I know what you're thinking: another Angela/Eric story, is this girl obsessed? (No, though I have the most fun writing them.) In all of my editing and reconfiguration that I've been doing since I decided Where You Least Expect It will be ending in a few chapters and be continued immediately in a sequel, I find myself with a lot of extra bits and scenes- mostly happy fluff- that don't exactly fit with new story progressions and outlines. Yet I can't bring myself to delete or disregard these little pieces. Way back when I wrote this, it was initially part of the original epilogue. With tightening up stories and sequel prepping, things had to be swapped out and/or rewritten. But there are some things- like this- that I think can stand on their own as a cute little one-shot. Hopefully you agree. :-)
As I said in the summary, this is set just prior to Little Girls, Christmas Trees, and Anniversaries. Some of the grammar and sentence structures are a little screwy because I'm trying to be fairly realistic for a wordy three year old. There are hints to some things that will happen with Eric and Angela in the upcoming sequel, but it's less spoilery than the prior one-shot.
As always, I hope you enjoy. :-) (And I promise the next chapter of Where You Least Expect It will be coming soon!)
"No, daddy, this no good. Georgia don't like it."
Eric looked across the kitchen and at his daughter. Mr. Feeny would cringe if he heard those sentences. "Yes, you do. I made it just the way you like it- creamy peanut butter and grape jelly on a hamburger bun. It's your favorite." She turned three about a month ago and had lots of opinions and likes that changed daily, sometimes hourly. Right now she loved bread crust, which is why Eric and Angela had started making her sandwiches on hamburger and hot dog buns- they looked all crust to the girl.
She pushed her plate away. "But it's wrong," she whined in a tone that indicated tears weren't far behind. "Fix it!"
Georgia was generally a bubbly, happy child whose mood was positively infectious. But when something didn't go her way she'd turn on the dramatics and meltdown until the situation was remedied. Angela was better at handling the food related battles. Georgia simply didn't fight her mother as much when it came to eating. Unfortunately, despite the lunch hour, Angela was still in bed. She hadn't been feeling well for the past few days and Eric offered to keep Georgia out of her hair this weekend so she could rest. They'd been having a blast until lunch. They went to the park, swung by the bakery to pick up blueberry muffins, cinnamon rolls, and other assorted goodies. Then they stopped by the station since Georgia loved seeing where daddy worked.
He glanced up from preparing his own lunch just in time to catch a certain someone about to send her sandwich airborne. "Georgia Felicity Matthews, what are you doing?"
Even at three she knew mama and daddy meant business when they used her middle name. She dropped the food back on the table and threw herself to the floor, using her arms to cushion her head. "Wrong!"
"What's going on?" Angela walked into the kitchen a couple minutes later and was promptly tackled at the knees by her crying child. She picked her up. "What's the matter?"
"Daddy made my sandwich broken," she choked out between sobs, burying her face in her mother's neck. "Fix it, mama!"
Eric shook his head. He'd been doing his best to ignore her tantrum. It was difficult for him not to give in and do whatever Georgia wanted, but ignoring the dramatics is what has worked best for them lately. She tended to calm down a lot faster without an audience. "There's nothing to fix. I made peanut butter and grape jelly on a hamburger bun- just like she's been eating for the past few weeks."
Angela went to the table and peeked under the top piece of bread, finding the source of Georgia's troubles. "Uh-oh, did daddy forget to put the peanut butter on top?"
"The peanut butter is on there." He watched as his wife simply picked up the offending sandwich and flipped it over. "What are you doing?"
"Georgia, look." She lightly tickled her daughter's side. "It's fixed."
She squirmed down to her chair and, like mama had just done, peeked under the top piece of bread. "All better!" She grinned before taking a big bite.
"You have to remember to use your words to tell me and daddy when you don't like something." Angela grabbed a napkin and wiped her daughter's eyes and nose. "We don't know what's wrong if you don't tell us."
"Okay, mama. I try better next time," she said between bites, her voice still shaky from her outburst.
"What was the problem," Eric questioned.
"Georgia likes the peanut butter on the top piece of bread, not the bottom."
"How does that matter? It tastes the same."
