Ok, here's the deal. This is short because it's not finished (kinda obvious when you get to the end). I wasn't going to post it today, but, fate has intervened. My laptop (which I am currently using), has to go in for repair (even though it is not broken). I'm not happy about this, the laptop itself is fine, it's just the power cord/ charger (whatever you call it where you are) that isn't working, but the shop I got it from is insisting that it won't do anything until it sees the WHOLE laptop. Stupid, huh. My thought's exactly. So, anyway, I finished the part I currently had, and the next update will be, whenever I get my laptop back.
Troy smiled at the sight of his wife as she carelessly dusted around ornaments while singing along to the radio. Slowly he approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "you should be resting."
"But the doctor said..." she began to complain, stopping as he chuckled in response.
"Just slow down a bit, ok?" He asked, still smiling at her enthusiasm. "The doctor said you didn't have to stay on bed rest, but he also said take it easy." She nodded reluctantly, but weakened when he kissed her lightly, "where are mom and the girls?"
"At the park." Gabriella answered nonchalantly, pulling away from him and sitting down on the couch. "Tamsin was hassling me about it, but Lucy was never going to let me go." She looked at him pointedly. "Seems like someone's been telling her I need to be wrapped in cotton wool."
"You can't tell me that you're surprised she's like this." He answered, sitting down next to her, allowing her to snuggle into him. "She's helping me to look after you to look after her grandchild."
"I thought she'd be mad." Gabriella admitted, hiding her face in his shoulder. "When we told her... I mean."
Flashback
"Who's at the door?" Gabriella called to her husband, frowning when he didn't answer, "If it was a serial killer, please tell me so I can get the girls out." She sighed after gaining no response and got up from where she was sitting, heading towards the door herself, "Troy?"
"What have I told you?" He asked when he saw her standing in the doorway to the living room, he turned to the person at the door, "come in." Gabriella scowled at him playfully as he lifted her up in his arms, carrying her back to the couch as he saw the need to repeat the thing he'd been saying for days. "You are not allowed to get up. Stop it."
As he placed her back down she turned to the person that had followed them in, and was surprised to see her mother in law standing there. "Lucy? What are you doing here?"
"Didn't Troy tell you?" She questioned. "He called me, he said you needed help."
"Yes!" Gabriella exclaimed, pausing as she thought before explaining. "Not yes he told me, yes I do need help, he won't let me move, it's annoying. Tell him I'm not gonna die if I walk down the stairs in the mornings, and that I won't spontaneously combust if I pick Kirra up."
"Gabs." Troy sighed, kneeling down beside her. "You know what the doctor said. You have to rest."
"Why does she have to rest, Troy?" Lucille questioned. "I know she was at the hospital, it was all over the tabloids, but I figured you'd tell me if it was serious." Turning to Gabriella, her eyes full of concern, she continued, "You're okay, aren't you?"
"Mom." Troy interrupted. "She's perfectly fine, she's..." He looked to his wife to see if it was ok to say anything.
Gabriella smiled, "I'm pregnant."
Lucille gasped, before smiling widely, "That's wonderful news, you wait till I tell Jack."
"Mom." Troy interrupted again. "We're keeping it quiet for now, we haven't even told Gabi's parents yet."
"Why would you keep it quiet?" Lucille quizzed, her confusion mingled with excitement."This is wonderful."
Troy looked to his wife, realising he himself didn't know fully why she wanted to keep it quiet. She had looked down, avoiding the gaze of both him and his mother. "Gabs?"
"What if I..."
"No." He interrupted firmly, reading her thoughts. "Don't even think that, you're both going to be fine."
Gabriella sighed, "You should tell them, my parents, I mean, then talk to your boss, we'll have to make it public soon anyway."
End Flashback
"Why would she have been mad?" Troy queried. "She loves having grandchildren."
"Well, it is awkward, isn't it." Gabriella stated, frowning. "How can she even stand to look at me, knowing what I do with you?"
He chuckled. "Gabs, my mom knew we did that long before we had the kids, she was one of the people that was too smart to know we weren't actually studying during our 'study dates' at the end of senior year."
"I'm serious, Troy." She insisted. "It's not just that. She always believed in waiting to have kids until you've lived a little, we're not even thirty yet and we're already on baby number 3, how can she not hate me? I ruined your life. How can you not hate me?"
He sighed. He'd been wondering how long it would take for the irrationality to kick in. "I love you." He assured her, hugging her. "You haven't ruined my life. If anything, you've made it better. You know I hate it when you feel like this."
"I know." She nodded, pulling out of his embrace. "I'm sorry."
"No apologising." He forbade, taking hold of her hand and kissing it. "I hated you apologising in high school and I still hate it now."
"Ten year Reunion sometime next year." She pondered, turning to look down at their entwined hands. "Do you think we'll go?"
"If you sit back down right now, we'll definitely go."
She rolled her eyes, settling back into his arms, smiling at the instant security. "You're way too protective."
He shook his head, chuckling at the words she so often repeated, "Nope."
"You still got a team of ninja warriors patrolling the area?"
"They're not ninja warriors!" He defended, before realising that he'd admitted to her that they were still there. "Not that there is anyone."
"So that guy over there in that car, the red one, he's been parked there all day for the hell of it?" she queried, gesturing out of the window, "and the guy that followed your mom and the girls to the park, should I be worried about him?"
"Busted." He muttered to himself, kissing her lightly before continuing. "I'm sorry, I know I said I'd get rid of them as soon as Kieran was locked up, but I like knowing they're there, knowing that it's near impossible for anyone to get to you when I'm not here."
"I'm kinda getting used to them being around." She admitted, biting her lip as she studied his smug reaction. "So if it really means that much to you, they can stay, but please, tell them that I know, I can make them lunch or something."
