Chapter 11

Natalie was all dressed in a beautiful brown dress as she waited for Hugh to pick her up for the county dinner. She was a little nervous tonight and she didn't know why, it wasn't like it was a date, they were friends and they both knew it, maybe it was leaving Thomas for the first time. Michael and Marcie had jumped at the chance to watch him, Marcie herself was three months pregnant and they wanted to see what it was like to have a baby around, they even asked if he could spend the night with them, that upset Natalie a little because she would be alone all night, she was so use to having him home with her, it being the tow of them, but when they asked how could she say no, she had taken him and all his baby things to there house earlier.

Hugh seem to be running a few minutes late when she decided to check her makeup and how she looked again. She looked in the mirror in the foyer and looked at herself.

She was back to her old self, her weight was back to normal, it probably helped that she didn't gain much because she never felt like eating while she was pregnant, she was to depressed most of the time, to upset about life and about John leaving. She shook her head telling herself she didn't want to go down that road now, not now, now she wanted to go out to this dinner with Hugh and try and have a good time, although she would much rather be going to Rodi's for a burger it would be fun, she and Hugh got along well. She continued to look at herself in the mirror. She looked at the dress she bought today for tonight, it was a beautiful shade of brown, not to dark, and not to light of a shade, a medium tone just the right shade to not overpower her red hair. It wasn't to revealing, not to low of a neckline but it did acsensuate her enlarged breasts. Natalie tried to play them down but this was the only dress she had liked. The doorbell rang and she grabbed her shawl and her clutch purse and answered it. Of course it was Hugh and as she answered the door he looked at how beautiful she looked and couldn't form words for a few minutes.

"Natalie, you look...that dress.. Beautiful" Hugh told her as he approached her, he leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on her cheek. The kiss and his words made Natalie uncomfortable, was she giving him the wrong impression again.

"Thanks, Hugh, you remember about the friend thing right? You and I friends, good friends?" Natalie asked him

"Yeah, I remember but a guy could always dream couldn't he?" he told Natalie with a smile and then he laughed a little as if stating a joke. He took her arm and they left the carriage house.

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John ran into the angel square hotel, he saw a person he didn't recognize behind the counter and asked about Natalie living there and the person told him she didn't live there any longer. The man also told John he knew Natalie thru Roxy always talking about her but didn't have any other info on her. He ran out of the hotel and called Michael's cell phone again hoping this time he wouldn't get a voice mail, he even tried the house number a few times but it sounded like it didn't even ring and went straight to a answering machine. He drove towards Michael's and Marcie's' home to find out where Natalie could be.

Marcie had just put Thomas down in his portable crib when her cell phone rang, she knew it was Natalie again checking up on Thomas, Michael had turned the house phone and his cell phone off so the hospital didn't bother him on his day off, he and Marcie wanted to enjoy their Nephew in peace tonight. About ten minutes after Marcie had just gotten off the phone with Natalie reassuring her that Thomas was fine she heard the doorbell ring, before she could answer it Michael did. He opened the door and John rushed in with out even saying hello.

"What's going on? Where's Natalie? What's wrong?" John said a little out of breath for he felt like he was running a mile a minute. Michael was in shock and didn't quite no what to say to him then they heard Thomas cry in the crib. Marcie had already picked him up and was holding him.

John looked around at Marcie and the baby, then back at Michael, clue less he spoke.

"Mikey, I didn't think Marcie was due so soon. Congratulations" John said as he walked closer to Marcie and the baby. He looked into his little face and smiled at him as the baby continued to cry.

"He seems to have your lungs" John said joking

"No, he probably has his mom's and we're probably going to here the similarity later" Michael said and John just assumed he was talking about Marcie and he laughed a small laugh.

"I'm sorry for barging in Michael but I just got off assignment and there was a message from Natalie and then quite a few messages from you about it being urgent about Natalie. Is something wrong? Is she okay?" John said as they all continued to hear Thomas cry, Marcie had gone inside to get him a bottle but she returned to the living room when he didn't seem to want it. She couldn't sooth him and she went over to Michael, unsure how Michael was going to handle things with John and his son being so close and it was definitely not Michaels place to tell John, but how could he not. Marcie handed Thomas to Michael and went into the kitchen to put the bottle back. Michael walked closer to John with Thomas but before he got to close the doorbell rang. Michael walked with Thomas who had just quieted from crying and he answered the door.

