by Dahlia Rose
“Good point. If she agrees to moving in together, I could sublet it,” Brody mused.
“That’s certainly better than being in your complex,” Rafe said.
“Marie wouldn’t be too happy with the neighbors you have. You know, the ones with the extra short skirts and the stiletto heels.” Brody rolled his eyes. “Like I knew any of that when I bought the place. Still, you do have a point. Marie has such bad juju about her ex that she won’t talk to me about it.”
Rafe handed him some papers. “Here sign off on these. I’m requisitioning some equipment for training.” He sat back and laced his hands behind his head. “From what I’ve heard from Ivy, the guy came back pretty screwed up from his tour and cheated on her. But that can’t be all there is to it because Marie is as prickly as a pear when she even hears his name. All you can do is wait for her to trust you enough to open up.”
“Have you met Marie?” Brody asked skeptically. “Fort Knox has nothing on her.”
Rafe laughed. “Get out of here and go watch your baby wiggle around.”
Brody handed him the paperwork that he’d signed. “I’ll be back in about two hours.”
“I’ll be on the range if I’m not in here,” Rafe said.
The phone rang as Brody got up to leave so he just raised his hand in goodbye to Rafe. He left the building and got into his car and grimaced.
He loved the low-slung corvette but every time Marie rode in it she complained. He couldn’t blame her since she drove a twenty-twelve Acura. They both needed something bigger that would fit a car seat and baby supplies. Along with baby shopping they definitely needed to vehicle shop or at least he did. At least his corvette was paid off and a family car was now necessary. As he drove he thought of Marie’s fears. The main one being that she thought he wouldn’t stick around. She didn’t say it much, but he saw the skeptical look she had on her face each time he talked about anything permanent.
And then before he could say too much she would quickly changed the subject. He had no intention of losing interest in her or their child. In fact, the more time he spent with her, the more he loved her. But there was no way he could say those words to her and freak her out. Marie didn’t want grand gestures; she had to be coaxed into it slowly. Needless to say, his plan was to be around for a lifetime. He pulled up to the midwife center and went in. Since he’d been going to her prenatal appointments, he’d become a familiar face around the center. They ushered him back to the examination room where Marie was already set up with Jenny. Brody knocked and then stepped quietly inside.
“Hey, Dad, you’re just in time.” Jenny smiled. She was measuring Marie’s burgeoning belly with a tape. “The little peanut is right on schedule with growth.” He sat down next to the exam table and took Marie’s hand and kissed it gently. “Hear that, baby? You are a wonderful cloning cubicle.”
Marie sighed and looked at Jenny’s confused expression. “He’s convinced that the baby is going to be an exact replica of him. Pay him no attention.”
“Well, then we can take a peek and see for ourselves.” Jenny beamed.
“This time you get pictures in three and four dimension so you’ll be able to see what he or she looks like. If you could get the lights, please.” Brody reached up and flicked the light switch. The room went dim except for the glare from the monitor, and while he sat on one side of the table, Jenny was on the other moving the ultrasound wand over Marie’s belly.
“Here we go,” she said gently. “Here is the head, legs and arms, all ten fingers and toes. No abnormalities of the spine or bones that we can see.” Both Brody and Marie were silent as Jenny did her examination. She stopped the screen occasionally and a small graph would appear where she clicked the mouse. Brody had read in the books that that was how they charted development, so he watched every move she made on the screen with interest even though he didn’t know exactly what she was doing.
“Okay, peanut, let’s see the goods. Show Mommy and Daddy if they should buy pink or blue,” Jenny murmured. Brody held his breath as she continued the exam. “And there it is.” She pointed at the screen. “You’re having a boy.”
Brody laughed because right on the screen he could see the quite obvious male genitalia of his son.
My boy
Now he knew why dads on television wanted to hand out cigars when they found out they were having a boy. Pride filled his chest to the point he felt as if he might burst.
