Cristina was not quite sure about what she just heard Owen whisper to her. Something about wife, she thought. Anyway, they could discuss that after they made love, she figured. Right now, she just wanted some awesome loving from the man she loved. They had not been physical with each other, since January and she badly missed it. When they made love, it was a little bit desperate for the both of them. It was so urgent and frantic; it was like they could not get enough of each other. When it was over, they both laid back content on his bed.

"I have missed you so much," Owen declared. "And right now, I think I am the happiest man in the world."

"Yeah, me too," she agreed. "But not the happiest man part, since I am not a man." He laughed at her and kissed her on her nose.

"So what do you think?" he asked. "About what?" she answered.

"I told you that I wanted you to be my wife," he replied. "Oh, that," she responded. "I have always known that."

"I know you have always known that but I don't mean it that way. I was thinking that maybe , it is time to take the next step," he said. "Get married for real. You've graduated from college and I am guessing you are still going to move to Portland with me, like we always planned." She sat up. "I am not ready to get married, Owen. I am only turning 22 at the end of the summer. Don't you think that is a little young to get married?"

"Well, Garrett and Holly are getting married, soon," he pointed out.

"Yes, but Garrett is 25 and Holly is 26. They are older," she said. "I am going to be 25 at the end of June," he noted. "That is the same age as Garrett."

"Yeah, I know but your intended bride is four years younger than Garrett's bride. I haven't even started to earn my own money," she said. "I am just not ready, Owen." He sighed. "Okay, but I thought that since we know that we want to be with each other, why not get started earlier?" he said.

"Just not ready," she said, firmly. "In the meantime, I will be moving to Portland, probably at the end of the summer, after Garrett's wedding. I have a temporary job at my dad's company and Mom wants me around to help with the planning of the wedding. We are going to get together with Holly and we are going to work together to get this wedding off the ground. As you know, Holly's mom died when she was a kid, so she needs all of the help she can get from us. So after the wedding, I am all yours."

"Okay," Owen reluctantly agreed. He had hoped that as soon as she had graduated, she would be making the move to Portland with him but it was only a couple of months he had to wait. He consoled himself with that thought. "To make it up, I think you should allow me to ravish you again," he said, with a grin. "Whatever you want," she replied.


Owen went back to Portland after his bereavement leave was up. His dad, still sad, dropped him off at the airport. Father and son hugged, tightly. "If you need to talk, you can call me, anytime, Dad," Owen said. He knew his dad was going to be lonely without his mom around, anymore. "Thanks, son," George said. "You better get going." He had tears in his eyes. "Okay, dad," Owen said. "I will call you when I get back to Portland."


The next two months were very busy for Cristina and her mom, helping Holly with the wedding planning. She did visit Owen for his 25th birthday, later on in June and they saw each other once in July. It was now August and the wedding was only four days away. She, along with the maid of honor and the other bridesmaid, accompanied Holly to the final fitting of her bridal gown. When Holly came out in her strapless, mermaid gown, Cristina gasped. "You look so beautiful, Holly. It fits you, perfectly."

"Thank you," Holly said. "By the way, your dresses have already been altered. So they want you to try them on."

"Awesome," Anna, the maid of honor said. Her dress was going to be a dark purple, while Cristina was wearing a lavender bridesmaid dress. They both tried on their dresses. Anna's dress fit her perfectly but Cristina found her dress a little tight in the bust and waist areas. "It is a little tight at the top," she told the seamstress.

"No, that cannot be," the lady said. She looked at her notes. "Yes, it was altered perfectly to these measurements." She was firm when she said it. "Maybe, young lady, you have gained a little bit of weight." Cristina was horrified. How could she have gained enough weight to make a difference in the way her bridesmaid dress was fitting her? That was only two months ago. She knew that she had been eating badly because of all of the work involved but still, she hardly ever gained weight.

"Well, okay," she said, sadly. "Could you let it out a little bit because I don't think I would be able to stay in the dress for a long period? I would find it hard to breathe." The woman eyed her with a little bit of disgust. She hated when people gained weight and then they had to fix it.

"Okay, we will fix it," she said. "We fixed it perfectly, the first time. You will have to pay extra for further alterations. Plus it is going to be a rush alteration."

"Fine, fine," Cristina said. She didn't know why the lady was being so mean, especially since she was feeling a little bit nauseous, at the moment. She just felt miserable. Maybe she had PMS. She felt bloated and her breasts felt heavier. Damn it, that meant she was going to have her period for the wedding. Since she and Owen had broken up in January, she had come off the pill and allowed her cycles to become regular, again. When they got back together in June, she had taken a chance that one time, when they made love in his bedroom. Since then, they had been using condoms.

Then, it hit her. She hadn't had a period in two months. She felt suddenly dizzy and had to sit down. She hadn't even noticed about her lack of menstruation because she was so busy helping with the wedding. "What's up, Cristina?" Holly asked.

"Just feeling a little woozy," she said. It wasn't a lie. The thought that she might be pregnant did indeed make her feel woozy.

"Ooh, I hope you are not getting ill," Holly said. "The wedding is only a couple of days away." Cristina's pale face worried Holly. "It's okay," Cristina replied. "I will be okay. Holly, is it okay if I leave? I remember I have to pick up something at the pharmacy."

