I was so surprised by the sudden news. I didn't even know how I should react to what Caleb just said. I looked at Gavin and saw the excitement in his eyes. Well, we have been talking about wanting another child, it was just that this was a bit unexpected. "Are you serious, Caleb?" Gavin asked and the doctor just smiled at us and nodded. "I am very serious, Gav. Congratulations to both of you." He said and I was still just speechless. My head still couldn't register what was happening. My heart was beating so fast in excitement and happiness, that I was just in shock. "Love, we're gonna have a baby again." Gavin said turning to me and that was my limit. My sight became blurry and I felt hot tears fall down my cheeks. "Oh no. No, love. Crying is gonna be bad for you and the baby." He said as he pulled me into a hug. "We're gonna have another baby." I said through my sobs as I melted into his arm. I could hear him chuckle as he started laying on our bed with his arms still wrapped aro
"How was your day, love?" Gavin immediately asked as soon as I came over to the couch after washing up. I sat down beside him and tucked myself under the blanket covering him and cuddled into his waiting arms. "A bit tiring, but it was really fun." I said as I nuzzled my head in his chest. "Looks like Z is all tuckered out." "He was running around the house all day. Dad was exhausted before lunch." He said with a bit of amusement in his voice. "Looks like you two had fun terrorizing Mom and Dad." I said to him with an amused laugh as I tried focusing myself on the television. "Well, they did say that they wanted to take care of Z for the day." He said matter-of-factly and I couldn't argue with him on that. Both of our parents do adore their grandson very much and I'm very grateful for that. My only problem is that they are all spoiling him rotten. "Did you tell them about our baby?" I asked him and I could feel his head shake. His calm and steady breathing and heartbeat also calm
I came back to work that next week, and news spread fast in the office. As I exited the elevator the whole floor was already waiting for me with poppers and banners at hand. "What is all this?" I asked as I looked at everyone's beaming faces. “Congratulations!” Janice said as she walks towards me with a customized baby cake in hand. “How did you guys know?” I asked with a big smile on my face, but before anyone can respond the answer to my question walked up to me. Andrea was walking through the crowd with two balloons at hand. One was pink with ‘Is it a girl?’ written on it and the other was blue with ‘Is it a boy?’ “It just slipped in a conversation.” She said to me as reached out and gave me a big hug. “I hate you.” I said to her as I hugged her back, but she just let out a bit of a giggle as she shook her head at me. “I know you don’t.” She said as she pulled away from the hug. “Let’s all have lunch together later, my treat.” I announced as my best friend held
My legs caved in as soon as I saw blood coming dripping down my legs. My hands shook, as I wiped them off and then the ringing in my ears started. Every sound around me was muffled, and my eyes went blurry. I couldn't speak, it felt like my world stopped. Tears started streaming down my face and the next thing I knew; I was swept off of my feet by a familiar comforting presence. I looked up at my husband and saw that his lips were moving but I couldn't hear a thing that he was saying. "Our baby. Our baby." I sobbed at him and I could see the concern and panic on his face. He cradled me in his arms and ran through the building with me sobbing in his chest, and before we could even go down the elevator, everything went black. A bright light pierced through my eyelids as I awoke. And then I remembered what happened. I opened my eyes in fright and saw Gavin sitting beside my bed with a worried expression on his face. "What happened? Love, what happened? Our baby?" I exclaimed as h
Although Gavin doesn't admit it, I know he wants another baby. He doesn't what to pressure me so sometimes, he works overtime to release some of his stress. He gets in bed and cuddles me every night, but I know something is bothering him. "Hey." I heard him say as he spooned me. "How was work?" I asked him as I placed my hand on top of his, stroking his arm gently. I heard him mumble something as he buried his face in the nook of my neck, making me giggle as his stubbled chin tickled me. "I can't understand you." I said in between giggles, but instead, he spun me around and started tickling my sides. "Stop it." I said to him almost screaming as I try to catch my breath but instead of pulling away, he pinned me down on the bed. "Really?" He said as he straddled me with a big smile on his face. "Depends on what you want to do." I said raising my eyebrows at him. His smile just grew wider as he slowly leaned down on me. I closed my eyes, anticipating his lips to crash on mine but h
