23: Family

Dr. Trent was right.

There were lots of unpleasant symptoms that came along with pregnancy. Aside from the puking, the absentmindedness and the exhaustion were the hardest to deal with. No, scratch that. Vaughn was the most difficult to deal with.

It was like I was handicapped and didn't have the power to do anything on my own. Vaughn wanted me to do basically nothing during this time period. I barely got out of the house, and when I did, I wasn't allowed to work.

He hired Mark to come and work on our farm full time so he didn't collapse from exhaustion every day.

It had been two weeks, and I was getting annoyed. "Vaughn, Julia's getting married soon. I promised I'd go to the city with her and Nat, Lanna and Sabrina to get a dress, like they did for me when I married you. I have to go."

He shook his head. "No – you don't need to be traveling now."

"You're being unreasonable," I snapped, "I'm going and that is that."

He fought with me about it for a long time, and eventually I started crying about it (I was finding it harder to control my emotions lately). He broke down and finally agreed not to chain me to the house, but he clearly wasn't happy about it.

I went to the city the next day, and the trip was much the same, only Julia was the one to buy her dress. She gushed about how happy she was and how she couldn't wait to spend forever with Elliot.

Natalie was biting her lip most of the time we were there, desperately trying not to laugh and make comments about her brother. She knew it wasn't the time, and I had to admire her self-control.

I smirked.

Vaughn was waiting for me at the dock when we got back, his expression anxious. He took me back to the house quickly and gave me dinner.

"I'm going to need a bit more freedom around here," I told him as I ate.

"What do you mean?" Vaughn asked.

"I'm not going to spend every waking second in this house. I want to go out. I promise I'll come back if I get tired."

He sighed. "Alright. Promise me, though, that you won't go anywhere near that mine."

"I promise," I said solemnly, "I have no desire to fall down a deep pit."

He nodded and then kissed me.

***

I made two pretty major errors in the next few weeks. After Julia's marvelous yet simple wedding, Vaughn was pretty lenient about my going out for long periods of time. He even let me help him and Mark with the farm work occasionally, though what I did was very minimal.

One day, as I was passing the field, I noticed that there were less than half the crops I usually planted. Frowning, I asked my husband about it when I walked into the barn. He chuckled nervously and shrugged.

"You know I don't really care for vegetables," he grumbled.

"Well I do," I said, "So, if I'm going to work – and I will – let me plant everything I want."

He frowned. "Not too much, Chelsea – yard work is exhausting."

But I saw that he was happy to no longer be looking after vegetables – he honestly didn't like most of them. So I was content taking care of my field now. I had to admit, it was tiring, and I often had to stop and rest, but it was nice to be getting something done.

I did miss the animals, though, so one day I told Vaughn I wanted to look after them.

"They'll be fine," I promised, "Go water my crops."

Mark was there, too; he pursed his lips. "Are you sure, Chelsea? The work is pretty hard."

"Yes," Vaughn said sharply, "Very hard."

"I want to," I said. "Please."

The two men sighed, but reluctantly agreed. "Just one day," Vaughn insisted before he turned to walk away.

I did everything I was supposed to – fed, milked, sheared, and brushed. I let the chickens out because the sun was shining brightly in the sky. All in all, it was a very lovely day. My first major error happened then, though.

At dusk, I began taking the chickens back into their coop. By this time, though, I was truly exhausted, and I didn't bother to count them before I went back to the farmhouse – I was pretty sure they were all there.

I slept like a rock that night, but when I woke up and went outside, Vaughn was grim. Mark was nowhere to be seen – in the stable, probably. He was fondest of Spirit – he loved horses.

Vaughn was just coming out of the barn when I saw his cold expression.

"What is it?" I asked worriedly.

His eyes met mine, and they were bleak. "You forgot something yesterday," he began.

I blinked, trying to understand what he meant. "What was it?" I finally, dread beginning to claw up my throat.

He didn't answer; he simply led me to the chicken pen.

I gasped and placed a hand over my heart. The actual chicken wasn't there, but blood and feathers were everywhere, covering most of the ground. "Oh," I managed to say.

"Woody was in the house last night," Vaughn said, still bleak, "So he couldn't have prevented this."

