While Logan had managed to spruce up the spring gala notably, switching to a more relaxed venue and annoying the press with limiting their chance of industry gossip, the HPG Christmas gala seemed like a tradition welded into iron, the standing reservation at the MET on the second Thursday in December seemed unshakable.
They arrived separately this time, wanting to avoid Celeste ending up on any of the same press photos with Logan, just in case. Logan and Rory were already there, Rory having texted Celeste where to meet up once inside.
Celeste was visibly nervous as the HPG hired Mercedes E-class pulled up in front of the MET, Jess squeezing her hand in assurance, hoping to calm her.
"Still not too late to bolt," Jess noted, looking over her and thinking whether all that stress was really worth the event. Surely she of all people would have the perfect excuse to not go.
"I'm good," Celeste sighed, tapping her hand on his knee in confirmation. "Besides, I can't hide forever," she added and took a deep breath. To her this was a lot more than just a fancy-dress event - it was about proving a point that she didn't need to hold back in whatever she, or even he, did in their lives because of fear of getting caught up in public attention again.
The car stopped, the driver opened the door for her, while Jess climbed out first from the other side, skipping protocol, to help Celeste out of the car himself, knowing how she needed a little extra support. Unlike the last gala, Celeste now seemed much shorter next to Jess, having not worn her heels, sensibility taking priority. They linked arms and Jess led her up the stairs to the main entrance, a few photographers already snapping pictures of them.
Jess was dressed very much out of character this time, going with a full tailcoat, Celeste even having combed his hair back with some gel. But he was grateful that Celeste had talked him into these things, not wanting to stand out the wrong way either. He still had a lot to learn about these things. Celeste really did look almost like another person - shorter, her short auburn hair curled and pinned into a perfect balance of messy and controlled, clearly being visibly more plump than she'd ever been before, her baby bump giving her the perfect excuse. Even the dress wasn't very 'her' but it was more about getting a dress for just one occasion and having had her priorities elsewhere when she'd bought it, more than anything else.
"God, why do they have so many stairs," Celeste muttered, panting already, as they climbed the stairs slowly, Evie seriously pressing on her lungs by now.
"Just a few more," Jess encouraged her, slowing down their pace a little.
They handed over their coats, Celeste checking over her make-up real quick, and continued to the line leading to the red carpet. This was the moment of truth - Would they be of interest? Would anyone recognize her? She had a plan in mind, but she was through hiding, just wanting to get it over with. She'd done everything to escape the fears of her family - new name, new names, to be exact, her agreements and a stable man by her side.
"Mr. Jess Mariano and Mrs. Celeste Mariano," the herald announced after a few minutes, one of Jess' contacts in the HPG having just gone before them. This was definitely not Jess' scene, but he had had his share of this too as an author, and knew he could handle it.
They walked across the red carpet, relenting on a few requests for photos, posing for a couple of seconds. In a way Jess felt a little proud as well, showing off his wife like that.
One of the journalists soon asked whose dress Celeste was wearing, but was clearly disappointed by her reply, it not really having been anything worth mentioning. Just as they were about to step off the red carpet another journalist pulled them aside.
"Jess Mariano, when can we hope for a new novel?" the journalist asked, having done her homework. Jess was slightly surprised by the question, it having been years since anyone had asked that.
"Nothing concrete planned at this moment. Trunchedon Publishing and my lovely wife, here, have been my priority this year," Jess replied, wrapping his arm around Celeste's waist.
"Mrs. Mariano, has anyone ever told you that you have a remarkable similarity to Odette Aubertin, the ex-wife of Logan Huntzberger?" the journalist asked, turning to Celeste. Jess' grip around her waist strengthened, being suddenly almost more nervous than she seemed to be, appearing perfectly cool and composed.
"I've been told that a few times, yes, and I guess I should take that as a compliment," Celeste replied smilingly along with a shrug.
"So you've never met her?" the journalist continued, curiously.
"No, I haven't had the pleasure," Celeste replied loudly, speaking over the music that had started at the main hall. If anybody did doubt her she could just show them her ID. Doublegängers happened, and unless someone proved otherwise she was Celeste Mariano and no one else.
"Alright, thank you. Enjoy your evening," the journalist added, moving on to the next guest.
And 'puff' - just like that Odette Aubertin was gone - really gone.
"There you are!" Rory exclaimed as she saw Jess and Celeste step into the Grand Hall, decorated in red and silver. Walking up to her and hugging her. "Everything okay?" she asked quietly, having worried a little about her herself.
"Uh-uh," Celeste nodded in reply, continuing to discuss how good Rory's dress looked on her. Rory was still worried about her baby weight, her self-esteem suffering a bit, but the dress was quite forgiving, emphasizing her femininity instead.
"Come, Jess, I want you to meet someone," Logan pulled him aside, leading Jess towards a group of men, Jess promising to catch up with Celeste in a bit as she and Rory headed towards the bar to find something other to drink than Dom Peringon the servers were offering.
