All That Matters By S X Meagher 6 page

"Hi, baby," Kylie said, her voice breaking on the word. "I can’t wait to meet you.”

"He or she wants to meet you, too. I have a feeling that Baby Spencer is gonna be spoiled senseless by Godmother Mackenzie."

"No doubt," Kylie agreed. She looked up at Blair and said, “Isn’t it mind-blowing to think that you have a tiny little person growing inside of you? In my book, this is one of the best parts of being human ¾ having conscious knowledge of our gestation and being able to plan and dream and experience all of the joys that go along with anticipating birth. What a cause for celebration.” She leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Blair’s belly. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m compulsive about touching pregnant women. That’s the only thing I don’t like about my job. I never see my patients once they get pregnant.”

“I’m sure I’ll have to lower my normal personal space barriers,” Blair said, “but for you, I’ll take ’em all the way down. You have to leave my skin intact, but other than that, you can thump me like a melon.”

Kylie gave her a playful pat and said, “That’s the right attitude, Blair. Your tummy won't be your sole property for the next nine months. Strangers will come up to you and cop a feel. It’s a lure that women can’t resist.”

“I don’t think I’ll mind,” she said. “I was so excited I almost told the neighbors today. But then I decided that I should tell David first.” She grinned and said, "After you, of course. Girl friends know everything first."

“He’s gonna be on cloud nine,” Kylie said.

With the briefest flash of worry, Blair said, “I hope so. I really hope so.”

„G

The next day, Blair cleared her calendar for the afternoon, stopped by the gourmet market and purchased prepared foods for their celebration. I was willing to cook last night, bud, but you missed it. Her last stop was the drug store, where she picked up another pregnancy test kit. She didn’t think she was a particularly good actress, but she was so genuinely excited, and so wanted to share her joy with David, that she was confident she could pull it off.

He had just arrived home moments earlier and was still in his suit and tie. “Hey, sweetie,” he said upon seeing her. “What brings you home so early in the day?”

“A few things.” She put her bags down and went to kiss him. “One, I missed you. I hate it when you travel over the weekend.”

“I do, too,” he murmured, his face nestled in her hair. “These ridiculous conferences never help me do my job. It’s just a bunch of stuffy guys trying to blow smoke.”

“Well, you were missed,” she said. “The second reason I’m home is that this is the fourteenth day since the procedure,” she said, using the most neutral term she could. “I haven’t gotten my period, so we can safely do a pregnancy test.”

His eyes went wide. “Is that wise? Isn’t that something the doctor should do? I mean, we don’t wanna get a false reading.”

“The test is just as reliable as the one the doctor does, honey. Really.”

“You’re sure this is the right time?” he asked again.

“Yes. You remember that Doctor Coughlin said we might be able to get results after ten days.”

“But it’s just fourteen days,” he said. “Maybe we should wait a few more just to be sure.”

She folded her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. “We can do it today, honey. All of the tests are reliable at fourteen days. It’ll be okay.”

“I’m … I’m really nervous about this, Blair.”

Looking into his eyes, she soothed, “It’ll be okay, David. Trust me.”

He nodded, but when she removed the test from the bag, he looked at it as if it were set to explode. “I … I’ll wait here.”

“No way. I want you with me. You’ve seen me in more humiliating positions than this in recent weeks. Peeing on a stick is nothing!” He followed along fairly compliantly, but she had to tug on him a bit to get him into the bathroom.

“Don’t you want to change? I think I’d like to change.”

“I pee while wearing a suit every day, David. Besides, I don’t think there’s a special ‘watch your wife pee on a stick outfit,’ is there?”

Turning quickly, he mumbled, “I’m gonna put some jeans on. Be right back.”

Rolling her eyes, she removed her skirt, then her nylons and panties. When he came back in, she was wearing a silk blouse and a slip, and his expression was so pitiful that she finally asked, “Do you have a phobia about being in the bathroom while I do this, or are you just nervous about the results?”

