Welcome back to you, my dedicated, lovely readers, and to my inspiration, which has made a comeback (finally!) I'm so excited to share these next few chapters with you all. I think you're going to enjoy them. Hopefully we can get this story back to the booming-reviewed status it used to be!
I only have one word to describe the pathetic pace of this story: School.
Anyway, enjoy chapter ten! (It feels like ch. fifteen, though!)
~:~ If you can love somebody, love them all the same ~:~
Monday rolled around faster than Hanna could have ever thought possible. Luckily in Hanna's favor, the "bug" she had endured on Thursday and Friday had completely and unusually subsided by Sunday afternoon, and she was able to prepare for hosting guests.
It was now Monday, Claudia and Stephen's plane was due to land any minute as the family of three sat patiently by baggage to await their relatives. Cooper colored diligently in his Amazing Spider-Man activity book while his parents chit-chatted about general events.
The family had rushed to the airport after quickly picking Cooper up from school upon his insistence to greet his grandparents and uncles off their flight.
After finishing his current coloring page, the little boy became bored and decided to entertain himself by asking a series of questions to his mother. "Momma, have I ever been on an airplane?"
Hanna turned around from where she and Caleb were discussing dinner plans for that evening and pursed her lips in thought. "Mmm, yes. When you were still in my tummy, I flew to California to visit daddy and Grandma Claudia. And when you were one, we took a vacation together after daddy and I got married. We went to a place called Maui."
His eyes lit up at the story. "I'VE BEEN TO HAWAII?"
"How did you know that was in Hawaii?" Caleb asked, surprised.
Cooper shrugged. "Tay has a big, colorful map on her wall and we use when we play Teacher. Hawaii is GINORMOUS!"
"It's a pretty big state."
After Hanna had caught her breath from laughing at her adorably intelligent son, she finally added. "I think I see a career in geography in your future."
"No, mommy." He shook his head. "I'm gonna be a superhero in disguise like Toby Stark and Peter Parker!"
"Oh, of course." She giggled, playing along.
Caleb guffawed. "What happened to you wanting to be just like me, kid?"
"Daddy, I said I wanted to be a my own superhero. You're superhero is already taken by you!" Cooper explained simply, though the words didn't sound sensical as they first came out.
Soon, the signs that monitored the flights flipped the Montecito plane to arrived. The family waited patiently for the passengers to leave the plane.
"Gamma!" Cooper said as he spotted Claudia and Stephen and the boys stepping out of their gate. There was a little body scanner that separated the two families and Hanna had to hold the boy back from running right through it to meet his family.
"Mini Cooper!" Claudia cooed as she welcomed her grandson into her arms. They stayed for a minute just hugging and she bathed him in greeting kisses all over his face.
"Gamma, you're tickling me!" He managed to get out between strong giggles.
"Sorry but Gamma missed you so much."
Cooper pulled back, beaming. "I missed you too, Gamma. Why haven't you come to visit yet?"
"Because I was busy with my work. I would've gotten here sooner but I wanted you all to be settled when we came." She pulled him up and set him on her hip. "Caleb," she hugged him at his side.
"Hey, mom." He replied, rubbing her back. He moved and let Hanna hug his mother hello next.
"Claudia!" Hanna hugged her and they kissed each other's cheeks.
Claudia set Cooper down and took Stephen's hand after he and Caleb had shook hands hello.
Caleb walked over to his little brothers, who had both grown considerably since the last time he had seen them in person rather than in a picture. "Dude, you're so tall!" He told Jamie's as he hugged him.
"Duh, I grew a ton." He informed his much older brother before returning to his hand held video game.
The man moved on to his youngest brother, Clay. "Hey, kiddo."
"Hey, bro." They high-fived and Caleb grabbed the kid by his waist and picked him up, turning him upside down and shaking. Clay laughed wildly and begged to be put down while the blood visibly rushed to his head.
"Okay, settle down." Hanna ordered her husband.
"I'm glad you guys are here." Cooper told his grandparents as Stephen gave him a ride on his toned shoulders.
"So are we, babe." Claudia told him as she grabbed his dangling hand and kissed it.
Later on, the family sat around a large table at Constantine's, their favorite Italian restaurant that was fairly new to Rosewood.
Hanna held her napkin under Cooper's mouth as he slurped his fettuccine.
"Lets be polite, Coop." She whispered into his ear so no one could see. Cooper rolled his eyes and continued to slurp as Hanna continued to prop the cloth napkin under him.
Claudia stopped picking at her veal francese and sat up, her fork making a 'ding' noise as she set it on the table.
"So," she began with a smile, "have you guys thought of adding more to the family?"
Hanna dropped the napkin in shock, much to her son's confusion and looked up at her mother in law. Caleb choked on the water he had been sipping, he too remained silent.
"Huh?" Hanna spoke, cocking her head out for emphasis.
