Un-betaed

All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Life After the Storm a JOVAN story

Chapter 11     And Now What?

Evangeline and John settled into married life.  Their jobs kept them both busy but they always found time for each other.  They would not repeat past mistakes.  They did decide to stay in Evangeline’s apartment at least until John had worked at his new job for a year.  They did look at houses but had not decided on any particular style or on any area of the metropolitan district.

Tonight was ‘date’ night and they went to a nice restaurant that also had dancing.  They really enjoyed themselves.  They returned home, showered, made love and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Six months later we finally found a home.  When we walked into the house we both just felt that this was the place for us.  We could live here and grow our family here.  It had five bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, an office, great kitchen with an island and white cabinets.  I just like the clean look of white kitchen cabinets.  I know that white cabinets take a lot to keep clean but I don’t care, that’s what I want.  We had not talked about having children any time soon but we knew that we would stay in this area for years to come and this was a great place to live with children.  The school system was excellent.  It was near enough to the city yet far enough away to have green space. We walked the neighborhood and saw families out with their children or older couples sitting on their porches. It had a good mix of young and old.  There were walking trails not too far away.  It was perfect.  We made a reasonable offer and they accepted it.  They made all of the necessary repairs and gave a three-year warranty so any repairs needed during those three years were covered by the warranty.  It was a nice deal.

We moved in a month later and 2 months after that we’re all unpacked and settled in to our ‘home’.  John is out of town on business and Nora is here with me.

“Evangeline the place is beautiful.  It is certainly big enough.  How do you plan to fill up all of this space?  Hint, hint.”

“Don’t start Nora.  We will have children in our own due time.  Right now we are enjoying each other, not that we can’t enjoy each other when we have children but you know what I mean.”

“Yes I do know what you mean.  So did John help decorate?  I don’t see any black anything around.  You know that seemed to be his favorite color.”

“Now Nora be nice.  John did help decorate.  He decorated the office since both of us will use it.  I think that he did a terrific job.  And no, black is not his favorite color anymore. He has expanded his color palette.  He is a new man and I am a new woman.  We make a great pair.  Life has changed us Nora.  Even after all we’ve been through some may think that we’ve rushed into marriage but we didn’t.  We learned each other the time that we were together before but the timing wasn’t right for us and we both had past ‘issues’ that we needed to resolve before we could commit to anybody, either of us.  If you look at it closely John probably suffered for years from post-traumatic shock disorder before they ever had the term PTSD.  The death of his father made a major impact on him as it would for any child.  Now me with my own ‘daddy’ issues we were nowhere near able to be with anyone as long as we had these unresolved matters in our psyche.  John dealt with his through therapy.  Two near death experiences cleared me up and I realized that I would not wait for happiness to fall, stumble, or creep my way.  I have loved John for years.  Any other relationship that I had after John was influenced by my relationship with John.  So when he showed up at that seminar and asked me to marry him that was my happiness there.  Nora I don’t need a man to make me complete, I know that but is so wrong for me to want John?  Why would anyone think me weak for wanting him even after all that happened between us.  I love that man and I chose him on my own schedule not on anyone else’s schedule.  So now that I’ve said that I won’t say it again. I’m glad that you like the place.”

“Evangeline, I’m sorry about saying anything that would make you think that I doubted your decision about marrying John.  I guess that I’m projecting my own indecision about Bo on to you and John. I know what you mean though about going on your own schedule.  Matthew would love for his father and me to get together again but I don’t know that Bo is there yet.  He’s gone from Paige to Lindsay and now back to me.  I don’t know what he wants but I won’t be a rebound girl for him.  He has to want me and me only.  Now I know what you felt with John and Natalie.  Why can’t men just make up their freaking minds?”

“Nora, I’m sorry to hear about Bo.  I don’t know where his head is but I do know that he loves you.  Give it some time and it will resolve itself. Just take care of you my friend. Now with that done, let’s eat. For some reason I have been so hungry lately.  I’m glad that I’ve taken up running because I need the exercise if I keep eating like I have been.”

“Are you sure you’re not pregnant?”

“Can’t be, we take precautions, double precautions if you know what I mean.”

“No precaution is 100% except abstinence my dear.  But I’ll take your word for it that you’re not and TMI with the ‘double precaution’ thing.”

“Okay Nora let’s eat.”

Nora stayed the weekend and then returned to Llanview.  

-----------------------------------------

John made it back to town on Wednesday and the rest of the week kept me in court.  I was glad to see the end of the workweek and headed home on Friday ready to relax and enjoy my husband.

When I arrived at home John was in the back grilling meat for dinner. I dropped my briefcase in the office and headed upstairs to shower and change.  I pulled out a pair of Capri pants and a short sleeved top and a pair of Keds.  I went down to the kitchen and whipped up the rest of the meal.  

John came in with the meat, steak and chicken and placed everything on the island.  We sat and ate and talked about much of nothing.  We then both cleaned up the kitchen and retired to the family room to watch a movie.  It was John’s choice tonight and he chose Fast and Furious 5, which is my favorite of all of the FF movies.  The music alone had me dancing around the room, which caused a ‘stir’ in John’s pants but I just continued.  Needless to say that we didn’t finish the movie until we had taken care of that ‘stir’ in his pants.  Once done and another shower later and in our pajamas then we watched the rest of the movie and retired for the night.

