The Cassidy Chronicles

Cassidy watched as Sonya grabbed the gun out of her pocket and pointed it at Ryan. Cassidy watched as Ryan did nothing so she did the only thing she could think of, she grabbed his gun and pointed it at Sonya.

"Cassidy! No!" Ryan grabbed the gun from Cassidy and she knew she needed to run. She spun around, slipping in the snow as she made her way to the car. Ryan had lunged for Sonya and Cassidy was sure they were fighting for both guns. Everything was quiet until Cassidy heard a whooshing sound and a loud crack. She fell over and blacked out.

Ryan jerked a bit as Sonya's gun went off into the direction of Cassidy. Sonya gasped as Cassidy fell over into the snow. She was stunned and it was enough to cause her to not pay attention. Ryan kicked the gun out of her hand. It landed in the snow, sinking into the white fluffy wetness. He then pushed her to the ground and pinned her arms behind her back. "You are under arrest for attempted murder, Sonya Billings."

He pulled her up so she was kneeling in the snow. He left her there, knowing that she wouldn't be able to move fast enough and even if she did, they were in the middle of a cemetery. He then ran over to grab his cell phone. Looking down at Cassidy.

"This is Ryan Gates, a member of the Fort Erie police force. I am at the Greenwood cemetery on Thompson Road. There has been a shooting. I have a suspect in custody."

He left the phone open and then looked down, trying to figure out how best to help Cassidy.

Cassidy felt herself wake up but she was very confused. She wanted to open her eyes but something told her not to do that. She did it anyways and the bright fluorescent lights burned her eyes. She closed them tight and tried to make sure she didn't make the same mistake again.

Her body was sore all over and she wondered how long she had been sleeping. Her body didn't hurt so much from a specific injury, more so from not moving in a while. Her whole body felt heavy and when she moved her right leg pain radiated up her body, causing her to cry out.

There was movement in the room and soft voices. She was whimpering, trying to get comfortable but she couldn't move her right leg. She didn't want to move it again and she didn't want to open her eyes. She was in a bit of a predicament in that for her to figure out exactly what was going on, she would need to do one of those two things.

She decided to move her arm up to shield her eyes from the brightness. When she did that something tugged on her arm and she felt Ryan's hand on hers, rubbing gently.

"Try not to move Cassidy. You have a lot of things on you."

Cassidy opened her eyes, trying to adjust to the brightness. Sitting next to her was Ryan. She then saw that although she didn't want to think about this before, she was indeed in a hospital bed. She tried to remember how she could have gotten into this situation but her head hurt.

"Do you want me to get the doctor? He can explain things a little better then me."

"Yeah." Cassidy's voice was barely a whisper and she then pointed to a glass of water. She drank the whole glass then spoke again. "Yes. Turn the light off too."

Ryan chuckled and then hit the call button for the nurse. He was definitely not looking his best now but she didn't notice. He was wearing jeans and a wrinkled t-shirt. His hair was messy and he had stubble against his jaw line. He had a white square bandage on his left arm and Cassidy tried to remember to ask him later about it.

Cassidy looked at herself and saw that the reason she couldn't move her right leg was that there was a cast that went from above her knee down to her ankle. There was an IV line in her right arm and she was wearing a hospital gown and covered in a thin blanket.

"Am I alright?"

"You are going to be fine. You gave us a big scare but you'll be fine."

Just then, the doctor walked in. He was around her age and was smiling wide.

"Well good morning Cassidy. I'm glad you finally decided to join the land of the living. I'm Dr. Morano. I'm one of the intensive care doctors. I'm sure you want to know what happened to you."

Ryan was shaking his head and the doctor made a funny face and then continued.

"You were shot in the leg. When you were brought in, you were unconscious and we had to do emergency surgery to determine what exactly was bleeding. Your leg has one of the largest arteries in the body and if that was severed you could have bled to death. We also wanted to make sure there were no bones broken. The gunshot was so close to your knee joint we were worried that it had shattered your kneecap."

The doctor waited for Cassidy to process what she had been told already then continued his explanation.

"There was no damage to your femoral artery and your patella, that's your kneecap, is intact. We had to do a few X rays to make sure. Considering your situation we didn't want to have you subjected to any X-rays but we didn't have much choice."

