Uh-oh! I Became Pregnant After Divorce

"Please," Eloise pleaded, looking into the owner's eyes with desperation. "I make a really good waitress."

"And yet you still aren't a high school graduate," the owner, a middle-aged woman with humongous pearls, grimaced at her. "We don't accept the likes of you in here."

Eloise pursed her lips together and crumpled the resume in her hand. "And that's why your business is failing," she bit back, causing the owner's face to become red.

"What did you just say?" she exclaimed in anger. It was almost laughable how she looked so much like Barney the dinosaur-that is, if Barney was red. But she didn't have any time to laugh since she had to run out before the owner caused a scene.

"Come back here, you little shit!" the owner yelled, but Eloise had already made her way out of the small restaurant.

She looked down to the ground and kicked an innocent little stone on the corner of the road.

"What a shitty life," she muttered under her breath whilst taking out a piece of paper from her pocket.

"There goes my last stop," she said, crossing out the name of the restaurant that was supposedly hiring for a new waitress. She wasn't aware that you had to at least be a high school graduate to be qualified as one of their workers.

At this point, she had already wanted to give up. She was already working two jobs, for god's sake! She worked in a convenience store at dawn and as an assistant florist during the morning. She wanted to try her luck to get an evening job at the restaurant, but luck wasn't on her side.

Eloise looked down to her phone and smiled when she saw the bright smile of her brother on her wallpaper. He was the very reason why she's working so many jobs right now. After being diagnosed with Leukemia just a month ago, he has to undergo treatment as soon as possible. But with the money she currently has, she knew that she had to take up more jobs to pay for his treatment.

She couldn't give up, so she started walking once more, hoping to find a "hiring" sign from the restaurants in the area.

She smiled in delight when she finally saw a "hiring" sign after hours of walking. However, she quickly stopped when her phone suddenly rang.

She answered the phone with a slight frown.

"Mom?"

"Eloise," her mom said in a worried tone.

"What's wrong?" she immediately asked.

"I don't know what to do, Eloise. He just suddenly collapsed and-"

"Calm down, mom," she said, although she was feeling more frantic than ever. "Tell me what happened."

"It's Cameron," her mom finally said. "He's in the hospital right now."

"Shit," she cursed under her breath.

"I'm on my way."

***

"Babe," Vaughn greeted through the phone. "Aren't you going to come home today?" he asked.

"You know that I have a shoot today, baby," Alina said in a sweet voice, instantly making Vaughn smile. "I'll go home tomorrow."

He cleared his throat as he remembered the conversation he had with his parents just moments ago.

"Break up with that woman and start a family of your own already, Vaughn. You're not getting any younger, and I'm sure you already want to inherit our family business," that is what his mother had told him.

"Have you thought about what I had asked you yesterday?" he opened up.

Alina sighed. "I-I can't, Vaughn," she said. "I don't want to carry your child yet. My career as a model is only starting out. I can't ruin my body for a baby."

He pursed his lips together but hummed in response. It was understandable. His 24-year-old girlfriend is only a rookie in the model industry, while he was already a 28-year-old with an established name as a conglomerate.

"Okay," he said. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"See you tomorrow, baby," Alina said, reverting back to her flirty self. "I can't wait to see you and probably...have some fun."

He smirked and shook his head. He already knew what Alina's definition of "fun" would be.

"Can't wait," he said before finally turning off the phone. However, even after their sweet conversation, he couldn't get his mother's words out of his mind.

With that, he called one of his closest friends, Xavi.

"Let's drink," he said without any introductions.

"What?" Xavi asked, obviously woken up from his sleep. "I was already sleeping, you little shit."

He scoffed as he got the keys to his brand new Harley Davidson. "Call the others and meet me at the Royals."

"Whatever, man," Xavi said with a yawn. "I'm going back to sleep."

"I'll be paying," he said as he started his motorbike.

"Well, why didn't you say so?" Xavi exclaimed, his mood taking a turn. "We'll be on our own way."

Vaughn smirked as he revved up his engine. "That's what I thought."

He arrived at the Royals and was surprised to see that all of his friends were already there.

