Chapter 68
A/N The next chapter
Henry spent a month in the hospital in Germany. He finally got his cast off and was spending a lot of time in physical therapy. He was sent back to Andrews Air Force base. He would get his therapy done and then a decision would be made by the medical board if he was fit enough to continue flying.
Since he was now stateside, he and Elizabeth talked everyday. When he wasn't in therapy, he was working and helping out in flight ops to coordinate missions still underway in Iraq. He proved to be a valuable asset and was promoted to Captain.
He was released from his deployment once the flight operations in Iraq concluded and he could not wait to return home to Virginia and the love of his life. They had a wedding to plan and he was so excited about that. He was going to pick back up his studies and work on getting his PHD.
Elizabeth was sitting in the library studying. She was weeks away from finals and then she would finally graduate. She decided to take as many summer courses as she could to get the classes and credits she needed. She was so wanting to be done with classes and all the headaches that came with it, but she was determined to graduate. Taking the previous semester off had not hurt her GPA and had even gained her some experience to help her write her papers with greater depth. She would graduate at the top of her class if she did well on her finals.
Henry wanted to surprise her with his home coming. He arranged with Isabelle to pick him up at the airport. He was going to take her on a nice relaxing mini vacation. He rented a mountain cabin with a spectacular view of the lake at Black Top mountain. He snuck into the house and unpacked and waited in the kitchen with a home cooked meal for her when she came home.
Elizabeth walked into the house and was immediately greeted with the smell of something wonderful. She dropped her bags and headed for the kitchen. She figured Isabelle had cooked and she was anxious to see what it was since she hadn't eaten since mid morning.
She walked in and surprise and joy immediately filled her from head to toe. Henry was there, leaning against the counter with a huge smile on his face.
She ran to him and wrapped her legs around his waist and immediately locked her lips on his. While he was only 2 hours away, her class schedule and his therapy and work schedule had left little time for them to see each other. They had not been together except twice in the last 6 months and it was wearing on both of them.
He smiled on her lips and pulled back to look at her. "I guess you missed me as much as I have missed you."
She lowered her legs and pulled him tight to her. She laid her head on his chest and could feel his heart racing in his chest. "What are you doing here?" she mumbled into his chest.
"My deployment is over. I am home, Baby. I have missed you so much."
She felt tears start falling from her eyes. It had been a long time since they were together everyday and she had missed it so much. Before his deployment they had spent everyday together and the separation had been hard on both of them. She was determined to make up for lost time.
"I made dinner, are you hungry?" he smirked at her. She was always hungry and enjoyed food very much.
"Starving for food and you," she chuckled to him.
"First things first, food first then the other."
She nodded in agreement and let go of him. She filled her plate and set it on the table. She retrieved a bottle of wine and filled a glass for both of them.
Dinner was a welcome affair, something as simple as enjoying a meal together. Simple things were something they both enjoyed and reveled in.
They cleared the dishes from the table and cleaned the kitchen together. They went and sat on the porch with a glass of wine to enjoy the late evening summer sunset.
"Are you really done with your deployment? You don't have to go back?" she asked him.
"I am really done. I have a year left on my enlistment, hopefully nothing will come up and I won't have to leave you again," he told her.
"Hopefully the world leaders will not act like toddlers and try to get along so I can keep you here."
"Let's talk about something a little happier. We have been engaged for a few months now and haven't even talked about our wedding. What do you think of a late spring wedding?" he asked her.
"I think that sounds like a fabulous idea. I will graduate in a few weeks and there are no training events for me coming up so I think we can make that happen. First I think we need to go upstairs and show each other how much we have missed us," she said with a sly smile on her face.
Graduation was the next day and to say she was excited for it to be here was an understatement. She had spent so much of the last few years studying, writing papers and taking exams that she was ready for it to be over. She was going to get her Masters, but was going to take a year off before she jumped into that.
She and Henry had started planning their wedding. It would be a small intimate affair with just close friends and family. They were going to get married by the lake at the farm. It held lots of great memories for them and her Dad had proposed to her Mom there so it held lots of sentiment for her. They had decided on May 16th for the date.
