"Can I tell you something?" Gilbert spoke for the first time since he had arrived home from the hospital.
Natalie's eyes opened wide in shock, as she placed her hand on his cheek.
"It's actually a lot of things. Stuff I've been thinking about for a while." His voice was hoarse, but Natalie was relieved to hear him speak at all.
"You know you can tell me anything," Natalie assured him, and cuddled closer to his body. The bedroom had little light coming in, only a faint streetlamp shone through the window of the room, and barely highlighted their features.
"You are so beautiful." Gil gave a half-smile when Natalie's teeth shone brightly in the shadowed room.
"That's what you've been thinking about?" Natalie asked in disbelief.
"It's part of it, but not all of it."
"What else?" Natalie tried not to seem too eager, but she couldn't help it. She was so happy to hear him speaking, let alone giving her compliments.
"You look different. I know I missed a year of seeing you everyday, but you seem so different. Not in a bad way," he hastily added. "You just seem older, but still the same in a way. Just as beautiful, if not more."
Natalie's face flushed, as her thumb grazed his cheek lightly.
"When I was in the coma," Gilbert paused, trying to formulate his next words. There was a hanging silence that felt uncomfortable for both of them. "It felt like a constant nightmare, but it was all so real. Everyone I know died. Everyone but me. Over and over again. When the whole time, I was the closest to death."
Natalie held her breath at the word 'death', and finally let it out after a long silence.
"After I woke up, and I found out everything that I had missed. From the accident, to my niece growing up... I realized I want nothing more than to get better, and start a family with you."
Natalie's breath seemed to escape her lungs as she processed what Gil was implying. "You want to have a baby?"
"Baby, or maybe babies," Gil chuckled and pulled Natalie closer to him.
"Do you realize what a huge responsibility having children is?" Her demeanor suddenly became more serious.
"Not really. But I'm willing to find out, if you're willing to do this with me," Gil exhaled, lightly blowing Natalie's wisps of hair from her face.
Natalie didn't have to see his expression to know how honest and serious he was being. "I- I don't know. I haven't had time to think about this. I mean- I guess I've thought about it before. I just-"
"You're thinking too much. I've been picturing this scene in my head... you wanna hear what it is?" Gil grinned and reached up to brush her hair behind her neck.
Natalie just nodded in response, and swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Okay. I picture us at Disneyland with our kid. I take him to see-"
"Wait a minute, how do you know it's a boy?" Natalie laughed.
"Because... I don't know. I just know. This is my scene, don't interrupt me," Gil chuckled and jokingly covered her mouth. "Anyway, we're all at the theme park, and I'm carrying him on my shoulders, taking him to see Woody from Toy Story. And you're holding my hand, and his ice cream cone, since he doesn't understand how to keep his ice cream from dripping. I know I always thought it was magic that my mom knew how to keep ice cream from dripping all over her hand."
Natalie giggled at the reality of the scene, because she could actually picture it herself.
"You would be such a good mom Nat. You'd be responsible, and fun and so good at everything. You'd be like- Super Mom!"
Natalie couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up from her throat. "What about you? Would you be 'Super Dad'?"
"I don't know. It's hard to tell. But I'd kind of like to find out," Gil whispered. "So what do you say?"
"Yes," Natalie replied so quickly that she didn't even realized what she said until after it escaped her mouth.
"Yes?" Gilbert repeated and squeezed her arm with excitement.
"Yes! Yes let's do it. Let's have a baby," Natalie felt her heart pounding out of her chest.
"I love you so much," Gil whispered and pecked her lips with his own.
She hungrily kissed him back in the heat of the moment, almost forgetting that his body wasn't exactly fully functional yet.
Gilbert pushed her away lightly, "Remember, I can't go crazy just yet. The doctor said no vigorous activity for a few weeks at least."
"Not a problem," Natalie whispered and crawled on top of him. "I'll do all of the vigorous activity," she grinned mischievously as her hands ran up his bare chest.
"Wow, I didn't think you'd be this excited," Gil admitted, not exactly complaining.
"I don't know what it is. The idea of you being a dad is... kind of sexy. I like it, a lot."
"Oh really?" Gil raised an eyebrow as Natalie started to grind on him.
"It might also have to do with the fact that this is the first time we'll be having sex in a year. I missed you. I missed being able to do this. Not just sex, but being able to be so close to you," Natalie continued to move against him, and leaned down to kiss his rather dry lips.
