{ ❥ } Tℎℯ ℱuturℯ Oƒ Us

[Malfis]

→ ❶DRAMA ○ ❷ROMANCE ○ ➌FLUFF○ ❶SLICE OF LIFE ○ ❷MODERN STORY
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▇▇▇▇▇ { ❥ } From now until forever ... ▇▇▇ ▇▇ ▇▇ ▇ ▇

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Marriage was never easy, however this married couple never truly understood those words until they were thrust into the life style. So high off of their love for one another, the two met in college, and, essentially, fell in love with one another. Were they rather quick about it? Most would say yes, however the two never saw anything about it. They were convinced that they were each other's soul mates and that nothing would tear them apart. That they would be happy and just... Live life with one another with no worries.​

Sure, they knew that there would be some hardships, however it couldn't have been anything bad, right? After all, the man was happy to finally call his woman his wife, and the woman was happy to finally have his name.

The two married right after they graduated college. Friends and family, while some not approving, just going along with it. Maybe they could survive; after all, they really did seem to be in love with one another. And they were, at the time.

Teasing kisses against one another throughout the days, random hugs and just sweet words were passed among one another as a span of two years seemed to pass by in a blur, however that was when things seemed to take a turn. That was when reality set it for them.

They had finally decided that they were ready to have a child, so that they could start their family and have little feet running a muck in their house and fill the little sense of emptiness in their places, but things hadn't worked out so well. Try and try as they might, they could just never get pregnant, but it wasn't until later that they figured that something must be wrong with one of them, and it wasn't long until they found out that it was the wife who was the problem. She couldn't conceive, or so they had been told.

It set a deep rut in their relationship, causing arguments to break out, their little 'love nest' to turn into something that was anything but that. They were upset about not being able to have a child, but the husband was more upset that it was her fault, and the wife was more upset that he blamed her for something that she couldn't control. It just happened. The comfort that was once in the home was gone shortly after that, and soon after the husband soon found himself in the arms of another woman once he found that his needs went unfulfilled at home. Of course the wife had found out about it, had confronted him at some point about it, however they both had already figured that things were too late.

That's when they decided on divorcing one another. They just... Didn't love each other anymore.

But what happens when one drunken night before the two separated causes a... Surprise to happen? She was pregnant. It was a surprise to the both of them, but what does this all mean? Will it fix their problems, or will it only complicate things, or will nothing happen?

Can this little miracle save their marriage, perhaps, or will this baby be born into a broken home?​

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[Shelby]

How in hell did she usually find herself in situations like this?

A groggy feeling overtook the woman as she slowly began to open her eyes, the brightness of the lights only seeming to intensify the stinging sensation behind her eyes, the pounding of her head only coming to her at full force then. She felt weak, as if something just wasn't right with her. Well, then again, it's not like she's been feeling well for the past month. Just a general queasiness to her body, just a general weak feeling. She always brought it back to the increasing worry and concern of her divorce though. The impending notion that she would be leaving her husband, the man she thought she loved and thought loved her back. But then he had to seek the comfort of another woman behind her back; he had to depend on someone else to make him happy.

Then again, it's not like she was doing a very good job of doing so. But why should she be the one to blame? It wasn't her fault that she couldn't conceive a child. It just happened, and she could do nothing about it. Everything had just gone down hill though. The both of them were to blame. Maybe they really weren't right for each other. Maybe this divorce was good for them. They were both young and they had so much to live for. They could find other people to love and share their life with...

Why did that seem like such a terrible idea though?

Hope closed her eyes back, taking a deep, shaky breath before she turned her head to the side. Where was she anyway? The last thing she remember was being at her work, talking with one of her best friends about a wedding shoot she was having to do this weekend, and then when she stood up too quickly from a sudden noise that had come from somewhere, and then... Blackness. Had she passed out?

She couldn't deny how dizzy she had become over the past month, as well as this weird sickness that seemed to overtake her, but Hope had always just passed it off as stress from everything she was dealing with. What with work and trying to figure out the settlements with the divorce since the papers were finally going to be finalized in a month, it was hard. And just overall having to deal with the fact that her marriage had failed, just like both of her parents had warned her of, it was sad. This wasn't where she thought she would be in her life. She never expected to have to deal with any of this and she hated it. Hated that she was losing a husband and would now be alone.

But, you know what? Screw him. There had definitely become this increasing anger towards the man and how she had come to, maybe not hate him, but just didn't want anything to do with him. Then again, usually when those moments would pass, when she would be so pissed at the man, she couldn't deny that there was still a part of her that loved him.

"Mrs. Sinclair?" Hope opened her eyes back up to see a nurse walking into her room, a smile on the other woman's face. "Ah, it's good to see that you're awake."

Confused, Hope blinked her eyes, finally now catching onto everything. In a hospital gown, a consistent beeping ringing in her ears, an IV in her arm... "What happened?"

"You fainted, about half an hour ago I believe." The nurse walked over to the screens that sat next to the bed, her eyes searching out everything she had seen before turning her eyes back to Hope. "You seem to be fine now, but we've called your husband and he should be here soon. There's... Something the doctor would like to speak with you about."

Completely flicking off the thought that they had called her "husband", her mind instantly went to the last part of the nurse's comment. The doctor wanted to say something to her. Was something wrong with her? Her mouth hung open slightly as she turned to look away, afraid now.

...What? "I don't think that there's anything wrong, but the doctor really would like for your husband to be here so that he can talk to the both of you about it. So just rest now and take it easy, okay?"

"Right, sure. Thank you." And with that the nurse left. Hope turned to look at at the ceiling, frowning. What could the news be?

 

[Malfis]

Another normal day for William Sinclair. His dark blue-grey eyes had scanned the room of the classroom as he watched students doze off during his speech. He sighed, rather annoyed but brushed aside their behavior. He had more important manners to attend to, like the lady who he'd be meeting later. Just the thought of holding such a woman in his arms was motivation for him to finish his business.

