Where the Grass is Greener

Chapter Twelve

Sara was so excited to hear that her father was offering to pay for the whole wedding.

"Thank you Daddy!" She said as she hugged him.

She had reconciled with her parents, and Warrick was glad, but he still had a rough week with them nonetheless. He and Victor were at odds, and they really didn't like each other. They at least had a mutual respect for each other. They both agreed that as long as Sara was happy, there was no need for them to be rude and disrespectful around each other because they knew that between Sara and her mother, they would both have a conniption over it. No need for the unnecessary.

When the Sidles left for San Francisco Sunday afternoon, Warrick had never felt more relieved.

Sara had gotten over the flu and she pounced him as soon as they crossed the threshold. They had not had any sexual contact of any kind for close to a month. It was a relief on many different levels for Warrick.

***

Sara sat on the floor among a pile of magazines and color pallets, eating a bowl of macaroni and cheese. Sara had to go shopping for that because she had a taste for it, and couldn't find any in the pantry.

She was having serious trouble trying to decide what kind of colors she wanted for the bridesmaids. It was down to pink and lavender. She would spend hours at home after work and a shower trying to pick out the right colors. Warrick was no help in that department, but he was looking at different places for the reception.

"Warrick, do you think that we should just go ahead with the pink?"

"Whatever you decide babe," he said elusively.

Sara rolled her eyes. "Oh, how helpful."

She shook her head and kept looking through the catalogues. She had already decided on a bouquet. She wanted lilies and baby's breath. That was the perfect combination. She wasn't sure on a dress yet. She had looked at several different catalogues and she could not decide on one. There were many dresses that she liked, but they were expensive. She didn't want to look like she was taking advantage of her father. She and Warrick told him that they would pitch in on the extras.

"Oh, honey look at this one," she said, holding up the catalogue. "Isn't that one beautiful?"

"I'm not really supposed to be looking at dresses with you," he said with a smile. "It's bad luck."

"After what we've been through together over the past year, I'm up for a challenge," Sara joked. "Now look."

He came over to her and sat down with her.

"That one is nice, but it's not you," he said. "Too many bows."

Sara tilted her head as she ate another forkful of macaroni. "Yeah," she said, forking some more. "It is too fluffy and girly."

She flipped through more magazines before finally getting tired. She laid down on the floor, and she took a nap. She had been extremely tired lately, and she was sleeping more than usual. She thought that she was getting sick all over again. Or it could have been stress from planning the wedding. While it didn't really feel like stress, it really was. Her excitement turned to frustration quickly while trying to decide on what she wanted. Warrick had been taking it all in stride, agreeing with her every word.

She felt him pick her up and carry her to the bedroom and put her in the bed. She loved him deeply. There wasn't a man out there as sweet and loving as Warrick was. Soon, she would be Mrs. Brown. Or maybe it was going to be Sidle-Brown. For some reason, her father insisted that Sara keep her maiden name out of respect for their family line. It did have an ice ring to it; Sara Sidle-Brown. She smiled.

Never had she put so much stock into something in her entire life. The experience of planning a wedding…her wedding…was a great one, and it was something that she wished to share with her daughter one day, if she had one.

Later at work, Sara was flipping through another bridal magazine. It had been an incredibly slow night, as if crime had taken a night off. She and Catherine went over color scheme possibilities, and Warrick was sent to the nearest grocery store to retrieve some ice cream for Sara.

"God, I've been so tired lately," Sara said, yawning. "Planning this wedding is so great, but it's exhausting. And, I think that I've gained some weight. I can't let myself go just weeks before my wedding. I do have to get into my dress."

"Hmm…" Catherine started. "You have been getting a little soggy in the midsection, but you still look great. That's good though…Warrick makes sure that you stay fed."

"I know," Sara said with a smile. "He is so good to me."

Sara continued looking through catalogues and Catherine started matching colors.

Warrick came in a few minutes later, bearing Sara's ice cream.

"Thank you honey," she said. "Warrick, what do you think about the color scheme?"

