Megan waits for Adum to get home having caught his Christmas spirit and stopped in at the greenhouse before getting home before him. She has mistletoe hanging all over the house and sprigs of fresh holly in cute little pots around too. The mistletoe was fake to protect the cats, but the holly was real. Going through her iTunes she puts on a Christmas mix she made the last day he was working and she wasn't as a surprise. She's got the fridge stocked with eggnog and is lighting a fire in the hearth.
Adum walks home, smiling softly to himself. There was plenty of things for him to be grateful for, and this was one of his favorite times of the year. Granted, they did not have a Christmas tree, but when one had a house full of cats, a Christmas tree meant broken ornaments and tipped trees, which became more work than it was worth, He could see his house two doors down, glowing in the early darkness and he chuckles slightly as he climbs the stairs and puts his key in the lock to enter. "Megan?" he calls, turning to lock the door.
Megan stands up from lighting the fire as she hears Adum. She turns and starts to smile and then suddenly feels a wave of nausea "Hi....oh god.....sorry...stood up too fast." She steadies herself on the couch as she slowly walks towards him.
Adum moves forward quickly "You OK baby?" he asks, reaching to hug and steady her. "I hope you aren't getting sick. Mert's husband caught something, and I am hoping she doesn't being it in to share with the rest of us."
Megan's eyes go wide and she exhales "Ugh I hope not. I have been kinda tired. Maybe I'm fighting it. Dammit I bought mistletoe....I don't want to kiss you if it means sharing a stomach bug...." She groans and sinks down on the couch. Her phone buzzes with a text and she glances at it tiredly "Hey my Aunt Shirley's going to her daughter's for Christmas. Why don't we host here and invite Dad and Tams?"
Adum nuzzles her neck. "I would rather get it from you then Mert's husband." he sits beside her, looking around as she checks her text. "You did all THIS?" he sounds amazed and then considers. "Sure. We can host it. I owe Tams a ham, anyway." he laughs.
Megan chuckles and then holds her stomach "Shit don't talk about food.....oh why...belly...yech..." She switches to her calendar app "Mmmm what day of the week is Christmas anyway.....Sunday..."She frowns for a second and asks "It's the 27th already?" like it means something to her.
Adum pulls her a little closer and looks at the calendar. "What's the 27th?" he searches his memory for whatever he's missed.
Megan catches her breath "Adum, I'm late...and queasy..." She grins a bit and then mildly groans "I have a little test up in the bathroom we might want to take....."
Before she finishes, Adum talks over here. "No, it's NOVEMBER, Megan, you aren't..." and then she finishes and he looks at her. "Ohhhh .... THAT late." he stares at her. "Yea .. we might want to .. or YOU might want to. I'm not late, to my knowledge." he teases, but his own excitement is mounting.
Megan rolls her eyes at him "If you're late, you can figure out how to push a big wiggling baby out of your body and I'll hold your hand and tell you you're doing fine." She dashes for the stairs and then slows down as the nausea hits again "Oh I don't like this part..." She catches her breath and climbs more slowly, holding her stomach a bit.
Adum quickly holds up his hands. "No thanks." he chases her and places a hand on her waist. "We could have done this in the downstairs bathroom, you know." he wraps an arm around her and leads her into the bathroom. "Um ..... should I stay .. or should I go?"
Megan smiles "The tests are in here. I may have stocked up on a few. Caught a sale...." She gives him a wry smile "You wanna watch me pee on a stick or wait in the bedroom for that part?"
Adum arches both brows. "TESTS?" he smiles and then it falters and he hikes his thumb over his shoulder. "I'll ... wit int he bedroom." he leans down and kisses her, hen retreats to the bedroom ... where he immediately begins pacing.
Megan does the deed and then comes in and sits on the bed "10 minutes." She says in an exhale "Think we can make it?"
Adum looks at her as if she's uttered the word 'centuries' instead of 'minutes'. "God ... that never seemed like a long time before. But yea ... we've waited a dozen years. Whats ten more minutes." he leans in to kiss her. "By the way I saw what you did downstairs and its AMAZING." he leans in to kiss her.
Megan kisses him back lightly and then smiles "The holly makes the house smell Christmasy too. I'm glad you like it." She looks at the clock and sighs "8 minutes. I'll still have to go for an official one at the clinic but Nurse Kim says most of the over the counter ones are pretty accurate nowadays."
