Deep breaths Ally. You've got this.
Ally stood just outside the door of her Miami condo, nervously tapping her foot as she looked down. The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky, with the peaceful roar of waves and playful squawks of ocean gulls in marked contrast to the ball of knots presently occupying the space where she thought her stomach should be. She took one more deep breath, exhaling as she recalled how calm she had been just a few short hours ago. Trish had finally agreed to meet her for their weekly lunch at a natural bowl restaurant that Ally adored, albeit with the promise that they could leave immediately if Trish saw anyone order an avocado toast.
"Ugh- Sorry Ally. Give me a minute or two to get these British doofs off the phone. I swear they don't need a manager, they need a nanny!" Ally had laughed as her friend had excused herself for a moment, idly picking up her own phone as Trish's "WHAT?!" rang out between tables on her friend's way outside. The email at the top of her inbox had immediately caught her eye- it was a note from her doctor about the lab results from her annual physical just a few days ago. Despite having scheduled her appointment months in advance, she had rescheduled things so she could go to hers and drive Austin to his, with Austin once again insisting that their label couldn't possibly have an actual reason for needing "the same thing every year" and that the "insurance stuff" was probably just an excuse or a scam. Ally had rolled her eyes, wondering what their fans might think of her charismatic and confident "rock star" husband being so terrified of needles he needed his wife to drive him to his annual check-up.
She clicked on the link in the email, logging into the "MyUHealthChart" app as she decided to look at the lab results that had been posted first.
Cholesterol…normal range.
Triglycerides…normal range.
Good iron count…wait, what?
Ally froze, a single line item giving the Harvard graduate more pause than she had ever experienced in her entire life.
Beta-HCG – 127
Ally certainly hadn't majored in Biology, but she felt the color run from her face slightly as a hundred different small things quickly fell into place. She went back to click on the secure message from her doctor immediately, which confirmed her suspicions; her HCG level was elevated, and her doctor wanted her to call her as soon as she could. She had seen Trish returning out of her periphery, setting her phone down quickly and plastering on a smile Austin had taught her to use for magazine shoots and annoying interviews. She was relieved that Trish didn't seem to notice anything out of place and started talking a mile a minute about the inevitable disaster of Boynado's reunion tour instead of her abrupt change in expression.
Ally had called her doctor back immediately after lunch, shocked that she was able to get through to her directly after only a short time on hold. It wasn't until midway through their conversation that she had even realized she was almost three weeks late; between the preparation for the new album release and being honored at the annual ASCAP pop awards it had uncharacteristically slipped her mind.
"Congratulations Mrs. Moon. We'll want to run some additional tests, but every indication is that you're pregnant."
Ally had spent the next half-hour and the entire drive home doing what she did best; throwing every ounce of her panicked energy into planning and mental organizing. She had come up with three different variations of speeches for Austin, with different scenarios and permutations based on his initial and subsequent reaction to the news. Telling their label would be a different matter, with Ally's primary goal being to keep Austin from telling anyone, at least until she had drafted something first. Finally, there was the tour…thankfully they were only going to be traveling for just over three months, which would now have to be adjusted in unforeseen ways.
The sounds of loud muttering and running water snapped Ally back into the present, her hand carefully gripping the doorknob as she entered. Austin immediately looked up from the kitchen, his eyes wide as he appeared caught like a deer in headlights. He was already in his tux, a full hour before they needed to leave…but Ally frowned slightly as she noticed his tuxedo jacket spread out on the island, Austin hurriedly scrubbing at the lapel with a damp washcloth.
"Uh…hi Ally! How was lunch with Trish?" Austin asked anxiously as Ally almost rolled her eyes at the nervous smile on his face. She knitted her eyebrows together in silence, watching her husband fold immediately at the questioning look she gave him.
"Ok, I just wanted to make sure my tux was in good shape after the awards dinner last week, and then I got really hungry. I know I should have taken it off again, but I figured "how much damage could a hot dog really do?" Besides, it was only a little bit of ketchup on the lapel, and I think it's fine now, see?" Austin held up the jacket in exaggerated triumph, watching his wife smile and shake her head from side to side.
"Lunch was good, although maybe not if you are a member of Boynado," Ally laughed, still moving over to inspect the jacket herself as Austin smiled sheepishly. "Poor Trish is having at least a dozen problems with the schedule alone for their reunion tour."
"Hopefully that means she's ignoring all the issues with ours," Austin said, giving a slight sigh of relief as Ally turned her attention away from the jacket. "You were gone for a while…was Boynado really the only topic of conversation?" Seeing the slight fall in Ally's face, Austin immediately moved toward his wife, pulling her into a gentle hug.
"Did something happen at lunch?" he asked quietly, his hand rubbing gentle circles on the small of her back. "Just say the word and I will break out the emergency gallon of fruity mint swirl and we can skip the party tonight and watch Netflix," Austin said, causing Ally to break into her own small smile.
"It isn't that…well, not really," Ally said, stepping back from her husband as he searched her face. "Austin, I got a note from my doctor about my physical today, and…" Ally paused, seeing panic start to spread in Austin's eyes. "My HCG level was high." Austin's face seemed to fall even further into panic, Ally watching as he nervously ran a hand through his hair.
"How bad is it? Did you talk to the doctor?! Is there some kind of medicine you're supposed to take? Okay- forget the release party tonight. I don't know what HCG even stands for, but I'm sure we can find a specialist and…" Ally quietly raised a hand, gently brushing her husband's cheek as she did her best to give him a comforting look.
"Austin, I talked to my doctor. She said my HCG level is elevated because I'm pregnant."
Austin's expression immediately became unreadable, Ally watching as he appeared staggered from the weight of her statement and subsequent realization. She gave another small smile, immediately preparing for the second version of her speech- Austin goes into shock and needs to be carefully brought out of it.
