Six Months Later…
Gi insisted on throwing a baby shower, even though Linka hated the idea of having so much attention placed on her. She only relented when Gi promised that it would only be her family and Wheeler's closest family members. The plan was to have them all flown in to spend a few days relaxing on the beach and a few hours of one of those days would be spent "showering" Linka with gifts for her baby.
Wheeler knocks on the door of their newly adjoined living space and waits for her to open her door. Despite their closeness in proximity, their relationship has remained on hold. Wheeler would even venture to say Linka has become rather distant. She has reached the stage of pregnancy where she thinks she's ugly. Nothing fits her right. She cannot get comfortable in any position she tries to sleep in, and it has made sharing a bed while sleeping become impossible. He's refrained from touching her, as much as he'd like to. He'd love to be able to reach out and caress her baby bump, but he'll only do so when she says the baby is moving and asks him if he'd like to feel it. He's starting to feel less like a father and more like the sperm donor he was originally asked to be. He hopes that will all change once the baby is born and she is less cautious about where being affectionate may lead. He thinks she's apprehensive because they allowed themselves to lose control once when they let their feelings take over. He worries that she doesn't trust him.
"You ready to get this show on the road?"
"I am sorry Gi is making you participate too. Usually these are just meant for women to suffer through, but since the male members of our families are here, she wants everyone to be included."
"It's fine. I love getting presents…even if these are for the baby, I still get to tear into the wrapping paper!" He jokes.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but Gi requested that gifts be left unwrapped so as to not waste paper."
"Of course. How un-Planeteer of me to think it would be done otherwise!" He pulls a face with a look of feigned guilt. "Shall we?"
He begins to usher her towards the door, but she stops.
"Wheeler, wait…We still have some time."
"Sure, it's not like they can start without you."
"Things have been different between us. More than what either one of us expected, I think."
She's noticed that he does not do "the little things" that they had agreed were ok. He hardly touches her at all lately. She knows her current state at almost eight months has left her less attractive than she was a few months ago though, so she does not blame him for not finding her desirable. Once he offered to sleep in his own bed, she knew they were on a path of returning to "just friends" and she's done her best to accept it. She doesn't want Wheeler to feel obligated to continue the journey with her. He'd originally done this with the understanding that she only needed a donor and wanted someone who was not a stranger. He fulfilled that role for her. If he wants to go back to being just that, she will not hold it against him.
"I know this is a lot to handle...and I want you to know that I will not hold you to what you said earlier...months ago...it seems like it was so long ago, a different lifetime even, and yet, it seems like it was only yesterday...but if you have changed your mind..."
"Uhh, it's a little too late for that Babe...I've already...uh, made my 'contribution.'"
She shakes her head and laughs.
"Nyet, that is not what I mean...I mean your involvement...if you have changed your mind...if this is...too much for you..."
"You mean, if I only wanna be 'Uncle Wheeler' and only see them every few weekends...or if you gimme a call to let me know they've got a baseball game that night...or a spelling bee, in case I wanna be there to cheer them on?"
"Well...da. I want you to know how much I appreciate everything you have done for me but...I do not want you to feel...obligated."
"Babe, I OFFERED to help you get pregnant."
"Da, and that did not work...and then...things got carried away and we...you know."
"Yeah, I remember," he recalls with a smile.
"We thought that was it for me...that the invitro was my last option...and then we...made love…and that was wonderful. I was happy...happier than I thought I could be. Until I started overthinking things and ruined it. I hurt you when you were already hurting. I will never forgive myself for that."
"You don't need to keep beating yourself up over it. We worked it out. I forgive you and we're in a good place. We got closer than we've ever been. Our friendship is stronger than ever, and we have a bond that can never be broken."
"Despite the bad news we got the day that the invitro did not work, I forgot everything the moment we made love. I had no right to be as happy as I was, given the life changing news I had just been given. Being with you, I was the happiest I have ever been. Until I found out that the impossible had happened and I discovered a whole new level of happiness. A miracle," she says as she rubs her growing belly.
