Life As It Is

A month went by and things continued to look up. Not only were things looking up for Billie Joe and Ella, but things were looking up for the rest of the group. After a few weeks, Mike finally mustered up the courage to propose to Holly in front of everyone. And of course, she agreed with tears quickly running down her face.

“Why is it that we all get pregnant and engaged all at the same time?” Ella asked as she watched the now engaged couple engrossed in one another.

“Because, darling,” Tre said as he grabbed some wine off the table. “We seem to live in such an oddly coincidental world.”

Laura looked over at the drummer who nodded along with himself. “That’s…really smart, honey.”

He grinned at her a bit drunkenly and went back to his wine.

“I think we should go…it’s getting late,” Billie Joe said to his wife as she nodded and got up.

“Okay everyone, we’re off. Early flight to Atlantic City in the morning,” the Green Day frontman said loud enough for the engrossed engaged couple to hear.

They both looked up at Billie Joe and Ella and said goodbye before getting back to each other.

As the married couple exited the Pritchard residence, the two decided on who would drive.

“I’m a little tipsy tonight, hun,” Billie Joe said wiggling his eyebrows.

Laughing and rolling her eyes, Ella grabbed the car keys from her husband’s hand as she unlocked the car and got in.

“Let’s get a move on it, Tipsy Boy…shall we?”

* * *
Upon making it to the infamous Atlantic City in New Jersey for Decades Rock Live with Elvis Costello that Billie Joe was gratefully invited to, he and Ella immediately got into their hotel room, completely jet lagged after the long flight.

As she landed on the room’s bed, the thirty-five year old woman fell asleep instantly. A grinning Billie Joe went near his sleeping wife and whispered, “Need to be tucked in, honey?”

Hearing him, Ella chuckled softly and smiled, her eyes still closed.

“No, I’m good. Run along now.”

“Call me if you need anything, babe,” he said giving her a soft kiss on the lips before leaving the hotel room with his guitar.

An hour or two later, Ella felt a light nudge. Lazily opening her eyes, she noticed Billie Joe above her, smirking.

“What time is it?” she asked groggily.

“Six,” he answered as he sat on the side of the hotel bed, stroking her hair.

“I’m fucking tired,” she replied with a light chuckle.

“Me too. But, get up…we’re going out,” Billie Joe said as he stood back up.

“Okay,” she said getting up. “Just as long as we don’t eat any seafood. I feel nauseous.”

Three hours later, Billie Joe and Ella got back to the hotel in a mellow mood after a pleasant dinner.

“Hmm…it’s been a while since I went on a date with my husband,” Ella said as she sat down on the bed.

“It’s about time you did,” Billie Joe said, heading for the hotel bathroom as Ella got back up again and got out her agenda book.

“Billie…what’s the date today?”

“The eighteenth,” he called out from the bathroom.

“Shit,” she muttered to herself.

The thirty-four year old man poked his head out from the bathroom door.

“Why?”

“I’m late.”

He froze for a second. “Late as in…”

“Late as in for my period, hun.”

Billie Joe slowly nodded. “Right. How late though?”

She sifted through the pages, looking for the last red colored circle she had made over one of the dates.

“About a month or so.”

“What are we gonna do?”

Ella shrugged. “Take a pregnancy test. If it’s positive…”

“Then we’ll work it out,” he finished as she looked back up at him.

“Yeah.”

“The thing is that you just started up photography again and—”

“Its fine, Billie. It really is. I think this time around we’re more prepared than we were when I was pregnant with Phoebe.”

“I hope so.”

* * *
The following morning, before Billie Joe was off to the Decades Rock Live program, the couple headed to the nearest store on the Atlantic City boardwalk.

“How the hell do you know which pregnancy test to pick out?” Billie Joe muttered as he and Ella stood looking at all the brands.

“The ones that aren’t expired?” she said, smirking at him as she picked up an at home pregnancy off the shelf, herding her husband to the register to ring up the pregnancy test.

The bored clerk rung up the pregnancy test, charging the couple a few bucks, and then they were off.

The minute Billie Joe and Ella got into their room, the thirty-five year old woman immediately headed into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her as an anxious Billie Joe sat on the bed.

A few seconds later, Ella got out of the bathroom with the stick in her hand as they waited a minute for the results.

They looked at each other for a moment in silence before Billie Joe looked back at his watch, realizing the minute was over. Ella took a look at the stick, noticing its color before Billie Joe grabbed the box.

“Pink is negative and blue is positive,” he said, his voice sounding quite anxious.

“Well…the color’s…” Ella paused for a moment, making eye contact with Billie Joe who sat there nervously drumming his hands on his thigh.

“Blue,” she finished as his face expression went from anxious to thrilled.

“We’re pregnant?” he exclaimed.

Ella grinned at him, nodding as she threw out the test, heading over to him to plant a kiss on his lips.

“I’m gonna be a mother for the second time.”

“And I’ll be a father for…goddammit, the fourth time.”

His wife giggled as she kissed him as happily as she could.

“I think my day just got ten times better,” Billie Joe concluded as he let Ella peacefully land her head on his shoulder, relieved to know the reason of her overdue period.

“So did mine,” she whispered as she moved her head away, making eye contact with him again. “How long should we hold back before telling everyone?”

A smile played into his lips. “Anytime you want, babe.”

“Hmm…maybe I’ll make a call to Holly first,” Ella said, getting out her cell phone as Billie Joe continued to grin.

On the other side of the United States, Holly was trying her best to feed a fussing Carlen who kept moving his head away every time she’d feed him.

“Come on, sweetie,” she urged. “This is good food.”

Her cell phone was on the table and rang furiously as Carlen yelped. Sighing, she picked it up, realizing it was Ella.

“Calling me to tell me how much you miss the warmer weather in California?” she asked amusingly as she held the phone between her ear and shoulder.

“No…I was just wondering if you and Mike set a date for the wedding.”

“Uhh…not yet. Why?”

“Oh, because...well…just make sure my dress is extra stretchy.”

Holly quirked an eyebrow even though her best friend couldn’t see it over the phone. “El, what’s going on?”

“I’m pregnant,” she said, smiling.

Holly dropped Carlen’s spoon which landed on the floor.

“What?” she said excitedly. “You’re pregnant again?”

“Yep.”

“That’s…great! I’m so happy for you.”

“Good,” Ella said smiling. “You’re the first to know of everyone else.”

“Don’t I feel special,” she chuckled.

“Oh, you should. Anyway, I should let you go…you’re probably busy feeding Carlen.”

“How’d you figure?”

“Hmm…maybe some sort of mother intuition I have now.”

“Ahh.”

A few moments later, Ella shut off her phone, focusing her attention on Billie Joe who was looking at her.

“Come to think of it, you’re glowing a little bit.”

Smiling back at him she said, “Of course I am. Don’t you have to be somewhere?”

Billie Joe looked over at his clock. “Oh. Shit. Yeah.”

Chuckling, the thirty-five year old woman got up, kissing her husband once again, this time straying for a few moments. She put her hand to her stomach and then grabbed his free hand, putting it on her stomach as well. Both of them feeling the life that was growing inside of her once again.