He shifted from foot to foot. “Maybe both. I’ve, uhm … seen people doing some pretty weird things to you lately, babe, and it’s not all good. There are still some things I wanna keep a little mystery about.”

“Fine.” She hitched up her slip and sat down, shaking her head when he scampered out of the room. Deciding not to waste the money, she snuck out the side door and retrieved the positive test she'd taken the day before. These things are too expensive to waste! I’ll take the unopened one back tomorrow.

Now that she’d been talking about it, she really did have to pee, and when she was finished, she went back into their bedroom and changed. With seduction on her mind, she put on a seriously sexy teddy that David had purchased for her not long after they were married. He was quite fond of sexy lingerie, and this piece was his favorite. She’d taken to privately calling it her “gettin’ lucky” outfit. She slipped a long, silk robe over it, just to avoid showing her hand, then returned to the living room.

David was just taking the last sip of a Scotch, and when she entered, he hopped up and poured another. “Want a drink?” he asked.

“Mmm … I believe the instructions on the test say ‘not to be taken with alcohol,’ honey.”

He didn’t get the joke, just nodded and poured an especially stiff drink. Returning to his chair, he gave her a speculative look and asked, “Where is it?”

“In my pocket. We can’t look for ten minutes.” He sat back down, and she sat on the arm of his chair, leaning heavily against him. “Wanna talk about how you’re feeling?”

“Tense,” he said, his single word making that abundantly clear.

“About?”

He looked at her as if she were insane and said, “I’m worried that you’re pregnant, and I’m worried that you’re not.” With a shake of his head, he asked, “Do you really not get how big a deal this is?”

She grasped his chin and turned him to face her. “If I’m pregnant, it means that I’m voluntarily going to put on forty or fifty pounds, have a thing the size of a basketball contort my belly past all reasonable limits, have a heavy weight resting on my bladder while I try to sleep, have my tits blow up to twice their normal size, only to later have them deflate to less than I have now, and in nine months, when the baby is as big as I can make him, expel him from my vagina.” She shook his chin roughly. “In case you didn’t hear that last part, I said my vagina. That perfectly cozy little space that feels quite full when you put your penis inside it. Last time I checked, your penis didn’t weigh nine pounds, and it wasn’t eighteen inches long.” She shook him again and said, “Yes, David, I do get it, and I’m scared shitless! But we’ll get through this together — because we love each other and want to share our love with a child.” She scowled at him and asked, “Now, do you want to know if we’re pregnant or not?”

He nodded almost mechanically, and she gentled her expression and kissed him. “Are we doing the right thing, Blair?” he asked, his voice shaking.

“It’s too late for second thoughts, David. If we’re pregnant, we’re pregnant. If not, then we can revisit this. I’d just feel a hell of a lot better to hear you say you’re certain we made the right choice, 'cause if this stick is blue, there’s a baby inside of me.”

His eyes closed, and he took in a deep breath. “We did the right thing,” he said, obviously trying to make himself sound confident.

She reached into her pocket and took out the stick. Handing it to him, she said, “Take off the cover.”

“What color do we want?” he asked tentatively.

“We want blue,” she said. “You went to Michigan. Go blue!”

“Yeah. Go blue,” he repeated. His hands were shaking more than they had been on his wedding day, but he managed. The stick, as she knew, was a bright, robin’s egg blue. His eyes went from it to her, back to it, then finally settled on her. “You’re pregnant,” he gasped.

“We’re pregnant,” she whispered, drawing him into a bone-crushing hug. “We’re pregnant, David. You and I are going to have a baby.”

„G

After enjoying the dinner that Blair had provided, and toasting repeatedly with sparkling apple cider, David looked at his watch. “Damn, it’s already 8:30. Who put me on this schedule, anyway? I went to bed later when I was in grade school.”

