Forbidden love

Chapter 8: Nobody's ever safe in Rosewood

A few weeks later

Calling out to Ezra to hurry up, I grab my documents and papers and rush to the car with my keys in hand and a smile plastered across my face. He hurries behind me, excitement flooding through us both.
In the waiting room, we took a seat in one of the plain, cream cushioned chairs. I kept my gaze away from the older people, even the younger ones; my bump had formed ever so slightly now; I'd need to have completely bare skin for people to notice. However, they all knew why I was there. Their stares were cold and judgemental. I knew this would happen eventually; but I didn't think it would be this awkward. They were mainly staring to and from me and Ezra, trying to figure out our age gap.
Ezra cleared the back of his throat loudly and shot them an annoyed glare, they hurriedly buried their heads back into their glossy magazines, clearly embarrassed. I clasped his hand tight enough to say thank you and I didn't want him to let go of me and he didn't even attempt to let go. I think he needed the support as much as I did.
"Ezra Fitz and Aria Montgomery?" Was called by a young midwife, with bleached blonde hair took up into a ponytail and a pair of glasses sitting on her face. My legs felt shaky and my chest full of butterflies.
We followed her through into a smaller room with a hospital bed in the middle, a scanning machine to the side and a chair for Ezra to sit in.
I took my jacket and bag off and handed it to Ezra. I laid down on the papery sheets covering the bed as the midwife instructs me. She asks me questions, lots of them.
"How are you feeling?"
"Good thank you, a little tired though." I reply nervously.
"That's perfectly normal." She smiles kindly. "This is the baby's dad, right?"
"Yes." He answers.
"You're not smoking or drinking are you?"
"No." We both answer, shaking our heads.
"Good. Is where you live big enough to raise the baby?"
"We're in Ezra's parents' place at the moment, but we'll be moving into our new apartment before the baby's born."
"Will the new apartment be big enough?" She peers over her glasses at me.
"Yes, the apartment is a lot bigger than the last one we had and we also own the café below."
"Good, good. You mentioned Ezra's parents but what about your parents?"
"I don't see them. They didn't want to be involved." I swallow hard and look at Ezra to see if I made the right choice with what I said.
The midwife looks at me with sympathy and I smile in return but I honestly don't want people's sympathy anymore, I'm the happiest I've been in a long time.
"So you know what's going to happen today? You're going to have a scan to check your baby's heartbeat and to see if he/she is okay."
I nod.
"Okay, could you lift your t.shirt up slightly please?" I do so and I feel a cold gel being spread over my abdomen. "I'm just going to run the scanner over and see what that little baby of yours is doing okay?"
I nod again, nerves are taking over, I feel sick. I look at Ezra for reassurance. Suddenly, his face changes and lights up. "Aria, look." He points to the screen. My baby is there, its heartbeat is regular and its growth is normal. The baby's not even born yet and I can already relate to how mothers feel when they see their child for the first time. Ezra takes my hand in both of his and kisses it.
"Ezra, that's our baby!" I turn to him excitedly.
"That's our baby." He repeats, in awe of the little human being on the screen.
"You'll be good parents." The midwife says reassuringly. This gives me a piece of mind, but I'm sure she says it to every couple she works with.
"Thank you, really." I say as we make our way out of the room.
I hold the picture of the scan all the way home, staring at the baby that's growing inside of me, scared that they'll disappear if I take my eyes off them. Me and Ezra will move to the new place in a few days, but in the mean time his parents have been generous and have let us stay with them, even though his mom hates my guts with a passion.
We show them the picture but they don't react as enthusiastically as we would've liked.
"Mom? This is your first grandchild, at least look at the picture properly." Ezra says.
"I did Ezra." She clasps the cross around her neck between her finger and thumb.
"So why aren't you pleased?"
She exhales deeply, "Ezra I don't need this today, okay?"
"Mom, this is your first grandchild not some sale that dad's boring you with!"
I walk upstairs, leaving Ezra and his mom in a heated discussion which I'm sure was about pretty much everything that's happened since the beginning of the century. But I'm still smiling.
I start to pack a few more things into the boxes stacked around the bedroom and suitcases laid on the floor.
I know it was supposed to break me, not having my family to support me and being in school while being pregnant, but honestly, it's the happiest me and Ezra have been in a long, long time. Even -A seems to have backed off more; the texts have become pathetic and they don't affect me as much as they used to. Ezra leans against the door jamb as I pack more possessions into boxes.
"You should be resting." He says.
"I just thought I'd pack a few more things."
He sighs, "You shouldn't rush to please my parents you know?"
"I know Ezra, but I think we could really use our own space, this big house seems smaller every time I walk into it...and we're going to have to buy this little one more things soon."
I feel a slight shooting pain travel up my back and I wince, slightly bending down to relieve the pain.
"Aria?" Ezra looks at me worriedly. "Aria what is it?"
I breathe in and out, "Nothing, just back pain, I think I moved too quick that was all."

I eventually gave up with the packing and joined Ezra in the living room, a reality TV show blaring around it, I had a blanket draped over my legs and my head rested on two cushions on Ezra's lap. He stroked my hair as my eyelids started to droop.
As I wake up, his face comes into focus and he turns his attention away from the TV as he notices I'm awake, "Hey sleepyhead." He jokes, kissing my forehead.
"Hey." I yawn, smiling in return.
"I'm going to the store, do you want anything?"
"No I don't think so, do you need me to come?" I ask.
"You can if you want, do you want to?"
"Yeah, I think it'll do me good to go somewhere."
The roads aren't busy, but the fog is so thick Ezra travels with the full beam on for a full ten minutes. I switch the radio on low, letting the hum of the lyrics flow through the car.
Then a song plays that is instantly familiar and a smile starts to creep across my face.
"God I love this song." I say, turning to Ezra.
He looks at me and beams, "B26."
I laugh, "You were a hopeless romantic that night, you know?"
"You were flirting with me remember?" He laughs.
"I thought that was you...I'd like to know more about you." I mimicked.
"It was romantic!"
"I wouldn't exactly call ending the night on the bathroom counter romantic." I raise my eyebrows at him.
"Oh god I love you." He says, another smile on his face.
"Do you? That's good because I love you too." I say as he pulls to an opening at the end of the road.
He leans over and kisses me as he stops to look for cars. He pulls away and pulls the car out onto the next road.
"EZRA!!" My vision is filled with blurred headlights and a bang screeches through the air; shattering glass and a crunch of metal are the last things I hear.