While You're Making Other Plans
by Miss Shannon and Glistening Sun
8
That same night Sharon woke up to an unfamiliar feeling on her stomach. Where was Andy? She could hear his voice, but he didn't hold her the way he usually did. As sleep began to clear she realised that his voice was coming from lower down in the bed and that he was kissing and caressing her stomach. He was talking to their daughter! Her heart melted instantly - how adorable! He talked to their daughter while she was asleep! She stayed still, not wanting to interrupt the father-daughter moment and straining to hear what he was saying. It seemed that Andy had developed a whole new relationship with their daughter now that he could finally feel her movements with his own hands. Before, their baby had been something a little abstract, visible only in the growing curve of her belly and on the ultrasounds the strange Doctor Cottle performed, but now he could feel the little kicks and flutters – and their daughter had become real. Sharon's tired brain recalled that Andy had been kissing and caressing her stomach before falling asleep, too. And now he was singing! He was singing a little bedtime song to their tiny baby! Sharon was so excited, she forgot all about pretending to sleep and lovingly ran her hands through his hair and over his neck. She could hear him chuckle as he kissed her stomach again. "Daddy needs to get better at singing you to sleep, my little peach. Now we managed to wake up your mommy!" Sharon stretched lazily, inadvertently hitting Andy's nose with her stomach and it was her turn to giggle. "Seems our little peach is not quite so little anymore." Gosh, she was happy! She knew they had so much to do, so many people to break the news of their pregnancy to, she had no clothes to wear, but in this moment, she was perfectly content. "I'm glad you woke me, honey, I wouldn't have missed this for the world!"
As they were getting ready for work the next morning, Andy heard a popping sound followed by a hiss and curse from Sharon. "That's it. This afternoon I'm going to buy maternity clothes!" He couldn't understand the aggravation. He loved the idea of Sharon in maternity wear, of looking pregnant for all to see – and of finally being comfortable again. He had seen the deep red lines her trousers left on her belly and they looked painful. With a few steps he was next to her and pulled her into his arms, her trousers now sliding down her legs. His girlfriend had a wardrobe full of clothes, she loved shopping and he couldn't for the life of him figure out why she hadn't gone and gotten maternity clothes earlier. But he settled on being the supportive boyfriend. "If we don't get a case we can already start at lunchtime. Freedom for our little peach."
"And for her mother's ever growing stomach!" Sharon shot back and sighed, "until then, I'm going to fix these with some elastic."
"You could borrow a pair of my suspenders. I've got some that would match the colour of your shirt," he suggested only half joking and earned himself a slap on the chest and an early morning glare. He loved the early morning glares, unfocussed without her glasses making her look cute and utterly kissable rather than intimidating. He kissed her nose and conceded, "I agree that isn't exactly your style, sweetheart, but I for one wouldn't be able to keep my hands off you!"
If one were to ask Sharon, their joint shopping trip was a resounding disappointment while Andy considered it a pregnancy hormone related breakdown on her side. Pregnancy hormones my ass, Sharon thought, how could a man who dressed so stylishly himself and seemed to love the way she looked have such godawful taste? He brought her the most mumsy dresses that made her look nine months pregnant already. Did he want her to look huge and unappealing? "No, sweetheart, I want you to be comfortable, I don't want you to be in pain and … I don't want to hurt the little peach." With a properly fitting dress? Did that man have no taste in women's clothes? And then he made her sit down every ten minutes, kept pressing food and water onto her as if she was running a marathon. After two hours, an equal number of temper tantrums, an almost breakdown in the changing rooms of Neiman Marcus and five scared young shopping assistants, they decided to call it quits staring at each other in utter frustration. But not before Sharon threw a peach at his head and only narrowly missed did she remember that they had never once shopped together. "Andy, I love you, I really do, but you are driving me crazy. I'm calling Gavin!" And because Andy loved her, too, but mostly because she had another peach in her hand, a juicy one this time, he quickly agreed.
/
"Sharon, what a pleasure to see you! It's been absolutely ages! I was beginning to think you had forgotten your best friend!" Gavin got up from the elegant chair of their favourite French bistro and pulled his friend into a tight hug, but then he pushed her back and eyed her critically. "Although seeing you in that dress I'm beginning to think you've come to spite me. It still doesn't suit you, but it does seem to be a tighter fit than it used to be."
