Saving Grace

"I'm sorry that you and Nick had a fight last night," Bree said as soon as I staggered into the kitchen the next morning. "I thought it would just be nice to have a close friend of yours over."

I blinked at her, still half asleep before scratching my head. "What?" I croaked.

"Nick told us that you two had an argument-"

"Oh... Yeah." Last night suddenly came rushing back to me.

It took me a second to collect myself and stumble over to a chair. "How do you like your eggs, Amelia?" Bree asked.

I frowned at the mention of food. "I'm really not hungry this morning," I said as I ran a hand over my face.

I felt exhausted yet though I'd slept soundlessly. I debated whether or not to take a shower to help me fully wake up.

A headache was slowly starting to form in my temples and my stomach knotted as the scent of eggs cooking filled the room.

Soundlessly I got up, frowning at the sour taste on my tongue as I slipped outside to get some fresh air. I folded my arms and allowed them to rest on the railing as I caught my breath and attempted to soothe my stomach.

Snippets of last night's argument between Nick and I came back to me as I studied the dull grass.

"Amelia, can we not do this?"

"I can't do this Nicholas... Y-You're not my boyfriend anymore... You're the one who broke it off,"

I swallowed the sudden bitter taste in my mouth and wrinkled my nose in light disgust. How could he? What was he thinking? That I would just take him back like that? That everything would be okay between the two of us now?

Nick was wrong if he thought that I depended on him.

I rubbed my temples with my fingers, trying to alleviate the headache that was intensifying by the second.

A rare breeze made my hair flutter behind me as my mind wandered off.

I felt myself slowly freezing as I thought over the past few weeks. Slivers of wood slowly started embedding themselves in my hands as I held the railing with a deadly grip.

Suddenly, I pushed myself up and scrambled inside, toward the stairs. John shot me a curious look. "What are you doing?" he called from the base of the stairs as I raced up them. His hair was disheveled, his green eyes bright from just waking up.

I didn't bother to answer, too busy with my frantic thoughts.

I quickly changed and tossed my hair up into a ponytail, not even bothering to put make-up on at the moment. Grabbing my phone and my purse, I dodged out of John's room and clambered back down stairs.

"Whoa, where are you going?" Shane asked, stopping me as I reached the door. John, Jay and Shane were looking at me with concern and confusion as they gathered in the foyer.

"I have to do something really, really important. I'll be back soon, I promise," I said, looking into John's green orbs before darting out the door to my car.

-----

I bit my thumbnail- another one of my nervous habits- as I looked through my option of pink, rectangular boxes. A woman down the aisle glanced at me with an expression that mirrored my own as she, too, looked at the different brands.

I grabbed two pink packages before making my way to the register. The lady gave me an almost empathetic look as she bagged my purchases.

I tossed her the amount of cash needed before sucking in a deep breath and making my way to the bathroom.

How I got back to the O'Callaghan's from the grocery store, I had no clue but I found myself sitting on the front porch with my knees brought up to my chest, my chin resting on them as my arms wrapped around my legs.

I felt shivers run up my arms and spine though I wasn't cold.

I was frozen in shock with the discovery I had just made.

I barely noticed John's lean figure sit beside me as I stared at the road. "Amelia?" he asked cautiously, as if I would break with certain words.

I didn't move with the exception of running my hands over my arms in attempt to rid myself of the goosebumps that had formed on them.

"Did you talk to Nick just now?" he asked, he voice still cautious and soft.

I shook my head no in response, biting hard on the inside of my lip. Soon enough, I could taste a metallic liquid on my tongue.

I really wanted to cry but surprisingly, I couldn't find any tears.

I was expecting more questions from John but I didn't find any. Slowly, I turned my head to look at him.

He looked like the perfect image of ease as he leaned back, holding himself up with his arms, his long legs stretched out before him.

His green eyes studied me without curiosity but with some indistinguishable emotion, ready to listen when I was ready to speak.

"I'm pregnant, John," I whispered so softly that I wasn't sure if he heard.

His eyes flickered for a quick second before going back to being calm. He cleared his throat before speaking. "Did you tell Nick?"

"Not yet," I whispered, burying my mouth in my shoulder. "When do they leave for New Mexico?"

"Late tonight, after their Mesa show."

I nodded, turning my eyes down to the wood beneath us.

"You're telling him, right?"

I nodded once again. "I'm keeping it," I suddenly said after moments of silence, tilting my eyes up to meet his green ones.

He nodded this time.

Another brief moment of silence washed over us. "Congratulations, Amelia. You're going to be a mommy," he finally said with a small grin.

Those words were enough to finally bring tears to my eyes. I laughed lightly, though I really wasn't finding anything funny at the moment. "Thanks John," I said as I wiped away the moisture that had spilled over the tops of my lower eyelids with the sleeves of my sweater.

He just chuckled lightly and tossed his arm over my shoulder as if we'd been old friends from high school. He pulled me close to him and with a little sigh of contentment, even if it lasted just a moment, I rested my head on his shoulder, swiping at the moisture that flowed down my face.