Chapter 18 - Good news and Bad news.

"I'm glad you're back home but really what are you doing home so early?"

Amelia asked as she poured a drink for her brother. Griffin shrugged.

"It's summer break. It's actually good to be back. I felt like I was suffocating in school."

Griffin said as he pulled at his collar. His hair was a mess of black curls and he had grown a beard since she last saw him.

Amelia shrugged.

"Well, it does look like you were stressed out. You're gauntly and thin."

"I've been reading very hard...."

"Makes sense. Doesn't seem you're eating much too. If you stayed with Mum, she would have made sure you fatten up before you leave."

Amelia suggested as she glanced at her brother, for some reason he had come straight to stay with her the minute he found out she was in New York. She wished he had at least been privileged to see Xavier when they together but he hadn't really known him well.

"So? What exactly are you doing in New York with your husband still at home. Did you have a fight?"

Amelia shrugged as she poured more maple syrup on her waffles. The table was set and they were having breakfast. Her brother was eating the normal scrambled eggs and toasts and Amelia was having plain waffles and coffee.

"We had a disagreement..."

Griffin raised his eyebrow as he scratched his chin while studying Amelia, she looked very stressed out. There were huge eye bags under her eyes.

"Is it about that pregnant lady?"

He asked and Amelia looked up at him mildly surprised that he knew.

"How did you..."

"Mum and Dad aren't exactly as discrete as you thought they were. What's the plan with that?"

"I don't know. Xavier wants to co parent with her."

"Hmmmmm."

Griffin said as he frowned.

"And what do you want?"

"Does that matter?"

Amelia asked as she glanced up at her brother while playing with the food on her plate. She didn't seem to be very hungry. That was how it had been ever since she arrived back in New York with her friends. She had also been stressed out a lot lately. She had a lot of work to do, Xavier asked her to check some things out at their company in New York and for four days straight she had been drowning in meetings and meetings to get an update for what was going on.

"Yes it does. So what do you want Amelia?"

Amelia scoffed as she dropped her fork and ran a frustrated hand over her hair.

"Honestly, I want her out of our life. But I can't do that... I can't deny Xavier that chance, so I'm learning to deal with it."

"Hnmmmm. Does she want the baby?"

"Ugh?"

Amelia asked as she looked at her brother weirdly.

"Have you considered if the woman wants the baby?"

"Well, she agreed to have the baby so I think she does."

"You can't be too sure. Have you considered asking her to let you and Xavier adopt the baby?"

Amelia chuckled.

"Oh Griffin! I know that woman... She would never..."

"You have the upper hand actually. You give her two choices. She either goes to jail for drugging Xavier and lose custody of the child or she should safely give him up for adoption and she'll be fine."

Amelia's jaw slacked at her brother's words. She had never heard him say something something so downright diabolical. She didn't even have the heart to do something like that. Even though it sounded like an intriguing plan that could work out, Amelia wasn't sure she was willing to take the risk or confront Xavier with something such as adoption or pressing charges since he clearly was against it. She never liked Daphne but she didn't think it was right to separate her from her child.

"Oh Griffin... That's kind of mean. I still don't think its proper separating Daphne and her baby."

"I mean, if we do, who's going to take care of the baby?"

Amelia and her brother raised his eyebrows.

"You of course! Who else would do it?"

Amelia shook her head as she showed her brother her perfect manicured nails.

"Do these look like they were made to change diapers? No."

Griffin chuckled as he took a sip out of his coffee.

"I guess you're right. You'll never be able to take care of a baby."

Amelia raised her eyebrow as she stared at her brother.

"Why do you think I wouldn't?"

Griffin shrugged.

"First, do you even want a baby? No, you don't. Secondly you don't seem to have one mothering bone in your body."

"Hey! How would you know? I took care of kids while I was in California. Xavier's nieces and his nephew."

Griffin rolled his eyes.

"Let me guess, you pampered them with gifts and sweets until they loved you?"

Amelia was about to protest when she promptly shut her mouth. Griffin was right and he knew her better than she knew herself. She did pump the kids with gifts and sweets.

"Well, at least they like me."

"That's not how kids work Mia. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to learn."

"When are we leaving for the gallery?"

Griffin asked and Amelia shrugged.

"After we see Ruby. She invited me to dress shop with her. She's going to Italy for her boyfriend's sister's wedding and she wants a new dress for the wedding."

"Ugh! Do I have to come with you?"

"Well, no but I want you to. We've already booked an appointment so it's going to be very short. Then we can go to the gallery."

"Okay. Okay."

Griffin said as he nodded his head grumpily.


They met Ruby at the boutique. It was a trendy high end boutique on fifth avenue that boasted of ritzy European dressing gowns and fancy red carpet worthy gowns. Amelia and the attendant had picked out a couple of styles and dresses for Ruby to try on and Ruby had disappeared with them and the attendant into the dressing room. Griffin on the other hand looked like he could be anywhere else but there and he looked positively bored already. Amelia ignored him.

She wished Molly was around but Molly was on her way to Dubai. She wanted to see Dubai for herself before she made her decision of taking the job. Ruby of course had been quite sad, when Amelia left the pair had gotten much closer. So it was heartbreaking to think that Molly might be moving to Dubai. They both wanted the best for her but it still didn't change the fact that they wished they could make her stay.