"Do you . . . do you have any idea which one it was?"I asked.

He shrugged. It was difficult to tell chickens apart after they were fully grown – only Junior was decipherable, because her feathers were pitch-black.

"No." Vaughn sighed.

I averted my eyes, unable to look at the horror I had caused. "I . . . I'm sorry, Vaughn," I breathed, "I should have been more thorough. Normally I am – I'm just so crazy right now." Tears were beginning to gather in my eyes, and my voice was thick.

He could see that. With another heavy sigh, he wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "I know. Mark and I will look after the animals for a while, alright? Stick to the fields. I can't stand it anyway."

I nodded slowly, still feeling horrid. Vaughn was a bit distant with me the rest of the day, and I didn't blame him. I was disgusted with myself.

I turned and walked back to the farmhouse, eyeing the ground the whole way there.

***

My second serious error wasn't as heartbreaking, but a bit damaging financially. Near the beginning of fall, Bessie somehow developed a bit of a cold.

"It was that one day we were over at Mirabelle's," Vaughn told me when I asked. "It started raining and we had to hurry back to take all the animals inside, remember?"

I really needed to get out, so I volunteered to go and buy medicine for Bessie. Mirabelle was nowhere to be seen when I got in, so I just grabbed a bottle for myself and left the money on the table.

Vaughn wasn't in the barn when I got back, so I took the liberty of giving Bessie the medicine myself. Over the course of the next few days, Bessie's cold seemed to get better, but she was acting strangely as well. Vaughn recognized the signs before I did and asked me to show him the bottle of medicine.

I'd gotten it from the tool box and showed him.

"Chelsea," Vaughn said, staring intently at the bottle. "This isn't medicine – it's cow miracle."

I'd snatched the bottle from his hands, denying it. But the label clearly stated he was right.

"We have to expand the barn before we can put anymore animals – there are already five," he said.

I bit my lip, knowing that we needed the money right now. We were going to expand the house again, and buy a crib. I wasn't sure we could afford a crib, and expanding two buildings right now. "Maybe Gannon can squeeze one more in," I murmured desperately.

Vaughn shook his head. "It'd get too claustrophobic. We can hire Mark to work for longer periods of time and I can work a few extra days in the city for money."

"I don't want you to do that," I said.

"Then what do you suggest?" He snapped harshly.

I recoiled and frowned. "Fine," I snapped back.

So now Vaughn was gone Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. My stomach was beginning to feel bulky, and I got lonely on those three days, and guilty for my mistakes. I vented to Natalie and Julia often, and though they couldn't emphasize, they were compassionate (albeit a little sarcastic).

The baby was supposed to come around the end of fall, and as that day got closer and closer, I began to get very nervous. With Vaughn working the extra days, and the profits we got from our farm, we were able to afford everything we needed.

Gannon expanded the barn and added a feeder, and Bessie was a happy, pregnant cow. I stood on the dock now, on Saturday morning, waiting for Vaughn's boat to come into view. When we'd gotten everything, he'd promised he'd go back to Wednesdays only.

Three days a week was a bit much. When he stepped onto the dock, he smiled and kissed me, like always. Back at the farmhouse, I felt the need to apologize.

"I'm sorry for being so ditzy lately – I'm even annoying myself," I sighed, lying next to him in the dark.

He kissed my forehead and stroked my arm. "It's alright. Everything will go back to normal soon."

"Have you thought about names at all?" I asked.

"Um, no. What did you have in mind?"

"I like the name Alex for a boy and Tessa for a girl," I whispered, smiling.

"Sounds good to me." I felt him shrug.

"You don't have an opinion at all?" I frowned.

"Nope. As long as you don't name it something awful, I'm fine with anything," he said indifferently.

"Are you excited? The date's coming soon," I said, swallowing thickly.

"I'm more anxious than nervous. But everything will be . . . fine," he whispered, sounding like he was trying to convince himself rather than me.

"What do you think he or she will look like?" I wondered.

"Us."

I rolled my eyes. "Obviously."

"Hopefully more like you," Vaughn said, sounding a bit irritated, "I always got comments growing up. If some idiot wasn't talking about my hair, it was another imbecile asking about my eyes."