"I know that, but she's three. I don't know what difference it makes, but it does to her."
"And you knew the problem instantly?"
She laughed. "Please, you think this is the first peanut butter and jelly hysteria fit she's had? I didn't figure it out until she threw her sandwich at the wall one day and demanded I make another one."
He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sure that went over well."
"That was when I became the meanie who took away the naptime stories."
"Right, I remember that. Georgia tried to tell me all about how you stole her books."
"She took a little creative license that day." Angela leaned up to kiss him but ended up yawning in his face instead. "Sorry," she apologized, covering her mouth. "These past few days I've been such a zombie."
"Are you getting sick?" Eric put his hand to her forehead. "You don't have a fever."
"I'm just feeling kind of blah, with maybe a hint of blech."
"Maybe that bad cold Georgia and I had a couple weeks ago is finally getting you."
"I don't think that's it."
"Mama sick?"
"No, baby, I'm fine. Don't talk with food in your mouth, remember?"
"Sorry, mama," came her muffled reply, her mouth still full.
"You want me to make you something to eat? While you were sleeping the morning away we went to the park, the station, and the bakery to get those blueberry muffins you love so much."
Angela made a face and shook her head. While she didn't feel sick, the thought of eating anything at the moment was not appealing. "No, thanks. Maybe later." She walked over to the cabinet and grabbed a mug before making a beeline for the coffee pot.
"Hey, you're wearing your glasses today," he noticed.
"Yeah, about that...I need to talk to you when Georgia is taking her nap."
"Something wrong?"
"That sort of depends on your point of view. Actually, I don't know if this something is even anything to begin with. I could be overreacting."
He was trying to follow along, but failing miserably. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Eric, language."
"You don't say that word, daddy. It's not nice."
His daughter had an incredible knack for hearing everything she wasn't supposed to and then repeating it a thousand times. "You're right. I'm sorry."
Angela set her mug on the counter and saw the clock on the microwave. "Is that really the time?" The only reason she had come downstairs in the first place was because she heard the sandwich tantrum. "Excuse me."
Eric and Georgia watched her rush out of the kitchen and for the stairs.
"Mama have the pukies? We need the pink medicine."
"I'm sure she's fine," he reassured her and kissed the top of her head. "Finish your lunch and then it's time to take a nap."
"Georgia not tired."
"Then you can look at some books in your bed."
"Movie?"
"No, it's either nap or quiet time after lunch. You know that." Eric figured the second she got into bed she'd be out, but sometimes getting her there was a struggle.
"I keep Nemo quiet."
He groaned inside. If Eric never saw that little fish again it would be too soon. The only bright spot was that Nemo wasn't Elmo. Elmo on constant repeat would surely drive him mad. "Georgia, what did I say? No movie during naptime. No Nemo right now."
"You tell me a bear story?"
The Berenstain Bears books were a newer obsession for her. It was one he was hoping would eventually push that little clownfish out of her head. At least the bears had multiple stories to tell. "Yes, I'll tell you a story. Finish your lunch."
/
/
Eric entered his and Angela's room and found her lying on his side of the bed. "Georgia is taking a nap...or at least in her room looking at a book, anyway. Remind me to hide all of her Nemo books before the bedtime stories tonight." He'd received no reaction at all. "Do you think we should be worried that she keeps talking about herself in the third person? Is that normal?" Still nothing. "Then again, even if it's not normal, talking in the third person has worked out pretty well for The Rock." That earned a small smile, but that was all. "You want to tell me what's going on? Why did me pointing out your glasses send you running from the room?"
"I'm so stupid. I can't believe it didn't occur to me before this morning. I mean, I've been through this before. You'd think I would know."
She seemed to be talking to herself more than to him. "Know what?"
"Bathroom counter."
"Huh?"
"Go look on the bathroom counter."
Moments later Eric came out of the bathroom, an object in his hand and a shocked expression on his face. "You're pregnant?" He never saw the pregnancy tests Angela took when she first suspected Georgia was her way.
"It certainly looks like it."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because it honestly never crossed my mind until this morning when I tried to think back to the last time I felt this tired worn out- aside from the newborn stage. My symptoms are nearly identical to when I was pregnant with Georgia. I can't believe I didn't put it together. I'm such an idiot."
