Perfect Harmony

by Cee, DW

  “I agree. Ben and I do work well together. He’s a great dad and you know how much Ali means to me. Only you know how much I wanted to come back to take care of her.”

  Mom was on a mission. She continued recounting the past months. “You and Noah were barely speaking at this time.”

  “It wasn’t that bad, Mom.”

  “It was. I’m only telling you what I saw.”

  “All right. Continue.”

  “You travel to New Orleans with Ben, and something brought you two even closer. Whether or not you understood what was happening, you and Ben behaved like man and wife with child.”

  “God, Mom. I’m not liking where this is going.”

  She didn’t care. “Then, Ben gets all uppity and possessive about Ali calling you Mama and suddenly, you’re on the outs with Ben and Noah’s back in. Noah shows up to New York right as Ben hurts you, again, and you accept Noah’s proposal. Isn’t that about right?”

  “What you’ve forgotten to mention is that I’ve been with Noah for years now. He asked me to marry him before I became pregnant with Ali. I never gave his proposal a chance. I was too hasty in my decision. He deserved a better answer than the one I gave him.”

  “Sweetheart, he didn’t ask you if you wanted chocolate chip or cookie dough ice cream. Your answer was not a “yes” and that’s truly when you two should have separated.”

  “Mom,” I complained. “You know I love Noah. I take marriage seriously. There’s no way I’d say yes to Noah because Ben hurt my feelings.”

  “So you can honestly admit that you love Noah enough to marry him for life?”

  “Yes, I do, Mom. I’ve been with Noah since college. We are committed for life. There will be no regrets. I promise.”

  Mom stared at me a little longer than I thought she would. “All right. I believe you.” She hugged me and started tearing. “You’re getting married.”

  “I am, Mom. I promise you that I’ll be happy. Noah and I will have a gaggle of babies and create a home filled with lots and lots of love.”

  “I can’t wait to be a grandmother—again. Let’s get some sleep so you can look fresh for your special day. Here comes the bride!”

  Chapter 8 - Ben

  You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go ~Bob Dylan

  “I have a crazy idea and I need you to hear me out Ben, OK? Please don’t shoot it down before you think about it. You promise?”

  “All right, Mel. What’s wrong? Why are you so antsy? Sit and tell me what’s on your mind.”

  “I think we should get a surrogate.”

  “What?”

  “Please, Ben. You promised to hear me out.”

  “OK. I’m listening.”

  “The doctor told us that chances of me getting pregnant are slim. But, he also told us that we can have babies through other methods.”

  “Didn’t we agree that we would use that if we had no other choice?”

  “Ben, it’s been nine years. I’m at my prime. I should have been pregnant several times by now. None of the hormone treatments have worked. I think we have to face the fact that I’m infertile.”

  “Mel…”

  “I want a baby. I want someone half you and half me. Please give this to me.”

  “This is what you really want?”

  “There’s nothing I want more. Will you agree to a surrogate?”

  “If this is the only way, I will, but where do we even begin to search for a surrogate? Is there an agency for something like this?”

  “I’ve found her already. It’s just a matter of convincing the both of you that this is the right thing to do.”

  “I’m not sure I like where this is going, Mel. Do I want to know?”

  “You already know. You know as well as I do that the best and only person to carry our child is my sister.”

  “Hell no! We cannot go there, Mel. I cannot do that to Marni.”

  “Why not? Why can’t we at least ask? She’s perfect. She and I look alike, we share the same genes, and she’s family. She’ll want to do this for us.”

  “How the hell do you figure that your sister, whom you’ve barely contacted the last decade, will want to carry our child for us?”

  “She’s a kind person and deep down, she still loves you. She’ll do this for you, if not for me.”

  “You do know that she and Noah have been together for a long time now? Your sister fell out of love with me the day she broke up with me.”

  “Trust me. I know her well. She still loves you and even with what I’ve done to her, she loves me too. She’ll do this for us.”

  “I can’t do it, Mel. Please don’t ask this of me, of her.”

