Knocked Up

"Do you know anything else we need?", Cristie asked, sitting at the kitchen table writing down a list of groceries they needed to buy.

"A new back for me?", Isabella pouted from across the table before taking a drink of her precious Fanta.

"I don't think you can get one at the grocery store, sweetie", Cristie looked sympathetically at her daughter.

"I don't want to be pregnant anymore", Isabella pouted again after she had swallowed, setting her glass down in front of her.

"Well, you only have three and a half months left, that's not too bad", Cristie shrugged her shoulders a little as she sat with her elbows on the table and with the pencil in her mouth, biting on it while pondering over things they possibly could need. "Oh! We need toilet paper! And I want a new toothbrush!"

"That's too long", Isabella muttered watching her mom write more stuff on her list.

"I thought you said those heating pads I gave you worked?", Cristie looked back up at Isabella.

"They do work, but still...", Isabella shrugged her shoulder, smiling at her mom's expression. "Can we buy green grapes too? Seedless."

"Sure", Cristie went to write the grapes down on the list too. "But as long as those pads work, I don't think we need to buy a new back for you. Deal?", Cristie joked, smirking.

"Whatever. Are you done yet?", Isabella stood up to put the bottle of Fanta back in the fridge.

"I think so... I just have to get my purse from my room, then we can take off", Cristie smiled and stood up, before walking out of the kitchen and then up the stairs in their hall.

Isabella walked into the tiny laundry room adjacent to the kitchen on the opposite side of the kitchen doorway, in search of her favorite, white cardigan that she knew was in the tumble dryer. Fishing the cardigan out of the dryer, she shrugged it on before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her. She walked through the kitchen, out to the hall where the large mirror hung beside the place in the corner they kept all their jackets and shoes. She straightened her cardigan and turquoise tank top out as she looked herself over in the mirror, before running her hand over her bump with a small smile on her lips as she felt her baby move.

Word had gotten out by now that Isabella was pregnant, so she didn't see the point in trying to hide her bump anymore. It was just pointless and next to impossible, and everyone that still didn't know would eventually find out about it soon anyway, because she was getting bigger. There was no doubt about that.

Hearing the doorbell ring, Isabella jumped startled before looking at the front door to her left. She chuckled a little and shook her head at how stupid she'd looked when the doorbell had rung, she was so easily scared. She took two short steps and opened the front door with a bright smile that soon quickly faded when she realized who stood on the porch in front of her.

"Hi, Bella!", Suzy Haner smiled brightly, with a nervous looking Brian standing on her side. Isabella's green gaze met Brian's brown one for a second before she looked back at Suzy with wide, startled eyes.

"Uh, hi Suzy", Isabella smiled shyly as she noticed Brian looking down at her hand on her very obvious bump.

"Suzy!", they heard Cristie exclaim excitedly from behind Isabella as she was walking down the stairs. Cristie gently pushed her daughter to the side before opening the door wider so she could go out and hug Suzy on the porch.

"Hey there, Brian! Long time no see", Cristie smiled at Brian as she let go of Suzy.

"Hi, mrs Sawyer", Brian said glancing up at Cristie, scratching the back of his neck in nervousness.

"Oh please, that is so last year", Cristie joked about her divorce from Isabella's dad, smirking at Brian.

"Please call me Cristie! Wanna come inside?", Cristie asked as she gestured inside. Suzy nodded and Cristie walked inside past Isabella with Suzy and Brian following. Isabella put on a smile for Suzy, meeting her gaze as she passed her before glaring at Brian and closing the front door after he had walked inside too. She was not happy with him at the moment.

She heard her mom opening a kitchen cabinet before she heard what could only be cups being set down on the counter, oh great Isabella thought, now they're gonna have coffee. They're never gonna leave now.

She shook her head, sighing as she walked to stand in the kitchen doorway. She crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned against the door list, watching Brian with narrowed eyes as he chatted with her mom. She watched as everyone sat down after her mom had poured some coffee into the two cups on the kitchen counter, and she sighed again.

Why did Suzy and Brian have to show up uninvited like that? It's not like she had anything against Suzy, she was very nice and likable, but she didn't see any point in why they had to visit them. Brian had said that he wanted nothing to do with the baby, so why had he and his step-mom shown up out of nowhere on her doorstep like that?

"Bella, come sit down, be a little social", Cristie pulled Isabella out of her thoughts. She looked over at her mom and noticed that everyone was staring at her. She blushed a little as she nodded, before walking to sit down next to her mom and in front of Brian. She had never liked being the center of attention.

"So, what brings you here?", Cristie smiled at first Brian then Suzy.

"Well, Brian Sr and I thought that it wouldn't hurt to drop by and talk about our situation", Suzy started as she looked down at the coffee in her cup she had her hands wrapped around on the table, before looking at Brian and smiling. "There's a lot to talk about."