"How long have I been asleep for?"

"Two days. The accident happened on the twentieth and it's the twenty-second of December. You can go home now if you want or you can stay until discharge tomorrow morning."

"O.K."

"Do you have any other medical questions?"

"No. Thank you."

Cassidy watched the doctor leave the room and then she turned to face Ryan.

"So what's the rest of the story and why can't I have X rays?"

Ryan leaned over and kissed Cassidy softly on the lips. He took her left hand and slid the engagement ring back on her finger. "They had to take this off before you went into surgery in case your hands swelled up. It belongs there forever."

Cassidy sighed. She nuzzled his nose.

"Do you want to hear what happened or is this going to be too overwhelming?"

"No I want to know. All I remember is running towards the car while you and Sonya were fighting for the gun. I then heard a loud sound and collapsed."

"Just before I tackled Sonya to the ground she shot you but her aim was off and she hit your leg. I had no idea at the time what part of you had been hit so I handcuffed her then ran to you. The police and ambulance arrived quickly and you were rushed to the hospital."

"What happened to Sonya?"

"She was arrested. She's being held until her next court appearance. She's playing games with the legal system by firing two lawyers in a row. There is no way she can plead innocent for attempted murder and she refused to plead insanity."

"She is insane. I've always known that."

"Her husband George was arrested as well. Chief White, well Jack White now, he was dismissed as chief of police as soon as the news broken, he is also in jail. He was the one who lied to Sonya about the media report. He didn't want me back on the police force and knew that she would do anything. He knew that if she found out that the media was going to report on her illegal activities, she would go after whoever told them."

"Oh wow."

"So they are in jail. Someone will come and interview you at some point for their records. Otherwise everything is over."

"No more visions either. My dreams were all back to normal. Not one dream I had while out of it had to do with the future, the past, or any alternate present day."

"That's fantastic Cassidy. I am so happy you have no idea." Ryan leaned over and kissed her softly again. He couldn't help himself so he opened his mouth slightly and whimpered when Cassidy pushed her tongue into his mouth. He stood up so he could lean over more. He wanted to do so many things but there was the fact that she was still in the hospital.

"Does my mom know about this?"

Ryan laughed. "Yeah. I called her when you were in surgery. She came right away and she has the whole lady's church group praying for your recovery. Then she found out about the baby and now they're praying you don't go to hell."

Ryan didn't even realize what he had said until it was too late. Cassidy's eyes were wide and her mouth kept opening, trying to speak. She would then shut her mouth, trying to think of a better way to say what she needed to say. Finally, Ryan decided to explain further.

"Damn it. I didn't mean to tell you that way. Sweetie you're pregnant. They did a pregnancy test because it's normal procedure before giving a woman an X-ray. I told them that you had fertility issues but they didn't believe me. They did a blood test and it came up positive. You still needed a few X rays but they were very careful."

"What?"

"You're pregnant. We don't know how far along you are but I'm sure they will give you an ultrasound if you want."

"What?"

Cassidy's mind was spinning and it couldn't slow down. She was dizzy and it wasn't just the fact that she had just woken up. She was pregnant. That was impossible. She couldn't be pregnant. Then she thought. She didn't remember the last time she had her period. Was it before or after she got together with Ryan? She was only able to blurt out a question each time Ryan tried to fill her in on the details.

What if Jason was the father? Had she used a condom with him? Of course not. She had lied and told him she was on the pill. He was too selfish to wear a condom anyways. What if she was pregnant with Jason's child? That would be horrible. She didn't feel pregnant. Not like she knew what it felt like to be with child anyway. She had had that stomach flu a while ago. Was that morning sickness? Didn't that last longer? Her mind was spinning with questions and finally she responded to Ryan, who was just staring at her, not saying a word. He had stopped talking once he noticed that Cassidy was in her own little world.

"Does an ultrasound say when you got pregnant?" Cassidy's voice was frantic and Ryan had a look of concern and puzzlement on his face.

"Yeah. Why?"

"I need an ultrasound. I need to know when I got pregnant. I can't tell you why."

