Without Me

Baby

1999
Ashley 20

Ashley sucked in another deep breath after another her knuckles turning white from gripping the rim of the toilet seat. Arthur kneeled behind her, his hand curled in her hair gripping it loosely, to keep it out of her face.

''Shush, it's ok,'' he cooed, allowing her to lean back into him. He didn't care that her forehead and neck were both covered in sweat, he cared about her being ok.

''I'm sorry, you should be at work not looking after me,'' Ashley had finished throwing up the contents of her stomach and finally found the energy to speak.

''You're kidding me right. We're engaged, I'm just getting ahead of the vows already,'' she giggled at his joke as he turned her slowly around to cuddle her to his chest.

''I smell and feel disgusting get off me,'' Ashley squirmed out of his grip and slowly she stood up. Arthur stood up with her, keeping a close eye on her figure at all times.

''You sure you're ok?'' He asked, watching his fiance as she grabbed a towel out of the cupboard.

''Yes, I'm going to take a shower and by the time I get out you're gonna be at work,'' Ashley pointed a stern finger and him and he just smirked, shaking his head.

''How about by the time you get out, I'm gone, but someone else will be here to look after you,'' Arthur suggested, pulling her by the waist into him.

''Fine,'' she huffed out, pulling away just as he leaned into her, ''I just threw up, you don't wanna kiss me.''

''Well then we can be sick together,'' he shot back, causing her to raise a tentative eyebrow at him, ''what?'' He asked looking at the confused expression on her face.

''I'm trying to figure out if that's cute or cringy,'' she replied scrunching up her nose a little.

''I'm gonna say a bit of both. love ya,'' he stole a kiss from her before she'd even realised he'd moved. Shaking her head, Ashley watched Arthur leave the room. Only when she'd heard the distinctive noise of the bedroom door slam shut, did she strip the rest of her clothes off to then get into the shower.

***

Ashley stepped out of the bathroom, a fluffy light pink dressing gown tied around her body. As she exited she was too busy towel drying her hair, that when she looked up, she let out a yelp in surprise. Ashley's sudden surprise came for the figure who had outstretched himself across the bed, a magazine in his hand and a square box next to him on the bed.

''It's you're birthday shouldn't I be the one giving you shit,'' Ashley asked, draping the towel on the back of her dressing table chair as she made her way over to sit next to him on the bed.

''Yeah and where is my shit if I may ask. Although I don't exactly care if you got me anything or not. But then again I am the best person you've ever met,'' Ashley sighed getting up again so she could open the drawer in Arthur's desk and pull out a wrapped package.

''Happy now?'' She snapped handing him the present, which he gratefully took from her.

''Depends what you got me,'' he shot back with a grin, sitting up straighter and beginning to open the present Ashley had just given him. As soon as he'd teared it open his jaw fell open in shock, ''how the fuck did you get this.''

''I may have begged Dre over and over again to see if he had any hanging around anywhere,'' Ashley shrugged, matching Marshall stare at the poster in shock, 2pacs signature sprawled on the bottom left.

''Fuck I married the wrong woman,'' Marshall laughed along with Ashley at the joke. However, some part inside him felt as if it was in a way the truth.

''What's in the box?'' Ashley quickly changed the subject pointing to the small oblong cardboard box Marshall had brought with him.

''Arthur asked me to get it, thinks you might need it,'' she frowned as he handed it to her. It was only when it was in her hands, did she realise what it contained.

''Art asked you to get this for me,'' Ashley slowly asked as she flipped the box over reading the instructions, although she wasn't sure how complicated peeing on a stick was that the test box needed instructions.

''Yeah, he called me to come over cause you were sick and asked if I'd buy the test and I did,'' he finished with a little proud grin on his face.

''Well excuse me while I go pee on this,'' she stated, taking the box with her into the bathroom.

Ashley sighed, she'd taken the test and was sat on the floor lent against the radiator in the bathroom. She'd only taken the test thirty seconds ago  so what followed felt like the longest minute of her life. Her breathing was uneven as she waited, the words of her doctor running round and round in her head, 'chance of pregnancy is abnormally low.' It was the words he'd said to her the last time she'd thought she was pregnant, however that time she hadn't taken a test. Although, she was aware home tests weren't always right anyway.

Glancing back up at the clock that hung on the wall, she realised her minute was up. Shakenly, Ashley stood up to look in the mirror so she could compose herself. Then slowly she moved her hand and glanced down at the small oval on the stick, her hand immediately moving to cover her mouth as tears streamed down her face.

''Marshall,'' she choked out. Within seconds she felt arms wrap around her, one of his hands pressing her head comfortably into his chest.

''What's it say?'' He asked unsure what type of emotion her reaction was.

''Positive. I'm pregnant,'' she replied a watery small appeared on her face, reassuring him that she was happy and it was good news.

Marshall let out low a shallow breath. He was a little taken aback by the news. Ashley, the youngest one out of the group was going to have a baby. 'Ashley's having a baby,' the phrase repeated itself in his mind again and again.