"What do you mean by 'our situation'?", Cristie smiled confused at Suzy.

Oh God Isabella thought as she slouched down in her seat, avoiding Brian's intense stare. This could not be happening.

"You know, the Isabella-Brian-baby situation?", Suzy asked expectantly with raised eyebrows.

"No, I don't know", Cristie chuckled nervously before looking down at her daughter who was avoiding everyone's eyes now.

"They're going to be parents", Suzy said in a duh-tone, looking at Cristie with still raised eyebrows. Cristie broke away from Suzy's gaze to look down at her daughter again, with her mouth slightly ajar.

"Brian's the father?", she asked suprised but in a calm and soft voice that had Isabella looking up at her from the floor. Isabella nodded slowly.

"You haven't told her?", Brian asked in disbelief as he raised his eyebrows.

"No! It's not like I had a reason to, you aren't gonna be around anyways, you said so yourself", Isabella raised her voice, feeling pressured as she was crossing her arms and leaning them on her bump. "So I don't get why you're here."

"You said that? Brian", Suzy scolded her step-son with a disappointing look in her eyes.

"To be fair, she said I could be as involved as I wanted to", Brian huffed and looked down on the table in front of him, crossing his arms over his chest. Isabella rolled her eyes at him.

"Ignore everything he's said, Bella, he's gonna be there and help raise the baby. He's promised his father and I", Suzy smiled at Isabella sweetly.

Isabella looked at Brian with a raised eyebrow and a skeptical look. "You're gonna help?"

"Yeah", Brian nodded. "I'm gonna get a job and support the baby, while still attending school next year."

"How are you gonna afford that? It's not exactly gonna be cheap."

"Mom and dad said that they are gonna pay for it, if I promised to be there for the baby."

"So you're just doing this so you won't have to pay for school?", Isabella shook her head, letting a humorless laugh out. "No thanks, I do not want to be your charity case. I can handle this myself."

"Bella-", Cristie started in a disappointed tone looking at her daughter.

"No, mom, I don't need his money. You and dad said you would help me until I could get a job, and that's more than enough money that what we need", Isabella rubbed her hand over her bump as she felt the baby kick a little harder than before. "I think."

"You're just being stubborn, you know we don't have that much money", Cristie rubbed Isabella's thigh as she looked at her.

"But I don't want his money, mom!", Isabella glared at her mom.

"Don't be like that, it's a brave thing what Brian has done", Cristie started before turning to Brian, smiling a little. "It's great that you're here, and that you're gonna take on the fatherhood role. I appreciate it, you're gonna make this a lot easier for us both."

"He's just gonna abandon us when the baby gets here, I know how he is", Isabella muttered staring at Brian, before quickly looking away when he gave her a murderous glare.

"I'm not gonna abandon you, I'm not a coward."

"Could have fooled me...", Isabella muttered again and crossed her arms over her chest so that she leaned her arms against her bump as she looked up at Brian with narrowed eyes.

"I know I acted like a total dickhead when you first told me you were pregnant, but I have changed. I wanna do this", Brian explained looking at Isabella. When she rolled her eyes and puffed out a 'yeah right', he continued after sighing. "And not just because mom and dad are gonna pay for school."

"I'll believe it when I see it", Isabella stared into Brian's eyes before sighing.

"I appreciate it too that you want to be involved, but I hope to God that you're being sincere and honest. I'll have more than enough to deal with by the time she's actually here, and I don't think I'll be able to handle it if you run off because you think it's too much for you, because it'll be hard, Brian. Babies aren't exactly easy to deal with, so I've heard", Isabella looked at her mom with a smile tugging at a corner of her lips. Cristie smiled back, still rubbing Isabella's thigh soothingly.

"I know that, I have a two year old sister at home", Brian smirked a little meeting Isabella's soft gaze. Isabella laughed and shook her head, leaning her crossed arms on the table before taking a deep breath and letting it out through her nose.

"But are you serious about this? Are you ready for this?"

"I don't think neither of us are ready, but yeah, I'm serious. I wanna be there", Brian smiled as he traced imaginary patterns on the table in front of him with his index finger.

"Promise?", Isabella held her pinky out for Brian to grip it with his. She and her best friend Erica always used their pinkies when they made promises to each other, so she did it out of habit.

Brian nodded as he hooked his pinky with Isabella's before smiling. "Promise."

Isabella grinned letting go of Brian's finger as she leaned back in her chair, happy that Brian would help her from now on. It was like a huge weight had lifted off her shoulders when Brian gripped her finger, but she still didn't trust him fully. She knew how Brian was, she knew he could be selfish when he wanted to, and she knew he liked to have his fun without having to care about anything other than what drink he should have or what girl he should fuck next. She feared that he was all talk and no action when it came down to being more mature and taking responsibility. Isabella could only hope that Brian was being serious about this.