"No!" Scott exclaimed, "What do you mean, no?"
"Well, perhaps no, isn't what I mean exactly."
"Then what do you mean exactly?"
"I mean not now, not like this."
"Not like this? Lauren, what are you talking about? Why not like this? What is it? Honey, I'm confused."
"Scott, don't get me wrong. I love you, and nothing would make me happier than to be your wife, but, this is all so fast. First our, you know, and then the shooting, and then the baby, and now the accident. I just want to make sure that this isn't some...mistake."
"Mistake? Lauren, how could this be a mistake? Look at all of the things that we've made it through, I know I wouldn't have survived the shooting Lauren, if I didn't have anything to fight for. Did I ever tell you why I wanted to come over that night?"
"No, why, did you want to come?"
"Because I had a dream about us. I was so sure after that. And I wanted to go to you and tell you that I still, in spite of everything, love you, and I was going to ask you to marry me. Then everything fell apart, and I never got to say those things. Lauren, I want to marry you, for no other reason other than I love you."
Lauren's eyes filled up with tears, "Scott."
"Just say you'll marry me. I know you love me, and you know I love you. Please."
"Okay, I will."
The joy here felt at that moment was incomparable to anything he's ever he ever felt before. "I'm going to make you so happy."
"And I you."
Lauren and Scott chose to keep their engagement a secret for the remainder of the time she was in the hospital. A few days after she was released, Daniel invited Lauren and Scott over his place for dinner. She decided that she would tell him and Laura then. Little did she know, Daniel had a surprise of his own.
"Hi, oh, you look good." Laura said opening the door, "You'll never guess who else is here."
"Who?"
Then she heard it, "Lauren, my baby. It's so good to see you."
"Mama, Daddy."
The shock was overwhelming. She stared down at her stomach, rounded, in pregnancy. What was she going to tell Mama and Daddy?
"Um, I have someone that I would like you to meet. Mama, Daddy, this is Scott Guber, my fiancé. Scott, these are my parents, Gerald and Helen Davis."
"Oh, my God," was all Daniel managed to say. The he looked at Laura, "Did you know about this."
"I didn't have a clue."
"You are getting married," Gerald Davis stated when he recovered.
"Yes, are you happy daddy?"
"Happy, no, I'm not happy Lauren."
"Mama?"
Helen looked at her daughter as if to say, ask your father.
"Lauren Elizabeth, I cannot believe this. You're too young to get married."
"Dad, I'm twenty-eight, if I'm not mistaken that's almost ten years older than mom was when you guys got married."
"That was different, I was twenty-two, and he is, how old are you?"
"Forty - eight."
"Forty-eight! No, no ma'am, you are not getting married and that's final."
"Daddy, all my life, I've done whatever you wanted, this is one thing you cannot control. I love him, and I'm marrying him, and that is final."
"You met her parents? What happened? What were they like?" Steven asked as Scott relayed the events of the previous evening to him.
"Her father found out that there is a twenty year age difference between us, and he sort of flipped out. Her mother just stood there and didn't say anything at all. Of course we didn't stay very long. All of the commotion upset Lauren, and with her being pregnant and all, she shouldn't be upset like that."
"So what are you going to do?"
"The first thing we want to do is tell everyone else about the engagement. So far only her parents and brother know, and now you do. I know Lauren is dying to tell Marilyn, and to be truthful, it won't seem real to me until everyone knows."
"You mean until Harry Senate knows."
"No, I want to tell everyone, but, okay, I will feel better if Harry knows, he is still an insecurity of mine."
"When are you going to tell them?"
"Lauren wants to do it tonight at Doyle's. I would have preferred something a little more formal, but I'll let her do it her way. After all, they are more her friends than they are mine. Would you like to join us?"
"Sure, I would love to here this."
Louisa knocked at the door. "Scott, Lauren is waiting in your office?"
Scott looked at Steven who immediately read his thoughts. "She's fine. Go."
Scott left Steven's office and walked down to his own. Lauren was in there, by herself, not upset, not ill, just there.
"What is it, Lauren?"