  “This is the best solution for everyone. I promise, in a few years, you’ll be glad I forced this upon all of us.”

  “Mar?” I hated to interrupt her last night with her mom, but my daughter needed her. “Ugly-Ali has appeared. She’s spiked a fever again.”

  “Shit.” Mar ran out of her hotel room and into mine without a second thought. “Don’t cry, Ali-Girl. I’m here for you.”

  “Mama.” Her face was drowning in tears.

  “Get me some Tylenol,” she told me, “and some water,” she told her mother. “How about you and I take a nice cold bath, Ali-Girl? It’ll bring down your fever and we’ll relax, just the two of us.”

  Ali held onto Mar and wouldn’t let go long enough to take her medicine. I went around them to spoon some into her mouth. Jackie gave her some water right after.

  “What can I do?” Jackie asked.

  “You go sleep, Mom. There’s no need for all of us to be here. Most likely, I’m the only one Ali will respond to right now.”

  “I’m going to remember this when you need help learning to ride a bike, Sweet Girl. You favor your aunt way too much.” I kissed her hot forehead and helped Mar take off Ali’s pajamas. “Should I hold her while you undress?”

  “And then what?” Mar asked with a laugh.

  I hadn’t thought through the ramifications of standing here while Marni stripped. Whenever we took care of Ali, everything just worked.

  “It isn’t as if I haven’t seen you naked before,” I whispered while Jackie was busy getting a bath together.

  “Um…that was back when I was still in my teens and I was about twenty pounds lighter. If I was into exhibitionism, I would’ve hit the gym a little more.”

  I tried to help by taking Ali into my arms but she wouldn’t let go of Mar’s neck.

  “All right, you two. I get it. I’m not wanted in this equation.”

  With Jackie’s help, Mar and Ali hopped into a cool tub. Within half an hour, the water plus the medicine took effect. Marni had somehow put on a robe and brought out a sleeping baby.

  “Can you hand me her clothes?” I did as asked and we placed her in a sleeper dress without waking her up. Carefully, Mar laid her on my bed. “Should I take her into my bed?”

  “What about Jackie? Where will she sleep?”

  “Shoot. That’s right. I wish they’d given us two queens as requested. I want to sleep with Ali tonight. I have this fear she’ll be up again when the medicine wears off.”

  “Go back to your room, Mar. You need your rest. I don’t want to make you the on-call doctor tonight.”

  “Don’t be silly. Ali’s sick. Did you doubt I’d want to care for her? If you don’t mind, I’ll lay in bed with her for a little while. Once I’m convinced she’s sound asleep, I’ll leave.”

  Mar got into bed with Ali and once again, my girl snuggled into her aunt. It was a beautiful sight. I longed again to form that perfect triangle with them.

  “Can I tell you something, Mar?” I pulled up a chair as close to the bed as possible, facing Marni.

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  “As inappropriate as this is for me to say the night before your wedding…I’d really like to join you and my daughter on the bed.” As expected, Mar didn’t answer. But she also didn’t tell me to go to hell. That was a positive
sign. With an eagerness I’d never known, I slid in bed and hugged my daughter from behind. My hand was over Marni’s hand, which was placed on Ali’s tiny body. “Will this piss off Noah?”

  She chuckled softly. “What do you think? Would this scene have worked for you if I were Melody and you were her ex?”

  “Hell no.” We both laughed.

  “What’s on your mind, Benjamin? This will be the last night you can talk to me freely. After tonight, when you look at me, only see the sister-in-law.”

  “I wish Noah hadn’t acted so quickly. Had he given me a little more time, I would have had the courage to ask you if you’d like to start all over with me, again. Regardless of how you’re taking this, I do have feelings for you. It was the guilt that kept me from acting on them.”

  “Benjamin, you’ll always love my sister. That’s how it should be. I don’t want to play second fiddle to her anymore. When a man tells me he loves me, I don’t want him thinking about what his late wife might think. You and I have too much history, too much baggage. You’ll find another woman soon. It’s best this way.”

