InsaneJournal

It had been just around a year since Chesa had returned to Dunhaven after the many years she had spent in Richmond, both for college and then as she'd gotten her business off the ground. A lot had happened in the year. She'd started having weird dreams and had stopped sleeping because of them, only to now have somehow found that she simply had the option to sleep and could otherwise stay up indefinitely without any ill effects. She had reconnected with her sister and felt as wounds slowly began to heal that she hadn't realized were there in the first place. She had met Jeb, someone she hadn't been looking for but had nevertheless fallen in love with.

The biggest event, it seemed, was yet to come. At least, that's what Chesa had to assume as she had watched the pregnancy test do its chemistry and show a positive result.

The idea that something was off had struck her a few days prior. Chesa had been feeling a bit out of sorts, but had assumed that she had just caught one of the several flu strains that seemed to be going around this year. For the sake of everyone around her, she had avoided the diner and mostly stayed contained to her workshop; it was best, she assumed, to keep her germs to herself. But when a few days passed with no real change to her symptoms, she had found herself on the internet. One search later and she was driving to the nearest store to buy the test that was giving her an answer she had already suspected.

Chesa's gut instinct was to tell Jeb, but she made herself hesitate. She wanted to know for sure, so she made an appointment at the clinic and asked the first person that came to mind to go with her -- Halie. Their relationship might have been a rollercoaster in this last year, but she knew that her sister would be there for her. And she had been, giving Chesa courage that she hadn't even realized she had been missing.

Of course, the doctor had told her what she had suspected, confirmed, and knew. She was pregnant. It wasn't a bad thing, she knew. If she were to have anyone's child, there was no doubt in her mind that she'd want it to be with Jeb. This hadn't been a conversation that they'd had before, however. They were in it for the long haul, she had no doubt, but children? Now?

Chesa texted Jeb as soon as she and Halie left the clinic, asking him if they could have a night in together. She knew that she wouldn't be able to wait any longer before talking to him. Not only did he deserve to know as soon as possible, she also knew that it would calm her mind if she was able to talk with Jeb about it. He was solid and a rock that she hadn't even realized she'd wanted. This would all feel more manageable, she told herself, once he knew.

And so, she drove over to Jeb's as they had discussed and hesitated in her car only a moment before taking in a deep breath and going into the house. "I'm here," she announced after letting herself in, pausing to shrug off her jacket and slip out of her shoes.

Jeb hated that Chesa had been feeling under the weather, though that seemed to be going around quite a bit. He hadn't seen her for a few days, though he had checked in with her. When she'd asked if she could come over that evening, Jeb hadn't hesitated to say yes. He had left the diner in capable hands, and gone home to make sure she had something palatable for dinner. He'd ended up stumbling upon a recipe for Chicken Sopas, which...differed a little from the traditional chicken noodle soup, but it was a filipino recipe and he thought maybe trying it would be a fun way to surprise her.

He'd gathered all the ingredients, cooking the chicken and shredding the vegetables. He thought elbow macaroni was...a little bit of an interesting choice, but a noodle was a noodle. In the end, it had made a delicious smelling, creamy chicken soup that would likely be somewhat easy on the stomach. He had a crusty bread that he thought might be good to soak with it or have buttered for a little extra filling, should she want...any of it at all. Maybe her appetite hadn't quite come back, but neither did he just want her to show up and him have nothing but the option to order in or heat up something from the pantry.

He heard the door open and her announcement, a small smile on his lips, "Kitchen!" he called back, giving the soup another little stir and tapping the spoon against the side of the pot to help clean off the excess before he settled it onto the spoon rest just to the side. Even when he looked up and saw her, Jeb didn't immediately move in for a kiss though he might have liked to, not really knowing how she was feeling. He smiled gently, "Hey. How are you feeling? I made chicken sopas...I thought maybe you might be able to stomach it."

Chesa had been able to follow the familiar smell through Jeb's house, though she didn't realize just what it was he was making until he told her as she entered the kitchen. A bright smile crossed her face as she stepped forward, picking up the spoon to stir the soup in the pot. "It looks amazing, Jeb," she said, looking up to him with that same smile. "Alejo used to make it for us when we were younger, whenever we were sick."

She replaced the spoon on the rest, glad in that moment that she actually felt like she might be able to eat something and keep it down. Though knowing what was causing her symptoms didn't make them automatically go away, she had to admit that knowing that she wasn't suffering some awful bacterial infection also calmed her mind a bit... at least until she remembered it wasn't a bacterial infection, but actually a growing fetus that was doing it. Trying to curb that thought, but knowing she couldn't ignore it for long, she stepped in to let one of her arms slip around Jeb, a guilt free motion now that she knew she couldn't pass anything onto him.

"I'm feeling a bit better today," she admitted, tipping her head to the side in consideration. "No throwing up today, which has felt like a win. I went to the doctor, though. Just to get checked out."

"I didn't know if you'd have had it or not, but I thought I'd try my hand at it," Jeb admitted, though now that he thought about it, maybe he should have called Alejo to ask for a recipe. Maybe, if she didn't care as much for this one, he could do that next time. He could have made any of the traditional Indian soups that he'd learned from his own grandmother, but none of them would have had the same, comforting sort of flavors.