"I think you look very distinguished," I snickered.

"Old," he corrected.

"Hot," I amended.

He snorted, and began kissing my throat.

***

About a week before the baby was due, Dr. Trent came to our house and gave us his cell phone number.

"So you can call me wherever I am," he explained.

Vaughn was being ever stricter with me at this point; if I moved wrong he was there, complaining.

"You're getting really irritating," I snapped, my hands folded on my very-large stomach.

"You're being very stubborn," he said.

I could understand his reasons, though. Still, I hated being confined, not getting anything done, even if the smallest things drained my energy now. By the end of a particularly tense day, I was sick of arguing, so I hobbled over to him and held his hand.

"We're going to have a baby soon," I said in a sweet voice.

He smiled and nodded once. "Yes, we are."

Julia's POV

Elliot was out helping with shipping matters, Mom was running the shop, and I was bored. I cleaned up the kitchen until it was spotless, but I was soon out of things to do. I'd go and ask Chelsea if she wanted to hang out – except she was hugely pregnant and the smallest about of exercise wore her out.

I knew that Vaughn had been working very, very hard in the past season, especially after having to buy so much at one time. I smiled to myself when I thought of my cousin and his wife. I was still so happy for them.

I walked over to the coat rack and pulled my stylish light summer jacket.

"Going out, Julia?" Mom asked.

"Yeah, I think I'll go the beach. Maybe Lanna will want to hang out." But just as my fingers touched the doorknob, Mom's phone rang, a shrill, unpleasant noise.

I jumped, unaccustomed to it; the phone never rang. Mom seemed to be thinking the same things as me, because she pursed her lips and looked concerned.

"Who could that be?" I wondered aloud, hurrying back into the kitchen, where the black phone rested on the counter. I snatched it off the charger, pressed the Talk button, and held it to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Julia? Julia, it's Vaughn," my cousin said. His voice was frantic and nervous and scared.

"Hey. What's wrong?" I asked, alerted by his tone.

"Chelsea's going to – to have the baby soon," Vaughn spluttered.

"Yes," I agreed, "Any day now."

"No," he snapped, "No, I mean right now."

I blinked, and my heart began to race. "Now? As we speak? Have you called Dr. Trent?" My voice had changed to match his, worried and anxious.

Mom walked over to where I stood, and put a hand on my shoulder. "Julia? Who is it? What's wrong?"

I ignored my mother for the moment and waited for Vaughn's reply.

"Of course," he all but snarled, "What else would I do? Get Mirabelle and come over – Dr. Trent'll need help." In the background, I heard one sharp cry from Chelsea before the line went dead.

Panicked, I put the phone down and whirled to face Mom. "Mom, we need to get to Chelsea and Vaughn's house," I managed to say.

"It's time?" she asked, her voice tinged with nervousness.

"Yeah – let's go."

We raced up to the ranch, ignoring Natalie and Pierre when they called out to us, asking what was wrong. Vaughn was standing outside the door of the farmhouse, looking pale and pacing wildly. Mom wasted no time greeting her nephew; she yanked the door open, went inside, and slammed it behind her.

I wanted to go in to, at least to hold Chelsea's hand, but Vaughn looked like he was going crazy, so I decided it was probably best if I stayed here and comforted him.

"Stop pacing," I said, a little irritated, "You've known about this forever. Stop freaking out."

My cousin whirled to face me, jabbing his index finger at me with an angry expression. "When you have a kid, we'll see how well Elliot stays calm even though he's had time to prepare," Vaughn snapped.

"He will remain calm," I argued back, though I knew that statement was probably untrue.

Vaughn snorted and muttered "we'll see" under his breath.

Then he went back to pacing. Even through the door, I could still hear a few shrieks of anguish. Vaughn winced and bit his lip. I made a few more attempts to soothe him, but he only got angry and growled things at me.

Eventually I gave up and leaned against the wall, waiting for it to be over with. As evening drew closer, the temperature got even higher, and soon sweat was beading at my temples. Vaughn didn't seem to notice the heat it all, though I didn't know how he could stand it in his heavy clothes.

