Disclaimer: Don't own AHS but will work for free.
A/N: Hey, everyone! Couldn't wait to work on this one so I got right to it. Also, I'm updating some other fics as well! I got a new chapter of Beautiful Things and Dear Johnny. I'll also be working on some others I haven't touched in a while so if you're interested. :)
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CH 27
SALT & VINEGAR
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"No." Her answer was clear as day and firm to the point.
Oliver paused, his brows coming together in confusion. His hands dropped from the tie he was about to adjust around his collar. He wasn't sure that he had heard her right and when his mind fully took in her answer, he panicked, "What do you mean, 'no'?" He asked her.
Lana sat in front of her vanity. She and Oliver had just come out of a shared shower and were getting dressed for the day. He for work and Lana for the boring and uneventful day that awaited her like all the ones before.
She continued to brush her hair without looking at him. "I mean, no." She repeated her answer regarding the midwife. "I'm not interested."
Oliver glowered at this, the tie left abandoned around his neck, untied and suddenly unimportant. "Lana," He took a step forward, "Yesterday you said you agreed."
Lana turned around, "Well, I changed my mind." She quipped. The anxiety had begun to eat a hole in the pit of her stomach and the fear quickly changed her mind from yes to no. She didn't want a stranger poking and prodding her. Oliver was a doctor, he should have been enough for her and the baby. Lana just couldn't understand why he couldn't tend to them. Why did she need to see a doctor or even a midwife for that matter?
"Lana." Oliver began in that disagreeing tone of his.
"Don't Lana me." Lana glowered and stood from the vanity to exit the room.
Oliver exhaled deeply, trying to find the patience to deal with Lana in her hormonal and anxiously stubborn state. He followed her out of the bedroom and into the living room. "I already told you it's unsafe for your pregnancy to go unchecked. Why can't you understand that?"
"I already told you that we're fine, Oliver. Stop pestering me."
"Then stop acting like a child!" He quipped back, annoyed at her stubbornness.
He saw Lana quickly go rigid and instantly regretted his words. Oliver hadn't meant it but the constant worry of his child was making his patience with his mother grow thin. Oliver did what he could regarding her pregnancy. He stopped her from smoking and drinking, he checked her blood pressure often and monitored her heart rate. He began to cook a healthier diet and often listened to the infant in utero with his stethoscope. It wasn't much but it was what he could do for her with his limited resources. A professional in prenatal care could do so much more for her.
Lana's eyes grew dark in anger and her hands tightened into fists. If it weren't for her little pregnant belly, Oliver would be more nervous of the deadly look he was receiving.
"I-" She spoke strongly, "Am not a child."
Lana's limits after months in Briarcliff felt like a curse. She often felt useless and inept like a child unable to walk or talk. She hated feeling such a way so Oliver's words struck a nerve deep inside that she had been trying to effortlessly mend.
He put his hands up midway, taking a step closer, "I didn't mean that." He could see he had struck something deeply personal with her.
Lana stepped back, fuming, "I already told you I don't need a doctor or some midwife. I'll be fine."
Oliver looked her over. Even in complete anger she was stunningly beautiful. "You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" Just the mere look of her wounded eyes softened him. It was clear to Oliver that she had him wrapped around her finger and didn't even know it.
Lana unclenched her fists, "Looks like it." She huffed.
Amused, Oliver managed a chuckle, "Just my luck, huh?" He walked over to Lana and brought her into his arms, holding her against him. It seemed that every day the fog that hid Lana's true self was chipping away, revealing genuine parts of her. "Relax, Lana. It'll be fine. There's nothing to be afraid of."
Lana held her frown, still angry. "I don't need to see someone anyway."
"Yes, you do." He pressed.
"Why?" He felt her shoulders slump and mused at her small fit.
"I already told you why."
Lana pushed away gently, "I'm a grown woman. I can make my own decisions."
"Not when you're carrying our child." He took in a deep breath and exhaled, "We need to do this together." Oliver placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes, trying to reason with her jumbled mind, "As a doctor myself, I implore you to meet with a midwife. I won't drag you to a hospital unless your life depends on it."
Lana held her stubborn frown. She knew she had to see a professional in her state but the fear was too great and she let it control her. Not to mention the hormones were malfunctioning her common sense, "No." She pouted like a child.
Oliver dropped his hands from her shoulders and sighed heavily, "Well, I'm bringing a midwife to see you whether you like it or not Lana Winters and that's final."
Lana flinched at his raised voice. Oliver was always so calm and collected, never raising his voice at her but she could tell she had poked one too many of his buttons. She crossed her arms over her belly like a petulant child. "I'd like to see you try."
Oliver shook his head and angrily continued to tie his tie, remembering that he had to be at work in less than an hour. "I have the right mind to spank you for acting like this."
"I beg your pardon?" Lana scoffed, utterly offended at his words.