She stepped forward and into his arms, and Jeb didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her in return, holding her close. He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, and had to admit that he was relieved that she was feeling better and that she'd gone to the doctor, just to be on the safe side, "I'm glad you're feeling better. Did the doctor give you any insights, or anything to help along the feeling better process?" He...didn't go to the doctor much himself, but rarely caught ill. It had been a long while since he'd had to take Cerys, either. So much so that the local doctors didn't even really know him much outside of the diner.

Chesa leaned in, just a little bit, as Jeb pressed a kiss to her head, taking all the comfort she could from that touch. It had only been a handful of days since she had seen him last, but after such a long stretch of seeing him almost daily at the diner, then upgrading to seeing him at the diner or on dates or her staying the night at his house, those days had felt much longer than they actually were. It was a relief to be standing there with him, to press into his arms.

"They ran a few tests, yeah," Chesa replied, not really answering his question. They had also only ran one test, given that she'd come specifically for it, but that was neither here nor there. Still, she hesitated, her gaze dropping from Jeb's for a moment as she considered her words. Her hands moved, landing on his shoulders before easing down to rest on his chest. She wasn't sure if this was something that was supposed to be eased into or if ripping a bandaid off was the way to go. What she did know, though, was that the last thing she wanted to do was string him along.

"They, um." She took in a breath and released it before finishing, "Well, I'm pregnant."

He was just waiting to hear what tests they'd run, and what the results of those tests might have been. He hoped that it wasn't anything to be too concerned about, though as she hesitated, her hands at his shoulders and then his chest, Jeb frowned just a little in concern.

That concern transitioned to shock just as easily when she spoke again. She...was pregnant. Chesa was pregnant. It hadn't been a stomach virus at all, then, but rather...morning sickness? Despite having raised a pre-teen into a teenager and then an adult, Jeb knew...very little about all the beginning process. He had devoted his whole youth to Cerys and being the best guardian figure that he could for her, and when she hadn't needed him anymore, Jeb had turned to work. He'd worked himself half to death until meeting Chesa, and had just seemed to find a good balance in his life again between work and his personal life.

It hadn't been planned. They hadn't even really talked about kids yet. Although Jeb felt certain that Chesa was always going to be a significant part of his future, it hadn't been all that long ago that they'd admitted to loving one another. Marriage had seemed a little ways off yet, and kids...well, he'd thought maybe sometime down the road. Probably a couple of years from now, but it seemed they were already in the middle of that particular decision.

He must have been quiet for several long moments, but he didn't let go of his hold around her waist. In fact, his hands tightened there just a little, "Okay...okay," he let out a slow, determinedly even breath, "How...how do you feel about that?"

Without entirely realizing it, Chesa found herself holding her breath as she waited through each silent moment that passed between herself and Jeb. Her heart seemed to just pound away in her chest and it wasn't until that very moment that it became just how incredibly clear how important his reaction to this was to her. She'd known that it was important, of course, but as her eyes searched his face for any hint of his thoughts and his hands gripped just a bit firmer around her waist, it wasn't until that moment that she felt she could release that breath.

"I don't..." Chesa's brow furrowed, trying to decide how she felt before simply admitting, "I don't know. We were pretty careful you know? I'm pretty good about my birth control, for the most part." Except when she wasn't. Sometimes the days would blend together when she didn't allow herself to sleep through the night. Could she have missed a day? It had happened before and she was only human. She sighed. "I wasn't expecting having a kid anytime soon, so it's just... a surprise."

They had been careful, or so Jeb had thought. Obviously they could have been more careful, but that was the case with hindsight. This was...already done, and he didn't want to think about the implications of undoing it. He knew that she had the most important choice in all of this, and that it was her choice. He didn't want to get ahead of himself in that particular train of thought. "Yeah. I...we hadn't exactly talked about it yet."

Jeb knew one thing for certain, and that was that he would be by her side and supporting her through this whole process, no matter what that happened to end up looking like. He gave a small sigh and leaned down a little, brushing a kiss to her forehead, "It's definitely a surprise, but...you've got me, Chesa. Whatever ends up happening, you're not doing this alone."

Chesa's eyes closed and she leaned into that kiss at her forehead, releasing a gentle breath as she took comfort from that touch. His words were more important, though, making the promise that she had known in her heart without him saying out loud -- but still finding great appreciation in it, nevertheless. If this was something that they were going to have to consider, one way or another, being on the same page and knowing that they were being honest with the other was incredibly important.

Leaning back just a bit, so she could properly look up to Jeb, she moved her hands up to his shoulders once more, until they met behind his neck. "I appreciate that," she said, her fingers sinking into his hair as she continued, "I knew it, but -- I appreciate it." She swallowed. "I always thought that I would want to have a family someday, when I found the right person that I'd want to settle down and make one with. Having a baby... it's big and daunting, but..." She let her head list to the side. "What do you think?"

