Ian's POV
"I thought you might like it." I smirked, pulling into the arena the concert is supposed to be in.
"Like it? I love it! I'm so damn ecstatic!"
I couldn't help but be amused by her cute antics when she was excited. It was my favorite side of her to see. She was adorable in the way she excitedly kicked her feet, clapped her hands, or jumped in her seat. It was never the same reaction, but there was always some part of her that couldn't hold still when she was excited, and I loved it.
Miraculously, I found a close parking spot, headed in, and handed in our tickets. We found our section, thankfully close to the stage. Hailey was again in disbelief as we took our spots, her legs shaking with her uncontained excitement. The scream she let out when they came on stage was ear piercing, causing me to cover my ears as the many other women around me yelled just as loudly. I laughed as she jumped at her feet, reaching out as if she could touch them.
Hailey sang every song, knowing every word as she danced. I danced with her, but I didn't know many of their songs. It wasn't until her favorite song came on, "Nina bonita," that I sang along with her. I made sure to memorize that one, specifically because I knew it was her favorite. She smiled at me, fully enjoying this moment. When the concert was finally over a few hours later, Hailey seemed ready to cry that it had ended. She was exhausted yet still buzzing with energy.
"There's more, but first we should eat something. I am starving."
"Me too!" she nodded, holding onto my arm as we made our way out through the thick crowd.
Again, Hailey chose where we were eating, picking a dessert place more than a food place. I didn't mind, though, having a sweet tooth myself. Besides, maybe the sugar would help energize me to Hailey's level.
"Okay, what next?" she asked me, licking her spoon clean of her mango ice cream.
"Dancing." I wiggled my eyebrows at her, seeing the corners of her mouth turn up.
She stopped walking for a moment, causing her to stop as well. I met her gaze with a furrowed brow when she whispered "thank you" with deep sincerity. She knew what I was doing with all this, appreciating it deeply, or so I assume.
"Anything for my future wife." I winked at her, seeing her smile widen.
"Let's go dancing!" She grabbed my hand, literally skipping beside me. Feeling young at heart with Hailey by my side, I skipped with her.
"Unfortunately, your levels have not dropped as we hoped. I can say that they at least have not increased either. For now, they have stayed the same. Try not to worry. This happens a lot in the first week. This is why we have you come weekly until they start going down. We'll see you again in a few days," the nurse told Hailey, booming in the room as Hailey had placed her on speaker.
"Yeah, okay. Thank you."
Hailey's hands shook as she hung up the phone. I knew what she was feeling, feeling it myself. We were both scared. Cancer is a scary word, no matter how high the survival rate is. I wrapped her in my arms, knowing she needed to be held. Her body fell heavy on me as she let me embrace her tightly, rubbing her back soothingly.
"It's going to be okay." She nodded with determination, trying to make her words true.
"It's going to be okay," I repeated, needing them to be true, too.
I can't have two of the most important women I know have cancer. Red going through it right now is more than enough. Having Hailey have to go through this, too, would be a slap in the face for both of us. The universe was out for us right now, but I was determined to fight it. She will be fine.
"We need to talk to my dad." She sighed, knowing keeping this a secret any longer would probably hurt her father worse.
"Do you think he'll kill me for getting you pregnant before we were married?"
"Possibly, but I am sure he doesn't think we aren't having sex, seeing as we live together."
"Okay, but if he comes for me, I expect you to protect me." I joked with her, making her let out a small laugh. At this point, I would take any small glimpse of happiness that she's willing to give.
"Don't worry, Mi Vida. I got you!" She flexed her muscle, slapping her bicep with her other hand, making chuckle.
"Damn, woman, when did you get so strong?" I squeezed her muscle, causing her to giggle a little more. The news we had gotten just minutes before faded to the back of our minds as we tried to bury our heads in the sand about it. She'll be fine.
"Oh, you know, just sitting around and eating all the time. Nothing special." She joked around as she got off the couch. "Now come on, we are going to see my dad now before I lose my nerve."
"Now?" I asked, feeling my heart start to race with nerves.
"Yes, now. He's at the new restaurant today."
"I don't know if we should bother him at work." I tried to back out, suddenly feeling extremely nervous. Given the news, I wasn't entirely sure how he would take it. Of course, no matter what, I will be by Hailey's side, helping her say the harder parts.
"Come on, don't chicken out on me now." She pulled my arm, trying to lift me off the couch. I sighed, dangling my head as I got up and followed her out of our cozy apartment.
"Let's hope he doesn't take back his blessing," I murmured.
"What did you need to tell me that was so important, Nena?" Mr. Medina asked as we situated ourselves in his office. Hailey closed the door before taking a seat across the desk from her father. His brows pinched as he noticed her fidgeting state. He knew his daughter well.
"It's a lot, and I am sorry I didn't tell you sooner. It's been killing me," she admitted, looking down at her hands in her lap. "I found out I was pregnant."
"Was?" Her dad immediately caught on. "Hailey Medina, did you have an abortion?!" he yelled furiously. Hailey had told me how religious her dad was and how having an abortion was against their religion.
"No, God, no, Papi." She shook her head with fury. "I had a molar pregnancy."
"A molar pregnancy?" he asked, his voice calm once more as he leaned forward in his chair, positioning his elbows over the desk.
"It's when the egg of the woman doesn't have any genetic coding so the sperm sort of doubles itself," she began explaining. I could hear the thickening of her voice as she grew emotional. "It turned out to be a mass I was growing, and they had to get it out. And now I have to go back every week and get my blood drawn. And now I- " she was jumping ahead, tears now stinging her eyes. I could see her struggling, noticing she wouldn't be able to finish.
"She had a complete molar pregnancy, which means it can turn into cancer if her HCG levels don't go down. She had her first blood draw a couple days ago and they said her levels haven't gone down. They told her not to worry just yet, but it's definitely something we are stressing about." I finished for her, taking her hand and holding it tight.
Mr. Medina's eyes were glistening, turning pink with tears as he looked at his daughter. "I am so sorry, Nena." He came around his desk and hugged her tightly. They cried together for a bit before Hailey sniffled, trying to contain herself.
"I am sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Papi. I wanted to surprise you with the news of a baby, but then this mess happened instead, and I just knew I couldn't handle telling you just yet."
"I understand. In fact, your aunt Dolores went through the same thing. Only they messed up her D&C, and she was no longer able to have children after that. That's why you only have your cousin Hector from her side."
"Are you serious?" Hailey asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Yes. Maybe you should call her and talk to her about it. I am sure she could tell you more than I could."
"I will. Gracias, Papi."
"Any time, Nena. Te quiero mucho!"
"I love you, too."