Will would be out of school for the summer unless he took summer classes or signed up for yet another goodwill mission. He spent any free time he had in third world or war stifled countries honing his skills to be a trauma surgeon. He and Elizabeth had a tenuous relationship. He spent every waking hour since their parents death running as far away from Virginia as he could get. Often indulging in dangerous activities from skydiving, to rock climbing all to try and escape death.
Elizabeth disapproved of his actions and when they talked which was not often she would strongly voice her concerns about his dangerous actions. He would usually end up getting mad at her and hanging up on her. They had been somewhat close before their parent's death, but he pulled away completely from her after words and it hurt her deeply. She tried to do anything to pull him back to her, even making sure she was available to help him move into his dorm when he went to college. She had done it alone and didn't want him to experience the same lonely event.
She was finally able to track him down about Christmas and he agreed to come and spend it at the farm. This would be the first time in a long time it would not be just them. Joan and Henry joining them hopefully would make the occasion more joyous for them both.
She and Henry had gone all out with decorating the inside and outside of the house. She was determined to make some new happy memories of the holidays and wanted Will to enjoy his trip home.
Henry had explained the situation to his Mom and though she was not happy he would not be there for Christmas she understood with Elizabeth in his life and soon to be his wife that compromises would have to be made. He promised her they would be there two days later and she seemed to be happy with that.
Henry was picking Will up at the airport that afternoon. Elizabeth had to work a shift in the command center so he went alone. He had only met Will once before but what he knew of him he liked. He didn't like how he made Elizabeth sad with his antics, but understood Will was just spreading his wings.
Christmas was a joyous affair. Elizabeth and Will got along and didn't have one of their usual sibling fights. Joan being there seemed to help and everyone was glad for some happy memories.
Elizabeth and Henry went to Pittsburg two days later and the holidays with his family had gone well also. Apparently his mom had a conversation with Pat and Maureen, because no snide remarks or harsh words were directed at Elizabeth. Henry was ecstatic with how the trip had gone and he hoped that telling his Mom, especially of them setting a wedding date, would further the good feelings he was feeling. He was disheartened when he had to tell her over the phone about the engagement instead of in person. She understood since he could not get away from work to let her know in person.
Henry stood and held Elizabeth's hand tightly. "Elizabeth and I wanted to tell you all that we have set a date for our wedding. May 16th, it will be at the farm in Virginia and we hope that everyone will be able to attend," he said as he smiled down at her.
Susan was overjoyed at the news and hugged them both tightly. "Of course we will all be there. We would not miss it for the world."
Pat and Shane shook his hand and Erin squeezed him so tightly she nearly made him pass out. Maureen held any disparaging remarks to herself and congratulated them both. Henry could tell the news was met with mixed emotions, but was happy the majority of his family was truly happy for them.
Susan came down the stairs the next morning and was greeted by Elizabeth sitting at the table with a cup of coffee staring off into space. She seemed to have something on her mind.
Susan cleared her throat to try and get her attention without startling her. "Sweetheart you are a hundred miles away, is something on your mind?"
Elizabeth jumped slightly and said, "No not really, just thinking about what the next few months were going to bring. Henry and I are so excited to get married. It is just that there is still a slight chance he could get deployed again and derail all of our plans."
"Well if that happens we will all just have to adjust. You may have to put your wedding off for a few months, but let's think on the positive side and hope it doesn't happen. Now is there anything you need me to help you with for the wedding. I would be more than happy to come there and help you anyway I can?" Susan told her.
Elizabeth smiled at her and stood up and hugged her. She missed her Mom so much and with her upcoming wedding it seemed to be even stronger. Susan had welcomed her with open arms and had become a mother figure to her. She had often called her to talk during the first months of Henry's deployment and they had bonded over missing him.
"I am not sure right now, but I will certainly take you up on your offer as the time gets closer. I am sure you will be the calming effect that I will need as May draws nearer. Thank you so much for your offer."
The rest of the holiday went by without an incident. January came and went and everyone was getting excited for the upcoming wedding.
