Chapter 17

When they got to the arena, Sidney all but bounced out of the car. Karen couldn't hide her smile watching him.

"Can I maybe ask you to not tell too many people yet?"

"Baby why? We're having a baby, I want to scream it from the top of the Igloo."

"I know you do, but if you tell the whole team then that's just more people to tell if something goes wrong."

"Karen, we're going to be fine and in 8 months we will have a new member of our family to complete it."

"I'll make you a deal."

"At this point, anything."

"I'll let you tell the team since I need to tell Ray anyway, but no publicity to the press until I am safely in my second trimester."

"Not to sound too much like a man that doesn't know what you mean...but how long is that?"

"When I hit 4 months. Every three months is a trimester and when I get through the first one and safely into my second, you can proudly tell the press you're going to be a daddy."

"So, in about two months" he said seeing her nod "I think the press can wait until then, I just don't think my parents can."

"When they come down for the playoffs, we'll tell them and not a moment before ok?"

"Ok. I understand why you want to wait, but this is happening for us."

"I know I just don't want to disappoint a lot of people, especially you."

Sidney put his hand over Karen's stomach "Peanut won't disappoint either of us."

"Um, Peanut?"

"Well for now anyway, I thought it had a cute ring to it since that's what he looks like."

"Now we're talking about the baby being a boy? I wanted a girl first and Peanut could be a she."

"The next one will be a girl" he said kissing her and leading her inside "I want my own little protege first." Karen just laughed at him as he took her to the locker room first. The guys were still on the ice and Sidney brought Karen with him. Coach Dan skated over and watched as Sidney brought out a carpet by the door. He asked if the guys could come over to them and Coach Dan blew the whistle and waved them over.

"Apparently your captain wants to explain why he skipped out on practice today" Dan told the guys.

"Yeah Sid, what's going on?" Max yelled from behind everyone.

Sidney looked at Karen and then back to the guys "I needed to skip practice to go find out that....we're going to have a baby."

Karen heard all the guys hoot and holler, coming over to congratulate both of them. She saw Jordan shy away at first then come over to hug her. She sensed it was hard on him to come over but hid his feelings well enough. After they got done offering their congratulations, Sidney helped Karen off the ice and she told him goodbye as she headed to Ray's office while he got changed for practice.

A few minutes later, Karen walked into the office and found Ray at his desk. She knocked on the door frame and was gestured in.

"It's good to see you Karen. Are you feeling better?"

"I am and I needed to talk to you about something."

"Sure, what's going on?"

"Well, I found out this morning that I'm pregnant."

Ray smiled and got up to hug her "congratulations. How far along?"

"Just 5 weeks, so fairly new. I need to talk to you about this though."

"Something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. Um, I was pregnant twice before and lost both of them."

"I'm so sorry Karen."

"Thanks."

"What can I do for you?"

"I want to know if I could take a break from work for a few months. These next couple months are crucial since I lost my other two early in the pregnancy and I thought maybe staying home and not running around to and from work could help. I know with the playoffs starting and then the draft and signing guys in the off season it's a bad time to ask for this but..."

"Karen stop. I want you and your child safe and if you need time, you know you have it. Your job will always be here and I don't think I could get all of it done without your help. Maybe you could do some work from home for me and we can email back and forth."

"That could keep me from going insane with sitting around and doing nothing."

"Then it's settled. How's Sidney handling it?" Ray said with a smile.

"If he doesn't climb to the top of the arena and shout that he's going to be a father, then he's handling it well."

"Being a father for the first time is exciting."

"I can imagine but with the way history has been with this, I don't want to disappoint him if I lose this baby."

"Karen let me tell you something I learned...history has a way of changing itself to make the future a lot brighter."

"Hadn't thought about it that way. I just want Sid to have everything he wants."

"Well from what I've heard, after he found you he did get everything he wanted."

