Chapter 178
May 7th, 2022
Since Logan had had little choice but to take Loki out last night the incident where Rory had gotten pissed at him for treating her like something made of glass due to her pregnancy, when he'd eventually gotten back and cooled off a little himself from the annoyment that Rory didn't understand where he was coming from, there had been no opportunity to really solve anything, since Rory had been already fast asleep. She did always fall asleep these days very quickly once she got her legs up and her head on a pillow. And he certainly wasn't going to wake her just to experience some of her, rather entertaining but at the same time irritating, fury.
He knew this wasn't something to cause a rift between them - it was a spat, an annoyment, disagreement. Or so he hoped at least. Mostly he just hoped that by the morning things would just blow over, she'll forget so they could have a nice weekend planned. He'd been thinking of taking her to The Mill on the River perhaps, have a nice quiet, romantic, lunch. Truth be told, he was a little unimpressed with the choices they had here in Connecticut, his visit to London having reminded him well how city life offered all these options. Romantic was never just that, it also came in styles - Bala Baya, Colonel Saab, The Parlor and Clos Maggiore coming to mind for example, and most of the time without oversized plates. New York City wasn't far off, but it was still a lengthy drive, unless he wanted to fly which he generally didn't do these days trying to be a bit more conscious about it, but he wasn't that familiar with the Manhattan scene either these past few years beyond his favorites.
But as he woke up the next morning, pulled his robe on and took Loki out to the back yard, then returned upstairs for a shower, got dressed and returned downstairs again, he was still getting the silent treatment.
"Morning," he said, noting Rory wasn't acknowledging him as he walked through the kitchen door.
"Coffee?" Rory asked, but her tone was definitely still a mad one.
"Thanks, sure," Logan replied. "Hey, come on," he began stepping to her side and facing her. "You're still not mad, are you?" he asked, hoping his tone would help sooth this.
"I'm not mad," Rory said, but the body language in which she was taking bacon, slice by slice, out of it's packaging spoke otherwise. She threw the slices onto a hot pan, causing the grease to sizzle.
"Oh yeah?" Logan exclaimed, finding this a little amusing at the same time. With Em in the house there were moments when either swallowed their emotions, not wanting fight in front of her, but now her emotions were having a field day, apparently.
"I'm not mad, I'm…. annoyed," Rory huffed.
"That I didn't manhandle you? Fuck you hard enough? Well so-rry!" Logan asked, his eyebrow crooked, trying very hard not to laugh. There was a definite sexiness to this conversation on top of everything.
"Logan!" Rory groaned.
"Rory..," Logan said in a 'come on' kind of tone.
"I'm annoyed that you keep handling me like I'm made of glass… worse yet… paper… I can't even think of a good analogy!" Rory blurted, groaning from annoyment.
"I don't want to hurt you," Logan argued. What had happened that one time during the first trimester after sex had left a mark in his mind - feeling directly at blame at her bleeding wasn't a feeling he wanted to experience again. And that even despite what the doctors had said. There was such a fine line between "not too rough" and "just rough enough".
"But I know my body, I can feel when it's okay, okay?" Rory said.
"I guess… Just Jess told me about how when you were expecting Em you had a bunch of early labor scares… and I've read sex can damage those tissues, soften up the cervix and what not," Logan actually managed to give a proper explanation and show his somewhat uneven book-smarts.
"Since when do you talk about what's going on with my uterus with Jess?!" Rory asked, her eyes wide from surprise.
"He just mentioned something at dinner, when you were helping Em in the bathroom, something about late night ER visits," Logan explained. Jess had essentially just said that he should be ready for anything, which was kind of ironic that he'd use that particular statement. "It was innocent," he shrugged, or so it had seemed and for the first time he thought about whether it was possible Jess might have been playing on his new-daddy nerves to tease him. But Logan remained doubtful he'd do that.
"Yeah, but…," Rory began, thinking how to put it. "Sex can cause Bracton-Hicks, yes, but I haven't had any yet, they could be months away," Rory explained. "And sure, it can ripen the cervix for dilation, but that only happens when one is ready to pop anyways," Rory said, trying to sound more convinced than she really was. The truth was, she hadn't gone to that many classes, and just read up a little from books while expecting Em. The topic had always freaked her out so much she'd felt she couldn't really sit in a room listening to the gory details at the time.
"Okay, fine - my information is patchy, but can you really blame me for worrying? Can you blame me for wanting you two to be healthy?" Logan said, stepping even closer and caressing her small bump from the side. He also thought about the mental side of this - he knew what loss had done to her the last time.
Rory wanted to keep pouting but she was very quickly running out of things to pout about. Of course she'd known them, but she wasn't thinking entirely rational every minute of every day these days.
"I just couldn't live with myself if I caused damage…," Logan admitted, feeling a little sheepish. He knew this wasn't a masculine thing to admit, especially considering how big of a turn on this whole thing was for him in theory.
"I just want you to relax," Rory replied, storing his cheek and stubble, softening up a little herself..
"I guess I'll have to try harder," Logan shrugged, unable to hold back his cheeky smile. The word "hard" had always been a keyword for them, ever since from the start. He was very close to wanting to make it up to her, even if just with his mouth if it came to it.
"But seriously," Rory said, pulling out of her arms, desperate for her first and only cup of real coffee. "If you want… I guess we could go to some classes together, maybe?" she suggested and brought her coffee cup to the table, leaving Logan in charge of the bacon on the pan, as if it was only logical he'd take over.
Rory knew what labor was like, but then again almost nothing had gone according to the books she'd read the first time. Truthfully, she'd been thinking to herself that she'd need some assurance, some real life stories, on doing this again. A lot had changed in five years - there were newer drugs, new recommendations on infant care even - as Paris had told her, even though the basics she knew well enough, some thing being deep in her muscle memory. She wanted to focus on the goal and to go at this with more knowledge this time - more science. Knowledge had always been her armor, the only thing she felt she could do to feel less nervous about labor itself.
"You don't have to go because of me," Logan replied, already beginning to think she was suggesting this because of him.
"It wouldn't be just for you," Rory confessed a few moments later.
"Okay…" Logan said, thoughtfully, taking in her message. He turned the stove off, the bacon having gotten nice and crispy. He placed three slices on Rory's place that already held a bagel and half an apple, leaving one for himself.
"I didn't really go last time, and never with Jess. I don't want to be the one that pretends to know everything, and you'll feel like you don't know anything. Or just pick up bits and pieces and then try to appear all knowledgeable when you really have doubts. Just like with this…," Rory explained, referring to their little flight.
"Honestly…," Logan began, taking a seat opposite Rory at their breakfast table. "I'd like that," he added.
"And I am not really mad - I'm just annoyed… even at work everyone's beginning to make sure I have a chair to sit in at meetings and commenting on what I eat and drink… and coming home to you being so overly careful with me just… it just boiled over," Rory confessed. "So I'm sorry," she added.
"Hey - you're entitled to your feelings. But can you really blame me? A first time dad - I'm due some mistakes, aren't I? I'm just trying to do what's best for you and the baby," Logan said, figuring he wouldn't need to apologize.
"I know, and it makes it very hard to stay mad at you," Rory replied, and bit onto a piece of bacon.
"I thought you weren't mad, just annoyed," Logan teased, cheekily.
They spent the day browsing a couple of baby stores but not really hurrying with buying much yet, having lunch at The Mill by the River and taking a walk with Loki, giving them a chance to linger in their thoughts of a joint baby that was becoming more real by the day.
