by K E Osborn
We stay at the hospital with our best friends as long as possible before Ethan got too worked up and we had to leave, so Jeni and Aiden could get some rest. We walk out to the parking lot with Callie and Mike.
“I can’t believe they named their first born after us. Mike you must be so excited about it?” I ask and Mike’s face lights up with a smile so bright I think his cheeks could burst.
“You have no idea what it means to me Chris, to me and to Callie. I honestly had no idea that they would do that. We knew his name would be Brody, but they never said anything about his middle names until we came in this morning. I’m the proudest Dad in the world... Step Dad, I mean, obviously,” he says suddenly sounding like he’s just said something out of place. I have no idea what that’s about, but I nod and smile. I look at Callie who’s looking at Mike with scrunched eyebrows.
What the hell is that all about?
“Alright guys we’re just over here, we’ll catch you later,” I announce as Ethan runs up to Callie for a hug, she picks him up and holds onto him tightly.
“Bye bye darling,” she says and gives him a kiss on his cheek and then puts him down.
“Bye bye darwing,” he replies, making us laugh and I shake my head and pick him up.
“C’mon little guy. Let’s get you some dinner, hey?”
He nods his head as Callie and Mike walk away. I’m surprised to see we got out of the room without having to take the balloon with us. I think Ethan was too distracted by Brody to care about it.
Sarah gets Ethan into the car seat and she gets into the passenger side of the car and we drive home. Ethan falls asleep in the back of the car.
“I think Aiden was doing well considering, don’t you?” I ask Sarah as we walk up to the front door. She nods as she carries a dozing Ethan inside.
“I think he’s doing great. I know how scared he is, but he doesn’t need to worry, he’s nothing like Alistair. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that they weren’t even related they’re that different from each other. A bit like chalk and cheese,” I say, as Sarah puts Ethan down in the living room and he wakes fully to play with his toys.
“Tell me about it. Well, I definitely know you’re related to your dad,” she smirks.
“Okay, I’ll bite, why’s that?”
“Because you both belch and fart the same and when you do fart they stink like a sewerage farm. When both of you go off at the same time I just wanna yak, your ass is disgusting,” she says and slaps me on the ass as she walks past.
“Yeah, Daddy, your ass is disgusting,” Ethan calls out and I laugh while Sarah shakes her head.
“Ethan, baby, don’t say stuff like that, bad words remember?” Sarah reminds him looking back at me and grimacing with a smile. I chuckle as I make a start on dinner.
* * *
Sarah’s been off the pill for two months and we’re trying hard for her to fall pregnant, but nothing’s happened so far. It’s so strange to think that Ethan was an accident nearly three years ago and how different our lives are now. But I wouldn’t change it for the world. I love my little family. We went to the Doctors today to get all the information on the things Sarah should be doing to increase her chance of conceiving, so at least we know the right vitamins and things for her to be taking to help us along. I know she’s getting frustrated and wants it to happen as soon as possible, but I guess it’s so precise that we have to hit at the right time in her cycle. She has all these alerts going off on her phone telling us when we need to get down and dirty. Who knew it would be so difficult to get pregnant again, it was so easy the first time. Hell, we weren’t even trying, but I guess it will happen when it’s meant to. That’s what I keep trying to tell her, is that it’ll happen eventually.
I walk into the bedroom where Sarah is taking her pills and she seems a little down.
“Hey baby, what’s up?” I ask while I walk around to her side of the bed and sit next to her. She looks up at me and I can see tears forming in her eyes, so I lean in and wrap my arm around her.
“Hey, talk to me, what’s going on?”
“I thought it would’ve happened by now, I mean I know I have to give it time, but I guess I thought we got pregnant with Ethan so easily that I assumed it would’ve happened by now,” she says while she cries into my shoulder.