"OUR miracle," he says, placing his hands over hers. "Babe, I can't even begin to describe how happy I am for you. And I gotta admit, I'm feelin' a little proud of myself...I mean, my guys got the job done! We did what no doctor could! I don't wanna back out of the promise that I made to you. I don't wanna be a part time father. I wanna be a dad. I don't just wanna show up at a ball game...I wanna be his coach. I don't wanna meet you at the field. I wanna be the one driving us all there. And when we come home after he throws a perfect game to win the league championship, I wanna be there tucking him in with you, telling him how proud I am of him...and even if his team never wins a single game, I'd still be proud to be his dad. And then, after he fell asleep, we'd go downstairs, and I'd watch TV while you read something. After a few hours, we'd go up to bed, fall asleep watching one of the late-night talk shows...or NOT sleep. And I'd kiss you 'goodnight.' You'd be the last thing I saw every night, and the first thing I saw every morning...and then I'd kiss you 'good morning.'"
He demonstrates by holding her face in his hands and leaning in to kiss her tenderly.
"Is that ok with you?"
"Da...that sounds perfect."
"Yeah, it will be...which is exactly why I don't want to miss a single second of it. I don't know what changed in the last few months, but I don't like the distance that's grown between us. If you've changed your mind…I'll do whatever I need to do to prove to you that I'm still gonna be the best damn dad. I wanna be on this journey from beginning to end...except I don't want it to ever end."
He slides his hands down her arms until he reaches her hands and laces his fingers in hers. He gets down on one knee and looks up at her.
Her eyes widen as she gasps.
"Wheeler?!"
"So...do ya wanna?"
"Are you..."
"Proposing? Yes, I am."
"I was going to say 'crazy!'"
"Yeah, that too. Crazy about you." He pulls out the ring box that he's been carrying in his pocket and takes out his Grandma's ring. "You put this on once as a prop to make the fertility doctor think we were a couple planning a future. I thought about how perfectly it fit and looked so right on you, and I wondered what it would be like to put it on your finger for real. All I need is an answer."
"And I am still waiting for a question."
"Angelina Nicolaevna Kovaleva…can we please name our child something with less syllables?"
Not the question she had in mind, she pulls her hand out of his and crosses her arms over her chest.
"Keep it up, and you will have no say in the name!"
"Ok, ok!" He takes her hand again, pulls it back down, and slides the ring onto her finger, a little snugger than it had been previously due to her swelling. "Angelina Nicolaevna Kovaleva, I love you so much. I've thought about this moment since the day we met. Will you marry me?"
"When we were pretending to be an engaged couple during the procedure, you told me you loved me. I said it back, but then thought perhaps you were just playing the part, so I said, 'I cannot wait to be your wife.' I know now that you meant what you said, just as I did when I said it back. And now, I can once again say, 'I cannot wait to be your wife.'"
"I'm still waiting for an answer," he teases, using almost the same words she just used against him a minute ago.
"I just told you! Da," she replies, her eyes filling with happy tears as she pulls him up. "Yes. Of course I will marry you."
He holds her face in his hands and brings their lips together. When they finally break apart, she pulls back and says,
"And you kept saying 'he' when talking about the baby. I hope you are prepared for the possibility of a girl."
"Not at all. If she's as beautiful as her mother, I'm gonna have a hard time keeping all the unworthy boys away. Or are you holding out on me like you did when you first found out you were pregnant? Do you know we're having a girl?"
"Nyet, I do not know. I want to be surprised, just as we discussed. I was wondering if perhaps you conned the doctor into telling you since you kept saying 'he.'"
"Nope. Just randomly picked it. I'll be thrilled either way. And who knows, maybe my super swimmers will succeed again, and we'll get a second one."
She laughs at his choice of words, but is sad that she does not have the confidence that he does.
"Maybe…and if not, we can adopt and provide a wonderful life to another baby boy or girl."
"I'd like that just as much," he bends to kiss her.
"So, are we gonna start the shower with the happy news of the engagement or end it that way? Tell them they all need to come back later for a bridal shower!"
"I think since we are doing this whole process backwards, we should not expect them to throw us a bridal shower as well."
"True."
"Someone will likely notice the ring when I am front and center receiving the gifts, so I think we should be the ones to make the announcement before we get started."
"Agreed."
"Let us go then."
Linka starts off by addressing their family and friends.
"Jason and I would like to thank you all for being here to celebrate with us. To Gi, Kwame, and Ma-Ti for preparing the food, to Gaia for allowing us to host our families on her island, and for Katie and Jason for providing 'taxi' service and bringing you all here from New York and Russia. We know that our story is unusual, and we appreciate your understanding and not judging us for the unconventional way we are doing this whole 'family starting' process."