  I linked my fingers with hers and asked, “Can you honestly tell me we’re better this way? You still have feelings for me. I’ve developed feelings for you. Will it all go away once you say, ‘I do?’”

  “One day you’ll thank me for letting you go so you can find your future love. Until then, let’s stay friends, Ben. Please don’t hate me for doing this. It’s something I need to do for myself.”

  “I could never hate you Marni. Just remember that, given the chance, I would’ve told you that I loved you.”

  With those words, we fell asleep—hands entwined, hearts unfolded.

  Chapter 8 - Noah

  You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go ~Bob Dylan

  “Noah, are you sure you want this?”

  “Mom, she’s given me no choice. She’s forcing my hand.”

  “Noah. Explain to me what’s happened. You only just got married.”

  “It’s a myriad of things, Mom. We shouldn’t have married. That was the first and biggest mistake.”

  “Start from the beginning.”

  “First, she doesn’t want to have kids.”

  “She’s young. She doesn’t know what she wants, Noah. Give her some time.”

  “Second, she chose to go on a vacation with her mom the last time I got sent away rather than moving with me.”

  “You know how hard it is for a wife to move when she doesn’t know how long she’ll be gone. Look at what happened last time. You came right back to New York.”

  “I understand, but this time, the Navy is sending me to Georgia for the next two years. I won’t be back for a while. Siena understands this and still refuses to move. She says she’s staying with her parents until I come back to New York. How am I to continue a marriage by myself?”

  “But divorce? You’ve hardly been married. First year of marriage is hard on anyone. Please reconsider.”

  “I can’t, Mom. Siena has no regard for me, or my career. It’s always about her and what would make her happy. Neither of us was ready for marriage. She and I both know it. Siena, too, thinks we should part.”

  “How do you feel, Son?”

  “Like I won the lottery, Dad. Marrying Marni is a longtime dream fulfilled. I’m also jazzed that she included you, Mom, and Carson in the wedding. This is perfect.”

  “I didn’t know whether to be honored to officiate or jealous that she hadn’t asked me to walk her down the aisle. All in all, she’s good for this Bergstrom/Hanover family.”

  “Amen!”

  Today, I was marrying my love and my girlfriend since college. Sure, I had lost my way between then and a few years ago, but very soon, I’d get to live a lifetime with her.

  I wasn’t crazy about her situation with her brother-in-law and her niece, but nobody’s life started perfect. She’d bend. I’d adjust. We’d make it work.

  “Noah!” My future mother-in-law walked over to me with a big smile and an even bigger hug. “How’s my favorite son-in-law doing?”

  “Your only son-in-law is feeling like he just climbed Mount Everest.”

  “Only Mount Everest?” Jackie jested with me. “You two make a beautiful couple. Be good to my daughter, please.” This time she pleaded.

  “Unnecessary to even ask, Mom.” I didn’t think her smile could get any wider; it did with that address. “Marni and I will love and care for one another until we’re old and gray.”

  “Hello, Jackie. Where’s the bride?” Dad asked while embracing her.

  “Well…” Jackie partly chuckled, partly worried. “You might be marrying two girls today instead of one,” she let me know.

  “Explain?”

  “My ‘granddaughter’ had a rough night last night. She won’t part from Marni. Ben and his parents convinced Marni to leave Ali at the hotel after she goes down for her nap, but Ali appears to understand what’s happening. She won’t nap.”

  “Uh-oh.” Mom walked over and joined our conversation. “Poor thing.”

  Breathing deeply, I took myself to a happy place so my annoyance wouldn’t be apparent. “I’d try not to frown so deeply. It may get etched into your face,” Carson announced with a slap to my back. “Your bride will be here. It’s a little setback, Noah.”

  “Without a doubt, she’ll be here,” Jackie announced too loudly for comfort. “Just last night she was telling me that she loved you and she wanted to be your wife. Marni will stand at the altar with you. The rest of us will do what we can to calm Ali.”

  “I’m sorry,” I apologized. “That wasn’t kind of me when a little baby is ill. I hope she feels better soon.”