Claudia hesitated, obviously having not been prepared for their reaction. "I just think, you know, now might be the time. With the new house and Caleb's job...and all. Don't tell me you haven't thought about it," she looked back and forth at the couple's faces.
"Wha- no, nope. We haven't... thought about...that." Hanna stammered nervously, trying to play it off casually.
"It's just not in the cards right now, Mom." Caleb informed her calmly.
"Well, why not?" The older woman asked innocently.
"Because," her son replied between his teeth, "it's just not."
Having grasped her composure, Hanna added. "We've just been so busy ever since the move. Immediately after we moved it, we had to jump right into the holidays, full force. A lot's been on our plate."
"I'm sorry, that makes perfect sense." Claudia said, regaining her dignity. "Obviously you two and Coop have had so much going on."
"Glad you understand." Caleb deadpanned, returning to his beverage.
"How come you never had more kids, Claudia?" The daughter-in-law provoked.
"What?" Answered Claudia amusedly. She shrugged. "Have you seen my schedule? I barely have time for my boys as it is."
"Oh, but surely you haven't thought about it? I mean, you have all the means, so why not?"
"Okay, I see where you're getting. All I'll say is this; I never felt the longing for another."
"Longing?"
Claudia nodded. "Yeah. I was perfectly happy after Clay. If I found a need or want inside for another, I probably would've been able to convince Stephen to try again. That's the real question, kiddos, it's not that it's time for you to literally get pregnant in five minutes, but can you honestly say that you don't feel any want for another? Not even down, deep in your heart?"
Hanna sat back, twirling spaghetti around her fork and sighed. She hasn't thought about it in that way. Just because you don't have room in your plans, doesn't mean you don't have some in your heart.
Yes, maybe the car accident was a sign. If she was meant to have another baby, maybe it wouldn't be something she could control. Maybe it was just as well if it weren't planned.
On the other hand, she and Caleb were definitely starting to feel the pressure to have more children. From almost everyone they knew, too, as if it were inescapable.
Early on Friday morning, Stephen and Claudia had finally left, after a week of togetherness and enjoyment with Hanna and Caleb.
Hanna had been stewing over what all went on with her mother-in-law over dinner Monday night. On Thursday night as she laid in bed with Caleb, she had gotten up the courage to bring the subject back up again.
The couple talked seriously about their desires, and their fears, some more obvious than others. Eventually, they came to the mutual decision of what to do next.
After lunch on Friday, the parents of one sat comfortably in the mauve and teal patterned waiting room chairs of the ob-gyn practice.
Although it had been drastically renovated since Hanna's first pregnancy, a part of the atmosphere still made her feel like the jittery teen who sat in the corner, putting up a front of shamelessness. She wasn't even pregnant, but the mutual stares the women gave one another still creeped her out.
There was a couple straight across from her and Caleb by the door, a girl and a boy. Hanna thought they looked to be about seventeen or eighteen. One thing she could tell was for sure - they were both scared out of their minds. The girl, Genevieve as the nurse at the desk addressed her, looked to be about five or six months along, depending on how thin she really had been before getting pregnant. That was the one thing Hanna was grateful for; even though she grew to an ungodly size, her figure (thank you, god!) managed to stay in tact.
Genevieve's boyfriend sat next to her, twiddling his thumbs and glancing at the parenting magazines on the table by his feet. Her mother sat next to him, a calm look on her tired face as she scribbled down on a form attached to a clipboard. When she got up to talk to the woman in charge of the insurance, the two teens were left alone.
Hanna nudged Caleb and have him a knowing look, pointing at the couple through her gaze. Caleb followed it to the couple she had been watching. He sighed and cracked a half-smile. He sat up in his seat and turned to his wife, whispering, "I remember when that was us."
Hanna sighed contently. "I know. We were terrified."
"I think it all worked out," he shrugged. "hope they make it as far as we have."
"Yeah... What are we at now, five years?" She asked. Caleb nodded. "I bet we've broken some kind of record."
Caleb chuckled softly, wrapping an arm around her. "That or we beat a ton of statistics."
"Mrs. Rivers?" A petite nurse called from the door that lead to the rest of the office. "Doctor's ready for you."
Hanna and Caleb stood from their seats, her giving the young couple an encouraging look. They followed the nurse down the hall and to a door on the end. The door plate read "Dr. Bowen, OB-GYN."
Inside, a women in her mid thirties sat still at her desk, typing away on her laptop. Looking up, she spotted the couple and smiled.
Hanna and Caleb took seats in the two leather chairs in front of the desk, holding each other's hand once they'd settled.
The woman stood and extended her hand for them to shake. "Good afternoon, I'm Lorraine Bowen." She introduced herself. "Nice to meet you... Hanna and Caleb?"
The couple nodded and took turns shaking her hand. Hanna couldn't help but to notice how cold and soft the doctor's hands were.
