Twenty-One: Dark, Macho, Pig Side
"Ninety-nine." Haley was kneeling in a patch of early-December sunlight in the middle of the living room floor, holding Nathan's feet and counting his sit-ups. He touched his lips to hers when he'd completed the sit-up and then went back down for another; but he hesitated, lying on his back and panting.
"I'm done," he gulped.
"No, come on! One more! You can do one more!" Haley encouraged him. "You know what the reward is," she coaxed, puckering her lips.
He chuckled and curled up into his one-hundredth sit-up. Their lips brushed fleetingly and then he collapsed onto his back, breathless.
"Oh it burns," he grimaced.
Haley fell forward, landing on top of him. She giggled when he grunted. When he wrapped his arms around her, holding her against his body, she giggled again.
"This is not appropriate," she scolded with a smile. "There's a baby in the room."
They both turned their eyes to James, who was watching them from his baby swing.
"Daddy did a good job, huh?" Haley cooed to her son. "Mommy could only do twenty stinkin' sit-ups."
James broke into one of his sweet smiles.
Nathan chuckled and skimmed his hands across her back. "You're doing a good job too," he told her.
"You shouldn't tell lies, especially to your wife," she quipped.
Nathan tightened his hold on Haley when he felt her move to try and get up. "You should learn to accept compliments, especially from your husband." He kissed her briefly and released her. Haley stood and offered him her hand, helping him to his feet.
At that moment, James spit up his breakfast, so they took him to change.
Later that afternoon, Nathan was standing next to Haley at the foot of their bed, helping her fold laundry.
James slept peacefully in the nursery just down the hall.
"What're you thinking about?" Haley asked, placing a fluffy bath towel on top of a neat pile she'd made.
"Why?" Nathan rolled a pair of his socks together and tossed them into a heap of socks he'd created next to Haley's towels.
"You're just being kind of quiet," she shrugged, starting on the washcloths.
"I was talking with my mom last night," he said after a minute. "She and Dad want to see James."
"We were just over there two days ago," Haley laughed.
"He's cute," Nathan shrugged, as if the fact could not be helped. "They can't get enough."
"That's what you were thinking about? Your parents?" Haley arched an eyebrow.
"They offered to baby sit, so that we could have a night to ourselves," he admitted, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.
"Oh." Haley placed the washcloths on top of the towels and said nothing more.
"So… is that okay?" Nathan frowned when he realized that one sock was missing its mate.
"Do you want to go out?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah, don't you?" He seemed surprised by her lack of enthusiasm.
"Well, we've never left James with anybody else before." Haley wrung her hands together. "We've never been away from him."
"Exactly. We haven't been on a date since before he was born. That's like, four months, which is like, sixteen weeks." Haley didn't respond, and Nathan was baffled. "You really don't want to?"
"I'm just… I'm just anxious," she said, wringing her hands even more.
"About what?"
"About being away from my baby."
"Haley, he'll be with my parents," he said, attempting to calm her fears.
"I know, but your parents aren't us. Why aren't you having a hard time with this?" she demanded. She was upset because she knew that she was being ridiculous, but it also annoyed her that Nathan seemed perfectly fine with the idea of leaving their sweet, little, helpless son for an entire evening.
"I'm nervous about leaving James," he said, sounding like he was defending himself. "But I'm looking forward to being able to spend some time alone with you. That doesn't mean that I don't love spending time with James and being his dad," he sputtered, when Haley's mouth flew open to protest. "It just means that I love spending time with you, too, and being your husband."
Haley blinked and slowly broke into a smile. She liked the way he'd put that. She liked it very much. She'd been so busy being a mother for the past four months, she'd forgotten that she was also a wife.
"I'm really hoping that smile means that we've got a date next Friday," Nathan spoke up with a grin.
"We do," Haley nodded, draping her arms around his broad shoulders. "A night out on the town with my man," she murmured against his lips, smiling. "I can't wait." She kissed him.
The following Friday night, Nathan and Haley were seated next to each other in their car, parked by the river. They watched as the moon and stars reflected in the black water.
They'd decided to splurge a little bit and were picking at Chinese take-out, which wasn't exactly part of their diet, but it was definitely within their tight budget.
"Are you having fun?" Haley's question was meek.
Nathan, his shoulders taut and his expression bothered, speared a piece of orange chicken with a white plastic fork. "Mmm-hmm," he mumbled.
"Well… you're not acting like it," she ventured, watching him carefully. "I thought you wanted to go out tonight."