Elizabeth was slammed at work due to a lot of international incidents happening. Just when it seemed everything was settling down, the UN decided to send peacekeeping troops to Yugoslavia. She knew this would not be good news for Henry. He received the call two days later to report in 8 days. The time frame for his return was up in the air.
Henry was determined not to leave without being married to Elizabeth this time. They had decided on a last minute trip to the courthouse to marry before he left 5 days later. His family was disappointed in the turn of events, but understood due to the circumstances.
Conrad had given Elizabeth time off to spend with Henry until he flew out. He himself had done 2 tours in Vietnam and knew what a hardship it was on families left behind at home.
They spent their remaining time together wrapped up in each other's arms. It was almost ruined by Elizabeth coming down with a cold the day of the wedding. Isabelle had filled her up with the strongest cold medicine she could find and still keep her coherent.
They were walking hand and hand to the tarmac at Andrews. Goodbyes were always hard, but with her feeling poorly it was impossible to keep her emotions in check. "Please be careful. I need you back in one piece and not scaring the hell out of me again," she told him with tear filled eyes.
"I am going to come back to you in one piece this time. I think the last incident was enough for a lifetime. This time I have more incentive than the last, I have a wife to return to this time," he said smiling at her.
The situation of being married had not sunk into them yet. He loved the idea of call her his wife, Mrs. Henry McCord. She loved her new name and the fact that he was legally hers even more.
Eight weeks into Henry's deployment and she still missed him, but was feeling rotten. The last three days her day was greeted with her head in the toilet throwing up everything from the day before. She was convinced it was a virus, but as the days progressed it was evident it was not. She made an appointment with her doctor to get a handle on what it was.
Shock and surprise were not even touching the emotions she was feeling walking out of her doctors office. Pregnant, seven weeks, how the hell did this happen. She was religious about taking her pills. She and Henry had discussed having a family when they were more settled and his military obligation was behind them. Turns out cold medicine and birth control pills don't interact so well and the night or two after their wedding they had made a baby.
She was in turmoil on what to do. She obviously wanted to tell Henry, but she also didn't want him worrying about her and the baby while he was flying in an active conflict zone. She had to tell someone and that someone would be Isabelle.
Elizabeth walked into the command center to begin her shift the next morning, following a morning of her head in the toilet again. She had an appointment with her OB/GYN in two days for her initial examination.
Isabelle came in around noon, happy and chipper and anxious to tell her about a guy she met the night before. Isabelle had a hard time committing to one guy and tended to jump from partner to partner to relieve her "tension" as she so delicately put it.
"So I have some news," Elizabeth said. "Yesterday I went to see my doctor and it turns out the cold medicine you filled me with to get through my wedding had an adverse effect on my birth control pills. I am seven weeks pregnant,"
Isabelle was both shocked and happy for her. She knew that once Henry returned from his deployment it would just be a matter of time before they started a family.
"Oh My God, a baby. You are pregnant?" She hugged Elizabeth as they jumped up and down. "Wait, is this good news?"
"Well it is way ahead of our timeline, but yes since I have had some time to sit with the news and digest it. I am extremely happy. I just hope Henry is just as happy too," Elizabeth said. "He gets a week's leave in 3 weeks and I am going to fly to Paris and meet him there and tell him. I just hope he doesn't figure out something is wrong when we talk on the phone between now and then. I really want to tell him in person and see his reaction."
"I am sure you can hold off until then. You are a CIA agent afterall."
"That is true, but Henry knows me better than I know myself sometimes. He can read me like a book and I have a hard time keeping things from him."
"It will be fine, just keep your conversations light and upbeat and if you want tell him about my non-existent love life. That should bore him enough to keep him off the scent," Isabelle said as she laughed.
Elizabeth was sitting in an exam room in ' office. He had been her GYN dr her whole life and had even delivered her and Will. She was nervous and a little scared.
A knock on the door and he entered. "So Miss Elizabeth, I hear we are going to have a baby. I got your test results from Dr. Peters. I am going to do an exam and since you are almost eight weeks we will do an ultrasound and determine your approximate delivery date and maybe hear the baby's heartbeat."