"I thought we decided on pink and beige?" He asked.

"Yeah, but I might change my mind," she said, spooning some ice cream.

Warrick shook his head and sighed.

"What?" Sara asked.

"Nothing," he said.

"You sound upset," she said.

"I'm not upset," he said patiently. "It's just that you can't make up your mind. I thought we decided together already."

Sara was clearly getting upset. "Well, is it okay that I change my mind?"

"Yeah, but I mean, this is the third time in two weeks changing your mind," he said.

"So," she said, beginning to cry. "I change my mind, so what? I just want this wedding to be exactly as we planned it."

"Babe, don't cry," he said, coming over to her. "Look, I'm sorry, okay?"

"I can't help it!" She wailed. She got up and went to the ladies' restroom.

She had to pull herself together. She couldn't break down now. That would not be a pretty sight. Especially weeks before her wedding. They had been planning all the big things for two months, and now they couldn't decide on the right color scheme for the reception. Warrick was doing all that he could to keep her happy. The planning of her wedding would be her undoing unless she kept her self together.

***

Warrick had a lot of tension.

When they got home, he decided to just take a bath instead of a shower.

The hot water eased the tension out of his muscles and relaxed him.

Sara was in the kitchen preparing dinner for them. She was an excellent cook, despite all the rumors and misconceptions he heard at work about her cooking.

He heard her footsteps approaching the tub.

"Hi," she said with a smirk.

"Hey," he said.

Sara started to undress. He noticed that she had been gaining some weight over the past month or so. He didn't mind, though. She still looked sexy. He knew how obsessed she was about her weight and he was thinking that she had to be freaking out over it, but she wasn't lately. She would later, he knew, when she went in for the fitting.

When she was completely nude, she got in the tub with him and she lay down on top of him, letting the warm water envelope her with a contented grin on her face. Warrick couldn't help but wrap his arms around her rather small frame. She smiled and giggled in relaxation as she nuzzled his chest. He grinned. She looked cute when she cuddled.

"I love you," she said, her voice euphoric.

"I love you too," Warrick said, running his fingers through her hair.

Sara looked up at him. Her wide set brown eyes always caught his attention. Even when they first met, they caught his attention; only during that time, her eyes were full of fire and a determination that he'd never seen before in anyone. Now, her eyes were full of love and anticipation.

"I'm sorry I've been acting so weird," she said. "I just want our wedding to be perfect. I want our wedding to go exactly as we planned it, and be something that we can cherish and remember for the rest of our lives."

"Sara, it will be," Warrick assured her. "And if it doesn't, then, so what? At least we'll be with each other in the end right?"

Sara smiled. "Yeah."

She laid back down and sighed happily. Warrick continued to hold her. He would never let go. Not ever.

Later on, they sat at the table eating dinner. Sara had cooked Warrick a steak dinner, as she promised him. While it was good, and he was thankful for it, there was still something very wrong with the whole dinner…he knew he was staring at her strangely, and she looked back at him, reflecting the same look.

"What?" She asked in frustration. "Do you not like it? Tell me honestly…"

"Um, no," he said quickly before she got upset. "No, it's great babe," Warrick paused for a moment. "But, um, I thought you were a vegetarian."

Before him was a scene he'd never thought he'd see in his lifetime; Sara Elena Sidle was in fact consuming a steak herself. She was not eating it wearily, she was eating it hungrily, as though it was her last meal before death. She was eating without a care in the world, and Warrick was shocked.

"Well, I just thought I'd try something different," she said nonchalantly. "You know how many years it's been since my last steak?"

"About three years," Warrick said.

"Exactly," she said, cutting a piece of steak. "Besides, this is all that I made for dinner, and I don't feel like cooking anything else, so…"

Warrick nodded his head in understanding. He understood the situation, but he still could not understand, nor figure out his fiancee. Sara was certainly a piece of work. She was like a rubix cube: complex, nearly impossible to solve, and there was so much to her that it would probably take a lifetime to figure out. That was what he loved about Sara. Her aura of mystery was what drew him closer to her in the first place. Looking back almost a year ago, it was amazing what meeting her for coffee did. That one meeting changed their entire relationship, and now, their entire lives. That meeting only set off a chain reaction of events that he would much rather forget, but were still fresh in his mind.