"No, you're not. You're a busy wife, mother, and writer who spends so much time taking care of her family that you forget to check in with yourself sometimes." He got into bed and lay beside her, pulling her close. "Are we happy about this? I mean, we are happy, right?" He rested his hand on her abdomen.
She couldn't believe he even had to ask. She was caught off guard, not upset. "Of course we're happy. I just can't believe I didn't..."
"That doesn't matter. At least you figured it out before our story ended up on one of those "I Didn't Know I was Pregnant" shows."
"There's a bonus." She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. She had to move and readjust almost immediately. "Sorry, I'm sore already. See, my symptoms are exactly like when I was pregnant with Georgia."
"Does that mean it's going to be another girl? Because I'd love that. A boy would be great, but I'm not one of those guys who needs a son."
"I think it's a little soon to know boy or girl." She reached for Eric's hand. "Tell me it's going to be okay."
"What are you talking about? It's going to be great. It's not like we've never talked about having more kids."
They had originally talked about trying for another baby right after they got married, but then her dad's health took a turn for the worst and all plans went on the back burner. They considered it again around Georgia's second birthday, but then her night terrors started. The thought of simultaneously dealing with a toddler's night terrors and a newborn was too daunting. So it had remained just the three of them. And they were happy.
"I just worry about Georgia. She's had our undivided attention for three years. How is she going to feel about having to share us? I know we try not to spoil her, but she's been the center of our universe from the day she was born…before that even. I don't want her to feel left out or like she's been replaced. Babies are needy little things, remember? Burping, feeding, changing, rocking, crying, spitting up, teething..."
"I've blocked out the teething stages," he said, shivering at the memory.
"That part definitely sucked. And how long was it before we got a full night's sleep?"
"I don't think we do even now. Now we're on night terror alert. Oh, god, what if this one gets night terrors, too?" The very thought of it made him want to curl up in the fetal position and weep.
"Then the one bright side is we'll know what to do and how to handle it." She gave him a gentle kiss. "Remember those first few weeks after Georgia was born and all we had to do was touch her palm and she'd squeeze our fingers tight."
He smiled. "Or the way she'd curl herself up into a ball on our chests and cling to the collars on our shirts to take a nap?"
"And those sleepy smiles and hugs she'd give us when we went to get her out of the crib first thing in the morning? Actually, we still get those same smiles and hugs when she wakes up and climbs into bed with us." Angela laughed quietly to herself. "We have to face it. We are just no good at planning the big moments in our lives."
Getting together and their early relationship, having Georgia so quickly, their engagement-or at least the proposal…nothing ever went the way they imagined it. Not that that was a bad thing. The best things in their lives came to them unexpectedly. The one exception was their wedding. That day was everything they envisioned and went off without a hitch. It was the events in the weeks that followed that took the wind out of their sails.
"Would we even be here having this conversation if our lives went according to how we planned?"
"Probably not."
"See, spontaneity is our strong suit. But if it makes you feel better we can plan the next kid."
"I'm sorry, the next kid?"
"Yeah, sure."
"How about you let me get through this pregnancy before you make any decisions for number three, okay?"
"Sounds like a plan. One thing is working out the way you hoped it would though."
"What's that?"
"You said if you were ever pregnant again you wanted the baby out no later than June so you wouldn't have to deal with the hot summers the way you did when Georgia was on her way. I'm not too good with math that isn't weather related, but since June is practically nine months away you'd have to have the baby before then, right?"
"If my hurried calculations of when the event in question took place are correct, then yes, we're looking at an April or May due date."
"The event in…oh. So, tell me, who started things at this particular event?"
She rolled her eyes yet at the same time failed to suppress her smile. They were equal opportunity when it came to who got things started in the bedroom…or wherever. So long as Georgia was sleeping or otherwise safely occupied and they weren't exhausted, it was all systems go. "Me."
"I'm sorry, could you speak up a little," he asked, leaning closer. "I couldn't quite hear you."
