A/N: Aaaand I'm back after a ridiculously long time and I'm happy to say I have an update for you :D...enjoy!
"Almost home." I murmur to myself as I look out the window of the small airship I was taking home.
I had been visiting Baz and Teresa when she'd gone in to labour and I was left to sit in the waiting room of the hospital my whole last day there. It was hard to wrap my head around the fact that Baz was a dad now. It was hard enough to imagine him married, let alone with a kid. He'd made me hold her while he got Teresa to fall asleep.
It was awkward.
I can't really say I'm a huge baby person. They cry constantly and you never know what they want. And when you think you've figured it out, they'll start crying even more! Holding baby Gracie made me think about all the questions mine and Kate's families have been asking us about when we'll have children. We've only been married for eight months and we've not even considered it yet, thankfully. I'm still getting used to be referred to as a 'husband'. I'm not sure I can handle having a baby any time soon.
I grab my bag from the floor next to me as the airship gets lower to dock. I arranged for Kate to meet me at our apartment across town so I can give her the present that I got her. I feel the ship stop and they open the bay doors for the passengers to step down. I'm one of the first ones on to the platform and I waste no time in making my way to the streets. I groan to myself when I see how busy the roads are, knowing I'll never get a streetcar in time. I glance around once more for a last ditch effort before turning left and deciding to walk home. I pull Kate's gift out of my bag and grin, knowing she'll like it. It's a pearly seashell with turquoise hints attached to a thin chain for a necklace. On our honeymoon, we had spent one full day on the beach and she spent half the time scouring the sand and shallow water for any interesting looking shells or stones.
I glance at my watch and groan again seeing that I'm without a doubt going to be late to meet with her. Looking ahead of me, I can faintly see the outline of our apartment building. I quicken my pace, hoping to at least get there within a decent amount of time. I put her necklace back in the box and replace it in my bag, brushing my slightly shaggy hair out of my eyes. I pull my jacket a little tighter around myself, noting that it's gotten colder since I've been away. I say hello to a few of the people I know in the streets and move faster to get home.
Almost fifteen minutes later, I'm out of breath and panting on the front steps of the apartment. I'm grateful that there's an elevator, I don't think I could walk up the next nine floors. I fumble with my key briefly before unlocking and opening the door, stepping inside as I get greeted by the heat of the fireplace. "Kate?" I call, looking around the empty living room.
I hear a fumble and slight swearing. "You're late Matt!" I hear her voice yell to me.
I drop my bag to the floor, kneeling down to get her present again. "Well if I remember correctly, you're always the late one so it's about time I get to be late for something." I try to tease.
I look up and my grin quickly fades as I take in her flared nostrils and intense glare. What have I done now? "I brought you something..."I offer meekly, holding up the box.
Her eyes narrow a bit more. "I've had dinner prepared for the past twenty minutes! Now it's probably cold and it's all because you're late!" I swear her voice seems to shake the picture frames on the wall.
My eyebrows meet in confusion. "Is everything okay?" I ask her, not stupid enough to say 'you seem upset'.
She sighs and puts a hand on her forehead, closing her eyes. "I've just been feeling a little under the weather, that's all. I'm happy to see you back home." She forces a smile on her face and steps forward, planting a quick kiss on my lips and taking the box from me. "Now let's see what I got." She says, her tone taking on a whole new sound.
She pulls the necklace out and I'm relieved when a true smile graces her face. She beams up at me. "I love it Matt, thank you!" She lifts the necklace up and undoes the clasp. "Help me get it on?" She asks, looking at me.
I move forward and take the chain from her, putting it around her neck and fastening the clasp as she holds up her hair. She turns to look at me. "How are Baz and Teresa?" She asks, picking up the box from the table.
I scratch the back of my head. "Uh, she had the baby while I was there." I tell her, leaning against the side of the couch.
"Really? That's great. What did they have?" She asks, stopping what she's doing and looking at me.
"A girl. They named her Gracie Rose." I yawn, stretching my arms above my head. Too many hours in the sky lead to cramped muscles.
"Pretty name for her. Who did she look like?" She questions, sitting down in the chair and looking thoroughly interested in the conversation.
I shrug. "Too early to tell I think. She looked like a little wrinkly, pink doll to me. She can cry like a banshee though." I shudder, remembering the ear piercing shriek.
Kate frowns. "You're no fun Matt. Newborn babies are cute, I'm sure she looked like one of them, not just all wrinkly."
I look at her in confusion. "You seem...defensive today." I start, only to have her huff at me.
"I'm not defensive, I just don't see why you aren't at least a little excited for your best friend. His life just got a lot happier." She snaps.
I snort. "Yeah, happier. Four in the morning diaper changes, listening to screaming all the time. What a good time." I joke.
Her nostrils flare again. "Why are you being so unemotional about this? Babies are a joyful addition to a family." She crosses her arms over her chest.
"Kate, think about it. Baz and Teresa are still young, they could have been enjoying life as a married couple. Now they have this huge responsibility on them and they can't do the things they used to. It's kind of like a burden." I try to explain myself.
She huffs again. "Listen to you! 'A burden'. You can still enjoy life when you have children Matt Cruse."
"I don't even know why we're discussing this, we haven't even thought about children yet, nor do I plan to for a while." I shake my head, walking to the kitchen for a drink.