Blair rose and stood between his legs, starting to loosen the tie to her robe. “You know what you need?” she asked in her sexiest voice. “You need the proper motivation. Going to bed early can be fun.” When her robe was open, she performed a quick striptease, baring one shoulder, then the other, and bending forward to brush her lace-covered breasts against his stunned face. “We don’t ever have to make love on a schedule again. We can go back to normal and just enjoy each other.” She knelt astride him in the wide, upholstered chair and twitched her hips. “Come to bed and enjoy me,” she purred. When he didn’t respond immediately, she said, “Or we can stay right here. I love to ride you while you sit in a chair. Whatever you want, David. Make your dreams come true.” Reaching down, she took his hands and put them on her breasts. It was when she met his eyes that she detected nary a hint of arousal.

Deeply wounded, and more than a little humiliated, she climbed off the chair and settled her robe on her shoulders. Seeing the expression on her face, he jumped to his feet and held her in his arms. “Hey, why the face? I was just making up my mind. You gave me so many choices, I got lost in the fantasy.”

“Really?” The look she gave him nearly broke his heart.

“Of course! Come on, let’s go to bed.” Reassuring her with a warm smile, he led her by the hand, and when they reached their bed, he slipped her robe off and nuzzled his face against her neck. “You look so hot,” he murmured, his voice sounding a little forced to her ears. His hands slid up, and he caressed the sides of her breasts, pressing them together slightly.

“Ow!” she winced. Stroking the backs of his hands, she said, “They’re way past sensitive, honey. They feel like they’re about to burst.”

He gave her a curious look and asked, “Already? You’re only two weeks pregnant.”

“I know, David, but it’s not my imagination. They’re as tender as they’ve ever been.” She slipped the straps of her teddy off and let the material drape around her waist. With a caress that barely pressed the skin, she trailed her fingertips across the flesh of her breasts. “Can you do it like this?” she asked quietly. “Touch 'em lightly …”

Watching her face, he tried, giving her a good effort, but looking at his earnest expression made her lose whatever interest she had left. He looked like a schoolboy trying to impress his teacher, and since Blair was most aroused when David was the aggressor, she realized they weren’t going to get anywhere this night.

Kissing him lightly, she said, “There're going to be a lot of changes for us, David. We need to spend some time getting used to the new landscape. Why don’t we spend a long time investigating each other this weekend?”

“Okay,” he said, looking a little relieved. “I’ll bring you breakfast in bed.”

“It’s a deal, Dad,” she said, giving him as broad a smile as she could manage. “You do want to be called dad, don’t you?”

“It’s awfully early to make those decisions, isn’t it? So many choices: daddy, dad, pop, poppa. Besides, they don’t talk when they come out, do they?”

“No, it takes them a few weeks to speak,” she said. Pushing the dark hair from his forehead, she asked, “Are you really happy, David?”

“You're having a baby! Of course I’m happy, Blair." He led her to her side of the bed and carefully tucked her in. Sitting on the edge, he bent over and kissed her. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she murmured. As he got up and went around the bed to slide into his side, she noted with a growing sense of discomfort that he hadn’t once put his hands on her like Kylie had done. Is Kylie right? Is it only women who have the urge to do that?

„G

On Monday, after showing a very nice house to a very obnoxious woman, Blair returned to her office. She started to pull her desk chair out, only to find a large box resting upon it. Catching her assistant's eye, she asked, “Mandy, do you have any idea what this is?”

“No. It was on your chair when I got in.”

There was no return address, but her name was clearly written in a firm hand, along with the word “confidential” in bold, red letters. Puzzled, she used her letter opener to break the seal, then started to laugh when she saw the contents.

Mandy started to walk over to her. “What is it, Blair?”

Quickly closing the box, she tried to lift it, finding that she had to strain to do it. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just some things a client wanted me to read. Could you help me put it on the floor?”

Mandy tried to lift it herself, finding that she was unable to. “Someone sent you a set of encyclopedias?”

