A few months had gone by since Christoffer's passing. Jessica adjusted rather quickly, but she could tell Ivan still struggled most days. Their last conversation was still fresh in her mind.

~~~

"Ivan... Please tell me what I can do to make you feel better. I can't stand seeing you so depressed all the time."

He gave her an almost leering look.

"I just buried my child, Jessica. Give me some time."

"I'm sorry. It just saddens me that this all happened after our wedding. I understand that it's difficult."

"You couldn't possibly understand; so don't act like you do. You don't know what it's like to lose a child."

"You're right, but, at the same time, it was surely in the back of your mind that something like this would happen at some point?"

Ivan gave her a bewildered stare, which she assumed was a cue to explain.

"I mean, kids with that severe of a condition don't necessarily thrive... They usually live to be even younger than Christoffer was..."

She trailed off as Ivan suddenly got a cold, distant look on his face.

He slammed his hands down on the table, causing Jessica to jolt. Ivan shot up out of his seat and marched into the study, leaving Jessica in a state of confusion.

~~~

That was almost three days ago. Ivan barely even looked in her direction any of those days, and was giving her the cold shoulder.

'Maybe I shouldn't have started pushing him, but I don't see what I did wrong... I was only trying to reason with him.'

Ivan was in the study, once again, avoiding any contact with her.

She figured maybe a peace offering would help. She brewed two cups of tea and prepared a light lunch for them.

She quietly walked down the hall and stood in front of the door. She stared at it for a long time, debating on whether or not she should attempt communication.

'Choose your words carefully,' she reminded herself.

"I have tea and lunch for us. Maybe we could eat together?"

No answer.

"Look, Ivan, I'm sorry about what I said. I realize it was incredibly insensitive, but I love you so much. I just want us to be happy together. That's all I've ever wanted, and I'm willing to do anything for you."

She waited a moment. Still no answer.

"Please, dear, say something. At least let me know you're okay."

A few moments later she heard shuffling. Ivan opened the door, and she tried to not let a look of pity overtake her face. He had obviously not bathed, his eyes were red and puffy, and he looked strung out.

"May I come in?"

He nodded, watching her walk through the door. She set the tea and sandwiches on the small table, taking a seat. She noticed he was just standing there gawking down at her.

"... Are you okay?"

"Yes. Yes, I am."

In a couple quick long strides he stood in front of her. He grabbed her by her arms and stood her up. He cupped her face in his hands and smothered her lips with his own. After a few moments she slightly pulled away.

"I've missed you. And I'm sorry," she said on the verge of tears.

He gave her a soft kiss on the forehead before bringing his eyes back down to her face.

"I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to distance myself, but I didn't know how to process everything. His whole life I was the only person who took care of him, and when he went I felt like I failed."

"That couldn't be farther from the truth, Ivan. You did everything you could for as long as you could. I'm sure he was very grateful to you."

He smiled at her for the first time in days.

"Now, let's have our lunch," she chirped.

They sat in their chairs and kept the conversation light. When they were finished Jessica began gathering up the dishes until Ivan placed his hands on her waist from behind. She straightened up and placed her hands over his, giving them a light squeeze.

He turned her around and hugged her tightly. She ran her hands up and down his back then settled them on his bum. She smiled up at him with mischief in her eyes as she slid her hands under the waistband of his pants and underwear, sliding them down his hips and to the middle of his thighs.

He did the same to her, pulling her shorts down her legs. She stepped out of them and jumped up, latching her legs around his waist.

He slammed her against the wall and positioned her to where he was aligned with her entrance. He lowered his head, brushing his mouth against her ear. He whispered soft praises as he slid into her. She felt burning in her stomach, forgetting the last few days even happened. He started picking up his pace, becoming frantic and erratic with his thrusts. She let out little mewls and moans, growing in volume as he took her relentlessly. With a couple of grunts, he finished inside her. She begged him not to stop, and he obliged her as long as he could. Seconds later she finished as well, holding onto him for dear life and shaking as her orgasm ripped through her. She laid her head on his shoulder as they both caught their breath.

Once they were calmed down, they kissed and pulled away from each other, slipping their clothes back on.

"Why don't we turn on a movie and have a lazy day?"

"That sounds wonderful. I think we could both use some relaxation."

She went to the shelf in the living room and picked a movie. They both sat on the couch huddled up together under a blanket. The title screen came on.

"Grønne Slagtere... Good choice."

"I thought so."

They sat through the movie, snorting together at the darkly humored story.

Jessica looked at Ivan admiringly. She was so happy things were getting back to normal.

10 months later...

A year had passed of them being married, and they had plans to celebrate tonight.

Jessica had been feeling off lately, so they agreed ordering pizza and enjoying a bottle of champagne would be perfect.

Jessica was coming back from the doctor's office and decided to stop by the small formalwear store and pick up a gift for Ivan.

She returned home and got everything ready for the evening. As she was cleaning up the kitchen she heard her phone ringing. She wasn't fast enough, however, and the call went to voicemail. As she was about to check the message, Ivan entered the house with a giant bouquet of pink roses and the champagne.

She set her phone down and helped Ivan get the roses into a vase. Ivan popped open the champagne, and the pizza arrived right on time.

"How much champagne do you want?"

"Half a flute to start, I suppose. I have a message to check on my phone, so give me a minute."

Jessica played the voicemail, and Ivan noticed a sudden shift in her mood. She had an unreadable expression, but the air was thick with tension.

"Everything okay, darling?"

She replayed the message, putting it on the speaker.

"Dette er doktor Pedersens kontor. Vi fik dine blodprøveresultater tilbage, og det viser sig, at du er gravid. Vi anbefaler, at du går til en fødselslæge om et par uger for at få et tjek. Hav en god aften og tillykke!"

The message ended, and they stared at each other for several minutes.

"Holy sh*t," they said in unison.

Ivan ran up and picked up Jessica, twirling her around and squeezing her to him tightly while slathering her face in kisses.

"Can you believe it?? It's so... Out of the blue!," Ivan nearly shouted.

"I know! I'm ecstatic, but I'm not sure how to process this... Pregnancy... Wow!"

"I... I'm so happy! We're going to be our own family!," Ivan sobbed.

"I know you'll be a fantastic father, honey. I would be lying though if I said I wasn't afraid. I don't feel like I'm completely ready."

"Don't worry, I'll teach you everything I can. Obviously I can't say much on birthing... or breastfeeding... but the entertaining and care I can help with. Oh, I can't believe I'm going to be a father again!"

"If you're happy, I'm happy," she told him with a beaming smile.

"You'll see, darling, we'll love her and raise her to be a wonderful person."

"Her? What if it's a boy?"

"I just have a feeling. And I've always wanted a daughter."

"Is it too early to pick names?"

"We can talk about that later. Let's get to the OB and make sure everything's going good first."

"You're right, you're right, let's not get too ahead of ourselves. Aw, damn," she cursed.

"What? What is it?," Ivan asked, worried.

"That means I can't have any champagne tonight," she sighed dramatically.

He laughed and put an arm around her.

"We can do a special night after the baby's born. We'll have a get-together, how about that?"

"That would be great!"

They sat in contented silence, absorbing the moment.

"Ivan?"

"Yes?"

"I'm so happy I'm having your child," she said with a warm smile.

He grinned back down at her and held her head to his chest.

"I am too, kæreste. I am too."