"What's up, man?" Xavi greeted. "We already ordered some drinks."

He took a cup and filled it with hard liquor, downing the liquid straight to his throat.

"Woah, slow down," Dylan, one of his friends, said. "Why did you call all of us out to drink?"

"Same old," Vaughn said, taking another drink.

Xavi chuckled and shook his head. "Don't tell me-is this about starting a family again? Your parents are still on that?"

"Yes," Vaughn said. "And I think they're serious this time. They don't want to give me the company until I have a family of my own."

"What?" Red exclaimed. "That's bullshit, man! You've been working at your company since we graduated."

He nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. "I don't even know."

"Well, have you brought up the topic with Alina?" Xavi asked. "You've been together for two years now."

"That's another problem," Vaughn said. "Alina's not open to having a family yet. She wants to focus on her career now that bigger brands are recognizing her. And I don't think my parents would approve of her, too. They've never really liked her."

Dylan clicked his tongue. "Well, you're right about that. Your mother practically doesn't speak whenever she's around."

Vaughn sighed out in frustration as he took another drink. "I don't know what to do anymore. I might just give up the company."

"You can't do that, man!" Red said. "Imagine all the sacrifices you've made. The company practically belongs to you. Only the legal papers are missing now."

"Then, what do you suggest that I do?" Vaughn asked.

His three friends turned silent.

"What about this?" Dylan suddenly said.

They all turned their attention towards their youngest friend.

"You guys know about surrogates, right?"

"Yes, women that carry other couple's babies," Xavi answered.

"Right," Dylan said. "And surrogates have become very common these days. You just pay them some bucks, and they'd carry a child for you."

"Are you saying that Vaughn should get a surrogate?" Xavi asked. "That's absurd, man."

"I might have to agree with Xavi on this one," Red said. "And you're missing the important fact that Vaughn's parents' does not like Alina."

"Simple!" Dylan said. "Just marry the surrogate too. Then after giving birth to a baby and having the legal papers of the company be transferred to Vaughn's name, the two of you can just file for a divorce. I'm sure that Alina wouldn't mind, too, since she doesn't want to get pregnant, right?"

"You're insane," Red said. "But I hate that you have a point."

Dylan smiled proudly. "This is definitely the only way to do this. There's no other better way."

Xavi sighed and turned to Vaughn.

"What do you think, Vaughn? I do think that it's crazy, but what if it actually works?"

He pursed his lips together before getting up.

"I'm going home."

"What?" Dylan exclaimed. "You haven't even been here in an hour."

"Just put it on my tab," he said, bringing out his wallet and passing it to Xavi. "Bring it back to me tomorrow."

He was about to walk away when Dylan called for him.

"Wait," he said. "What do you think about my idea, then?"

He scoffed and shook his head. "You're all insane."

He left the bar without looking back and drove back home.

He was a little bit tipsy from the alcohol, but he was still well aware of his surroundings.

Just then, his friends' words echoed in the back of his mind.

"A surrogate, huh?" he muttered under his breath.

Just then, he heard a loud beep coming from the other side of the road. He lifted his head and saw a truck heading over his way.

"Shit," he cursed out loud, and then the next thing he knew, everything turned black.

***

"I'm here," Eloise said as she opened the curtains to her brother's bed. They couldn't afford to pay for a private room, and she couldn't feel worse about the situation.

She saw her brother hooked to an IV with a tired smile on his face.

"Sis," he smiled, like he didn't just collapse.

"Don't sis me," Eloise said, not fully closing the curtains. "What happened to you?" she asked in a concerned tone. "Are you okay?"

"Better than ever," Cameron said.

She gently hit the back of his head. "Better than ever, my ass. Mom said you collapsed in the bathroom."

He scratched the back of his head. "I don't know," he muttered under his breath. "I was showering when I suddenly felt dizzy. Must be from the cold water."

"Why didn't you turn the heater on?" I asked.

"It ran out," he said. "You know that we share the heater system with other tenants. The landlady probably turned it off."

Eloise scoffed and massaged the bridge of her nose. "I'll talk to her tomorrow. We pay the bills on time! How could she just do that?"