"I did--- I do." Nathan hastily corrected himself. "I'm sorry, I'm just… I've kind of got a lot on my mind right now."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Haley set her eyes unwaveringly on his face, giving him her undivided attention.
"No," he shook his head and slurped down some of his soda. "We're supposed to be having a good time and I'm just spoiling it. I'm sorry."
He reached out and flicked the radio on. "You in the mood for a little dashboard karaoke?" he asked, flashing a grin.
Haley sent him a you've-got-to-be-kidding kind of look when the bumping beat of a hip-hop song made the old speakers vibrate.
Nathan's head moved in time with the rhythm and his deep voice drummed out the rapid lyrics. "Come on, Hales!" he shouted over the noise. "You know the rules! You do one of mine and I do one of yours!" He fell silent and waited for her to pick up their little game.
She glared smilingly at him and couldn't keep her head from bobbing with the music. She tried very hard to understand the words, but she thoroughly botched them and had Nathan crying with hysterical laughter.
"Yeah, laugh now," she playfully scowled, swatting at his arm. "Because it's my turn, and you're going to be sorry." She fiddled with the radio dial until she found a soft rock station that was playing "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion.
She sent him a devious smirk.
"Oh, Haley, come on," he pleaded.
"You know the rules," she said, waving a finger at him.
Nathan rolled his eyes, but he sat up straight in his seat, very much getting into his little performance; he waved his arms around, pretending to be some kind of opera singer or something.
"Stop, stop!" Haley shrieked, hiccupping on her laughter. "You're going to make me pee my pants!" She pressed her thighs tightly together.
Celine slowly faded away and the rumbling voice of the radio station's DJ took her place.
"I've been getting a lot of requests for this one," he said. "So, here it is--- the new single from North Carolina's own Chris Keller---- the number one song on the charts. He'll be here in concert next Friday, but until then… enjoy."
A quiet acoustic guitar blended with Chris's raspy voice. The song was soft and beautiful--- a ballad.
And it was good.
Nathan reached out and turned the radio off with a fierce flick of his wrist. In the sudden silence, he turned his eyes to Haley's face. His chest throbbed with a deep ache when he saw what he was afraid he'd see in her expression.
She was stunned and underneath that was envy and sadness. Her dream had come true for somebody else.
Meanwhile, Deb was kneeling on her living room carpet, tickling her grandson's tummy and kissing his face. She smiled every time he laughed.
"He really looks a lot like Nathan, doesn't he?" Dan came over and sat down on the floor beside his wife, beaming at the little baby who smiled up at him.
"Yeah, but he's got plenty of Haley in him, too." Deb traced one of her fingers over James's rosy cheek. "He's so precious."
"It's unreal," Dan murmured, skimming his giant palm gently over the top of James's head. "Our son's a father."
"And a good one," Deb declared. "Watching him with James is just amazing; I'm very proud of him."
"I can't believe how well he's adjusting to this," Dan marveled. "I mean, let's face it, Deb, my parenting skills were never exemplary---."
"We have faced it," she interrupted him. "It's all behind us. You've changed; you're the man I married again." Deb reached out and caressed her husband's cheek. "I'm very proud of you, too."
"Do you love me?" Dan dared to hope that he'd earned that back--- it was what he wanted most.
A sparkle glistened in Deb's eyes, a sparkle that Dan hadn't seen in he didn't know how many years. She leaned in close to him and lightly touched his lips with her own.
"I love you," she whispered, nodding faintly.
James gurgled happily and pulled his grandparents apart.
Deb gazed down at him with affectionate eyes. "I miss this," she said, letting her grandson latch on to one of her fingers. "More and more often, I feel sorry that we stopped with Nathan."
Nathan and Haley considered going down to the beach--- just build a fire and sit in the sand, watching the stars--- but they decided against it. A storm was moving in and Haley wasn't in the best of spirits anymore.
"I'm fine," she firmly avowed when Nathan asked her for the tenth time if she was all right. She'd always been a terrible liar. "I just want to get James and go home. I'm tired." She rubbed at her eyes, acting as if she were sleepy, but in the pale moonlight glowing through the car's front windshield, Nathan thought he saw tears.
The next week was not a happy one for Nathan and Haley.
Haley had been acting morose off and on since hearing Chris's song on the radio; the last time she'd really smiled--- really seemed sincerely happy--- was when they'd decorated their Christmas tree, proudly adding James's "Baby's First Christmas" ornament to their small collection of decorations.
Nathan was near to buckling under the stress of approaching final exams, and an upcoming basketball game in Saint Louis.
