“Annie?” Dave asks, before turning to look at us. “Where are they? Celine should be here, too.”
Ella frowns, ushering us through the living room, the dining room and the long corridor until we reach a spacious balcony. It’s set at the back of the building, away from prying eyes. There, we finally find Celine and Annie.
They sit together quietly, holding hands and looking at each other gloomily.
“What’s going on?” Ella asks, suddenly on alert, while hurrying towards them.
“Celine, what’s wrong?” Dave asks.
“Annie, did something happen!?”
“Yes,” Annie says tiredly. “I am pregnant.”
Celine looks at us, her eyes sad. “And I am not.”
Dave and Ella react quickly. With how focused they act, it looks like they have an emergency plan ready for any time. Ella makes sure to have us all retreat to the living room in case someone is listening in, while Dave orders pizza from the pack kitchen, with all types of extras.
Half an hour later, Annie is covered in a blanket on the sofa, Celine is seated in one of the comfy sofa chairs, both of them with a cup of tea in front of them, and Dave comes in with the first batch of pizza. “They need a bit longer for the rest of our order,” he says. “We can share these first.”
“I am sorry,” Annie sighs. “I don’t want to be dramatic. This is silly.”
“It’s not,” Ella urges.
Dave has poured a glass of wine for himself and Ella, and hands me some soda in a funny children’s glass after I declined the alcohol. He didn’t bat an eye, though, just nodding in understanding. Brandon usually put up a fuss whenever I declined a drink. He truly was an asshole.
Now we are all sitting together in silence. I feel completely out of place, like I shouldn’t be here in this very private moment between long-time friends. While I still contemplate what I am supposed to do, Grumpy walks over to Celine, poking her thigh with its paw. “Ah, sweetheart,” she mutters, carefully lifting him up so that he can roll up in her lap. Her eyes fill with tears, much to my horror.
There is something about this strong woman being so vulnerable in front of me that makes it even sadder.
“I… I consider myself fairly sensitive in most situations,” Dave breaks the silence. “But I don’t know what to say. Neither of you has to tell us anything.”
I finally decide to speak up. “I think I will go for a walk around the pack,” I offer.
“No, please stay,” Annie says.
Celine nods. “I am sorry for pulling you into this drama. Annie is right. Don’t leave.”
They exchange another gaze. “I haven’t told anyone,” Annie says after a while. “Just Celine knows it… We talked recently,” she pauses. “My first pregnancy with the twins was awful. I lovemy two baby girls, I love my family, but the pregnancy was…” A shiver goes through her body. “And then it took me weeks after giving birth to feel like myself again.”
“You had postpartum depression?” Dave asks, chewing on his bottom lip. He sounds anxious. “Oh fuck, I wish I had known!”
“I don’t think I truly realized myself,” Annie admits. “I guess I was on autopilot for a while, just trying to operate like I usually would. And eventually it went away, and things turned out alright.”
“Does Liam know?” Ella asks. “About any of this?”
“No,” Annie says quietly. “Like I said, I didn’t realize it at first. Plus, he loves a big family, and I want more children, too. It just dawned on me now when I found out that I am expecting again.” Annie hides her face behind her hands. “I should be happy, but I am terrified.”
Ella takes her hand. “Liam will always put you first, and he will always make a real effort to understand you. You need to tell him so that he can support you through this.”
She nods. “I know. I‘ve had a feeling I was pregnant for a while, and finally took the test this morning.”
Ella looks worried. “Dave is right… How the fuck did we not notice? At least, I as your beta, should have realized something was wrong.”
Annie turns to Celine. “I am sorry, Celine. Me moping about this is truly insensitive.”
“It’s not,” Celine says. She reaches out her hand again to take Annie’s other. “It would be much worse for me if you held back or even hid your pregnancy.” She pauses, taking a sip from her tea. “Marius and I have been trying to get pregnant for a while now.”
Dave nods tentatively, but he is obviously not sure how to react. Neither of us is.