Ruffling his dirty blonde hair, his slender fingers flipped through the textbook in a routine manner. Words flew from his lips, as if he was a robot. Nothing unusual happened for the remaining minutes. Students raised there hands and asked questions. He bluntly replied. The clock signaled the end of the secession. Quickly packing up, he kept a close eye on the watch attached on his left wrist. Ironically it was a gift from his wife and he still kept it despite having divorce papers ready. The separation would be for the best. They were no longer ... in love.

A left on the corner of the street and then another right. He could already see the faint brick outline of the coffee shop. The apple of his eye was already seated in the dainty chair, her slender legs crossed over - looking like miles long. Long dark red hair fell down her shoulders and her brilliant green eyes twinkled as soon as she noticed him. Dressed in a formal manner, she looked like a pristine doll.

"Apologies for being late, class ran later than I had expected," he murmured as she rose to quickly plant a supple kiss on his lips. He couldn't help but smile just a bit, she was so lovely. The constant nagging reminder of his wife had evaporated long ago.

The lady before him was named Amber Faust. He had met her during one of the school's yearly events. She was a mere college graduate who had landed herself a job in admissions. They had gotten to know each other through the months. While she told him of her abusive past relationships, he confided about his own broken marriage. Through their time spent together, things had gotten serious and fast. They had discussed the possibilities and he was confident that nothing would stop it.

Just as they were in the middle of their afternoon rendez-vous, his cellphone rang. He pulled it out in surprise, he never got a phone call from her anymore. He picked up and the simple words of hospital and emergency was enough to shoot up the nerves in his body. He explained the situation and he was grateful for the fact that Amber didn't mind him leaving in such a rush. Without a doubt, he'd fight with Hope later.

As soon as he arrived in the hospital and gave the front desk his name, he was directed to see his wife. What could it be? Was she ill? He wasn't happy nor was he prepared to hear whatever the doctors had to say. He just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

 

[Shelby]

The thought of what the doctor could possibly need to tell her persisted through her mind. What else was wrong with her? Sighing, Hope ran a hand through her hair as she turned her head to look to the side, her eyes scanning out the window. The sun was still shining, the sky still blue, birds still chirping. It was a bit of a depressing thought, to think that despite her troubles and worries life still went on. Happy and quickly.

She just only wished that she could have the same attitude.

Since the divorce papers had been filed, she had essentially drowned herself in work as best as she could so that she wouldn't think about it so often. Being a professional photographer came with odd hours, however the fact that her and her best friend, Amy, had opened up a business just about right after they graduated from college changed that a little. It was a lot of work, but over the past couple of years the business had been doing pretty well. It had definitely been slow at the start; most people had other places they liked to go to for pictures or had other people to take pictures for them at special events, but, somehow, it was just like they got lucky. And they were so grateful for it. But Hope generally took care of their clients for special events, such as weddings, senior portraits, and other things like that. Things that involved people being on location for things was what she normally took care of. There was definitely no question as to why she always kept her camera with her. She just liked taking pictures and capturing moments. Amy usually handled things at the studio, such as with just regular portraits that people wanted with a simple kind of backdrop.

She loved her job though, despite the investment she had put into it at the beginning. It had been quite the money spender, and because of the fact that it was just around the time she got married when they opened up, it had probably been the start of their first few arguments of their marriage.

Oh, if only that could have worked itself out better.

Groaning to herself, Hope frowned again but rose her brows when she heard the door to her room begin to open. Her own mind processed the thought that it was the nurse again, and she had half a mind to just say that she could send the doctor in and tell her the news without her husband, but when she turned to look at the door, she stopped. Oh great, he actually came.

She narrowed her eyes at the sight of her soon to be ex-husband, growing tense under his gaze before she turned to look away from him. That bitter resentment she held towards him was beginning to rise again. The two spoke no words to each other though; just this evident tension sat in the room between the two, and as the minutes wore on, she just wondered how long it would take for the doctor to get there.

"Ah, you're here Mr. Sinclair." Again that same nurse came into the room with a clipboard in hand, a smile still on her lips. "I'll go ahead and let the doctor know that you've arrived. So, you can have a seat, and he should be here in few minutes." And again she was gone.

 

[Malfis]

He sighed in exasperation. His eyes flickered to hers for a quick instant and then his attention was caught by the papers in the nurse's hands. He was antsy as he paced back and forth, not bothering to speak to Hope. Despite the apparent sunshine and effulgent brilliance of the sky, he was in a sour mood. In propensity, he would have rather not heard the news and carried on with the rest of his day. The man had things to do and plans to keep up with. Shouldn't she have been off snapping photos with her stupid camera anyways?

The distinct memory of her proposition to start a business sounded too ambitious at the time. Though when she rose to her success, he was rather proud. But just as quickly as things had gotten better, they went downhill on the roller-coaster yet again - the arguments reoccurred and many of them had been so trivial.

Arms crossed, he was anxious. The amount of minutes that ticked by seemed endless and all these people clad in white gowns seemed to move in slow motion. He hated the smell of disinfect and hospitals in general but he had arrived only because there seemed to be some dire news to be presented before the pair. William glanced at the doorway when a doctor had finally arrived. The aged man fixed up his spectacles and seemed to be scrawling some notes onto the file.

He murmured something to the nurse before she nodded and exited the room.

The evident tension between the two of them created an invisible gap. While she sat on the examination table, he stood next to the cabinets of varied medicinal instruments.

"Please inform us what's exactly wrong with my ... wife," he muttered tentatively - the word itself left an unpleasant after taste.

The doctor nodded and closed the door shut.

 

[Shelby]

With his wife... The way he even said it didn't sound right in her ears. What once used to be a happy term, him being able to call her his wife and her being able to call him her husband, was now only used in a term because their connection between one another had yet to be severed. Well, just one more month and all of that would be over with. Hope's eyes peered up at the doctor as he looked between the two after having shut the door and walked so that he was standing at the foot of the bed, essentially between the two before he cleared his throat.

"Well, there's not anything necessarily wrong with your wife, Mr. Sinclair. Actually, I believe it to be anything but." A little bit of a smile graced the doctor's lips, but it only seemed to confuse Hope all the more.

