HEARTBEAT
TAYLOR
"At this point, I don't know when I'm coming home," Taylor said into his phone.
Isaac and Zac had him on a three-way call on his cell phone and he looked at them on his screen out on the balcony as Mel napped inside their New York apartment.
"I understand what you're going through," Ike said into the phone. "But we gotta know what to do here. We've already cancelled a tour, and now you've run off out of town for god knows how long--we're not exactly in a position to just play stuff by ear right now."
"I know. I get it," Tay said.
"I mean, we've done all this without so much as a formal announcement."
"I broke my hand. We released a statement as to why we had to cancel. We can't tour if I can't play. We've rescheduled dates--most of them. Ike, what more do you want me to do? I'm not trying to be difficult here, but I gotta get my life back together. I just have to."
"How are things going with Mel?" Zac asked. Tay had to smile. His younger brother could be insensitive sometimes, but he sure knew when to deliver when the time came.
Tay nodded. "Good. Uh, really good, actually. She's wearing her ring again."
Zac smiled into the screen. "Awesome! So we still have a wedding next month."
"Uh, no," Tay smiled sheepishly. "Look, can I tell you guys something? In secret? I mean, so secret you can't even tell Nikki and Kate. I just need to tell someone."
Ike raised an eyebrow. "You want me to hide something from Nikki?"
"Ike. As my brother, I'm begging you. Just for a short while."
Ike sighed. "Okay, fine. What's going on?"
Tay tried hard to say it with a straight face, but he couldn't keep from smiling. "Mel's pregnant."
On the screen, grins spread across both Ike's and Zac's faces. "Tay, that's awesome!" Zac said.
"You can't let her know you know," Tay said. "I mean, we haven't discussed who and how to tell or anything--I mean, we just got back together--but I'm just--I'm so excited."
"How far along?" Ike asked.
"Um, three months? I think?"
"You think?" Zac asked.
"It's a long story."
Ike nodded. "Okay. Okay. I get it. Zac and I--we'll hold down the fort here--"
"Hey, maybe we can do a show, like Livestream it or something, maybe to appease the fans for now?"
"That could work," Zac said.
"We could maybe do it here in New York."
Ike and Zac both sighed almost simultaneously. "You're not planning on coming home anytime soon, are you?" Ike asked.
"At this point, I honestly couldn't give you any details."
Making his brothers promise, once again, not to say a word about Mel's pregnancy, Tay hung up the phone and headed back into the apartment. He sat in the armchair next to the sofa and watched her nap as she lay curled up under a throw blanket. He sighed at how his brain seemingly refused to stop. So much to do. He had so much to do and so little time to do it in.
He looked down at his phone as a thought crossed his mind. At this point, he'd convinced himself that as long as his impulse decisions were the right ones, he could make all of them he wanted. Glancing at Mel one more time, sound asleep on the sofa, he stood up and dialed a number, walking into another part of the apartment. "I need to speak to someone about scheduling your facility for an event," he said quietly into the phone. "As soon as possible."
---------------
Several days later, Taylor was showered and dressed hours before Mel was even awake. He was anxious to start the day, so he sat on the edge of the bed and gently woke her.
As she slowly opened her eyes and rubbed them, he smiled at her and said softly, "Guess what today is?"
"Mm?" she muttered sleepily.
"Today's your doctor's appointment."
Her face still full of sleep, she blinked slowly as her lips wore a lazy pout. "You act like it's some kind of national holiday or something."
"Aren't you excited?"
"Honestly? Sleep excites me. That's about it."
"I know," he said warmly. "And I'd love to let you sleep, except your appointment is in a couple of hours and judging how you've been these past few days--it's gonna take about that long to get you moving."
She furrowed her brow at him. "What are you trying to say?"
He smiled. "It's been a rough week for you. I'm just trying to help."
He wasn't lying. Mel was naturally a moody individual--she always had been. But her normal personality didn't hold a candle to the emotional roller coaster he'd witnessed over the past week. And if this past week had been any indication of what the next six months would be--well, it would be a long six months.
"You want me to bring you anything?" he asked her.
"I'm thirsty as shit," she muttered. "It's like there's a fucking desert inside my mouth. And I have to pee. I'm comfortable and I have to pee. And the water will make me pee. I'm just sick of peeing."
"Um, well I can handle the water part..."
"Every little bit helps," she muttered. "Hey, you think the doctor will tell me I don't have to pee anymore?"
Tay couldn't hold his chuckle in. "Don't count on it."
"Damn."
-------------
A couple of hours later, Taylor and Mel stood at the reception desk in the doctor's office, signing in for Mel's appointment. In the short time between waking her up and getting her to the doctor, Mel had thrown up, cried twice, and broken a lamp. Tay had said to her, "Mel, with as many lamps as we've broken between the two of us over the years, I'm starting to think maybe we shouldn't own any at all." And then she'd laughed.
Tay was exhausted.
He stood beside her as she signed her name to the clipboard when, suddenly, she cocked her head to the side. "Honey, do you have a staring problem?"
Completely caught off guard, blood drained from his face in embarrassment as he glanced at the girl in the scrubs that Mel was eying behind the receptionist that helped them.
