Keep on the Sunny Side

A.N. I've been putting off writing this because...Well...Because I'm a tard.









She was craving French pancakes with cooked peppers, caramelised onions and cheese, but her stomach didn't seem to want to keep it down.

She was certain she was gaining weight.

And most importantly; she was late.

Not late for any particular event or date. Late as in a particularly vital event in a female's monthly cycle was currently not occuring when it should be.

Were she new to this whole turn of events Yumiko was certain she would be having quite the panic attack in the bathroom. As it was she'd already experienced all of the above facts and knew exactly what they meant.

And she was still freaking out in the bathroom.

Poppy was watching Saturday Morning cartoons in the living room. Taking advantage of the fact her daughter's attention was elsewhere, Yumiko thought that it would be a good idea to get things over and done with now and confirm one hundred percent what she was pretty certain was going on with (and in) her body. Yet now that she was alone in the bathroom with the door locked behind her she just couldn't seem to find the courage within her to actually go through with the test.

What would Dion think of her?

He was the father of her beautiful little girl, but with the current turn of events he was never going to be a parent again. To find out that his ex-wife was having another man's baby...It had the potential to hurt him. Yumi didn't want to put her best friend through the pain of watching someone else take his place. It didn't matter that they were no longer married - Dion had always been cut out to be a father.

Most importantly though...What would Alex think?

Sinking to the floor with her back pressed to the door, Yumi rested the back of her skull against the door, letting her eyes close as she tilted her head back. She was always such a happy sunbeam type of person that she felt phyiscally wrong within herself as the worries, doubts and fears flooded through her. Something of such magnitude as this was supposed to be a happy occassion. Something to celebrate. She'd been so thrilled when she'd discovered Poppy growing inside her.

Why did it feel so different now?

Placing her hand over her stomach she looked down at where her hand rested. This was different because it wasn't Dion's baby this time. It was Alex's.

And Alex had already been a father once before. He'd gone through it all eighteen years ago. She didn't know the man that had left his family because he'd been sleeping with his secretary. As far as she believed the Alex she was with now was a different man. He wasn't going to abandon her. He wasn't going to hurt her.

He wasn't going to break her heart.

They hadn't even been together for a year yet. To drop a bombshell like this one him it could affect him in so many different way. All the negative ones were currently swimming about in her head.

Breathing in deep through her nose, Yumiko steeled herself. She should just take the test and get it all over and done with now. It could all turn out to just be nothing and her body was playing tricks on her.

And if not, well she was just going to have to deal with whatever life threw at her.

Clutching the box tight in her hand, Yumi pushed herself up off the bathroom floor. It was now or never.

....

Right....

So it was like that, was it?

"Mommy? Are you okay in there?" called a voice through the door.

Wiping at her eyes - Yumi didn't even realize that she'd been crying - she looked at the door behind her. "I'm fine, sweety, you go back to watching your cartoons." She sniffed and hoped that her daughter hadn't heard it. Poppy was just too clever sometimes and if she knew something was upsetting her mother there was no doubt she'd go and find someone to cheer her up even if she didn't know the reason why her mother was crying in the first place.

"You've been in there a while," Poppy pointed out. "Are you still feeling poorly?"

She'd even noticed Yumi had been throwing up. For a six year old girl Poppy certainly didn't miss the little details. "Yeah, Mommy's still feeling a little ill."

"Do you want me to call Daddy to come look after us?"

Moving towards the door, Yumi pressed her hands against the wood. "You don't have to worry Daddy. Collin is staying with him this weekend and it would be mean of us if we interrupted them."

"I'm sure Daddy wouldn't mind. He loves you, Mommy." Her little voice sounded so much closer. Yumi stroked her fingers over the surface of the door almost as if she could stroke her daughter's hair. Poppy was a good and clever girl. "I'll be back in a minute, Mommy."

She didn't even give Yumi chance to protest.

But maybe this was a good thing? Dion would be able to understand and offer his own words of comfort and advice.

Slipping down onto the floor again, Yumi stared up at the ceiling, sniffling back her tears once more. She sat there for what felt like hours when she heard heavy footfalls on the other side of the door.

"Yumes...?"

Her eyes widened at the voice. That wasn't Dion, no matter how the door muffled the sound! How on Earth had Poppy managed to call Alex? His number wasn't even set up on the main house phone yet as an emergency number.

"Poppy rang me from your cell phone," he explained almost as if he could read her thoughts. "She's calling her Dad now, but she sounded really worried about you. How come you've locked yourself in the bathroom?"

She gave a small smile to the empty space but in her head she directed it to the man outside the door. "I've been craving pancakes with peppers, cheese and onions," she said.

"You can't make those in the bathroom. I know you're a pretty damn good cook but even you can't cook food in a bathroom."

Yumi couldn't help but smile. She'd mentally prepared herself for Dion but instead she got the one man she was uncertain about talking to and yet he was making her feel better. If it were Dion on the other side of the door he would have known what she meant by that. As it was he was only going to have to learn these little details.

"Alex...?"

"Yeah?"

She took a deep breath, preparing herself for the words that were next in line to leave her mouth. It was now or never and she certainly couldn't keep hiding in the bathroom until it was all over.

"I'm pregnant."

There, she'd said it. Whatever happened next she'd just have to deal with it. She could be strong; she had to be strong. So why was the silence that was stretching leaking out from the other side of the door pressing down on her like a heavy haze? The lack of any form of response from Alex was agonizing. What was he thinking? Was he even still there? There had been no sound of him walking away so he must still be out there.

"Is it okay if you open the door?"

The breath she didn't even realise she was holding whooshed out of her at the sound of his voice. Rolling up and over onto her knees she pulled herself up with the door handle and slowly opened it, doing as he asked. Once the door had swung open wide enough she looked up at the man standing on the other side, dressed in his casual shirt and jeans ensemble. He looked so well dressed compared to her in her too-big t-shirt and scruffy old denim capris and it hurt to look at him for too long.

But she wasn't allowed to look away from him forever. His hand came up and under her chin, gentle bringing her face back to his. Fingers slipped up to cup her cheek and thumb brushed away more tears that were slipping down from her eyes.

"Don't cry, Yumi," he said before wrapping both arms around her and pulling her close. The moment the contact with his body was made Yumi molded herself against him, reaching her arms around him and squeezing tight. "I don't like seeing you cry," he added, lifting one hand to smooth it over her hair.

"You're not angry?" she mumbled into his chest, closing her eyes and breathing in his scent. He was quitting, but he still smelled of alcohol and cigarettes, mingled in with aftershave, deodorant and him. "You've already been a father once and here I am dragging you back into all that. First Poppy and now...Now this."

Gently he kissed her hair. "Everything's fine," he said softly. He pulled back just slightly, still keeping the embrace. "There's no need to cry, everything is going to be all right." Once again he wiped at her tears before kissing her forehead tenderly. "This isn't bad, so I don't want you to feel like you should lock yourself in the bathroom because of something like this. You can tell me anything, I won't ever get mad at you." He gave her a small smile and she noted that deep in his brown eyes he too was fretting. Reaching up with her own small hand she pressed it to his cheek, holding his face fondly. He was being strong for her. She didn't need to always be strong.

"Thank you, Alex. For understanding." She found her sunbright smile again and focused it upon him before looping both arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. "I love you."
















----

And then Alex went home and panicked.