She sat up a little to straighten her position, furrowing her brows as she shook her head. "I don't understand," she started, "how can something good come from me passing out?"

"As normal for people who come after having fainted, we give them blood test. It's mostly just to see if there's something wrong in the person's blood that may be a clear indicator as to why this happened, but... Have you been feeling faint lately? Any dizziness when doing anything too strenuous?" The doctor rose his brows, but Hope merely looked down at her lap and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Just for the past month. It's nothing though; I'm just stressed." She looked back up, again shaking her head as she huffed out a breath. "Look, if you could just tell me what's wrong it would be better. There's no need in prolonging something, especially if something is wrong with me." Something more wrong with her, she almost added, but kept her mouth closed instead.

The doctor paused, looked from Hope to William and then back before he took a breath and looked back at his clipboard and then looked up. "You're pregnant, Mrs. Sinclair."

And those words made her stop. "E-excuse me?"

"Well, when we got your blood test back you had the hormones running through you. Now, I don't know exactly how far along you are, so I would advise you make an appointment to an obstetrician or your gynecologist to figure all of that out." Again the man smiled. "The fact you've been feeling faint and even fainted yourself is probably a result of you having an effect with the changing hormones in your body, as well as the stress you say you've been having, so I would suggest you take things a little easy from now on just so that something like this doesn't happen again."

"...I don't understand." Finally Hope's eyes went to look at William before they turned to look at the doctor. "I can't get pregnant. I've been told that I can't!"

The man shrugged. "Apparently you can. Something must have happened, because the results show that you are." He walked back over to the door, but before opening he turned back to the two. "I'll leave you be two be to talk about this while I go ahead and let the nurse know you're ready for your paperwork so that you can leave. You're going to be fine." He smile. "Congratulations." Opening the door then, he closed it back softly behind him.

Her heart was racing now, her eyes wide open as her jaw hung slack. She moved one of her hands to cover her mouth as she looked down at her lap. "I'm pregnant," she whispered in disbelief. "Oh my God, I'm pregnant." Except, she didn't know whether to be happy or distressed about it. Well, this would explain why she had been throwing up. It wasn't because she had some stomach bug; it was because she had morning sickness. She was pregnant.

 

[Malfis]

William was anticipating for the worst, his ears were alert. He sighed as he drowned out the mumbling of the doctor, rather annoyed that he hadn't gotten to the point just yet. He listened carefully, he hadn't expected to hear that she had been faint. After all, for the past few weeks they had decided to live separately and of course - she didn't confide to him about her personal life anymore. It was of the utmost normalcy for two people soon to be divorced anyways.

"Lots of hectic stress," he agreed for once. When the candid truth was poured out from the silence, William thought his heart would stop. Pregnant. What a heavy word to place. How was it possible? He thought over to himself. Then he remembered. An instant snapshot of the months prior - they had gotten drunk and things happened. It was on the spur of the moment. He didn't think there would be any consequences but apparently not. He remained silent. The words were processing through his thick skull but he had no proper response to the situation. It had been his wildest dreams to be a father but not like this.

When the door had finally shut, he glanced over at her. His eyes scanned her up and down. She was carrying his child. His.

"Shit," he murmured, his eyebrows furrowing together. Just when he had thought things would be over - it wasn't. What were they going to do now? Whether he liked it or not, he would be a parent one way or another. The idea of abortion or giving this little child up for adoption was absurd. He refused to even consider it. He had pursued a job in teaching so that someday he'd be able to give his own children the best education.

After so many futile years, the day had finally come. It was as if God was mocking him.

"Well ..." he said hesitantly before turning his attention to her yet again, "we have quite a lot of things to discuss now." He had instinctively touched his ring finger but the band that had once bound them together was gone. "I think it's best if we do some postponing on the divorce papers. Now that there's a child involved..." He enunciated each word with careful selection. He didn't want to make any more mistakes like he had.

"Do you have a plan?" he cocked an eyebrow - she had always been one to voice her opinions after all. Now would be a time when it finally mattered to him.

 

[Shelby]

Attempt after attempt they had never been able to conceive with one another because of her PCOS, and now all of a sudden she was pregnant out of the blue? Well, it certainly wasn't out of the blue, seeing as she clearly remember the last time they had slept with one another, and he was the last one she slept with so there was no question as to whether or not he was the father, but... Why now? Why did it have to happen in such a critical point in her life, if at all. Though she had not accepted the fact that she couldn't conceive and just dealt with the fact instead, she just couldn't find herself to be ecstatic about a moment like this.

Heh, even after all of the fertility treatments she had went though. All the heartache and tears and pain, and now she was pregnant as if it was nothing. All because of one drunk night that she regretted as soon as she had woken up beside him that next morning.

Hope leaned back again, trying to calm her nerves down, trying to keep her mind sated for the moment. She needed to think; she needed to think about what she was going to do and how she was going to deal with all of this. She had even forgotten for a second that William was in the room with her racing thoughts, but as soon as he spoke up she picked her head up to look at him. Postpone the divorce papers? No, he was right. That probably would be the best. But then that just made her worry; was this going to turn into some type of custody battle that an infant was going to have to endure? And that was assuming that nothing was going to go wrong with this pregnancy and she actually had the baby.

She didn't want to get her hopes up. She didn't want to give herself this great satisfaction in case something went wrong and she was left disappointed again.

"Why would I have a plan?" She shot at him, that same sense of bitterness still there, despite all of this. "I never expected to get pregnant." Running the both of her hands up her face and then down again, she took a deep breath, let it out, and then dropped her hands. She used to have a plan, and she even used to think that she had everything planned out for a baby. But as soon as she figured out that it was highly unlikely that she would ever conceive, and after all of those failed attempts and it was told that if none of those worked then she wouldn't ever be able to... She tossed all of those ideas and thoughts away, because she thought that they didn't matter anymore. "I don't know. I'll call Dr. Henson as soon as I leave and set up an appointment for the closest available time." Oh, so many times they had met with that woman in the past, except now they would be under so many different circumstances. "I need to figure out how far along I am, and if I even am pregnant."