Mel continued, "I realize that he's gorgeous, but do you really need to make it so damn obvious?"
Tay couldn't get her out of there fast enough. Struggling for words, he put his arm around her to lead her into the waiting room. Glancing around behind the desk, he said, "Uh, forgive her, she's--"
Mel's head whipped around and daggers flew from her eyes. "What? I'm what?"
He froze for a moment before he smiled at her. "Beautiful. You're so beautiful, sweetheart."
This seemed to appease her and he felt her shoulders relax under his arm as she turned to walk to the waiting area. Over his shoulder, Tay mouthed to the receptionist, "I'm sorry."
The receptionist simply smiled and nodded.
The moment they sat down, Tay was desperate to get out of that waiting room for fear something else may transpire. He hadn't really thought about this. Mel was a spitfire. She always had been. She wore her emotions on her sleeve and generally wasn't one to hide any of them. She had no qualms about letting you know how she felt about what, how, and when and she certainly had no qualms about how she expressed said feelings.
And now she was pregnant? Let's just throw an entire smorgasbord of emotions and hormone imbalances into the mix! Tay's head dizzied at the thought.
Grateful for the short time it took to get called to the back, Mel smiled at him as they followed the assistant to the exam room. He was definitely going to have to be on his toes to keep up with her forever-changing moods.
When her doctor finally came into the room, a short, bald man with glasses, Mel was all smiles. Tay stood next to the exam table as he introduced himself to the couple. "Well, then, Miss Banks," he said as he turned the pages in his chart. "It's been awhile since I've seen you. It appears you've missed a couple of appointments."
Mel glanced nervously down at her feet that hung off the side of the table. "Um, I admit, I haven't been the most well-behaved."
The doctor smiled. "I would think your husband here might keep you in line, huh?"
"Um, we're n--"
"I've, uh, been out of town," Tay spoke up. "For work. It won't happen again, I promise."
Mel stole a glare over at him and Tay simply raised his eyebrows in response. Getting the hint, Mel relaxed her face. "Well, I'm here now," she said to the doctor.
"That, you are. So, how are things?"
Mel looked confused. "Um, things?"
"Yes. Things. How are things?"
"Things as in..."
"How's pregnancy been treating you?"
Mel's eyes widened in realization. "Oh! Pregnancy. Um, pregnancy's been...I don't know, how is it supposed to be?"
The doctor chuckled. "How has your body been reacting?"
"My body hates me, that much I can tell you. As you know, I didn't even know I was pregnant until you told me. Um...at first all I wanted was pudding. Any pudding, any flavor, I couldn't get enough of it. Right now it's fruit. I can't drink enough water, I pee all the time, I have to go bra shopping, and my boobs hurt. I randomly throw up, just, whenever. That comes and goes. Sometimes I can go days without getting sick, sometimes I can spend the entire day puking. And I haven't even started on the hormones yet."
"Are you taking any vitamins?"
Mel glanced around sheepishly. "Um, I hadn't been. Until recently."
"Okay..." The doctor went through his chart again. "How are you emotionally?"
Mel and Tay glanced at each other. "Um...it's, uh, it's been a whirlwind..."
"How so?"
She glanced at Tay one more time before she spoke. "Um, he and I--before I knew I was pregnant--we went through some things. Spent some time apart recently--"
"While he was out of town working?"
Mel furrowed her brow. "Um, sure...anyway, so I was dealing with that already. And then all the emotions and mood swings and everything started piling on top--I'll be honest, there were many days where I just didn't even want to get out of the bed. And I didn't."
Tay found himself looking at the floor, feeling absolutely horrible. All this had been because of him and he knew it. He didn't know how he would ever forgive himself. Then he glanced over at Mel and he straightened up his posture. This was no time to feel sorry for himself. He had to be there for her. Once and for all, he just had to suck it up and be her man.
"How have you been this past week?"
"Better. I think? Maybe? I still don't know who I am from one minute to the next sometimes. I'm back and forth about my body image. But Tay's been wonderful this week so, as a whole, it seems like it's getting better."
The doctor smiled and nodded. "Good, good. Well, then, according to the chart here, you should be in your twelfth week by now, right? Why don't we see if we can hear anything today?"
"Hear anything?" Mel asked.
"Of course. If you hadn't missed your last appointment, you could have heard your baby's heartbeat weeks ago."
Tay looked over at Mel as tears welled up in her eyes and she covered her mouth to seemingly keep from crying. She giggled through her hand. "Really?"
The doctor smiled again. "Yes, really. Let's get some vitals checked out and then we'll put that little thing on surround sound, okay?"
"Surround sound?" Tay asked.
"Well, maybe not surround sound, but it sounds good, right?"
After Mel had peed in a cup, which proved to be no problem, and after checking her blood pressure and her weight, the doctor informed her that she was a little underweight for where she should be at that time. "It's not too bad," the doctor told her. "But you should gain a little more weight. Not too much, but you do need a little extra."
Finally, he had her lay back and lift her shirt as he turned the monitor on and turned out the lights. "I didn't think we'd be seeing anything today," Mel said.
Tay had to chuckle. "You really are clueless on this whole baby thing, aren't you?"
She shot a look over at him. "We can't all have fifty siblings in our families."