"Noah Hart, I'd like you to meet Jess Mariano. I believe you haven't met," Logan introduced him to a tall blonde man, roughly around their own age.
"Very nice to meet you," Noah greeted Jess.
"Likewise," Jess replied.
"Jess, Noah used to work for our Hamburg office and he has extensive experience with editing for us, and he's recently moved here," Logan explained, hoping Noah might be a good option for Truncheon.
In the meanwhile Rory and Celeste were already strolling along the Vanderlyn Panorama, taking their escape from the mingling, Rory already having done the most vital rounds with Logan earlier. Surely they wouldn't be missed if they disappeared for a bit.
"Did you have your appointment yet?" Rory asked, knowing that Celeste was 30 weeks that week.
"No, we're going tomorrow," she replied, taking a sip of sparkling water from her champagne glass.
"Are you worried?" Rory asked, as she paused at the Gothic Revival Library.
"I feel fine, just tired and achy… it's just…," Celeste hesitated, checking whether there was anyone in earshot.
"What?" she asked in whisper.
"Did you ever have weird dreams when you were pregnant?" Celeste asked
"Depends what you consider weird. I had some wild, almost acrobatic, sex dreams, when I could barely move..," Rory chuckled quietly.
"But more like nightmares?" she inquired.
"Not that I recall.. Maybe something, but nothing serious. You're having trouble sleeping?" Rory said with concern.
"Not most days, I was just taking a nap the other day and I got so sucked up in that dream, slept through several missed calls and everything. And when I woke I didn't even remember what I saw. But then I started getting all these flashbacks and it really was scary - like bloody," she added stroking her belly.
Rory hesitated for a moment, observing her. She looked really worried.
"That's rough. But I'm sure it's nothing. I had that type of stuff last winter, once in the Vineyard even. But I was then sort of reliving the loss I guess...," Rory added, not really caring to remind herself of those days.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up," Celeste apologized.
"Hey, don't be. If it hadn't happened, Finny wouldn't exist," Rory added, having come to terms with it. "I'm sure it's nothing, if you're worried, talk to the doctor about it tomorrow," she suggested.
"Hey, did you, you know, get the all-clear?" Celeste asked Rory in whisper as they strolled over to the Native American Art section. She knew how much Rory had been worrying about having sex again.
"I did," Rory sighed, not looking at all encouraged.
"That bad?" Celeste asked.
"Well, we've just tried once, but, boy, did I not anticipate it being this difficult," she whispered. "Let's just say - dry as a desert, aching and dripping boobs. It's like my brain wants to but the rest of the body just feels like it's touched out by the end of the day. And I so hate this. I hate telling him 'no', he's been so patient with me - but it's like - who am I?" Rory explained.
"That sucks," Celeste commented.
"And I keep feeling like any time we even think about trying again, he's going to wake up," Rory added. It didn't help that she usually didn't want to leave Finny anywhere far.
"Maybe you guys just need a jump-start, remind the body how good it feels. Massage? Lots of lube? Get someone to babysit," Celeste suggested, trying to be helpful.
"You're probably right, I can't hide from this… I don't want to hide from this," Rory sighed, glancing at her phone. "I think we better head back, the dinner is starting," Rory added, having gotten a message from Logan wondering where they'd gone to.
As they got back to the Grand Hall most of the people were already seated around the round tables, the evening's host doing a short introduction.
"Sorry - girl talk," Rory said apologetically as they took their seats.
"I think we got a new editor," Jess whispered to Celeste.
"That's great," she said, as she squeezed his knee. Hearing Rory struggle with getting back in the game didn't make her particularly optimistic, hoping that having Evie would not do the same to her. Her sexuality was such an important part of her, she almost didn't know who she was without it. She glanced at Jess, his eyes observing her back instead of the event, as if having a private conversation. She couldn't lose that tension. Instead of worrying, she made a mental note to see what her books and sites, she studied meticulously, said about it. Information was power, wasn't it?
They'd spent the past hour at Dynasty Makers, Celeste got her tests done and now they'd just had the ultrasound. Celeste's feet still ached from all the dancing last night, but it was the good kind of exhaustion, which was unfortunately not helped much by the fact that Evie had had a particularly active night and day, disturbing Celeste's sleep. Evie herself struggled to keep still even for the measurements. Otherwise Evie's vitals were good and was quite in the average size range for the gestational age.
"So, Celeste, we can conclude that your pregnancy is developing normally, the baby looks healthy and all of your tests so far show no signs for concern. We'll want to see you every two weeks from now on to be sure," Dr. Norton said, as they took their seats again in Dr. Norton's office.
"Alright," Celeste replied, making a note in her phone calendar.
"And now I think it would be good if we talk a little about your birthing plan, I'm sure you've read the pamphlets I gave you last time," the doctor inquired.
