This story can be considered a sequel of Where I Belong and Home, so I haven't read yet, I suggest you do. Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated.
Abby woke up for what it seemed like the hundredth time that night. Every position she tried only ended up hurting. Her belly was so big she quite often felt her bladder getting smashed or her ribs kicked by the baby. She rolled over and looked at John, feeling a little jealous of him for sleeping so heavily and peacefully.
"What's wrong?"
"I just can't find a comfortable position to sleep and I have a day shift in a few hours. The baby can't stop kicking and moving. I keep going to the bathroom every two hours, and less than that when my bladder is squeezed down. I don't know how much longer I can handle this."
"You're more than halfway through it. There are only a few weeks left."
"Yeah." Abby placed her hand over her stomach and smiled when the baby immediately kicked her. She then started rubbing it gently. "Did you see that?"
"It was hard to miss. That was quite a kick." John said with amusement and put his hand over her belly too. "I guess we have a soccer player around here."
"Most definitely. I'm sorry we woke you up. Your shift ended a couple of hours ago and you must be so tired."
"No, that's okay. Feeling our baby move is worth everything." John put an arm around her and pulled her close to him, so that her head was resting on his chest. "You think you can sleep now?"
"I suppose I can try. The baby seemed to calm down now. That happens whenever you touch my belly actually."
"Well, I'm the favorite parent."
"Shut up!" She hit him on the arm playfully. "John?"
"Yeah?"
"What if we elope?"
"Elope?"
"You want a big wedding?"
"You don't?"
"Not really. They make me uncomfortable. But if it's a big deal for you, we..."
"I'm okay with eloping." He cut her off. "I don't mind not having a big wedding either."
"Are you saying this because you really don't or just to please me?"
"Both." John sighed. "I'm all up for eloping, but I won't deny I would love to see you in a wedding dress."
"Maybe you will." She smiled suggestively. "Just maybe."
"I'll take that as a yes." He grinned. "Now let's try to get some sleep so you can work later."
.
John took a full look at the yellow bedroom decorated with animals with a proud smile. He already couldn't wait to hold the baby in his arms and see he or she would look like him or Abby. He didn't know how much time he had spent in the center of the room when Abby's voice echoed.
"So I see you've put on quite a work in this bedroom today."
"I did." He turned to her with a wide grin. "But it's finally done."
"How long did you spend working on it today?"
"I just finished. I thought I could focus on it since I didn't have to work today." He put an arm around her when she got close to him.
"Aren't you dedicated?"
"Anything for our baby. So what did you think of it?"
"I think it's perfect." Abby smiled softly and absentmindedly stroked her belly, causing the baby to kick. "And it looks like so does our baby."
"Told you he or she already has a strong opinion."
"Seems like it."
"So, I was thinking about the offer you mentioned earlier, about eloping?"
"What about it? Did you change your mind?"
"No, I still want to do it."
"It doesn't look like it. What's wrong?"
"Do you want to escape to Vegas?"
"Well, I wouldn't mind having a guy dressed like Elvis as a priest, but I think you're not too fond of the idea."
"Not really. I'm all up for unusual eccentric things, but I really want to see you as a traditional bride."
"Traditional irks me."
John couldn't help but laugh. He had to admit he loved Abby's sense of humor sometimes.
"What?"
"Irks you?"
"That's right. I get shivers just by hearing it."
"Okay, I agree with going to Vegas to get married, but no Elvis priest."
"Oh come on! They go together. It's a tradition."
"You just said you don't like traditional."
"Fine. I'll get to choose my dress. It may not be white though."
"No?"
"Nope." She confirmed. "I was thinking maybe black."
John raised his eyebrows in surprise and Abby couldn't help but smile.
"I'm joking. I wouldn't wear black."
"Okay. So no white or black."
"I never said anything about not wearing a white dress. Just not fully. It's a surprise though."
"Should I be concerned?"