"Fair enough," Tay nodded, desperate to keep the peace. He made a mental note to be extra careful to watch his mouth from this day forward.
The ultrasound was filled with more emotion than Tay thought he could handle. He squeezed Mel's hand and he couldn't keep his eyes off the screen while she cried the whole time. "I'm sorry," she kept saying. "I promise I'm trying to keep it together, I promise."
The doctor chuckled and shook his head. "It's okay, it's okay."
As the ultrasound went on, the doctor clicked a few buttons and dragged a line or two before muttering, "It appears as though the baby is measuring a week behind..."
Mel glanced at Tay, alarmed. "A week behind? What does that mean?"
"It's somewhat common--" the doctor started.
"Is there a chance your calculations are off at how far along she is?" Tay asked.
The doctor and Mel both looked at him and said in unison, "No."
Tay glanced from one to the other. "Well how do you know?"
"Do the math, Tay," she said quietly. "We didn't have sex the week before we conceived. Count. That was back when we first started seeing Pastor Bradley and I got in that fight and...we didn't have sex during that time period."
"Well--I mean after you came back from Chicago and after that second session..."
Mel nodded in persistence as Tay counted. "Oh...." he finally said in realization. Then he looked at the doctor. "Well, then, what does that mean?"
The doctor looked Tay square in the eye. "She needs to take better care of herself. Prenatal vitamins, gain a little weight, eat better and more often. Everything should be more normal by your next visit. But I'd like to see her in a couple of weeks just to make sure growth is progressing as it should."
"Um, we don't exactly have a permanent residence here. I mean, what if we go back home--"
"Then I can send the records wherever they need to go." Then he looked at Mel. "But don't drop off the face of the earth this time."
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MEL
Mel sat across from Taylor at a restaurant in downtown New York as the server had just walked away with their order. "Pretty sure the doctor said to eat healthy," Tay said.
She raised her eyebrows mischievously. "He also said to gain weight."
"And this is what you want? All this greasy food?"
"YES. God, yes, this'll be better than sex."
Tay laughed and Mel smiled. "I'm sorry," she continued. "I have put things in my mouth over the past month that made me feel things food isn't supposed to make me feel."
"That's what she said."
Mel howled with laughter. She couldn't help it. So far, it had been a good day. Tay was back in the picture, the baby was relatively healthy--things felt like they might finally be going in the right direction. She felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
When her laughter subsided, she grew serious and looked across the table at him. "I'm gonna get fat, you know."
He smiled and shook his head. "You're just pregnant."
"It's not gonna stop me from getting fat. It won't be just my stomach, you know. I'll grow in places that--well, I've seen a lot of pictures of naked pregnant women lately. I'll have stretch marks and--when I come out of this, Tay, I'm not gonna look the same."
Tay sipped his drink and looked across the table at her. "I'm aware of the changes. I don't know what you're worrying about. You're still as gorgeous as you ever were, you'll be gorgeous as you get more--pregnant, and you'll be even more gorgeous after. Why fret over it?"
Mel smiled across the table at him. She wanted to cry but she forced herself not to. "I just--after the baby's born, I just don't want you to look at me and be like, 'Shit, what did I get myself into?' "
Tay put his glass down and he laughed. "I'm sorry. I'm not laughing at you, I promise. But, seriously, is THAT the kind of thing that goes through your mind?"
She looked at him, her expression serious. "Yes."
He sighed and reached across the table, taking her hand. "Look. I don't want you to worry about anything. At least, not about anything like THAT. You just worry about you and your health and the health of that baby. Don't sweat the small stuff. Okay?"
"We have six months until this baby is born. We have nothing. We have no names, no--no nothing. No room, no furniture--"
"Six months is a long time. Don't try to rush it. You let me handle all those details, okay?"
"What about work?"
"What about it?"
"You can't not work. Your hand's healed up now and--"
"We're handling it," Tay assured her. "Don't worry about me or my work or anything else. Like I said, you focus on you. Let me take care of the rest."
She blinked at him as she tried to fight tears once again. She was getting frustrated. She was emotional and she was hungry and the food was taking way too goddamn long. "I don't want to be a burden on you."
He shook his head. "You're not a burden. You never have been. That's my baby, too. Just let me be the daddy."
A grin spread across Mel's face, so wide her cheeks hurt. At that moment, she could have jumped him right there. There was something so sweet and so sexy about him referring to himself as "the daddy." Mel hadn't thought about it until just now, but she was ready for the baby to be born now just so she could see him holding it.
She smelled it before it even approached the table. When the server put the greasy bacon cheeseburger down in front of her, she thought she'd died and gone to heaven. Tay's plate hadn't even made it onto the table yet before she took her first bite. "Ohmygod," she said, with her mouth full. "Do you know what would be excellent on this?" Then she looked at the server. "Do you guys have chili?"
Within moments, a side of chili appeared by her plate and she wasted no time opening the sandwich and pouring it on.
"Is that gonna make you sick?" Tay asked her.
"Don't know, don't care."
They ate in silence for a few minutes before Mel spoke again. "I think it's gonna be a girl."
Tay swallowed the bite in his mouth and raised an eyebrow. "You think or you want?"