On the bed next to theirs, Vaughn wakes up with a raging headache. He opened his eyes and was immediately annoyed by how noisy the bed next to his is.

He opened his eyes and looked at the worned-out ceiling of the hospital.

Why is he in a public ward instead of a VIP room?

He glanced to his right and saw a young woman and man through the curtain.

He clicked his tongue as he heard their voices resonating. His head was aching so much that he couldn't endure their voices.

He opened the curtains and cleared his throat.

"Can you keep it down?" he said. "Your voices are being heard from the next hospital over."

Eloise stopped talking when she heard a deep and unfamiliar voice interrupt their conversation.

She turned around and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

She was about to say something but stopped in her tracks when she saw the face of the person who reprimanded them.

Fuck, he's hot.

Vaughn, too, was surprised when he saw the young woman turn around.

Hmm, pretty.

Eloise quickly snapped out of her thoughts as she looked into the handsome man's cocky eyes.

"If you wanted to have a silent stay here, you should have opted for a private room. And we were talking quietly before you interrupted our conversation."

Vaughn scoffed. Of course, he could stay in a private room. He can even buy this hospital if he wants to.

"It doesn't take away the fact that the two of you have disturbed my rest," he said.

Eloise was about to respond when Cameron held onto her hand.

"We're sorry, sir," he said. "We'll try to talk more quietly from now on."

"That'd be appreciated," Vaughn said in a sarcastic tone.

Eloise glared at his brother. "Don't apologize to him. He's the one being a sensitive asshole."

Vaughn raised his eyebrows in surprise. That's certainly a first. No one has ever called him an asshole on the very first day that they've met him.

"Sis," he said. "Just let it go, alright? My doctor is on his way here."

She sighed and nodded her head, finally letting it go. However, Vaughn didn't miss the glare she threw over his way before she shut their curtains close.

He shook his head in disbelief as he stood up from his bed. Even now, he could still hear the conversation coming from the next bed.

"Doctor Sheldon," Eloise said as the old doctor came in.

"Eloise and Cameron," he smiled and patted the young man's back. "I heard you passed out, huh?"

Cameron pursed his lips together and nodded his head. "Still feeling better than ever, though."

"I'm glad," Doctor Sheldon smiled. "Where is your mother?"

"She went home," Cameron answered. "Eloise is here with me today."

"I see," he said. "Will it be alright if only your sister accompanies you today?"

"It's alright," Eloise said. "I'm also his guardian."

Doctor Sheldon nodded his head and brought out some papers. "So, your test results have just came in."

Eloise held her breath and observed the doctor's face. It was concerning how he frowned as he looked at the papers.

"And it seems like your blood work has been getting worse," he said.

Eloise didn't know what to say. Deep down, she knew that he was getting worse, and it made her feel miserable how she couldn't afford his treatment.

"His platelets are down while his white blood cells are up. With this kind of result, I would suggest that he get chemotherapy as soon as possible."

Eloise nodded her head in understanding. "How much would that cost?"

"Around 6,000 dollars per session. Now, we don't know how many cycles he needs yet, but I would prepare around 50,000 dollars for the complete treatment."

Cameron looked at his sister with concern and asked, "Do I have to start right away?"

"As soon as possible, Cameron," Doctor Sheldon said. "The faster you have your treatment, the higher chances you have of getting better."

She bit her lip as she started to wonder how she could get that amount of money in such a short amount of time. However, she nodded her head.

"That is noted, doctor," she said. "I'll try to have him start by next week."

"What?" Cameron asked in shock, knowing full well that their family does not have that kind of money.

Eloise held onto her brother's hand. "Thank you, doctor."

Doctor Sheldon nodded his head. "I'll be seeing you next week, then, Cameron. We'll remove your IV then the two of you can go home after settling the bill."

As soon as the doctor and the nurse went out, Cameron turned to his sister, confused.

"Next week?" he exclaimed. "Where are you going to get that amount of money in a week?"

"I have 6,000 dollars saved up for your first treatment," Eloise said. "I don't know when I'm going to get the rest of the money, but we'll cross the bridge when we get there."

