Carrying the Flame Ch. 04

"You're twenty years old Callie, you should not be having a baby now," Lucas growled.

"Isn't it a little late for this lecture? You didn't give it to me with Jamie!" Callia exclaimed.

"Because your mother asked me not to. And I'm glad that I didn't give it to you knowing that you'd been raped, but now, you were just careless!" Lucas exclaimed.

"I wasn't careless! I was on birth control and I NEVER missed a day!" Callia retorted.

"Then how did you get pregnant?" Lucas wanted to know.

"The same way mom did when you forgot to use a condom!" Callia shouted.

"Enough! Luke, Callie's an adult. She's married. You shouldn't get mad at her for being pregnant, and with the stress she had during her pregnancy with Jamie, you shouldn't stress her out now either," Olivia told her husband. She turned to her daughter. "That being said Callia, I am disappointed that you didn't have Cooper use a back up birth control method like a condom," she added.

"I'm sorry I disappointed you," Callia whispered.

"I didn't mean it that way Callie," Olivia sighed.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but Luke, Liv, could we speak to you in the living room?" Suzie asked from the doorway. Lucas and Olivia glanced at each other and followed their friend down the hall, Cooper slid into the bedroom. "Are you alright?" Cooper asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, just tired and overwhelmed and completely terrified. I don't know if I'm ready for this," Callia admitted, her voice was soft but strained.

"We'll be fine Callie, all three of us," Cooper promised. Callia looked at him, and he frowned at the exhaustion she saw in her eyes. "Go to sleep Callie, I'll deal with your dad," he added.

"Are you sure? Dad looked ready to kill you," Callia murmured.

"I'll be fine, just get some rest," Cooper said, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. "I love you," he added before leaving the bedroom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Where's Callie?" Blythe asked when Cooper walked into the living room.

Cooper ignored the angry look Lucas was giving him and turned to his father. "She's resting," Cooper answered.

"Why couldn't you have waited a few more years?" Lucas asked finally, his voice held a resigned tone with just a hint of anger.

"Luke, neither Callie or I planned on this happening, but I love Callie and she loves me. You need to trust me not to hurt her," Cooper said, turning to his father in law.

"What's the big deal dad? So what if Callie's only twenty, she's married, let her have a kid if she wants to," Jonah said from the recliner, not looking up from the hand held video game.

"Just because you're going on sixteen doesn't mean you know all," Lucas growled, glancing back at his son.

"Leave him alone Luke," Olivia sighed. She turned back to Cooper. "How is Callie doing, really?" she wanted to know. Cooper hesitated, glanced back towards the bedroom.

"Callie's nervous, obviously. We both are, she had a hard time with Jamie. Callie's been working herself to the bone lately, taking the class load she's taking and working the number of hours she's been working." Cooper shook his head. "I honestly think that while she didn't want Jamie, she's trying to make up for him not being here by throwing herself into working," Cooper said.

"She isn't ready for a baby," Lucas said stubbornly. "Neither are you," he added.

"Probably not, but for better or for worse, he or she is coming and I'm not going to leave Callie here high and dry to deal with it. I love Callie, and I know I'll love the baby," Cooper retorted. Finally, Lucas smiled. "That was exactly what I was looking for." Lucas looked over at Olivia who wore a small smile, reached for her hand. "When Liv got pregnant with Callie, I was terrified, we honestly hadn't been dating long and we were on the run from her psychotic ex-boyfriend. All I knew is how much I cared about Liv and that I cared about the baby." Lucas patted Cooper on the shoulder. "You'll be fine kid, you both will," he added. Cooper gave a sigh of relief, glad that the interrogation was over and glanced back toward the bedroom. "Promise me something," Lucas said. Cooper turned back to his father in law.

"What's that?" Cooper wanted to know.

"Take care of my little girl," Lucas murmured.

"Forever," Cooper promised.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm coming, I'm coming, keep your shirt on!" Callia grumbled as she walked down the hall way and flung the door open, let out a shriek when she saw her best friend from Michigan standing on her doorstep. "LAURA!"

"Hey Callie! Coop said it was okay to come out and visit, so here I am!" Laura said with a grin.

"Oh my God is it great to see you!" Callia squealed, letting her friend in.

"It's good to see you too, you look amazing! What's your secret?" Laura wanted to know as they sat down at the kitchen table, mugs of cocoa in hand.

"Not living in fear for one," Callia said with a smile.