So many emotions had passed between them: contempt, guilt, compassion, frustration, fear, and finally love. Their relationship forged of fire as they made a long journey together through their lives; proving to themselves that they were secretly striving for something more, something fulfilling and that would last a lifetime.

"What are you thinking about?" Sara asked as she drank down a glass of water.

"I was just thinking how far our relationship has come," he answered with a grin. "Who would've thought?"

Sara giggled. "I know. All those months ago, I never pictured myself here with you."

"Same here," Warrick mused. "It's strange how things work out huh?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "I'm glad that we gave our relationship a chance."

Warrick nodded and took in her beauty.

Warrick was still up, working on the computer. The office they made had two desks, each reflecting their personality. On Sara's side, she had a collection of frogs placed strategically, yet neatly, around her desk. Her side was in perfect order, and she had a mini file cabinet with records and old papers and things neatly tucked in the confines. Her computer sat neatly on the desk, the processor next to it, and her printer on the other side of the monitor. Her laptop was in a holder placed neatly at the side of her desk, ready for when she was on the go. She had a small collection of her own reference books lined across the top of her desk, sorted by year or letter.

Sometimes, Warrick could not stand how neat she was.

His side of the office was fairly decent; a little cluttered here and there, but decent. As long as he was able to find what he was looking for easily, he didn't care to be organized too much. Sara had meticulously cleaned his work station a few times and he appreciated it. But eventually, it got back to it's half cluttered, half clean state.

Warrick had been researching something or another, when he suddenly heard retching from their bedroom. He quickly came to her aid.

"Sara, what's the matter?" He asked.

"I don't know, I just started feeling dizzy and nauseous, and I threw up," she said, trying to keep the next wave down, but she was unsuccessful. She bent back over and she rejected the contents of her stomach in noisy mouthfuls.

Warrick went into the kitchen and got her a glass of ice cold water. He quickly brought it back to her and she took it gratefully. She took a few sips then she bent over and threw up again. Her face was a color that he had not seen before in his life, and her eyes were red and watery from the force of her vomiting.

"Can you get me a washcloth?" She asked as she wiped her mouth.

"Yeah," he said.

Warrick retrieved one of their washcloths and wet it with cold water. He placed it on her neck and cheeks as she heaved again.

"I think you started going back to your normal routine a little too quickly after you got the flu," Warrick said.

"No," Sara said. "I know it's the meat. I haven't eaten meat in a long time. It's probably what's upsetting my stomach."

"Yeah," he said as he held the cloth to her neck.

By morning, they were both exhausted. Sara had been getting up and throwing up all night. Finally Warrick placed a small trash can on her side of the bed so that she wouldn't have to keep getting up. She would go to sleep for about twenty minutes, saying that her nausea was gone, then she would bolt upright again, grab the trash can and vomit again.

In the morning, she had fallen asleep and she stopped throwing up. Warrick took the plastic bag and dumped it and put a new one in the can. She must have heard him because she woke up. He pushed a strand of hair from her face. He leaned down and kissed her cheek and put a hand to her belly.

"I guess that was a little more than your stomach could take," he chuckled.

"Yeah," she agreed.

"Go back to sleep," he whispered.

***

Sara was sitting in a chair in Terrace Beauty Bridal shop. Catherine and Regina were her maidens of honor, so their dresses had to be distinct. Sara's bridesmaids were Jaqui, from work, Teresa, Tanya and Elise, Warrick's cousins, and Francesca, Bernadine, and Olivia, some of Sara's cousins.

For now, they were only doing the maidens of honor.

Sara inspected the dress carefully. It was lavender, with a plunging neckline and v-shaped back to it.

"You like it?" The seamstress asked her.

Sara stepped back a little more. "It's beautiful."

Catherine and Regina smiled and they stepped down from the platform.

