LOGINShare
Chapter 161: Out of control
Last Updated:
2022-11-24 14:32:56Related chapters
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 162: Repercussions
NOAHI awoke the morning after the party to a cotton mouth, throbbing head, and a wrecked house. Well, it wasn't destroyed in the sense of what a home might look like after a high school all-night kegger, but there was trash in the kitchen and living room and on the front porch . . . dishes left all over, glasses and bottles everywhere, and a general sense of . . . mess.Yeah, it was a mess. Everything was a mess, including me. As I dropped down to sit at my kitchen table, reality crashed down over me, and it wasn't pretty. I'd spent the last months doing exactly what Coach Briars had said last night. I'd been throwing a temper tantrum, kicking and screaming against life because things hadn't gone my way. Now that I forced myself to really look at everything, I realized it wasn't just about losing football, either. It was . . . all of it. Angela being sick, Angela dying, being alone for so long . . . thinking that I could find my way back to normal with Emma and having those hopes
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 163: Decisions
ALISON Alison"Well, Alison, no surprises here." Maggie Corning, the nurse-practitioner midwife who'd been handling my gynecological care since I'd moved to Florida, tapped the tablet in her hand. The results of my recent blood test were displayed on the screen. "As you suspected-or knew-you're pregnant, and my exam, along with the date of your last period, puts you at about eleven weeks along." She regarded me for a moment before adding, "We can do an ultrasound to narrow that down and confirm timing if you like, or we can wait a little while longer. That's up to you." I was still wearing the cotton examination gown and sitting on Maggie's table. Her midwifery practice was as holistic and sustainable as she could make it while still maintaining standards of cleanliness, and I always appreciated that I didn't have to sit around in a crinkly, uncomfortable paper gown when I visited her for my annual appointment. I also liked the fact that she saw herself as a partner in my health c
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 164: Words of wisdom
ALISON Anna and Jimmy Girard, Deacon's grandparents, lived on a large family farm a few miles outside of Harper Springs. Their property jutted against the land that Emma had bought when she moved down here, and now that Emma and Deacon were living in her cabin, I knew that they loved being closer to the older couple. I'd been to the farm often when I lived in Harper Springs because while we were building Emma's cabin, Anna and Jimmy had helped us and frequently fed us at their kitchen table, too. The old farmhouse was the most comfortable, most welcoming home I'd ever known. So I didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable to park on the side of the house and push open the kitchen door, calling as I did. "Hello! I'm here to volunteer as a taste-tester." "And just in time!" Drying her hands on her apron, Anna hustled over to me, drawing me into a tight hug. "Look at you. You're beautiful." She held my chin in her hand, smiling into my eyes. "You're practically glowing." My cheek
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 165: But is this what I want?
NOAH"All right. I'm here. And I'm listening." Juliet made a point of looking at her watch. "You've got five minutes, then I'm out of here." I sat across from her at my kitchen table, my gut twisting, wondering what the hell I was doing. It had been three days since the damn party, and during that time, aside from Zeke's visit and threats, I'd known more peace than I'd had in months. My house had been quiet and empty, and for the first two days, I'd done nothing but sleep and eat whatever the hell I'd wanted. But this morning, I'd awakened gripped with guilt. Was it because the pillows still smelled like Juliet's perfume? Maybe. Or it could have been because she hadn't so much as texted me since she'd stormed out of the party. I'd expected to hear from her that night, or at least the next morning, but she'd maintained total radio silence.Her stuff was still all over my house. Her lingerie was on the counter in my bathroom, along with her makeup, skincare shit and soaps. Her sham
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 166: And then this happened
NOAHBut in the end, she leaned across the table and covered my hands with hers. "Of course, I want to be part of helping you find your new life, Noah. Like I said, I care for you. I know you've been struggling, but I thought if I stuck it out, eventually you'd see how good I can be for you." Her lips curved up. "And I can be so fucking good for you, Noah." "I know you can be. You are. I mean, I appreciate what you-how you-" God, I sounded lame. "But that's something else." I wasn't sure exactly how to say this and not sound like I was calling her something incredibly insulting. "We need to ease up on the sex, okay? Maybe slow down . . . take a break on . . . that." Juliet's eyebrows rose, and she tilted her head. "Excuse me? You want to try celibacy? Is that part of this next act in the life of Noah? Because I'm going to say it doesn't sound like fun to me." She smirked. "Wouldn't be fun for you, either. I don't think you'd last long before you'd be begging me to come back to y
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 167: Not the way I'd hoped it would go
ALISON"I'm pregnant, Noah. We're having a baby." For the first few moments after I spoke those words, I thought Noah might be having a heart attack. Or some kind of seizure. His eyes went so wide that I could see almost all of the whites, and his mouth literally gaped. If we were in a cartoon, I'd bet his hair would've stood on end, too. But since we were actual, real people, it didn't. And apparently, he wasn't suffering cardiac arrest, either, though he did drop to the chair across from mine. He was silent for a long time, and then, when he spoke, his voice was low and intense. "Are you fucking kidding me? Is this some kind of sick joke, something you decided to cook up to punish me for-for not taking your calls or answering your texts?"A coldness crept over me. I hadn't expected Noah to take this news easily, and I'd known that he was going to need some time to adjust to the truth. But expecting it and hearing it out loud were two different things. "And for not answeri
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 168: And goodbye to you, too
NOAHI watched Alison's car disappear around the bend in my drive. I wanted to smash something, kick a wall-yell at the top of my lungs, maybe. I was furious, frustrated, terrified-and there was a chance I was still in shock. My lips were numb. And dammit, I hadn't been ready for Alison to leave yet. I had hours of questions left. She showed up, dropped a bombshell on my lap, and then scurried away when Juliet came out and scared her off. Juliet. Thinking of her reminded me that there was yet another woman who had a lot of explaining to do . . ."What the hell, Juliet? Alison showed up here, and you lied to her? You told her I wasn't at home? Do you know what a mess you've made?" She backed up to the edge of the porch and gripped the railing behind her. "You didn't want to see anyone. You kept telling me that. And you'd been ignoring her messages, so I figured you'd want me to just get rid of her that day. Showing up here without being invited was kind of ballsy, wasn't it?"