“Sarah, I know we both thought you’d be knocked up by now, but everything happens for a reason baby and you know we’ll get there. Like you said it takes time and we’ve got plenty of time. So try not to get too upset about it because you never know when it’ll happen. This time next week we could be laughing about it and buying baby bottles,” I say trying to calm her. I hate seeing her upset, it kills me and so I make the decision to go to the doctors and have my swimmers tested. We know she has no trouble conceiving, so maybe it’s me that has the problem? And if it is I want to fix it, so I can fix her. I can’t stand seeing my bright and bubbly wife sad and depressed, and that can’t be helping either.
I make my way to the Doctors the next day and get myself tested. The doctor said there’s absolutely nothing wrong with me or my little guys. As a matter of fact, he said they’re in perfect working order and that I had a rather large sperm count. As much as that made me happy, it also made me concerned, because now there’s nothing I can do to help Sarah and how she’s feeling.
* * *
A year passes without any luck and I can see Sarah is really starting to become a defeatist about the whole baby idea. Nothing we seem to be doing is working. Ethan is four and Sarah says once he reaches five, the age gap will be too big and she wants us to stop trying by his fifth birthday. I can tell she really doesn’t want that, but I can understand the age gap thing. Ethan will be getting to school age and to have a baby in the house will just distract him from his school work. So, I have just over six months to knock her up. Jeni has noticed the decline in her best friend and has spoken to me about it. Sarah doesn’t want anyone to know we’re trying, but I had to tell Jeni and Aiden ‘cause they knew something was wrong. They thought we were having a rough patch and Jeni was concerned, we were going to split, but that’s the farthest from the truth.
It’s Brody’s First Birthday and Sarah has organized the party. She has finally been able to use her barnyard animal’s idea for one of her events. The only time she’s happy is when she’s event planning, but the bright spark that is Sarah has all but diminished. She’s still in there and pops out every now and then, but it’s rare and I don’t know what to do to help her. I know how badly she wants another baby and I’m starting to think that maybe I’ll have to suggest IVF to her, but I know how much she hates needles. I also know how much she worries about money, but if that’s what it takes to get my wife back to her fun loving self, then I will work extra hard at Vinchenzo’s. I know Tony will give me more shifts if I need them.
We walk up the driveway to Aiden and Jeni’s home and I notice the child friendly carnival theme rides out the side and the barn yard pens all set up. Ethan is pretty happy about coming here today as he walks up to the door, holding a giant present for Brody. I ring the doorbell as Sarah fixes her dress.
“You okay baby?” I ask her and she looks at me and smiles.
“I’m okay, today should be fun, right Ethan?” she questions and tousles his hair.
“Yep,” is all he says in return as the door opens.
Ethan shoves the parcel toward Jeni and she smiles and takes it.
“It’s for Brody,” he says and she nods as he rushes in past her toward Brody in his high chair having lunch.
“Thanks guys, come on in. Sarah you’ve done an amazing job with everything, as usual,” Jeni says and Sarah takes Jeni’s arm in hers.
“Thanks, I just made it how I would’ve wanted my next child’s first birthday to be like,” she mumbles and Jeni looks at me and I shake my head at her. Jeni wants to tell Sarah that she knows we’ve been trying, but I think that would just make Sarah feel worse if she thought everyone felt sorry for her.
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br /> “Well, Aiden and I certainly do appreciate it and so does Brody, he had a ball out there with the baby animals before,” Jeni says and leads Sarah off into the kitchen. I walk out onto the deck and see Aiden feeding Brody with Ethan on his lap, and women say that men can’t multi task.
“Hey, you have to go on that tea cup ride with Ethan he will love it. Brody did until he chucked up all over me,” Aiden jokes, making me laugh.
“Can we go on it Daddy, can we?” Ethan begs.
“Of course we can little dude,” I agree and Ethan jumps down from Aiden’s lap and rushes over to me. I pick him up in a bear hug and squeeze him tight. God, I love him, and I can’t believe he’s all grown up, he’ll be going to school next year.