"That helps for sure," Laura agreed. "But there's more, you're positively glowing," Laura murmured. Callia gave a soft smile and shrugged. "C'mon chica, spill," Laura instructed, taking a sip of her cocoa.

"I'm pregnant," Callia said when Laura had set the mug back on the table. Laura stared at her friend in surprise then dashed around the table to give her a tight hug.

"Is everything okay? Are you okay?" Laura wanted to know. Callia nodded.

"I'm doing great. I'm excited even," Callia said, her voice was quiet. Laura gave another shriek and pulled her friend out of the chair. "Careful Laura, sudden movements aren't a good thing and I need my hearing," Callia warned with a laugh.

"We're going shopping! I want to help you pick out things for the baby's room," Laura said.

"Glad to hear it," Cooper said from behind her.

"We have time. I don't want to jinx anything," Callia protested.

"Whatever you want," Cooper told Callia.

"How far along are you? When are you due?" Laura wanted to know.

"I'm due about March fifteenth, give or take a day or two," Callia answered.

"Just in time for my birthday," Cooper added with a grin. Now that he had warmed up to the fact that he was going to be a father, he was growing very excited, and couldn't wait to be able to feel the baby moving within the woman he loved. Callia smiled at that and toyed with her mug.

"We need to go shopping!" Laura insisted.

"Laura, not everything requires a shopping trip," Callia reminded her friend.

"Yeah but you're having a baby! In four months! And this is my first time in Boston!" Laura exclaimed.

Callia laughed. "All right, we'll go shopping, but Coop has to come too," Callia caved. Cooper groaned, knowing the girls could shop for hours if they weren't interrupted with other things needing to be done. "Call Gray," Callia told Cooper. Cooper grinned and winked at Callia over Laura's head.

"Gray, who's Gray?" Laura wanted to know as Cooper pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

"A friend," Cooper said while he waited for his friend to answer.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey Gray, this is my friend Laura," Callia introduced them with a smile.

"He's cute," Laura whispered as they started walking through the mall.

Callia laughed and nodded. "Isn't he though?" Callia asked, her eyes twinkling.

"What are you up to?" Laura wanted to know.

"Not a thing," Callia said with a grin.

"The girls are plotting, aren't they?" Gray asked, not looking over his shoulder.

"Probably," Cooper acknowledged. He glanced back and met Callia's eyes, smiled at her.

"How's Callie feeling? I know she's had a rough time," Gray asked, bringing Cooper's attention back to him.

"She's feeling better. The morning sickness should be ending soon, she's going on her fifth month." Cooper glanced back over his shoulder again. "We're hitting the same time in her pregnancy where she lost Jamie," Cooper answered.

"That's got to be rough," Gray sympathized.

"Hey Coop, wait up!" Laura called. Cooper stopped and turned, surprised that he and Gray had walked so far away from the girls.

"What's up?" Cooper asked as he and Gray returned to the girls' sides.

"Callie just got fixated on something in the store," Laura answered. Cooper turned and followed Laura's gaze, saw Callia standing in the middle of a baby boutique.

"Oh boy," Cooper groaned, walking into the store. "Callie?" he asked.

"Coop, it's perfect," Callia whispered. Cooper looked at the crib she was standing next to and smiled. The crib was beautiful, made from solid oak with a dark mahogany staining and had a changing table and dresser attached to it, and could be changed into a twin bed.

"Is this the crib you want for the baby?" Cooper asked. Callia turned to him and nodded. "How much?" he wanted to know. Callia reached for the price tag and sighed when she saw the price written down. "Callie? How much?" Cooper asked again.

"It's almost four hundred dollars," Callia whispered, with a sigh of disappointment. Cooper whistled, and Callia sighed again. "I'll keep looking," she added before walking out of the store. Cooper watched as Laura and Gray led Callia away and started to follow her out of the store when a clerk stopped him.

"Are you and your wife looking for a crib?" the clerk asked.

"Yes we are. My wife likes this one," Cooper answered.

"It's beautiful. Jewel is one of our most popular models and it's just about sold out; in fact, this is our last one," the clerk said, patting the crib she was standing by. She studied Cooper carefully. "I can give it to you on a discount," she added.

"How much of one?" Cooper asked.

"It's three seventy five right now, and I can take it down to three hundred," she told him. Cooper pursed his lips and thought about it for a moment.

"Can you take it to two seventy five?" Cooper asked.

"I don't know, that's a hundred dollars off," the clerk mused.

