First of all, since we're nearing the end of the story, I'd like to point out that this chapter is a little bit fast paced. So I do hope you guys could keep up. There will also be a surprise in store for you, & I'm pretty sure you, guys, will be ecstatic about it!
Veronica – thanks for the amazing review! You soo ROCK! Hehe! Zionne – you know, your name reminds me of the movie the Matrix. Hehe! Anyways, thanks for reviewing! PnkSaKuRaSyAoRaNS2 – actually, I mostly based it on this book I've read before & I type at least one chapter every night, so it's not that hard to update. Right now, I'm working on a new one. I could put you in my story if you could tell me your real name? Angel – yah, he bothers me everyday; saying mean stuff about Mimato. Hey! I've got a surprise for you in this chapter. Janay, crescentmoon-cat, riven – thanks so much, guys! It's good to know that every time I update, I see your names on the review list. Thanks you so much! Love you, guys!
Chapter Twenty
September passed. Elena spent more & more time at Laurel House, first of all painting the baby's room, & then just visiting Mimi. Matt's mother absolutely refused to let Mimi do the heavier housekeeping duties, so Mimi had to be content with taking over the dusting, the laundry, & cooking.
To Mimi's delight, Elena had been highly impressed with her culinary skills.
"What a fabulous meal!" the older woman said the first time Mimi invited her for dinner. "I haven't had salmon en croute in years, & it wasn't as half as good as yours. Where on earth did you learn to cook like that?"
"Melissa, my mother's best friend, was a home economics teacher. When I went to live with her, I couldn't even boil an egg. She was horrified, so she taught me everything she knew."
"Elena's right." Matt sat back contentedly in his chair. "You could cook your way into any man's heart." He gave her a teasing smile. "You've certainly cooked your way into mine!"
"Don't think," Mimi retorted, "that you can weasel you way back into my good books with flattery. It'll take more than a few overused compliments to make up for what you did yesterday!"
Elena cocked her ears. "What did you do, Matt?"
His lips twitched. "After I had the nursery carpeted, it looked bar with only the crib so I brought home a changing table, a nursing chair with purple cushion, and…"
"And the sweetest little teddy bear you've ever seen, Elena!" Mimi glared at Matt, & tried to look ferocious. "You just have to be one step ahead, don't you? You knew I was planning to buy those items when you saw me looking at them in the mall last week!"
"I have never," Elena said amusedly, "known two people who argue as much as you do!"
"Hey," Matt protested with mock-innocence, "it's not my fault. I think we all know who the bossy one around here is!"
Ignoring him, Mimi put her elbows on the table & leaned confidingly toward Elena. "I can't wait," she said, "for him to go away on his trip. He's getting to be a real pain in the ass."
"I know you'll miss me," Matt said confidently.
"Huh!" she said. "You wish!" But she knew, of course, that she would miss him. He was going to be leaving in a couple of weeks on his annual visit with his younger brother in Europe.
The day before he left, she walked into her bedroom & found him by the bed. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"I've just put a board under your mattress. It'll help you back, it says so…"
"In you baby book!" She threw up her hands. "What am I going to do with you?"
He stood up & pulled her close. "Why don't you do this?" He kissed her sweetly. "I guess…I'm just…a faster…reader…than you." He said between kisses. When he drawled back, he asked, "What chapter are you on?"
Mimi couldn't help but laugh. He was just so charming!
And when he returned from his trip, she felt a dizzying rush of love. And even though he looked like a castaway with his blonde hair shaggy & his jaw darkly bearded, she had no will to resist when he put his arms around her bulky, yet slender body, & gave her a prolonged hug.
Then he pulled back & looked at her, his eyes warm with affection. But when he noticed the brown patches on her skin & around her nose, he frowned. "What's this?" He ran a fingertip over the patches.
"It's nothing, just…"
"Oh, yeah." Understanding dawned in his eyes & she saw them twinkle. "Chapter Seven, page 192: 'Brown patches on face will go away after birth!'"
"Don't tell me you took that book with you on your trip!"
"No, didn't have to. I read an extra couple of chapters ahead before I left." His gaze dropped to her tummy, & he did a double take. "Hey," he said, pretending to be shock, "you're beginning to look like a circus tent!"
She frowned & protested indignantly…but when he took a small cobalt blue box from his pocket, her frown & protests trailed away.
"What's this?" she asked.
"Open it."
It was a pendant…a dime-size crystal case suspended on a fine gold chain. Inside was a mass of tiny golden flakes that glimmered. Mimi felt her eyes mist as she looked at it.
"TK & I went mining," he said casually. "What I found, I made up for you. Like it?"