“You were right. We’re having a boy,” Marie said and he could hear the tears of joy in her voice.
“Our son.” Brody leaned over and kissed her, not caring that Jenny was in the room. He had to kiss the woman of his dreams and the mother of his son.
Armed with pictures in three and four D, they left the midwife center after the exam and walked out into the cool air. The March wind was bitterly cold and Brody worried about her catching a cold, so he bundled her up into her car quickly.
“We need to make plans for our peanut,” Marie said with a smile.
“How about Saturday we go shopping for the nursery?”
“Deal, if you’ll go with me to pick out an SUV. I’m thinking the ’vette should be for date night with my favorite girl or something,” Brody said.
“Why, Brody Gillis, I may start to believe you are indeed a family man,” Marie teased.
He bent down to kiss her. “Believe it, sugar lips. See you later tonight.
We’ve got a lot to discuss.”
“I feel like Chinese food and some of those little sugar rolls,” Marie said.
“Well, that might change by tonight. So we’ll wait and see before making reservations,” Brody hinted.
She winked, and then said impulsively, “I’m glad you’re with me, Brody. I’m so happy we get to share a child together.”
“Me too, babe, me too,” he said and kissed her again through the open car window. “Now buckle up and drive safe. Call me when you get back to the hospital so I know you made it okay.” She saluted. “Sir, yes, sir!”
Brody watched her drive away with new determination in his heart. He was going to marry Marie Watson and they were going to be a family. Her words sealed his decision. He loved her with his entire being. He never thought he would feel that way about anyone, but here he was in love and happier than he ever remembered being. Life was grand.
Marie got out of her car the best she could. Her growing stomach was starting to make it an uncomfortably tight drive in her Acura. But each day that she felt the movements of her son inside her body and knowing he was healthy made it all worthwhile. Today was Ivy’s last day—doctor’s orders—until after she gave birth. Marie wanted to work as long as she could, but she knew in another eight weeks she would be out on maternity leave as well. Today an impromptu baby shower had been planned for both of them in the nurses’ lounge after their shift was over. They planned it early when they knew that Ivy would be gone for a few months and Marie was leaving the next few weeks. Their co-workers and the doctors thought she and Ivy had no idea, but that cat had been let out of the bag about a week before. They both practiced their surprised faces on each other beforehand and died laughing.
Marie walked through the doors as they whooshed open and the warmth of the air welcomed her. She was waiting for the warmer temperatures to make their way to the East Coast. Marie’s dream was to move somewhere where it was warm all year round. She wasn’t built for the cold. She walked up to the desk where Ivy was working on a chart.
Her baby bump was barely noticeable beneath her scrubs. They would have their babies only a couple months apart—Marie was due near the end of June and Ivy around the beginning of September. It was one of the reasons she thought moving away wasn’t a good idea. They wanted their children to grow up together.
“I can see the bump,” Marie sing-songed.
“Yeah, like yours isn’t noticeable at all,” Ivy replied and they grinned at each other. “What’s the verdict?”
“Boy,” Marie replied and they squealed.
“Oh, my goodness, you guys have to pick a name,” Ivy gushed. “Two boys could be best friends or maybe I’ll have a girl and they’ll get married.”
“If they could just hear us now, Rafe and Brody would be rolling their eyes,” Marie said.
“Was he excited?” Ivy asked.
“I thought he was going to start roaring and thumping his chest it swelled so much.” Marie stowed her thick coat and put her bag away. “I think he is going to be a really good dad… I’m thinking about asking him to move in with me.”
Ivy looked at her in surprise. “That’s a big step.”
“Why? Don’t you think I should do it?” Marie asked in alarm. She trusted Ivy’s judgment and she was already feeling insecure about the whole thing as soon as the idea popped into her head.
“Oh, no, no!” Ivy said hurriedly. “That’s not what I meant. As far as this whole situation, I think Brody has been amazing and my thoughts of him being a playboy were obviously wrong. I meant with everything that happened with Charlie, I never thought you would take such a big step.”