Sharon rolled her eyes – there had been no way Gavin wouldn't notice. "You certainly have a way to make a woman feel good about herself."
"Oh darling, I will make you feel good about yourself and the first order of day is to get you out of this dress into something more becoming!" Gavin looked at her with an excited expression on his face.
"You're going to laugh, but that's exactly what I came for."
"Now we're talking! Why would you wear this … this … this, gosh, this …" He threw his hands up in frustration at the dress, not even able to find the proper words. "This utter monstrosity!" he finally sputtered.
"Gavin, please, I need your help getting a new wardrobe for an undercover assignment." she whispered and leaned in conspiratorially.
"Now that sounds like fun!" Gavin spun her around. "What's it gonna be? Dirty, slutty, sexy, powerful? Although powerful you've already done and you're getting better at the sexy, too. Talking about that, how's that boyfriend of yours?" he pulled back her chair to help her sit down and settled back in himself.
"Oh, just peachy." Sharon laughed at her own joke. "We're still very much in love," she confided and noticed her cheeks reddening. It was true though, they were in love – and a lot more than just that. They had even forgiven each other for their little shopping disaster and that second peach had ended up where it was meant to be, in her stomach. "So, this undercover assignment is something entirely different. I need you to help me shop for maternity wear."
Gavin rolled his eyes, "Please tell me that this is a joke? Going undercover as a pregnant fifty-one-year old? Sharon, no offense, you do look a lot younger, but nobody is going to buy that story. Is the LAPD really that short staffed?"
"Geez, thank you for pointing out my ancient age, Gavin! Well, I'm glad to tell you it is a joke, but not the part you think."
He breathed a sigh of relief. "What are you going undercover as?"
"I am not going undercover," Sharon said in a measured tone, her eyes never leaving his.
"You … wait. Sharon Elisabeth O'Dwyer Raydor, are you trying to tell me that you are actually pregnant?"
"Gavin Quentin Baker III! You do not get to make fun of me, and you do not get to laugh!"
"But how?"
How her high-powered attorney friend actually managed to look lost was beyond her. How? What was wrong with all the men in her life? First Andy, then Cottle and now Gavin, too? It seemed like her son was the most mature one of the bunch! "Gavin! How would you think a woman gets pregnant? It seems like only yesterday you were telling me to get in there and enjoy … the physical aspect of my relationship with Andy."
"Darling, I said enjoy the sex, not go and get knocked up."
"In case you forgot, for those of use who are straight, there's a clear connection between the two!"
After Gavin had recovered from the initial shock, he looked at Sharon again and smiled. His best friend was pregnant. How exciting! And she did look radiant, particularly with that slight blush on her cheeks. He stretched out his arm silently asking her permission to touch her stomach. "She's not moving right now, but I'll tell you once she does. And don't you dare compare this to alien!"
"Was that the dad or the siblings?" Good, at least Gavin hadn't lost all of his perceptiveness.
"Rusty. Apparently he's even been talking to some girl at college about the possibility of his old mother being pregnant. Oh, and my older children were their jolly little selves – you know them! Of course Rusty told them right away – even though we swore him to secrecy! I don't think Ricky ever watched Jack in court, but he was all his father when he put Andy through a proper interrogation about his real intentions towards me pointing out several times that I was divorced and that at my age people didn't really become pregnant out of wedlock. Can you believe it? Ricky. Emily was very mature giving me guidance on what to eat and what to avoid and now I'm worried why she knows so much about pregnancy when the subject has never been of the slightest interest to her! But the best was Andy's daughter Nicole - because Rusty just couldn't keep his mouth shut. Well, I guess he only talked to his siblings and we've always encouraged them to be like real siblings. Thank God he hasn't yet talked to Provenza, but Nicole. Oh my! She has this weird sort of hero worship for her father now. I mean, it's wonderful for Andy but I kind of feel like we're some prize cattle and he's the bull who managed to ... uh! I love them, I really do, but those are conversations I don't want to relive anytime soon!"