"I think."
"How do you figure?"
"Because I'm extra hormonal? That has to be a girl thing, right?" Then she thought about it for a second. "However, usually the reason behind my neurotic tendencies has something to do with a man. Somehow..."
"Gee, thanks."
"So it COULD be a boy. Still saying girl, though."
"Your logic kills me."
"Pow," she said as she shoved a french fry into her mouth. Then she said, "You think we should have the baby's room downstairs?"
"Yes."
"You seem awful sure of yourself, there."
Tay shrugged. "Seems logical."
She narrowed her eyes and stared at him. "Elaborate."
"It's close to the kitchen, the bathroom, and the front door. Midnight feedings, baths after diaper explosions, access to the front door in case there's an emergency."
"Don't give me a heart attack right now, have you seen this burger?"
"Besides, do you really want to haul the kid up and down the stairs all the time?"
"I'd lose my baby weight that way."
"Always the optimist."
"Makes sense, I guess," she said, giving in. "But our bedroom is upstairs."
"So we move."
"Move?"
"I mean move the bedroom. We start sleeping downstairs."
"You have all the answers, don't you?"
He flashed a grin at her. "That's my job." They ate in silence for a moment more before he looked across the table at her again. "Does this mean you're ready to come home?"
She looked back at him, her chewing slowing as she thought about it. She loved New York. New York was the only thing that had kept her relatively sane for the past two months, regardless of how much time she spent holed up in her apartment. Ultimately, Tulsa was home, but New York was where she left her heart every time she boarded a plane to leave. "Eventually," she answered.
"But not yet."
"I just--I'm just not ready to leave the city yet. It's not personal, I just--Tay, you know me."
"I know. But you know my job is there, right?"
"I know. I know. And I want to raise the baby in Tulsa. Don't get me wrong. I just--I need a little time before I leave. New York has been therapeutic for me. In a way..."
"Okay," Tay nodded. "Okay. But just know, we can't stay here too much longer. There's no telling how your body will react to the pregnancy in future months and we don't know how traveling will be for you..."
"We'll go home soon. I promise."
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TAYLOR
They had been back at the apartment for a couple of hours. Mel was excited that lunch hadn't made her sick. Taylor reminded her that this didn't give her a free pass to live on cheeseburgers and she reminded him, once again, that the doctor told her to gain weight. Giving up the fight, he let her win that round.
As she napped again, Tay found himself on the balcony once again, dialing his sister-in-law's number. To his surprise, Isaac answered. "Why are you answering Nikki's phone?"
"Because she's in the bathroom and I saw it was you. Why are you calling my wife?"
"Because I need to talk to her. I need her help."
"With what?"
"I just need to talk to her."
"Why are you being so secretive with everyone?"
Tay sighed in frustration. "Because I--I don't need a million hands in the cookie jar right now. It's all I can do to keep my mind straight. Just let me do what I gotta do, one step at a time."
"Okay, okay, fine. Here, hold on, she's out now."
In a second, he heard Nikki's voice. "Tay? Hey, what's going on?"
"Hey, Nikki, listen--I need your help. Either yours or you can point me in the direction of someone, I don't know."
"Sure, anything? How's Mel?"
He glanced behind him in the sliding glass door. "Uh, she's good."
"How are YOU?"
"I'm good. Better. Thanks for asking. Look, I need help. I'm gonna marry Mel."
"Well that goes without saying..."
"No, I mean, we're gonna get married. We've cancelled our entire wedding and now we need a new one. I'm going to look at a venue tomorrow and I'm probably gonna opt for whatever date and time they have available."
"Um, Tay...you're trying to--what does Mel think?"
"She doesn't know."
"What do you mean, she doesn't--?" And then she paused. "Oh. My. God." And then she squealed. "Oh my god, Tay, this is the most romantic thing I've ever heard!"
"Just keep it under wraps right now," he said. "I don't--I'm kinda winging all this and I don't want to ruin anything."
"You have my word. What do you need from me?"
"Everything."
"Oh my god. Okay. Let me write this down. You're gonna need cake and food and--and guests! You've already told all your guests there's no wedding!"
"I don't expect it to be big. Even if it's just family, I'll be okay with it."
"Okay...you need tuxes and dresses...thankfully she already has a dress..."
Tay scratched his head nervously. "She's gonna need a dress. Trust me."
"Um, okay...how is she gonna get a dress if she doesn't know what's going on?"
"I'll cross that bridge when I get there."
"This is kinda crazy, you know that, right?"
"I know. But I owe her--god, I owe her so much. I just want to give her this. You know? I don't want her to worry or stress over it or anything. If she knows, she'll worry and she'll stress. And I already know what she likes from the plans we already made, so--I just want to do this."
"Okay," Nikki said quietly. "Okay. I'll work on what I can here. Meanwhile, I know someone who happens to be based there in New York. She's in high demand so cross your fingers that she's available. Her name is Kari..."
After Tay instructed Nikki to text him the info, he thanked her and hung up the phone. Shoving it in his pocket, he looked out over the Hudson River and over the city skyline as he let out a breath. He silently prayed that he would be able to pull this off.
