Mistaken Moments

“Ella it will be fun.” Sara said sitting on the bottom of her best friend’s bed. “White sand, blue water, fresh warm air. Drinks by the pool.”

“Sara I just want to stay home.”

“You have not left your house two months. I have been paying your bills for you.”

“I am going to pay you back once I figure stuff out.”

“Look I don’t care about the money, which is what family, is for…..technically speaking.”
Ella didn’t know if she could face the world. “What about Mo?”

“Ian said he will take care of him.”

“Josh isn’t coming right?”

“No Josh, just myself, Mike, Matt and his friend…….Steve I think. Come on Ella it is a free trip to Hawaii.”

“I don’t want to go.” Ella said. “Everything reminds me of him. I am pathetic.”

“yes…….yes you are.” Sara said. “I just want you to forget about him. He will realized someday after the baby is born…….that a baby isn’t a solve for a damaged relationship.”

“Baby?”

“Shit……..god I forgot you didn’t know about that. Ella I am sorry. Nikki is pregnant.”

“Oh.” Ella said softly. “How is he?”

“You know Josh…….he is at the studio all the time. He has his own now. It is amazing. He was a little put out that I am taking Matt and Mike away for a week.”

“Is he happy?”

“He seems to be Ella. I am sorry honey. You need to get over him. Move on.”

Ella sighed. “Okay I will go with you. You need to find someone to take care of Mo.”

“Ian already said he would.”

“Great.” Ella smiled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ella was furious with Sara once they had arrived at the resort in Hawaii. She had just spent an entire flight watching Nikki display a little too much public affection. Josh and Nikki were not supposed to come. She wanted to go back home. Josh had given her a small smile when he had seen her today.

She couldn’t help but glare at him. She glared at everyone.

“Ella I am sorry. It was last minute.” Sara tried to explain to her friend.

“Book me a flight home. Now!”

“Ella quit being a child. That is how you have been acting ever since you and Josh broke up. I am sorry you were not together that long. Technically you were not even officially together. You were sleeping with each other.”

“Sara you need to get out of my face right now.”

“You are so …….. so……..ugh.” Sara stammered then left the room slamming the door behind her.

“Don’t you dare cry Ella.” She told herself sitting on the bed. She was a mess. She had not heard a word from Josh since the night they last made love. He had left that morning, and that was the end. She was being a baby, she was being stupid. “You need to let him go Ella.” She said allowed to herself.

She got up and walked over and opened the balcony doors, she walked out onto the landing, she could smell the sweet scent of tropical flowers, and the ocean was a mere 20 feet away, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore soothed her.

She walked down, bare feet to the water. The sun was starting to set. The sky was beautiful shades of orange and yellow. She walked over to the water and let it wash over her feet. It was warm and soothing. It was so beautiful here.

“Hey Ella.”

She turned in the direction of the voice.

“Hi Matt.” She smiled, pushed her hair back from her face. “It is beautiful.” She said looking back out at the sunset over the water.

“It is very beautiful.” He said walking to Ella’s side. “I just wanted to check on you. Sara said you were pretty upset. Sara is pretty upset that you are upset.”

Ella laughed and looked at him. “What?”

“Are you okay?” he asked smiling.

“I am wonderful.” She lied. “I am starving.”

“Well we are meeting everyone for supper in an hour.”

“Everyone?” Ella asked softly

“Yes……you are stronger than you think you are. I know Josh misses you.”

“Really? How do you know that?”

“He told me.”

“Oh……..I miss him too.”

“The situation is just messed up.” Matt started. “If Nikki wasn’t pregnant you guys would still be together. I have no doubt in my mind. Josh doesn’t smile like he use to when he was with you. He is just sad. He didn’t know you were coming on this trip, he said he would of stayed home. Nikki had arranged it.”

“I bet she did.”

“Are you going to come for supper? You can come with me…….like a date but not a date.”

She laughed again. “Matt you are funny.”

“Um…….ok…….I wasn’t trying to be.”

“Let me go get ready, and I will meet you in the lobby in a half hour.”

“Okay.” He smiled. “See you in a few.”

Ella went back to her room. She plugged in her flat iron, and got dressed. She put on a strapless white cotton dress. She straightened her hair, and took a white Lilly out of the vase in her room and placed it behind her ear. She touched her make up a little before she rushed out to meet Matt.
When she got to the lobby everyone was there. She noticed Josh right away. His eyes caught hers. She looked away quickly from his gaze.

“Wow.” Matt said as Ella approached them. “You look absolutely stunning Ella.”

