Lost and Found
Chapter 14 - Born and Bred
A week had passed since Candy and Daniel had first cemented their love for each other physically. They had made love three more times that day, exploring and enjoying each other and getting to know every inch of their partner's bodies. It was the best sex either of them had ever had and they'd eventually passed out in bed together, sweaty and exhausted, but happier than they had ever been before.
Sadly the next morning, it was back to reality as Daniel awoke at the crack of dawn to head to the building site for another week of hard graft. Candy, on the other hand, stayed at home, working on her business, answering emails, making and amending garments and doing online promotion. Her business income had recently skyrocketed thanks to a local female footballer who had bought one of her dresses for an awards ceremony, giving Candy's business credit on social media, which opened the floodgates for new customers. After both of them had been working hard all week, they were happy to finally have a couple of days off together to relax and spend time with one another. Neither of them would admit it, but they were both insanely horny after being too tired to have any intimate time together while they were working.
They had awoken together wrapped in each other's arms in the mid-morning glow as the sun burned outside, its rays only partially held back by the bedroom curtains. They lay together, enjoying being able to wake up without having to rush to get up, gently kissing one another and talking about the day to come and their plans for the future. Daniel had propped himself up on his arm so he could face Candy as she lay on her pillow, smiling to himself as he looked at her lovingly while she talked about her business.
"So I think I might have to look to take someone else on soon if the orders keep coming in like this, I just can't keep up at the moment."
"Well, that's great," Daniel replied, "did you have anyone in mind?"
"I have a couple of friends who could be up for the job, but I'd have to give them a trial, see how good their work is before taking them on full time I think."
"Yeah, that's a good idea." Daniel replied before being interrupted by the sound of Candy's mobile phone ringing on the bed stand. She picked up the handset, looking at the screen and checking who was calling.
"It's Officer D'Costa," she said as she looked at Daniel, a mix of excitement and fear on her face.
"Answer it, mum." Daniel said reassuringly as he rubbed her thigh under the covers. She did, greeting the policewoman warmly, before her face grew more serious.
"Okay, okay... yes... Well, that's great news... No, it's fine, you weren't interrupting anything, thank you very much for letting us know... Yes, of course, I'll let you know... Goodbye officer, have a great day." Candy hung up the call as Daniel waited anxiously to find out what she had said, it had certainly sounded positive from his mum's side of the conversation.
Candy turned to Daniel, looking relieved. "They found evidence on Steve's laptop, messages, emails, some pictures and they think that it's enough to be able to get a conviction," she explained, smiling widely as she realized she might finally be able to put that chapter of her life behind her once and for all.
"That's amazing news!" Daniel exclaimed, pulling Candy tightly to his chest and kissing her on the forehead.
"Yeah it is," Candy replied, "I can't wait for all of this to be behind us so that we can finally move on and forget all about him." She suddenly looked scared and anxious, body tensing up in her son's arms. "There is something else I wanted to talk to you about though Daniel, something serious."
"Okay, what is it?" Daniel asked apprehensively.
"I... I was waiting until you were finished with work to tell you, but I missed my period," Candy answered, voice trembling slightly. "I thought it just might be late, but it's been a few days now and I'm worried that I might be pregnant."
Daniel was floored and he didn't know what to say as his jaw hung open in shock. He tried to compose himself as he realized Candy was looking at him, waiting for him to answer, trembling a little as more and more time passed. "Okay," he said anxiously as he pulled himself upright in the bed, trying to give himself time to think, "have you done a test or anything?"
"Not yet," Candy admitted. "The day after we first had sex, I contacted my doctor while you were at work and started on birth control, but I think maybe it was our first time, maybe..." She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. Daniel took a deep breath, trying to focus, but his head was spinning with possibilities, and he was struggling to think clearly.
"Well, there's no need to panic yet. First, we need to get you a test and see whether you're actually pregnant or not, right?"
"But what if I am?" Candy asked, panic in her eyes as she clutched Daniel close to her. "You're too young to be having a baby, especially with your mother of all people."
"You were around my age when you had me," Daniel pointed out.
"And look how that turned out," Candy replied.
"Fair point." Silence hung in the air. "So what? You'd want to get rid of it?"
Candy wrung her hands, stress taking over her. "I... I don't know." They both sat there for a moment, lost in their own thoughts, unable to process what was happening. "I had you and left you behind, we lost years of our relationship together. I'm so happy we are together again now, but I don't think I could give up another child, I really don't. It would be like giving up a second chance to be a real mum, y'know?"
Daniel rubbed his eyes, thinking about what to say. He was only twenty one, could he really look after a child? Surely people would ask Candy questions about the father and the two of them living together could easily raise people's suspicions, and then it might not just be Steve that ends up rotting in a jail cell. He took both of Candy's hands in his, squeezing them tight as he looked into her eyes. "Listen Mum, I love you, and whatever you decide, keeping the baby or not, I'll stay by your side and support you, I promise. But first, we need to get you a test and find out whether we actually have something to worry about or not."
"You're right," Candy replied, "I'll have to go to the pharmacy and get a test."
"No, you stay here mum, I'll go and get it," Daniel said as he pulled the covers off and climbed out of bed so he could start pulling on some clothes. "I can't have the mother of my child running around doing errands," he said, smiling at her cheekily. Candy blushed a deep red, unable to look at him in the eye as she realized how good that sounded. The mother of his child.
"Is it wrong that I kind of want to be pregnant?" she asked in a hoarse whisper, covering her face with her hands in embarrassment at her confession.
After pulling on his top, Daniel walked to her side of the bed, leaning down and removing her hands so he could see her face. "It's not wrong at all," Daniel replied earnestly. "It would cause a lot of complications, but if you are, we will make it work, I promise." Candy wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in close.
"I love you baby," she whispered.
"I love you too mum," he replied as they held each other in a long embrace. Once they separated, Daniel said his goodbyes, making his way downstairs, putting on his shoes, grabbing his keys and stepping out of the front door. The pharmacy was only a few minutes' walk away and the time alone gave him some time to think. Could he really be a father? What about his degree? His plans for the future? If Candy was pregnant, she would only be able to work for so long and he would be the breadwinner of the house. Helping out Candy financially had been a big responsibility, but would he be up to being the man of the house, with three mouths to feed, all depending on him? Before he could come to any kind of conclusion, he was outside the small shop with the telltale green cross above the door. He steeled himself, taking a deep breath before pushing open the glass door and stepping inside.
The store was filled with rows of shelving, containing everything from condoms, to skin cream, to lipstick, to pain medicine. As he walked towards the counter, he noticed that the girl standing behind it was around his age, pretty too, as if this wasn't going to be embarrassing enough. Thankfully he was the only customer in the store and as he approached the girl, she smiled at him, greeting him warmly, her name badge reading 'Rachel.'
"Hi sir, how can I help you?" she asked.
Daniel couldn't look her in the eye, scratching the back of his head nervously. He spoke in a whisper, "I need a pregnancy test."
"Sorry sir, what was that?" the girl asked, unable to hear what he had said due to him speaking in such hushed tones.
Daniel cleared his throat, "I said I need a pregnancy test," he said with as much confidence as he could muster.
"No problem," Rachel responded, although she couldn't help but hide a little smirk before turning to the wall behind her, where there were a variety of tests on display. "Do you know what brand you want?"
"Erm, no, not really, I've never had to get one before," Daniel admitted shyly.
"That's okay," Rachel replied, "I'd recommend the pregnadyne tests, they only take a few minutes to show results and are accurate within three days of a missed period, so they're basically the best that you can get without going to the doctor," she explained.