“I know, I have doubts, believe me, but it feels right to be with him,” Marie admitted. “I was going to go by his townhouse and talk to him later.”
“Um, is that is good idea? He lives in kind of a bachelor-type complex,” Ivy explained.
Marie smiled. “How bad could it be? I’ve never been there and he’s been spending so much time at my place, I feel as if I should go bring up this subject on his turf, to show him I’m willing to meet him half way.” Ivy shrugged. “Well, it is a perfect plan to take your relationship to the next level.”
“I’m thinking about sleeping with him again. We made this little one the day of your wedding. And then the sex after they came back from their mission was hot but I was pushing him away,” Marie admitted. “But my body is so…well, I’m bigger, rounder I’m not sure he will even be attracted to me anymore.”
“You guys already sleep in the same bed when he stays over, right?” Ivy asked.
“Yes, and he rubs my belly and talks to the baby and plays music against my belly so the baby can have a love of music.” Marie smiled, recalling how he had read in a book that it makes babies more intelligent to play music for them in the womb. “I’m feeling insecure about the whole thing. I’m not a size eight anymore, that’s for sure.”
“Trust him and yourself. When it’s meant to happen, it will naturally,” Ivy encouraged.
“I’ve been holding myself back. The man is fine and even though I may be carrying his child, a woman has needs.” Marie winked.
Just then a code alarm sounded and they looked at each other knowing conversation was over. When that alarm went off, one of the patients was in trouble. “It’s room four-twelve, Sergeant Russell,” a nurse said worriedly as the doctors moved down the hall. Marie frowned and moved with the others. Sergeant Russell was a soldier wounded in Afghanistan.
Well, more than wounded. In Marie’s opinion, the man had been blown apart. He had one arm while the rest of his limbs were lost to an IED attack. When he came in, the doctors had worked tirelessly so he wouldn’t lose his appendages. But each time he lost circulation to an area and necrosis set in, the only way to save him was to remove the severely injured limb.
Losing limb after limb never kept him down. He fought for his health with the same bravery that he showed in theatre when he was trying to save some of his friends and fighting to protect citizens of his country.
While he never gave up, his injured body was slowly wearing out.
Everyone had hoped and prayed for a miracle, but it seemed the only one that they would be given was that he would no longer be in such pain.
“Paddles we’re going to shock him again,” The doctor ordered. But everyone knew in their heart it was too late.
“Come on, let’s go people, let’s go!” He yelled.
Another doctor took the paddles from his associate’s hand. “No let him have his peace now.”
Sergeant Russell lost his fight after months and months of trying. He was finally at rest; the brave man was finally at the end of his tour.
Marie didn’t hold back the tears that streaked down her face, nor did anyone else. She saw some of the doctors wipe their eyes on the sleeve of their coats. Each loss felt like the first. No one could ever become desensitized to these men dying. The rest of the day took on a somber tone, and while they worked no one could help but slow down as they passed the now empty room. Another man or woman would occupy that bed, sooner rather than later, and God knows they always wanted it to be later. They would fight hard for his or her life too, like they always did, but for now they would mourn.
Marie was sitting at the desk at the nurses’ station rubbing her belly gently when she felt the movement of her son. He would have his father, alive and well, with the help of the big man upstairs. Brody would watch his son grow up. She feared him going off to war and then she would be the one getting the news that he had been killed. It firmed her decision all the more. Marie was going to ask him to move in to her home and take that step toward them being a family.
After the baby shower that brought smiles to their faces even though their hearts were still heavy, with help, Marie packed up the trunk and back seat of her car and using the GPS on her phone, headed toward Brody’s complex. Turning into the cul-de-sac filled with rows and rows of townhomes, she saw a few women jogging even though it was rather chilly outside. A sign was hanging on the office door for Pilates and yoga classes and when she passed a building with large floor-to-ceiling windows, she could see women inside in tight shorts and tiny tops taking part in the exercises and getting into positions she probably couldn’t manage even when she wasn’t pregnant. Marie pushed her irritation aside, keeping her eyes straight ahead as she looked for his townhouse. Finally finding it, she parked and got out. She made sure the house number was correct in the dim light before she went up to the door and rang the doorbell. She stood waiting patiently for him to answer the door, and when he finally did, surprise was on his face.