He staggered through the front door, thoroughly worn out from a difficult practice. His stomach rumbled and he was looking forward to dinner.
There wasn't any.
Haley was on the couch, cradling a distraught James, shushing him and murmuring to him.
"Where's dinner?" Nathan tried to keep his voice level, but it came out sounding a little sharp.
Haley's eyes shot daggers when she raised them to his face. "I've been kind of busy," she grumbled through clenched teeth. "I just got home from work, and in case you've forgotten, our son is sick with his first cold. He's miserable, Nathan."
"I understand that, but I've kind of had a hard day, too," he growled. "Is it expecting too much to see dinner on the table when I get home?"
Haley's face flushed with indignation. She got to her feet, her mouth tight and unsmiling. Carrying James into the kitchen, she gave him a dose of the antibiotic his pediatrician had prescribed; then, rubbing comforting circles over the baby's back, she brushed past Nathan and disappeared into the nursery to put James to sleep.
When Haley came back out to the kitchen, she stomped to the fridge and furiously retrieved a head of lettuce, some tomatoes, some carrots, and a stalk of celery. Toting the produce over to the counter, she went to work hacking it all up.
"Oh, what, are you mad now?" Nathan sneered. "I'm sorry for being hungry, Haley! I'm sorry if making dinner is such an inconvenience to you!"
Haley spun and shot him an extremely ugly look. She dropped the knife and marched up to him, stopping just inches from his face. Glowering fiercely into his eyes, she raised a scolding finger that shook with fury.
"It is not okay for you to talk to me that way!" she yelled. "It's not allowed, understand?"
They glared at each other for a minute and then Haley moved back to the kitchen.
"Look, I don't want to argue, all right? I'm too tired!"
"Well I'm tired too, Nathan!" Haley screamed. "Do you think you're the only one working hard here?" The knife made a rapid tapping sound against the cutting board as she diced the celery with irate vigor.
"Oh, please!" his expression became scornful. "You don't realize what I have to deal with every day! I've got finals and I'm stressed about that because I've got to keep my grades up!
"And then we've got a basketball game tomorrow in Saint Louis; my coach has been on my ass about that because we've lost our last two home games!
"All you do is change dirty diapers! Of the two of us, are you seriously going to try and tell me that you've got it worse? " He folded his arms over his chest, daring her to disagree.
Haley stiffened and the knife fell from her fingers, clattering onto the countertop. Slowly, she turned to face him. She stared at him, absolutely appalled by his arrogance and disrespect. Blinking back enraged tears, she shoved mutely past him and disappeared into their bedroom.
When she returned to him again, she was carrying his pillow and a spare blanket.
"What is this?" he demanded.
"I don't want you in the bedroom tonight," she proclaimed wrathfully.
His temper flared. "Well then where the hell am I supposed to sleep?"
"The couch," she replied, her tone frigid; she shoved the pillow and blanket against his chest, forcing him to take them.
Nathan blinked at her, outraged that he was being banished to the lumpy sofa. This had never happened before, not once since they'd been married. It didn't make him very happy.
"This is total crap!" he shouted. "I have to fly to Missouri in the morning! I need my sleep!"
"And you'll get it on the couch." Haley turned to go to her bedroom alone. Before she proceeded down the hallway, she stopped to glance over her shoulder at him, her dark eyes smoldering. "And you can make your own damn dinner while you're out here."
"Is that what this is all about?" he demanded, still clutching the pillow and blanket. "All right, I'm sorry for picking on you about the stupid dinner, okay?"
"No, this isn't about the stupid dinner, Nathan!" she exclaimed.
"Well okay, then I'm sorry for the diaper comment too, all right?"
"Wow, Nathan. That was such a sincere apology." Haley put her hands over her heart, sarcastically impressed.
"Damn it, Haley! What do you want? You've been sulking around for almost a week now and I'm sick of it! Just tell me what I did so I can apologize and go to bed! I'm not even hungry anymore!"
Haley choked on a bitter little laugh. He didn't get it. He was so worried about himself and that idiotic basketball game, he really couldn't understand. His dark, macho, pig side was showing itself in full force; and it was ugly.
"There is no way you're coming into the bedroom," she stated in a very no-nonsense sort of way.
"Haley---." He actually tried to voice a protest.
"You… are… sleeping… on the couch," she said, very slowly and distinctly so he could understand. Then she turned and wandered into the bedroom, being sure to close the door behind her.