"Don't worry, I promise I won't embarrass you." Abby threw her arms around his neck.
"You can never embarrass me."
"That's good to know." She reached up and kissed him.
.
The neon lights from the buildings in Vegas brought a smile to Abby's lips, though she had already been there a few times before.
"So... here we are."
"We still have time to change our minds on this."
"Weren't you the one who told me a few months ago when you proposed to me the first time at the rooftop that you want us to stop being so careful?"
"That's true, I did." John smiled and looked down for a moment. "And I mean it."
"We don't have to do it if you feel uncomfortable about it." Abby searched for his eyes.
"Let's do it." He pressed his lips together and looked at her.
"Alright. Why don't we go to the hotel and talk about it again?"
"Sounds great to me."
.
Abby was beyond shocked and surprised with the size of their bedroom when they walked in.
"I swear this is twice the size of my apartment. Maybe three times."
"This is the presidential suite."
"John, you didn't have to. It must have been very expensive."
"Not really. It doesn't really matter though. We deserve it."
"We do. It hasn't been an easy path for us to get where we are."
"That's true." John approached her and stroked her arms, looking down tenderly into her brown eyes. "But how we feel about each other is stronger than ever. I'm absolutely sure I want to marry you. I still want this relationship to stick."
"It already has." Abby slid her hands through his arms. "I've never been so sure about a boyfriend before as I am with you. And I believe this right here..." She lowered her gaze down her belly and he followed it. "...is the biggest proof of how strongly I feel about you."
"I love you." He lifted her chin and their eyes met again. "I should have said it sooner, but it's true. I love you."
"I love you too, John." She touched his left cheek before capturing his lips in a passionate and slow kiss.
.
The chapel wasn't that big, John stated as he looked around. It was actually nice, so he wasn't sure why he was so uneasy and nervous. He thought it could be because there were no guests, but knew he didn't really mind having no witnesses. In the end, he simply assumed he was nervous.
He went back outside and leaned against the wall beside the door. His eyes were closed, but he could still feel the eyes from people walking down the hall on him. Actually, on the fancy formal clothes he was wearing in a casino.
"Is everything okay?"
The sound of Abby's voice made him immediately open his eyes. He could have sworn the air escaped his lungs and his heart skipped a beat when he laid his eyes on her. A smile immediately appeared on his lips and he felt a strong urge to hold her in his arms. "You look stunning."
"Thank you. So do you."
"You weren't kidding when you said this dress would be a surprise."
"Nope. And also when I said it wouldn't be fully white." She looked down at her half lavender half white skirt. "I didn't want it to be this long though."
"You didn't?"
"I was convinced this gradient effect wouldn't be this good on a short length dress."
"Well, you look beautiful either way."
"Liar."
"What? That's true."
"Sure it is. Are we going inside or not?".
John grabbed her hand and looked down at both ones. "Let's go."
About twenty minutes later, they walked out laughing out loud and showing off their wedding rings to random people they found on their way back to their presidential suite.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say we're drunk."
"Why? Because we're proudly and happily showing our beautiful expensive golden wedding rings to people we have never met and probably won't ever see again?"
"That's right."
"I don't care the slightest about it." John wrapped his arms around her waist and spoke next to her ear. "I'm just that happy. Are you?"
"Yes." Abby said eventually with a warm smile. "I'm happy."
.
John tried out the intensity of lights in the room until he found the perfect tone. Abby walked in shortly after feeling very frustrated.
"I keep going to the bathroom like every fifteen minutes. It's awful."
"Good news, we have only one month to go."
"Yeah, that will seem like a year."
"Is the baby okay?"
"Moving nonstop."
"That's good. That's really good."
"You say that because you're not the one carrying it."
"I would if I could."
"No, you wouldn't." She looked at him with a sly smile. "So are we going to keep having this small talk or are we having a real wedding night?"
"It's not an actual wedding if we don't go for it on our first night as a married couple."