Ryan was so confused he just rang for the nurse again. He thought she would be ecstatic. He thought that she would jump for joy, knowing that she was going to be married and become a mother. He assumed that she was excited to be alive and that the whole fiasco that started their relationship was over. Instead, she wanted an ultrasound.

The nurse arrived quickly and Ryan spoke up.

"Cassidy was wondering if it was possible to get an ultrasound. She's a little frantic about seeing the baby." Ryan's voice was monotone and without feeling. He was worried about her tone of voice but was scared to even think what was wrong.

"I'll see what I can do." The nurse smiled and left the room. Cassidy was looking out the window. It was snowing again.

"I've been going over to your house every day to make sure everything is safe." Cassidy didn't even respond. She couldn't look at him in the face. Here he was so happy and excited and she might have to explain that he wasn't the father. She didn't want to explain anything to him so kept her mouth shut. She crossed her arms and finally he took the hint that she wanted to be left alone.

"I'm going to go get something to eat at the cafeteria. I'll be back in a while."

Cassidy nodded and then continue to look out the window. So much had changed in such a short period of time. She couldn't even fathom what had happened. She knew that the charity ball was the second week of November and that was when she had been so stupid and horny that she had slept with Jason. If she remembered correctly, from what she read, a pregnancy was counted from the first day of a menstrual cycle. Well she figured she hadn't had a period since Thanksgiving, which would not make sense since it was normally for her to go upwards of two months without a period. She started doing math in her head. Let's say she had her period two weeks before she had sex with Jason. That would make her nine weeks pregnant. Then Cassidy though of the good situation, that Ryan was the father. When was the first time she and Ryan had had sex. Was it near the middle of November or the end of November? She didn't remember but started counting the weeks in her head again. She would be six to eight weeks pregnant if Ryan was the father. How soon could they tell if someone was pregnant? Maybe her being sick was exactly that and she was only just now pregnant. Cassidy was thankful when her nurse entered. It made her concentrate on what was being said to her and her mind wasn't so busy with all the what ifs.

"If you can wait about twenty minutes they can fit you in upstairs. There was a cancellation and I made it sound urgent. You can't very well walk so we'll get you a wheelchair."

Cassidy nodded and then calmed herself down enough to think of something else. She was eager to go home and hopefully enjoy a quiet Christmas dinner. She giggled aloud. Christmas dinner was always loud and busy. Although she was an only child, her mother had three brothers and sisters, who had eighteen children in total. Cassidy was the youngest and so everyone else was married, had children, or both. It was a busy dinner but it was nice to get together with your closest twenty to thirty relatives.

The nurse arrived back and after a bit of struggle to get from the bed to the wheelchair, Cassidy left the confines of her hospital room and was wheeled to the elevators. As the elevators doors opened, Ryan walked out then walked back in, taking the ride up to the maternity ward. Nothing was said on the ride up.

Things moved fast as they reached the main desk. The nurse explained the situation and then they were led into one of the ultrasound rooms. The nurse left, explaining that she would be waiting outside to bring her back downstairs. The room smelled like hand sanitizer and there was a small bed with a white sheet in the middle of the room. There was a large machine on one side of the bed and a chair on the other. Attached to the ceiling was a small television screen that currently had the same view as what was on the computer screen of the machine. Ryan was about to explain himself but then the technician came in. She was an older lady and looked hyperactive and excited.

"Good morning. My name is Tanya. I understand you're unsure of when you conceived. Please sit up on the bed. Do you know when your last menstrual cycle began?"

Cassidy pushed herself up and onto the table. She lay back. "Maybe October. I have no idea. My periods aren't regular. I have polycystic ovarian syndrome which means I don't ovulate." "Well you must have ovulated at least once. We'll try an abdominal ultrasound first and if we can't see anything we'll do a transvaginal."

Cassidy lay back and closed her eyes. She didn't want to ask the question that was burning at the back of her head. Ryan was holding her hand gently and she cringed as the cold gel was placed on her belly. The firm wand of the machine was pressed firmly on her belly and she realized she had a full bladder. She was about to say something but then remembered one of the endless rants that Molly had had a few days ago. Cassidy hadn't totally been paying attention but she did remember something about needing a full bladder for an ultrasound.

"Awww."