Adum nods. "I love it. You made the inside perfect. And I got the outside without hurting myself." he nods. "Yea ... we ... you ... us ... go in if its positive? I mean ... should we not believe it?" cause he looks like he wants to believe it ... a lot. If it's positive that is.
Megan nods "Yeah we just go in if it's positive. Otherwise it's just the fucking flu and my period being weird.."
Adum grins. "I didn't even knew you had it down so well." he admits. "Am I a bad man for not paying attention to your periods?"
Megan snorts "Nope, just a man.." she looks at the clock and then sits up on her knees watching it for the final minute before jumping off the bed and pulling Adum with her to the bathroom and a little white stick with a big blue plus sign on it . She gasps at the sight of it "Ohmygod we're pregnant!"
Adum keeps pace and looks over Megans shoulder at the blue plus sign, smiling. "Wow! We are." he laughs and pulls her into a tight embrace, then kisses her deeply.
Megan hugs him fiercely and kisses him back enthusiastically. she still feels nauseous but knowing the why, this why, she rides it out and her joy is so much greater than anything else. When they finally pull apart she bursts into happy tears.
Adum releases her and takes her hand. "OK ..." he begins, as if figuring things out. "First thing we do is work on this nausea. And, have you eaten yet? No more diets." he begins to lead her downstairs to the warm and welcoming kitchen. He moves towards the couch. "No, I shouldn't baby you .. you're pregnant, not dying of the plague." he hesitates. "DO you want to be on the couch or in the kitchen with me. Minerva isn't going to cook for you." he smiles, clearly happy.
Megan laughs at her husband "I'm still me....just with a little bit extra of us Adum. I'm going to google the nausea thing. I'm sure there are things that can help make that less without some kind of drug but it's also just kind of how it goes. Maybe something plain for dinner though...not too spicy."
Adum stands and nods, almost like a kid in a class he loves. "Yes. We have all kinds of things here already. Chicken soup?" he considers that and shrugs. "That makes it sound like you have a cold. But its bland. Is it ginger that helps with nausea." he waves that away. "Just find me some recipes. I'll have to let the crew know I'll be in ... probably the same hours as you, but then I need to come home. I can work from there. Josh might cry, but he's a big boy." he absently pets Minerva. "You're going to be a .. um .. great-grandcat." he tells her.
Megan walks to him and puts her arms around his neck "Honey, you need to breathe. We don't have to change our work habits for nine months." She grins. "And you're supposed to wait a little bit before telling EVERYONE....you know just to make sure it takes. We can tell family though once the clinic conforms us. I'm pretty sure that test is right though."
Clearly the idea that the pregnancy wouldn't take had not yet crossed Adum's mind. "After what we've gone through in the last ... hell three months? It'll take." he announces with confidence as he hugs her back. "But ... alright. I guess it won't be all THAT different. I'm pretty much on call 24/7 anyway. But if you need me ... if you just don't feel like doing something, let me know." and then he looks at her. "How long is 'a little bit', anyway?" he wonders, with a twinkle in his eye. He's plotting something.
Megan frowns "You know I've heard three months as a guideline but I don't know. Why? You've got that look about you...." She tilts her head at him curiously.
Adum moves into the kitchen, looking innocent. "Well, every day your still pregnant is closer to just stating its a fact. SO I was thinking .... we're hosting Christmas .. at least this year ... and Dad's already agreed to come back to Canada and have dinner with us..." he leans on the counter. "Let's tell them then. I can even ask Dr McKinney to write a note confirming it as a gag gift to Ryan and India." he looks at her and reaches for her hands. "Please, Mom...." he reaches for the very tone he used on his own mom when he wanted something.
Megan giggles "Yeah OK." She takes hold of his hands. "I'll just be evasive with Tams because most of her texts consist of "Hey are you knocked up yet?" I think she's amused but this whole "breeding" thing as she calls it."
Adum laughs. "Well ..... I'm not exactly sure how to take that. Knowing Tams it's both an insult and a compliment." he smirks and begins taking out chicken and things to make soup. He sets a pot of water on high and sets the chicken in with salt and mild spices.
Megan steps back and chuckles, googling on her phone "Ginger....slated crackers...like the Premuim Plus kind..." She walks to the cupboard and thankfully they have a box. She opens it and rips the package open like it's her last salvation and starts eating a cracker, waiting for relief.
