by Zoey Derrick
She smiles so wide it spreads to everyone in the room. “Absolutely.”
The guardians all leave the condo, giving Mikah and Vivienne a little more time to themselves, with the agreement that Celeste will be back in a couple of hours to start making dinner.
“Sydney will be happy to hear from you,” Vivienne says.
“You guys didn’t tell her I was gone?”
Vivienne shakes her head. “We all felt that telling her would make it final, and none of us were ready to do that. We all held out a little hope, hope that you would be allowed to return. Red and Andrew have been communicating with her via email, dealing with what few important business matters needed addressing. I’d imagine she’ll be excited to have you back in the office again.”
They both go into the TV room. The couch is more comfortable.
“Red has been handling the finances,” Vivienne continues. “I didn’t feel I had the right to do it. Not only that, but I would probably pass out from the amount of money spent each month.”
Mikah laughs. “Maybe,” he says.
“Except for morning walks with Celeste and sometimes one of the others, I never leave the condo unless she drags me, usually kicking and screaming, to go shopping.”
“How are things with Red?”
She takes a deep breath. “Strained, but I imagine that things will get better between us now that you’re home. Kelly is ecstatic over Madison. She’ll make an amazing grandparent. Red will too. I think he sees Madison as a chance to redeem himself for what he missed with me, and that’s okay. It wasn’t fair to him what my mother did, and I don’t blame him at all. It’s just hard to go from no father, no parent, to now there is one. Same for Red, he has a twenty-two-year-old daughter that he didn’t know about.”
“So you’ll give it time?”
She nods. “I will.”
“What about your mother?”
Vivienne shrugs. “I haven’t decided yet. Nothing she can do or say will make it right. She won’t be able to stay in Elysium, and I can’t cross over to see her in heaven, so it seems a little pointless to try and build a relationship now.”
“No, you can’t, but at some point she might want to apologize to you.”
“When that times comes, I’ll listen to her. But I came to accept who she was and what she did to me a long time ago. I don’t know that I need her apology like I thought I did.”
“That’s my girl.”
“Come on, I’d like to show you something.” She gets up awkwardly from the couch and heads toward the door.
He grabs her hand. “I didn’t say it enough before, so forgive me if I make up for lost time.” He kisses her forehead. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Mikah.” She touches her other hand to his cheek, enjoying the feel of the light stubble against her palm, and he leans into it. “Never doubt that.”
As they walk toward the second bedroom, the one closest to theirs, Vivienne tells him, “Red, at one time, asked if I wanted to move back downstairs, asked me if it would be easier, and I told him no, I wanted to stay here. So one day at the end of January, Celeste dragged me out shopping, and when I came home, this is what I found.”
Vivienne turns the knob, pushes the door open and hits the light switch. Two soft lights kick on, and Mikah gets an eyeful of soft pink, purples, and white. Directly in front of them is the sleigh crib he bought her for Christmas. The matching dresser is to his right and a changing table is to the left of the door. Beyond the changing table is the rocking chair Mikah bought her for Christmas.
“We still need a few things for her,” Vivienne says. “I’ve been putting it off, but we’re running out of time.”
“We are, so after your appointment tomorrow, I’d like to take you shopping.”
She wraps her arms around him. “I’d love to.”
“Kicking and screaming?”
She laughs. “Kicking and screaming.”
FORTY-ONE
Vivienne falls asleep around three, and Mikah sneaks downstairs and knocks on Red’s door.
“Hello, Mikah. What can I do for you?” Red says as he swings the door open, inviting Mikah into the condo Red shares with his wife Kelly. Mikah can see Kelly at her desk and he waves to her. Kelly is small-framed like Vivienne, with shorter brown hair and brown eyes. Her age is only apparent in the laugh lines that frame the corners of her eyes.
She stands up and comes over to him.
“Welcome home,” she says as she hugs him. “Glad you’re back.”