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Alternate Jason chapter: http://tyamwedding.weebly.com/melokia-alternate.html
TAYLOR
"At this point, I don't know when I'm coming home," Taylor said into his phone.
Isaac and Zac had him on a three-way call on his cell phone and he looked at them on his screen out on the balcony as Mel napped inside their New York apartment.
"I understand what you're going through," Ike said into the phone. "But we gotta know what to do here. We've already cancelled a tour, and now you've run off out of town for god knows how long--we're not exactly in a position to just play stuff by ear right now."
"I know. I get it," Tay said.
"I mean, we've done all this without so much as a formal announcement."
"I broke my hand. We released a statement as to why we had to cancel. We can't tour if I can't play. We've rescheduled dates--most of them. Ike, what more do you want me to do? I'm not trying to be difficult here, but I gotta get my life back together. I just have to."
"How are things going with Mel?" Zac asked. Tay had to smile. His younger brother could be insensitive sometimes, but he sure knew when to deliver when the time came.
Tay nodded. "Good. Uh, really good, actually. She's wearing her ring again."
Zac smiled into the screen. "Awesome! So we still have a wedding next month."
"Uh, no," Tay smiled sheepishly. "Look, can I tell you guys something? In secret? I mean, so secret you can't even tell Nikki and Kate. I just need to tell someone."
Ike raised an eyebrow. "You want me to hide something from Nikki?"
"Ike. As my brother, I'm begging you. Just for a short while."
Ike sighed. "Okay, fine. What's going on?"
Tay tried hard to say it with a straight face, but he couldn't keep from smiling. "Mel's pregnant."
On the screen, grins spread across both Ike's and Zac's faces. "Tay, that's awesome!" Zac said.
"You can't let her know you know," Tay said. "I mean, we haven't discussed who and how to tell or anything--I mean, we just got back together--but I'm just--I'm so excited."
"How far along?" Ike asked.
"Um, three months? I think?"
"You think?" Zac asked.
"It's a long story."
Ike nodded. "Okay. Okay. I get it. Zac and I--we'll hold down the fort here--"
"Hey, maybe we can do a show, like Livestream it or something, maybe to appease the fans for now?"
"That could work," Zac said.
"We could maybe do it here in New York."
Ike and Zac both sighed almost simultaneously. "You're not planning on coming home anytime soon, are you?" Ike asked.
"At this point, I honestly couldn't give you any details."
Making his brothers promise, once again, not to say a word about Mel's pregnancy, Tay hung up the phone and headed back into the apartment. He sat in the armchair next to the sofa and watched her nap as she lay curled up under a throw blanket. He sighed at how his brain seemingly refused to stop. So much to do. He had so much to do and so little time to do it in.
He looked down at his phone as a thought crossed his mind. At this point, he'd convinced himself that as long as his impulse decisions were the right ones, he could make all of them he wanted. Glancing at Mel one more time, sound asleep on the sofa, he stood up and dialed a number, walking into another part of the apartment. "I need to speak to someone about scheduling your facility for an event," he said quietly into the phone. "As soon as possible."
---------------
Several days later, Taylor was showered and dressed hours before Mel was even awake. He was anxious to start the day, so he sat on the edge of the bed and gently woke her.
As she slowly opened her eyes and rubbed them, he smiled at her and said softly, "Guess what today is?"
"Mm?" she muttered sleepily.
"Today's your doctor's appointment."
Her face still full of sleep, she blinked slowly as her lips wore a lazy pout. "You act like it's some kind of national holiday or something."
"Aren't you excited?"
"Honestly? Sleep excites me. That's about it."
"I know," he said warmly. "And I'd love to let you sleep, except your appointment is in a couple of hours and judging how you've been these past few days--it's gonna take about that long to get you moving."
She furrowed her brow at him. "What are you trying to say?"
He smiled. "It's been a rough week for you. I'm just trying to help."
He wasn't lying. Mel was naturally a moody individual--she always had been. But her normal personality didn't hold a candle to the emotional roller coaster he'd witnessed over the past week. And if this past week had been any indication of what the next six months would be--well, it would be a long six months.
"You want me to bring you anything?" he asked her.
"I'm thirsty as shit," she muttered. "It's like there's a fucking desert inside my mouth. And I have to pee. I'm comfortable and I have to pee. And the water will make me pee. I'm just sick of peeing."
"Um, well I can handle the water part..."
"Every little bit helps," she muttered. "Hey, you think the doctor will tell me I don't have to pee anymore?"
Tay couldn't hold his chuckle in. "Don't count on it."
"Damn."
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A couple of hours later, Taylor and Mel stood at the reception desk in the doctor's office, signing in for Mel's appointment. In the short time between waking her up and getting her to the doctor, Mel had thrown up, cried twice, and broken a lamp. Tay had said to her, "Mel, with as many lamps as we've broken between the two of us over the years, I'm starting to think maybe we shouldn't own any at all." And then she'd laughed.
Tay was exhausted.
He stood beside her as she signed her name to the clipboard when, suddenly, she cocked her head to the side. "Honey, do you have a staring problem?"
Completely caught off guard, blood drained from his face in embarrassment as he glanced at the girl in the scrubs that Mel was eying behind the receptionist that helped them.
