Episode Forty Seven

The Poolhouse

It had been several weeks since they'd moved into the poolhouse, and fall was in full swing. The leaves were long since off the trees, and the weather had been steadily getting colder all October. As Jamie and Summer got ready for school, a light snow fell outside, blanketing everything with white.

Summer stiffled a yawn as she downed a glass of orange juice. "My jeans don't fit," she muttered.

"Huh?" Jamie asked, engrossed in his english textbook.

Summer rolled her eyes. "My jeans were too tight. The extra big pair I bought just 2 weeks ago. I barely got them buttoned."

Jamie looked up, a smirk on his face as he got up and gathered the breakfast dishes. "Well, you are 5 months pregnant, Sums," he said. "You knew the day was gonna come."

"Yeah, but..." Summer began. "I'm fat."

"You're beautiful," Jamie corrected as he put their dishes in the sink.

"It would be a lot easier to believe that if you didn't say it about a dozen times a day," Summer complained.

"Okay, if I don't say you're beautiful, you think that I think you're fat and you're unhappy. But If I do say you're beautiful I'm saying it too much and you think I'm lying and think you're fat, so you're unhappy!" Jamie said, throwing his hands up. "Is there any possible way for me to say the right thing?"

"No," Summer said, biting her lip to keep from laughing. She knew she shouldn't laugh, not when Jamie was looking so frustrated with her. "You're so cute when you're irritated," she told him.

Jamie tried to stay angry, but instead laughed. "And you're irritating when you're so cute," he replied, walking over to give her a kiss. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm just stressed over school, and today we've got the last full photo shoot for you, and I know Ronnie's going to be a bitch and make snide comments about you that are completely untrue, but you'll believe them and get stressed and when you're stressed I'm more stressed," he said, delibrately being melodramatic.

Summer clapped a hand over her mouth to try and muffle her laughter. "I hate fighting with you," she said.

"That wsn't a fight. That was us both being moody," Jamie replied, smiling. "Just ignore everything that comes out of Ronnie's mouth, okay?"

"Deal," Summer agreed. The phone rang and she jumped up to answer it. "Hello, Brady-Bowen Poolhouse," she said. After a moment she looked over at Jamie and held out the phone, biting her lip nervously. "It's for you. It's Mr. Jackson."

Jamie tensed immediately. There were only a few reasons for the DA to call him, and most of them terrified him. He tentively took the phone. "Hello?" He was quiet for a moment, nodding every so often. "Okay, I understand. Yeah, I know, you have to. What?" Jamie stopped to listen, then closed his eyes. "Thanks for letting me know, bye" he said before hanging up and leaning against the cabinets.

"What is it?" Summer asked, reaching out to take Jamie's hand.

"The judge decided to allow the emdia in the courtroom, and there's a chance some of my taped statement will end up on the news," Jamie explained.

"Richard'll make sure KTVN doens't put it on," Summer said. "And he's the only local news station..."

"Stations from all over the state, and even one from Denver, are gonna be covering the trial," Jamie said, shrugging. "Someone's gonna show it."

"We all ready knew excerpts could appear in the paper, this isn't too much different," Summer said, trying to reassure him.

"There's more," Jamie said, looking down at their joined hands. "Technically, I shouldn't have been told... hell, the test shouldn't have been done. But they did an STD panel on him."

"And?" Summer asked fearfully.

Jamie looked up, his eyes brimming with tears. "Nothing. He doesn't have anything. No AIDs, no HIV, nothing," he said, crying. "I'm okay. We're okay. Our baby's okay," he added.

Summer threw her arms around Jamie's neck, her own tears falling. "I knew we would be!" she said.

"Yeah, you did," Jamie acknowledged, holding her for a minute before pulling back. "We gotta finish getting ready."

"Can't we skip school? I could claim severe morning sickness and you didn't want to leave me... we can stay home and celebrate..." Summer suggested, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

"Ah, the good side of pregnancy hormones," Jamie replied, chuckling. "And no, we can't. I have a major test today. And I've got Art last period."

"Like you need some stupid high school art class," Sumemr replied rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, but it's the one class I know I'm really doing good in. I know I'm not gonna get bad grades in Art, no matter how bad I do in everything else. I need the destressing before dealing with Ronnie," Jamie said. "Now come on, go get your shoes and socks on, and we'll head off to school, and you can complain and whine to Maria and Nicole!"

"Shut up!" Summer said, smacking his arm as she left the kitchen and hurried upstairs.

Once Summer was out of sight, Jamie sank down into one of the kitchen chairs and put his head in his hands, tears beginning to fall again. "This is so stupid," he muttered, wiping his eyes. "I'm okay, I don't have to worry about it anymore. Why the hell am I being such a baby?"

"You're not a baby," Summer said as she came back in.

Jamie looked up and had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. "You know, that sweater looks awfully familiar," he said.

Summer shrugged. "I got it from your closet, so it should," she said. "It looks cold out," she added defensively.

"I think you look great in my clothes," Jamie replied, smiling. "And even better out of them," he added, raising an eyebrow.

Summer rolled her eyes. "No I don't," she said as she started to pull on her coat.

"You're beautiful," Jamie said as he handed her her backpack and grabbed his own.

"I'm a whale."

Jamie threw his hands up in exasperation again. "Then you're a beautiful whale!" he said. "The most beautiful whale I have ever seen!" he said. "Now let's go before we're late!"

Summer couldn't help laughing as she let him pull her out the door.

EdiSigns - That Afternoon

Summer laid her jeans on the chair with the rest of her clothes as she turned to reach for the outfit laid out for her. Instead she found Ronnie standing behind her, pursed lips and an amused look on her face. "What?" Summer asked.

"I just noticed how much weight you're putting on," Ronnie replied. "I don't see how you're going to fit into any of Toria's designs."

"Shut up, Ronnie," Nicole said. "Summer looks fine."

Summer ignored Ronnie's jibe and reached again for the clothes. But Ronnie grabbed them first. She looked at the low rise jeans and snorted. "That belly of yours is going to hang over the waistband!" she said, laughing

Summer snatched the clothes from Ronnie's hands and turnrd around to pull them on. Of course, her stomach did stick out over the waistband a bit, but once she pulled the top on, her belly was neatly disguised. She just looked like she was wearing a loose shirt.

"Hurry up, Ladies!" Toria called into the dressing room. "The guys are long since ready."

"Because guys don't care how they look!" Summer replied as she walked out.

"Okay, everyone in front of the backdrop, and look gorgeous," Toria ordered.

As everyone gathered, Jamie put his arms around Summer's waist and whispered in her ear. "You're gorgeous without trying."

Summer smiled and turned her head to look up at him. "Charmer."

"Always," Jamie replied, smiling.

"Sickening," Ronnie commented.

"No, perfect," the photographer, Eric, said as he snapped several pictures in rapid succession, making sure all of them were at such an angle to disguise the slight bulge of Summer's stomach. "You don't find such young and pure love often in the modeling world."

"You also don't usually find such chubby models," Ronnie muttered under her breath, making Summer's smile disappear instantly and her body tense.

Jamie turned and glared at Ronnie. "Just shut the hell up," he said.

"Am I missing something?" Eric asked, confused.

"Just that Ronnie's a bitch," Nicole said.

"Well, I have to say for someone 5 months pregnant Miss Brady looks wonderful," Eric said, shrugging.

"Pregnant?!" Ronnie yelled.

"Oops, did I forget to tell you when they told me?" Walker asked, starting to laugh.

End of Episode Forty Seven