"Nice to meet you, too." The blonde replied, sitting back down.
Lorraine also sat back down in her swivel chair. She leaned back and crossed her legs, clasping her hands on the desk in front of her.
"Are you two familiar with this office? I noticed you're new to town."
Caleb shook his head. "We sort of grew up here."
"Yeah, we just moved back from New York City...where we attended college." Hanna added.
"Ah, so you've been a patient here before?"
"When I was eighteen, I have birth to our son, Cooper." Hanna said. "I actually was a patient of Dr. Halston's."
"Oh, yes! She was my mentor in med school. Pretty interesting woman."
"What happened to her?" Caleb asked.
Lorraine sat up and said, "Oh, she left about two years ago. Her husband got a job offer in New Hampshire, so she decided to open her own private practice there."
"That's great," they both replied.
Lorraine rolled her chair so her knees were under the desk and she began thumbing through the Rivers' file.
"Alright, Mr. And Mrs. Rivers, what can I do for you both today?" She asked in a more professional manor than before.
Hanna squeezed her husband's hand and drew in a breath. "We wanted to stop by and just, discuss the possibility of trying for another baby."
"Ah, why else would you come? Of course," the doctor said to herself, rifling through their file more. "I see about three months ago, you miscarried. Very sorry about that, but it's not uncommon within the first few weeks."
Hanna swallowed hard. "We know."
"However, nothing seems to have scarred or closed up. I'd say your chances of getting pregnant have stayed sufficiently normal." She pursed her lips and scanned the chart. Then she glanced back to the couple. "Are you sure that you're ready to try again, though? I have to admit, though your recovery is remarkable, something tells me that maybe you're trying to bridge a gap. Fill a hole?"
Hanna felt her cheeks begin to flush as her stomach caught her fallen heart. "I don't t-think so," she stuttered.
"Dr. Bowen, I know you've got every right to think those things of us and of our marriage, but I don't think that's what Hanna's motive is." Caleb cut in, watching Hanna stew out of the corner of his eye.
Lorraine sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Very well. It's wonderful that you are healed and ready so soon, but as your doctor, I strongly advise you to really take your time thinking about this."
"We have," Hanna mumbled. "I don't know what kind of impression you get from us, or from couples like us, but I can say that I am one hundred percent sure of this decision. I have no motives and maybe I am trying to grasp thin air right now, but I promise you that I...we are more than ready to expand our family."
"Yes, I believe you. I just wanted you to know the dangers and challenges of this." The OB stood from her chair and walked over to her file cabinet and putting their folder away. "You've had a baby before, you know they're not some hamster that you can keep for a month and then give away..."
"What's the point that you are getting to, again?" Caleb asked nervously.
"Have you asked your son how he felt about this?"
"Well, not in so many words. We didn't tell him about the miscarriage." Hanna hung her head.
"If you're worried about attention, you should know that we love Cooper very much." Caleb spoke up again. "This isn't us ignoring him, this is us showing him how much we love each other and how much we'd love that baby."
"Who gave you permission to judge us?" Hanna added.
"Okay, I am not judging you, all I wanted to do was caution you on your decision which clearly you don't need. I apologize. That being said, I believe you'd have no problem trying for another child. I wish you both the best." Lorraine walked to the door and pulled it open, dismissing the couple.
"I vote for a new doctor." Caleb suggested as they drove out of the parking garage and onto the rainy streets of Rosewood.
Hanna sighed and bit her lip. She hadn't stopped thinking about everything the doctor had said. "Do you think maybe, she was right?"
The car pulled to a stop at a red light. Caleb looked toward her. "Of course not. Why, do you?"
"I dunno," she shrugged. "She was right about me possibly trying to bridge a gap. But do you feel like that?"
He shook his head. "I don't think so. I want whatever you want, Han."
"And I want a baby."
"So why shouldn't we have a baby?"
"Cooper." She whispered. "Dr. Bowen was right about that, too. We never asked him how he would feel about us having another baby."
"He's five. I think he would find it exciting; he loves Avery and Raina." Caleb said keeping his eyes on the road.
"Yes, but Avery and Raina don't keep him up all night crying on school nights." Hanna quipped.
He rolled his eyes. "That's something that he would have to get used to regardless."
"True, I guess." She rested her head on the window and watched the raindrops roll down. "Do you want a baby?"
"I do. And you?"
Hanna sighed and watched the rain continue to plop on the window. "More than anything."
"Then I guess that's our answer."
Please review! Every review is a smile on my face.
And my heart and prayers go out to the brave, innocent lives of everyone lost in the Connecticut tragedy. It's a terrible thing that things like this continue to happen. No one deserves to go that way. Especially in the middle of what is supposed to be such a happy and joyous season. Please, please do me and those lost a favor...hug and thank your teachers for being brave every single day. And never forget to tell someone you love them, because you just never know what might happen.
Happy Holidays!