 

[Malfis]

With utmost peace, as he began to think of the future. The child that now existed - most likely existed would need both of his or her parents. But with how things were going now, a miracle would be needed to save the ruins of their destroyed relationship. William wasn't proud at that moment for his recklessness. If she had conceived before he had committed his adulterous crimes, then maybe the present would have been different. Maybe in that moment he would have been overjoyed. But right then and there, he was conflicted. Ambivalent feelings drifting to and fro as he pondered the options that were given before him. He didn't want to fight her for this being but he didn't have the intentions of prolonging the pain they both felt from each other.

That night that he had slept with her had only been on a whim. He was guaranteed that nothing would have happened from it but now he could only scoff at his own stupidity. He shouldn't have doubted the smallest percentage that it was possible.

He saw the tension in her eyes as she seemed to grip her fingers into a fist - deep in thought. In other circumstances he would have soothed and comforted her but he couldn't bring himself to touch her. They were divided by a thick sheet of glass that had severed their connection long ago. They had fought night after night and by now, Will was exhausted by the memories of the past.

"Because you've always enjoyed dictating schedules," he replied in a venomous tone. He kept his calm but the rancorous tone was laced in every sharp syllable. "Neither of us expected it," stating it as an obvious fact but then spoke in a gentler manner, "but we were proven wrong..." How he had thought of a future with rascals at his feet, tiring him with their mischief and laughter. Even if it was a lot of a work, it would be worth it. He nodded, "tell me when, I want to accompany you for the confirmation so we can settle the future once and for all." He glanced over at her, wishing he could ask her if she was ok, why she didn't tell him about her ill days - but he couldn't. They were no longer special to each other. She didn't need to know if he cared. They were almost over anyways. What was the point?

Just as they had finished discussing the topic, the nurse had filed in with all the documents in hand as she gave two pens for the both of them to sign. When it was all done and complete he spoke up again, "Come on, I'll send you home." It wasn't a question or a choice, he had taken her hand and they departed the building. Palms cold and breath frosty in the air, the lack of warmth sent a chill through his bones. He opened the passenger seat of his jet black car before getting inside himself. The long trip on the road was one with snow and silence.

(occ: feel free to time skip :))

 

[Shelby]

That tone of his. She hated how he sounded when speaking with her, hated the way she sounded when she spoke with him. It was nothing like it used to be with their soft tones, usually full of love. But they were no longer that and probably never would be, so would could she do about it? Just suck it up until the day came when she wouldn't have to deal with him any longer, if that day was ever going to come. After all, if she was pregnant, then they would be in each other's lives no matter what, even if they still did get a divorce.

They were a broken home, and they probably still would be even after the baby, and what kind of life would the child have? Only being able to see each parent when their time was given, never being able to spend time together as a true family. Hope never wanted a life like that, and she never wanted to see or have a child go through something like that because it wasn't fair to them. They didn't ask for their parents to end up falling out of love with each other. They didn't ask for the separation, yet they were forced to deal with it with no control over the situation. Why put a child through something like that?

Just as those thoughts ran through her mind her throat started to tighten a bit, her eyes beginning to fill with the beginning of tears. No, she wouldn't cry; she refused to cry in William's presence, especially now. She didn't want him to know that she was weak, like she always had tried to not be especially in the early stages of their relationship, yet he had prevailed through and broke those walls of hers down. Now they were back up though.

She didn't comment back to anything he had said. Only gave a silent nod and let his words pass by her. She felt like she had already heard it all from him anyway. The papers came and went though, and after the nurse unhooked her from everything she went to change back into her clothes, grabbed her purse, and before she was able to walk out of hospital and call Amy to come and pick her up, William had grabbed her hand and told her that he would be taking her home. But despite her need to just get away from him, she didn't rip her hand from his grasp and let him lead her to the car.

Though they were separated they had agreed that she could still stay in the house while William had found some other establishment to stay in for the time being. Hope always figured that after everything was settled, especially the matters of the house and other belongings, and if she got that house that she would sell it, because what would be the point in keeping a house for only one person? Well, one person and a kitten, seeing as how as soon as they had decided to live separately the impending sense of loneliness had become too much for her, causing her to adopt that animal as soon as she had seen him through the window of the local animal shelter. But that was something he didn't need to know about. When they finally made it to the house, as soon as he parked the car in the drive way she opened the door and got out the car, mumbling that she'd let him know the time as soon as she found out, and then closed it and left, heading up to the house and closing the front door behind her.

------

Hope was a little surprised that there had been an available time to schedule an appointment with Dr. Henson the next day, however she wasn't about to complain about it in the slightest bit. As she sat in the waiting room of the building, she drubbed her fingers against her lap, biting her lip out of nervous habit as she scanned the room. Pregnant women with their husbands with them, all looking happy, all of them looking down at their protruding bellies. She used to think that her and Will would be like that. Apparently she had always been wrong. Thinking of him, where was he? Furrowing her brows she looked down at her watch. She told him the appointment was at one o'clock, and it was twelve fifty-five. Alright, so many she was a stickler for scheduling and being on time for things, but still. She figured he would have been as anxious about this as she was about all of this.

She rested her head back against the wall before tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear.

 

[Malfis]

He hadn't minded splitting the house. There weren't many valuables anyways, he kept most of his papers elsewhere. Though she might have thought that he chose to live with his lover - no, matter of fact he had roomed with one of his old college room mates. Though living spaces weren't the best, he didn't mind. Things were better when neither of them fought over something stupid. Plus he did get more energy than he used to. The blessed hours of sleep were rejuvenating.

As soon as she disappeared into the doorway, he sighed, letting out a breath of air he hadn't realized that he had been holding in. He quietly drove off into the darkness of the night.

---

He was agitated at his work place, his eyes constantly drifting to the clocks, his phone and his wristwatch. He knew he was going to be late but he had to have his exams completed. As soon as the last student had turned in the test, he was off. Some co-workers attempted to stop by and make small chat but he was in an immediate rush. Ignoring all, he drove through the traffic like a madman. Plenty of angry honks sounded in his ears but he didn't care. He needed to be there.