Adum nods. "Good, and if you like my soup, we'll get more oyster crackers." he looks in the fridge and nothing, but in the cabinet he finds what he is looking for .... "Ginger chicken soup." he proudly announces. "With saltines."
Megan leans her face against the cupboard and eats her third cracker mumbling "I love you....this is helping a bit. I look forward to the not feeling gross part of all this....even the big belly part..." She smiles and thinks about it and then says "God....Kitty's going to kill me!"
Adum takes a break, since a watched pot really won't boil and moves to Megan. "I love you, too. Thanks for doing this." he rests his hand on her flat belly. "I don't care about the big belly, you're STILL going to be beautiful to me." then he chuckles a bit. "It IS going to be interesting considering you guys run a condom shop. But I think Kitty will be happy for us .... even if she stows you away for six months." he grins. "So .... is orgasm good or bad for pregnant women?" he asks. "Because I think the more sex you are getting, the better."
Megan wiggles her eyebrows "Well we've been doing it and I didn't get pregnant yesterday...so I'd say yes to lots of sex. Because we better fuck like rabbits while we can." She jokes "I'll try not to puke on you."
Adum laughs. "True. And please .. avoid that." he cants his head. "I can already change a diaper. And clean up baby puke. And if it's a boy, I think I can dodge pee still."
Megan looks impressed and then admits something "OK confession time. There were no little babies in my family when I was a teen and I wasn't all that into the idea of babysitting. So I've never actually changed a diaper." She laughs at herself "Sad but true. I've held a few babies, not many. Most of my friends have been partiers not parents."
Adum shrugs. "I will teach you if Michelle doesn't. Just put it in the same category as litter box duty." he chuckles. "But YOU get breastfeeding." Then he looks curious. "Actually that's not exactly fair .... do you want natural? I mean ... Michelle or Susan?"
Megan thinks about it "Since we decided to start trying I've been doing some reading about all that. First of all, I can't do litter boxes....not that you don't beat me to it every time.But now I have an actual excuse to slack." She smiles self consciously and then goes on "But I've been reading about birth and all the scary interventions in the hospital. How would you feel about a home birth? I know Michelle does them."
Adum laughs. "Pregnant women arent supposed to do litter boxes. As a matter of fact there be a kitty door to the garage before I am a week older. They can have their own room." he listens to the rest and smiles. "I'd love that, Megan. I was born in this house. And for OUR child to be born here too ....." he blinks and clears his throat, turning away from her to stir his chicken and mask his emotions a bit.
Megan melts a bit at Adum's reaction and heightened emotion. She walks up behind him and hugs him around the chest "This is going to bring up stuff. I've already been thinking about my mom too...."
Adum sniffs and chuckles a little. "It will. But that's alright. You're going to be a great mom ... and I hope I am not SO much like mine I drive you away, like mom did to Dad."
Megan laughs "Oh Adum. You'd have to work pretty damn hard. You're stuck with me....nine cats and so far one small human in the works." With a sigh she asks "What happened between your folks?"
Adum sighs as the water really starts to boil and he just lets it cook. "Good. I'm happy stuck with you." he leans against the counter. "My mother was ... OCD kind of clean. I'm not sure why. But by the time Dad married her ... she made life interesting and apparently having me didn't help." he shrugs. "I don't know what she expected but she got it in her head that everything, including me, had to be spotless. She worked at the Mariners when it opened ... unsurprisingly as a housekeeper. But at home .... she was always cleaning. If you walked into my room when I was five, you would have thought it was from some 1950's sitcom. When I started babysitting ... man I thought the Reinhardts were horrible because they let their kids make messes. But they were so HAPPY. It wasn't like that in this house. And Dad finally had enough and moved to Cedar Point." he blows out a breath. "Then mom got REALLY bad."
Megan nods, understanding as much as she can "Did she need to get help for it? That sounds really tough. And god you must have though my house was a sty. We're all terrible cleaners. Tam's a little better than Dad and I but she still has piles of crap, she just piles it." She laughs.