Cassidy opened her eyes and saw the sweetest sight she had ever seen. Ryan was smiling as he looked up at the television screen on the ceiling. His tone of voice was so sweet and loving that Cassidy couldn't help but smile. She glanced up at the screen and saw a blob of white and black. It was fuzzy but then she saw the contrast of black background against a white image. It looked like a blob but she knew exactly what it was. She cried up then bit her lip, trying to hold back tears.

"You are definitely pregnant. I will need to do some measurements to determine the estimated gestation and then I can tell you your due date. I'm assuming that because of your hormonal imbalance that determining your due date from your last menstrual period will not be useful."

Cassidy and Ryan barely heard the technician. They looked at each other and then back at the screen. At one point the jellybean shaped blob moved and that made both of them smile. "I love you Cassidy. This is amazing."

Cassidy nodded and was about to say something when the technician spoke.

"You are seven weeks, three days pregnant. That would put your due date as August 7th. It can be off by about four days on either side but at least you have a date to go by for your prenatal appointments."

Cassidy couldn't take it anymore. The thrill of seeing her baby inside her for the first time had pushed her to become even more hormonal then before. Now she knew that Ryan was definitely the father. She had probably gotten pregnant that first time they had sex. She remembered that night very clearly and there was no thought that the need of intimacy was going to create a new life.

Ryan was smiling so wide he could barely speak. He helped Cassidy up out of the bed and into her wheelchair. He opened the door, wheeled her out of the room, and met the nurse in the hallway. The elevator ride down to Cassidy's room was silent. She wanted to stay in the wheelchair and so Ryan sat across from her at the table that was against the window.

"I thought it might be Jason's. We never used protection either. I didn't mean to sound mean or bitchy. I just was scared to death that I got pregnant with has child. It's yours. I did the math in my head. Now I'm happy, scared, but happy."

"You mean so much to me. You are amazing, sexy, and wonderful and I know we are doing things a bit differently but the fact that we will be married soon and then have a child by summertime. I love it."

"Married soon? Who says I don't want to wait until after the baby is born?" Cassidy grinned. "I know you too well. When I met you, you had purple hair and looked very awkward in a nice dress. You are not the type to want a big fancy wedding with a poufy white dress and ten pastel dressed bridesmaids. If you had your way we'd elope to Niagara Falls or something." "You do know me too well but is that what you want?"

"Yes. I'm not religious. Never have been. I can't imagine going to a church and asking to get married just because it's the thing to do. I love you Cassidy. I love our baby. If you want to move in with me tomorrow I'll pack your house up."

"Ryan don't be silly. There is no way we're moving into your tiny apartment. You're moving in with me."

Ryan laughed then kissed Cassidy softly. "I thought you said I was just dating you so I could move into your big house."

"My house is not big. This way there will eventually be more people than there are bathrooms. I hate vacuuming and I hate carrying laundry up and down the stairs."

"Anything else sweetie?"

"Nope."

***

Cassidy walked carefully up the steps to her mother's house. The ground was covered in snow and she was a little shaky on her feet. She had a leg brace that went from above her knee to half way down her leg. It would remain on for a least three more weeks but it wasn't bulky so her sweatpants fit nicely over it. She was wearing a pair of purple sweatpants along with a matching sweater. Her red hair was in a braid and she held on to Ryan carefully.

Ryan was wearing dress pants and a nice shirt. He was nervous because not only was he to meet Cassidy's mother now that she knew that he had gotten her daughter pregnant, he was about to meet the whole Caldwell family. He felt nervous but excited. His family was small, so meeting a large extended family for Christmas dinner was exciting to him.

The couple made their way to the front door. Both of them were trying not to giggle but there was more then one reason why Cassidy was having trouble walking. She had been discharged the day before and literally, the moment they got into the house they had made love. It was a weaving line of cuddling, kissing, touching, and love making from the front door, up the stairs and into her bedroom. They had rested a bit and then started again. Ryan had a huge pregnancy fetish but was a little afraid to tell Cassidy. Cassidy was in a romantic intimate mood. She had been that way when after she was kidnapped and now that she was home, and not sitting in a hospital bed, she wanted to get out the pent up arousal that had plagued her since the cemetery situation.