"Take it to your manager?" Cooper asked. The clerk sighed but returned to the back of the store.

"The lowest I can drop the price to is three hundred," the clerk said, the manager stood behind her.

"Look, my wife really loves this crib, she absolutely lit up when she saw it. I know you're out to make money, but this is your floor model, and while it's in excellent condition, and has been put together well. I want to make this as stress free of a time as possible. My wife had a still birth several years ago and is incredibly nervous about being pregnant again," Cooper told the manager. "But I just can't afford three hundred. Two fifty or two seventy five is my absolute limit," he added.

"She looks too young to have been pregnant before," the manager said, giving Cooper an odd look.

"She was eighteen, and yes, she's young, but it's true," Cooper said. He didn't know why he'd told the store manager about the still birth, but he was hoping that they'd lower the price of the crib.

"Two eighty," the manager said finally.

Cooper pulled out his wallet and handed over his credit card. "Sold," he agreed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What's going on?" Callia asked when Laura finally led her back into the apartment.

"I have a surprise for you," Cooper said when they walked into the kitchen. Callia couldn't help it and laughed at the excitement in his voice.

"What'd you do?" Callia wanted to know. Cooper grinned. "Coop?"

"Close your eyes love," Cooper instructed. "Keep them closed," he added, taking her hand and leading her down the hallway. Callia waited impatiently as Cooper opened a door led her inside. "Go ahead and open your eyes," Cooper said. Callia growled when she saw the darkness around her.

"Coop," she groaned.

"Sorry," Cooper said with a grin, flipped on the light.

"Coop, the crib! You bought it!" Callia breathed, her eyes going wide.

"You wanted it, and you're right, it's perfect," Cooper said softly.

"How can we afford it? Coop, we can barely afford rent right now!" Callia exclaimed.

"Callie, it's going to be okay. Don't worry! We'll be fine," Cooper assured her.

"Is anyone home?" Callia sighed when she heard her father's voice echo down the hall.

"We're back here Luke," Cooper called back. Lucas headed down the hall, grumbling something about how they'd better both be dressed making Callia laugh softly.

"I see you're buying furniture already," Lucas observed with a smile. "What's wrong?" he wanted to know.

"We can't afford it, it was almost four hundred dollars," Callia said.

"No, it wasn't. I bought the floor model, and got a sizable discount. We'll be okay," Cooper promised. Callia looked relieved at that, squealed and threw her arms around Cooper's neck. Lucas couldn't help it, he laughed. "I guess I'm going to have to get over the fact that you and my daughter are having sex," Lucas said with a sigh.

"Because of the baby?" Cooper asked, raising an eye brow.

"No, because Callie is too much like her mother, and whenever I did something that right, I was always well rewarded," Lucas answered. Cooper laughed and Callia blushed as she pulled away from Cooper. "I wish I could have kept you my little girl forever," Lucas sighed, giving his daughter a gentle hug.

"I'm sorry," Callia murmured.

"Don't apologize. Just be happy," Lucas instructed. He looked up at Cooper. "Don't break her heart Coop," Lucas warned as Olivia walked into the apartment.

"Luke?" Olivia called.

"We're in the back," Lucas called back. Olivia walked into the bedroom and smiled when she saw the nursery was taking shape.

"It's beautiful in here," Olivia commented, laughed when Callia's stomach growled.

"C'mon, we'll buy you guys dinner," Lucas said with a grin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You're Callia right?" a young man asked, grabbing her arm after class.

"Yes, what can I help you with?" Callia asked.

"I need help with this class. I hate literature, but I have to take it," he said. "I'm Greg," he added.

"I can't help you, I have enough on my plate already," Callia told him.

"Please. I can't afford to fail," Greg pleaded.

"C'mon Callie, I promised Coop I'd get you home right after class," Keely said, walking up to them.

"I'll pay you. A hundred dollars a day," Greg told Callia as she followed Keely towards the front of the room. Callia glanced at Keely and tore a piece of paper from her notebook, jotted something down and handed it to him.

"Be there in an hour," Callia said.

"Are you sure about this?" Keely asked as she watched her friend clear off the dining room table.

"You'll stay till Coop gets home?" Callia wanted to know. Keely nodded. "Then I'm sure," she answered. Looked up when Greg knocked on the door. Callia opened the door and let him in.

"This is a trial run. If, after a few sessions, if I get too exhausted or stressed, we'll have to stop," Callia told Greg as he set his bag down.

