Chapter 38 – Cousin Rachel's Wedding Day

February 14th Valentine's Day

"Oh god!" Susan moaned when she fluttered her eyes open. She is suffering from a slight hangover. She thought to herself. I didn't have that much to drink…?

She realised that she is snuggled up to Abby with her arm round her. In shock of her position she quickly moved away from her. Susan grimaced as she rubbed her head when she positioned to sit up.

"Suse" Abby groaned with her eye still closed "My tummy hurts"

"What?" Susan got up. She kneeled on to the bed and leaned over Abby. "Your tummy hurts? In what way? The baby, tummy bug or abdo strain?"

"I don't know Susan" Abby replied, "It feels kind of different"

"Well I'm not surprised that you feel this way after that incident with your mother"

Abby got out of bed and walked to the bathroom, holding her stomach. Susan gritted her teeth thinking the worst, hoping that her friend isn't having a threatened miscarriage or having complications.

"Do you want me to check you over?" Susan asked, watching her friend come out of the bathroom.

"Please" Abby nodded and lies back down onto the bed.

"You didn't have any bleeding when you went to the loo?" She asked

"You would have known by now if I did"

"I'm sorry, I'm in that patient-doctor mode, just habit" Susan smirked with embarrassment.

Susan rubbed her hands together to warm them up and placed them on Abby's stomach when she lifted up her t-shirt. She carefully examined the lower abdomen area.

"Does it hurt there?" Susan asked, frowning. Her firm prodding made Abby winced "Thought so…it feels tender and lumpy"

"So?" Abby rounded her lips.

Susan chuckled at the diagnosis before she has chance to tell her what's wrong. "You wouldn't believe it, you have a hernia!"

"A hernia?" Abby jerked her head up "How did I manage to strain myself that much? Surely my mom didn't cause it"

"Could be anything, you've could have had it a while and yesterday's incident could have aggravated it"

"It has just occurred to me it yesterday was Friday 13th!" Abby slapped her forehead. Both laughed at the coincidence about the superstitious day.

"I'll refer you when we get back to work, so you can get booked in for surgery after you've had the baby"

Abby commented "That'll be the end the year when I have that done"

Susan sucked in a breath and nodded in reply.

"You be gone by then…"

Susan nodded again getting up to walk into the bathroom. She is trying to avoid the subject from any confliction with her friend.

"Susan! Don't walk away" Abby shouted.

The blonde paused on the spot, dropped her shoulders and turned back to sit next to Abby.

"I want to talk"

"What is there to talk about?"

"About… if you are still going to be there to deliver the baby?"

"Of course I will still be your birth partner" Susan reassured her friend by patting her back. "I will book the time off around your estimated delivery date"

"I'm scared doing this alone, I don't know if Carter will ever come back?"

Susan shook her head "I thought you said it was 50/50 between Carter and Jake?"

"I just know its Carter… I just know"

"Well I hope so myself, He'll make a great father"

"That's if he comes back"

"Abby, he will, he wouldn't miss it for the world being part of that child's life"

"That's if it's his"

"We'll worry about that later, when we come to it" Susan smiled "Hey you are welcome to visit me with the baby, spend sometime away from Chicago"

"Yeah I'd like that" Abby's face brightened and looked at her watch "Ooh! We better get ready to go to the wedding"

The wedding processional is playing on the Church organ as Rachel makes the journey down the aisle, escorted arm in arm by her father. Her meringue looking wedding dress is in a traditional white color. Half dozen little bridesmaids wearing lemon colored fairy-like dresses follow Rachel. They are trying to keep up with her pace with their little wedding march, which is out of sequence.

"Aww aren't they cute!" Susan laughed.

"Her dress is horrible" Abby commented, in a whispering tone "I don't do dresses"

Susan smiled wryly "What did you wear when you married Richard? Shorts and T-shirts?"

"Erm… a wedding dress…" Abby replied hypocritically.

They are both sat a few rows back from Maggie. Abby chose the seats because she wanted to avoid sitting near her mother.

Rachel met Thomas at the front and they both stand before the Reverend.

"Today is the day we celebrate the love of Thomas and Rachel," The Reverend announced, giving the introduction to the marriage.

After his speech about love and god, they sang a few hymns and the Reverend started to read out the vows. Thomas repeats after him.

"I, Thomas, take you, Rachel Jane, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish till death us do part, according to God's holy law; and this is my solemn vow"

Rachel repeated the vows to Thomas.

Footsteps is heard entering the church, Susan is one of the number of people who turned their head to see who it is. The footsteps got closer to them and the sole of the shoes squeaked when it stopped behind them. A firm tapping on the shoulder startled Abby.