Angela was laughing by now. Eric was always happy to initiate things, but from the very beginning of their relationship she couldn't help but notice that he got an extra thrill when she was the aggressor. "Me, I made the first move!"
"Ha-ha!" He raised his arms in celebration. "You just can't help it that you want me. It's a miracle you ever let me leave the house."
"Don't flatter yourself. I wasn't about to let you just walk off with the last piece of Georgia's birthday cake. There were three types of chocolate in there."
"This happened that night with birthday cake," he asked with a grin, once again laying his hand across her stomach.
"I think so."
"Yeah, that was a fun night. I wonder if-"
They both looked towards the door when they heard little knocks. "Come in, Georgia." Their daughter opened the door, not dressed in what she had been wearing just a little while ago. She was now in her dress-up scrubs, little white doctor's coat, and had her toy stethoscope around her neck. She also had a teddy bear and one of Angela's old purses that she claimed for her doctor bag. "What are you doing? Daddy said you were taking a nap."
"I not sleepy." She carried her things over and set them at the foot of the bed. "Mama sick?"
"I'm okay, baby. I'm just tired. Mama needs a nap."
"You need a doctor?"
Angela suddenly understood the outfit change- only now realizing her toddler's shirt was on backwards and her pants inside out. If anything that made it even more adorable. "You want to give me a check-up?"
She nodded. "Georgia make mama better."
She tried not to cry at how sweet her daughter was being, knowing that would only cause confusion. "Okay." She sat up and let Eric help rearrange her pillows. "I'm ready when you are, Dr. Georgia."
The toddler rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. "Dr. Matthews, mama."
Angela did her best not to laugh- Georgia's pronunciation of Maffews was just too cute. At the same time she wondered when her sweet little girl mastered the eye roll and sighing skills of a teenager. Perhaps she was spending too much time with her Uncle Josh. "Oops, I'm sorry, Dr. Matthews."
She handed a baseball cap over to her father. "Daddy, you be my nurse."
Eric tried to balance the toddler-sized pink Phillies cap on his head. "Okay, doctor. What first?"
She held out her arms. Mama and daddy's bed was still a little high for her. "Help me up."
"Help you up, what?"
"Up on the bed."
"I know, but what do you say when you ask someone for something?"
"Oh. Help me up on the bed, peas."
It would be a sad day when she learned how to pronounce everything correctly. He bent down and lifted her up onto the bed. "There you go."
Georgia crawled over to where her supplies were and dragged them closer. "Mama need a buddy?"
"Is that why you brought Grizzly? Sure, I could use a buddy." Angela accepted the stuffed animal her father had long ago bought for his granddaughter, a bear she recently decided to name Grizzly. Grizzly went with to doctors' appointments and was checked over before Georgia, especially before any shots we given. She cuddled the bear tight. "I'm ready when you are, Dr. Matthews."
A few minutes later the little doctor had finally grown tired of checking reflexes in knees and elbows, for which her patient was grateful. Doing the exaggerated movements that brought the smiles and giggles was getting tiresome. She winced slightly when Georgia climbed into her lap and roughly moved the stethoscope around her torso.
Eric caught the look. "Careful, Georgia, be gentle with mama."
Angela waved him off. "So, doctor, how does my heart sound?"
"Like bum-bum, bum-bum, bum-bum. Is that good, daddy?"
"It sounds good to me. What should we do next, doctor?"
"Um…" She dug through her bag until she found what she wanted. "I check your mouth. Say ahh." Georgia scrunched up her face. "Mama, you stink like coffee."
Oh, to have the luxury of blurting out whatever was on your mind, like that of a young child. "What are you checking next? I think we're almost done."
"I look at your eyes and ears and nose."
Maybe they weren't almost done, not when there were still facial features to inspect. "Ouch," Angela hissed a couple minutes later. "Georgia, just look at my eyes. Don't touch them."
"Sorry."
"I think that's it for mama's checkup," Eric chimed in. "She looks tired."
"But she needs the get better shot!"
"Okay, you can give the shot but then that's it." He handed over the toy syringe.
"Ready, mama?"
"I'm ready."
"Might pinch a little. Hug Grizzly tight."
