Extinguished

~17~ Healing

Ellie's POV

It's been a couple weeks since I found out I was pregnant. Taylor and I are trying to work on some sort of a friendship. We're going to be in each other's lives forever now, whether I want to be or not. I wouldn't say we're "good" but we're trying.

We've got shift today, and it's been a slow day, thankfully. I'm still having morning sickness. Whoever named it that obviously has never been pregnant before. It's more like all day, every day sickness.

Taylor is playing cards with his men, so I go up to him, needing to talk.

"Can I borrow you for a second?" I ask as he glances up at me.

"Ahhh man, come on Freeman!!! You would interrupt when I've got a flush." Diego says as he looks up at me, annoyed.

"Don't worry, buddy I'm just watching out for ya. Mack over here has a straight flush" I say squeezing Mack's shoulder as I look at his hand.

Everyone simultaneously slams their cards down on the table saying "I'm out."

I snort as I share a secret smile with Mack. He didn't have anything good.

"Yup," Taylor says as he stands up, groaning and stretching his back. They've been playing for a while.

We walk to his office and I go in first.

"Do I need to shut the door?" He asks, holding the door knob.

"No," I say as I give him a gentle smile. I'm trying, I really am—But being in the same room with this man hurts.

"What's up?" He asks, crossing his arms casually.

I take a deep breath before I begin. I've been dreading this conversation for days.

"I just wanted to let you know that tomorrow morning I have my first doctor's appointment. There will be a sonogram. I just wanted to extend the invitation to you. I'm not expecting you to be there, but I want to give you the option to be as involved as you want to be."

Surprise crosses his face as he processes what I just said. He wasn't expecting to be invited to anything. "I would love to be there," he says warmly.

"Ok. But you need to know that the first appointment is a little awkward. The baby is so small, that they don't do the sonogram on the stomach," I say, trying to be as tactful as I can.

He smiles an understanding smile. "Ellie, we made this baby together. I've seen a whole lot more than just your stomach."

I look down as a blush creeps into my cheeks.

"What time is it?" He asks, thankfully changing the subject.

"Right after shift"

"Ok, well how about we ride together, and then we can grab lunch after," he asks, sounding excited.

"Let's start with the sonogram and see how it goes," I say. I don't want to get too comfortable with him again. It almost killed me last time.

The rest of shift goes quickly, with just a couple calls towards the end of the night. By the time morning rolls around, I'm nervous. I am almost regretting inviting him.

He comes up to me in the locker room, avoiding Jessica's gaze. The girl stares at him all of the time. I almost wonder if she has an actual problem.

"You ready to go?" He asks, as he grabs my duffle bag. I smile but say nothing. Like I said, I'm getting pretty nervous.

"You guys are going somewhere together?" Jessica asks, shock and annoyance evident in her tone.

"Mind your own business, Moss," Taylor says without even looking at her. He touches the small of my back as we walk out of the station.

The drive to the appointment is awkward. It's one thing to be around each other with people all around, but it's a whole other ballgame to be alone together in a car.

Taylor is a speeder. He's a good driver, but he tends to drive too fast, and likes to weave in and out of traffic constantly. For being a firefighter, he drives like an imbecile.

Today, however, he's driving like a normal person. He's obeying all traffic laws and actually staying under the speed limit.

"Why are ya driving like an old lady, Preston?"

He looks over at me and smiles. "My kid is in the car now," he says simply. The way that he says "my kid" gives me goosebumps. Not to knock Alex, but Taylor is going to be the best dad. This kid is lucky.

We get there, and I fill out the stack of paperwork they give me, and I give them a urine sample. We wait for a bit until my name is called. Once we get back there they take my weight, and then we go to the sonogram room. The sonogram room feels cold. Uncomfortable. Maybe it's because I'm nervous, but it's probably because I just had to go in the small bathroom and get undressed from the waist down. I go and sit in the chair, with a sheet wrapped around me.

Taylor is respectful. He keeps his eyes towards the ground, trying to give me as much privacy as he can. Once the sonographer has everything adjusted and the screen comes on, his eyes are peeled. He just stares at the little flicker of a heartbeat with tears in his eyes. I look up at him and he grabs my hand. We just sit there silently as we stare at our baby. I suddenly can't imagine my life without this child. I am completely and instantaneously in love. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Taylor feels the same way.

The appointment went so well, I agree to lunch. He takes me to my favorite Mexican restaurant.

The conversations are getting easier. Seeing our baby together healed something between us—Enough to be able to laugh together again.

We're about finished eating, when I suddenly look up. There in the corner, staring directly at us, is Jessica.

Yup, I'm thinking this girl definitely has some sort of problem.