"Geez Leo, could you please think before you let your fist do the talking?", I told Leo and turned to Joshua,"I'm really sorry Joshua, Leo was just being my protective older brother and didn't know any better." He just shrugged it off like,getting punched on the face was no big deal.
"Man,Ace is right. I really don't give a second thought before I act. I'm really sorry",Leo apologized and handed him a beer as a token of apology. "Its no big deal. I'd do the same thing if I was in your place",Joshua replied seemingly unfazed by the whole episode. I was glad but shocked as well at how easy and quick it was, to settle things between the two men.
"Phew, that went well", I gave out a sigh of relief but Leo replied,"Not so soon Ace. Tell me who's the father,if not Joshua,is it Zeke?". "Nope,its neither one of them. Zeke is a very good friend of mine,who has done nothing but help me and Joshua here is his cousin,who happens to be my doctor",I told him. "As for the father,he's not in the picture. We broke up and he doesn't want anything to do with the child",I added as if it didn't matter to me whether Roy was in the picture or not.
"Just give me the name and address Issy, I'll drag him down to the altar to marry you. Heck,I'll even beat the hell out of him if that's what it takes",Leo told me and I knew he meant every word he said. My cousin,who loved me and protected me with all that he could and I could only smile at him and say,"And then what?Do you think he would love me and give me the respect I deserve after a forced marriage of convenience?"
"I think I can quite manage without him and can raise my child alone",I repeated the words much to myself as much as I told him. "And besides, I have all the support I need in you guys",I added.
"What about Ma and Pops?Do they know about it as well?", he asked me and I replied,"Mom figured that something was not right,so I told her and dad overheard us when we discussing about it. Luckily, they handled it quite well".
This whole time, Joshua was silently listening to our exchange and I noticed that he tended to keep to himself. Zeke and the girls came back to where we were and joined in to grab a beer each."This place is amazing, the view,the sight,the sound,the smell,everything is oozing amazing. I could sit here all night and not be tired of it",Aurora,ever the nature lover gushed. "You should watch the sunrise early in the morning, its breath taking",Leo added.
"Can we really do that?",Aurora said suddenly and we looked at her confused."I mean,spend the night here and watch the sunrise",she added excitedly. I didn't want to dampen her excitement but I was really tired and wanted to pee. If I waited for them to drive me home,I'd have already wet my pants,so I decided to take the matters into my own hands and left them to find a place to relieve myself into the woods.
I finished my business and was pulling up my pants,when I saw a figure standing up ahead. I couldn't figure out if it was Zeke or Leo or Joshua cause all three of them were equally tall and similar built,and it was too dark to see clearly. I called out Leo's name first as I thought he would have seen me going alone and wanted to stand guard. "Its me",Joshua said and I was surprised at his thoughtful gesture.
"Umm, thanks",I said ,not knowing what to add so I only made some small talks and asked him,"Is it normal for me to want to pee like I've just had a gallon of water every other minute?",I asked him frankly cause I figured he already dealth with such questions regularly.
He chuckled and replied,"Its pretty common for a pregnant woman to face those symptoms. Don't worry. Just go pee whenever you feel like it". I could only give out an exagerrated sigh and he laughed at that, pinching my nose in the process. I was shocked,like literally shocked. His action left my mouth wide open as I stared at his now retreating back. Did Dr. Joshua Williams,the eminent OB/GYN, just pinch my nose?
"Are you coming or still wanna go back to release your bladder?" ,he joked,and I could only smile and head back to the group. "We're staying the night here to watch the early sunrise",Leo announced and I could only hide my disappointment. Not that I didn't like spending my nights by the riverside cause I did that plenty growing up, but I didn't know if it was the right choice for me now,considering my pregnancy.
"I'll drive Issy home,you guys can relax and enjoy the outdoors. She needs proper rest as its the most sesitive time of her pregnancy",Joshua offered, sensing my discomfort.
"I could drive her home as well",Zeke offered,but I knew he was really excited to be spending the night outdoors so I told him,"Don't cancel your plans on my account. Its actually pretty fun to sleep outdoors and just enjoy Mother Nature. I promise you'll love it. I'd love to spend the night out here as well, but doctor's orders",I smiled at them,encouraging them to not pay heed to my absence.