"No," Cameron said, shaking his head. "That was supposed to go to your tuition for acting school. Don't spend it on me."

Eloise sighed. "And I won't be going to acting school anytime soon. I don't even want to be an actress anymore," she lied. It has always been her dream. But being the sole breadwinner of their family, she knew she couldn't spend her time trying to look for acting gigs without making any money.

"Liar," Cameron said, standing up from the bed. "That has always been your dream."

"Where are you going?" Eloise called out.

"Out," Cameron said without turning back.

Eloise closed her eyes and wanted to cry. However, she knew that her brother was just upset about his situation.

Vaughn stayed silent all throughout their conversation. He heard what the doctor had said, and he honestly didn't know what to feel.

Just then, a nurse entered his room.

"You're all cleared now, sir. Fortunately, you only bumped into a tree and incurred minor injuries on your leg," she said. "Just head to the billing counter and you can get going."

"Right," he said in relief. "Thanks."

He headed over to the counter where he saw the pretty girl once more.

The two of them made eye contact as Eloise paid for their bill.

"You again," Eloise said.

"Scoot over, miss," Vaughn nonchalantly said. "I'm also here to pay for my bill."

"Whatever," Eloise said, rolling her eyes as she took out her phone to call for Cameron.

Vaughn smiled at the lady at the counter, causing her to blush in return.

"Vaughn Ryder," he said.

"Wait a second, sir," the lady shyly said. "Here you go," she handed him his hospital bill.

400 dollars.

Surprisingly cheaper than he had expected.

He reached out for his wallet but stopped when he didn't feel the familiar object in his pocket.

Just then, the scene where he tossed his wallet to Xavi at the bar played in the back of his mind.

"Shit," he cursed under his breath.

"What's the matter, sir?" the lady asked.

He pursed his lips together. "I don't have any cash with me."

"Well, do you have a card, sir?"

He sighed in frustration since he also left his card with Xavi.

"Can you wait a second?" he said. "I'm just going to make a call."

He took out his phone from his pocket and turned it on. Luck definitely wasn't on his side when he saw that its battery had run out.

"Great," he said, massaging the bridge of his nose.

Just then, he made eye contact with Eloise, causing him to straighten his posture.

"What are you looking at?" she suspiciously asked.

He looked at the phone in her hand and walked closer to where she was.

"What are you doing?" she said in defense.

"Let me borrow your phone," he shamelessly said.

Eloise looked at him with disbelief. "Are you insane? I don't even know you."

"Vaughn," he quickly introduced himself. "What about you?"

"I'm not going to tell you that," she said.

"Eloise," he said. "There-we already know each other."

Eloise looked at him with a suspicious gaze. "How do you know my name?"

He sighed. "I heard it from the doctor."

"Don't tell me-you heard everything we were talking about?"

"We were separated by a thin piece of curtain. What do you think?" he snapped. "Just let me borrow your phone."

"And what makes you think I'll give you my phone after acting like this?" she asked.

He closed his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. "Look. I don't have any money with me. My phone is also dead, and I don't have a way to contact my friends. Can you let me borrow your phone for a second so I could make a call?"

Eloise looked at his ragged appearance and felt kind of bad. Was he also struggling like her?

She hates how she's always like this. She's probably struggling more than him, but she can't help but pity this handsome man.

"Fine," she grumbled, handing over her worn-out phone to the handsome man. "But make it quick," she urged.

Vaughn smirked as he typed Xavi's number in her phone. Luckily, he had his number memorized for times like this.

"How can I make it quick when your phone looks like it could be from the 1980's?" he muttered under his breath.

Eloise scoffed in disbelief. "Do you want me to take it back or something?" she asked, walking closer to him to try and snatch her phone back.

However, Vaughn raised it above his head, causing the two of them to come closer than expected.

Eloise felt her breath get caught in the back of her throat.

Okay, this man is really handsome. It just sucks that he's an asshole.

"I'm almost done," he said, breaking away. However, Eloise still felt breathless from their close proximity.

Vaughn made a quick phone call to his friends, and luckily, they picked up right away.