She smiled at Matt, looping her arm with his, and off they all went.

Once at the restaurant, Josh and Nikki sat across from Matt and Ella, Mike and Sara to the sides of them. Josh couldn’t keep his eyes to himself. When he seen Ella walking down towards him, she looked beautiful. He had make sure he kept his eyes to himself.

Sara was on the other side of Ella. “You look amazing.”

“Sorry about earlier.”

“It is okay. You are dealing with a lot. I need to be a better friend.”

“Seriously it is okay.” Ella said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The night was filled with laughter and lots of food for Ella. She was freaking starving. A bottomless pit. She never usually at very much at one time. She finished all of hers, and Matts plus two deserts.

“Ella where in the hell are you putting all the food hun?”Sara asked.

“I know right.” Ella said shoving cheesecake into her mouth. “Everything is just so good.”
She glanced up at Josh. He was smiling at her.

“Josh I am tired.” Nikki whined.

“Go up to the room then.”Josh suggested.

“You are coming with me.”

“So Nikki how far along are you?”Ella asked.

Nikki rolled her eyes. “It is none of your business really but am just over four months.”

“Nikki.”Josh scolded her for being so rude. “We are all here together, we need to try and get along.”
She rolled her eyes again. “Come on.” She stood up and pretty much dragged Josh out of the restaurant.

“She isn’t even showing yet.” Ella stated to everyone at the table. “Not a bump, not a roll, nothing. A little strange.”

“Well Ella everyone is different.” Mike stated.

“I am sorry Mike to be rude. But I am a nurse and have been nurse for almost eight years. I know how a woman is suppose to look at certain times in their pregnancy.”

“She is right Mike.” Sara added.

“There is either something wrong or she isn’t pregnant.”

“You are just going to cause shit by saying stuff like that.” Mike said angrily. “Josh picked her Ella get over it. Grow up and quit your fucking whining. Get on with your life. I can see why Josh chose Nikki.”

“Mike.” Sara scolded him. “That is uncalled for.”

Ella could feel the tears starting to fall. “Excuse me.” She said standing up and walking away.

“See what you did. You heartless bastard.” Sara yelled. “She is not only my best friend, but she is my family. If you can’t respect that and be nice to her then I think I need to rethink this whole relationship.”

“Baby….”Mike started

“Don’t fucking baby me Mike.” Sara snapped. “Excuse me.” She got up and went to find her friend.
Matt just looked at Mike.

“What?”

“Jerk.”

“Why am I the jerk?”

“You know fucking well that if Nikki was not pregnant Josh would never be with her. His mother guilted him in to staying with Nikki, to give her a second chance. Ella is hurting Mike. You need to apologize to her and Sara.”

“I was just trying to protect Josh.”

“He is a big boy. He can handle anything that comes his way. I am going to bed.”

“Night.” Mike said sitting there by himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ella stretched and yawned, she could feel the warm breeze coming in through the screen on the balcony door. She rolled over away from her friend, who spent the night with her after Sara had calmed her down. Sara stretched as well and sat up.

“Morning sunshine.” She said jokingly. Ella was not a morning person.

“Hey.” Ella said sitting up. She ran her hand through her hair. “Oh god.” She gasped, she jumped up, hand over her mouth and ran to the bathroom. She got to the bathroom just in time to empty the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

“Are you okay?”

“Um……….no.” Ella grumbled. “I am puking my guts out. I am not okay.”

“Can I get you anything.”

“A gun.”

“What?”

Ella laid down onto the cold ceramic tile. “Water please.”

“Here you go.” Sara said handing her a face cloth, and a glass of water.

“All that food must not have liked me.” Ella smiled. “You still mad at Mike?” she asked looking up at her friend.

Sara sighed. “I don’t know what his problem is with you.”

“It is okay. I don’t like him much either.” Ella grinned.

“This is just great my best friend and my future husband hate each other.”

“Hate is a strong word."

“Yes……yes it is. I am going to go get cleaned up if you think you are going to live. I will meet you for breakfast.”

“I am fine. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Ella took a cool shower, she managed to throw up two more times before she went down for breakfast. Everyone was there except for Nikki.

“Good Morning.” She said sitting down between Matt and Josh. She tried not to look at Josh.

“Ella I am sorry for last night.” Mike started.

“Don’t worry about it.” Ella cut him off before he could go on anymore. Sara smiled.

“I heard that you had a partner in your bed last night, and you didn’t ask me to join you?” Matt said

“You and Sara…….that is hot.” He grinned.

