by Wood, Lauren
“You are not backing out of this Liz. When they call our names, we’re going to get married and that’s the end of it. I don’t want to ever go another day without being your husband. And if it helps us when we go back to court tomorrow, then that was a bonus. I would marry you without all of this happening, but I think it made me realize how much I can’t live without you and Stephen. Tragedy brought us together, but we’re meant to be together.”
“I feel the same way. I guess I am just scared. I didn’t think this would ever happen and now I don’t know how I am supposed to go on without you. I know that I don’t want to ever be away from you. I have never been so happy, as when I’m with you. I just want you to know that.”
I pulled her to me, and I knew that there was no one here in this place, that was going to stop me from kissing her.
Then our names were called, and I pulled away. I didn’t have a lick of guilt on my face. I was only going to stop kissing her for a time, because as soon as this was over, she was mine until court.
What a strange thought…
The courtroom was exactly like in the movies. It wasn’t the sort of wedding that I would have thought about, but then again, I had never really thought about ever getting married. It was strange. Not traditional at all, but somehow, it was right for me and Liz. Our love wasn’t traditional, so it made sense that our wedding wouldn’t be.
The words were the same, but I didn’t hear any of them. I was only waiting for the part where I agreed to this all and then the part where I got to kiss her. That was all that was on my mind and everything else was only noise.
I knew what it meant. I was choosing her to have and to hold for the rest of my life. I hoped that was for a very long time. I had to hope in the back of my mind, that it would somehow work out the way I wanted it to, the way it was supposed to.
“You may now kiss your bride.”
I pulled Liz to me and told her that she was now mine, before I planted a wet kiss on her lips. It felt good to finally kiss her, knowing she was mine forever. It felt really damn good. Everything else fell away and it was only Liz standing up on the altar with me. There was nowhere else that I would ever rather be.
“I can’t believe that we did this Glenn. Are we as crazy as it feels right now? I’m married. I can’t believe that I’m married.”
I smiled and kissed her again, halfway out of the courtroom. It wasn’t the wedding that most people wished for, but this was perfect. We were in and out in twenty minutes and I left with the most important thing at all, my wife.
“I can believe it. This is what was supposed to happen and now we’re going to go back to the hotel, and I’m going to show you what else is supposed to happen.”
She giggled and then pulled away when I tried to grab her again. “Let’s get out of here first, before you do that.”
Liz had a serious look on her face, but I knew she wasn’t metal. She would bend to my will and before we left the courthouse, I thought it was a good idea to consummate the marriage. It was done in the stairwell, quick, hard and full of intensity. Both of us were walking a little different when it was all said and done.
“You’re right Glenn. I can think of how else this could be any better or any more right. I have to wonder though, what would have happened if we would have done this years ago? If I wouldn’t have teased, you and you wouldn’t have distanced yourself. What would have happened I wondered?”
I shrugged, not really having time to think about it. I did at one point want her, she teased me relentlessly for a time and then recently, but what if it would have been another way? If I would have tried harder or she would have conceded?
“I don’t know. I doubt that we were ready for each other then. Sometimes the person is right, but the timing is off. I have to believe that this is how it was supposed to happen.”
“I don’t know if this was how it was supposed to happen or not, but it sure does feel right.”
We kissed again and finally made it to the car. It was a new day and I was feeling more optimistic than ever before.
Chapter 25
Liz
Life was sweet one moment and the sour the next. The day of court was upon us and it had been almost two weeks since my parents had gotten Stephen taken away from us. I had stayed up every night worried about him. Glenn had stayed up with me, worrying with me and it seemed fair that we would do this together. All I could do was wonder how was it all going to turn out. I was happy, but I knew that my true happiness hinged on getting my family back together. It was all I could think about and all that I wanted.
The day dragged on and I had to hear about every exploit that I had ever done, and my parents had gotten me out of. Our lawyer didn’t think that I should go on the stand. He was afraid I was going to lose my cool, but Glenn had faith in me. It was enough to help me keep my mouth shut when it was supposed to be. I wanted to say more, but I knew that I would say what needed to be said, to get our baby back.
When it came time for me to take the stand, I focused on Glenn and it was enough to calm me down. I was worried about what was going to happen if we weren’t able to take Stephen home, but I couldn’t think of that. It hurt too much. The last couple of weeks had been the longest of my life. It was like losing Mario and Latica all over again.
The questions posed to me, were obviously hand-picked from my parents. I answered them as truthfully and honestly as I could. I didn’t embellish in any way, because it wouldn’t have added any value to what I was saying. I kept my cool, even when some of the questions were rather harsh. All and all, I thought I did pretty good when I stepped down, though that didn’t stop me from shaking down to my core because of it.