"I'm sorry. I didn't fully mean that." He shook his head, trying to recollect his mind but she was driving him up the wall. Lana truly was a force to be reckoned with but Oliver would not let her win this one even if she did have him wrapped around her finger. "I have to get to work. We'll discuss this when I get back." He walked over to the coffee table where he retrieved his briefcase, quickly kissed Lana on the forehead despite his annoyance and went out the door.
Lana stood there confused and bereft. She placed a hand on her stomach and frowned, "That father of yours doesn't know when to quit."
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Oliver drove through the neighborhoods on his way to work. The days were growing closer to Halloween and pumpkins had begun to appear on porches along with other Halloween decorations. Oliver tried to relax, turning on the windshield wipers to clear the glass from the early morning rain. Lana was being unreasonable but he tried to remind himself that it was the fear talking. The fear and the hormones. Still, he hated that they had argued in such a manner after having such a lovely morning in the hot shower. He could still feel her lips along the skin of his chest.
Needless to say, Lana didn't know what was good for her. Oliver was going to look for a midwife and bring her home to see the stubborn and pregnant woman he had fallen in love with.
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The October days were gray and damp and the woman at the park had fallen to the back of her mind. Lana went for a walk in the crisp October noon to calm herself. She had been so angry at Oliver earlier that morning that she had almost thrown a fit. Well, she had thrown a fit but not one as bad as she could have. Oliver was right in calling her a child but in that moment it all seemed like the end of the world to Lana.
Lana rested her hands on her pregnant stomach as she slowly ambled down the neighborhood. She didn't understand all the extra emotions that were quickly rising and falling inside of her like a rollercoaster. Not to mention the cravings that were starting to make themselves known. She had argued with Oliver all while thinking of pecan sandies.
She exhaled, her breath visible in the chilly air, taking notice of the pumpkins on people's porches and lawns. Oliver had commented that Halloween was just around the corner. Lana tried to recall ever celebrating the holiday but her mind was a total blank. She wondered if maybe they too could decorate the porch like their neighbors. Lana wanted to feel that kind of normalcy too.
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While at work, Oliver made a few calls to some old colleagues of his in the medical field in attempts to get a hold of a recommended midwife. A few colleagues were able to suggest a name or two and Oliver jotted them down along with a couple of phone numbers. He seemed quite pleased with his findings and decided to leave his office early for the day. He wasn't quite in the mood to deal with his patient's problems when he had some of his own and instead left the practice in hopes of mending things with Lana. He didn't like the way they left things but Lana had been so stubborn and unwilling to see reason that Oliver just snapped.
He drove the car in the direction of home but an impulse made him turn the opposite direction, right towards the city. Before Oliver knew it he was standing in front of a storefront in downtown Boston with his hands in his pockets. His deep brown eyes looked through the glass, focused on a brand new mint colored Royal typewriter. He had seen it a couple of days ago when he walked by on the way to the shop where he got his watches fixed. It had instantly reminded him of Lana upon seeing it. She had been a writer; she was a still a writer even though that part of her was buried deep inside.
Still, Oliver had noted how restless and bored she had grown while she stayed home alone. A fetus in utero wasn't the best company and he worried she might be watching too much television. Perhaps having something from her past would do her some good. Oliver's mind was made and without hesitation he went into the shop.
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Once she was back inside, Lana put on another Johnny Cash record on low volume to make the house seem less lonely and sat down with her book. "Alright, where were we?" She asked the baby that had been awfully calm during their walk.
Anne had grown on Lana, that much was true and even though her baby felt like a boy, she wondered what it would be like to have a daughter. She imagined a little girl with dark brown hair and chestnut eyes and smiled at the thought of her little hand in Oliver's as they walked down the neighborhood side by side. Lana knew Oliver would be a great father. He'd be a much better parent with his never ending patience and critical thinking skills. Lana on the other hand wasn't sure what she could provide their growing child. She guessed she'd find out soon enough.
Lana read a couple of pages out loud before she began to grow hungry and ventured into the kitchen. She rummaged through the pantry and pulled out a box of cookies and returned to the living room box and all. She turned on the television and watched whatever was on, munching away; the book set aside for now. It wasn't like she had anything better to do.
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Oliver stepped out of the shop with the slightly heavy box under his arm. Pleased with his purchase, he made his way down the street to where he had parked his car, excited to present the gift to Lana. He hoped it would be an acceptable apology for raising his voice and threatening to spank her. He wasn't sure why he had said it, he was just frustrated with the situation. He didn't believe in physical punishment; it was all in the moment.
It was then that something caught the corner of Oliver's eye and he glanced up to see a jewelry store standing before him. He studied the front of the shop for a moment and hesitated before taking a few steps forward. There, behind the glass, were multiple sets of rings. His eyes glossed over them as Lana made her way into his mind. Lana with her brilliant and contagious smile. Lana with her tenacity and her stubborn pout. Lana whose hands always searched for him during her worst moments. Lana who he loved.
Oliver took in a deep breath and opened the front door of the jewelry shop. The sound of a bell went off.