When I don't hear the sounds of her footsteps following me, I glance at the doorway. I pour myself a glass of water and make my way back to the living room. Kate is still sitting in her chair but she's now staring at the carpet where I had been standing with a sort of crushed look on her face. "Kate?" I murmur, reaching out to touch her shoulder.
She flinches away from me, as though I'd slapped her. "You don't want kids?" She quietly asks.
"It's not that I don't want kids, it's that I don't think kids are a good idea for a while. It'll be better for us to get a few years to enjoy our marriage and our time together before we even think about children." I tell her, pulling my hand back.
I see her eyes misting up and she suddenly jumps to her feet, nearly running to the door. "Kate!" I call to her, jogging after her. "Kate, what is going on?" I yell, watching her run in to the elevator. The doors close before I reach her.
"Damnit!" I grumble, moving quickly in the direction of the stairs.
By the time I reach the bottom, it's clear that she's already gone. She never shows up in the lobby and the people getting off the elevator say they haven't seen her. I clench my hair with my fist, frustration building. What had happened in the ten minutes I'd been home? She had never gotten that upset over anything, ever. I exit the building and begin walking the streets once more, this time in search of my wife. I ask people I pass if they have seen her, only to be shot down each time. I pull my jacket tight against the wind.
Hours tick by and I have no luck in locating her. She must have gotten in a streetcar and took off immediately. I nearly turn to go home but I catch sight of the lights in the university. I almost kick myself for not realizing it sooner. I run as fast as I can in hopes of catching her before she leaves. I take the steps two at a time and bolt around to the back patio near the gardens. I spot a shadow seated on a bench and recognize the sobbing form. "Kate..." I breathe out.
I move closer, my footsteps thudding against the stone. "Kate." I call out, my voice louder this time.
I see her straighten up and hear her clear her throat, startled by my presence. When I get to her side, I see the tear tracks on her cheeks and it feels like a punch to the stomach. I sit next to her and move to put my hand on her shoulder. "Kate, what's wrong? What did I do?" I plead, worried about what's wrong with her.
She shakes her head softly and avoids looking at me. "It's nothing fixable Matt. You've made yourself quite clear and I just have to figure things out now."
I'm confused once more. "Figure what out? What's going on?" I ask her, my arm moving to wrap around her shoulders.
She looks at me, her eyes filling with tears again. "I'm pregnant Matt." Her voice whispers.
All sounds get muffled. The once cool air now seems hot and intense. My head swirls as her words replay themselves in my brain. What makes it worse is all of the foolish things I said to her coming back to me and I realize why she's so upset. I acted like a total jerk. I try to form words but nothing comes out. She gives a bitter laugh and turns away again. "I was actually looking forward to you coming home so I could tell you. I'd prepared dinner and everything in order to make it a special announcement." She snaps.
I look to my feet, shame filling my body. "That's why you were upset I was late." I mutter to myself mostly, putting two and two together. "How did this?..." I trail off.
She looks at me with an annoyed expression. "Do you honestly need me to explain biology to you?"
"No, I mean, how did this happen without us knowing? When did you find out?" I ask, rubbing my eyes with my hand.
"I found out last week. They said I'm about three months along, so I haven't really shown at all. Three months puts it around the time of our trip to Rome." She says and I blush as I remember our antics during a particularly romantic evening in our hotel.
"I'm sorry for what I said." I tell her, our eyes meeting.
"Matt this isn't something that is going to go away. I need to know that you're going to be there for me and the baby. We need to be in this together and I need to be positive that you will be the best father you can be to this child." Her stern voice is back.
I nod. "I understand. It was just...shocking. I wasn't expecting that. I thought it'd be a while before anything like that was to happen." I try to explain, knowing if I didn't swallow my pride now and make up for what I said, it will lead to very unpleasant times.
She smiles softly and wipes the remaining tears on her face away. "I'm scared Matt. I have no idea what I'm doing and I know for a fact you don't either. Neither of us is prepared for this. Please tell me that you will stick with me through this." It breaks my heart to hear her plead.
I nod once more and put my forehead against hers. "I will. I'm not going anywhere. I'm sorry and I was an idiot. I shouldn't have acted like such a child, I know that kids come with getting married. I panicked." I press a kiss to her lips and pull back, looking at her. "Ready or not, huh?" I try to joke but my panicked emotions bleed in to my voice.
To my relief, she laughs lightly and leans against me more. "I know this isn't what you planned on hearing the day you got home. I don't think either one of us acted rationally. I'm just hormonal because of the pregnancy. My mother says with her, it lasted the whole nine months."
I look at her stomach to see if I can spot the baby bump but in the dark, it's hard to tell. I'm still freaking at the concept that I'm now going to have a child of my own. I don't think I'll ever fully be ready. But then her words slam in to me and I freeze. "Wait...your mood swings can last until the baby comes?" I choke out.
She smirks and winks. "Better make sure you're on my good side then, huh?" She taunts, getting to her feet. "And right now, I'm feeling like I want to relax with a good foot rub." She grabs my hand and tugs me to my feet, leading me back home.
I silently wonder to myself when I'd gone from the charming husband to the push-over father-to-be.
A/N: I'm not exactly happy with how this turned out. I don't think it's one of my better ones but I hope it's good enough to satisfy you guys until I can write something better for the next chapter.
Kate's mood swings are going to get scary.
Until next time guys!
Lucky