“Me too. Thank you, Kelly.”
She pulls back from him.
“Everything alright upstairs?” Red asks him.
“It’s perfect.” He smiles to both of them. “I wanted to thank you for all your help these last few months, and for taking care of Vivienne. I’m not sure what I would have come back to had it not been for you and everyone else. So thank you.”
Red puts his hand on Mikah’s shoulder and squeezes slightly. “Anytime. I know how much she means to you. It seemed appropriate.”
“It was, and I can’t thank you enough. However, there is one more thing I need to ask of you.”
Red pulls his hand away and ushers Mikah toward the living room. “Come in, sit down,” Red says to Mikah.
“I can’t stay. I want to be there when Vivienne wakes up.”
They take a seat in the living room, Red and Kelly on the smaller of the two couches. Just from the way they look at each other, their love for one another is more obvious to Mikah than it ever was before, now that he looks at Vivienne the same way.
“What can we do for you?” Kelly asks.
Mikah fidgets a little with his hands, much the way Red does when he plays with his wedding band. “I’d like to ask for your blessing to marry Vivienne.”
Mikah watches Red as his eyes portray a deep-seated sense of love and protection, something that comes natural to a father. In conjunction with what Vivienne said earlier about Red trying, it is obvious to Mikah that he trying but is lost as to how.
“Mikah, I...” Red pauses. “I’m not sure I’m the one to ask that question. Perhaps you should ask her.”
“I plan to, but I’m hoping for your blessing as well.”
“Of course, lad. I could never deny you your true love.”
“Thank you, Red. Kelly.”
“Anytime, anything. I just wish I knew what to do to get closer to her.”
Mikah smiles. “It will come in time. Be patient with her. She doesn’t know how to handle having someone in a parental role caring about her. Give her some time.” Mikah smiles again.
“I can do that.”
They all stand. Kelly goes back to her desk and Red escorts Mikah to the door.
Mikah turns to him. “Please, bring Kelly to dinner tonight. I’d love to have her join us.”
Red smiles and nods. “See you later.”
FORTY-TWO
“Dinner was great, Celeste, thank you.”
Celeste looks to Mikah, a warm smile on her face. “You’re most welcome, it’s great having you home.”
“Hear, hear,” Andrew says as he raises his glass. The others follow his lead. “To new beginnings,” Andrew says, and they all drink.
Mikah is overwhelmed by Andrew’s candor and it warms his heart. In the two weeks before the night of the battle, the four men had spent a lot of time in close quarters, and as they all sit around tonight, talking about the things that have happened over the last two months, he is reminded of that time. At one point, to Mikah, Celeste, Andrew and Connor were simply a housekeeper and a couple of bodyguards. But that’s all changed now.
Vivienne watches Red lean over and kiss Kelly. Despite Red’s graying hair, he has a very youthful appearance. Especially when he’s with Kelly. She knows that he was being honest when he said he didn’t know. If he’d known about Vivienne – or any child of his, for that matter – the efforts he’s made now tell her that he wouldn’t have stayed away, and she takes comfort in that. B
ut although Red may be her father, she also realizes that maybe a father-daughter relationship is not what they need. Or at least it may not be what she needs.
“How are you feeling?” Mikah whispers to Vivienne as she yawns.
“Great. Stuffed, but great.”
“Good.” He kisses her temple, and Vivienne watches as Andrew smiles at her before his eyes wander toward Celeste.
That could be rather interesting, Vivienne muses.
“Umph,” Vivienne grunts. “Ouch.” She’s not sure what to make of what’s just happened. All eyes are on her.
“What’s wrong?” Mikah asks.
Vivienne can’t help but smile at the concern in his voice.
“I don’t know. It feels like Madison just flipped over and took my intestines with her.” She lets out a chuckle. She doesn’t want to concern anyone until there really is something to be concerned about.