"Thanks Ray, I appreciate that." Karen hugged him again and before she left to go find Sidney, Ray gave her some paperwork to work on for him while she was home. Karen went and found Sidney, telling him she was ready when he was. He told her he would be a little longer, so she sat in one of the seats and watched him practice. Karen hadn't watched Sidney practice in a while and loved watching his intensity, especially for the playoffs. Sidney got her attention and gestured that he was done and going to shower. She just smiled and stayed in the seats for a little while longer.

"Hey Karen."

She looked up to the voice and saw Jordan standing behind her "hey Jordan. I thought everyone else left."

He took a seat behind her "I was working out with the weights for a little bit and heard you were watching Sid. You've been avoiding me."

"I haven't been avoiding you Jordan but that could be said about you too."

"I figured if I kept my distance it would be better for everyone."

"Keeping your distance is also keeping you from your friend. We all got things worked out that night at the hospital. Sidney and Brit don't hate me or you so why can't we go back to being friends?"

"Probably because I haven't lost feelings towards you yet?"

"Jordan?"

"Don't worry, I'm not about to act on them but until I can think of you as just a friend, I need to keep my distance. I just wanted you to know that." Jordan got up and left as Karen sat there for a few more minutes before getting up to meet Sidney.

They left and got home 20 minutes later. Sidney help Karen inside and made sure she got comfortable. Karen tried to get up to get something to eat, but Sidney told her to stay and he would get it for her. She knew what he was doing and wondered how long she would be able to handle it. The rest of the day, no matter where Sidney was, he managed to always know when Karen was about to get up and came swarming into the living room.

"Ok, are you going to be like this for the next two months? Because I will tell you rght now I can not wait for you to leave for a couple of games."

"Baby, if you need anything I will get it for you. You are the one who wants to be cautious, I'm just helping with that."

"Sid, there's helping and then there's driving me insane. There are some things I can do on my own like get something to eat or go to the bathroom, like where I need to go now. I love that you are taking care of me but this is what I didn't want."

"What am I doing that's so wrong?"

"You're making me feel like I'm not capable to do anything. I asked Ray for this time off so I wasn't always running around until I knew things were safe. Staying home and doing things at my own pace will help that. I love you for being cautious with me but you still need to let me do things. If I can't do something I will ask for help, I promise."

"I'm just worried about all this. I want the end result to be a happy one too you know. But you do know your limits and as long as you do ask for help I won't hover as much."

"Well you don't have to completely stop the hovering" she said smiling "I kind of miss when we get the chance to just be together."

Sidney gently put his arms around her "Yeah me too." He looked into her eyes and let their lips meet in a kiss. They both felt what arose within them and Karen pulled away "sorry, I know that's going to need to wait for awhile too."

"We'll see. I don't have to completely stop doing everything but maybe after a week of taking it easy we can get back into our normal routine and just see what happens."

"That and alternative ways" he said kissing her again before letting her go. Karen walked to the bathroom and thought about his 'alternative ways' and wondered if that meant what she thought it did. Sidney was never the one to really spice things up in bed, their lovemaking was always so straightforward and romantic but with her being pregnant, it might open it up to a whole other level.

Chapter 16

A few weeks had gone by and Karen was at her desk in Ray's office. She was typing a couple letters and she stopped when her eyes wouldn't focus. All of the sudden her head began to spin and the dizziness took over. Karen put her head in her hands hoping to stop it when Ray came out of his office.

"Karen, could you...are you ok?" he said looking at her.

She slowly lifted her head up to look at him "yeah, I got dizzy all of the sudden and couldn't focus my eyes on the computer."

"You really look pale. When did you eat last?" he said handing her the bottle of water on the desk.

"It's been a few hours, but I'm not hungry yet."

"I think we need to let the team doctor look at you, just to be safe."

"Ray I'm fine, besides I don't want to worry Sidney with the playoffs starting in a few days."

"How about I ask him to come up here while the guys are still practicing? That way Sidney won't know until you tell him."

"Ok." Karen started to work again while Ray went into his office to call downstairs. He came out and told Karen he would be up in a few minutes. She smiled and kept working until he came up. Karen hoped it was just a fluke but then again, she had been dizzy a few other times. Five minutes later, Dr. Burke came into the office and went over to talk to Karen. Ray told them to move it into his office for some privacy.