“Marie, honey, what are you doing outside in the cold? I thought you were going right home and I was coming to you?” Brody asked.
“You seem to have a problem with me coming to your house,” Marie said stiffly. This wasn’t exactly how she thought he would act when he saw her at his door.
Brody sighed. “It’s no problem, I just don’t like thinking of you out in the dark, alone and the streets may be icy.” He pulled her into a hug and into his house, directing her to his leather sofa. “How was your day and lil’ man in there?”
“We lost Sergeant Russell today,” she said and buried her face against his shoulder. She’d told Brody about him and he always asked how the injured soldier was doing.
“Fuck,” he said harshly and kissed her temple. “I thought he was taking a turn for the better.”
“He spiked another fever, another infection, and this time his body was too weak to fight it off,” Marie said softly. “He’s in a better place and not in pain anymore. But damn, we wanted to see him win this battle. Just too many of them lose, you know?”
“Oh, honey, I know only too well.” Brody murmured.
“I wanted to talk to you about something.” Marie looked up at him.
“Seeing Sergeant Russell’s family and friends grieve, made me think about us. I don’t want our son to ever—” The insistent ringing of his doorbell stopped her words. Brody frowned at the door. “Hold that thought.” He retraced the few steps they’d taken to open the door. “What the—”
“Lieutenant Brody, we’ve come to visit!” Marie swore she heard an explosion in her head when three tall, very sexy and totally blonde women tried to all hug Brody at once. He wrapped his hand around one waist to anchor himself, she assumed, or to get closer.
But her gaze was firmly affixed on the women who looked like models clamoring all over her baby’s father, her man. He must have seen her expression because he quickly extricated himself from t
he women.
“Marie, um, this is Claire, Elin and Alexa. They are part of the Swedish volleyball team that were here last year for a tournament,” he said quickly.
Oh, that makes it so much better
. She raised an eyebrow in their direction. And then one of the little Swedish cover models slash volleyball players spoke and her accent was so sexy Marie almost wanted to kiss her herself. That only made her even more furious.
“Yes, Brody invited us to a barbeque and then was kind enough to let us stay here when we couldn’t get back to our hotel that night.” She smiled warmly.
“Really? That was so nice of him.” Marie’s voice came out flat and dead sounding. There was no way she was going to go through this again.
“Are you going to have a baby?” another asked.
“Why, yes, I am.” Marie smiled sweetly. “I’ll get out of your way.
Obviously, you were expected and I was not. I’ll let you guys get to your fun.”
Marie moved past them and Brody put his hand on her arm. “Honey, don’t go, don’t drive mad… I mean, this is all very innocent and explainable.”
She looked at his hand like her arm had grown fungus, then she met his pleading eyes with a cold stare. “Remove your hand from my arm, Lieutenant, before I remove it for you.” He narrowed his eyes angrily and she walked out without looking back. She was stupid to believe he would be any different. The way he had acted when she showed up was evidence enough that he had other guests coming. Guests who were built like Greek goddesses. Fine, he can play all he wants, she thought as she drove away. She would be mother and father to her child if she had to be.
But the ache in her chest broke free when she finally pulled into her driveway and let herself into her house. After a shower to warm up and a good cry, because she really needed it after all that had gone on today, she wanted to curl up in her bed and cover her head with her blankets and never come out. Instead, she pulled on her warm pajamas and a pair of thick socks, went into the kitchen and pulled a tub of ice cream from the freezer. She put her favorite DVD on and wished every man was like Patrick Swayze. Life would be simple if men acted as they did in movies.