“No,” Blair said, laughing, “just books on some topics she and I have been discussing.”

“Do I know this client?”

“Mmm … no, I suppose you don’t. You’ll meet her if she gets serious about buying.”

After helping wrestle the box to the floor, Mandy went back to her own desk. Blair didn’t feel able to examine the contents thoroughly , since she wanted to keep her pregnancy a secret for as long as possible, but she did peek one more time and found a card.

I don’t know about you, but I need

to read everything written on topics

of particular interest. Here are a few

titles that my sources tell me are

good.

Enjoy!

It was signed “Godmother Mackenzie.”

Blair sat back in her chair, a big smile on her face. I have a feeling that the good Doctor Mackenzie is going to help make this pregnancy a lot of fun.

Still smirking to herself, she dashed off an e-mail.

Dear Godmother Mackenzie,

Aren’t you the people who always tell pregnant women not to lift heavy objects? Just kidding, Doc. I can’t thoroughly investigate the package right now, but I’m immensely grateful for your thoughtfulness.

Why not come over after work and help me get the box into my car? David is going to the Lakers game tonight, so I could treat you to dinner. Let me know.

„G

Kylie walked into the real estate office, and spoke to the receptionist for a moment. Blair happened to glance up, and watched her friend approach, then let out a quiet whistle when Kylie entered her office. “Boy, you look great.”

“Thanks,” Kylie said, a half grin on her expressive face. “I was in the office all day, and since I have to wear scrubs on surgery days, I like to dress up when I’m seeing patients.”

“You wear dresses a lot, don’t you?” Blair asked.

“Uh-huh. I like 'em, but I’ll admit I started to wear them for practical reasons. Where are we going, anyway?”

“Not sure. Let’s walk down Montana and see what strikes us.” They headed east, and as they walked along Blair said, “Tell me about your practical reasons for wearing dresses.”

“Oh. Well, when I was first starting out in my residency program, one of my mentors was a woman — one of the best eye surgeons in the country. She took me aside and looked me over from head to toe and told me that to be successful, I needed to make myself as unimposing as possible, since my natural style was a little … uhm … fierce.”

“Well, that’s sexist,” Blair said, eyes narrowing.

“Sure it is, but so's medicine. She gave me good advice and I took it. I’d be most comfortable wearing my scrubs all day, but I’ve found that it intimidates people to meet their surgeon and have her wearing scrubs. It looks like you’re going to whisk them into the operating room at any moment.”

“Okay, I can see that you don’t want to meet a new patient with scrubs on, but why not wear slacks?”

Kylie laughed warmly. “I think I have nice legs.” She stuck one long limb out and pointed her toe, flexing her calf muscle. "Don't you agree?"

“They're fantastic," Blair said, giving her a wry smile. Continuing her appraisal, Blair said, "You really do look nice in dresses. Of course, it helps that you're thin and nine feet tall, but don't think I'm jealous.”

“Jealous? You think it's easy to walk around when you're nine feet tall? I can hardly count the number of times I've hit my head on …"

Blair scowled at the teasing, and Kylie gave her a slightly apologetic look and continued, "The only part I’ll never get used to is the shoes. I wear flats, but still, I long for tennis shoes at the end of a long day.”

“Then let’s go into the next place we see,” Blair offered. “I don’t want your tootsies to be mad at me.”

„G

“So, how did David take the news?” Kylie asked when they were seated.

“Well." Blair paused and corrected herself. "Pretty well.” She thought for a moment and said, “It’s hard for him, Kylie. We were talking last night, and he kept making comments about the baby’s being a water polo player and running marathons.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, the sperm donor is a jock. David seems to be focused on the things that the sperm donor does — all things David doesn’t do, of course. He wanted the donor that was a jock, even though David’s a real couch potato himself. He watches sports fanatically, but he’d hurt himself if he ever tried to participate. It seems like he’s jealous of the donor and thinks the baby will be just like the guy.” She snapped her napkin open and continued, “He doesn’t get that his contribution to the baby's development will be a thousand times more important. It’s like he believes that the male role in the process is now complete, and some other guy did it!”