Mel continued, "I realize that he's gorgeous, but do you really need to make it so damn obvious?"
Tay couldn't get her out of there fast enough. Struggling for words, he put his arm around her to lead her into the waiting room. Glancing around behind the desk, he said, "Uh, forgive her, she's--"
Mel's head whipped around and daggers flew from her eyes. "What? I'm what?"
He froze for a moment before he smiled at her. "Beautiful. You're so beautiful, sweetheart."
This seemed to appease her and he felt her shoulders relax under his arm as she turned to walk to the waiting area. Over his shoulder, Tay mouthed to the receptionist, "I'm sorry."
The receptionist simply smiled and nodded.
The moment they sat down, Tay was desperate to get out of that waiting room for fear something else may transpire. He hadn't really thought about this. Mel was a spitfire. She always had been. She wore her emotions on her sleeve and generally wasn't one to hide any of them. She had no qualms about letting you know how she felt about what, how, and when and she certainly had no qualms about how she expressed said feelings.
And now she was pregnant? Let's just throw an entire smorgasbord of emotions and hormone imbalances into the mix! Tay's head dizzied at the thought.
Grateful for the short time it took to get called to the back, Mel smiled at him as they followed the assistant to the exam room. He was definitely going to have to be on his toes to keep up with her forever-changing moods.
When her doctor finally came into the room, a short, bald man with glasses, Mel was all smiles. Tay stood next to the exam table as he introduced himself to the couple. "Well, then, Miss Banks," he said as he turned the pages in his chart. "It's been awhile since I've seen you. It appears you've missed a couple of appointments."
Mel glanced nervously down at her feet that hung off the side of the table. "Um, I admit, I haven't been the most well-behaved."
The doctor smiled. "I would think your husband here might keep you in line, huh?"
"Um, we're n--"
"I've, uh, been out of town," Tay spoke up. "For work. It won't happen again, I promise."
Mel stole a glare over at him and Tay simply raised his eyebrows in response. Getting the hint, Mel relaxed her face. "Well, I'm here now," she said to the doctor.
"That, you are. So, how are things?"
Mel looked confused. "Um, things?"
"Yes. Things. How are things?"
"Things as in..."
"How's pregnancy been treating you?"
Mel's eyes widened in realization. "Oh! Pregnancy. Um, pregnancy's been...I don't know, how is it supposed to be?"
The doctor chuckled. "How has your body been reacting?"
"My body hates me, that much I can tell you. As you know, I didn't even know I was pregnant until you told me. Um...at first all I wanted was pudding. Any pudding, any flavor, I couldn't get enough of it. Right now it's fruit. I can't drink enough water, I pee all the time, I have to go bra shopping, and my boobs hurt. I randomly throw up, just, whenever. That comes and goes. Sometimes I can go days without getting sick, sometimes I can spend the entire day puking. And I haven't even started on the hormones yet."
"Are you taking any vitamins?"
Mel glanced around sheepishly. "Um, I hadn't been. Until recently."
"Okay..." The doctor went through his chart again. "How are you emotionally?"
Mel and Tay glanced at each other. "Um...it's, uh, it's been a whirlwind..."
"How so?"
She glanced at Tay one more time before she spoke. "Um, he and I--before I knew I was pregnant--we went through some things. Spent some time apart recently--"
"While he was out of town working?"
Mel furrowed her brow. "Um, sure...anyway, so I was dealing with that already. And then all the emotions and mood swings and everything started piling on top--I'll be honest, there were many days where I just didn't even want to get out of the bed. And I didn't."
Tay found himself looking at the floor, feeling absolutely horrible. All this had been because of him and he knew it. He didn't know how he would ever forgive himself. Then he glanced over at Mel and he straightened up his posture. This was no time to feel sorry for himself. He had to be there for her. Once and for all, he just had to suck it up and be her man.
"How have you been this past week?"
"Better. I think? Maybe? I still don't know who I am from one minute to the next sometimes. I'm back and forth about my body image. But Tay's been wonderful this week so, as a whole, it seems like it's getting better."
The doctor smiled and nodded. "Good, good. Well, then, according to the chart here, you should be in your twelfth week by now, right? Why don't we see if we can hear anything today?"
"Hear anything?" Mel asked.
"Of course. If you hadn't missed your last appointment, you could have heard your baby's heartbeat weeks ago."
Tay looked over at Mel as tears welled up in her eyes and she covered her mouth to seemingly keep from crying. She giggled through her hand. "Really?"
The doctor smiled again. "Yes, really. Let's get some vitals checked out and then we'll put that little thing on surround sound, okay?"
"Surround sound?" Tay asked.
"Well, maybe not surround sound, but it sounds good, right?"
After Mel had peed in a cup, which proved to be no problem, and after checking her blood pressure and her weight, the doctor informed her that she was a little underweight for where she should be at that time. "It's not too bad," the doctor told her. "But you should gain a little more weight. Not too much, but you do need a little extra."
Finally, he had her lay back and lift her shirt as he turned the monitor on and turned out the lights. "I didn't think we'd be seeing anything today," Mel said.
Tay had to chuckle. "You really are clueless on this whole baby thing, aren't you?"
She shot a look over at him. "We can't all have fifty siblings in our families."
