these little wonders | riley

All afternoon, Juliet had been sick. Things had gotten bad enough that the school sent her home a few hours early with instructions to call her fiance and consider finding a healer. By the time she made it to her bathroom, all she cared about was laying on the cool tile and hoping that Riley made it home soon. Her stomach couldn't possibly hold anymore, or so she thought as she heaved in to the toilet again. Maybe she ate something bad the night before or one of the kids gave her a stomach bug?

Picking up her phone again, she sent a text message to the now familiar number and then rested her head against the smooth surface of the bathtub beside her. The relief wasn't instant, but it did help a little bit.

JP: babe, are you on your way home? i'm up in the bedroom. (sent to @david)

RB: Just walking in the door, with a few things I will be right up once I put them away. 

JP: Hurry...Please

As he was putting away a few groceries he heard his phone buzz on the table and looking at it he saw her message. Sighing he was thankful he got it all put away minus two items he thought she might need, he wasn't sure how she would react but it had been five almost six weeks since he proposed to her and though they were great at using protection he was pretty sure that first night and maybe a few others there hadn't been any. Her symptoms matched with what his mom said could be morning sickness. He was nervous since he knew the last time was hard on her, how would she react seeing as how they only just got back together and were now planning a wedding. Would she even want to continue down this path with so much pain associated with the last pregnancy if this in fact was another pregnancy and not a simple stomach bug. 

He climbed the stairs three at a time and walked into their room and rounded the corner and saw her in their bathroom, she looked terrible yet in all of it he smiled looking at the woman who would soon be his wife, and possibly was already carrying their child. Kneeling down next to her he set the items on the counter and pulled her into his arms, "Shh, I'm hear now babe. How you doing today?"

"Miserable." She mumbled in to his shirt as Juliet curled in to him. Riley was warm and reassuring as she felt like she was going to be sick again. Whatever this was, maybe dylan was right. She needed to see a healer soon if things didn't let up. "I've been sick all day, and I don't know why. Are you feeling okay? Maybe dinner was bad or something." Then again, she had cooked and she rarely made those kinds of mistakes.

Glancing over at the counter, Juliet gasped as she saw what Riley had brought with him. One of the items was definitely a pregnancy test and the thought caused her to panic, especially when she realized he brought two. "Gods no. I can't...Ri, you don't think?" Tears were forming in her eyes as terror gripped her, laced with a tinge of happiness. This is what they wanted, but could she really be a mother after what happened last time? Juliet couldn't lose another child. She just couldn't.

Wrapping his arms around her he kissed her forehead softly saying, "It fits the timeline...if you aren't ready I can understand and I will never force you. I will be here no matter what you decide, no matter what happens." He placed a hand on her stomach and placed a soft kiss on her temple smiling, "You are my first love, and that will always be the case. I won't leave you again, you will never have to deal with that alone." He started humming you are my sunshine under his breath hoping it would calm her down like it had for him when his mother caught him in a foul mood as a kid. Every so often he would kiss her forehead or her temple and began rubbing her stomach in slow even circles.

Was he insinuating what she thought? No. She couldn't do that. Most of her was still in denial mode as she found herself pushing away from Riley wordlessly and grabbing one of the small packages. The instructions were simple enough, even if they scared her. "Give me two minutes and then meet me in the other bathroom." Juliet whispered, reaching out to hold his hand for a long moment before standing up and leaving the room.

The hallway felt like it was a mile long as she entered her safe haven. Her hands were shaking as she followed the directions and then went to sit on her bed. The waiting was going to be the worst part, but she had waited a minute so that riley could be there with her for the last half. If he was right then this was his baby too, and she didn't want to leave him out of it this time.

Hearing footsteps in the hallway, she motioned for him to join her on the bed so that she could be near him again. Juliet felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest, the mental pain and anguish from last time fresh in her mind. "Riley, I'm scared."

Riley picked her up and moved to the head of the bed, sitting down he pulled her close to his chest, "I am too. To be honest, this terrifies me because it is so soon after we got back together. The one thing though that gives me strength is you, I imagine you as the baby grows inside of you, how beautiful you will be, and then when you are holding the baby, and it all seems right. Though the fear is there still and i don't think it will ever truly go away but the hope for the future out weighs it. That is what I think about." Riley said as he held her close to his chest, his heart beating rapidly, was this really happening this fast. A family already? He took a few breathes before he placed a kiss on her forehead smiling, "Is it bad that I like the image of you pregnant?"

"Only because you want a small army of pint sized minions." Juliet mock scowled as the alarm on her phone went off. Sighing, she pulled Riley towards the edge of the bed and stood up. It was now or never. Leading him towards the open bathroom door, she paused at the sight of the small stick that seemed to hold her fate right now.

They didn't even have to pick it up for her to see the results. A glaring pink plus sign greeted her as she turned in Riley's arms and buried her face in his chest. "It's positive. Riley. Oh my gods." Juliet was hyperventilating as she leaned against him. No. This couldn't happen. It just couldnt.

Riley looked at the test and smiled, though he knew she wasn't fully prepared he picked her up and carried her back to the bed letting her sit on the edge as he kneeled in front of her, "An army sounds nice, but it isn't needed. What is needed is you, if you are not ready I will not force you. You are my heart, you are my joy and if all you want is it to be us then that is all I need. I love the idea of you pregnant because it means we created something magical, right now you are carrying the embodiment of our love, I know that is scary, the last time it didn't go as planned but we are together now. It wasn't your fault, I will never say it is your fault. It just wasn't in our cards that time, this time is different. This time we are together and whole." He reached out and touched her stomach and smiled up at her, "A son of Ares and the beautiful daughter of Eirene have created a life, we are so different in so many ways and yet we are meant only for each other. That is enough for me, but I know you will be an amazing mother, caring and understanding. If this little one has my temper gods be with us." Smiling he rose to his feet and captured her lips in a soft kiss, laying her down on the bed and moving behind her to hold her close once he broke the kiss. "I'm right here."

"What if something happens? What if the baby..." Her hysterical sobs didn't make any sense to her, but she knew in her heart that she was worried that they would mess up again. "Riley what if I'm not meant to be a mother?" There. She finally said it out loud while wrapping her hands around Riley's. It was stupid and unfounded, but the fear was still clearly there. One child had almost killed her, losing a second one likely would.

"Shh... don't go there, don't think about that. We are here together, there are no what if's allowed. No matter what happens we are in this together start to finish." He kissed her temple and then her palms lingering there allowing her to know that they are one. "You are meant to be a mother biologically speaking, emotionally you are supposed to be a mother from what I have seen all these years, but if you are not ready... that is something you need to tell me, I am not sure if I am meant to be a father since I did walk away when I could have been there. We both have scars and fears but only together can we hope to push past it all. Juliet Harper Bennett, you are that in everything but legal name, you are my partner in crime, life and love lets take this adventure and run with it." Smiling he kissed her softly placing a protective hand over her stomach again, "Together we create life, peace and anger what a pair we make." His smile grew larger. "Stop looking at What if's, and start looking towards what your heart wants, what you alone want and then tell me how you feel."