While I take Ethan for a ride I see Sarah talking to Callie and Jeni and she’s smiling so I guess they’re talking about Callie and Mike’s wedding. I know her thoughts are finally calming down and she is realizing that you can still do extravagant, but make it classy at the same time, and I’m sure that Callie is loving all of Sarah’s new and improved, sensible ideas.
I sit in the tea cup and hold on to Brody as it spins us around and around. Ethan has his hands in the air and is laughing and cheering. I fucking love my kid he’s adventurous just like me. The other day I gave him a snail and told him to chase his mom around the kitchen with it. Sarah looked happy and she’s starting to get back to her old self. I think it’s because we’re slowly giving up on the idea of being able to have another child. Maybe we’re just meant to be a happy family of three.
Chapter Nine
Another year passes and Ethan has been at school for six months, so the deadline of Sarah and I having another baby is well and truly up. She seems to be back to her old self and even though we’re not actively trying to get pregnant anymore doesn’t mean we aren’t still having crazy wicked sex. Especially with Ethan at school now, whenever I have a day off, we always spend it in bed, with strawberries.
Sarah and I have a nice night planned for tonight. It’s my birthday and on the weekend we’re heading up to the lake house with Aiden and Jeni to celebrate, but tonight, well tonight, Trish is taking Ethan, and Sarah and I have the house to ourselves. She wants to cook me dinner for a change, which I appreciate, but it’s not necessary, plus she always burns everything. I walk inside, I’m not sure what she’s cooking, but it smells really good. Which surprises me.
“Hey baby, that smells great,” I tell her as I walk up behind her and wrap my arms around her waist while she continues to stir something on the stove.
“Thanks, I’ve been practicing all week,” she announces.
“You have?” I question, leaning in and kissing her cheek.
She smiles and nods. “Yep, when you were at work I cooked this meal three times,” she says.
I feel proud of her and utterly speechless that she’s trying so hard for me.
“Wait, where did all the food go?” I ask and she laughs at me.
“I ate it, hence the pot belly I now have. See the things I do for you?” she says, turning in my grasp and facing me.
“I know something you can do for me,” I mumble suggestively making her laugh.
“Later, babe, let me feed you first and then dessert and presents can come later,” she states, then kisses me quickly and turns back around to face the stove.
“Hmm, presents hey? I thought we agreed no presents this year?” I inquire as she smiles brightly.
She’s up to something!
“It’s nothing big, it’s quite small actually, hardly a present at all,” she expresses and stirs smiling away like she’s in on a big secret.
She is definitely up to something!
“Okay, now feed me woman I’m wasting away here,” I groan and slap her ass. She squeals and the sound is delightful to my ears. It’s nice to have my Sarah back. It’s taken two years for us to move on past the having a baby thing, but I think she’s finally accepted it and in doing so she is back to her old self, thank fuck!
“Oh yeah, you scrawny thing you, if you turn sideways you’d be invisible you’re so tiny,” she says pointing to my chest.
Okay, so I’m still built and have a really toned and fit body. What can I say, I’m gifted!
“Yeah, that’s right, tell it how it is little miss pot belly, I retort pointing to her tiny gut with a small bump. She laughs and slaps me across the head and I walk over to the dining table and take a seat.
“Okay, it’s nearly ready,” she announces and my stomach growls loudly. I’m starving!
“Awesome. Can you give me double seeing as I am fading away here?” I ask and I get an oven mitt thrown at my head in response. I laugh and I can hear her banging and clashing around getting things out of the oven. I don’t bother to look, I know my culinary skills will kick in and I’ll end up telling her what to do, so I leave it because I know she’s trying really hard. Whatever it is, it smells amazing!
“Okay, I gave you extra, I hope you like it?” she says more like a question than a statement.
“I will love it baby,” I say, as she places down and a huge portion of lasagna in front of me. I have to give her credit, it looks perfect and she’s even made a béchamel sauce and poured it over the top.
“Baby, this looks awesome,” I say as I pick up my knife and fork.
“Wait ‘til you taste it,” she says.
