Sometimes It's Better to Give In

Three weeks later Courtney and Zack were back home in California. She was missing her third day of school this week because she felt sick.
“Maybe we should take you to the hospital.” Zack said.
“No, it’s not anything bad.” Courtney waved him off.
“You’ve missed three days of school. You’ve been throwing up all three days. There’s something going on.”
“No-” Courtney paused.
The wave of nausea was passing over her again. Zack recognized the sign and let her get up. She ran to the bathroom and he followed her. When he got to the bathroom she was throwing up. He filled the glass on the counter again and handed it to her. She held it but leaned over the toilet again.
“Is she still sick?” Jordan asked walking by.
“Yea, I’m worried.” Zack said.
“I’m fine guys.” Courtney said.
She leaned against the wall behind her and sipped the water. She rinsed her mouth out and spit into the toilet before flushing it. Jordan threw Zack a glace to tell him that he agreed with taking Courtney to the doctor. He nodded and sat next to Courtney.
She snuggled into his side and closed her eyes feeling drained for the second time today.
“Zack?”
“What?” He asked rubbing her arm.
“I think I’m pregnant.” She said quietly.
Zack was silent for a moment. He was thinking over what she’d said. When he thought about the last three days her statement seemed to explain it.
“Me too.” He agreed.
“It could have happened during Christmas break.” She said.
“That was the only time it could have. I ran out of… yea, that has to be it.” Zack said.
“Are you mad?” She asked.
“No.” He said. “I’m actually happy.”
Courtney looked up to see that Zack was smiling to himself. She smiled knowing that he wasn’t lying to her.
“What are we going to do?”
“First off,” Zack said, “I’m going to marry you.”
“No.” Courtney said. “You’re not going to marry me because I have your baby in me.”
“Courtney, we don’t know for sure yet. You could just be sick. I was going to ask you this summer anyways.”
“You were?”
“Yes, I special ordered a ring that I’m getting tomorrow and I was going to hold onto it until summer.”
“Why wait so long?”
“Because I wanted to be sure. So will you marry me Courtney Ashman?”
“Yea.” She said kissing Zack.
“You can have the ring tomorrow.” He smiled kissing her back.
“Can we go to the store and get a test now?”
“Come on.”
Zack stood up and pulled Courtney off the floor. She paused to brush her teeth and then continued on the way to the garage.
“Are you guys going to the doctors?” Jordan asked from the couch.
“Nope, drug store. Courtney thinks she could be pregnant.” Zack said pulling Courtney closer.
“Oh, is that good?” Jordan asked.
“It’s very good.” Courtney said.
“Okay.”
Courtney and Zack got into his car and he drove to the store. She was nervous and chewed on her bottom lip. If she was pregnant what was she going to do about school? Courtney quickly did the math in her head. If she was pregnant then it happened in December and in nine months that would be August. She would be having her baby in summer so she could go to school still, she’d just be very pregnant towards the end. She laughed at the mental image of herself in June.
“What?” Zack asked.
“Imagine me in June when I’m finishing up freshman year.” She giggled.
“You’d be how far along?”
“Seven months.”
Zack laughed with her.
“Are you going to stay in school?”
“Yep.”
“That’s my trooper.” He said reaching over to touch her cheek.
They made it to the store and went in holding hands. They went to isle eight labeled hygiene and family planning. Courtney looked at the boxes upon boxes of different tests and pushed her eyebrows together.
She picked up the first one her eyes landed on after she decided it didn’t matter. They were all going to tell her one thing or another.
“Ready?”
“Mmhm.”
They went to the cash register together. Zack pulled out his wallet and handed the cashier a five. She handed him back his change and they left the store. Courtney stared at the test on the way home.
“I have to pee on a stick to find out if I’m pregnant.” She laughed to herself.
“Pretty weird huh?”
“Yea.”
Zack parked in the garage and Courtney got out of the car. She went into the house and went straight for the bathroom. Zack sat down on the couch with Jordan.
“Are you scared?” Jordan asked.
“No, I’m hoping she is actually. I’d be really happy if she was.”
“How come?”
“Because knowing that she’s carrying my baby would mean a lot. You know I was going to ask her to marry me. This is just better than that.”
“Are you going to marry her sooner than you planned?”
“Yea, I asked her if she wanted to get married before we knew if she was pregnant for sure.”
“Congrats on getting engaged then man.”
“Thanks.”
Zack got up and went down the hall to stand by the bathroom door. Courtney was standing there staring at the test on the counter. She had to wait two minutes to find out though she was pretty much sure she was. She opened the door because she knew Zack was outside.
He came in and pulled her into a hug.
“We still have a minute.” She said putting her head against his chest.
“Okay.” Zack glanced at the test.