"Just come to the hospital," he sighed through the phone. "And bring my wallet with you."

"There," he said, turning off the call.

Eloise frowned. "Aren't you going to say thanks?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Just think of it as payment for being loud in the ward a while ago. Now, we're even."

"What?" she snapped.

"See you, Eloise," he said, waving his hand in a teasing manner.

Eloise closed her eyes as she watched him walk away.

"Asshole!"

"What took you so long?" Vaughn glared at Xavi and Dylan as they arrived.

"We took Red home, bro," Dylan said, out of breath. "He was already knocked out."

Xavi chuckled. "He even cried because of you."

Vaughn frowned. "For what reason?"

"He felt bad for you, man," he said. "You've been working for your parents since you were 18. It sucks that you can't have the company, and now, you even got into a tree crash."

Vaughn shook his head and changed the topic. "Did you bring my wallet?"

Xavi nodded his head and tossed it to him.

"Good. Let's play for the bill."

They went over to the counter as Vaughn inspected his wallet.

"You spent all my cash?" he asked the two.

They smiled sheepishly.

"There were some ladies offering a lap dance," Dylan said. "Who were we to refuse?"

Vaughn shook his head in disbelief.

"Here, miss," he said, handing his card to the still blushing lady.

The lady took it with shaky hands. The machine beeped, causing the two of them to frown.

"Your card has been declined, sir."

Vaughn frowned. "What?" he asked. "Try this," he said, handing his other black card.

"It's also been declined, sir. Do you have any cash?" she asked.

"What happened, man?" Xavi asked in a concerned tone. "Should I pay for you first?"

Vaughn nodded his head, still confused by his cards suddenly not working.

"Thank you, sir," the lady said. "You may go now."

Before they left, however, Vaughn didn't miss how the lady slid her phone number with his cards.

He merely looked at the piece of paper before taking his cards and leaving the woman's number on the counter.

He walked away while Xavi and Dylan followed after him.

"Would it kill you to take her number, at least?" Dylan asked.

"Not interested," he said.

"Are we even surprised?" Xavi asked. "Alina's the only one in this dude's mind."

"Whatever," Vaughn said. "Let me borrow your phone for a second."

Xavi gave him his phone and he quickly dialed his father's number.

It rang only a few times before his dad picked up.

"Why are my cards all declined?" he asked right off the bat.

"Well, I was expecting a greeting, at least," Jeffrey chuckled through the phone.

Vaughn frowned. "I'm not joking, dad. That's my money."

"It's the company's money, technically," he said. "And I heard that you got yourself in an accident?"

He sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose.

"It was minor," he said. "Now answer my question."

"You already know the answer to that, son," Jeffrey said. "It's because you're not listening to your mother and I."

"Because the two of you are not worth listening to," he exploded. "I won't break up with Alina just because she can't give me a child."

"That's not the only reason why you should break up with her," he said. "She's a bad influence to you. And she recklessly spends your money! Have you seen your statement of account this month? It's all filled with unnecessary spendings, so we decided to give your card a limit."

Vaughn pursed his lips together. "I can do whatever I want with my money."

"That's not how it works, Vaughn," his dad said. "Now, I'm going to go. Unless you're going to tell me that you found another woman, then consider this conversation finished."

"Dad. Dad-"

His father had already turned off the call.

Vaughn sighed in frustration and raked his hands through his hair.

"Oof," Dylan said. "Your father's harsh as fuck. I can't even imagine what you feel right now."

"You're not making this any better, Dylan," Xavi said, walking closer to Vaughn.

"Is there anything we could do to help?" he asked.

Vaughn didn't respond.

"A surrogate is your answer, Vaughn," Dylan said.

"You're still on about this?" Xavi asked

"Just think about it! Everyone would be happy," he enthusiastically said. "Alina gets to continue her career as a model. The two of you will get a child. You will get the company, and you also get to help a woman who needs money! Problem solved."

"There you are," Vaughn suddenly heard.

"I've been looking for you everywhere!"

He turned around and saw Eloise holding onto her brother's hand.