Finally with five minutes to spare he had arrived, out of breath and exhausted as he panted from the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He had saw her in the room with plenty of other couples. He felt guilty for not coming on time but he had made it. He feebly shot a small smile before one of the ladies at the front desk had called their names.

"Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair, please come on, Dr. Henson is waiting for you in the last room on the right." The woman at the desk called out. Will quickly shuffled after Hope. Feeling rather protective right then and there. He was excited yet nervous for the conformation of whether the child was real or not. A part of him wanted it but he was terrified at the same time.

 

[Shelby]

When the door opened again, Hope turned to look, almost sighing in relief when she saw that it was Will, but when she noticed his heavy breathing and an odd face he made, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. Right, just try and make himself seem as if he actually had tried to be on time by making it seem as if he had to rush here. Yeah right. He was probably with that other woman doing God knows that while she was here waiting to see whether or not she was with child. She didn't catch the feeble attempt at a smile that he sent her way, and instead just stood up as their name was called and headed to the back where they were directed towards.

She had been in this office enough time to know where things were, probably too often for her own good, but when you were desperate enough to try and have a baby and figure out what the problem was, she would go to any measures of it. Nevertheless, when they walked into the room it all came back to her hard. While this was normally a place of happiness, it had always been everything but to her. But, at least she had a good doctor, one that she actually liked, and one that seemed to genuinely care for her patients. She shook the feeling aside, though, and put a smile on her face as soon as she saw Dr. Henson stand up from the little chair she sat in. Her curly hair still in a bun, that same optimistic look upon the woman's face.

"William, Hope, it's so nice to see you two again." The two women hugged before Dr. Henson turned to William, giving him a nod and a bright smile. "How have you two been?"

Hope shrugged at the question as she set her purse down beside the bed that she would have to lay on at some point. That's right, she didn't know about the upcoming divorce. "We've been... Well. Relatively anyway."

"Good, good to hear." She nodded her head. "Okay, I want to run some test on you first, just as a routine thing to make sure that everything is okay with you before we go ahead and check your situation. Okay?" Hope had already spoken with the woman about what she had found out at the hospital over the phone, which she had an inkling of a thought was what prompted the doctor to actually have a time open for her to come in, especially so soon after finding out. But, even Hope couldn't deny that even though there was this sense of hope that came from the woman, even she seemed a little nervous about it. "You can take a seat in here Will and wait for Hope to come back after everything is done. It shouldn't take too long, so just relax for a little bit."

And Dr. Henson had been right. It hadn't taken too long for Hope to get everything finished up, though it had probably taken up to thirty minutes before she had come back to the room. After all she did have to have a full physical done, completely with blood test and everything else. She had even had to get a pelvic exam, and while not very comfortable, she had remembered getting some of them before hand and, again, just dealt with everything that was thrown at her. When she had come back to the room she had already been changed into a gown, and laid down on the exam table and laid back, only looking to William for a quick second, a second of concern flashing through her eyes, before she looked away.

Dr. Henson made small talk, mentioning to her and Will that she was in good health and shape, though there was a little worry with the show of her blood pressure at the moment, but otherwise she seemed fine. "I'll let you know of the results of the other test once they come in, but if you're anything like you have been your previous times here, then you should be all fine." Dr. Henson grabbed the instruments that she would be needing, and since Hope wouldn't be getting the ultrasound the abdominal way, well, she was getting it the other way. "If you'll look at the screen, it should show you in a few seconds what's going on inside of you, and given the information you've already told me, you should be about eight or nine weeks along. So if everything is okay, we should see and maybe even hear the heartbeat."

She lifted her legs up and took a breath, closing her eyes as a sudden wave of nerves crashed through her. So, this would be it. This would show whether or not she really was pregnant and if the baby was okay. She swallowed, squirmed a little as it was a bit uncomfortable, though definitely not as much as the pelvic exam had been, and just laid there.

And then there was a sound. A repetitive thumping noise that persisted through her ears. "It's your baby," Dr. Henson spoke up, even a little bit of a laugh coming from her as she pointed to the screen. "That's the heart beat, and that's your baby right there. That little dot."

She was pregnant. She was really pregnant. As Hope continued to listen to the heartbeat, she turned to look at the screen, looking at what the doctor was pointing at. And that was when her emotions got to her. Her eyes watered, a few tears slipping from her face as she covered her mouth with her hands and sniffed. It was there, it was right there. Her baby.

 

[Malfis]

Hope was indifferent as per usual and he gulped down the sting he felt. Things just weren't the same anymore. He kept quiet as Dr. Henson said what she had to say and he did as he was told. He nervously tugged on his tie with his index and thumb. His fingers ran through the mop of messy tangled hair. He bit his lips, thinking over and over of what would happen. He hadn't even told his family about the divorce. All they knew was that the marriage was in a turbulent mess and neither of his parents would approve of a separation with a baby on the way. They weren't teenagers, for heaven's sake they were adults and married. His mother would have most likely slapped him across the cheek if she found out about his affair. At least his family had stopped hassling after they had moved away.

His face was buried in his palms as he thought about the child. Again and again, he could see the face of a person he had helped create. He wanted to laugh, to think that he had finally got what he had wanted after such a long time. But now it was a little too late. He was in a tornado of feelings, not knowing whether to force a smile or lose his mind. His sanity was never stable around Hope. Not even back in the good old days, where her crazy personality drove him mad with love. Such a past felt distant and foggy but it stuck to his vault of memories.

When she finally came back, he briefly locked eyes with Hope, reading the emotions that lingered in her radiant eyes before looking away. Though no words were present, he was still concerned. Not only because she was carrying a child. But like her name indicated, there was Hope. Hope in a brighter future. Looking back now, he knew he had majorly fucked up. He had come to terms with the fact that he was an asshole. He owed her a million apologies and he had no idea where to start. But at the same time what if she didn't want it. Maybe it would be for the best that they lived by themselves.

