Matters of the Heart

Bonus: Expecting Ethan

|| Calum ||

"Mads? I'm home!" I called through mine and Madison's shared apartment as I dropped my keys and the newest edition of the DSM-5 onto the kitchen counter. "Mads?" I called again when I had gotten no answer.

Weird. She said she'd be home for the day.

Walking into our bedroom, I found that my girlfriend was indeed home but was sitting on our bed staring out the window that overlooked the Southern California streets.

"Madison?"

My girlfriend's lack of response had me frowning as I made my way over to her and then sat down next to her.

As if she finally noted my presence, she turned to face me, her brown eyes glassy and rimmed red.

"You're home," She said and then bit her trembling lip.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked gently as I pulled her into my arms.

Instead of responding verbally, she burst into tears and wrapped her arms tightly around my torso while burying her face in my chest.

I felt my heart physically ache as Madison cried. Seeing and hearing my girlfriend cry is definitely in my top two list of things I hate having to do and trust me, it doesn't fall second.

"What's going on, Mads?" I asked softly as I held her. "Please don't cry, sweetheart. Talk to me."

"It's all such a mess, Cal," She hiccuped.

"What is?" I questioned, growing increasingly worried at her hysterical state. The last time she was like this she nearly broke up with me again...

For a few seconds, she took deep breaths before pulling out of my hold to look at me.

"I went to see a doctor with Kayli this morning," She said in a shaky voice.

Without warning, my mind began to think the worst. "W-why?" I asked as I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"I haven't been feeling so good lately but I didn't think it was anything major..." She stopped and let out a breath before continuing. "But then I spoke to aunt Celinė and aunt Ash and it got me thinking about some stuff but I didn't want to tell you until I was sure. But now I am."

"Sure of what?" I asked quietly, unable to stop the freight train of the worst-case scenarios in my head. 

She reached into the bedside table that sat on her side of the bed and pulled out a square of paper and handed it to me.

My eyes went wide. "I-is this what I think it is?"

She nodded and then burst into tears again prompting me to pull her back into my arms.

"Hey, shh, it's okay, sweetheart," I said to her. "It's okay."

"How is it okay, Calum?" She asked. "We're having a baby. An entire fucking baby."

I looked down at the navy blue and grey picture in my hand that showed a small bean-like shape in the middle of it.

A baby.

A literal baby.

Mine and Madison's baby.

"It's going to be okay, sweetheart," I said again, more firmly this time. "We're going to be okay."

"Things weren't supposed to go like this," She sighed, defeat evident in her voice. "We were supposed to get married first and then travel the world and then have kids..."