"I'm sorry Michael, I just couldn't do it, I had to see him" Natalie said as she and Hugh started to walk into the house after Michael opened the door. John heard Natalie's voice and he came closer to the door.

Natalie reached out her arms and took Thomas from Michael while still standing in the foyer; she was unaware of John's presence in the living room watching her.

"Were you a good boy for your aunt and uncle Thomas, I missed you, mommy missed you so much Thomas, so much" Natalie looked into Thomas' face and told him as she kissed his forehead and brought him on her shoulder to hold him. She looked up from him after she put him on her shoulder and turned to Michael.

"I'm sorry, I can't spend the night without him, I couldn't even spend two hours away from him, Hugh is going to drive us home if you've got his seat" Natalie told Michael as she walked into the house more, as she walked closer to the Living room, she looked up and right into John's eye's.

John stared into her eyes and then at the baby on her shoulder, he had already figured things out when he heard her words to their son. He stood frozen and so did she was they heard Hugh speak.

"Natalie, maybe...maybe someone else should give you and Tommy a ride home" Hugh told her hinting that it was best he left and hinting she needed to talk to John.

"Mcbain can you give them a ride home?" Hugh asked John as everyone else continued to be still. John nodded and then Hugh took the baby's infant seat, he took the seat to Natalie, she bent down and put him in it and buckled him. Without words John went over and as Natalie was about to carry the seat out the door he took it out of her hands, he carried the seat to his car as she followed and as everyone else's eye's did. Natalie leaned in and buckled the seat to the car in the back, she got in the car with Thomas in the back seat and John started to drive. The only words spoken were one's asking where to go and they headed towards the carriage house. John watched Natalie sitting in the back seat next to the rear facing car seat with his son in it. Their eye's met in the mirror a few times and she would just look away when they did.

They arrived at the carriage house and Natalie un-straped the seat and John again took the seat carrying it inside the house. He took Thomas out of his seat and held him at arms distance from his face so he could look at him. He ran his finger across his soft cheek and he saw his eye's close as if it caused him to start falling asleep.

"He likes it when you feel his face, it makes him fall asleep." Natalie said as she watched him.

"What's his full name?" John asked needing to know if she gave him his name.

"Thomas Buchanan Mcbain" Natalie told him as she looked into his eyes. The two stood looking at each other for a few minutes before Natalie spoke.

"I'll go change and then we'll talk" Natalie told him as she started to walk away from him. John moved towards her and he gently put his son on his shoulder and he touched Natalie's arm before she started up the stairs. Natalie felt his touch and him being so close and she turned to look into his blue eyes.

"Natalie... I...You...look beautiful. He's...beautiful" John said as Natalie teared up. John's hand went to her face to caress her cheek and at first she let him but then she pulled back and shook her head no. She went upstairs to get comfortable.

John held his son on his shoulder as he walked back and forth around the house, he just couldn't believe it, he was a father, he had a child, a son. Natalie had his baby. She hadn't told him, he thought about that for a few minutes, did he hurt her that much when he left that she would have kept something like this from him. Would she have ever told him? He had just spent the last seven months dreaming of her, and dreaming of someday coming back to her and now to find out she was pregnant and that she had his child without him knowing, it was a bit much for him to handle, he couldn't quite wrap his brain around it, should he be mad? Should he hate her? He was confused, very confused. He just didn't know if she had any intention of telling him and then he thought about who Natalie was, the type of person she was, he even thought about his son's name, first and last. He knew she wouldn't have given him the two names that meant so much to John if she had any intentions of keeping his son from him forever. He took a seat when he saw her come down the stairs in her pajamas. He smiled inside watching her put her hair up in a ponytail, he loved her so much but he didn't see this being easy, none of it, but when it came to them what was ever easy. Natalie leaned down to John and took Thomas from his arms.

"I'm going to put him upstairs in his crib, he'll sleep now till the morning" she said as she walked back upstairs with Thomas.

John watched her walk away with their son, their son he again smiled, but this time a bright smile from ear to ear as it hit him, they produced a son, a baby from their love, their crazy, not so easy to figure out love. He was still smiling when Natalie returned and sat on the couch next to him.

"John, we need to figure out how we're going to handle this and I know you are probably mad at me but I--" Natalie was in the middle of telling John when he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. Natalie kissed him back briefly but then pulled away shaking her head no.

"No, John. I won't be going down that road again with you"