Wheeler picks up where she left off.
"By now, you all know the story, but I never get tired of telling it. We started as friends on a trip to see the world…a break from life as Planeteers and social media. Linka shared a secret with me that no one but her family had ever known. She couldn't have kids and because of that, she was reluctant to ever be in a relationship. I'd been in love with her since the day I met her, so nothing she could've told me would've changed that, but now I finally understood why she'd been able to resist my charms all these years," he pauses while everyone laughs. "So if the only thing keeping us apart was that, I became determined to find the treatment needed to make it happen…and I mean anything. From actual doctors, to 'miracle cure' water in Lourdes France, to asking the Norse goddess of fertility to help while on a trip to Sweden. I was desperate to make this happen for Linka…and for me. I'm not gonna pretend that I was doing this selflessly. I don't know what worked in the end, but all that matters is that it did."
"My money is on the water," Wheeler's grandfather Don speaks up. "I was trying to find the right time to share this news with everyone…but since Jason and Linka came to visit us earlier this year, they had arranged to have their 'miracle water' shipped to our place. Betty seemed to be having more 'good days' than bad. Even her doctor couldn't explain it, so he ordered a brain scan. It turns out that her memory problems and confusion had been a series of small strokes she had been having. He now believes that there was a small blood clot that had grown over time and was moving."
"Dad! Why didn't you tell me?!" Wheeler's mom, Kathy asks.
Betty answers,
"We weren't sure if I'd need surgery and didn't want to worry you. The doctor put me on blood thinners to see if that helped dissolve it so I can avoid surgery. I went for a checkup before coming here to make sure it was ok to travel, and he said the clot is gone. It was never Alzheimer's."
"That's awesome!" Wheeler exclaims, moving to hug his grandma, while everyone else chatters amongst themselves about how great that is. Linka joins him in hugging his grandparents. "How about that, Babe?"
"That is wonderful news. I think that announcement makes ours even more special."
The attention is back on the couple. Linka folds her hands over her belly and strategically covers the newly placed diamond ring.
"When Wheeler and I were visiting his grandparents, Don had given him Betty's engagement ring to take with him while Wheeler and I were staying at his Uncle Bill and Aunt Sharon's cabin. Don thought we were going on a romantic getaway, but in reality, we had just found out that the fertility doctor that I had been seeing in New York was able to harvest two viable eggs and successfully fertilized them. We were at the cabin to get away for a while after the insemination period. Not quite the way Don had planned it, Wheeler had given me the ring to wear during the procedure to complete our 'engaged couple' act. I kept it on the rest of our time there…until I found out that the procedure did not work. I was devastated. We both were and found comfort in each other. There was only one other person in the world who knew what I was going through. The only man I had ever loved…the only one who could comfort me…I will not get into the details, but obviously, we all know how things ended," she laughs uncomfortably as she rubs her rounded belly. "At the time though, I thought I was back to where I had started…unable to have a child and unwilling to put that burden on anyone else. Not thinking clearly, I took off the ring that I had so badly wished had been a real symbol of our future together and I left."
She starts to choke up and Wheeler puts his arm around her.
"It's ok, Babe. That's all in the past."
"Babushka and Mishka knew what I was doing was wrong and were not shy about telling me. I could not tell my friends because they did not know what I was going through, and I was not ready to tell them. Fortunately, my brother is dating someone out of his league, and who happens to also be a therapist specializing in relationships. I spent a month in Russia pouring my feelings out to her…something I have a hard time doing with anyone. She probably wanted to slap some sense into me on multiple occasions, but she is really good at her job and let me come to the realization that I was wrong on my own. Before I had the chance to admit that to Wheeler and ask for him to forgive me, I had another realization…I asked Wheeler to come to Russia and that is when my pregnancy was confirmed, and our lives changed forever."
"Obviously, I was thrilled for Linka…and me. This is the girl I've been picturing myself with since I was 16. Literally dreamed of having a family with…just one thing was missing, but not anymore." He takes her hand and holds it up. "My Gram's ring is back where it belongs."
The group gasps and clamors with excitement at the news. The girls all rush to Linka to see the ring while the guys congratulate Wheeler.
"What took you so long?" His dad, Joe teases.