"And everything else..," Jess muttered, not in a bad way - rather as appreciation of her dedication in this. Celeste had probably read every book there was about pregnancy.
"That's good," Dr. Norton commented. "Do you have any preferences you'd like to go over?" he asked.
"I want Jess to be there, of course," she began, taking his hand. "I get quite squeamish at IV-s so if possible to do it without it, I'd like that," she added, handing the doctor a form she'd filled out with all her preferences. Jess looked at her a little surprisedly - still he was learning new things about her.
"And I would like to try to do this without any pain meds or other drugs during labor if possible - I think I am ready to do it the old fashioned way," she stated confidently. "Vaginally, unless of course lives are at stake," she added, having read about all the benefits, plus her squeamishness of IV-s applied also to large wounds which a C-section no doubt would be. "If there is need for induction or cesarean I still want Jess to be there, I want him to hold her, if I can't, right after birth," Celeste continued.
"And will Jess have the say in the medical decisions if you are not able to?" the doctor asked.
"Yes, my husband will be in charge," she replied without any hesitation, squeezing his hand. She loved the sound of that - 'her husband'.
Jess was suddenly hit by the realization that labor was actually quite dangerous, and while he'd never known anyone who had had serious issues, the possibility, even talking about these things, still scared him. He hadn't talked nearly enough about things like this with her, being overworked and having gotten perhaps a little too comfortable with her being extra studious on this. He realized though that these discussions needed to happen and soon.
They specified a few more details about the birth, her preferred location for giving birth and filled out a couple of forms to ensure these requests were valid formally. She also wanted cord blood banking, as much skin-to-skin contact as possible and hoped to breastfeed exclusively. While she wanted to do things naturally, she was still being realistic, knowing a lot could deviate from the plan, putting safety first.
"Alright, it seems we have a good plan in place. Do either of you have any questions?"
Jess asked a few things about whether it was okay for her to travel, knowing that they needed to make the road trip to Stars Hollow next week, also about how much working and exercising she was supposed to be doing in these last few months, getting a pretty generalized reply essentially saying that whatever she felt like was good enough indication.
"I was also wondering, what are some warning signs, that would tell me to go to the emergency room?" Celeste asked, shocking Jess a little that she would ask something so serious. She hadn't seemed worried to him since the first trimester, at least she hadn't mentioned anything.
"Severe and continuous pain, contractions sooner than 36 weeks, vaginal bleeding, notable decrease in the baby's movements, leaking amniotic fluid, difficulty urinating, swelling in the face, problems with your vision, severe headaches, inability to keep liquids down for more than 24 h hours," Dr. Norton listed casually, continuing to specify on some of the metrics.
That was a lot of information for Jess, who was desperately trying to remember everything he'd just said.
"When you say bleeding, how much is cause for worry?" she asked, adding quickly, "I haven't had any, but I just...," the dream still giving her the creeps.
"Even a few drops is worth checking out. The mucus plug can also contain some blood, but then it's more like discharge rather than actual blood drops. If it's clear red and in liquid form, then you should have it checked out as soon as possible," the doctor specified.
"Okay," she sighed.
"I would perhaps even suggest you don't read too much about the complications as they can simply cause more worry than needed. Most of these are rare. You are in good health, and there are no signs to be worried at this point. But the clinic has an on-call number if you have any questions - day or night," Dr. Norton added, handing her the card with the on-call number.
"Thank you," she replied, only then glancing at Jess, whose face now looked more worried than ever.
The drive home passed largely in silence, both in their own thoughts. Naturally it had been good to get confirmation that things were progressing normally, but it had also raised new worries.
"Things are getting very real, aren't they?" Jess said, as he sank to their living room couch as they got home, with a deep exhale.
"Yeah," she sighed, walking to the kitchen to get a glass of water, running her fingers through her hair, trying to relax.
"We should probably talk about these things. I feel like I don't know enough, like I'm behind…," he added apologetically. He hated that he had to work so much, but he had standards, feeling like he needed to give whatever he did his all. "When you asked about the bleeding, it seemed like you were really worried, like it wasn't just something you'd read…, and it got me worried about you," Jess added.
Celeste returned with her half-drunk glass of water, taking a seat on the ottoman in front of him.
"Yeah, about that..," Celeste began, feeling guilty for having kept this from him. "I just had a bad dream the other day. I'm sure it's just my hormones or something… but it really spooked me," she added.
"You should tell me about these things, okay?" he demanded, not too harshly. "And even if you get just a feeling that something is off, you tell right away, okay? I don't want you worrying about these things all by yourself. I want to know what's going on with you. This is not just about Evie, it's about your safety too," Jess said, holding her hands firmly.
"Okay," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. It did feel good to share these things, but with so much independent from anything either of them did, she didn't really want to worry him more than she needed to either.