"That's good to hear," he said tentatively. The procedure had been the same all the time but unlike previous visits, reality had set in. There was a child existing. He felt his own heart skip a beat when he heard the mention of heartbeat. The living breathing human inside of her wasn't a fantasy anymore.

The moment the thumping began he felt his throat go dry. He was in awe, his eyes glued to the screen. Not even realizing it, his hand had instantly gripped onto hers, squeezing it in a comforting manner. Just like he did when they had failed before. But there it was. None of it had been a lie. He didn't know what to do. It was inevitable, he was going to be a father. This wasn't a joke.

Dr. Henson smiled before shutting the monitor off. "I'll be back to grab a few papers for you for the upcoming months. We have a lot to discuss, diet, blood tests and such..." she rambled off before vanishing out of the room.

He turned to Hope, one hand still on hers while the other brushed aside the tangled hair that had gotten in her face. "We need to decide where to go from here," his voice cracked slightly. "The papers have been postponed as of right now. I'm going to move back in - to help you out." He had made up his mind and there was no way to change it. Things with Amber would have to wait a bit longer. He had duties to fulfill as a husband. No matter how shitty his behavior had been in the past - he needed to do something now.

"I know you don't like the sound of it but it's the least I can do after the messes in the past." He met her gaze, blue-grey eyes intense with motivation to set out on his goal. One hand rested gently on her stomach, "we have something worth working together for once. For the sake of this child, shall we try?" It was a far fetched proposal. He wasn't asking for her forgiveness or to erase all the mistakes that had been made. Only a chance of redemption and living in peace and harmony - no matter how cliche that was.

 

[Shelby]

It was disappointing when everything had been shut off and taken away from her, but despite all of that she could still hear the heartbeat resonating in her mind. There was actually something inside of her. After all of this time and after everything they had been through. She was actually pregnant with a baby, one that she hadn't expected, but one that she already felt that she loved because it was so unexpected. Because, despite the predicament she found herself in, she was gifted with a baby.

Their hands were still held, Hope squeezing his back. It was almost as if they were back in the past, except now that were having a different outcome than before. Except... It wasn't. Her hand loosened its grip then until it finally slipped from Will's hand and rested against the edge of the table, her other hand wiping away the tears that had streamed down her face. Her eyes went straight to Will and listened to what he said, knowing that despite what she said he would be moving back into the house. While she didn't necessarily like the idea, she could tell from the way he looked that he was serious and that he wasn't going back on it. It was how he was, how he had always been, but it had been one of the defining traits of him that drew her to him. The fact that he was so confident in his decisions, that he was usually just so confident with things in general.

But with that came a lot of things that she didn't like, things that started to show up later on.

She looked down at his hand as he rested it against her stomach, blinking her eyes as she blew out a sigh. Though this was supposed to be a happy moment, there was still this tension between then. He wasn't... Hoping to fix their marriage indefinitely, maybe. Or rather they weren't doing it for themselves, but for the baby. And she agreed with it, even nodded her head with the terms, but it was only because she didn't want this baby to have to deal with any unnecessary drama after he or she was born. They had to be parents, no matter what. "...For the baby. Yeah. We can work together for the baby."

There was a bit of a saddened tone in her voice, however after clearing her throat she shook her head and sat up before she stepped off of the table and headed to where her clothes were. "I'll go get changed. I'll be back."

About a minute after she had gotten back from changing back into her clothes, Dr. Henson had come back, and the three of the discussed the different topics and such that needed to be discussed. They talked about what was to be expected, how she could keep herself, and the baby, healthy, and what Will could do to help all of that. They talked of later visits, of what she could expect throughout the pregnancy and the different type of classes they might want to go to once it got closer to the due date of the baby, and just... Everything.

It was overwhelming, to say the least, but Hope listened with open ears and took mental notes. Every once in a while she would glance down at the pamphlets that they were given, shifting her eyes through the words every once in a while.

"I do want you to take it easy, especially for the rest of your first trimester, Hope. I don't really know how much of an effect your PCOS might have, or if any of the fertility treatments you've taken in the past will have effected anything, but women are most likely to miscarry in their first trimester, and with your case... You need to be careful, and you need to call and let me know immediately if you think something is wrong or if something abnormal is happening. You have my personal number, so call even if it's after hours." It was a scary thought, to think that they could lose the baby at any point, but she hoped that that didn't happen. "I'm pretty sure that you're in the clear though, seeing as you've have no abdominal pains or spotting or anything abnormal for this part of the pregnancy, so that's extremely good."

Looking between the two, they said few more things before Dr. Henson leaned back in her seat and folded her hands in her lap. "Do you two have any more questions?" Hope turned to Will, wondering if he did.

 

[Malfis]

William had come to terms with the fact that things wouldn't be so perfectly painted anymore. The flaws were real and it was time he took the problems like a man. He was going to sacrifice the time needed so that the child wouldn't be born into disaster. Maybe he'd even find a friendship with Hope if that's what it took. Though divorce wouldn't be official until they decided on bringing it forth again, it still lied in the back of his head as an option. He sighed, wondering if he was making the best choice he could at that moment.

"Then it's settled," a stoic reply as he made mental arrangements in his head. He thought to himself some more before the doctor's question had interrupted his focus. "No, no it's alright. I've done my research. I'll take care of her to the best of my abilities," he swallowed the words with the most ingenuity he could create.

He waited for Hope and Dr. Henson to finish their discussion - deciding to talk about the topic in the car. Luckily he had the rest of the day off and so he could get everything done by that evening. He didn't move out with many belongings anyways, for the past couple of months - he had been retiring on a couch in his old room mate's apartment. He had enough clothes to fit in a suitcase and if he ever needed more, he would have stopped by their house.

With his hands on the wheel he decided to break the ice with a comment. Soft music had been turned on, rather old jazz compositions with the lack of lyrics but only a rhythmic beat of the saxophone echoed through out the car. "I know you're really focused on that business of yours but you think Amy will be able to handle it for you in the meantime? I just don't want you to have any accidents. Even though it's early, like Dr. Henson said, you need to relax. I know- I know, it's photography but I'm still against you working."