It was still blank. He felt his heart speed up in anticipation. Courtney heard his heart speed up and smiled.
“Nervous?” She asked.
“Yea, it’s my first baby.” He said.
“I am too.” She put Zack’s hand on her chest.
He could feel the pounding of her heart.
“Do you think you are?” He asked.
“I’m ninety-nine percent sure.”
Courtney picked up the test from the counter and looked at it. There was one simple word on the screen. Pregnant. She showed Zack and he kissed her.
“You’re happy right?” He asked her.
“Yes, I’m very happy.”
“Good, so am I.”
“I guess this will interrupt my surfing lessons you’ve been giving me huh?”
“Never seen a pregnant woman surfing so I can’t imagine that’s a good thing.”
Courtney laughed and hugged Zack tightly around the waist.
“I love you.” She said.
“I love you too.” He smiled.
“What’s the verdict?” Jordan asked appearing in the doorway.
“I’m preggers.”
“Cool. Does that mean you guys are going to leave me?” Jordan asked.
“Unless you want a crying baby here.”
“Good point.”
“Zack, I have to go call Emmy.”
“Okay.” He let Courtney go.
She went down to her room and picked up the phone. Courtney dialed Emmy’s number and waited as the phone rang over and over. She checked the clock. It was three in the afternoon there so she should be out of class.
“Hello?” Alex answered.
“Alex! What are you doing answering Emmy’s phone?”
“She’s in the bathroom. What’s up?”
“I have something to tell you both. Get her out of there.”
Alex looked at the bathroom door. Emmy walked out after a second.
“Who’s on the phone?” She asked.
“Courtney. She has something to tell us.”
“Put it on speaker.”
Alex pushed the button on the side of Emmy’s phone and the speaker icon showed up.
“What do you have to tell us?” Emmy asked.
Courtney looked at Zack and he smiled at her.
“I’m getting married.” She said.
“Awe, that’s great. When did you get engaged?” Emmy asked.
“Just now.”
“So what are you doing calling us?” Alex asked. “Shouldn’t you be sucking Zack’s face or something more?”
“There’s more.” Courtney said.
“What?” Alex and Emmy asked at the same time.
“I’m also pregnant.”
“No way!” Emmy almost shouted. “When did that happen?”
“During Christmas break.” Zack said.
“Damn.” Alex said.
“So we’re getting married real soon. You’re my maid of honor Emmy.”
“Okay. When is it?”
“We haven’t gotten that far, but it’s going to be short notice. As soon as I get off the phone with you guys I’m starting this planning. I need to get married before you can tell I’m pregnant.”
“You’ve got like two months then.” Emmy said.
“I know. Short notice. I think it’s going to be a small wedding too.”
“Let me know as soon as you figure it out.”
“I will. I’ll talk to you guys later.”
“Bye.” Alex and Emmy said together.
Courtney hung up the phone and looked at Zack.
“I have a wedding to plan.”
“Can we get married on the beach?” Zack asked.
“Yes. That’s perfect!”
Courtney was soon far into throwing a wedding together. She was two weeks into it and had sent out the invitations. She had a dress that was loose and flowey so that it would blow in the wind and also so it would hide even the slightest bump in her currently flat stomach.
The wedding date came up faster than she thought it would. Emmy and Alex arrived with Rian, Kara, and Jack. Emmy went to Courtney’s to see the dress so no boys were allowed in the house. She was getting married tomorrow and wasn’t going to let anyone see her in it but her mother and Emmy.
The next day Emmy got up early and kissed Alex before she left to see Courtney. Zack was on his way to the hotel Alex was at when Emmy arrived. She handed Zack her card key so he could just go in.
Courtney was in her room with her mom. She was getting ready to put her dress on. Emmy had made it just in time. Courtney handed Emmy her bridesmaid dress. Emmy slipped it on quickly and then helped Courtney into her wedding dress. She looked so pretty in the flowing white fabric. Her mother almost broke into tears.
Courtney went to work on her makeup since her hair was already done. The time was fast approaching for the three of them to get to the beach. Courtney’s dad was meeting her there to walk her to Zack.
No one but Alex and Emmy knew Courtney was pregnant. She didn’t want anyone to know. She wanted them to assume that she got pregnant as soon as she and Zack got married.
She got to the beach and met with her dad. He told her she was beautiful and kissed her. He was sad to see his daughter grow up but proud of her as well.
Zack was waiting for her with a smile. They couldn’t look at anything but each other. They repeated what they were supposed to and before they knew it they were kissing each other.
Courtney was married and now a Merrick. She was so happy she couldn’t put it into words. Zack felt the same way.
It was on to the reception from there. Then Zack and Courtney went home and get ready for their short honeymoon in Hawaii that she’d managed to throw together at the last minute.