"Fair enough," Tay nodded, desperate to keep the peace. He made a mental note to be extra careful to watch his mouth from this day forward.
The ultrasound was filled with more emotion than Tay thought he could handle. He squeezed Mel's hand and he couldn't keep his eyes off the screen while she cried the whole time. "I'm sorry," she kept saying. "I promise I'm trying to keep it together, I promise."
The doctor chuckled and shook his head. "It's okay, it's okay."
As the ultrasound went on, the doctor clicked a few buttons and dragged a line or two before muttering, "It appears as though the baby is measuring a week behind..."
Mel glanced at Tay, alarmed. "A week behind? What does that mean?"
"It's somewhat common--" the doctor started.
"Is there a chance your calculations are off at how far along she is?" Tay asked.
The doctor and Mel both looked at him and said in unison, "No."
Tay glanced from one to the other. "Well how do you know?"
"Do the math, Tay," she said quietly. "We didn't have sex the week before we conceived. Count. That was back when we first started seeing Pastor Bradley and I got in that fight and...we didn't have sex during that time period."
"Well--I mean after you came back from Chicago and after that second session..."
Mel nodded in persistence as Tay counted. "Oh...." he finally said in realization. Then he looked at the doctor. "Well, then, what does that mean?"
The doctor looked Tay square in the eye. "She needs to take better care of herself. Prenatal vitamins, gain a little weight, eat better and more often. Everything should be more normal by your next visit. But I'd like to see her in a couple of weeks just to make sure growth is progressing as it should."
"Um, we don't exactly have a permanent residence here. I mean, what if we go back home--"
"Then I can send the records wherever they need to go." Then he looked at Mel. "But don't drop off the face of the earth this time."
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MEL
Mel sat across from Taylor at a restaurant in downtown New York as the server had just walked away with their order. "Pretty sure the doctor said to eat healthy," Tay said.
She raised her eyebrows mischievously. "He also said to gain weight."
"And this is what you want? All this greasy food?"
"YES. God, yes, this'll be better than sex."
Tay laughed and Mel smiled. "I'm sorry," she continued. "I have put things in my mouth over the past month that made me feel things food isn't supposed to make me feel."
"That's what she said."
Mel howled with laughter. She couldn't help it. So far, it had been a good day. Tay was back in the picture, the baby was relatively healthy--things felt like they might finally be going in the right direction. She felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
When her laughter subsided, she grew serious and looked across the table at him. "I'm gonna get fat, you know."
He smiled and shook his head. "You're just pregnant."
"It's not gonna stop me from getting fat. It won't be just my stomach, you know. I'll grow in places that--well, I've seen a lot of pictures of naked pregnant women lately. I'll have stretch marks and--when I come out of this, Tay, I'm not gonna look the same."
Tay sipped his drink and looked across the table at her. "I'm aware of the changes. I don't know what you're worrying about. You're still as gorgeous as you ever were, you'll be gorgeous as you get more--pregnant, and you'll be even more gorgeous after. Why fret over it?"
Mel smiled across the table at him. She wanted to cry but she forced herself not to. "I just--after the baby's born, I just don't want you to look at me and be like, 'Shit, what did I get myself into?' "
Tay put his glass down and he laughed. "I'm sorry. I'm not laughing at you, I promise. But, seriously, is THAT the kind of thing that goes through your mind?"
She looked at him, her expression serious. "Yes."
He sighed and reached across the table, taking her hand. "Look. I don't want you to worry about anything. At least, not about anything like THAT. You just worry about you and your health and the health of that baby. Don't sweat the small stuff. Okay?"
"We have six months until this baby is born. We have nothing. We have no names, no--no nothing. No room, no furniture--"
"Six months is a long time. Don't try to rush it. You let me handle all those details, okay?"
"What about work?"
"What about it?"
"You can't not work. Your hand's healed up now and--"
"We're handling it," Tay assured her. "Don't worry about me or my work or anything else. Like I said, you focus on you. Let me take care of the rest."
She blinked at him as she tried to fight tears once again. She was getting frustrated. She was emotional and she was hungry and the food was taking way too goddamn long. "I don't want to be a burden on you."
He shook his head. "You're not a burden. You never have been. That's my baby, too. Just let me be the daddy."
A grin spread across Mel's face, so wide her cheeks hurt. At that moment, she could have jumped him right there. There was something so sweet and so sexy about him referring to himself as "the daddy." Mel hadn't thought about it until just now, but she was ready for the baby to be born now just so she could see him holding it.
She smelled it before it even approached the table. When the server put the greasy bacon cheeseburger down in front of her, she thought she'd died and gone to heaven. Tay's plate hadn't even made it onto the table yet before she took her first bite. "Ohmygod," she said, with her mouth full. "Do you know what would be excellent on this?" Then she looked at the server. "Do you guys have chili?"
Within moments, a side of chili appeared by her plate and she wasted no time opening the sandwich and pouring it on.
"Is that gonna make you sick?" Tay asked her.
"Don't know, don't care."
They ate in silence for a few minutes before Mel spoke again. "I think it's gonna be a girl."
Tay swallowed the bite in his mouth and raised an eyebrow. "You think or you want?"
"I think."