  “My first time officiating a wedding and it might be man, woman, and child.” Dad kidded, with everyone awkwardly laughing.

  Mom was first to notice that my fiancée and the Howard family had arrived. “There they are!” she exclaimed with relief.

  I walked over to my bride-to-be, who had a baby attached to her chest. With a kiss to her lips and an unwelcomed rub to Ali’s back, I whispered, “I hear I’m marrying the both of you today.”

  “I’m really sorry,” she answered with guilt on her face.

  “It’s all right. It’ll make for an interesting story when we all get older.”

  Still apologizing, Marni said, “Everyone’s tried to help with Ali, but she’s really ill. Her fever spiked this morning again. We almost took her to the emergency room. I’m worried.”

  “Will we be taking Ali on our quickie honeymoon?” Those words only placed a heavier burden on my fiancée. “Don’t think about it. Let’s decide the best course after we get married.”

  “Thank you, Noah.” She leaned in to kiss me.

  “Marni?” Dad asked. “Will you be walking down the aisle with Carson or should we start the ceremony now?”

  The panic in her eyes killed any remnant of anger and annoyance in me. I hated watching the range of emotions on her face—guilt, worry, fatigue—none of which should happen to a bride on her wedding day. I could blame Ben for all our misery, but that wouldn’t help our situation. For now, I’d smile and make our wedding day the best possible for my bride-to-be.

  “Would it be all right if we started with the wedding right here?” she whispered. “I’m unsure how much longer Ali will last. I’d actually like to take her to the hospital once we’re done.”

  Anger rose as quickly as I was able to tamp it down. I sympathized with the fact that Ali was sick, but the way she dismissed our nuptials pissed me off.

  Dad recognized my irritation and said, “Let’s do it then! I, for one, am glad Carson does not get to walk you down the aisle. He’s already stolen one beautiful Bergstrom woman from me…” Dad let out that statement to Mom’s chagrin, Carson’s pique, and to everyone else’s amusement. “To our beloved family, we are here to celebrate the union of my son, Noah Zachary Bergstrom to Marni Alice Montgomery.”

  Dad didn’t miss a beat. He started the weddin
g immediately. He, along with the rest of us, feared this might not happen with an ill child clutched to her aunt’s body. While giving funny anecdotes and recounting stories of our relationship, my dad helped relax the bride and groom. Though Marni was still lightly bouncing Ali up and down, the frown dissipated.

  “Since we’re a little pressed for time, I’m going to ask the bride and groom to answer together.” Dad told all of us. “Marni and Noah? Do you take each other as a lawfully wedded couple?” That was fine thinking on Dad’s part. There was a reason why the President trusted him with America’s safety.

  As Marni and I were about to proudly reply with a loud, “YES!” the one-year-old glued to my bride beat us to the punch. Her sudden and loud crying got the attention of everyone. Ali’s cry turned into a painful holler to which not even my bride could console.

  When the crying suddenly stopped, we all watched in horror as she started convulsing.

  Ben jumped out of his seat, Marni started crying, and Mom called 911. The ambulance came quickly.

  It irritated the hell out of me that Ben and my bride jumped into the ambulance while the rest of us followed in two cabs. I was just as scared as the rest of us for Ali, but I couldn’t control the anger.

  “She’s a baby, Noah. She’s not doing this purposely, nor is Ben. No parent wants to see his or her child sick—no matter the situation.” Mom reassured and chastised.

  “Just think, Son. When this is all over, you and Marni will have quite a wedding day memory.”

  “Did we get married, Dad? Are we officially wedded?”

  “I don’t think so. I know I asked the question, but I don’t know that I heard an answer from either one of you. Did either you or Marni answer with a yes?” I couldn’t say. “Don’t worry, Noah. We’ll resolve everything soon.”

  “Yeah, Noah. Do not fret. As soon as we hear that Ali will be all right, we will finish the wedding.” For the first time, Carson Hanover and Eli Bergstrom agreed on something. “Eli could marry you at the hospital, you know. You and Marni will still be husband and wife before the day is done.”