Two and a half months later I was out for a run and had to stop because Mt. Vesuvius was stirring in my gut.  I walked behind a tree and puked like there’s no tomorrow. Yucko!  I finished my run and made it home.  Rushed into the master bathroom rinsed my mouth, brushed my teeth, rinsed with mouthwash, took a shower and put on some comfortable clothes and started dinner.  John wasn’t home yet so I left dinner warming and went to sit in the family room and read.  I love Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Years ago I received a present of Sherlock Holmes complete stories.  I came across this one story that was a bit different from the other ones that we usually think of when talking about Sherlock Holmes, like Hound of the Baskervilles, The Sign of the Four, and A Study in Scarlet.  I came across a story in the book it was called “The Yellow Face”. It was interesting and it showed how sometimes we can think too highly of ourselves and we must stay grounded and now let our egos get inflated.  I fell asleep and didn’t wake up until l felt John shaking my shoulder.

“Evangeline, wake up? Are you all right?  You don’t usually take naps.  Are you coming down with something?  Your forehead doesn’t feel warm.  I see that you cooked but didn’t eat.  Are you ready to eat now?”

“Oh John you’re here.  Yes I must have been very tired. I was reading and then you woke me up.  Yes I’m ready to eat.  Come on.”

We washed our hands and sat in the breakfast nook and ate dinner. John told me about a case that just finished.  It was a tough one, not that the others weren’t tough but it involved a child and those were always difficult.  They finally found the missing piece and solved the case and passed it on to the prosecutor and called it a day.  I’m glad he did not give me any specifics because I’m sure my stomach wouldn’t be able to take it. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. After dinner I took a glass of warm water with a teaspoon of baking soda to settle my stomach.  John cleaned up the kitchen.  He didn’t have much to do other than the dinner dishes because I always clean up the pots and pans that I use when cooking and transfer the food into serving containers.  I didn’t feel like a movie tonight so I excused myself, went to our room, took another shower because I was feeling a bit ‘clammy’ and went to bed.  

Evangeline didn’t look too well tonight.  Maybe she’s coming down with something.  She went to bed early.  I will check on her.  I go to the bedroom and she’s already asleep.  Tomorrow I will insist that she go to the doctor to make sure that she’s not coming down with some illness.  I don’t want to take any chances with her health.

She wakes up the next morning and I find her in the bathroom leaning over the toilet vomiting last night’s dinner.  

“Evangeline what is the matter?”

Of course she couldn’t respond because she was too busy throwing up.  I got a washcloth and some mouthwash and waited for her to finish.  She did finish a few minutes later and I helped stand and go to the sink.  She rinsed her mouth with the mouthwash, brushed her teeth and then washed her face with the washcloth.

“Thanks John I don’t know what’s happening.  I came in here to go to the bathroom and then my stomach just erupted. Thanks for the mouthwash.  I think that I will take a shower and get ready for work.  Hopefully I will feel better soon.”

“Evangeline I think that you should go to the doctor to make sure that you’re not coming down with something.  I will take you if you want me to go with you.”

“I think that I will do that but I can go by myself John you have to go to work.”

“No I need to go with you to the doctor so that I can hear firsthand what is wrong with you. You might not tell me everything if there is something wrong.”

“What do you mean, do you think that I would lie to you?”

“No, I didn’t say that you would lie to me.  I said that you might not tell me ‘everything’.  So get dressed, call the doctor, get an appointment for this morning and let’s go.  What do you want for breakfast?”

“John I don’t think that I want anything for breakfast.  I do agree with you that I will call the doctor and I would like for you to go with me. Okay.”

“Okay, let’s get dressed.”

We both dressed and Evangeline called the doctor and got an appointment in an hour.  We made it there in great time and were shown into the exam room.  They allowed me in and I appreciated that. Upon listening to Evangeline’s symptoms they had her to give urine and blood specimens.  She dressed and we waited for the doctor to return to the exam room.  

“Evangeline we have the results of the tests.  Do you want me to tell you now what they show?”

“Yes I would and I would like my husband to hear them at the same time.”

“Evangeline, you are pregnant.”

“Excuse me doctor, did I hear you correctly?  I’m pregnant, but how can that be?  We take precautions every time.”

“Evangeline, other than abstinence, no precaution is 100% effective at preventing pregnancies. You have options about the pregnancy.”

“No, no, no doctor that’s not what I meant.  I will continue this pregnancy that is the only option.  I just can’t figure how it happened.”

“Well your parents did tell you about the ‘birds and the bees’ right?” the doctor said smiling.

“Yes they did. Okay I know how it happened but now how it happened when taking precautions.  But you know what it doesn’t matter.  I’m pregnant!  That’s great news!!  I am overjoyed that the love that I share with this fabulous man over here will now have a physical manifestation in this child that we created out of that love.  Did you hear that John, we’re pregnant?  John? John?  Doctor I think he’s in shock!”

“Evangeline I’m fine, I’m more than fine, I’m deliriously happy! We’re having a baby. Life can’t get any better than this.”

John stood from the chair where he sat next to the exam table and pulled Evangeline into his arms and hugged her tight all the time kissing her head and thanking God for this blessing.

The doctor then interrupted this love fest and asked if they wanted to see the baby on an ultrasound.  Of course they did.  She prepped Evangeline and the technician set up the equipment and they saw their baby.  Evangeline is 9 weeks pregnant and everything looks fine with the baby. She explained to Evangeline that the morning sickness is normal and will probably stop when she is 14 weeks pregnant.  John and Evangeline asked their questions, the doctor answered them and gave them some literature to read.

They left the doctor’s office and returned home.  They were so happy.  Neither realized how much they wanted this.  They didn’t care about the timing or how it happened even though they took precautions and then it hit them both at the same time. 

“The Fast and the Furious 5 movie night, we didn’t take any precautions!  That was it!  I will forever love that movie!”

They made it to their room took a shower and took a nap.  Then had both taken off the day from work because they didn’t know what the doctor would say so now they had time to talk about things they needed to do but for now they slept cuddled into each other. They can talk later.