In these past few months especially those casual touches with one another had become more and more prevalent. They kept him grounded now as her hands lingered at the back of his neck and even tangled a little into his hair. As she asked what he thought about the whole thing, he'd at least had a few moments to think it over and let his initial emotions settle.

"Well, I have the raising a teenager thing down," he told her with a small grin, "Not that it would help for a decade or so." Jeb's hands rested at her lower back, his fingers a gentle pressure there, "I didn't think it would be this soon, but I also thought having a kid or two would be in the cards if I met the right person. You are the right person, and I've known that for a long while now, Chesa. I know it's not planned, but I'm not...upset. It still just feels a little surreal."

Surreal. That was entirely the right word for it, Chesa thought. Only a couple of days ago, she had been convinced she was just coming down with some virus. She assumed she would get over it and her life would continue on as normal. Now she was looking at a potential eighteen year commitment -- more, most likely. There would be expenses and diapers to change and college funds to create. She had only had a couple years of having parents of her own to look up to, though Alejo had stepped in and done everything he could to give Chesa and Halie someone to look up to in their stead.

And Jeb. He'd done the same, she thought to herself. He had raised Cerys, stepping in and doing exactly what Alejo had done for herself. It wasn't the first time she'd had that thought, but it was the first time she'd had it with this between them. If there was ever someone she wanted to raise a child with, well. It was absolutely him.

"You're the right person, too." Chesa smiled up at him, her eyes a bit more watery than she'd have liked. At least they were happier tears, in that moment. "I've thought about our future a lot and I've known you're the person I'd wanted to do this with for a long time, too. And maybe I wasn't planning on us doing it now, but... I can see it. If it's something we both wanted."

"If I've learned anything over the last decade, it's that timing isn't always everything," Jeb told her with a small smile, reaching up to brush away the tears that had fallen onto her cheeks, his thumbs soothing them away, "Sometimes life just throws you something unexpected, and this time, at least, it's wonderful, too. I can see it, too, Ches. I don't need to think about it. I want this with you...a life, a family, all of it."

Maybe Jeb would have preferred to do things in a different order, given the chance, but this was already happening. It was something solid and real, not just some figment or idea. The rest would come along in due time, but this baby was the reality of their immediate future and Jeb wasn't afraid of that, "If it's all right with you, I'd...like to come to as many of the appointments as I can with you."

Chesa knew too much about life being particularly unexpected. For her, the unexpected twists and turns had almost entirely been negative. Most of them happened early on in her life, but she still felt the waves that they had created to this day. This wasn't negative, though. It was a surprise. It was a shock. But it was far from bad. Hearing Jeb say it out loud just set further ease on her shoulders.

"I'd really like you to be there," Chesa agreed with a nod. "I know my schedule is pretty much all flexibility, so I'll make sure to run times by you before making appointments." She paused, considering before admitting, "The only reason I didn't have you come today was because I really wanted to be sure and would have felt kind of silly if all they said was that I had the flu. I probably would have told you even if it hadn't been the case, so I guess it would have been fine either way, but..." She smiled up to him. "Next time, I promise."

He gave a small nod at her explanation, though if she had needed to go to that appointment without him, he would have understood. Even though they were in this relationship together, they'd made no legal promises to one another (yet,) and her medical records could have been a matter of privacy. Yes, he wanted to be there to support her, and to express his own interest in the wellbeing of their child, but Chesa needed to be okay with that too. It was her own vulnerability she was putting on the line.

Jeb grinned and offered, "I'd have gone with you gladly, but I'm glad you would have told me either way. I wouldn't have wanted for you to have had to deal with that suspicion all on your own, but...I think this will be really good, Chesa. I know it's not what we had in mind for right now, but I love you and...hell, it's been less than fifteen minutes and I already love this baby, too." He let out an almost shaky breath, "I'll find coverage at the diner. It shouldn't be hard." He had balanced that well before with Cerys. He would make adjustments now, but those old familiar scheduling patterns and the intuition of knowing how many he would need on staff to cover all bases was still there.

Chesa found herself smiling yet again, this one growing into a full grin. The novelty of Jeb telling her that he loved her hadn't grown old, and she very highly doubted that it ever would, but there was something new and wonderful about him saying the same for this child that they'd made. The same affection had solidified within her heart and knowing that he was going through something similar meant more than she could put into words. It was one other thing she wasn't necessarily surprised by, but that didn't mean she didn't appreciate it.

Reaching up, Chesa let her hands meet behind Jeb's neck and then pulled him down so she could kiss him. "I love you," she murmured, leaning back to meet his eyes. "This isn't where I expected my life to take me when I came back to Dunhaven, but I'm really happy that it did."

He had leaned into that kiss, his hands lingering there at her waist as he did. They were both going to need time to adjust to all of this, but it was nothing that they couldn't handle. As long as they were mutually agreed upon taking on this task together, Jeb refused to let worry enter his mind.

"I love you," he echoed, though the sentiment was no less heartfelt. An easy smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and he nodded just once, "Life with you so far has been one unexpected turn after another, Ches, but I'm ready for it. I'm embracing it with open arms. I'm looking forward to every twist and adventure, as long as I'm with you."