Adum shakes his head. "Mom said she didnt have a problem. It was crazy NOT to be clean. Dad told me later that he never stopped loving her, but ... yea .. he'll joke about how the house is now bigger inside because my mother cleaned it so much the supports are thinner." he grins. "I sort of liked it. And the Reinhardts. I wanted a sibling because I thought maybe having more than one kid would make parents relax." he blew out a breath. "Dad did all the renovations on this house because Mom wanted another kid ... but ... he'd gotten the snip a few years after I was born ... seeing how mom was with me sort of ..." he shrugs.
Megan slumps "That's so sad. Well we don't have to fill the whole house but a few would be nice. I know i want to kill my sister now and then but I do love her and we mostly had fun when we were small."
Adum chuckles. "Well, lets take it as it goes. I know childbirth isn't easy. I caught one in Cedar Point, but not here, yet." he smiles. "Tams loves you. I Can tell by how she watched me like I was a wanted criminal."
Megan looks amazed "You caught a baby? Through your work?" she smiles and nods in agreement about Tams "I know she does. I hope she meets someone one day so I can give her all the I'll kick your ass if you mess with her stares too."
Adum nods. "There was a big storm .. not as bad as they can get here .. and the bus was NOT going to run. I was on the night shift and you know the bus is right there ... but it STILL took me five minutes to get there. Poor kid was running away .... a little late, if you ask me. But she had her baby and seems to me once it was out, she was perfectly happy." then he chuckles. "Makes me want a sister-in-law now."
Megan nods "Wow....good to know in case you need to catch ours. And don't hold your breath on Tams. she hasn't dated since Eryn. I think maybe a few one night stand style hook ups but no one she's had to be emotionally accountable to. I want her to be happy again if she can find it."
Adum chuckles. "I'm not sure I WANT to catch our baby." he muses. "As it is you will probably be calling me all kinds of names for doing this to you. THAT much I am prepared for." he laughs and nods. "Well .... I only know two lesbians that I know of. One is working to be a mother, which I thihnk would be a MAJOR turn-off for Tams. But ... there's always Frank .. but SHE might be a little too much ... well ... man ... for Tams."
Megan rolls her eyes at this "Do NOT let Tams hear you talk about women that way. Oh my god. And do you remember Eryn? I know it's been awhile, and they were older than us and always doing their own thing but there were times when Eryn made Tams look like a delicate feminine flower. I think Tams has a pretty broad spectrum of attraction. She was totally pining for Brandy Miller for awhile and you don't get much more girly than that. Anyway I referred to Eryn as "manish" one day and I almost didn't hear the end of it." She imitates her sister now and toughens her stance, beginning to talk with her hands and get in Adum's face like her sister does "Way to heterosexualize my relationship you stereotyping know it all breeder!" She started the breeder thing pretty much as soon as she came out with me. I wasn't even sure I wanted to breed back then but I've been wearing the label....not that she would stereotype me...fuckin hypocrite." He last sentence has a very sarcastic tone.
Adum rears back a bit and sighs. He turns to the boiling chicken and uses a two pronged fork to put it on a cutting board with a slight annoyed thwap. Beginning to slice and dice it he snorts. "Because I am the walking, talking male stereotype, so of course I'm a breeder. You will quit your job, cook, clean AND raise our dozen children." he blows out a calming breath. "Frank isnt bad. And she knows she is more butch than anything else. SHE doesn't get all pissy about it." he sighs deeply. "Breeder indeed. Like I am some prime stud bull." he huffs.
Megan giggles "Sorry I'm so used to Tams I don't even get mad anymore." She walks up behind him and grabs at his side belt loops, whispering in his ear "And you are a stud." She teases seductively "Who cares what she thinks. I'll be barefoot and pregnant and get a fucking t shirt that says breeder right on it. But if I'm in charge of cooking and cleaning we may have to have you committed before we get to a dozen in our breeding."
Adum lets himself get yanked, still pouting. "I'll show her." he starts on a second chicken breast. "YOU can cook her ham." he snorts and leans into her. "I'm YOUR stud. MOOOOO."
Megan pinches Adum's bum "Fine stock too. And that would cure her....me cooking." she laughs a bit mischievously.
Adum doesn't move at the butt pinch. He scrapes the cut up chicken back in the pot and begins slicing unpeeled carrots into it. The celery is waiting nearby. "Damn right on both counts." he huffs. "But I love you ... and have a reputation to protect." he sighs. "Besides, if it weren't for breeders, where would SHE be?"