After what seemed like a very long time, a tired-looking Dr. Trent came out of the house.

"What happened? Is Chelsea alright?" Vaughn asked hurriedly.

Trent smiled slightly and nodded once. "Everything went perfectly well – Mirabelle did everything she could to help me. Chelsea and the baby are fine."

"Is it a boy or a girl?" I asked curiously, while profound relief spread across Vaughn's face.

Trent opened the door and gestured for us to go in.

"It's a boy."

Chelsea's POV

I was exceedingly tired.

The whole ordeal was so incredibly painful, without all those heavy drugs some people used. My eyelids were heavy, and I was very sore. The baby was wrapped in a little blue blanket, and Mirabelle was cooing to him softly.

"Tiny baby," she whispered, "You're so sweet. What will your name be, I wonder?"

Trent had informed me that it was a baby boy, so I already knew the name he would have. Vaughn and Julia hurried into the room, Julia looking relieved, Vaughn still slightly anxious.

As soon as I knew the baby was coming, Vaughn kind of freaked out. He could barely dial the phone for Trent and Mirabelle. I'd expected him to be a little mellower; he was so indifferent most of the time.

But he couldn't be blamed for it, I supposed.

"Chelsea," Vaughn breathed, his hands on my face, "Are you okay?"

"Not really," I sighed, "I'm tired, and I hurt."

"You have a little boy," Julia said. She stood next to her mother and began whispering endearments to the baby.

"Yes," I agreed, my tone saturated with disbelief. I was a mother. Vaughn was a father.

How odd.

"Want to hold the little guy?" Mirabelle asked, walking over to put him in my arms.

"Just for a little while," Trent murmured, "and then she'll need to rest. The baby will be hungry soon."

My baby was so beautiful. His little nose and lips looked like a replica of mine. I cooed lovingly to him, my heart warming.

"Are you still alright with the names we talked about before?" I whispered to my husband.

Vaughn nodded. "They're fine." He stared down at the baby, love and disbelief in his eyes.

"What name was that?" Trent asked.

"Alex," I said.

The baby opened his mouth to yawn. Oh, yes. For some reason, he definitely looked like an Alex to me.

"Alex it is then." Dr. Trent nodded once, and smiled at the baby.

For a just a few seconds, Alex opened his eyes and stared up at us, his little face scrunching up slightly.

"Vaughn," I breathed, "He has your eyes."

Alex's eyes were an exact copy of his father's; wide, amethyst, and beautiful.

"Poor kid," Vaughn muttered.

"Want to hold him?" I asked, trying to find the energy to lift my arms. I was so tired.

Vaughn blinked and looked unsure for a minute. "Yes," he finally said. He cradled Alex's head in the crook of his elbow and smiled gently. Alex blinked up at him silently.

"He likes you, Vaughn," Julia snickered.

"Of course he likes him," Mirabelle said, "Vaughn is Alex's father."

Vaughn's expression was so disbelieving it was almost funny. "Yeah . . . yeah, I guess so. The idea is just so weird to me."

"Me too," I whispered.

He looked down at me and smiled. "You did well, Chelsea."

"Gee, thanks," I murmured sarcastically, "Next time, you're having the baby."

"Next time?" His silver eyebrow rose, but he didn't really look panicked, just smug.

I stared at the baby lovingly. Alex hiccupped.

"Yes, next time. I'm going to have lots of pretty babies with you," I said.

Vaughn smiled slightly.

I looked up at Julia, smirking. "It's your turn now."

Julia blushed and looked down. "Oh . . . I don't know," she chuckled nervously.

"You should probably rest now, Chelsea," Trent insisted softly.

I nodded, my eyes beginning to close.

"Thanks for your help, Mirabelle," I heard him say.

"You're welcome. Vaughn, do you need us to stay and help with the baby?" Mirabelle asked.

"No, I don't think so."

"Wake her up when he gets fussy," Trent said, "He'll be hungry."

Dimly, I heard footsteps headed out the door, and Dr. Trent's quiet goodbye. I was only half-conscious when I felt Vaughn's lips at my ear.

"I love you," he whispered.

I smiled sleepily. "I love you too."

A/N: Yay! They have a baby. 3