Elizabeth was super excited to possibly hear the heartbeat. She was not however excited about the rest of the procedures that he was going to do. Pap smears and vaginal exams were uncomfortable at best and always were embarrassing for her.
Once the exams were completed Dr. Mathis had her lie down and pull her gown up. He covered her legs and lower body with a blanket to keep her warm. Elizabeth always felt the cold more than most people and she shivered when he put the gel on her tummy. "Sorry about the cold, let's see what this baby is doing in your tummy." He tried to keep some humor in the situation since he knew first time moms tended to be very anxious.
He spread the gel around and once he reached a certain spot on her tummy, he turned the screen towards her. She saw the pulsating dot on the screen and then when he turned the volume up, she heard her child's heartbeat for the first time. Silent joyous tears streamed down her face as she listened to the thunderous, thump, thump. She had never heard a more wonderful sound.
"I understand that Henry is deployed, and could not be here today, so we will make a tape of this and you can play it for him. I will also print out some pictures for you to show him. We have the good part out of the way, so now we need to talk about keeping you and this baby healthy and safe."
"I don't know if you are aware of this or not, but your Mom had a miscarriage before you were born. It is unclear what caused it, but we want to make sure nothing happens to this baby. I want you to come see me every week for the next month. You are almost eight weeks now, in another month you will be in your second trimester and should be out of the woods. When we get to that point, we can back off the appointments and just have you in here every three weeks until your last month. I am estimating your due date late October early November. Those are just estimates, first babies have a mind of their own. They tend to not follow a timetable. Most are usually late, a few come early. We will be ready for either and I don't want you to worry. Stress is the worst thing for you and the baby. Get plenty of rest, eat right, take your vitamins and keep your blood pressure down. Do you have anymore questions?" he asked.
"I can't think of any right now except one. I am supposed to fly to Paris in three weeks to meet Henry. Can I still do that?"
"I don't see any reason why you can't. Flying is not detrimental to a pregnancy and doesn't have any effect on the baby unless you are someone who is scared to fly."
"No, I am very comfortable flying," she laughed. "I am married to a very good pilot, mind you he is a fighter pilot, but still a pilot."
Her appointment wrapped up and she left with a tape of the heartbeat, ultrasound pictures and a script for her prenatal vitamins. She could hardly wait for the next few weeks to go by to join Henry in Paris and tell him the news.
The three weeks had flown by and due to Henry being extremely busy and different time zones, they had only managed to talk to each other once. They only talked about the Paris trip and he didn't indicate he could tell something was on her mind.
Anxiety started to set in as she was on the plane flying to Paris. What would she do if Henry wasn't happy about the baby. She would not like it but she would raise the baby on her own if that is what it took. There was no way she would have an abortion or give the baby up. She shook her head trying to get the negative thoughts out of it. Her appointment the day before had gone great, she heard the heartbeat again and saw the baby on the screen. The dot had gotten bigger.
She exited the plane and headed to claim her luggage. Henry was going to meet her there. He had flown in last night and checked them into their hotel. She was not showing much yet and only had a slight bump in her tummy. She knew Henry would notice, so she decided to tell him as soon as they arrived at the hotel.
She looked up and saw him watching her walk towards her. His face was lit up with a smile and she could not contain herself any longer. She ran to him and wrapped herself around him.
He giggled at her actions and spun her around. Setting her back on her feet he placed his hands on her cheeks and kissed her with as much passion as he could contain. Her arms went around him and she kissed him back. Being separated from each other was torture for them both.
Henry pulled back from her, "Hi, my love I have missed you."
She smiled up at him, "I have missed you too. Let's grab my luggage and get out of here."
Once they arrived at the hotel, she told him she wanted to freshen up from her trip. He busied himself ordering them some room service.
She had packed a small tape player and had framed the ultrasound pictures for him. She had gotten extras so he could carry one with him if he wanted. She took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door.
"Henry, there is something that I need to tell you."
I know I know another cliffhanger, I seem to be doing that a lot with this story. LOL
