Okay, it's not really much, but at least I updated…and Megumi admits to Aoshi her reasons for being hesitant.
Part 7
The woman was driving him crazy. And people said he put up walls. Aoshi shook his head, exiting the two-story building at San Diego's Naval Amphibious Base.
He pulled his wrist up, glancing at the time. Almost lunch. Megumi was probably set to go on break soon.
After their discussion last night, she had went to bed early, blaming it on exhaustion. She worked too hard, in his opinion. Then again…family once said the same thing about him.
They hadn't really spoken much at the breakfast table this morning. Megumi was polite but she refused to discuss the baby, their relationship, or their future.
He was one-hundred percent sure of what he wanted. As he entered his rental car and headed towards downtown, his thoughts turned to a certain teenager back on Oahu. While he and Misao were closer than ever, he didn't want to repeat the same mistakes he had made as a parent.
As for Megumi…
She had a way of changing perspective. He hadn't thought about marriage and settling down in a long, long time.
Aoshi reached for his cell phone, dialing the hospital.
"San Diego Navy Medical Center," the operator greeted.
"Family Practice Internal Medicine department." He shifted his grip on his phone. When he was patched through to the receptionist, he said, "I need to speak to Dr. Takani."
"I'm sorry, she's not here at the moment," the receptionist said.
He frowned. "Do you know when she'll be back?"
"She's actually out sick," the receptionist declared.
That couldn't be right. He dropped her off this morning...
Ooooo
From her position on the cot, Megumi placed a hand to her forehead, fighting dizziness. After nearly fainting just before her lunch break, her supervisor recommended that she rest for a little while.
Placing her other hand over her belly, she glanced down before looking at the ceiling again. "If you're anything like your father, chances are you're going to give me a hard time before things run smoothly."
She was kidding, of course.
Megumi bit her lip, closing her eyes. She really didn't know what to do about everything. This morning, she hadn't been in a mood to talk. Aoshi must have sensed that, because he didn't say much. But he was biding his time. Megumi knew him too well. Eventually, he'd want to discuss their future.
Even if she wasn't ready for it.
Most women would be thrilled that the man they loved proposed.
Sure, it wasn't the best of proposals…but most men went running the opposite way when it came to marriage.
She had meant what she said. She loved him, but it didn't mean she wanted to marry him. She wasn't ready for that yet.
How could she be? With everything that had happened in their relationship the last two months? A brief separation…his amnesia…
A knock came to the door and she turned her head expecting her supervisor.
She felt her heart drop at the sight of a tall man in khaki uniform. Megumi swallowed.
"Aoshi," she said weakly. "How…?"
He closed the door behind him and made his way towards her, settling in a chair next to her. "Your coworkers were determined to protect you. A man asking for a woman's location is suspicious."
"So how…?"
He answered her unspoken question. "One of the supervisors on this floor is a friend of your father's. He called him to verify who I was."
"Oh?"
He reached out to gently brush her bangs aside, placing his palm over her forehead. "I believe his words were 'If my daughter is feeling sick, let my future son-in-law see her'."
Megumi stared at him in horror. "You told my father we're getting married! When I haven't even-"
"He wanted to know my intentions," Aoshi corrected. Amusement filtered into his bluish eyes before he said, "And he was happy to hear them, but warned me that you wouldn't agree so easily."
She closed her eyes, turning away.
He was silent for a moment before saying, "You've heard my reasons on why I want to get married. I want to know why you don't."
Megumi glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "So you can counter every reason?"
"So I can understand."
At the quiet acceptance in his voice, Megumi took a deep breath. "I just…don't think I'm ready. So much has happened…"
"You said that yesterday." He nodded his head once, studying her intently. "Is that the only reason?"
"It all seems so final," she said, frowning in thought. "I had my whole life planned out…I wanted to explore more…"
"Explore what?"
"Well…it's just that I've lived on Oahu all my life. There's more to life than being on an island," Megumi said. "Getting married…changes things."
"I've never thought of marriage as a final step," he replied slowly, drawing his brows together briefly. "Just…a different part of life. When you're married…you're responsible for someone else's life, too. It isn't about you anymore."
"Parenthood's the same way."
"Yes."
"Being responsible for someone else's happiness."
"Yes."
Megumi stared at the ceiling, her eyes misting before turning to face him. "I…I haven't always lived a happy life."
"You have a family," he reminded. "Your father…your aunts…"
"I know, but…" Megumi sighed. "My aunts could never replace my mother. And for the longest time…my father and I weren't very close. He was never the same after my mother was gone. I just…I'm just afraid sometimes that…if I get too close…what I love most I'll lose…"
Aoshi lifted her hand, brushing it lightly with his lips. How could she think like that? After everything good that was in her life? She had a successful career, a loving family, friends, a beautiful home…She was more fortunate than most people.
Her fingers tightened around his. "In the time that I've known you, so much happened…You got shot in the chest…you had amnesia…" She sighed, breaking eye contact.
She was afraid of letting herself be happy because she had experienced a lot of loss?
"I…I'm just afraid of what could happen, I guess…" she said softly.
He didn't know what to say that could convince her that she shouldn't be afraid. But he knew that if she tried, she could easily get over her fears.
"To me?"
"Yes."
The hand that had been on her forehead moved down, his fingers brushing her cheek. "I think I deserve more credit. Considering what I've been through and I still survived."
"But…"
"And I left that career," he reminded.
She glanced away.
Where was the confident woman he knew? One month away couldn't have changed Megumi this much.
"No one ever really knows what will happen to them in life," Aoshi said quietly.
Megumi sighed. "Then how come you're so sure about marriage?"
A wry smile lifted his lips. "Because I know what I want."
"You really think you can tackle being a husband and a father at the same time?" she asked incredulously. Automatically, her hand moved over her belly, her eyes widening as Aoshi's hand covered hers.
"I'd like for you to give me the chance to try." Lifting a brow, he said, "Besides…you're a very independent-minded woman. It takes very little to make you happy."
"Is that so?"
"As long as I'm honest with you and never give you any reason to doubt my feelings, you seem pretty satisfied."
"Hmph." She looked away. "Well…that's going to change when we get married. A wife gets more privileges than a girlfriend."
"Of course." He hid a smile.