cont. from chapter 25
Fred
I couldn't take my eyes off of Alexis. I wasn't even sure that my body was working at all, really.
"You're what?"
She bit down on her lip. "I'm pregnant."
I chewed on my bottom lip, raking my fingers through my hair. "Are you sure?"
She nodded. "I-I went to the doctor today."
"How long have you known?" I asked, subtly opening my arms to accept her hug.
"I just found out today," she said, "it was just a normal checkup."
I hesitantly wrapped my arms around her neck, pressing my lips against her forehead.
"Are you mad?" She asked, pulling away from me.
"No, baby," I whispered, pulling her back into me, "no, I'm not mad. I'm shocked."
She nodded. "Me, too."
"When did it happen?" I asked, resting my chin on top of her head.
"I have no clue," she said, shaking her head.
I rubbed her hair, a smile tugging at my lips after the fact actually hit me. Alexis was pregnant.
"I'm scared," she whispered, pressing her face against my chest.
I cupped her face with my hands, shaking my head. "Why?"
She shook her head, twiddling her thumbs. "Fred, I can't go through that again. I won't make it out."
I flexed my jaw, pulling her into me. I wrapped my arms around her tightly, my lips against the top of her head. I had no idea how to console her, because I hadn't felt what she'd felt. Of course, I'd been hurt in a way I'd never been hurt before. Her pain was on a completely different scale from mine, though.
She sobbed, pulling away from me. "I'm pregnant."
She laughed and I chuckled, rubbing her cheek. "Yeah, you are."
She bit down on her lip, looking down at her stomach. "I'm pregnant."
I knelt down, pressing a kiss to her stomach. I wrapped my arms around her hips and held her close to me, closing my eyes. "You're pregnant."
She raked her fingers through my hair, clearing her throat. "God, you're supposed to be in a meeting right now."
I shook my head. "No, Jo can handle it."
I stood up, smiling down at her stomach as I brushed my fingertips against the silky material of her tank top.
"No, you need to go back," she sniffled, clearing her throat as she flattened out my shirt, "I don't even know why I didn't just wait-"
I grabbed her face, looking down at her. "I'm so glad you didn't."
She smiled, pressing a kiss to the corner of my mouth. "We're gonna do this."
"We're gonna do it," I said, smiling down at her.
She brushed her fingertips against my cheek. "Remember how everyone thought Jo was going to be the first to have a family?"
I laughed, nodding. "We made a bet. In junior year."
She laughed, biting down on her lip. "Yeah."
I wrapped my arms around her neck. "I'll stay, Lex."
"No," she said, "seriously. Go back to work."