"By I could make them lunch." He answered, his tone stern. "You do mean that my mom could make them lunch."
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever makes you feel better."
"If that's the case, you'd better get back into bed right now." He told her. "That's what would make me feel better."
She shook her head defiantly. "I think I should make dinner."
"I think you should sit down." He frowned as her expression changed, holding her closer in his grip. "Hey, hey, don't cry, I'm just trying to look after you. You can cook with my mom if you want to."
"I'm sorry." She coughed, wiping her eyes.
"It was my fault." He pointed out, placing a hand on her stomach. "Be nice to mommy, baby."
He smiled as he heard his wife sigh before speaking to him. "I can't believe you're talking to our baby already."
"I can't believe that I didn't notice these hormonal changes weeks ago." He answered, moving her back a bit as he studied her. "I guess I just put it down to everything that has happened."
She nodded, moving her head back to the crook of his neck. "Probably." She shifted her weight slightly before speaking again. "You're not allowed to move now."
He smiled. "Okay."
- - - -
Troy looked up as he heard the front door open, smiling as his elder daughter ran into the room, signalling to her to be quiet.
"Why's mommy sleeping again, daddy?" Tamsin whispered curiously. "Is she still okay?"
"Mommy's fine princess." He answered, looked round to see his mother standing in the doorway, Kirra standing at her side. "Tammy, can you and Kirra go play in your room?"
Tamsin narrowed her eyes but nodded and walked over to her sister, taking her hand and leading her upstairs.
"She asleep again?" His mother asked as soon as the girls had gone.
He nodded. "She was up all night being sick. I hate that I can't do anything to stop it."
"The sickness won't be for much longer." Lucille pointed out. "Did you not notice that she was sick quite a bit before the hospital."
"I thought she was scared." He admitted. "I thought she was sick because she was getting herself so worked up about Kieran it was making her ill. It made me hate him more."
"She was never this sick with the girls." He pondered to aloud. "Maybe the stress is having some effect."
"Or maybe.." Lucille began.
"Don't go there, mom." Troy warned. "Especially not with her, I don't want her thinking about that, she's already more upset about it than she's letting on."
"Hey, if this one's a girl, just remind her that it's your fault." Lucille joked. "Technically it is."
"I don't care what it is mom." He continued, overlooking the attempt at humour. "All I care about is that he or she is healthy. Whether it's a boy or a girl it's still my baby."
"I know." She assured him. "But if things are different this time..."
"Just don't get her thinking that." He warned, planing a soft kiss on his sleeping wife's forehead. "I don't need her stressed."
- - - -
"London?" Troy spoke into the phone, frowning as he glanced through the dining room door at his oblivious family. "I can't go anywhere right now, Mitchell. I can't go." He frowned as his boss continued ranting down the phone. "Yeah, I get that it's important, but my family are more important." Rolling his eyes he glanced back into the dining room to see his mother trying to settle Tamsin at the table. "No, Mitchell, you don't get it," his whispering was harsh. "She was abducted by a nut job, and then when I get her back she passes out on me, I can't even consider leaving her right now." He sighed, listening to the other man's protests and negotiations. "She can't come, Mitchell, I don't want her flying in her condition." He felt relief when the man stopped trying to convince him. "Thanks, maybe one of the other guys could go?"
It was mere minutes later that the phone rang again, and he jumped back up from the table, fully expecting it to be Mitchell again.
"Hello?" He spoke into the receiver, frowning when no answer came. "Hello?" The sound of the dial tone filled his ears, prompting him to put the phone down and head back to his family.
"Who was it?" Gabriella asked, smiling at him as he sat down.
"No idea." He admitted, "whoever it was hung up."
- - - -
"Another hang up?" Gabriella questioned as her husband returned to the living room hours later.
He nodded, groaning in frustration when the phone began ringing again and beginning to make his way out of the room.
"Troy." His mother stopped him. "I'll get it."
He caught on immediately, but didn't really want to think about who could possibly be calling that wouldn't speak to him.
He followed his mother out, heard her speak "Hello?" softly into the receiver, heard the reply on the other end as clear as he would have if he had answered it.
"Gabriella?"
His mother glanced at him, he nodded.
"Yes." Lucille replied, "May I ask who I'm speaking to?"
"Don't hang up sweetie, okay?" The man asked. "It's me, it's Kevin."
Troy felt his fists clench, his teeth grinding together, saw the shock in his mother's eyes, and glanced back through the door he had just come through to see the curiosity and confusion in his wife's, but he knew he couldn't tell her, he couldn't scare her like that.
"Salesman." He mouthed over to her before turning back to his mother and nodding to get her to continue.
"What do you want?" she quizzed the man on the other end of the line.
"I want to see you." Came the reply. "You've always been like a daughter to me, I miss you."
"I don't think that's such a good idea."
"Gabriella, come on." Kevin responded, "five minutes, that's all I want. I need to know, it was all over the news, did Kieran hurt you? Please, meet with me."
Troy had had enough, he lunged for the phone, taking it from his mother and quickly heading upstairs before growling down the line. "My wife is not even going to talk to you, let alone see you, not now, not ever. Don't call here again."
He hung up before sitting down on the floor, knowing he had to calm himself or his wife would ask questions.
Gathering his thoughts, he headed downstairs, shaking his head at his mother in response to her questioning look.
Ok, so, as mentioned, next update will be after I get my laptop back, and also after I have updated MIR. This shortened chapter will probably lead to the next chapter being longer.
Review, remember, all reviewers get a preview of the next chapter. (sorry about the one's that reviewed last chapter, I would have sent it, but yesterday I didn't know I wasn't going to have my laptop to actually finish the chapter, so I never really chose a preview part.)