"Wow, I didn't feel anything. You are an amazing doctor and Grizzly is a good buddy."
"What about daddy?"
"Daddy is an excellent nurse. You both are taking very good care of me. Thank you."
"So, Dr. Matthews, what do you think our patient needs to do to feel better?"
"Ummm…." She tapped her chin with her index finger. "A nap! Mama needs a nap."
Angela thought she seemed a little too enthusiastic about sending someone else to bed. "Anything else?"
"When you wake up you eat a boo-berry muffin me and daddy buy you and then you can have movie time."
"Ooh, I get movie time?"
"Only if you take your nap."
This conversation was starting to sound very familiar. "And what movie do you want me to watch?" As if she didn't already know.
"Nemo."
She covered her mouth in order to hide her giggled at the look on Eric's face. "Let's give Nemo a rest today. We have so many movies other movies that we can watch."
"What about Toy Story," he suggested.
Angela shot that down immediately, knowing she wouldn't be able to sit through it without bawling. At least she's developed enough tolerance to the dumb fish that even pregnancy hormones couldn't touch. "We can pick a movie later. First we nap."
"Mama take a nap. Not Georgia."
"It's still your naptime, little miss."
"But I'm the doctor," she insisted at the same time she rubbed her eyes.
"I'm still the mama. And mama says even doctors need naps."
"I can nap with you in the big bed?"
She wrapped her arms around her daughter, hugging her tight. Soon enough she'd have to share napping with mama. "Yes, you can nap with me."
"Do daddies nap?"
"Yes, daddies can nap, too."
"Can he tell a story, first?"
"That's up to daddy."
Georgia bounced from one parent to the other. "Daddy," she said through giggles. He had caught her mid-bounce.
"Yes?"
She wrapped her arms around his neck. "You peas tell me and mama a story?"
"What story? Remember, no Nemo," He quickly added. "Nemo needs a break." He kissed her cheek. "But I'll read any other book you want."
"More bear stories?"
"Sure, I'll even read you two bear stories."
"I go get books and Baby Erica."
Eric lowered her to the floor and watched her run from the room. "I would kill for her energy." he said, lying back against the pillows. When he looked over at Angela he was confused by her sad expression. "What's wrong?"
She shook her head. "Nothing, it's just…everything is going to change, not just for Georgia, but for all of us."
"Yeah, but it's good change."
"I know, but is she still going to want to do this? Is she going to get dressed up and take care of me when she thinks I need it? She's not going to resent us for bringing home a crying baby, is she?"
"They will be an adjustment period, but she'll be fine. Georgia will be about the age I was when Cory was born."
"Is that supposed to be comforting or a threat?"
"Very funny." He leaned down and kissed her gently. "Maybe we should tell her now and try to…"
"Are you insane?"
"Apparently."
"Georgia has no concept of how far away dinner is tonight. Do you really think she'd be able to grasp the idea of a whole new person coming to live with her in seven or eight months?"
"Probably not."
"Besides, I haven't even been to the doctor yet. Assuming Dr. Ramirez confirms it and says everything looks good we do nothing until at least the second trimester. After that…we play it by ear."
"Okay." When Georgia came back into the room it was obvious she had more than two books. Eric sat up and accepted the small stack. "Did you forget I was only going to read two?"
"I bring all my bear books. You pick."
A little while later- after pit stops in the bathroom and a certain someone's attempts to play and splash in the sink- the current family of three was cuddled in bed. Was there a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon? Angela didn't think so. She knew for all of her protests that Georgia would be out before Eric got to the third page. There was a lot of yawning and eye rubbing coming from the girl curled into her right side. "Okay, daddy, which book first?"
Eric flipped through the books until one caught his eye. "Ah, this one is perfect: The Berenstain Bears' New Baby. This must be when they get Sister Bear."
"Where do they get her, daddy? Do they buy her at the store?"
"No, she came out of her mama's tummy just like you were in your mama's tummy," he answered nonchalantly. "Okay, so…"
"But how did she get in her Mama Bear's tummy?"
Angela sighed and glared at her husband. He was panicked and his expression practically screamed for her to be the one to answer. "Well, daddy? We're waiting."