"How can you get too exhausted? Because you're pregnant?" Greg asked.

"It's more exhausting than you think," Callia said, her voice sharp.

"Okay, okay," Greg raised his hands in mock surrender.

"Let's get started," Callia told him, pulling her books out of her bag. "What are you having problems with?" she wanted to know.

"I just hate reading unless it's a comic book," Greg said, pulled his own copy out.

"It's a modern fiction book," Callia pointed out, even though she wasn't thrilled with the book choice. While she loved John Grisham novels, and A Time to Kill was one of her favorite books and movies, she wasn't in the frame of mind to handle the book.

By the time Cooper got home from class, Callia was ready to scream. "Why are you making me go over the fucking rape scene over and over again? It's a scene about an eight year old girl being raped, abused and urinated on!" she asked, her voice going shrill.

"Callie, calm down," Cooper warned, placing his hands on her shoulders. He looked up at Greg through narrowed eyes, something about the younger man across from him made him want to strangle him, and it wasn't just how he had been stressing Callia out. "Pay Callie the money you promised her and get out, you're done for the day," Cooper told him, his eyes low, daring Greg to say no. Greg shrugged and tossed five twenties on the table and began gathering up his things.

"Greg, don't come back, I can't do this," Callia told him.

"What about helping me with the story?" Greg asked.

"Rent the movie, it follows the book closely," Callia answered, her eyes were closed, breathing shallow as she tried to get her emotions under control. Cooper watched until Greg got into his car and drove away before turning back to Callia.

"You okay Cal?" Cooper asked softly.

"He kept fixating on that damned rape scene. What a sicko!" Callia whispered.

"He's gone Cal, and it's okay," Cooper told her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It's me," Greg said. "They're here alright," he added.

"What is her condition? Is she still married to the Lee kid?" the voice at the other end asked.

"They're still married, and she's pregnant. It looks like she's about four and a half, maybe five months along. Under damned near constant supervision," Greg answered.

"It figures Olivia's daughter would be just as fertile as her mother," the voice grumbled. "This changes nothing, you have two weeks to take her," he added.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I can't believe you transferred out here!" Callia exclaimed as she helped Laura decorate her apartment and set up the kitchen.

"I missed my best friend, besides, Gray is really hot," Laura said, her eyes twinkling.

"Yes, yes he is," Callia agreed, rubbing her back.

"It looks good in here," Laura observed. The walls were a pale blue with cream trim.

"Good afternoon ladies," Gray said as he and Cooper walked into the apartment.

"Hi Gray," Laura said shyly. Cooper and Callia glanced at each other and grinned, it was very obvious that their friends were attracted to each other.

"We're going to go, I have the ultrasound," Callia told her friends. Laura gave Callia a tight hug.

"Thanks for helping me unpack," Laura murmured.

"Anytime Laura," Callia assured her. She turned to Gray and gave him a big smile and a hug. "I'll leave Gray to help with the heavy lifting," Callia added before she followed Cooper out of the apartment.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Gray asked as he and Laura brought in the last box of books. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead as he studied her carefully.

"Eat, I'm starving," Laura answered. Gray laughed and washed his hands in the sink.

"I'll buy you dinner," Gray said as he dried his hands on a paper towel.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Is everything okay with the baby?" Callia asked nervously, her eyes focused on the monitor in front of her.

"Looks okay as far as I can tell," the technician answered. "There's the heart beating," she answered, pointing to a small but quick moving object. Callia glanced at Cooper who wore a stunned expression on his face. "Let's get some measurements," the technician said as she went about her work.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Cooper wanted to know.

"I'll look for that in a minute," the technician promised with a laugh. She finished up the measurements then moved the wand to the ultrasound. "The baby's legs are splayed open. Tell me, what do you see?" she asked Cooper. Cooper and Callia studied the screen before looking at each other with a grin before Cooper gave his guess to the technician. "You're exactly right. I'll print out a few copies for you," she told them.

"Mom, are you and Dad with Blythe and Suzie?" Callia asked.

"We are actually, we just sat down to eat, why, is everything okay?" Olivia wanted to know.

"Can you put the phone on speaker?" Callia asked.

Callia heard a click then Lucas' voice came on the line. "Callie, what's wrong?" he wanted to know.

"Nothing dad, I promise. We're all fine. I just wanted to tell you that we had the ultrasound today. The baby looks great dad, perfectly formed, the heart beat sounds perfect," Callia said excitedly.