"You got that right." Abby looked up at the faint light on the ceiling. "Is that your way of setting up the mood?"
"Yeah, for starters. Then I would carry you towards the bed, but..." He smiled and looked down at her big belly.
"That seems impossible right now. I'm glad for that, because I'm not really fond of these things. Richard did that and look what happened."
"Talking about your ex is the last thing I wanted to do tonight. Or at all."
"You're right. I'm sorry."
.
Abby buried the back of her head into the pillow when John leaned over and started kissing her. A few seconds later, she was forced to pull away and touched the upper side of her belly.
"What happened?"
"Your baby kicked too hard and hit my rib."
"Ouch. Is it still hurting?"
"A little." She sat up. "And now I have to pee. I swear this will be our only child."
"We'll discuss that when our child is born."
"No, we won't. I can't go th..." Abby stopped talking suddenly. "John?"
"What?"
"I think our baby decided to come a little earlier."
"Why? Did something happen?" He asked alarmed.
"I'm feeling some contractions."
"Has your water broken?" He stopped in front of the door.
"No, but it might any minute."
"How long have you been feeling them and how far are they?"
"It started about ten minutes ago and they're two or three minutes apart. I didn't say anything sooner because they weren't that strong.";
"Okay, we're going to the hospital, but I don't think we're going home anytime soon."
"We don't have anything from the baby here. We need to go back."
"Abby, don't worry, alright? We can think about it later when the doctor exams you." John grabbed her hand and helped her out of the bathroom. "Are the contractions still coming?"
"Yes, but less strong now."
"Good. Let's go."
"What a way to start our wedding night." Abby said ironically and laughed.
"Our baby wanted to be the star of the night."
"She already loves the spotlight."
"She?"
"Figure of speech. Can we just go?"
"Yeah, sure."
.
"I can't believe it was just a false alarm." Abby complained as she went downstairs along with John.
"It can happen sometimes."
"I'm so tired of going to the bathroom all the time and not being able to see my feet."
"I know." He bent over and kissed the top of her head. "You just need to hang on a little more and it will be over. You're almost there."
"Are they swollen?"
"A little, but it's expected. They are fine."
"Can I get up now? I don't have any contractions anymore."
"We're almost getting to our car, just wait a little longer."
"That's all I'm doing lately." Abby sighed. "I know the doctor allowed me to fly back home, but I'm afraid I might go into labor during the flight."
"Then we'll get a doctor to deliver our baby. I'll do it myself."
"You would deliver our own baby?"
"Why not? I've done a lot of deliveries before."
"None of them was your child though."
"True, so it would be a special one. My child coming to this world by my own hands."
"I'm sure that it would be a unique experience."
"Here we go." John pushed the wheelchair towards his car and helped Abby stand on her feet.
"At least we were able to see what we're having. Looks like Julia it is."
"Our baby girl." He kissed her briefly and placed his hand on her belly. "Sometimes I feel like I'm dreaming."
"Well, it's real. We're about to become parents."
"Yeah, and I can't wait for it."
They exchanged glances for a moment until Abby put two locks of her hair behind her ear and sighed.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Nothing." She moved in her seat and looked ahead.
"I'm not going back. I know I told you a few months ago I wouldn't be going anywhere and I did, but this time I'm truly sticking to it. I'm not going anywhere."
Abby simply looked at him from the corner of her eyes and waited to see if he was going to say something else.
"Trust me, I learned the hard way. We went through a very tough moment and it drove us away for a while. But it also made me realize how much I love you. I won't make the same mistake again, I promise you that."
"Well, you won't get rid of me that easily anymore." A smile appeared on her lips and she lifted her hand, indicating her wedding ring with her finger.
"That's good, because I don't plan to at all. I'm not giving up on my lottery prize."
"Since when do you say cheesy lines?"
"Love makes you do crazy things." John laughed and then turned on their rented car.