasteurized. No more fresh juices and same with cheeses--can you make sure they're from pasteurized milk?"

Pat smiled. "I remember being pregnant. You gave me the most trouble."

"What?" Mariah raised an eyebrow. She responded so fast she nearly choked on air.

Pat looked her directly in the eye. "Mariah I've known for a while now, I was just waiting for you to tell me. Michael's shirts aren't that loose on you."

Mariah looked down and noticed how her stomach was poking out. She put hand over her bump and smiled at her mother.

"I just found out a couple weeks ago." She said.

"Well how far are you?" Pat asked.

Mariah shrugged. "I don't know. I don't have my appointment until the eighteenth."

"Well I'm guessing three, four months." Pat replied, looking down at an Interior Design magazine.

Mariah looked out in thought. She was easily three months pregnant since she and Michael hadn't been intimate in a while.

But if I'm three months, that means I was drinking through the first month, at least.

A troubled expression grew on her face as she gripped her stomach in fear.

August 10th, 1997

Mariah had been waiting all day to call Michael and see how his concerts went. Their relationship was improving and the awkwardness pretty much went away. She figured he was finished with his show so she called his hotel room, however it was Bill that answered the phone.

"Bill? Where's Michael?" She asked.

Bill seemed to hesitate. "He's sleeping right now."

"Are those doctors there?" Mariah asked.

Michael told her that they were sleep specialists but she was still weary of trusting them with her husband, especially at his most vulnerable.

"Yeah they're watching over him."

"Bill, I need you to be my eyes. I don't trust those doctors with him at all. He needs to be in good shape to come home to us." She said.

"Us?"

"Yeah." Mariah hesitated before divulging her secret. "Me and the baby."

"You and the wha- Mariah you pregnant and he don't know?" Bill asked.

"Well, you know how he's been latel-"

"I don't care how he's been lately! You don't hide something like that from a man whose only dying wish is to have a child." Bill explained. "You know I have to tell him, right?"