Her own thought was cut short as she suddenly found herself being lifted into the air, her husband's arms tight around her waist as she was rapidly spun in a circle. Austin's smile was suddenly everywhere, with Ally laughingly begging her husband to put her down in between a rapid-fire stream of "I love you's" and other joyful exclamations. It took Ally a moment to catch her breath and balance herself, looking up into a pair of hazel eyes that burned with something behind them that made her knees suddenly feel weak.
"You…me…we…" Austin stuttered, Ally giving him a nervous nod in reply. Austin's lips crashed onto hers, the initial heated rush melting into deep, joyful lightness before they slowly broke apart. She stared at him a moment longer, watching his smile return and deepen. Austin placed a gentle kiss against her forehead, stepping back briefly as Ally watched the joy practically radiate off him.
"I have to call Dez…we have to tell our parents!" he exclaimed, eliciting a laugh from Ally.
"I am never telling our parents your first thought was to call Dez," she chuckled. "How are you possibly this calm right now?" Ally asked, watching her husband give a small shrug. "Austin, our album release party is tonight, we have a tour coming up, and this…this changes everything," she said, her look almost pleading. Austin's expression didn't diminish or dampen in any way- if anything, his smile only widened again, giving Ally a small sense of bewilderment. She had prepared herself for his unbridled joy of course, but had also expected that joy to be tempered by anxiety as they both started to go through the life and career implications this news carried.
Austin's gaze softened slightly, his smile still broad as he took Ally's hand, leading them over to the sofa in their living room. They sat together, Austin draping an arm around his wife as he gently pulled her towards his chest.
"Ally…do you remember the weird nightmare I used to have?"
"Mattress monster?" Ally replied, feeling a small laugh escape her husband's lips.
"Exactly," Austin said, his hand gently brushing the length of her arm. "I realized something a little while ago. I haven't had a dream where I was being eaten by a mattress in a long time. I talked to Dez about it the last time I called him and…"
"Oh no," Ally interrupted. "Please don't tell me Dez is the dream whisperer in addition to being the love whisperer."
"No one calls him that," Austin mock whispered in very exaggerated fashion. "But he did say that maybe the dream was just a manifestation of my fear of failing to achieve the goals I thought my parents had set for me, and that their absence means I am comfortable enough in who I am now that I don't feel like I have to live up to the expectations of others."
Ally's eyes widened as she found herself suddenly wondering if perhaps she should be talking to Dez about her own bad dreams. Austin looked down, smiling again while giving his wife a gentle squeeze.
"Ally, you know that I love our music. Writing, recording, and performing with you is the happiest I have ever been…as a musician. But being with you…getting to be your husband? Going on adventures with you and falling asleep next to you every night? That's the best thing that has ever happened to me. I know we've only talked about it a little bit, but I hope you know you're going to be a fantastic mom."
Ally glanced up again, taken aback by just how sure and simple Austin's words were. She had always been jealous of the effortless way he loved her, chalking it up to the same undiscoverable reservoir his charm and charisma came from. Her chest suddenly tightened a bit, her mind unable to stop itself as she quickly ran through yet another possible outcome.
Her parents had been madly in love too once.
Austin, as if immediately understanding her anxiety as she tensed, placed a gentle kiss on her temple. "We aren't our parents," he whispered quietly. "I used to think that all I wanted was to be a star. Thanks to the most amazing woman I have ever met, I've even gotten to live that dream. But dreams change; don't get me wrong, I still love being on stage, but the same reason I'm so "calm" is probably the same reason I don't have nightmares about mattresses swallowing me anymore. This? Right here? You, me…our family?" he continued. "That's my real dream, and I'm lucky enough to get to live it every day."
"How can you be so…sure all the time? Isn't it exhausting?" Ally said, her eyes shining with happy tears.
"It's easy- just find a partner who is brilliant, talented, meticulous, and plans for almost every possibility," Austin laughed, ticking off each word on his fingers. "Oh, they should probably be insanely beautiful and amazingly kind too, but the really hard part is convincing them to spend the rest of their life with you willingly."
"I love you," Ally breathed, placing a gentle kiss on his lips.
"Right back at you, Mrs. Moon," Austin smiled. "God, I will never not love the sound of that. So how many different versions of the "how to break the most awesome news of all time to my husband" speech did you come up with anyway?"
"Three," Ally said, laughing again. I was about to launch into number two when I thought you short-circuited right after the word pregnant, you know."
"It took me a second to decide if it was okay to pick you up and spin you," Austin laughed. "So what was supposed to happen after you picked my jaw up off the floor?"
"I was going to tell you that we can't tell anyone until we figure out how to tell our label.
"Smart. I am the kind of guy that spills ketchup on his own tuxedo in his own house after all."
"And apparently the kind of guy who would call Dez before we tell our own parents," Ally added with laughter.
"He's going to cry you know," Austin added, scrunching his face into a mocked teary look. "Giant crocodile tears."
Ally looked up, her own face becoming slightly serious as Austin's changed to match hers.
"We're going to be okay, right?"
"We're going to be awesome," Austin replied, his eyes blazing with the same look from earlier. "Almost entirely because my Harvard educated, award winning wife can do literally anything she puts her mind to, but I'll probably help a little too," he added with a charismatic wink. "I promise to do my absolute best to not say anything until we talk to the label. Do you still want to go tonight?"
"It would probably be weird if we didn't," Ally replied. "I suppose I should go get my dress on."
As Ally rose to leave, Austin's hand caught hers. He stood close to her for a moment, the look on his face causing Ally's heart to skip a beat.
"I love you, Mrs. Moon."
"I will never not love the sound of that," Ally repeated, watching Austin's smile somehow grow tenfold. "I love you too, Mr. Moon."