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 169: Tongue lashing
NOAHFor the better part of an hour, I sat in my living room as the sun set and darkness stole quietly over me. My phone was in my lap; I wanted to call Alison, but I also wasn't certain what to say to her. Where did we go from here? Should I offer to marry her? To give her money? Both of those options felt wrong to me, and even though I'd proved time and again that I was clueless when it came to women, I had a hunch that neither offer would be well-received. When my phone finally rang, my heart leaped, and I snatched it up, staring at the screen, willing it to show Alison's name. But I was destined for disappointment because it was Emma calling instead."Hey." My voice cracked a little. "What's up?" "What's up?' She sounded incredulous. "For the love of God, Noah. What the actual fuck? I just talked to Alison. She shows up at your house to tell you that she's pregnant-finally-and you have Juliet there? What was she doing with you? I thought she was out of the picture after she d
Last Updated : 2022-11-24
Latest chapter
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 193: As long as we both shall live
NOAHNoahIt was a beautiful day for a wedding. We gathered at mid-morning under the covenant oak on Jimmy and Anna Girard's farm. Alison and I had decided that since Emma and Deacon's wedding had been the start of our love story, we should say our vows under the canopied branches of that same steadfast tree. We hadn't wanted anything grand or involved, but it was important to us that the special people in our lives were present. So when Alison and I joined hands and made our vows, among those surrounding us were Emma and Deacon, Darcy and Jackson, Jenny and Nico, Mira Hoskins, and all of the people who worked with Alison in her practice. Maggie Corning, the midwife, and Brooke Slater, Alison's therapist, were there, too. My family had flown down en mass from Wisconsin and other key points around the country. My mother couldn't stop smiling, and my dad looked proud. Even my brothers and sisters and their families were behaving themselves. And then of course, there was the Tam
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 192: Happily Ever After part 3
ALISONA human being can accomplish almost any task while sobbing her eyes out. I'd known this from experience in my past life, but after Noah left that afternoon, I went about proving it all over again.I cried as I wiped the table and counters. I wept as I took out a frozen macaroni and cheese to eat for dinner. I sobbed as I climbed the steps and listened at the baby's door-she was still asleep in the crib. I sniffled as I switched a load of newborn clothes from the washer to the dryer.He was gone, and I was alone. Again. Naturally.The hell of it was that even as he'd pleaded his case to me, even as he'd told me that he loved me, I'd known he was telling the truth. I believed him. But I couldn't trust what he thought he felt, not when people changed their minds about being in love all the damn time. People claimed to love a friend or a child or a lover, and then they changed their minds. It happened. I knew it first-hand. I'd experienced it over and over again before I was t
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 191: Break
NOAH"Where's the baby?" Alison walked into the kitchen, her face etched with fatigue. We'd had a long and trying few days as Evangeline had apparently been going through a growth spurt: she nursed almost constantly and was difficult to console the rest of the time. She'd fought sleep, and she'd cried piteously no matter what we'd tried to do. The pediatrician had assured us that this was normal and we'd get through it, but privately, I thought he was a heartless imbecile who clearly didn't understand that our daughter was advanced and needed more attention than the typical newborn. But finally, today we'd caught a break. Alison had gone upstairs to take a shower-her first in three days-and somehow, I'd managed to get the baby to sleep without the benefit of a boob. More than that, I'd actually laid her in the crib without waking her up. I was pretty satisfied with myself, all in all. I was also crossing my fingers that she'd stay asleep long enough that her mother and I could d
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 190: Parenthood
NOAHParenthood was amazing, fulfilling, beautiful, awesome . . . and exhausting. The first few weeks of baby Evangeline's life at home were a blur, a constant, never-ending whirlwind of feeding, and changing, and washing, and catching whatever small bites of sleep we could whenever she slept. People came to visit and brought gifts and food, and I was pathetically grateful for that, because I didn't have the energy to cook, and both Alison and I were tired of takeout. The one factor that made everything survivable was the baby herself. God, I hadn't known how much I was going to love this ten-pounds of tiny, perfect human. I'd never anticipated that staring at her sleep for an hour was better than four quarters of football. Or that catching what might have been a smile could make me feel as though I'd just witnessed greatness. What was some missing sleep compared with noting how well my two-week-old daughter could lift up her head?Even so, as much as I was ga-ga over my baby gir