Ruby came out with her curly hair in ringlets in a bun and a shimmering gild dress. The dress was beautiful, it hugged Ruby's curvy figure perfectly and it had a very low back that made it look all the more tantalising. It was far from a scandalous dress and it was a beautiful show stopping dress. Definitely something that would have been more suited for a red carpet event.

"This seems too much Amelia."

"Ruby, you said it's a huge societal wedding, I think you're permitted to go overboard."

Amelia said as she stood up and felt the fabric. Oh the dress was downright gorgeous.

"Griffin? What do you think?"

She asked her brother who was still concentrated on his phone. Griffin looked up from his phone and smiled.

"It's beautiful, but I don't think it's wedding appropriate."

"See! Griffin gets it..."

Ruby said as she went back in the dressing room and Amelia glared at her brother.

"Wear the purple one next Ruby!"

She called out.

"Okay!!!"

"Let me go to the racks and find something else, I'm afraid everything I picked looked too much like the first one."

Amelia said as she stood up from her couch and walked to the racks. Griffin dutifully followed her.

"You should stop stressing yourself. The attendants can do it. Besides, you look so tired..."

"Well, can't say I've been sleeping well. But I'll be fine, really."

She said as she went through another rack and found a beautiful array of sequined gowns.

"Oh! This look so pretty. Let me find something Ruby might like."

Amelia said as she checked through the racks. Again and again.

She picked a champagne gold dress with a sequinned waist and she was about to turn and walk back to the viewing room when she suddenly felt very dizzy.

Amelia held a hand to her forehead and another on the rack to steady herself as she blinked furiously and tried to regain her composure but it was hopeless.

She felt herself slipping away and the last thing she could hear was the panicked voice of her brother shouting her name before she blacked out.

She woke up a few minutes later with half the store surrounding her. Ruby looked concerned and Griffin was fussing over her. As she blinked her eyes to get accustomed to the light, she wondered why she felt so tired and why everywhere was so bright with people staring at her.

"What happened?"

She groaned as she stood up slowly. The dizziness remained and it was messing with her balance.

"You fainted. Are you okay?"

Ruby asked and Amelia nodded.

"You must be so stressed out. I don't think you had proper rest when we got back from our trip."

"I was dealing with the company. Xavier wanted me to look into a few things."

Ruby rolled her eyes.

"And you drowned yourself in work. You really aren't suited for office life."

"She's fine everyone! Thank you!"

Griffin said to the crowd that started to disperse slowly.

"Let me take a look at you."

Griffin said as he inched closer to his sister and examined her eyes and her hands slowly. He sighed.

"You look anemic."

"What?"

Amelia said with her eyes widened as she glanced at Ruby who shrugged.

"We'll know when we get to the hospital and run some proper tests."

Griffin said as she stood up from his seat and reached out for Amelia's hand.

"Tests??!! I think I'm fine it's probably just stress."

Griffin scoffed.

"I don't think I've ever seen you faint due to stress. Come on, we're going to to the doctor."

"Amelia, listen to him, I'll go with you guys."

"But! We're supposes to be shopping!"

She protested lightly and Ruby shrugged.

"We'll come back later if all is well. Your brother is right, I've known you for years and you've never passed out."

Amelia sighed as she looked down and felt the eyes of Ruby and her brother on her. She had no choice but to listen to them, she might be sick after all.






"How long has it been since you've last seen your period?"

The doctor asked while they were in the emergency room and Amelia went black. Wait what?

When was it?
Three weeks ago or something, she wasn't sure.

She asked herself as she tried to rack her brain but nothing useful came up. She glanced at her brother and Ruby who were staring at her intensely.

"Well, I've always been prone to irregular periods. But I've missed my period for the month."

Amelia said and the doctor nodded as he continued with her the checkups. Amelia's heart was beating loudly in he chest as she was trying to fathom what was happening.

Could she be pregnant? No! It was impossible. She was always on her pill. Well, not always.

She thought as she remembered the time she and Xavier spent time in GBE hotel after their dinner date.

"We'll have to run some tests. Your symptoms have given me a cause for concern."

The doctor said and Amelia's chest skipped a beat.

"Is everything okay Doctor?" Ruby asked and the doctor nodded.

"It will be when we run some tests."



Amelia, Ruby and Griffin had been quiet when Amelia went through all the routine tests. She had a urine tests and a blood tests. Her temperature and blood pressure was also checked.

The wait was exhausting even though it didn't take up to thirty minutes but Amelia bit her fake nails all through it.

The doctor came in later with news.

"So what is it doctor? Am I okay?"

Amelia asked as she held on to Ruby's hand tightly.

The doctor sighed.

"I have good news and bad news."

"Bad news first."

Amelia answered and the doctor nodded.

"You have anaemia."

"Ohhh..."

Amelia said as she frowned, she didn't really know how to feel about that.

"Is it serious?"

Her brother asked the doctor and he shook his head.

"No."

"What's the good news?"

Ruby asked with a raised eyebrow and the doctor smiled tightly.

"Mrs Black is three weeks pregnant."