Mikah leans back and puts his arm across the top of her chair. She can feel his fingers brushing lightly on her shoulder. She looks at him and smiles while the conversation around them continues, and the chatter fades into garbled static as she stares into his eyes. Nothing in the world matters but him, for right now at least.
“Well, I think it’s time to call it a night,” Red says as he and Kelly stand, effectively ending Mikah and Vivienne’s staring contest.
“It’s early,” Mikah says.
“Yes, but you haven’t seen her in two months. You don’t need us keeping you apart any longer.” He smiles warmly at them both.
Their other friends stand and start to clear their dishes from the table. “Leave the dishes. I’ll take care of them.” He looks to Vivienne. “In the morning.”
They all laugh and place their dishes on the breakfast bar, and they take their leave of the condo.
“That was a lot of fun,” Vivienne says as she rises from the table. Mikah comes to stand in front of her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her toward him.
“That was a lot of fun. We should do that more often,” he says into her hair as he kisses the top of her head.
She snakes her arms around him, holding him close. “At least once a week?” she says and he smiles.
“At least.”
“The five of us ate a lot of meals together while you were gone, and tonight was the most interactive an animated we’ve all been for months. It was nice to let our hair down, so to speak.” She hugs him tighter.
“Good, it should be like that all the time. Are you ready for bed?”
She nods into his chest. He pulls back. Their eyes meet, and again, nothing in the world matters more than each other.
FORTY-THREE
“Marry me?” he breathes into her ear. They’re both sweaty from their roll between the sheets.
Vivienne’s breath comes shorter and faster than it did just moments ago when they finished. “Mikah, we’ve talked about this.”
“I know,” he says, and she can hear the slight disappointment in his voice. “I just thought that maybe you were brushing me off because I was in your dreams, or that you were uncertain of our future. Do you feel that way?”
She twists toward him, dislodging him from inside of her, and his breath hitches.
“I never felt that way,” she says. “I really don’t want to have Madison in the middle of our wedding ceremony.”
He brushes the hair from her face. “I didn’t say we had to get married right away. We can wait, I just want to know that you will be mine forever.”
“You need a ring to know that?”
He smiles. “No, sweetheart, I don’t. I just enjoy the idea of you wearing my ring, telling everyone that you’re taken and reminding you that you’re mine.”
She smiles at his logic. “Ask me again,” she breathes.
“Vivienne Alison Callahan, I promise to care for you, cherish you, and love you for the rest of eternity,” he says.
Tears well in her eyes.
“Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
Seeming to come from out of nowhere, a ring appears between his thumb and forefinger, a beautiful heart-cut diamond ring with two smaller stones on either side. The band is braided. It’s beautiful in its simple elegance.
“Yes,” she breathes, and the tears spill over.
“Do not cry, sweetheart,” he says.
He takes her hand and places the ring on her finger. Once it is in place, he lifts his lips to meet hers, strong and passionate. “Thank you,” he says between kisses, and she smiles at his excitement.
His hands begin to roam her body once again, and she is instantly lost in his touch. Desperate to have him inside of her again. To show him that she loves him, unconditionally.
This time, though, he skips the fanfare, eager to slip back inside of her.
FORTY-FOUR
“Okay, three things,” Dr. Alston says as she removes the gloves from her hands. “First, her lungs look great, maybe even a little ahead of the predicted due date. Which ultimately means that you could go into labor any day now.”
Vivienne’s eyes widen fractionally, but then a smile of relief washes over her face.
Mikah feels it too.
“Which leads me to point number two. If at any time you feel pain or tightening in your abdomen, check the clock, see if another one comes. If it does, start timing it. Once they start coming about ten minutes apart, give me a call.” She hands Mikah a business card.
“Ten minutes apart?” Vivienne asks.
“Yes. Sometimes you can experience what are called Braxton Hicks, otherwise known as false contractions. Those are usually random. If they fall into a regular pattern, try moving around or taking a shower. If they stop, you’re okay. If they continue even though you’re moving around, odds are they’re real contractions.”
