On the ride back, in the Academy bus, from the off-site training, Caitlin dozed off. She was exhausted. The two days of training on top of everything that had happened just before had drained her massively. She woke up gently when the bus came to a halt and the doors opened, she looked at her watch; it was half-past six. She gathered her things and waited for the recruits to empty the bus and followed.
She talked shortly with the other instructors on the parking lot before wishing them a nice weekend. The bus started to leave revealing her car that had been hidden behind it. Leaning against the side of it's hood was Alvin. He was wearing a pair of black jeans, a white button-down shirt, black dress shoes and a light grey beanie. His mustache had been groomed and his hair cut just a tad shorter. Regardless of the past events, her heart skipped a beat as she saw him. He looked so elegant and sexy. In all honesty, she had to try really hard to refrain from smiling at him.
She walked over slowly and dropped her bags in front of the car.
Without hesitation, he took a step towards her. He had said he would fight to make things right, to get her back and that's what he was going to do. Aside from looking really tired, she looked more beautiful than ever. Her hair was up in a messy bun, revealing her beautiful face and enhancing her deep chocolate brown almond-shaped eyes. She was wearing a pair of black jeans, an off the shoulder loose white top and black boots.
"God, you're beautiful", he said as he lovingly looked at her.
"Al…".
"Before you say anything else, I want you to know that I was a jerk. And not just to you but about everything. You had every reason to be hurt and mad and to walk out on me. I'm sorry and I'd like to take you out to dinner".
Her eyes searched his. She wasn't sure what she was looking for in them. She saw a mix of emotions go through them as he looked at her. Love, regret, hope, fear and a hint of desperation.
"Please". He said gently.
"Ok", she said softly.
He smiled relieved. She watched as he grabbed her bags and put them in the trunk. He then opened the passenger door for her. Once she was settled in the car, he closed it and went around.
"How was the training", he asked as they headed down the Chicago streets, towards the West Loop.
"Good but tiring".
"I'm sure it was. Hopefully, you'll be able to rest a little bit this weekend".
They pulled up in front of Vivo and he turned off the ignition.
"Don't move", he said to her as he opened his door.
She smiled. It almost felt like a date. A date that they had never had and it felt nice.
He opened her door and helped her out of the car.
"Good Evening. Welcome to Vivo. A table for two"? asked the hostess.
"Reservation is under the name Olinsky", said Al.
The hostess looked up at him and smiled. "Of course Mr. Olinsky, right this way please".
They both followed the hostess through the main dining room and go up a flight of stairs. In a corner was a table for two in what seemed to be an old elevator shaft. It was draped with heavy curtains and surrounded by brick walls.
He pulled Caitlin's chair out for her and then sat across from her.
"You're waiter will be here shortly", said the hostess. "Have a lovely evening".
"Thank you", said Caitlin.
After she had left their side, there was an awkward silence and it made Cat uncomfortable.
"This place is lovely Al".
"Yes it is".
She was touched by what he was doing. This was definitely not the kind of restaurant he was used to, she knew that he was entirely in his element and that he was making a huge effort.
"I owe you an explanation", he said. "I said some very horrible things the other night, things I didn't mean". He paused for a moment. "I should never have implied that you couldn't understand my reaction because you had been married less time than I had. We both suffered from what happened to our marriages and I should never have undermined that. You asked me the other night, if I still loved Meredith and had you actually let me answer that question, I would have told you that I don't. Not like you think I do. I have a lot of respect for her and love her like a friend because of our past together, just like you will always love Antonio in some way and I understand and accept that, I wouldn't want you to feel any differently. But, I don't love her, not the way I love you".
Caitlin took in all that he said and she could feel her entire body shake from the inside.
"My biggest mistake was saying I love you, but never telling you how I love you. I love you like I have never loved anyone in my entire life. I'm in love with your laugh and smile and the dimples that go with it. I love the way, you look at me when you're mad or in love. The thought of being away from you, leaves me empty and without air. I love you now and I'll love you for years more. It's not something I can fight, it's not something I want to fight"!
The waiter arrived with their menus. Al kept his furtive and pleading eyes on Cat. "We're not ready", he said bluntly. The waiter frowned and left.
"Caitlin, let me love you, let me make you happy. Come home to me, please".
"Yes". She knew it wasn't a marriage proposal, even if it did sound as if it could be and it would have been a beautiful one, but that was all she could say. Yes to coming home, yes to his love.
He smiled, stood and walked over to her chair. She rose to her feet and he took her into his arms. He held her for a moment against his chest and when she pulled back and looked up at him with the love he had mentioned, he knew his heart had found it's home. He kissed her tenderly but after two days of being apart, she very quickly took over the situation and increased the intensity of her kiss to passion, desire, need. Caught in the moment, and forgetting where they were, he moved and pushed her against the wall. Her hands pulled him in closer as she felt how much he wanted her.
"I take it you're still not ready", grumbled the waiter, a bit taken aback by their making out.
Al pulled away from her, against his will and looked at the waiter. "Not only are we not ready, but we're not staying"!
He grabbed Cat's hand and lead her downstairs.
"Charge it to my credit card", he said without stopping as they passed the hostess' desk.
Alvin caressed her bare lower back a she slept. Their lovemaking had been amazing. He smiled thinking their was some sort of truth about makeup sex but in all honesty every time they had sex, it was amazing. It was mid-morning and he was starting to feel hungry. He slipped out of bed, put on some clothes and headed into the kitchen.
Caitlin woke up fifteen minutes later to soft music and the smell of pancakes. She put on a pair of underwear and grabbed his white button-down shirt from the floor and passed it on, only closing a few of the buttons.
She felt a wave of nausea hit her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When it had passed, she walked over to the kitchen. She came up behind him and put her arms around him. He grabbed her hand and kissed it before turning around.
"Morning beautiful". He kissed her. "Are you hungry"?
"I'm starving", she said.
He put the last pancake on the plate and put the plate down on the counter. He headed to the fridge to get the jam and maple syrup.
"Al"?
"Yeah babe"?
"There's something I need to tell you".
He put the jar down and looked at her. He knew what it was. He hadn't mentioned it last night, because he didn't want her to think that it had been the only reason for him to ask her to come home and fix things. And he figured that until he heard it from her, it didn't count.
"Sure. What is it"?
She took a deep breath and jumped of the ledge into the void.
"I know we never talked about it and I don't know how you're going to react or how you're going to feel about it when I tell you".
He took a serious facial expression. "Cat? You're scaring me. What's wrong"?
"I'm pregnant"!
The initial anxiety he had felt when he had come across the pregnancy test vanished, leaving only happiness and a feeling of being blessed.
"Al"?
He moved in closer to her and suddenly tears welled up in his eyes. He had lost Lexi and even though no child would ever replace her, Caitlin had just given him the most beautiful present any woman could give the man she loves. He was going to be a father again.
"You have no idea how happy this makes me. I want you to know that these are tears of happiness". He picked her up and sat her down in front of him on the kitchen counter. He took her face in his hands and kissed her.
He then smiled. "We're having a baby".
"Yes", she said smiling back, all her worries vanished. Maybe Connor had been right, sometimes you just have to jump and things turn out better than fine. "We're having a baby"!