"I'd have done this years ago, but all that matters now is that it's happening. I'd marry her today if one of you were a priest."
"Would a judge do?" His Aunt Sharon asks.
"Sure, but we don't exactly have one of those available either," Wheeler points out.
His aunt and uncle share a look and his Uncle Bill speaks up,
"Actually…I didn't want to seem like I was trying to take any focus from you two and your special day with the baby shower and now engagement announcement, but if you really want to get married, I got my judgeship last week. Moving up from lawyer."
"That's great news. Congratulations to you!"
"Soooo, wedding?" Uncle Bill asks.
"Babe?"
"Our family and friends are all here…and it would be nice to be married before the baby gets here."
"So, yes?"
"Da!"
More cheers and congratulations from the crowd.
"Let us continue with the baby shower luncheon and then later this evening, a wedding on the beach," Linka suggests.
"Sounds perfect…but I'd marry you anywhere. Beach, courthouse, church, landfill…doesn't matter as long as it means I get to spend the rest of my life with you."
"From a baby shower in the afternoon to a wedding later this evening…you two sure know how to party!" Gi says.
The afternoon continues with Wheeler and Linka getting all the supplies they could possibly need for a baby…for now.
Once they have everything moved into the nursery, Gi shoves Wheeler into his side of the building.
"You go get ready. We'll get Linka ready to meet you at the imaginary altar. No seeing each other until then!"
"Don't you need rings to get married?" Wheeler's cousin Joey asks.
Wheeler and Linka both look at their hands and the rings that they bought in Sweden.
"Got 'em," Wheeler says, handing his over to Joey. "I know you're a bit old for it, but will you be my ring bearer?"
"Totally!"
Linka hands hers over to Joey as well.
"Keep those somewhere safe for the next few hours, alright bud?" Wheeler instructs.
"No problem."
And so, the crowd separates into groups.
Linka asks Gi, Yana, and Katie to be her bridesmaids, while Wheeler has Kwame, Ma-Ti, Jason, and Mishka as his groomsmen.
Kathy, Betty, Wheeler's Aunt Sharon, and Linka's Babushka get to work on making a dinner worthy of a wedding as well as a cake.
Since Wheeler doesn't require nearly as much fuss getting dressed as his bride does, his groomsmen help Joe, Don, Uncle Bill, and Joey set up chairs on the beach and gather flowers for Linka and her bridesmaids. They do their best to decorate and do a good job utilizing what the island provides. Uncle Bill makes some phone calls to get the appropriate paperwork sent over for the marriage license.
Linka has a maternity dress that is ivory with light blue trim.
"I guess this is my something new and my something blue," she jokes.
"And the engagement ring is something old," Gi adds.
"Now you just need something borrowed," Yana says.
"I had no idea when I woke up today that all of this would be happening!" Linka gushes. "Engaged and married within a matter of hours."
"The power of wind was appropriate for you. You're quite the whirlwind," Gi laughs.
"That's it!" Katie exclaims. She takes off the wind ring. "You and Wheeler should be married wearing your power rings since the Planeteers brought you together. Something borrowed. I'll tell my Jason to give his ring back to your Jason for the ceremony."
"Your Jason?" Linka asks. "Is that official then?"
The younger Planeteer blushes.
"When you know, you know," she shrugs.
"I am glad you are not wasting time like I did," Linka says sadly.
"Hey, you had your reasons," Gi consoles her. "None of us had any idea what you were going through. All that matters is it all worked out. Everything is as it should be."
"Da."
There's a knock on the door so Yana goes to answer it, opening it slowly to make sure it's not Wheeler trying to get a sneak peek. When she sees it's Mishka, she lets him in.
"Bouquets for the bride and bridesmaids," he says as he passes out the flowers. "And this…not a veil, but I made you a crown of flowers."
"It is beautiful," Linka says, getting up to hug her brother. She puts it on and checks herself in the mirror. "How does it look?"
"Even more beautiful now that it is on you," he says.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" She teases, not used to not exchanging barbs with her big brother.
"Just for today…do not get used to it," he says with a wink. "Things are ready out there. The food that is cooking smells delicious and should be ready by the time the ceremony is over. The guys have all gone back to their cabins to get ready. I am on my way to take a quick shower. Once you and the girls are ready, the wedding can begin."