“You are such a douche.” Sara said.

The waitress came over and placed Matt’s breakfast of bacon and eggs in front of him. Ella got a strong whiff of it.

Josh watched her color drain from her face.

“Sweetheart…….sorry I mean Ella are you okay.”

Ella felt the warmth start to radiate from her stomach, her mouth watery, and her gut ached. “Excuse me.” She jumped up and ran. She made it outside just in time. She expelled her stomach into the flower bed. She threw up violently till there was nothing left to come up. “I really need to stop puking in flower beds.”

Sara came up behind her. “You must have a bug.”

“Must.” Ella said. “I am going to go back to my room.”

“Okay I will check on you later.”

“Okay.”

Sara went back inside and sat down.

“Is she okay?” Josh asked with concern in his voice. He hated to see her anything but well and happy.
Sara smiled at him. “She is fine; she must have picked up a bug or something. I will check on her later.”

“We are going water sking.” Matt announced. “You want to come?”

“You guys have fun.” Sara said. “I am going to keep an eye on Ella.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next few days were exactly the same for Ella. She threw up first thing in the morning, every time she looked at or smelled food. She pretty much stayed in her room. Between Matt and Sara she was taken well care of. She felt like hell. She tried to drink water but every time she did back up it came.

Sara came into her room, Ella was still in bed. Sara chucked a bad down on the bed.

“What is that?”

“Open it and find out.”

Ella picked up the bag, her eyes got big when she seen what was inside. “Fuck no.” she said dropping the bag. “You think I am pregnant.”

“Yup I do. Now go pee on the stick.”

Ella got up and went to the bath room . She was scared to death. She was mentally trying to figure out when her last period was. She couldn’t remember. She did what she had to do, set the test on the counter and put the flush seat down and sat back down on it, pulling her legs up close to her body.

“Has it been ten minutes?” She asked Sara.

“It has.” Sara said from the doorway.

“I can’t do it. Will you look at it.” Ella was freaking.

Sara walked over to it, exactly what she thought. The box had two little pink lines.

“What?” Ella asked.

Sara didn’t say anything she handed her the test.

“Oh my fuck! That is wrong. It has to be.”

Sara handed her two more test, Ella did both, both came back positive.

“Oh my fuck.” Ella said again. She was panicking. She looked at Sara. “Not a word to any of them. Do you hear me.”

“I will let you tell them.”

“They are never going to know.”

“Ella don’t talk foolish. You have to tell Josh that he is going to be a father again.”

“No I don’t. How the hell did this happen?"

“How the hell did this happen,”

Sara giggled. “Well if you need me to explain it to you.”

“Shut up Sara I know HOW it happened. I was on the pill. Oh shit.” Ella said putting her hand over her mouth.

“What?”

“After Josh had gotten back with Nikki, he came over to see me as soon as they got back from tour, and I seduced him.” Ella grinned. “Was not hard at all.”

“I know he loves you. Wait till you tell him.”

“Sara NO. I am NOT going to tell him. You are not going to tell him. Josh is never to know about this.”

“You are going to get rid of it? Ella come on.”

“No I am not going to get rid of it. God no…….I am pregnant with Josh’s baby……..that is amazing to me. I decided that I was not ever going to be with anyone else as I will never stop loving Josh. Now I still get to have a family.”

“Without Josh?” Sara rolled her eyes. “Ella you are not thinking clearly.”

“I am going to leave Vancouver, and go far away so he will never see me and I will raise my child. Nikki will never take this lightly. Her child will be priority. I will never let anyone let my baby think it is second best.”

“How is that fair to Josh? His family? How fair is it to the baby? And you?” Sara said in a frustrated tone.

“Sara as my best friend ever, you are never to breath a word of this to anyone.”

“Stella Marie Carter……..You can’t make me keep this secret.”

“You have too. That is our friend oath. Remember?”

“Fuck. Okay I won’t say a word to anyone.”

“Promise.”

“I do Ella. I will keep your secret.”

Ella smiled at her friend. “I am going to have a baby.” She finally smiled. The last two months had been hell, she now had finally something to live for. She placed her hand on her lower abdomen.

“Two months, another seven and I will meet you little one. Are you not excited?” she said looking at Ella. “You are going to be an aunt.’’

“I don’t know how we are going to hid this. I will have to put my wedding off till after you have the baby. Which is fine because I am still pissed at Mike.”

“I love you.”

“Love you too Ella, and you have stopped puking.”

“For now.” Ella said lying back down on the bed. “For now.”