"What's gong on Karen? Ray said you felt dizzy."

"Yeah, I was looking at my compuer screen and my eyes wouldn't focus then my head began to spin and I just couldn't see straight for a few minutes."

"Is this the first time that it's happened?" he said taking her blood pressure.

"Here at work or at home too?"

"Both."

"First time here at work, but I have felt dizzy like this a few times before at home. It's usually right before I lay down to go to sleep or when I get up from sitting or lying down."

"When was the last time you ate?"

"Before I came to work, so 8:30a."

"Karen? It's almost noon. You should have had a snack or something by now."

"I usually do, but I wasn't hungry for anything today."

"So then you do eat a snack between breakfast and lunch?"

"Yeah, I have something at the desk. In fact I have things in my drawer stocked for when I feel hungry." Karen looked at his expression "what?"

"Can I get personal?"

"I think I already know what you might want to know and I am almost a week late."

"Are you pretty regular?"

"Like clockwork."

"Maybe you should go see your doctor to confirm it and if that's not what is making you dizzy, he'll be able to go from there."

"Could you not mention any of this to Sid?"

"I won't."

"Thanks Dr. Burke."

"Anytime Karen" he said leaving Karen sitting there for a minute. Her thoughts were running a mile a minute in her head about this. She knew a couple days ago when she hadn't started yet that she could be pregnant again, but didn't want to realize it. Karen got up and left Ray's office telling him she needed to go get something for lunch. He told her to take it easy and if she didn't feel like coming back, she didn't have to. Karen thanked him but said she just needed to eat and would be back in an hour.

Sidney was done with practice and was getting dressed from his shower when he knew Karen would be leaving for lunch. He met up with her in the hallway and they left to get something to eat. Everything had gotten back to normal between them before the whole cheating episode and it felt nice that it all got swept away from their minds. Karen tried to avoid being alone with Jordan and eventhough she didn't have that sexual urge towards him anymore, she didn't want to take the chance of anything sparking up between them.

"How was practice?"

"Good and I may go back to lift a little while you finish up."

"Don't stay around on my account" she said smiling.

"It's all about you babe, need to work on some stuff to make me more buff for my woman" he said flexing a little at the table.

"Well your woman thinks you look great no matter what."

"See, one reason I married you...you're easy to please."

"I'm sure the neighbors would agree to that on most nights."

"You feeling ok, you look a little pale baby."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just needed some fresh air and some lunch." Sidney took her hand and kissed the inside sending a chill up Karen's spine. They got their food and ate with minimal conversation. After lunch, they headed back to the arena and Karen went back upstairs to finish her work. Sidney worked out a little bit then called and told her he would see her at home later.

At 3p, Karen left the arena and went to WalMart before going home. She bought a pregnancy test and some things to make for dinner. Karen made a lasagne and had it in the oven when she went upstairs to see what was going on. She did what she needed to do and sat there waiting for the results to peak through. Five minutes later, Karen sat on the edge of the bathtub and looked at the stick.

Sidney heard the oven timer go off and he turned it off, then shut the oven off. He didn't know where Karen was and went to look for her. He headed upstairs and walked into their bedroom. Sidney saw her in the bathroom sitting on the edge of the bathtub and just staring at the floor.

"Hey, the oven timer went off so I shut the oven off and left dinner in there. Are you ok?" Sidney saw her shake her head no "baby, what's wrong?" he asked kneeling in front of her and seeing what she was holding. "Is that..."

"Yeah it is."

"And?"

"It's positive."

Sidney took the stick out of her hands and looked at the result, smiling. He saw her tears and wondered what she was thinking about all this "baby, this is a good thing. Why are you crying?"

"What if..."

"There is no what ifs."

"But..."

"No buts either. We will do every precaution and make sure this one lasts, ok?"

Karen shook her head yes "I'll call Dr. Kelley tomorrow and have her run another test to be sure."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"You don't have to. I know you'll have practice."