Megan moves to the side and pops another cracker in her mouth, hoisting herself up on the counter and swinging her legs. After she chews and swallows she says tiredly "It's a stupid argument. Let it be her stuff. I think the best revenge would be if she fell for a woman with 4 kids and 3 cats. Then she'd have to shut up. Who's the lesbian friend having a kid? Is it like an in vitro kinda deal or willing male specimen?" She's talking like she thinks the woman is trying to have a baby on her own.
Adum drops the last carrot in, then turns, sees Megan on the counter and simply begins to chuckle. He chops the celery up fine and adds it. "Oh ... that is ALMOST enough to get me down the street to ask Miss Norris for a prayer." he moves himself between his wifes legs. "Almost." he leans in to kiss her.
Megan wraps both her arms and legs around Adum and smirks "Sometimes I'm a mean little sister." She kisses him back and then pulls back looking suddenly queasy "Oh.....oh dammit." she rolls her head back and breathes slowly waiting for it to pass.
Adum chuckles. "But I still love you." he pulls back also, wondering if she's going to bolt for the downstairs bathroom or not. He moves cautiously to the soup to stir, satisfied it is more than soup and less than stew for his poor queasy wife.
Megan just breathes and then slowly moves to get a glass of water, standing at the sink and drinking it and then pouring another right after.
Adum turns to watch her. "Is there anything I can do?" he asks, quietly. "Always have lemon water for you? Or ginger water? Keep the pantry stocked with crackers?"
Megan sighs "I think it's just something that passes in time but we can try those other things. You never answered me about who else was trying to have a baby."
Adum blinks and now that he knows his wife isnt going to puke in his soup, he grins. "Darcy Lynch put in an application to become a foster mother. SO .. she isn't having a baby. I think she's going to apply to be Vincent DiAntoni's foster-mom ... or parent or whatever the politically correct term is." he nods. "It'll help both of them, I think."
Megan has a look of dawning "Oh Darcy! You talked about her before. We've met briefly. Yeah I dunno if I'd set her up with Tams...I like her." she jokes "And I don't see it. Anyhow, that's really cool. I hope it works out."
Adum nods. "Yea. They'll be good for each other." he nods at the counter stools, where they usually have dinner. "Soups on." he announces. "I thought for about two seconds about asking you if WE could take that kid in." he reaches for the bowls and spoons and sets them out
Megan settles in at the table, hoping she can stomach the soup "I would have said yes.....but it would be better for him to be with someone he already knows I think."
Adum gins and ladles up two bowls. One more broth than anything and the other normal. He sets the broth in front of Megan and joins her. "We couldn't do it, baby." he argues. "Not with the nine cats and the baby on the way. It wouldn't have been fair to any of us." he sits and tastes the mild broth, enjoying the ginger he stirred in and thinking it was still bland enough for a sensitive stomach. "Besides ... they're really close, sounds like."
Megan nods, braving an attempt to eat very slowly. After a few small bites she nods "Well we would have been saying yes before we knew this...i mean people do it. But I think that is really a better scenario. She's another ex army person, like you right?"
Adum sips his soup, not wanting to chow down in front of her. "True." he shrugs. "Well, she saw combat, but yes. She's a veteran."
Megan takes a little break from her soup and closes her eyes, breathing "Wow, I'm going to be so much fun aren't I?" She tries to joke through it.
Adum calmly eats his soup. "ANd I will be right here, even if you have to throw up on me." he jokes back.
Megan groans "I'll really try not to....and yelling at you and being mean when I'm delivering...I don't want to do that either."
Adum smiles softly. "I'll take that as apology in advance .... and I accept it. Your carrying our child, Megan. How can I be mad at you?"
Megan smiles tiredly at him "I know, and thanks. Can you put mine in the fridge? I think i just want to lie down for awhile and see if that helps it calm down."
Adum nods. "I can do that, no problem." he has plenty of plastic storage containers. "Do you want to lay down here? I can get you a blanket and if you fall asleep I'll just bring you up to bed."
Megan nods and practically crawls to the couch. She tries her left side first and then flips over finding more relief on the right. She drifts off before he can even bring a blanket.
Adum gets a blanked from their stores on the first floor and smiles a little when he notices she is already asleep. Folding the blanked over the back of the couch, he carefully picks her up and, as promised takes her up to bed.
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