"Let's go home, okay?" she said in a soft voice, very in contrast with how she just spoke with him a while ago.

"Woah, pretty chick," Dylan said as he also looked in their direction.

The two of them waited in the taxi lane while Vaughn continued looking at the two of them.

"Problem solved," Vaughn muttered under his breath.

"Give me your car keys," Vaughn suddenly said to Xavi.

"I'll drive," Xavi said. "You just got into an accident, man."

"Give me your car keys," he said, slower this time.

Xavi took out his car keys and gave them to Vaughn.

"Are we going home now?" Dylan asked. "You can join me if you want, Vaughn. The two of us brought our cars."

"Good," he said. "The two of you go home on your own tonight. I have something to deal with."

With that, he left his two friends behind, dumbfounded.

He walked over to Eloise and Cameron and leaned against a pole.

Eloise noticed his presence and immediately glared at him.

"Ugh. It's you, again? How many times are we going to be bumping into each other tonight?"

He ignored his question and turned towards her younger brother.

"Are you two waiting for a cab?"

"Obviously," Eloise muttered under her breath.

Cameron nudged his sister's shoulder. "Be nice," he whispered.

"I would be nice if he was nice," she retorted.

Cameron cleared his throat and apologetically smiled at Vaughn.

"Umm, yes," he said. "It looks like we're not getting one anytime soon, though," he chuckled.

"Just join me," Vaughn offered. "I have my car with me," he said, showing his keys.

"Wait, really?" Cameron asked with sparkling eyes.

"Nope," Eloise said. "Obviously not. We're not going into a stranger's car, Cameron."

"Technically, we're no longer strangers, Eloise," Vaughn said with a smirk.

Eloise pursed her lips together.

"And besides, you know how difficult it is to get a taxi during this time. You're better off coming with me. Where do you guys live?"

"Down Sunshine road," Cameron responded, causing Eloise to slap his arm.

"Why are you telling him where we live?" she whisper-yelled.

"He seems trustworthy enough," Cameron said.

"You heard him, Eloise," Vaughn said. "I'm passing by Sunshine road."

Eloise bit her lip and looked at the empty roads. It would probably take longer if they waited here.

She then glanced at her brother and saw him shivering in the thin sweater he had on.

She clicked her tongue.

"Fine," she caved in. "You better not try anything funny."

"Won't even think about it," he said, standing up straight and walking toward Xavi's car. The familiar red exterior popped out from the sea of parked cars, so he could recognize it from a mile away.

"Woah," Cameron said. "This is your car?"

Vaughn shrugged his shoulders. "You could say that. Now, get in."

Eloise was about to enter the backseat when Vaughn held onto her wrist. She ignored the warmth and the roughness of his hand and glared at him.

"Get in the front seat," he said, opening the door for her and shoving her in.

She didn't even get the chance to retaliate since he quickly locked the doors.

She pursed her lips in annoyance but decided to ignore him all throughout the trip.

Much to her surprise, they got to their street quickly and safely.

"Over there," she quietly said, pointing at the ragged old house at the end of the street.

"That's where you live?" Vaughn asked in a neutral tone.

"Is there a problem?" she asked.

"I didn't say anything," he said, pulling up to the front of their house.

Eloise rolled her eyes. She really does not get this man.

"Sweet," Cameron said as he yawned. "I was just about to fall asleep. Thanks for the ride, bro."

Vaughn nodded his head and opened the doors.

"Do you mind if your sister stays a bit?" Vaughn suddenly asked, causing Eloise to turn to him in surprise.

"Sure," Cameron smirked. "I'll be heading inside then, sis. See you!"

With that, he left the car, and before Eloise could even react, Vaughn had locked the door once more.

"You know that this is kidnapping, right?" she asked, leaning against the door as she looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Relax," he said in a tired tone. "We're in front of your house, and your brother already knows what I look like. I'm not going to commit a crime on you."

Eloise scoffed.

"Then let me go. I already had a long day."

"That makes the two of us," he said. "So, this won't take long."

Eloise let out a deep breath and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Three minutes," she said.

Vaughn faced her and didn't waste any time.

"Marry me and be my surrogate."