“That’s not uncommon,” Kylie said, frowning. “You know, fatherhood is tough on men, and it’s even worse when they’re infertile. There seems to be a primal need to reproduce — to carry on the line, and when that role's taken away, a lot of guys struggle. I really think some very old forces come into play here that make men need to prove themselves through reproducing.”

“So how do I reach him?”

“I’m not sure, Blair. I don’t know David, so I can't even hazard a guess. But as time goes on, and more and more attention is properly focused on you, I’m afraid it might get worse. Guys start to feel really left out during a pregnancy — so I’d urge you to do everything you can to prop him up for a while. Really make him understand that he’s important to you.”

“He is,” she said, her expression earnest. “He means the world to me, Kylie. He used to know that, but lately, I’m not so sure.”

„G

Saturday morning found David, as promised, making breakfast in bed for Blair. His efforts were modest, but she praised them nonetheless, eating the frozen waffles with gusto. “You did great, David.” She smiled and reached over to dab at his mouth with her napkin. “Got a little syrup there. Hold on.” Scooting over, she put her hand behind his head and pulled him to her, removing the droplet with her tongue. “Mmm … you are one sweet-tasting man.”

“Why, thanks,” he said. He reached out and picked up the syrup bottle from the bedside table. “Want me to pour some of this on any other spots?”

“No, I like you all natural. The syrup would just disguise your perfectly delicious self.” She rubbed her face against several spots on his body, murmuring, “You smell so wonderful. So sexy.”

He looked at her, the tiniest hint of a question in his eyes. “You really love to have sex, don’t you?”

Sitting up to get a good look at him, she said, “We’ve been lovers for ten years, David. Is this a news flash?”

“No, no, of course not. I just … I wonder how you’ll feel when you can’t have sex anymore. Won’t it bother you?”

Scrunching up her nose, she asked, “Do you know something that I don’t know? ‘Cause I’m not planning on giving it up in the immediate future.”

“Well, maybe not immediate, but we won’t be able to do it when you’re really pregnant,” he insisted.

“I’m really pregnant now, David, and there isn’t a reason in the world we can’t be having sex up until the baby’s born. Granted, I won’t feel like it all of the time, and I guarantee you’re not coming near me for months afterward, but other than that — it should be business as usual.”

“No,” he said, although he sounded uncertain. “You can’t really … you wouldn’t want to … would you?”

"I wouldn't want to what … have sex? Just because I'm pregnant?"

He nodded, looking even more unsure of himself.

“You know Jeanne in my office, right? She’s one of my team members?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Sweet little thing, kinda shy and quiet.”

“That’s her,” Blair agreed. “When she was pregnant, her husband threatened to hire prostitutes — for her! I caught her leering at the UPS driver one day when she was about eight months along. I swear, David, we all kept an eye on her so she didn’t start humping men when they came in the door!”

“No! Really?”

“Yes, really. Women in my office talk about these things, David, and from what I’ve heard, most women want sex a whole lot more or a whole lot less when they’re pregnant. I think some of it has to do with how difficult your pregnancy is and things like that, but if I’m healthy, I think I’m gonna be in the ‘want it more’ camp. I’m already itching for you, and it’s only been a few days.” She chose not to tell the whole truth — that they hadn’t had sex since she'd been inseminated.

He still looked puzzled, but his interest was captured by some compelling things she was doing with her hand. “I can barely keep up with you now,” he gasped when she hit a very sensitive place.

“You’d better take your vitamins, big boy,” she purred, forcing him to his back. “You’re gonna need ‘em.”

„G

An hour later, she lay on her back, knees raised, feet flat on the mattress. Pushing some strands of hair from her damp face, she murmured, “That was absolutely awesome! Damn, you haven’t gone at me like that for ages.” She rolled onto her side and rested her head on his chest, hearing his heart still hammering away. “I think you’re just hitting your peak.”

