David pulled the covers up to his chin, noting the coolness in the study slash bedroom that meant the November day was also going to be cool outside. He turned, coming face to face with his wife of two and a half months. She was awake, something that was odd for six a.m., which was the time.
"What's wrong?" he whispered.
Something had been different about her for the past couple of weeks, and it was starting to concern him. She hadn't been sleeping well, and had even cut down on her coffee intake. He wished she wouldn't. It made the life of anyone around her… well,… interesting.
"'Can't go back to sleep." She answered vaguely.
"Why not?" He wanted the real answer to the bigger picture, and she knew it.
"Thinking." She tried to sidestep him again.
"About what?" He pressed.
A long moment of silence stretched between them while she considered her answer, eyes averted from his.
"Amanda?" He ran a finger over her cheek, hating and confused by the way that she flinched against his touch, almost drawing away, definitely tensing.
"David," She whispered.
When she flinched, a tear squeezed out of her eye, and as she said his name, he brushed it away, utterly confused by such an obvious hurt, and by the fact that he had no idea where it was coming from. The last time he had seen her like this was when she had told him that she was - expecting.
"I…" Amanda tried again to tell him what was on her mind. "I'm pregnant."
Bull's-eye.
"What?!" He needed to make sure that he had heard her right.
"Pregnant." She repeated uncertainly.
"Pregnant." David repeated, a warm awe sliding through him, coming through as he spoke. Elation was on its heels. "Oh, Mandy," He hadn't used that pet name since they were still on speaking terms in college. "Pregnant! This is great! It is!" He curbed the desire to shout, remembering Olivia asleep nearby. He calmed down and looked his still worried wife in the eye, needing to banish her fear, or, as was more likely, the memories that were haunting her.
He pulled her close, and she buried her face in his shoulder.
"Listen to me, crazy lady." He demanded, feeling tears start to soak through his t-shirt. "I know what you're thinking, and this is a whole different ball game than that. You are my wife. I love you, so much more than my stupid brain can explain. And I. Am not. Leaving. I am never, ever leaving you, or Olivia, or our baby. Do you understand? You're my life, the three of you. I will never hurt you that way again. I promise. Can you believe me? At all?"
She nodded against his shoulder before pulling away and looking him in the eye. "I believe you." She smiled at him and took a deep breath to compose herself.
"Good." David kissed her, before asking, "When are you due?"
"Somewhere around June first. I set up an appointment with the doctor for after work today."
David lay back against the bed, doing the math. Then he said, "What time?"
"Five thirty."
"I'll be there."
Now her smile became full-fledged. Her tears were long gone, and she laughed aloud. And kept right on doing it, always quietly though, because of Olivia. He joined in, he couldn't help. Soon they were acting like a couple of stupid teenagers, dancing around the room, laughing their heads off. How Olivia slept through it, he had no idea, but she did.
Eventually they made their way down the hallway, knowing that only Dylan and Jade would be up. Amanda twirled under his arm as they came to a stop in the kitchen doorway, hand in hand.
Jade pointed towards them and asked Dylan, "Is that the explanation for the song?"
Dylan's only response was a knowing smile that confirmed Jade's question.
"What song?" David asked.
Jade jerked her head towards the board in a corner of the dining room, and David went to investigate, still hand in hand with his wife.
The resolution point at the top: I will confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy. The point that David considered his own. The verse; Psalms 127:3-5. Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them.
The verses could be attributed to thoughts of Bethany, Dylan's unborn sister who was due to make her appearance any day now. The song though… it didn't quite fit with that train of thought. Brad Paisley's "Anything Like Me".
"I remember sayin' I don't care either way
Just as long as he or she is healthy, I'm okay
And then the doctor pointed to the corner of the screen
And said, "You see that thing right there? Well, you know what that means."
I started wondering who he was going to be
And I thought heaven help us if he's anything like me
He'll probably climb a tree too tall and ride his bike too fast
End up every summer wearin' something in a cast
He's gonna throw a ball and break some glass
In a window down the street
He's gonna get in trouble, oh, he's gonna get in fights
I'm gonna lose my temper and some sleep
It's safe to say that I'm gonna get my payback
If he's anything like me
I can see him right now, knees all skinned up
With a magnifying glass tryin' to melt a Tonka truck
Won't he be a sight with his football helmet on?
That'll be his first love 'til his first love comes along
He'll get his heart broke by the time he's in his teens
And heaven help him if he's anything like me
He'll probably stay out too late and drive his car too fast
Get a speeding ticket, he'll pay for mowing grass
He's gonna get caught skippin' class
And be grounded for a week
He's gonna get into trouble, we're gonna get in fights
I'm gonna lose my temper and some sleep
It's safe to say that I'm gonna get my payback
If he's anything like me
He's gonna love me
And hate me along the way
The years are gonna fly by
And I already dread the day
He's gonna hug his mama, he's gonna shake my hand
He's gonna act like he can't wait to leave
But as he drives out he'll cry his eyes out
If he's anything like me
There's worst folks to be like, oh, he'll be alright
If he's anything like me."
"Eavesdropper." David accused.
"Hey, it was worth it." Dylan shot back easily.
"That don't make it right." David replied, releasing Amanda's hand and heading for the coffee maker. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched his wife fall into a seat at the dining room table, staring at the lyrics.
"Oh, don't start acting like a dad now." Dylan demanded. "You take care of you and yours, and I'll take care of me."
"And mine." Amanda spoke up from the other side of the room.
Dylan turned to her. "What?"
"The saying is 'me and mine'."
David shook his head when Dylan smiled at Jade, his thoughts plain in his eyes. "Yeah, me and mine."
This is the last story in my Dylan/Jade trilogy. Please review! Thanks! And thanks for sticking with me throughout this trilogy!:)