"Have I missed much?"

Abby gasped with her eyes widen. She recognized the voice and turned her head round. It was her brother Eric arriving late as usual. He was still tapping on her shoulder until Abby swiped his hand away with annoyance.

"Where's Mom? Is mom here? Where is she?" Eric asked.

"Shush!" Abby scolded at him.

"Am I late? I've been watching non-stop cable TV at the hotel since Tuesday Abs…"

Susan's jaw dropped and sniggered after she could not believe that Eric has been glued to the television for 4 days straight. Abby nudged her friend giving her a disapproving look.

"Hey Abs have you got Cable TV yet? You ought to have cable TV," Eric asked resting his head on Abby's shoulder, reeking of alcohol.

"For god sake Eric will you shut up!" Abby shouted in her whisper and grimaced wafting her hand to get rid of his smelly intoxicated breath. "We are in a middle of a wedding here!"

Eric sat back in his seat and put his legs up on the bench, in an unmannered way. He pulled out a pocket TV from his jacket and twiddled the knob trying to get a reception. The crackling noise distracted the nearby sitters and Susan nudged Abby and signalled her eyes at Eric.

"Will you put that away!" Abby asked when she turned to her brother.

"Hey Abs I can't get cable on this damn thing"

Abby gritted her teeth and clenched her fists in frustration. "I wish I haven't bothered coming now"

"But first I am required to ask anyone present who knows a reason why these persons may not lawfully marry, to declare it now" The Reverend asked.

Abby sank further into her seat, dreading the thought of mother might jump up and cause a scene by putting the world to rights about relationships. But no, Maggie stays put, she is stroking Bill's hand smiling like a Cheshire cat. Abby blows out a sigh of relief.

Eric stood up and jumped over the bench to the aisle and stumbled to the Bride and Groom. Everyone in the church is cursing and shaking their heads in disbelief.

"Shit!" Abby covered her eyes with her right hand and sank back in to her seat again and hid herself by snuggling up to Susan.

Before Eric could get to greet his cousin and her groom, he clumsily knocked the candle stand. Dozens of lit candles rolled along the rug, on the aisle, Eric who is laughing out loud, went after them stamping his feet to put the flames out. There were a few gasps and the Reverend started to look upset seeing that rug is now singed.

"Don't cry Rach, I know wedding days are emotional" Eric said, continuing to stamp, even though the flames are now long gone.

Rachel is merely upset at his interruption on her most important day of her life. Thomas is seething as he sees him shaking his hand with the Reverend.

"Hey I need a piss, do you know where the bathroom is? I need a piss? Pee?" Eric asked vulgarly grabbing his crotch trying to mimic the noise of urinating. "You know pssssssssssss" The church is drowned out with gasps. Abby felt so embarrassed that she wanted the ground to swallow her up and Susan is nearly in tears from the amusement.

Rachel's father yelled "Eric will you sit down!"

"Eric sweetie, do as Uncle Bob says" Maggie called from her seat. "Do as Uncle Bob says, did I mention that you do as Uncle Bob says?"

"Hi Mom, did I tell you about this new cable TV?" Eric said, walking back down the aisle heading to the doors to leave the church. He then walked back down the aisle to have another stamping session to make sure the flames are out. Abby sat up straight feeling relieved when he finally left the building. Susan tried to give her a sympathetic look.

"I thought my sister Chloe was BAD!" The blonde snorted in her whisper, wiping her watery eyes. "I shouldn't laugh really…"

The ring bearer stepped forward in front of the couple reading for the exchange of the rings. The Reverend started the blessing of the rings for the bride and groom to follow.

The groom placed the ring on the bride's fourth finger of her left hand. He holds it in place and then says: "I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage. With my body I honour you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit"

Rachel placed the ring on Thomas and says her part. When she finished her blessing and Reverend asks everyone to join in the prayer.

Now you will feel no rain for each of you will be shelter to the other

Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other.

May your life together be good and long upon the earth and may all that is beautiful and true abide in you forever

The vicar pronounces the couple husband and wife, and says that they are married in the eyes of the church. The bride and groom are then invited to kiss. Everyone gave a round of applause. The bride and groom move to one side with the best man and bride's father to sign the marriage certificate. While they do that the congregation sing a hymn. Rachel and Thomas are accompanied by the recessional music when they exit from the church. Everyone stood outside of the church throwing confetti over the bride and groom. Before they head off to the reception, they have a photograph session. Gathering all the family members together for the shoot even Abby was pushed in to be in some of the pictures!

Eric is nowhere to be seen…