The next morning, after a very grim and silent car ride, Nathan and Haley stood face to face in the parking lot of the university, looking anywhere but at each other. Behind them, the rest of the basketball team jabbered loudly over the hum of the engines of the shuttle vans that had come to take them to the airport.
Nathan glanced down at James, who was staring austerely up at him from the folds of his tiny winter jacket; he was balanced on his mother's hip, clutching a fistful of her coat in one of his little hands.
"Is it all right with you if I say goodbye to my son?" he questioned sourly. "Or would that set you off again?"
Haley's eyes narrowed. Grudgingly, she handed the baby to his father. "Make it quick," she muttered. "I don't want him in the cold for too long; he's sick."
Nathan frowned. She kept telling him that like he wasn't aware that James had a cold. Cuddling the infant close, he kissed his angelic face. "Bye, buddy," he murmured. "Will you be a good boy while I'm gone?"
James responded with a wide smile. He reached up and touched his hand to Nathan's lips.
Nathan chuckled and pressed another kiss to the miniature palm. "You're always good, huh?"
"Scott!" the coach bellowed. "Get in the van! Hurry up!"
Nathan sighed and kissed James again. "I love you, kid. Feel better, okay?" He handed baby James back to Haley and stared awkwardly into her eyes.
He was torn. He was still pissed about the previous night--- he'd gotten no sleep on that rock-hard couch--- but he knew she felt bad about something, and that bugged him. He bowed his head and quickly brushed his lips over her cheek before he snatched up his suitcase and sprinted for the nearest van.
Time passed slowly after Nathan left. Haley actually found herself wishing that she didn't have the day off from work.
James was sleeping in the nursery. The poor little guy was so miserable. He was congested pretty badly and Haley had been forced to suction the snot out of his tiny nose. Needless to say, he hadn't enjoyed that very much.
Haley abandoned the task of washing dishes when someone knocked at the door. She rushed to answer it, not wanting James to wake up. Her stomach flipped with a strange combination of happiness and dismay when she saw who had come to visit.
"Hey! How's my favorite one-hit-wonder?" Chris Keller smiled broadly and opened his arms for a hug. He had Haley trapped in a tight embrace before she could even open her mouth.
She wriggled and managed to break free. "Um, wha--? Uh, what are you doing here?" she stammered, running her hands through her hair.
"I was in the neighborhood," he shrugged.
"How did you know where we live? We moved." Haley was surprised at herself. Shouldn't she tell him to leave and slam the door in his face? This was Chris Keller! The man who had tried to come between her and her husband--- multiple times!
"I know a guy who knows a guy," he shrugged again, grinning boyishly. "You'd be amazed at what people will do for you when you're famous."
Haley flushed a deep red.
He noticed and chuckled. "I take it you've heard. Yeah, I've got the number one song in the country. Pretty cool, huh? The album's going to hit number one by next week, too. Oh, and don't worry, I plan to let it go to my head."
Haley rolled her eyes and couldn't help but smile. He was still the same old Chris.
"So, are you going to let me in or what? It's extremely un-cool to leave a famous rock star standing out in the hallway like this."
Haley dug her teeth into her lower lip, deliberating. James began to cry before she could come to a decision and she quickly excused herself, leaving Chris at the door to dash down the hallway to the nursery.
Chris glanced over both shoulders and then strolled casually into the apartment, shutting the door behind him. He settled down on the couch, examining the Christmas tree. The phone rang on the end table and he reached out to answer it.
"Hello?"
Nathan, who had just checked into the hotel in Saint Louis, was now calling home to let Haley know that he'd landed safely; and he felt his heat begin to hammer against his ribs when he heard the husky male greeting.
"Keller," he growled through clenched teeth. The word came out as a furious statement of recognition; it wasn't questioning because he knew that voice. What he couldn't figure out was why the man who had some kind of pathetic infatuation with his wife was answering the phone at his apartment.
Hi guys! Long time, no update, huh? I know. I feel bad. Hangs head I'm sorry. Thank you for your wonderful, wonderful reviews and for encouraging me and giving me ideas… and for being so patient. : ) I hope you enjoyed this one and I'll have the next chapter up soon, pinkie swear. There will be more interaction with Deb, Dan, and James; and I'm going to bring in the other characters again soon, too. I know I've been focusing on Naley a lot. Shrugs Can you blame me? Hehe… Oh, and thanks to the person who let me know that "Manic Monday" song is performed by The Bangles. You should have heard me when I read that review… "OH! The BANGLES! How did I not know that?" Hehe… That was cool. Thanks. Um, so… just… thanks again and please let me know what you think! Bye: ) ---Sarah