Gavin couldn't stop laughing. "Darling, stop rambling. So your children know, and seem to be a mix of okay to over the moon happy. Ricky wants Andy to make you an honourable woman which, by the way, is something I wholeheartedly approve of, but I would advise to wait until you fit into a proper dress …"
"Gavin!" Sharon slammed her hand down on the table. "Please!"
"And you, my darling friend, are nothing short of a medical miracle! All's good, now let's get you some clothes to show off that baby bump of yours." He flailed his hands in excitement, "I have never ever done maternity wear, nor did I ever think I would. Sharon, this is excellent, the best challenge yet."
"See? That odd kind of excitement? You're like Nicole. I am not a challenge and we've been shopping together for at least ten years. Please get it together." Gavin rolled his eyes at his friend's suddenly very prim voice and gave her a bright smile. He knew just how to treat this funny mood of hers.
Since Sharon, always prepared as was in her nature, had already picked out a number of designer maternity wear boutiques, they were soon in their element and Gavin rose up to his self-imposed challenge. Lunchtime passed and she had the basics of her new wardrobe together. God, she was looking forward to giving her belly some space. Even her beige Armani felt too tight after all the lovely roomy dresses she had tried on. There she was, and she was enjoying it. Gavin was a nice change of pace compared to Andy. He didn't force her to sit down every five minutes, he didn't bring any of those typical maternity outfits and he teased her mercilessly about her disappearing waistline.
"You realise you won't make Godfather if you keep insulting the mother of your future goddaughter?"
"A daughter? Oh, that is wonderful. I don't even need to be her Godfather, I'll be her uncle with all the lovely clothes. Oh Sharon, imagine the fun we are going to have dressing a mini you! Gosh, you should get matching outfits."
Sharon's distaste for parents dressing their children as carbon copies of themselves was well known. She was of the opinion that children were children and should wear children's clothes, not some mini designer wear. What had the world come to if you spent hundreds of dollars on clothes the children would only wear for a couple of weeks or months? Gavin had pointed out that she had far more expensive dresses she'd worn less, but then stopped the argument because he wasn't going to talk his favourite shopping partner out of her habit.
"Cute little girly outfits it is," he appeased her and saw the content smile on her face. As strange as the situation was, his dear friend was obviously enjoying it. He had watched her all morning, the way she gently rubbed her stomach, how she admired herself in the mirror, that soft smile, that inner glow people so often talked about in pregnant women. She really had it. But he had also noticed that she was starting to tire out, rubbing her back, taking off her shoes for longer than necessary, sitting down in the changing rooms more.
"I hereby declare the morning a resounding success and am calling a timeout at Garibaldi's to plan our afternoon! Oh, and I really need to have a glass of champagne or two to celebrate your news!"
"Oh, yes, Garibaldi's – have you ever tried their peach sorbet? It's to die for!"
Why couldn't Andy be a little more like Gavin? There was no way he was hungry or needed a timeout. He was on a roll and she knew for a fact that he could have gone on for hours and hours. Gratefully, she hooked her arm into his offered one and let him carry her bags for her. A woman needed a friend like Gavin, who allowed her to rest her head against his shoulder and propped her up gently without making a show of it. A friend who noticed how heavily she was leaning into him and made sure he had her comfortably settled at their favourite table in no time at all, shooing around the waiters because he really needed a glass of champagne to relax from all the shopping.
They ate in quiet companionship, Gavin doing most of the talking while Sharon enjoyed the freedom of her new maternity dress and the tiny little kicks of her baby. Now she almost felt ready to face the team, and Taylor. With Andy by her side she was sure they would be fine.
As was their habit, their day ended at Gavin's apartment with take-out – and another change of clothes for Sharon. At the last store, Gavin had insisted she buy one more dress, a dress she found far too sexy and revealing for a woman her age and in her condition, but Gavin had stubbornly insisted on having his way for the first time all day claiming she needed something for her boyfriend, and not just the father of her child. When Andy picked her up a few hours later, she could see the flash of desire in his eyes before he pulled her in for a passionate kiss. He didn't even remember to ask whether she was well rested and had taken enough breaks. The last thing Sharon saw before Andy pulled her out of the apartment in a hurry was Gavin – winking.