Primrose Complex, Chapter 4

The years flew by. Because of my love for the work, I did classes all year long and ended up graduating after only a few years.

I was also doing good at work. I became a paramedic quickly. The day I got the promotion, I drove home excitedly in my new car. I couldn't wait to tell Mom and Dad, and most of all, Parker.

I often met up with him at night, after Mom and Dad went to bed. They almost always went to sleep by 9:30, so I usually have plenty of time at night to be with him, since I'm a night owl.

Before I was too close to home, I called Parker through bluetooth and told him that we had to meet up that night. He said that he'd be home whenever I got the time to come over. I hated sneaking around my mom to see him, but she wouldn't approve...he's older than me, and she'd honestly think he's scary. He has an eyepatch and robotic arm from some accidents when he was younger. I'm afraid of what Mom would say...

"Mom! Dad!" I called when I finally got home. I had gotten distracted and driven almost all the way to Parker's house before I remembered that I had to go home and tell my parents first.

 
Of course, they were outside playing with the slip'n'slide. I laughed and called them in, telling them to get ready for dinner.

After they dried off and put on their normal clothes, they sat on the sofa. I ordered some pizza for dinner and stood in front of the TV to tell them the news.

"I got another promotion," I said, pausing as Mom gasped in happiness and watching Dad errupt in a smile, "I'm now a paramedic."

"You grew up so fast!" She laughed as she jumped up and hugged me tightly, "I'm so proud of you!"

Dad hugged me tightly once Mom leg go, "You're so smart. Just like your aunt."

Dinner arrived soon after that, and after eating and cleaning up, they got ready for bed. I texted Parker, telling him I'd be over soon, and waiting until they fell asleep. Once I was sure they were, I wrote a quick note and left it taped on the ladder of my bed. The note said that I had been called into work, and that I'd be home as soon as I could. I know, lying is bad, but this little white lie...it'll do nothing but calm their nerves if I stay out all night.

I changed into my normal clothes and drove to Parker's house. He had moved to town shortly after I turned 18 so we could meet, and be together. No one knew we were in love, and we planned to keep it that way for a while longer.

"Hey there sexy," he purred from as I walked in the door, and pulled me into a kiss.

"Nice to see you, handsome," I murmured between short kisses, "I have great news."

He pulled away for a minute to let me speak, "Yeah?"

"I got a promotion. I'm a paramedic, now."

"You remind me of someone I used to know," he said, "They used to love helping people, too," he pulled me into another kiss, "How should we celebrate?"

"I had one idea," I looked up through my lashes and bit my lower lip. He raised the eyebrow above his uninjured, smoldering, blue eye, "I hope you don't mind..." I leaned in and kissed his lower lip slowly, pulling away as he begged for more, "If my plan involved your bed getting messed up."

He picked me up and carried me to his room, then threw me on the bed and...

I don't think he'd appreciate me telling more, so I will end here...

********

I got home at around 3 in the morning and hid the note, then got a few hours of sleep before work. I didn't know at the time, but for the next few weeks, we wouldn't get to see each other at all. At first, it was just because I was busy or he was busy, but then I started feeling sick and actually took my first ever sick day since I found out about my powers.

After weeks of doing nothing but working, sleeping, and getting sick--the last of those was progressively getting worse as time went on--I realized what was going on.

I bought a pregnancy test to make sure, and there it was...a little pink plus.

I'm pregnant.

I'm having a child. Parker and I...

Oh, God, Mom doesn't even know Parker exists! How can I tell her...but it's not like I can really hide the pregnancy or anything.

I'll just have to tell her, and take whatever I get. Or...do I? I could...no, I won't abort Parker's baby!

I guess I'll just have to tell her.

I found Mom outside with Titan and Athena, and the newborn foal, Hermes, and called her to follow me up into the barn's loft.

"Let me finish up brushing Athena's coat," she said.

"Mom, I need to tell you something. It's very important. Athena can wait, I'm sure."

She sighed and followed me.

"What is it, baby girl?" She asked as she followed me up the stairs.

I didn't answer her immediately. I wanted to be sitting down on the sofa.

That sofa, for some reason, seemed like the right place to tell her. It is the most private part of the house, and I didn't really want to tell Dad yet.

 "What is it?" She asked again.

I stared forward, "Momma," I took in a deep breath as she waited for me to continue, "I'm pregnant."

She didn't look at me for a long time, just sat and stared out at the dirty walls and the various junk on the other side of the loft. It looked just like it had years ago.

"Who's the Daddy?" she asked, when she finally looked at me.

"It's um..." How could I explain to her that it was my older, who was plenty older than me and so different than anyone who ever lived in Appaloosa Plains..."Someone you haven't met before."

I expected her to be mad, but she just looked forward and closed her eyes silently. I had heard people say that the silence was worse than yelling, but had always thought they were just lying. They weren't. I stared intently, waiting for her to show any sign of what she was thinking.

She smiled then, just a small one, and giggled, "It's your invisible friend, right?" She asked like an innocent child acting wise, "Y'know, Geoffrey was mine. You probably shoulda' made it so others could see him before having a baby, but I guess either way works. I just hope the baby isn't invisible too!"

She looked expectantly at me, waiting for a response.

 I guess...I mean, I know I probably shouldn't lie to her like this, but really, letting her think that it's my imaginary friend(which I never had. I got a doll a lot like the one that Mom says Geoffrey used to be, but I never played with it and I guess I lost it somewhere...) couldn't be too bad, could it?

Letting her believe that would only save us all from a lot of trouble, so I let her believe that.

As we walked to the stairs and then down them, she went on and on, "Are you going to make him real? Y'know, you really should. I mean, growing up without a daddy can be hard."

She glanced back at me as we walked down the stairs, "Good!" she clapped, "Y'know, I can help. I made my own potion to make Geoffrey visible."

 "Maybe later, Mom," I sighed as we reached the bottom of the stairs, "I'll...ah, try to do it on my own first."

"Okey Dokey!" She said, and grabbed a brush before skipping out of the barn to find Athena and finish brushing her.

I walked to my room, through the door that had been personally added to my room so that I could leave the house without disturbing anyone late at night or early in the morning(for 'work').

Parker, I typed clumsily on my phone, we need to meet up. ASAP.

He sent a text back, telling me that he couldn't tonight, but that if I was willing to go to the gym the next day, we could meet up there and then go to his house afterwards. I agreed to it, and tried to go through my day as normally as possible, thankful that I didn't have work the next day.

As I fell asleep that night, I thought about this miracle...right now, a child is growing inside me. A little baby who could someday change the world.

That thought, alone, is amazing.