"Oh, Matt, it's lovely. And you really sound this gold?"
"Yeah, took us a week to find this many." He made a tiny measuring gesture from his thumb & index finger. "Here, let me put it no for you."
Obediently she turned, stood with her head down, & scooped back her hair to give him access to her nape. He slipped the chain around her neck, & then concentrated on the delicate fastener. She felt her pulse jump as his fingers brushed her skin; felt her senses spring to life as she smelled his oh-so-familiar sexy male scent. How she missed him. Now that he was home, all she could think of was her aching desire to be in his arms.
"There," he said when he finally locked the fastener in place. "That's it."
About to turn, she felt his hands curve around her upper arms & felt his rough chin on the top knob of her spine as he brushed a slow kiss over her neck.
"I've missed you." His voice was husky. "If I could have," he said, turning her around to face him, "I'd have cut the trip short, but I know TK wouldn't appreciate that…"
"Why, Matt!" Elena's delighted voice came from the door way. "I didn't know you were back! How's your brother? Is he eating well? How was your trip?..."
Mimi's breath shivered out. She'd forgotten that Matt's mother was in the house. And Elena's timing couldn't have been worse, she reflected, with a feeling of wrenching disappointment. Being in Matt's arm had been bliss. She wanted to stay there forever.
But minutes later, as Elena bustled around in the kitchen making tea while Matt went upstairs to take a shower & shave; Mimi came to her senses and realized that the interruption had been for the best.
She certainly had missed Matt, but that very fact should have alerted her earlier to the fact that she had let herself become dangerously used to having him around. That she had come to depend on him. She didn't want to depend on him. She didn't want to count on anyone again.
Any psychologist would have told her that this need for independence was probably caused from her having been abandoned in the past by those she looked for support…first by her mother when she left; then by Matt; then by her father; and lastly by Michael.
But whatever the reason, she was absolutely determined never to ask for help or support from anyone…ever again.
"Matt, will you have a look at that?" Yolei's tone held a thread of disgust. "It's snowing!"
Matt had just come out of the foyer from his office. Yolei was over by the window, a cup of coffee in one hand, her eyes fixed on the street. He joined her & saw fat white flakes floating down from a winter-gray sky.
"Well," he said, "it is November. What did you expect!"
"But it's only the second week; we don't usually get snow this early! And it's heavy, too! I guess…" she turned with a mischievous smile, "you'll be closing the office early so I can get home safely?"
"Yolei," he retorted, "your house is only four blocks away from here. I don't see any problem!" His gaze moved across the street to the Clinic entrance. "No sign of Mimi yet?"
"Uh-uh."
He tapped his fingers impatiently against his thighs. "Her checkups don't generally take this long."
"Maybe the doctor's busy with another patient."
"Maybe. At any rate, I don't want her driving herself home, the roads could be icy. I'm going to go over there & catch her before she leaves. Will you manage?"
"Sure."
Matt grabbed his leather jacket from the coat stand by the door & shrugging it on, he went out & crossed the street to the clinic. Three patients sat in the waiting room; no sign of Mimi. He was about to ask Kari if she already left, when the waiting room door opened & Mimi appeared.
She looked dazed. And when she saw him, she blinked, "Matt?"
"It's snowing," he said. "I'm going to drive you home."
To his surprise, she just nodded. "Is everything all right?" he asked.
"Oh," her eyes had a blank look, "yes, everything's fine. Just hang on till I make my next appointment."
"I'll bring the car to the door." He brought the car around & as he parked it at the curb, Mimi appeared at the clinic door.
He hurried out of the car to take her arm as she crossed the snow-coated sidewalk. Once she was inside, he took his own seat & started off along the street.
"Mimi, what the heck's up? You were looking great this morning, now you look as if somebody dropped a ton of cement on your head."
"Let's wait," she said, till we get home."
He clamped his lips together to keep from pressing her with more questions, but his concern increased with every passing moment. What did she find out in the doctor's office? He could barely wait to find out what it was.
"It's a boy, Matt." Mimi's eyes still had a disbelieving look. "Dr. Joe told me that the reason I feel so heavy is because I have a big baby boy growing inside." She slumped back in her kitchen chair & rested her hands on her big mound of belly. "I know I said I wanted the baby's sex to be a surprise, but the doctor slipped. There's nothing more I could do but think about boy names."
Matt's chair had been tilted back; now it clattered forward abruptly. "Sheesh!" He stared back at Mimi. "A boy! He's sure?"
"Absolutely."
"No wonder you're so huge!" Matt grinned.