All I could think about when I was getting back to my seat, was the question that I asked myself the most, what if it wasn’t enough? What if I said the wrong thing and ruined my chances? It was going to kill me, if I didn’t know soon what was going on. The waiting was something akin to torture. It had to be torture, Because I couldn't imagine anything hurting as much as this.
It was time for Glenn to take the stand and I wasn’t near as worried about him as I've been worried about myself. Glenn was squeaky clean, and I couldn't imagine him doing anything that would be seen wrong. He was picture perfect and was almost as good in person. Glenn was a doctor after all. Glenn had plenty of money and he had also purchased our house. Not to mention that he was my husband. We were a stable family and I was certain that when he walked off of the stand today, everyone in the courtroom was going to think so as well.
It didn't go like I thought it would though. Glenn lost his cool several times and it was because of questions that were asked about people that he worked with. He apparently had an affair with one of the women at work and sure enough, she was the next one to take the stand. The happily married couple was quickly fading and everybody else was looking at Glenn differently. It didn't change the way I felt about him, but I hated that he lost himself, and was so completely misunderstand.
The results of the day were pretty easy for everybody to guess. I knew right away, that we had lost Stephen and as much as it pained me to say it, I knew there was nothing else we could do. I could try to reason with my parents and at least see him as much as possible. Maybe they would even let me watch him. It was strange how quickly I had gotten so attached to him.
When I got home that evening, Glenn didn’t speak for a long time. I had learned living with him, that he needed some time. There was most likely a million things going on in his head and the best thing that I could do in this situation, was give him some space. There was no sense telling him that it wasn't his fault. I didn't believe it was his fault, but he was going to think it was anyways. That's how he was. He took responsibility for things, even though it may not have been his fault. It was part of the reason I loved him, but right now, I wished that he wasn't that way, because it was hurting him inside.
“It's going to be okay, Glenn.”
“How can you say that? We
lost him.”
“We didn't lose him. He is still in the family and we can see him whenever we want. This is only how it's going to be right now.”
I tried to pull him towards me to hold him, but he resisted. I finally let him go. He wasn't ready yet. We were both hurting, and this was the first time that I didn't have Glenn to hold on to. I think that was the hardest part of all of it.
A few days later, I got sick several times in the morning. It had been going on for a few days prior to court, but I explained it away as nerves. It had been a very stressful time and I had a weak stomach.
I was more than a little happy to find out that it wasn't the case at all. Stress was not the cause of my sickness; it was something else entirely.
“Sorry that I'm late, I had a couple of interviews that I had to go to.”
“How did they go?”
“I don't know. I was hoping that I’d get an offer right away, but I didn't. I'm not going to think negative about it though. Something is going to come up.”
“That's my line. Everything is going to be fine.”
I knew he was worried about mortgages and how we were going to pay for everything, but I have started selling my paintings again. He may not ever say anything negative about my art, but I was excited that I was finally getting paid for it. The trust fund that my parents had put aside for me so long ago, was now gone. It was apparently part of my punishment, though I did not know for what.
“It’s going to be fine. I have you and that's all that matters.”
He hugged me to him and for a moment, I felt moisture build behind my eyes. It was exactly what I needed to hear.
“You’re always going to have me. But I don't know if it's always going to be just us.”
“What are you talking about? Have they decided to come to their senses about Stephen? Is he coming home?”
His question bothered me for a minute, and I knew why. It wasn’t because Stephen was coming home, but because I wanted him to. Having another baby was going to remind me of Stephen, but we were just going to have to move on as best as we could. At least now, we would be building our family, but without Stephen there would always be a piece missing.
“No, it's not Stephen coming back. I haven't heard anything from my parents.”
“Then what are you talking about?”
“Do you really not know?”
I smiled a little bit, because he was completely befuddled.
“I guess I really don't know what you're talking about. Explain it.”
“I'm pregnant Glenn. We're going to have a baby.”
His face went through a wide variety of emotions and I wasn't sure which one he was going to land on. There was shock, pleasure, but there was also something else.
“It would have been Stephen’s brother or sister. We have to get him back, you know, that right?”
“I know baby. For right now we have something else to focus on.”
The loss of Stephen had really messed with Glenn and I hoped that one day soon, he would be able to get through the day without having that pained expression on his face. I hated to see the person I loved, so upset. Especially when there was nothing I could do about it.
“It's going to be alright now. I can just feel it.”
Chapter 26
Glenn
The idea that Liz was going to have my baby made me happy. It made be happier than I think anything else had ever before and I didn't know what to do with myself. There was a bitter sweetness to it of course. I was still thinking about the child that we had lost and even though he was only a few miles down the road, it wasn’t the same. He wasn’t here with us and I wanted him back.