"Sure," Holly said. Cristina couldn't get out of there, fast enough. She drove to the nearest pharmacy and headed straight to the aisle with the pregnancy tests. She bought two of them and drove home. She ran straight to her bedroom and tore open the packages and peed on the sticks in her bathroom. She waited the requisite amount of time before she looked at the sticks. As she held the two sticks, her hand started to shake. They were both positive. She worked it out on the calendar and realized she was about a little over eight weeks pregnant. By the day of the wedding, she would be about nine weeks. She threw herself on the bed. She was so overwhelmed that all she could do was cry. This was the worst timing ever, Cristina thought. She didn't want to be pregnant. She didn't even have a steady job, as yet. How would she even take care of a baby?

Her mother heard her sobs and knocked on the door. "Cristina, are you okay? Are you crying?" Helen asked. Cristina didn't answer but continued to sob. Her mother opened the door.

"What's the matter, baby?" Helen said, stroking her daughter's hair. Cristina handed her the two sticks. Helen's eyes opened wide as she stared at the windows on the stick. "You're pregnant?" Helen said. Cristina nodded.

"How could this happen?" Helen said. "Don't you use birth control?" Cristina didn't want to go into the fact about that one time, when she took a chance. So, she just nodded.

"What are you going to do?" Helen asked. She was forever the pragmatist and always went straight to the point.

"I don't know," Cristina said. Her mother shook her head. That was the start of a very long discussion about what she should do.


Owen headed to the airport. He was arriving the same day as the wedding. He didn't even make it for the rehearsal dinner, the night before. He hadn't wanted to cut it so close but he got tied up in work. As soon as he got into Chicago, he headed straight to his home, took a quick shower and changed into his suit, before heading down to the church. He met Garrett at the church door. "Gosh, I thought you weren't going to make it," Garrett said. The two friends hugged. "Here is the ring, Owen,"Garrett said. "Don't lose it." They hurried to the front of the church and took their places. Two other groomsmen were already there waiting at the top.

Ten minutes later, the music started and the bridal procession started with the bridesmaids of which Cristina was one of them. When he caught sight of her, Owen could not stop grinning. She looked so lovely in her lavender dress. He hadn't spoken to her in a couple of days, since he was so busy trying to finish up work, so he could make it to the wedding. She had also been busy in the final days of preparation for the wedding. She gave him a sweet smile, which warmed his heart. After she came up, she took her place on the other side of the altar. The bride didn't matter to him; he only had eyes for her bridesmaid. If anyone asked Owen about the wedding, he would pretty much say it was all of a blur, except for when he gave Garrett the ring for Holly. He was pretty much just staring at the dark-haired bridesmaid for most of the ceremony, thinking that maybe soon, it would be their turn at the altar.

Cristina could feel Owen's eyes on her for the entire ceremony. She desperately needed to talk to him. She had held off, calling him with her news. She knew it was a discussion that she wanted to have with him, face to face. She, too, was pre-occupied for most of the ceremony and was finally relieved to hear the priest announce, "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Mr and Mrs. Garrett Yang." After the applause had died down and the wedding party made its way down the aisle, Owen was glad it was over. He escorted the maid of honor, even though he really wanted to escort the bridesmaid but another groomsman had that lucky task. They posed for pictures outside of the church, before heading to the hotel ballroom, where the reception was being held. They had to sit through the official part of the reception, where Owen gave his speech, recalling the days of when he and Garrett were kids. He ended his speech by saying that some day, he and Garrett were going to become family, when he married Garrett's little sister. Everyone clapped and whistled, when he said it. Cristina started to blush and gave everyone a rather embarrassed smile.

It was only when dinner was being served that Owen exchanged seats and finally found himself next to Cristina. "I have been wanting to talk to you for the entire evening," he whispered. "You look gorgeous in your lavender dress."

"Thank you," she said. "You look pretty spiffy yourself."

"Thank you," he said. "I almost didn't make it, you know. Got to the church with about 10 minutes to spare."

"Well, good that you made it," she said. As they ate their dinner, Owen noticed that Cristina was a little bit quiet. "Is something the matter?" he asked. "It is supposed to be a happy occasion."

"Oh, I just have a lot on my mind," she said. "Owen, there is something I need to talk to you about. So after dinner, can we go somewhere quiet and discuss it?"

"Sure," he said, a little bit puzzled. "Can't you tell me now?"

"Um, I prefer to tell you when other people aren't around," she said. "Maybe we can take a walk in the hotel garden."

"Okay," he said. "Are you just looking for a quiet spot, where we can make out? I am all for that, you know." He gave her a cheeky grin. "No," she laughed. "It is something important."

"You're getting me scared here," he said. "Don't be," she told him. "It is something that I really need to tell you. So, after dinner?" He nodded.

After dinner and dessert, he offered her his hand and they walked hand in hand to the hotel garden. There was no one else around. "It's really pretty here," Cristina nodded. "And all of the lights make it even more beautiful."

"Yeah," he said, anxiously. "So what do you need to tell me?"

She took a deep breath before speaking. "I guess the best way to say it is just to say it. I am pregnant." She carefully examined his face, as his expression changed from anxiety to one of sheer joy.

"We're pregnant!" he yelled. "That is the most wonderful news ever." He was so happy but he could see that she was not as enthused as he was. "What's the matter, Cristina?"

"Well, I had a long talk with my mother about this and she thinks that termination might be my best option," she said, quietly. Owen's expression changed from joy to shock. His mouth dropped open.


A/N Please leave your comments and thoughts. I do appreciate when you do.