"I hope you're right," she sniffled. Taking a few measured breaths, she focused intently on the drugstore bag on the bed. "I guess I should find out whether or not I have a baby on the way. God, what am I gonna do, Alisha?"
Alisha tipped Maggie's face up until their eyes met. "One thing at a time, Maggie. Go take the test."
Maggie nodded somberly and grabbed the bag, pushing herself off the bed. She walked slowly into the adjoining bathroom and closed the door.
A few minutes later, the door to the bathroom opened and Alisha stood up, unable to read Maggie's expression for what felt like the first time ever. "Well?"
They didn't talk for close to an hour, unless you count the impressive streams of profanities and insults shouted while they played Halo. Big had no clue why James and Maggie got into a fight and really, he wasn't sure he wanted to ask. It wasn't that he didn't care, but rather that he knew shit all about dispensing advice for relationships. The only advice he'd really given James over the years in regards to women was how to get them in to bed and the most effective ways to sneak out in the morning. Now that he was, you know, in a relationship, that sort of thing was frowned upon and also not applicable in this situation anyway. So, yeah—that's that.
James tossed his controller down after he was destroyed and took a long pull from the bottle of whiskey he'd brought along. "Today fucking sucks," he grunted, sinking back into the cushions on the couch.
Big scratched his jaw and sipped his beer (hey, it was 5 o'clock somewhere, alright?). "You wanna, like, talk about it or some shit?"
James looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "Really?"
"Fuck you," he said, mock offended. "I might be able to help or I can at least listen. I have known you my whole damn life, you know."
"Does Alisha have a problem with your job?" James asked suddenly, staring at the ceiling.
Big scoffed. "Are you kidding? No way. Chicks love firemen."
He cast a baleful eye at his best friend. "That's not what I asked and this is not helping."
"I don't know," Big shrugged. "She's never said that it bothers her. Even after I got hurt she just said she'd been worried about me, but that was the extent of that conversation. I take it Maggie's got issues?"
"Big ones. She's convinced I'm gonna die or something and we got into a huge fight. And it got all heated and loud and we started throwing out all kinds of stupid shit to add to it that wasn't even relevant. Fuck. I think we actually broke up." He lifted the bottle to his lips again, drank deep. "This sucks," he sighed.
Big was out of his element here, so he was gonna fake it until he made it. Why not, right? "Do you want to break up?" he asked. James looked at him like he'd lost his fucking mind. Whatever, it was a legit question.
"Of course I don't. I love her," James said resolutely.
Big visibly winced at his declaration. It wasn't that he was opposed to that, but shit was new, okay? "Tell her that, then," he suggested.
"I have told her," James snapped. "She's just all weird about me being a fireman right now. I don't know what to do."
He really didn't either, but found himself asking, "Do you think it's at a point where you have to choose between her and your job?"
A deep crease formed in the middle of James's brow. "I don't know, man."
"And do you love her enough to choose her without feeling resentful?" Big wasn't sure where this advice was coming from, but he suddenly felt like Yoda or something. (He supposed Alisha was partly at fault. His girl talked a lot and he soaked some of that up.) He arched a brow and sipped at his beer again.
"Yes," James replied without hesitation.
Big choked on his beer. "Holy shit! Really?" He knew they'd been getting really serious, but this was beyond comprehension. This was like marriage and rug rats serious; that made him a little twitchy to think that his best friend was ready for that.
"Just save it, Big. I don't want you busting my balls today. I'm depressed," James whined, flopping over to rest his head on the arm of the couch.
Rolling his eyes, he downed the rest of his beer, setting the bottle down with a thud on the coffee table. "Shut the fuck up, dude. I'm not busting your balls about it. Just a little surprised. S'all."
"Whatever…it doesn't matter now," James resigned, pulling at the whiskey bottle again.
Big sat forward and grabbed James's phone off the coffee table. "Not gonna listen to this shit all goddamn day." He threw the phone at his friend and it bounced off his chest. "You wanna marry her and have a house full o'babies—fuckin' fix this, you idiot."
"I'm pregnant," Maggie said, the words spilling out of her lips as she stood in the doorway of the bathroom, the pregnancy test clutched in her left hand.
Alisha covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide and shiny and trained on her best friend. "Oh my God! How—how do you feel?"
"Happy…and sad. And scared shitless," she said, her voice wavering, tears clogging her throat. "Alisha, I'm having a baby."
She walked over to Maggie, tears blooming in her own eyes, and folded her arms tightly around her friend. "You're having a baby," Alisha whispered, feeling some of the same emotions as her newly pregnant—though mostly happy with a side of concerned mixed in.
Maggie pulled back and held up the positive evidence in her hand. The readout display clearly marked with the word pregnant. Her heart began pounding furiously in her ears and she felt the bile churning sickly in her stomach. "What the