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 189: New life
ALISON"Congratulations, mama! You're at six. I think it's time to break your water and get things really going." It sounded like a great idea to me, but I saw Noah's lips go white. "Are you okay?" I asked, rubbing my fingers over the back of his hand. "You look a little green." He swallowed, his throat convulsing. "This is the only part I'm a little, uh, squeamish about. I watched that birth online, and breaking the water looked-intense." Maggie chuckled. "Stay up there by Alison and keep your eyes on her face. We don't need papa hitting the floor and suing the hospital." Noah did as he was told, watching me intently as if waiting for me to show some sign of distress. "Does it hurt?" he asked quietly. "The water part, I mean." I shook my head. "It feels a little weird, but not-oooooh!" I gasped as I felt the gush hit my inner thighs. "Okay, then. Eyes here, Noah. Come on. We're in this together." After that, it felt as though everything got a lot more serious. The con
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 188: Giving in
ALISON Spoiler alert: having sex with Noah did not start my labor.But it sure was worth the effort. Two days after that monumental night-and after we'd given it the good old college try several more times-we went to Maggie's office. I was in a rotten mood-being a million years pregnant can do that to a person-and poor Noah looked a little haggard. He'd been sleeping with me in my bed (we both clung to the excuse that if I went into labor, I'd want him closer than across the hall), which meant that he woke up whenever I had to climb out of that bed to pee. He thought I'd been exaggerating about how often I had to go. He was quickly disabused of that notion. After a quick exam, Maggie made some notes on her tablet and then turned to the both of us. "So listen," she began. "Do you want to have this baby?" I stared at her as though she'd lost her mind. "What the hell do you think I've been trying to do for over three weeks now, Maggie?" I bellowed. "Of course, I want to have th
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 187: Finally, at last
NOAHNow I got it. The night we'd first had sex-the night after Emma and Deacon's wedding-we'd challenged each other to come up with the sexiest, most outrageous names for cocktails. Alison was playing the game again."Ohhhhh." I grinned. "I still don't believe that last one is legit.""It totally is. The bartender confirmed it." With a smile that was deceptively seductive for an extremely pregnant woman, she reached down to grasp the bottom of her oversized T-shirt-which was not so oversized just now-and lifted it over her head. I helped just to make sure she didn't topple over in the process. It was the first time I'd really seen her without a shirt in many months. My first few impressions were awe at the size of her swollen middle. I knew she was huge, but damn. The skin was stretched as tight as a drum, and her belly button looked like a cork just about to give way. And her boobs-they were incredible. Within the utilitarian maternity bra, they were still the sexiest breasts
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 186: Things you shouldn't ask
NOAH"What's the world record for the longest pregnancy ever?" I glanced up at Alison from the book I was reading. We were both lying on her bed while a movie that neither of us was very invested in played on the TV. The couch downstairs had become too uncomfortable for her over the past week or so, so we'd begun hanging out here in her room. It was strictly for comfort, though; we stayed on top of the covers, with Alison on one side while I stuck to the other. It was a king-sized bed with plenty of room for us. But while we hadn't hesitated to cuddle and kiss on the sofa, something about being on the bed made us more cautious. I didn't know why, exactly; Alison was so tired of being pregnant that she wasn't up for much of anything other than television lately. She'd stopped going into the office after her due date since she'd already arranged with Dr. Johanson to cover her hours. So we were both at home now all the time . . . just waiting.She really was huge. While the ultraso
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 185: Trust love
ALISON"Read me that last part again?" Noah and I were sitting in the nursery, surrounded by boxes, gift bags, and about a million pieces of a pine crib. He had spent the last two weeks focusing on the nursery. He'd painted the room a lovely pale yellow color, insisting that I stay with Emma and Deacon at the cabin for the two nights after he'd completed the first and second coats so that I didn't have to inhale the paint fumes. Together, we had selected the crib and the dressing table. Noah's mother had sent us the cradle that all of her children had slept in, and that was already set up in my bedroom.Now, with my due date less than ten days away, we were finally tackling the project of building all of the furniture that hadn't come pre-assembled. I squinted at the paper in my hand, trying to decipher the words."I'm pretty sure that this was translated directly from Swedish by someone who didn't speak English," I commented. "It doesn't seem to make sense.""Does it say at wh