Vivienne nods her understanding.
“Don’t play down the pain. If you feel something, don’t hide it,” she says, looking at Vivienne.
“Okay, I will say something,” Vivienne says, and Mikah squeezes her hand.
“Lastly, your blood pressure is a little higher than I’d like it to be, but it is still within the normal range. So I’d like you to take it easy. Soak up the chance to lie around in bed, watch TV, read a book or two. Don’t do too much,” she says, raising her eyebrows at Vivienne.
“I don’t do much now. Walking and yoga, sleeping, and that’s about it.”
“Good, though I’d cut back on the yoga to once a week. Twice a week only if you feel it is helping you to relax. Otherwise, walking is okay, just take it slow.”
“No problem,” Mikah says.
“You’ve already started to dilate. Only about a centimeter or so, and that’s perfectly okay at this stage. Other than that, we will see you back here next week. Same time?” she says.
“Perfect,” Vivienne says as she tries to sit up. Mikah helps her up.
“Okay, I’ll let you get dressed and you’re free to go. Is there anything else?”
Vivienne shakes her head. “No, I don’t think so.”
“If you think of anything, just call me.”
FORTY-FIVE
“Jeez, Mikah, she has more clothes than I do,” says Vivienne, taking stock of their purchases. Mikah had a little more fun shopping than she expected, but it was so much fun to watch him.
“She deserves it. And it’s not just clothes.” He kisses her as he passes on the way to the dining room table, where all the other bags are. “There’s still about six more bags downstairs.”
Before he even finishes his sentence, Andrew and Celeste are halfway out the door.
Vivienne rolls her eyes. “You’re too much,” she says. As Mikah stalks toward her, she giggles.
“But it was so much fun.” He smiles at her.
“Yeah, I suppose I didn’t kick and scream too much.”
Mikah laughs at her. In fact, she hadn’t kicked or screamed at all. “You had fun.”
She smiles at him. “I did.”
Before too lo
ng, Andrew and Celeste return with the last of their shopping spree.
“I’ll pull all the tags and get everything washed up,” Celeste says to Vivienne.
“I’d like to do it. If that’s alright with you?”
Celeste smiles at Vivienne and nods. “Of course. But make him lift all the laundry.” Celeste points her thumb at Mikah.
Vivienne laughs. “I will, don’t worry.” She smirks at Mikah, who seems all too eager to dig into what they bought today. Andrew and Celeste take their cue and leave.
Mikah starts to pull things from the bags. “We got clothes in different sizes. Should we separate them by size?”
“That sounds like a plan.” She walks over to Mikah and wraps her arms around his midsection from behind. “Thank you.”
Mikah turns in her arms to look at her. “Of course. Hey, what’s wrong?” He asks in response to a shift in her demeanor; she almost looks sad.
“I’m scared.”
“Oh, sweetheart, of what?” he says as he takes a seat in a chair, pulling her toward him. He places his hands on her hips and kisses her belly.
“Of everything. That she won’t be healthy, or that she’ll come too soon, or that something will go wrong, or that I’ll do something wrong.” By the time she’s done talking her tone is nearly hysterical.
“Oh, sweetheart. You’ll do amazing. And anything that could happen, we will deal with when the time comes. But don’t stress yourself out over something you have no control over. When she’s ready, she’ll come.” He kisses her belly again and reaches up to brush the back of his knuckles against her cheek. “It’s been a long day for you. Why don’t you go lie down for a while. I can work on getting this stuff sorted out.” He stands, taking her hand. “I’ll separate everything and then, when you wake up, we can go through it all.”
She nods and he leads her into the bedroom. He turns down the bed and she climbs in.
She reaches over for one of the other pillows and tucks it underneath her belly and between her legs. He smiles, realizing that last night she slept the exact same way, only it was him she wrapped herself around, not a pillow.