"I think they'll understand and I can always go afterwards and stay later. Come on, let's go eat and we'll finish talking about this." Karen smiled as he leaned in and kissed her then helped her up to go eat dinner.

All night Karen couldn't help but dream the worst about everything. She didn't get any sleep and would hope after going to the doctors, she would have her mind set at ease.

At the doctor's office, Karen couldn't stop bouncing her leg with her nerves. She was glad that her doctor was able to squeeze her in for an appointment early but she was still scared of the possible outcome.

"Karen? Dr. Kelley will see you now" one of the office assistants said. Karen smiled and got up with Sidney telling her he would be out in the waiting room until she needed him. She kissed him before going in and getting situated.

"Hi Karen. Danielle said you need a pregnancy test done."

"Yeah. I've been dizzy off and on and a week late. I took a home test and it came out positive and I just wanted to be sure because...."

"Of what happened the last two times. I understand, so let's take some blood and then do an ultrasound to see if its true."

"Sidney is out in the waiting room. Can he come in for the ultrasound?"

"Absolutely. Let's get the blood work done and see the results and then we can go get him." She got the blood she needed and had it sent down to the lab. With Karen's doctor's office in the hospital, it took less time to get blood work back. "While we're waiting, how about we talk for a few minutes. You seem scared to be pregnant again."

"I am. I don't think I could handle losing another baby. Sidney does know about the previous times, my mom told him but for him to get excited about this one and then have the same thing happen, I'm scared to find out what may come of it."

"Karen, even I wasn't sure to the reasoning behind the miscarriages, but you are a healthy woman. I don't see any reason why you can't carry to term. You have no diseases or infections that would have caused it, so we'll have to take it easy and make sure this one lasts."

"Ok." They sat and talked for a few more minutes before the phone rang and she was given the results of Karen's test. She asked if Sidney could come in for the results and Dr. Kelley sent for him. Sidney came in a minute later and sat down beside Karen, grabbing for her hand.

"It appears my test agrees with the at home one. You are pregnant Karen."

She was able to let out a small smile to where Sidney couldn't contain his "do you know how far along?"

"Not by this test, but why don't we get you up on the table and do the ultrasound to find out." Karen nodded and got on the table, lying back and lifting up her shirt to her breasts. The doctor poured the gel over her stomach and proceeded. Sidney held onto her hand, waiting patiently. "Ok, Karen let's see here...." she said pointing to the screen "do you guys see this peanut shaped image?" they both nodded "that's your baby."

"Really?" Sidney said with a hint of disappointment.

"Did you think it would actually look like a baby this early on?" Karen said smiling at him.

"Well no, but I didn't think it would be peanut."

"It is a normal picture of a fetus at this stage and from this I can tell you that you are about 5 weeks pregnant." Karen thought back but knew exactly when it was but Sidney was having a little more trouble . Karen got scared wondering if he would think it wasn't his and possibly Jordan's. "Any questions?"

"Not from me" Sidney spoke up.

"Karen? You alright?"

"Yeah, I mean I'm already further along then the last time but..."

"Baby, no buts remember."

"I know."

"Karen, I know you're scared and everything but we will take this one day at a time and at any sign of a cramp, or dizziness, anything....call me, ok?"

"Ok." Dr. Kelley cleaned up her stomach and made them a picture of their baby to take with them before they left.

They headed to the car and Karen knew Sidney was going over in his mind about the time frame.

"Sid, the night my dad went into the hospital and we went back to clean up my parent's house and stayed the night...it was about 5 weeks ago. I can see the wheels turning in there and the baby's yours not Jordan's."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I was never off my birth control with him. After everything that came to head, I got stressed and forgetful not taking it while we were apart. So if you think about it..."

"It is mine, but it's not that I doubted it, I wanted to be sure."

"I know. If it was Jordan's, I would be months pregnant and not just a few weeks."

Sidney stopped her before she could get into the car "we're going to have a baby" he said smiling as big as he could.

Karen matched her husband's smile "I know" she said leaning in to kiss him. They broke apart and then headed to the arena so Sidney could get some practice in and Karen could talk to Ray about her situation.