"She's being so stubborn about this," Adrian groused to Dr. Bell at his session later that afternoon. "I don't understand why it's such a big deal to postpone things for a few months."
"This is Natalie's way of dealing with the repercussions of her accident," Dr. Bell said mildly. "She's trying to hold on to normalcy. For her, changing the wedding date means conceding that something very bad happened to her."
"Something bad did happen to her," Adrian said.
"Yes, I know," Dr. Bell acknowledged. "But it's the same reason that you kept your apartment exactly the same, right down to the placement of the furniture, for so many years after Trudy died."
Adrian was silent for a few moments. "I hadn't thought about it like that," he said grudgingly. "Do you think we should keep the date as it is?"
Dr. Bell shrugged. "Regardless of how she feels emotionally, it may be in the best interest of her physical health to postpone, but that's outside of my area of expertise." He cocked his head. "If you like, Anna and I could come by so that you could discuss it with her."
"I was going to ask if she could," Adrian said with relief. "I think Natalie might listen to Dr. Hector."
"How about tonight?" he offered. "Around seven?"
"That works. Thanks."
Dr. Bell nodded. "Do I have your permission to tell her what it's regarding?"
"Of course."
He nodded again, then steepled his hands. "And how is the moving going?"
"Pretty well," Adrian said. "Leland and Randy helped me switch the beds last week. This week I've moved all my clothes and toiletries, and my cleaning supplies."
"The most important items," Dr. Bell said, hiding a smile.
"Exactly," Adrian agreed, oblivious to the humor. "I'm going to start with my books and files next."
"Are you having any trouble with the transition, in terms of your emotional state?"
Adrian considered. "Surprisingly, not really," he said, slowly. "I mostly feel… prepared to move on. It hasn't been as difficult as I thought it would be."
"You've grown tremendously over the past few months," Dr. Bell said. "In a mental health sense, that is. I think your relationship with Natalie has been very beneficial for you."
"Every day I've felt more like the man I was when Trudy was alive," Adrian said, smiling. "I'd almost forgotten how it felt to be… well… kind of normal."
"I think you handled the aftermath of Natalie's accident extremely well," Dr. Bell said. "Better than I expected, to be completely honest."
Adrian squirmed slightly, embarrassed by the compliment, but pleased as well. "You told me I had to be strong for her," he said. "I decided you were right. And Julie needed me too."
He was silent for a long moment. "Natalie once told me that having Julie was the one thing that saved her after Mitch died, because she was forced to be strong for her. I sometimes wonder if I would have managed better after Trudy's death if I'd had a child that needed me."
"It can make a difference," Dr. Bell said. "Sometimes it's easier to focus on others. It keeps us from fixating on our own grief." He leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. "Have you and Natalie talked about children?"
Adrian looked perplexed. "What do you mean?"
"Have the two of you discussed having children of your own?"
Adrian stared at him as though he'd grown a second head. "I don't… it's not possible."
"Why not?" Dr. Bell asked.
"I'm too old," Adrian said blankly.
Dr. Bell shrugged. "You may be older than the average first-time father, but plenty of men your age have fathered children."
"Natalie's not exactly young either," Adrian said. He fidgeted and twisted his hands together, clearly unnerved.
"Perhaps not, but she's still of childbearing age." Dr. Bell raised his eyebrows. "Have you been using protection?"
"I – she's – " Adrian blushed, absolutely mortified. "She takes birth control pills."
"It's something you might want to consider discussing, just to make sure you're on the same page," Dr. Bell said reasonably. "After all, contraception isn't foolproof."
"I don't – I can't – " He ran a shaky hand through his hair, trying to keep his feelings of panic contained.
"All I'm saying is that you should think about talking to her about it," Dr. Bell said gently. "It's a matter on which spouses should be in agreement, but you won't know her feelings unless you ask her." He smiled reassuringly. "We'll discuss it more in our next session, all right? Your time is up for today."
"Okay," Adrian said, sounding dazed. "I'll think about it."
"We'll see you later this evening, then."
"What did Dr. Bell say?" Natalie asked him after he'd arrived home. Sharona had helped her to the couch for the afternoon, for a change of scene.
Adrian blanched. "About what?"
She looked at him strangely. "About talking to Dr. Hector."
"Oh!" He breathed a sigh of relief. "He said they'd stop by tonight, around seven."
"That's good." She eyed him with concern. He seemed pale and distracted. "What did you think I was talking about?"
"Nothing," he said, twitching slightly.
"Are you all right?"
He saw how worried she looked, and made an effort to calm himself down. "I'm fine. Dr. Bell just gave me a lot to think about today."
"What did – " She stopped, hesitated, then offered, "I'm more than happy to listen if you feel like talking about it."
He nodded. "I know."
The sound of a car pulling into the driveway caught his attention, and he looked out the window. "Your parents are here," he said, grateful for the distraction.
Bobby and Peggy came in a few minutes later, laden with smiles and gift bags. They'd brought Natalie an abundance of items to help her during her time on bed rest – paperback novels (both the hard copy variety as well as several on CD), crossword puzzle books, DVDs, several new pajama sets with matching robes and slippers, snacks, chocolates, lotions, and an impressive stationery kit complete with monogrammed paper and envelopes, a lap desk, fancy pens, and stamps.
"You really shouldn't have," Natalie murmured, but her eyes were shining with pleasure as she looked at the array of gifts.
"Nonsense," Bobby laughed. "You of all people should know how fun it is to spoil your daughter."
She smiled sheepishly as she peered inside the gift bag of DVDs. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding… The Wedding Singer… Runaway Bride… Father of the Bride… I'm sensing a theme here."
"That was my idea," Peggy said, smiling. Natalie knew it was her mother's way of apologizing, again, for how she'd initially acted about their engagement.
Another title caught her eye. How had her mother known? "Why'd you pick When Harry Met Sally?"
"That was Julie's suggestion," her mother laughed. "She said something about it being appropriate."
Natalie grinned. That explained it. Well, now she could watch it with Adrian.
"Oooh, My Best Friend's Wedding," Sharona said, peeking into the bag as well. "I love that one."
"Speaking of, have you two made any decisions about the wedding date?" Peggy asked.
Adrian and Natalie exchanged an uneasy glance. "Not yet," Adrian said. "We're meeting with Dr. Hector tonight to discuss it further."
"Well, whatever you decide, I'll help in any way I can," Peggy said. "If you'll recall, I'm quite experienced with event planning."
Natalie's eyes lit up at this, and she looked meaningfully at Adrian. "I'd appreciate that, Mom. Thanks."
"How about some coffee?" Sharona asked cheerfully, going into the kitchen. Bobby followed her in.
"How's the patient doing?" he asked.
"Very well," she answered as she filled the coffeepot.
"Has she given you any trouble?"
Sharona grinned as she carefully poured water into the coffeemaker. "So far, she's been very cooperative," she answered. "I'll let you know if that changes."
"We really appreciate your willingness to help out, Ms. Fleming," Bobby told her. "It's a relief that Natalie's in good hands with someone she knows and trusts."
"It's Sharona," she told him, expertly measuring coffee. "And I appreciate the temporary employment. As nursing jobs go, it's pretty easy, and the pay is beyond generous." This job alone would easily fund the plane tickets and U-Haul rental she needed to retrieve her and Benjy's things in a few months.
Bobby smiled. "It's my pleasure. Well, you let me know if she needs anything, all right?"
"I will," Sharona promised, starting the coffeemaker.