"Two quick things. One, we're on for Doyle's tonight at six o'clock, so you better leave on time. And two, my mother called."
"For what? To upset you again?"
"No, to invite us to spend the weekend with my father and herself in Concord."
"What did you tell her?"
"I told her I'd call her back; that I had to talk to you first."
"It's up to you, sweetheart. I know that you were upset about the argument with your father, and I'll be honest, I have misgivings about going, but if you want to, I'll go, for you."
"I don't want you to go if you have misgivings."
"Lauren, I'm just nervous. Your parents are a part of your life, their opinion matters; I need to make a good impression."
"You will. Mama and Daddy are rational people once you really talk to them and get to know them. You'll love them and they'll love you too, you'll see."
"All right," Scott agreed. He still had mixed feelings about it, but if it would make Lauren happy, he'd do it.
She leaned up and kissed him, "Thank you. I'll see you at four-thirty."
"What's four-thirty?"
"The time I'm meeting you here to rehearse what we are going to say to everyone tonight when we lower the boom on them."
"Will it really be that much of a shock? You are pregnant, we've been dating openly."
"Not too much, but I can tell you that there is a pool on how long you and I will stay together, I can tell you, forever is not on the list."
"I invited Steven to join us tonight. He is my closest friend and I want him there."
"Great, the more the merrier. Scott, I've been meaning to talk to you about this, have you given any thought on who you would like to be the best man at the wedding? I know that you and your brother are not on the best of terms, but he is your brother. The only reason I asked was if everything goes well tonight, I'm going to ask Marilyn to be my Maid of Honor."
"Actually, I've decided not to have my brother, I'm going to ask Steven."
"I thought you would decide that. All right, I've got a class. I'll see you later, 4:30."
"Four thirty."
Lauren gave him a quick kiss and left the office. "Great," he thought, "More time with Lauren's parents."
He loved Lauren, he wanted her happiness, and if her parents blessing would make her that way, he would try and give that to her.
Scott worked in his office for the rest of the day. He wrote letters of recommendation, called in students to discuss discipline reports and incomplete detentions. Then he looked at some personal papers. His bank statement left over hospital bills from the operation, an old letter from Cathleen.
Cathleen. It hadn't been since the night of the accident that he spoke to her. They had left so many loose ends; he still hadn't made the final break. He decided that that must be done, so he would call her after the weekend meeting.
After what seemed like only minutes, Scott heard Lauren's voice in his office.
"Scott, its 4:35, hon."
"I'm almost ready, just taking care of a few left over bills from the operation."
"Has money been a problem for you Scott?"
"No, darling. It's fine. Let's go."
Hand in hand, Scott and Lauren walked into Doyle's at a few minutes past six. Everyone was all ready there. Kevin and Marilyn were seated very close together; Harry and Milton were sipping beers and laughing. Harvey and Marla, who were arguing were being mediated by Steven, and Louisa was just coming back from the bathroom.
Marilyn was the first one to notice that they had arrived, and she nudged Kevin. "Look, they're holding hands."
"They're a couple."
"Hi, sorry we're late," Lauren apologized.
"Oh, it's all right. Beer, Scott?"
Scott usually drank wine or brandy, but in order to fit in, he accepted the beer.
"Okay, don't keep us in suspense, you invited all of us here to tell us something, so tell," Marla pressed.
"All right, uh, Scott would you like to tell them."
Scott for the briefest of moments took on his old tense self, but then he felt Lauren's hand on his, gently caressing and he relaxed. "This is a hard thing to say. You know that Lauren and I have been seeing each other, and I'm sure you all know how I feel about her. Well, with everything that's happened the past few months, we realized that we are meant to be together and so I ..."
"We decided to get married. We're engaged."
No one spoke. Steven was the only one not shocked by the news. All eyes went from Scott to Lauren to Harry, then back to Lauren. Marilyn was the first one to break the silence with a simple, "Congratulations."
After that, everyone came alive with handshakes and hugs and well wished. For the rest of the night they laughed and talked, and by the time Scott dropped Lauren off at her apartment, he felt like he was part of the group, like he had friends. Nothing, he knew could be more perfect.