He laughed softly and turned his head to kiss her. "I think you might be able to hit another peak. Wanna try?"

"Like I ever say no to that." She took his hand and slid it between her legs, guiding him so he touched her gently. "‘Atta boy. Keep it nice and slow and soft." Wrapping her arm around his neck, she pulled him to her and kissed him with gusto. After just a few minutes, he was ready for action again, and she urged him to enter her. "God, I love not worrying about birth control or getting pregnant," she purred. "It's so nice to be able to just have sex again."

His dark eyes were bright with desire as he slid inside. He hovered above her and bent to kiss her again, sliding his tongue into her mouth. Coming up for air, he asked, "Can we do everything we used to do?"

"Yeah … everything."

He gripped her legs and slung them over his shoulders, then eased in and out of her for what seemed like hours, keeping her just on the edge of orgasm. With her hands on his hips, she tried to pull him into herself harder, but he grinned playfully and held back, making her want it all the more. It wasn't until she groaned in frustration that he gave her the cadence she wanted, and once he did, she came noisily, moaning and thrashing around their big bed. He followed quickly, and she held him tight, loving the feeling of him pulsing inside of her.

David stayed inside for a few moments, since he knew Blair loved having his weight on top of her. But he rolled off quicker than usual, worried about hurting her sensitive body. He snuggled up behind her, draped an arm around her waist, and they both fell asleep immediately.

Nearly an hour had passed when David groggily opened his eyes. But he woke completely when he saw the look on his wife's face. “What’s wrong?”

Her hands went to her abdomen, and she pressed her fingers against a few places. “I … feel a funny cramp.”

“Where?” he asked, his voice getting higher.

“Not sure. It feels like my uterus or maybe an ovary.”

“That’s all that’s in there!” he said, his anxiety starting to grow.

“I have a few more things,” she said, palpating her belly. “I’m a human as well as a woman.”

“Does it still hurt?”

“It’s been thirty seconds, David. Give me a minute.”

She rolled out of bed and went into the bath, mainly to get away from her husband’s contagious anxiety. Looking into the mirror, she saw the tense set of her own jaw and decided she needed to at least speak to her doctor. She hadn’t yet picked an obstetrician, so she had to call her gynecologist. Just as she turned to leave, a cramp hit her, and there was no doubt about this one. She sank to the edge of the tub, her legs about to give out — more from anxiety than pain. For an instant, she had an image of her tiny baby dislodging itself from her uterine wall and floating down towards her cervix. “No!” she cried, causing David to burst into the room, eyes wild.

Shaking and pale, she demanded, “Call Doctor Coughlin. Tell her I’m experiencing cramps and ask what we should do.”

“We should go to the hospital!”

“David, please do as I asked. Please,” she begged, sending him flying. Moments later he was back, portable phone in hand. “Her service says she’s unavailable. There’s a Doctor Jablonski on call.”

“I’ve never heard of him or her,” she growled. “I’m not gonna waste time trying to get a stranger to tell me what to do!”

She took in a few deep breaths, knowing that she was panicking. “Give me the phone.” He handed it to her, and she dialed Kylie’s home. When the machine picked up, she paged her and then got up to splash some cold water onto her face. “I’m gonna get into the shower and clean up in case we have to go to the ER. If Kylie calls, tell her what’s going on and see what she thinks we should do.” He nodded mutely, his skin the color of flour. She kissed him gently and tried to summon her courage. “It’ll be all right, David. I’m sure of it.”

„G

When she walked into the living room, David was on the phone. “Here she is,” he said, obviously relieved to hand the device off.

“Hi,” Blair said. “Did David tell you what’s going on?”

“He did,” she said briefly, in full doctor mode. “Describe your symptoms for me.”

Date: 2015-01-29; view: 1007