"Okay," Sara said. "So the dresses will be ready at noon on the day of the wedding right?"

"Even sooner than that Ms. Sidle," the seamstress assured her. "Now, why don't we get you into that wedding dress?"

It was true; Sara did have a bit of a time getting into her wedding dress. She ripped a bit of the fabric at the zipper.

"I'm so sorry," Sara cried. "How much will it cost to fix it?"

"No charge," the seamstress said. "But last fitting you were able to get into it," she said while diligently marking where to mend. "I can alter it for you. Don't worry, it's mainly on your butt."

Sara was so distraught she didn't know what to do with herself. Catherine tried to calm her.

"Sweetie it's okay," she said, putting her hands on her cheeks. "She'll alter it for you."

"No it's not okay," Sara cried as she stepped down from the platform. "Warrick is going to take one look at me in this dress and he's going to turn his back on me."

"No," Regina said. "You look beautiful."

"No I don't," Sara wailed.

"Yes you do," Catherine insisted.

Sara continued to cry.

Later, the three women walked through the mall together.

"All I'm saying is that it annoys me when he looks at me in that indecisive way," Sara said as she ate a hotdog. "I ask him something and it seems like his mind goes blank. I mean," she started again while biting into her hotdog. "What is it?"

Sara looked on either side of her. Catherine on her left and Regina to her right, both staring at her as if they were analyzing her.

"What?" Sara asked, worried.

Catherine and Regina stepped in front of her. They looked deep into her eyes and they inspected her form.

"You two are freaking me out," she said.

"Sara, you're pregnant," Catherine said, putting her hands on her hips authoritatively and shaking her head.

"Yep," Regina agreed. "I can see it in your eyes."

"What? No," Sara chuckled.

"C'mon Sara," Catherine said. "You're eating a hotdog for God's sake."

"Well, that's because I started eating meat again," Sara explained.

"It's more than that," Regina said with a smile. "Your eyes are glazed, and you should have seen yourself crying the way you did. And, how else do you explain the weight you gained?"

"As not exercising," Sara said indignantly.

"Sara, trust us," Catherine said. "From two mothers. You're pregnant."

Sara looked between them in shock as the realization hit her.

"Oh my God," she sighed as she began to faint.

***

Catherine quickly rushed through the drug store and bought Sara a pregnancy test.

"Now, go in there, take a deep breath, and take the test," Catherine instructed.

Sara went into the bathroom. She carefully read the instructions in the mini pamphlet.

"Okay, two lines equals pregnant, one line equals not pregnant," she read quietly to herself. "Okay, to take test, open end opposite indicators…what? Oh, then urinate on tip. Wait three minutes for results. Okay."

Sara had never found herself in this kind of situation before, nor had she ever been unprepared and inexperienced in her life. If she was pregnant, that was a bad thing. Warrick would probably think she was trying to seal the deal before they got married. But, she probably wasn't pregnant. It was all a big mistake. It had to be.

When Sara finished, she wiped the stick off, and waited. Flushing the toilet and washing her hands would take her less than a minute.

"Okay, if results are not clear or inaccurate, it is best to go see your physician/OB/GYN, got it," she whispered to herself. She knew that Catherine and Regina were on pins and needles outside the bathroom.

Sara sat on the toilet seat and waited. It was a long three minutes, and hers and Warrick's future hanged in the balance. If she was pregnant, that would be a problem. What was she going to tell Warrick? How was she going to tell him? She had no idea if he would be happy or not. She wasn't good with kids. On the flipside, she may not be pregnant, and she would have nothing to worry about. She prayed that she wasn't pregnant.

After the most agonizing three minutes of her life passed by, she picked up the test and looked at the results.

Two lines equals pregnant.

Sara felt the tears welling up as she stared at the positive pregnancy test. The lines were bright pink, indicating the very strong presence of the pregnancy hormone.

She exited the bathroom crying hysterically. "Warrick is going to be a daddy!"

"Aw," Regina and Catherine said in unison as they hugged her.