MY BROTHER'S BESTFRIEND

Jason

“Yes, that is why I am here.” straightening my spine I ignore the racing of my heart and cover my belly with my hands. “Look if you want to say anything else mean to me please just save it, i'm only here because it's what is best for my babies.” They just stared at me in shock. I could feel my pulse getting higher and higher but before I could try to slow it down everything was spinning, reaching out to grab the prep table. My hand slipped off the edge as everything went black.

Jason

I rode with Ellie in the ambulance, she never stirred, just layed there completely still on the gurney. Thankfully the hospital wasn’t far from the restaurant and the traffic wasn't very bad so we made it in under ten minutes. The EMT’s assured me that Ellie and the baby were stable. Helping me to breathe a little easier. After my parents death and walking down these same sterile white halls, a lost confused nineteen year old kid I swore I would never feel that way again but here I was pacing a line outside a maternity ward in a waiting room, feeling like that kid yet again. This time I'm not alone. I don't know if it's worse or better. I would never wish this fear on my best friend.

Pausing in my pacing I finally realized something I think I had been avoiding. Ellie looked like she was ready to have the baby and nine months ago I'm pretty sure she was a virgin when we were together. I know Ellie, well I thought I knew Ellie because the Ellie I knew would have never hid from us for months and kept my child a secret from me. Eathan knows about me and Ellie struggling after not hearing from her. After the first few months I had to tell him the truth since that was the last time either of us had heard from her. It didn't go well. Both of us had bruises all over our bodies. I had a black eye and he had a fat lip. After explaining the night to him, he finally calmed down and spoke to me about it, agreeing we needed to find her only to discover she had moved out of her place. Weeks earlier not leaving a change of address behind.

“I think I'm the father.”

“Just getting to that conclusion now?” He stopped walking to cross his arms and stare at me with are you a f*****g i***t look that I hated. Rubbing the stress from the back of my neck I just shrug at him. I really don't have a reason for why it took me so long to acknowledge the fact that I might be a dad very soon.

“Mr. Pellington,?”

“Yes, please call me Ethan.”

“Hello Ethan, I am Dr. Ester, I have been treating your sister for this pregnancy. I understand that you came in with her which means she told you about her condition?”

“Yes, she was in the process of telling us when she collapsed.”

“Us?”

“Yes, This is Jason.”

“Oh the twins' father, you are their emergency contact if anything happens to Ellie so I should be able to freely speak to both of you.” Did she say twin’s? As in two babies? Ellie was going to keep both babies from me and raise them on her own. Ethan set his hand on shoulder bring my attention back to the doctor that was still speaking.

“She has eclampsia which is very dangerous for her and the babies. We will need to keep her in the hospital for a little bit and see if we can get her blood pressure down. If her protein gets any higher or her blood pressure won't go down we will have to deliver the babies.