My mind went from one thing to another. I couldn't believe that Liz and I were going to have a kid. It was all that I ever wanted, before I even knew I wanted it. I never knew that I wanted to be married, until I was married to the woman I loved. I never believed in love, until I found Liz. I never knew that I wanted a child or a family, until I had one thrust upon me and put in my lap. It was one of the scariest times, but also turned out to be one of the best times of my life. It had changed me in so many ways and I knew it was all for the better.
What kept eating away at me, was the fact that our family was not all the way together. We got to see Stephen once in a while, but it wasn't enough. Every time we left her parents’ house for our visit over from having dinner with them, I could tell that it was hard for Liz to leave. It was never enough time for her.
As she got further along in her pregnancy the emotion seemed to overcome her even more. I wanted to keep her steady and keep her safe, but there was nothing I could do about this. I couldn't go against her parents and as much as I had tried to explain the situation so that they could understand it and relinquish the rights to Stephen, it had not worked well. They insisted that this was the best thing for him. I knew otherwise, but because it was Liz’s parents, I didn't push it any further.
There were other things that I started to do differently. I was late from work a few times each week, but it wasn't because I was staying late. In reality, I was over at Mario’s house, combing every last bit of paperwork that I could find. I was still hoping that he had done enough of the application for the will and all the information we needed would be there. Then we could go back to court and finally win this.
After a couple of weeks of doing this, I still haven't found it though. I was starting to think that it was all lost, but then I found what I was looking for. I had waited for weeks to find it and now it was sitting in my hand and it almost didn't feel real.
I got all the way back to the house, before I actually looked at the papers. I had been so caught up in the moment, that I was sure it was going to have everything that we needed on it. This was a smoking gun that we needed to change everything, but by the light and the paperwork that I had in my hand, it was not what I needed. It was the application for the will, but it had not been filled out near as much as it needed to be.
More importantly, the part about what was going to happen to their children, was not filled out at all. This was not the new evidence that I'd hoped it would be and I felt crushed. I don't think I've ever felt so upset in my life. I wanted to bring this to Liz and tell her that everything was going to be fine now. I wanted to fix this for her, so that she would never have to be pained again. I didn't want her to spend another night away from Stephen if she didn't have to, but now, I had nothing again.
“Hey baby, I was hoping you'd be home earlier. I was thinking that we could watch one of these videos that they gave me at the birthing class.”
That didn't even sound good, but it was better than dwelling on the fact that I was no closer to getting Stephen back, then when I started. It had all gone so differently in my head and right now I didn't know what to do. How was I going to get Stephen away from her parents, without doing anything negative directly to her parents? It was a conundrum that was literally breaking my brain.
“Sure Liz. Let me change and take a shower and I will be right there.”
“Okay honey. I'm going to heat up dinner for you. I made meatloaf, your favorite.”
I gave her a kiss on the cheek and then went into the bathroom before any of my emotions could spill over. I had just been so sure that I had finally gotten this licked and now... I didn't even want to think about it. It was even harder for me to realize that I was upset about losing Stephen for myself, just as much as I was upset for her. It wasn't just that we had lost him but that we were never getting him back. That was a very hard pill to swallow.
“It's finally time Glenn. We need to get to the hospital.”
“What?!”
I was jolted out of bed with Liz’s frantic words. I didn't even understand what she was saying at first, but I did understand the tone. Something was wrong and I was here to protect her. I just didn't know that I was protecting her from my own child.
“Are you sure?”
She slapped me on the shoulder and told me to get
up. I guess she was sure enough for the both of us.
“No need to panic. We have everything ready to go, right?”
“I think so. Do you know where the keys are?”
I looked around the room. Losing a set of keys, was going to somehow make everything go wrong. I have never had this much happiness in my life, except for the time that we shared as a family. Now that we were going to start our own family, I was practically giddy. There was no other way to describe it. I was ready to get this ball rolling.
I found the keys and said a little prayer to the man upstairs, sure that he was the one that helped me. I need a lot more of that help, and a little bit of luck and so I drove far too fast to get to the hospital. I drove like a madman and got us there in plenty of time. When I was driving and freaking out, Liz was calling the doctor, to make sure that he knew we were showing up at the ER. I still couldn't believe that this was finally happening.
“You have to slim down Glenn. We want to get to the hospital in one piece, don't we?”
“Of course, of course. We're here now.”
I was trying to find a parking spot in the front, but it was becoming clear that it wasn't going to happen. Problem with the front entrance, was that I would have to leave her, and I didn't want to leave her for even a second.
When I didn't find something right away, I decided to pull him in front of the doors and just leave the car. I left the keys in it; in case anybody wanted to move it or steal it. Whatever the case may be. I didn't even care about any of that stuff anymore. My little family was about to multiply, and my focus was on that only.
The doctor was waiting for us when we got there, and everything happened so quickly. One minute our little family was two people, just me and Liz, and the next moment, there's three of us. There was a moment of nostalgia with me holding her, reminding me of Stephen.