"We are almost done here. If you see Babushka, can you tell her to come see me?"
He nods and leaves.
A few minutes later, there is another knock at the door. Once again checking to make sure it isn't Wheeler, Yana lets Linka's grandma enter.
"Your brother said you wanted to see me. Is everything ok, Dear?"
"Never better…I have my bridesmaids, a ring bearer, a groom…but…will you give me away?"
"Of course!" Her eyes well with tears of joy, as do Linka's. "Although I do not see it as giving you away. I see it as gaining a grandson."
"That is absolutely what it is!" Linka says, rising to hug her grandma.
"I'm going to go tell Jason to give the fire ring to Wheeler and then see if everyone is ready," Katie says.
Yana is the next to excuse herself.
"I am going to see if Mishka is dressed appropriately. We were not expecting a wedding when we packed. Hopefully one of the guys let him borrow something just as you and Gi have let me raid your closets for a dress."
"I'll go with you," Gi says. "If they haven't, I'll see if any of them have something for him."
This leaves Linka alone with her grandmother. Gram stands behind her as they look at each other in the mirror and smile.
"I remember when I used to braid your hair as a child…it seems like it was just yesterday, but it was so long ago."
"I wish I had more time to do something nicer with my hair."
"Jason will not care. You could shave it bald, and he would marry you anyway…but if you want, I can try something."
"What about your arthritis? My hair is so thick and long. It is too much for you and I do not want you to be in pain the rest of the evening."
"I think what I have in mind will be fine. I will do three braids starting on this side, and halfway back, but then pull the rest back in a loose ponytail at the base of your neck."
"That sounds nice," Linka admits.
"Good. Hand me a comb. I wish your parents were here to see the beautiful woman you have become."
"Me too. I wonder what they would think of Wheeler?"
"They would see how happy he makes you and how much he loves you and they would approve of him just as Mishka and I do."
"It is too bad Uncle Dmitri could not get out of work. He probably did not mind missing a baby shower, but he may be upset that he missed a wedding," Linka says.
"He is not much for family gatherings. He has done his best to avoid them since Boris died."
"But we are all the family he has left. He should not waste that time."
"I agree. Perhaps once the baby is born, you and Jason can go visit him in Washington."
"Maybe. I feel like he associates me with Boris' death. I was there and I survived, but Boris did not. I carried guilt about that for a long time," Linka says sadly.
"You should not. And Dmitri does not resent you for that. As terrible as it was losing Boris, it would have been even worse if we had lost both of you. Now enough sad talk. This is a happy time. Only happy tears from now on. How do you like your hair so far?"
"Looks great. Thank you. At least I still have you to celebrate this day with me."
All this time, Wheeler has been looking through their photos from their trip. He's made a collage of his favorite photos of the two of them. Dancing the tango in Argentina; a safari selfie with Mount Kilimanjaro in the background; a selfie from the hot tub in Japan with the snow covered mountains in the background; a candid photo from Russia that Mishka had taken of them one night at dinner and texted to him; a selfie from the train car on the way to Lourdes, the French countryside behind them through the window; and his personal favorites, the pictures the photographer in Sweden had taken of them. The one that he said would "make a good engagement announcement" is the one that Wheeler chose to be the largest and center photo of his collage. They were supposed to be "pretending" to be a couple, but he knows now that her feelings were just as real as his were. Of course, he had to include the photo of them in front of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. There were a few good ones from their time at his aunt and uncle's cabin too. A time when they were hopeful of a successful procedure. How quickly things changed.
A knock on his door interrupts his thoughts.
"Yeah?"
Young Jason comes in, holding out the fire ring.
"I was told to give this to you for the ceremony. Linka will be wearing the Wind ring as her 'something borrowed,' so the idea is that you two should be married wearing the rings that brought you together. Super cheesy."
"Yeah…but someday, I hope you find someone that you love enough to make you wanna do cheesy things," Wheeler says as he puts the ring on.
"Do you need anything?"
"Do me a favor," Wheeler hands his protégé the thumb drive with his creation on it. "Take this to the office and print the poster out on the plotter. Then find some place to hang it?"
"Sure. Kwame and Ma-Ti are already there printing off some banners. I'll add this to the queue."
"Thanks.
"We should be about ready once that's done. You good?"
"Never better," Wheeler beams.
To Be Continued...