Another sigh, "I'll drop you off at the house and return at night. I'll crash on the couch." She liked her space after all - he had no intentions of making the situation more awkward than it already hard turned out to be.

 

[Shelby]

Take care of her to the best of his abilities. That just made Hope wonder all the more if he was actually being sincere about any of that, or if he had just been saying that because he felt as if he really had to. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she sighed and folded her arms across her chest before shaking her head, having no more questions, and saying that if she did she'd give Dr. Henson a call, or if anything odd came up.

After making her next appointment, which was in four weeks, she followed along with William to his car, again finding herself not wanting to be in such a small place with him, but she had no choice. After all, her car had been in the shop for the past week because of some problems she was having with it, however she was supposed to be getting it back tomorrow which she found herself very happy about. Now she wouldn't have to bug Amy to drive her places, despite the fact that her friend had always said that it was no problem, but Hope always had an issue with seeming like she was being a burden on people. She leaned herself back against the seat after buckling herself in, letting the soft music play in her ears as her eyes slipped close for a second, just trying to get through the rest of the car ride, her mind so worked and wired with so many thoughts and feelings. But as soon as Will spoke up, her eyes opened, and she turned to look at him.

"It's not just photography," she scoffed, shaking her head before she turned to look out the window. "Either way, I can't leave everything to Amy, and I can't stop working. I've got a big client this weekend for a wedding, that we're being paid a very good amount for might I add, that I cannot miss and Amy isn't the one who takes care of the weddings and one of the girls who usually assist me with them is out of town for the weekend. So no, I can't stop working." She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she frowned. "Besides, I've already got things booked for next week that I need to take care of too." Believe it or not it was actually a lot of work, especially since she had purposefully been trying to give herself too much work. Nevertheless, she figured that she'd be fine. A lot of women worked, after all, when they were pregnant. "I can't just drop everything like that; it's not that easy."

Dropping her hand back in her lap, she glanced back over to Will. "The couch is all yours." And then a thought came to mind. "Oh, and just to let you know so that you don't accidentally step on him when you come in tonight, I have a cat, well kitten actually, now. You're going to have to clean the litter box since I'm pregnant too." Now that actually made her smirk.

 

[Malfis]

A swallow of spit and a bite of his tongue resisted a sharp comment. She always had an infatuation with photography. At first it seemed like lovely thing to do but once the years passed, it was like living with the paparazzi. Wherever they went, she had to have a stupid damn camera in her hands. Without a doubt, she'd be bombarding their child with as many snap shots as possible.

An agitated scowl was etched visibly on his visage. The ardor she had for her work had been something he admired but now - it was an annoyance. "Well can't you arrange to work at home until this big event? You heard Dr. Henson, I'm worried for the child's sake." He had been careful, refusing to act like he cared for her. It would only make things more complicated than it already was. Her stubborn willpower pressed his nerves, which he was attempting to reign in. Adding anymore fuel to his flammable temper could ignite into yet another argument. It seemed like he would have to compromise with her wishes. "Fine, I don't have plans this weekend, I'll accompany you." It wasn't an offer. He'd go anyways. How ironic, they'd be together for another's wedding - pretending to be a couple. At least that's how they acted with most outsiders around.

Countless times people had asked him how he made his marriage worked. With a plastered smile and an air of confidence, he had lied through his teeth. Deception had become a part of him - he had molded himself into a fake.

"A cat of anything you could have gotten?" He rolled his eyes, suppressing the urge to groan. The grip on the steering wheel had grown tighter. He was never particularly fond of animals but at least cats ... well they didn't need to be walked and cleaned after themselves. "I'm sure you can still the house chores though. I've never been a fan of laundry dear," sardonic while flashing a short but raw smile her way before his attention returned to the road.

"Now that we're in this ... scenario, I'll cancel other plans." He didn't need to spell out the words for her but it did mean that he'd take a short break from his dear fiery haired Amber. She probably didn't give two fucks what he did.

 

[Shelby]

"You don't think I'm worried about our child's health too? Hell, I'm terrified of what could happen, and though I want to get comfortable and completely enthusiastic about this, I can't be." And Hope knew he could figure out why; because it seemed like every time something came with her fertility it always ended up in heartbreak. What if it happened to her again, even after knowing that she was actually pregnant now? She turned to look at him, scrunching her face as she rested her elbow against the passenger door and propped her head against her hand. This is not what she wanted to talk about; having to take off work, but... What if he was right? What if it really would be best for her to just not go in and let Amy handle everything.

The thought bothered her though, if only because she felt that when she had work to do she had to get it done. She didn't like leaving things be, and she didn't like other people taking her work, especially if she could do it herself. But could she really do it? Breathing out a sigh, her shoulders drooped. "I don't know," she said, the frustration clearly there in her voice. "I've got a meeting with a client tomorrow, but otherwise I don't think I have much to do until the wedding. I'll... See if I can do it from home." No matter how detested she was of the thought, she figured that she could at least make an effort. She was pregnant, and the child deserved that much at least. "Fine. Make sure you have a nice suit or tuxedo then; it's a black tie event, and even the people working have to dress nice. And don't think you'll just be a guest there doing nothing. You'll be helping me with any equipment that I need to be set up or carried around."

Who would have thought she would have been going to a wedding with him. Of course it was under different circumstances, but there was still something that unnerved her about it. She didn't necessarily like the thought of it either, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to change his mind.

She rolled her eyes, snorting lightly before she leaned back against the seat and folded her arms across her chest. "Oh trust me, you're lucky I got a cat instead of a dog. Otherwise I would have taught the dog to attack men like you." And she wasn't necessarily lying about it. But at his next comment she couldn't help but give him a look, scrunching her face up. "I'm sure I can still do chores, but if you think I'm going to do your laundry then you're wrong." They weren't a couple anymore, or at least not as far as she was concerned. As soon as he decided to sleep around with that other woman he ended that between them. She didn't have to do his laundry. She didn't have to cook meals for him anymore and she didn't have to act civil around him either. She wasn't his wife in her mind, and he wasn't her husband in her mind, no matter how they hadn't legally gotten that taken care of yet.