Mimi looked at him indignantly. "Yamato! You've been telling me for weeks that I look fabulous, that pregnancy suits me, that…"
"You do & it does, but…" he couldn't suppress a chuckle. "Heck, Mimi, you have to admit that you…"
"Gained a little more weight & that I look like the side of a house," she crinkled her nose, "but maybe not for long. While I was in his office, Dr. Joe called the local hospital to let them know I might be coming before my due date."
"So…how do you feel about it?"
"It hasn't really sunk in yet, but how could I not be thrilled?"
"Are you…worried, at all?"
"I'm in good hands with Dr. Joe."
But though she spoke confidently, Matt couldn't help noticing that a shadow clouded her eyes, & he knew that she was worried. He wanted to say to her, "I'm here for you, princess." And he was. He would never let her down again. She could depend on him for love, support, & anything else she needed.
But he knew that she had no faith in him & he knew that she'd rather walk around the world barefoot than ask him for help. So he said nothing.
It snowed heavily all night & in the morning a hard frost set in. The roads were hard packed & squeaked under tires; the countryside was a fairyland of sparkling white, glittering in pale hard sun that greedily hugged its heat to itself. It didn't snow again but the cold weather continued.
For Mimi, time now passed slowly. Unable to walk outside because of the icy ground, she felt restless. She waddled along the passages & around the foyer & through the rooms, feeling heavier & more ungainly with each passing day. Besides her frequent need to use the bathroom, she suffered from a constantly nagging backache.
Matt stuffed pillows behind her whenever she sat down. "Chapter Ten," he announced cheerfully. "Page 212."
She also suffered from heartburn. Matt made her drink ice-cold milk after meals & told her to eat little & often. "Chapter Eleven," he told her as he brought her a plate of orange fruit. "Page 225."
She suffered from a throbbing ache between her legs when standing. She didn't mention that to Matt but in any case, he came along with a footstool one afternoon & stuck it under her when she sat down. "Chapter Twelve," he said. "Page 234."
And all the while, the air was filled with lovely music. "Chapter Thirteen, page 240," he explained. "A baby can hear music, it soothes them."
The music soothed her, too…but did nothing to help her sleep at night. The baby was a Sumo wrestler. It made Matt laugh to see her maternity shirt move as fists & feet & knees jutted out. And she had to laugh, too. Though often, unknown to him, she felt like crying. Hormones, she guessed. But she couldn't stop worrying.
On the first of December, the weather changed. I grew a little warmer & snow started to melt. By the next day, the roads were clear.
Mimi had a longer than usual nap after lunch, but even so she felt draggy & weary. When Matt came home, he settled her by a roaring log fire in the sitting room & after putting on a soothing music; he brought her a light dinner on a tray, & then carried through his own meal.
Later, after cleaning the dishes, he came back on the sitting room.
"How's the weather doing?" Mimi asked.
"Cold again. Forecast's for a chance of rain through the night."
As he sat down, Mimi noticed he winced & then pressed a hand to his side against his ribs. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"It's nothing." He grasped the arms of his chair & instead of looking directly at her as he usually did when he talked to her; he stared into the fire roaring in the fireplace.
"Do you have a pain in you side?" He seemed not to hear her, or not be listening to her. "Matt?"
He jerked his head up & looked at her. His eyes were shuttered. "It's nothing, just an old injury."
"From the time you…had the fight?"
"Yeah." His tone was dismissive.
She had long wondered who he fought with on that occasion, so she decided she would ask him about it once more time. Tentatively she said, "Why won't you talk about…"
He shot up from his seat. "There are some things," he said harshly, "that a man doesn't want to remember, all right?"
Tears started to form in her eyes & she quickly slanted her head down so he wouldn't see them.
"I'm going out for a walk," he snapped. "I'll be back in an hour."
Mimi nodded, but sat still till she heard the front door slam shut behind him. She breathed out a sigh. Poor Matt. He was worried about her. She knew that that was the only reason he talked to her so roughly. But still, it hurt.
Weary & weepy, she heaved herself from her chair & made her way out to the hall, walking awkwardly because of an uncomfortably heavy downward pressure…it felt almost as if the baby was going to drop out at any moment!
She wrote a note to Matt & left it on the hall table: Gone To Bed…Sorry I Upset You.
She went upstairs, soaked in a warm bath & got into bed. For a change, she fell asleep right away, & for a change, she was undisturbed by anxious dreams.
AN: Mimi's going to have a baby boy. Why choose a boy? Trust me, I wanted it to be a girl, but since Mimi's first baby was a girl, I had to make this one a boy. So I'm trying to come up with a really cool name for the baby, & I need your help. I'm thinking about Nicholas/Nick ('winks' to Angel) but I need a second name to come after that. You can write your ideas in your review! Thanks! TWO more chapters left!