One of Gilbert's shirts was draped on Natalie's small frame. She wore nothing else to bed since his accident. She was so afraid to wash them, because she didn't want any of his clothes to lose his scent.
"I like my favorite shirt on you," Gilbert whispered, running his hands down the sides of her hips.
"Thanks." The corners of her mouth turned upward just slightly. "Remember the last time you saw me wear this shirt?"
"Of course I do. I put it on you. You were soaking wet from the rain, and crying your eyes out," Gilbert recalled the memory with a melancholy smile.
"And I admitted how much I needed you. And how stupid I was to have left you in the first place," Natalie murmured, and reached down to pull off the t-shirt from her body. She threw it behind her on the floor and leaned down to press her bare chest against his.
"You've never been stupid in your life, don't give me that," he chuckled under his breath.
"I was during that first year of college. And that's why I visited you everyday when you were in the hospital. I knew you were going to wake up, and I wanted to be there for you when you did. I wasn't going to be stupid again," Natalie shook her head, making sure not to ruin the moment with tears.
Gilbert touched her face with both hands, and brought her nose-to-nose. "I don't want you to think that you owe me something," he breathed, looking into her eyes.
"I don't. I just know that I love you, and I don't want to be with anyone else," Natalie whispered, and reached down to push her panties aside, too impatient to take them off fully. She blindly searched inside his boxers and pulled out his length, and massaged it with her hand.
"Oh my God," Gilbert breathed, and leaned his head back in relaxation. "I don't know why I thought my nightmares were real all of that time, because there is nothing more real than this right now."
Natalie responded by sliding him inside of her. It was a bit difficult at first, for it had been a long time since she had had sex. She sucked in a quick breath of pain, but then slowly exhaled as it melted into pleasure. She sat in an up-right position, and finally felt that connection with him that she had missed for an entire year. Even after he had woken up and started to speak to her, she still felt a strange distance between them. But now is felt as if nothing had changed, and they picked back up where they left off. She started to move herself up, feeling him sliding out of her with ease. She gradually lowered herself back down, making sure to go slowly at first.
"You have no idea how amazing you feel," Gilbert commented. "I wish I could be more active in the baby-making process," he chuckled.
Natalie raised a finger and pressed it to his lips, while still continuing to grind on him. She then moved her hands to his chest, and pressed down on his bare torso. Her palms rubbed down each part of his frame, making sure to register every detail of him in that moment. If for some reason he left her again, she wanted to remember him exactly this way. The the dull yellow light highlighted the contours of his chest. Although he wasn't in top shape because of his condition, his body was completely perfect in her opinion. "You lost your pudge," Natalie spoke up, while still going through the motions.
"Yeah... that's what happens when you're fed through a tube," Gilbert breathed, quite distracted by her movements. "Do I look all skinny and hot now?" he laughed.
"You always look hot. But I have to say... I kind of miss your belly. It's part of your character," she grinned.
"Well I'll have to take a couple of months to gain it back then. Tomorrow we'll go to the store, pick up some doughnuts, bagels, bacon, eggs. The works. That'll just be tomorrow's breakfast by the way."
"The doctor said you shouldn't push yourself to eat so much," she warned.
"Alright, alright. So it might take more than a few months."
"I don't care what you do, as long as you don't leave me again," she whispered, and started to pick up the pace of her motions.
"Not if I can help it," Gilbert gave a small smile, but it quickly faded as sweat beaded on his forehead.
Natalie moaned as her breathing got heavier. A sheen of sweat covered her body in the process of quickening her downward thrusts.
"I don't know how long I'll last, it's- been a long time," Gilbert bit his bottom lip and closed his eyes tightly, trying not come too early.
"That's okay," Natalie assured him through heavy breathing.
Gilbert reached up and instinctively dug his nails into her waist, getting ready to climax. Natalie winced at the pain, but there was something so sensual about it that she couldn't help but clench herself around him. Gilbert nearly growled with pleasure as he came inside of her. It was so warm and unfamiliar to them to not wear protection, but it made the moment seem even more intimate.
Natalie lifted herself from him, and collapsed on the bed beside him. Both were panting heavily, until Natalie started to giggle uncontrollably.
"What?" Gil chuckled at her laughter.
"I can't believe it. We might be parents nine months from now."
Gilbert mimicked her grin and leaned in to press his lips against hers. Both of them were too exhausted for the kiss to last for very long. Before they knew it they fell asleep in a lip lock, with their arms and legs entangled.