Pushing off the thought of his last comment, not even wanting to know what plans he needed to cancel. "I'm not telling my parents about this yet." It was a sudden thought, but she knew she couldn't say anything to them about it until she was further along. "Especially not that you're back in the house. I'm sure you remember how... Fond they are of you." It was no secret that her parents had never taken a liking to William, even when they got married, but they still attended the wedding. And both of them knew about the divorce and the problems that they had been having, except that fact that he had had an affair. No, that would have caused more trouble than she wanted.

 

[Malfis]

Grit teeth and restraint sufficed, preventing him from bickering again. He questioned why he had bothered telling her in the first place since she had her mind on her shoulders. If any accident occurred along the way, it would only resume the divorce process as soon as possible. Though knowing her PCOS, this was a miracle for her and she would do everything to keep this child. Even if half of him had produced it.

"Good," he muttered half heartily as his eyes never lingered from the road. His jaw was clenched and he bore his usual stoic expression around her. This mask was now habitual and closed the walls between the both of them even more. "So long as it's nothing too complicated, so be it. I haven't signed up to be your slave." He spat with a sigh of annoyance. He knew that she wanted her revenge and if it would be petty little errands such as this, he'd let her have the nine months of fun. Then all of this hell would be over.

A wedding, quite a contradiction. While they were to attend and pretend to be happy - it would most likely reflect with misery. For Will, he would only be reminded of the stupid proposal and rushing everything so early. He hadn't thought about it carefully and in the moment he had asked her.

"Your ideas of a threat are as feeble as ever," his cold nonchalant attitude numbed the heated comments from her. "So long as you remember how to share then things should go smoothly." Sarcasm oozed from it. They had their differences and she did things her way and he did it is. The house was just for temporary time anyways - he'd plan on getting out as often as possible when he could. She was suffocating as it was in the car.

"Wait it out, knowing your record - wouldn't want to bring anyone's hopes up." A flat out insult that he had no shame in bringing up. He had stopped caring about his in laws opinions ever since they had their falling out. Long ago he had begged her parents for everything until they had reluctantly agreed to their union but with the current situation, he had gotten foul looks by both her mother and father. Will had patience but it only lasted for so long.

"You can get out now." The car had pulled up the driveway. "I'll be back around eight, going to get my stuff." And with that said, he watched her leave and enter into the house without much of a bye.

---

It had taken him longer than expected but he had got every single damn item in the car. It was nearly eleven and he was tired. His old house keys still remained in his pocket, shiny and new from the lack of it's use. He had pulled up to the familiar driveway and turned off the car. He opened the front door before going to the trunk and carrying the boxes he had back inside. The lights were off and everything seemed silent until he noticed glowing eyes. He had almost forgotten she had a cat. The creature had gotten closer and rubbed it's face toward his ankle while he merely ignored it.

He wasn't sure if she was still awake but the shuffling of his belongings made plenty of noise and commotion. With a mental list in mind to complete, he'd leave the clutter on the floor, take a quick shower and then retire onto the couch.

 

[Shelby]

All of the comments he had thrown at her were fine; she could handle it, and she didn't let the bother her too much. They were just snide remarks from him to show how displeased he was with her, to show that he didn't love her anymore and she did the same thing back to him. She put up a front always and brought out the worse in herself, however it was more so of trying to hurt him than anything because of how he hurt her so much. But it always seemed like she wasn't able to succeed with that.

Generally she was able to take the comments pretty well and rattle something smart back off to him, however, his last comment... It was like a punch to her stomach. The fact that he would even bring something up like that, the fact that he would throw her general infertile self back at her like he always had in the past... That hurt, and it hurt a lot. It was almost as if he made it seem like she hadn't been hurt by any of it as well, and that she didn't care as much as he had about any of it. Curling her hands up into fist, she said nothing then, tilting her head to look down as she swallowed, gritting her teeth a little.

She should have changed the locks so that he wouldn't have been able to get int the house. As soon as the car was stopped, Hope got out the car, slammed the door behind her, and headed to the house. She wiped at her eyes as she entered back into the house, walking through the foyer before she turned to look in the direction of the living room, catching notice of the orange and white kitten curled up on the back of the couch, more than likely asleep. Normally the sight would have made her smile a little, but now? Not in the least bit.

-----

This was going to be a pain in her ass, and Hope could already tell. She didn't want him back in the house, especially not with that attitude of his, and she didn't want to have to deal with him. They separated for a reason, and even though there was a baby on the way now she was beginning to think that this wasn't such a good idea. She wasn't supposed to be more stressed out with him being here, but him being here would only cause that. Wasn't he the one who wanted her to take it easy? It certainly wouldn't happen if he was around.

As the evening slowly turned into night and there was still no sign of Will, she blew it off and locked herself up in one of the guest rooms that was in the house. She hadn't been able to sleep in their bed in their room since she found out about the affair, and even after he moved out she still never brought herself to be back in that bed. It didn't seem right; especially to have once shared it with him before. She had moved a lot of her clothes into the guest room closet, though the clothes she didn't normally wear still sat in her old closet. She found herself unable to really fall asleep though. Too many thoughts running through her mind, too many things to worry about. She wanted to be happy about this baby, but she couldn't be. She wanted to be able to relax about just life in general but she wasn't able to anymore. This was just not the life she had envisioned for herself.

Just as she was finally being able to sleep she started to hear noises, banging and just jostling around of things. It scared her, made her stiffen, but despite herself and in the darkness of the house, she stood from her bed and headed out the room, furrowing her brows as she grabbed the bat she kept by the nightstand- because she had to protect herself in some way since there was no man in the house anymore- and opened the door.

As she walked her way towards the stairs she stayed by the wall, clutching the bat in her hands before she took each step at a time and flinched when she heard another noise and stared. There was a light, and then there was Will holding something. Her brows quirked as she stopped at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes narrowed. "What the fuck are you doing?" She called out, exasperated as she pointed the bat in his direction. "You don't come into a house making that kind of noise this late at night! Are you crazy?"