I shovel some into my mouth and the taste is extraordinary.
“Baby, this is just like Mom’s but even better! Don’t tell her I said that though.”
She does a little jump in the air and claps her hands. “Perfect it’s your mom’s recipe, but I added the béchamel and some other things to it, just to give it my own flair.” She looks so excited, and so she should be, this is better than my lasagna.
“You outdid yourself, I’m so proud of you baby!” I admit and she smiles and bites her lip like she is hiding something from me.
“Okay, I know that look, what’s going on?”
She walks over to the buffet and opens the drawer and pulls out a rectangular wrapped box with the biggest bow you’ve ever seen. I laugh as she brings it over.
“Okay, I’ll open it after dinner,” I say and she shakes her head and hands it to me.
“I honestly can’t wait, can you please open it now,” she says her eyes sparkling. I haven’t seen her this happy in a long time, so I’m intrigued as to what could be making her look so excited.
“Okay,” I say and begin to tackle the bow, luckily it’s one of those stick on type so I just rip it right off. I rip at the paper to reveal a white box. I look up at Sarah and she is smiling so brightly. I open the box and there’s a stick staring me in the face.
“Holy shit!” I almost yell and she jumps in my lap.
“I know right?” she claims and I take her face in my hands and I kiss her strongly and passionately for as long as my breath will let me.
“I’m gonna be a dad again,” I say, pulling my lips from hers and she starts to cry.
“Yep, I found out today. It’s so weird that when you stop trying it just… happens.” She’s smiling so brightly. I didn’t think this would ever happen for us again, but she’s pregnant and even though her present for me was a pissed on stick, it still is the best birthday present I’ve ever received. I stand up from my chair, taking her with me and she squeals as I lift her into my arms.
“I love you, so much.”
“Can I call Jeni?” she asks and I laugh at her.
“Of course you can,” I agree and set her back down to the ground. I sit back down at the table and look at the pregnancy test in the white box displaying two pink lines and I haven’t felt this happy since the last time I saw the same two pink lines for Ethan.
* * *
The last nine months haven’t been the greatest. Sarah’s hormones are all over the place and her morning sickness has lasted for pretty much her entire pregnancy, which makes for a really grumpy Sarah. That, plus the endless questions from Ethan about his bro
ther or sister and why they aren’t here yet is driving me crazy. And I miss being intimate with her. Because of the morning sickness she doesn’t feel up to our usual crazy romping sessions. I don’t blame her, she looks pale most of the time and I think we’re both ready for this baby to be here with us. We decided we wanted to keep the gender of this one a surprise, and just like last time Sarah is adamant it has to be a girl. She says three men in our house will drive her crazy, so if our baby is another boy then she says she’s shoving him right back up there until he changes his mind. I love her crazy talk.
The due date is coming on us quickly and this time I’m prepared. I have Sarah’s bag packed and ready to go. The crib is set up in our room and all of the baby clothes, toys, bibs, and everything this baby will need is all here waiting. I can’t wait to be a dad again, the first time you hold your newborn is amazing and I’m looking forward to it. Sarah just wants the baby out. She’s not sleeping well and she’s exhausted. I don’t even know how she’s going to cope with giving birth. But if there’s one thing I know about my wife, it’s that she’s a fighter and she’s one of the toughest people I know. If anyone can pull this off, it’s her.
She’s been out with Jeni today doing the girl thing, shopping and I think they got mani pedi’s or some beauty thing like that, I don’t know, but I told her to have a fun day out and to buy whatever she wanted. I’m making her favorite meal tonight and I plan on pampering her. I’ve got a month off work starting yesterday, so I plan to spend every minute I can making Sarah as comfortable as she can be.
I light a couple of her favorite scented candles and put them up high so Ethan won’t be tempted to touch. My little guy is sitting in the living room watching cartoons and generally behaving himself. I guess now that he’s five and a half he’s not as much work to look after. Just turn on the television and you’re set for at least one hour before he gets bored.