"How do you figure?"
"Because I'm extra hormonal? That has to be a girl thing, right?" Then she thought about it for a second. "However, usually the reason behind my neurotic tendencies has something to do with a man. Somehow..."
"Gee, thanks."
"So it COULD be a boy. Still saying girl, though."
"Your logic kills me."
"Pow," she said as she shoved a french fry into her mouth. Then she said, "You think we should have the baby's room downstairs?"
"Yes."
"You seem awful sure of yourself, there."
Tay shrugged. "Seems logical."
She narrowed her eyes and stared at him. "Elaborate."
"It's close to the kitchen, the bathroom, and the front door. Midnight feedings, baths after diaper explosions, access to the front door in case there's an emergency."
"Don't give me a heart attack right now, have you seen this burger?"
"Besides, do you really want to haul the kid up and down the stairs all the time?"
"I'd lose my baby weight that way."
"Always the optimist."
"Makes sense, I guess," she said, giving in. "But our bedroom is upstairs."
"So we move."
"Move?"
"I mean move the bedroom. We start sleeping downstairs."
"You have all the answers, don't you?"
He flashed a grin at her. "That's my job." They ate in silence for a moment more before he looked across the table at her again. "Does this mean you're ready to come home?"
She looked back at him, her chewing slowing as she thought about it. She loved New York. New York was the only thing that had kept her relatively sane for the past two months, regardless of how much time she spent holed up in her apartment. Ultimately, Tulsa was home, but New York was where she left her heart every time she boarded a plane to leave. "Eventually," she answered.
"But not yet."
"I just--I'm just not ready to leave the city yet. It's not personal, I just--Tay, you know me."
"I know. But you know my job is there, right?"
"I know. I know. And I want to raise the baby in Tulsa. Don't get me wrong. I just--I need a little time before I leave. New York has been therapeutic for me. In a way..."
"Okay," Tay nodded. "Okay. But just know, we can't stay here too much longer. There's no telling how your body will react to the pregnancy in future months and we don't know how traveling will be for you..."
"We'll go home soon. I promise."
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TAYLOR
They had been back at the apartment for a couple of hours. Mel was excited that lunch hadn't made her sick. Taylor reminded her that this didn't give her a free pass to live on cheeseburgers and she reminded him, once again, that the doctor told her to gain weight. Giving up the fight, he let her win that round.
As she napped again, Tay found himself on the balcony once again, dialing his sister-in-law's number. To his surprise, Isaac answered. "Why are you answering Nikki's phone?"
"Because she's in the bathroom and I saw it was you. Why are you calling my wife?"
"Because I need to talk to her. I need her help."
"With what?"
"I just need to talk to her."
"Why are you being so secretive with everyone?"
Tay sighed in frustration. "Because I--I don't need a million hands in the cookie jar right now. It's all I can do to keep my mind straight. Just let me do what I gotta do, one step at a time."
"Okay, okay, fine. Here, hold on, she's out now."
In a second, he heard Nikki's voice. "Tay? Hey, what's going on?"
"Hey, Nikki, listen--I need your help. Either yours or you can point me in the direction of someone, I don't know."
"Sure, anything? How's Mel?"
He glanced behind him in the sliding glass door. "Uh, she's good."
"How are YOU?"
"I'm good. Better. Thanks for asking. Look, I need help. I'm gonna marry Mel."
"Well that goes without saying..."
"No, I mean, we're gonna get married. We've cancelled our entire wedding and now we need a new one. I'm going to look at a venue tomorrow and I'm probably gonna opt for whatever date and time they have available."
"Um, Tay...you're trying to--what does Mel think?"
"She doesn't know."
"What do you mean, she doesn't--?" And then she paused. "Oh. My. God." And then she squealed. "Oh my god, Tay, this is the most romantic thing I've ever heard!"
"Just keep it under wraps right now," he said. "I don't--I'm kinda winging all this and I don't want to ruin anything."
"You have my word. What do you need from me?"
"Everything."
"Oh my god. Okay. Let me write this down. You're gonna need cake and food and--and guests! You've already told all your guests there's no wedding!"
"I don't expect it to be big. Even if it's just family, I'll be okay with it."
"Okay...you need tuxes and dresses...thankfully she already has a dress..."
Tay scratched his head nervously. "She's gonna need a dress. Trust me."
"Um, okay...how is she gonna get a dress if she doesn't know what's going on?"
"I'll cross that bridge when I get there."
"This is kinda crazy, you know that, right?"
"I know. But I owe her--god, I owe her so much. I just want to give her this. You know? I don't want her to worry or stress over it or anything. If she knows, she'll worry and she'll stress. And I already know what she likes from the plans we already made, so--I just want to do this."
"Okay," Nikki said quietly. "Okay. I'll work on what I can here. Meanwhile, I know someone who happens to be based there in New York. She's in high demand so cross your fingers that she's available. Her name is Kari..."
After Tay instructed Nikki to text him the info, he thanked her and hung up the phone. Shoving it in his pocket, he looked out over the Hudson River and over the city skyline as he let out a breath. He silently prayed that he would be able to pull this off.
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Alternate Jason chapter: http://tyamwedding.weebly.com/melokia-alternate.html