A/N: For the Richonnefics' Richonne Married Life Challenge.
Tuesday, August 23, 2016 (Day 59)
Power Outage
The downpour was sudden and blinding as Michonne drives slowly through their neighborhood in the bad weather. She pulls into the garage, glad to be home safely. The thunder and lightning is fierce as she makes her way inside, hoping Rick is not too far behind. She kicks off her heals and places her briefcase and purse on the counter, moving further into the kitchen to start dinner. She and her husband made a deal early on that whoever made it home first would be responsible for their meal. So far, it is working out well although they are both busy with their careers and work overtime more often than not.
She leaves the meat to marinate, grabs the box sticking out of her purse, and makes her way upstairs to change clothes. She dons a t-shirt and shorts and ponders the box resting on the bathroom counter. She is tempted to take the test but decides to wait for her husband instead. They should do this together.
She can hear the sound of the garage door as she makes her way back to the kitchen and smiles as her husband enters their home. "Hey."
He smiles when he sees her, accepting her light kiss. "Hey."
"How was your day?"
"The usual. You?"
"Same." She notices the Tupperware in his hands and asks, "What's this?"
"Mama sent cookies. What's for dinner?" He sets the dish aside and removes his hat and gun belt, placing them on the coat tree next to the door. Normally, he'd place the gun belt in the hallway closet but Carl isn't with them now since school has started. He'll be with his mom during the week and with them every other weekend. He is hoping to get that changed now that he is married.
"I've got a couple of steaks marinating but I kind of want to talk to you about something else first," she admits.
"Ok. Shoot."
She was preparing to tell him about the test but at that premise moment the power went off with a resounding click and whirring noise. "Oh no."
"Dang it! Just what we didn't need." He sighs and uses the light from his cell phone to find the drawer housing a flashlight and candles. He lights a few of the candles and moves into the living area to check the neighboring houses, ensuring that their outage isn't an isolated incident.
Her eyes zero in on the meat and she quickly places the pan in the refrigerator, hoping the power isn't out for too long. "Is it just us?" She speaks so he can hear her. When he answers 'no', she grabs her cell phone from her purse and dials the power company to make a report.
She joins him in the next room. "They didn't even give me an estimated time for restoration."
"Well at least the rain brought the temp down a bit." He grasps her hand and leads the way upstairs with the flashlight.
She lights a few candles in their bedroom while he is in the bathroom. The door opens and he stands there, holding the pregnancy test in his hand.
"You think you are?" He asks with a smile.
"Possibly."
"Let's find out."
Seven minutes later, they are staring at a pink plus sign and a pink negative sign. Rick holds the flashlight steady with a frown. "What does this even mean?"
Michonne shrugs her shoulders. "It means we need to go the doctor since I obviously chose a defective test." She sighs, annoyed about the test and the power outage. "Guess we can eat the last of the ice cream before it melts."
Rick lights her path as he follows closely behind. "Hey. You know it's fine even if we're not pregnant right?"
She turns to look at him, her features softening as he is always concerned about making things right for her. "I know."
They spend the next hour eating ice cream and Ms. Gladys's cookies, playing cards to pass the time. From there, they open a couple of windows in the front room and reminisce about the fun they had on their honeymoon. They are now seated outside on the covered patio, watching the steady but light rain. He finishes off a beer while she sips on some water.
"This feels better but it's still hot," she admits.
"I know."
She looks over at her shirtless husband, his shorts riding low and bunched up around his upper thighs. She licks her lips and realizes body contact is the last thing that should be on her mind. She continues to watch the rain, visualizing a nice long shower when the power is restored. She freezes with her water bottle half way to her lips as a thought materializes. She smiles. "I've got an idea."
"Yeah?"
She leads him upstairs and fills the tub with nothing but cold water. "It'll cool us off if nothing else right?"
He frowns. "I don't know." His eyebrows shoot up as she starts to undress, knowing that nothing will hinder him from being next to his beautiful and nude wife. He sets the flashlight upright on the counter alongside the candles to give them additional illumination and disrobes as well.
He waits, watching as she steps in first. She releases a deep, contented sigh and sits down with a slight chatter of her teeth and a hiss. "What are you waiting for?"
He steps in behind her, gasping as the water swallows his feet and ankles. He lowers himself slowly, finally coming to a seated position behind her. He gives himself a shake. "Ok. It just takes a little getting used to….but this is…..better."
She gives him time to get adjusted before resting her back on his chest and closing her eyes as the water laps against them. "This is definitely better. Think we could go to sleep like this?"
They both laugh then relax even more as their body temperatures come down. The house is deathly quiet with an occasional rumble of thunder, the darkness broken by sporadic sparks of lightning.
He wraps his arms around her, kisses her cheek, and wonders once again how he got so lucky. The chime of his cell phone reaches them and he sighs, hoping it isn't work calling him in. He lifts himself from the tub, dries his hands on a nearby towel and retrieves the phone from their bedroom. It was his mother. He stands in the doorway of the bathroom and activates the speaker, noting that his battery life was low of course. "Yes mother."
"Hey. The lights are out all over the county. Your daddy dusted off this generator and we've got lights. I'm doing some quick burgers so you and Michonne come on over here."
He laughs as his wife jumps out of the tub and grabs a towel.
"We'll be right there!" She yells as she rushes into their bedroom to get dressed.
"I take it you heard that?" He asks his mother.
Ms. Gladys laughs, knowing how much her daughter-in-law enjoys her cooking. "See y'all in a bit."
They ended up spending the night with Rick's parents, returning home to the comforts of electricity the next morning both going into work a little late. Before Michonne started on any case work, she was sure to schedule the next available appointment with Dr. Greene. She and Rick would find out if they are going to be parents the day after tomorrow.