I didn't want to think about it, but the conversation that I overheard in the office kept replaying in my mind. Would Gavin really want another girl because I can't bear him another child? Did I really let go of myself? "What's bothering you, love?" Gavin asked me as he popped behind me while I was sitting on the sofa. "It's nothing, love. Let's just watch a movie. ZG is already in bed." I said to him and he immediately jumped onto the sofa. I was woken up by the sound of a phone ringing. I knew it wasn’t mine so I turned to the other side and started waking Gavin up. “Love, your phone is ringing.” I whispered to him but he only answered me with a groan before he started to move and reach for his phone. I cuddle more into him and rested my head on his chest as I tried to go back to sleep. “Hello?” He said with his husky bedroom voice, making me smile as I lay my head on him. “What?” I was shocked when he suddenly sat up from bed. “Sorry. I need to get this love.” He said as he l
I heard the door from our bedroom open so I turned around to see my husband rubbing his eyes as he walked out into the living room. "Breakfast?" I asked him and he nodded at me before sitting down on the stool in front of me. "Oh, and love someone called this morning. Around three in the morning? I thought maybe it was an emergency so I answered it." He took the phone from the counter and started scrolling through it. I saw his eyes bulge while he was scrolling. "What did they say?" "She asked if you're still coming on the weekend. And when I spoke up, she hung up." I said as I put bacon on his plate. "What was that about?" "Uhm. Its... It's just... work. Yeah. I'm having a meeting out of town if an investor. I guess Kyla forgot to respond to the invite." He answered and I just nodded at him. "Good morning!" ZG greeted us as he came out of his room running to the dinner table. I wanted to ask more about this new investor but I guess it's going to have to wait. The weeks passed an
It's been a week since the day with Kyla. I haven't opened it up with Gavin, because I don't want him to think that I'm doubting him. And besides, he hasn't done anything suspicious since. He never went on an out-of-town trip after that. So, maybe that's just a big misunderstanding. "Love!" I hear him call out as I was laying on our bed, reading a book. I've been in bed the whole day since I was feeling under the weather. "What?" I called back to him and he and our son came barging into the room within seconds. "Look what I downloaded." He said to me as they climbed onto the bed with their phones at hand. Since ZG is already going to school, we decided to buy him a phone in case of emergencies. We asked his teacher and he was allowed to bring it but he has to surrender it before the class. "What is it?" I asked him, not taking my eyes off my book. "It's an app to locate another phone." He said pushing my book down with his phone so I have no choice but to look at his phone. His
Soon the party settled down and a two-tier birthday cake was pushed into the center of the garden. The people in attendance were just my family, friends, and co-workers, so I looked at my husband and he immediately understood what I was thinking. My kids led the crowd in singing Happy Birthday. Both of them were jumping up and down, clapping their tiny hands. I gestured for them to come over as the song came to an end and they joined me in blowing out my candles as everyone cheered. "Let's hear from the birthday girl!" Cam suddenly said, handing me the microphone. Gavin picked up Zia as I held ZG's hand while I addressed the rest of the crowd. "First and foremost, thanks to all of you for spending your time to celebrate my birthday with me. It has been a rough couple of weeks for me and my family, but standing here in front of you makes me realize just how much love we receive from lots of people around us, and for that, I want to show my gratitude to everyone who gave us strengt
The days in the hospital were still so agonizing. I could still feel the pain in my abdomen, just where the bullet hit me. The doctor told me that I might be experiencing the "phantom effect", you know? The feeling you get when you remove something but it still feels like it's there. They kept reassuring me that everything was fine, but I had my doubts that's why we decided to take a few more tests just to be sure. And just like any other day, Zia and ZG visited me right after school. They would always tell me everything about their day and these past few weeks, their stories have been the highlight of my days inside my dull hospital room. "When are you going home, mommy?" ZG asked as he got ready to go home for the night. "We're still not sure, baby. But I'm fine. The doctors just want to do some more tests to be sure." I answered him, patting his head before giving it a light kiss. "Don't worry, bud. Mommy will be home in no time." Gavin said as he lifted our youngest from t
His lips on mine were pure ecstasy. Honestly, I was left hanging and unsatisfied with his kiss earlier but this erases those longing feelings that were lingering in my chest as my doctor was checking on me earlier. His hand made its way to the back of my neck, pulling me closer and deepening the kiss. We were kissing each other as if our lives depended on it, and frankly, I think it does. It felt like an eternity since our lips met, but when we pulled away, out of breath it still didn't feel enough. Our eyes met and a smile was lingering on his lips. "Welcome back, love. I missed you." He whispered to me before planting a kiss on my forehead. "I missed you too, love." I whispered back, returning his smile before he pulled away and sat on the side of my bed. He started fidgeting with his phone which made my eyebrows furrowed. I just woke up from a two-week-long coma, as per what the doctor said to me, and here is my husband sitting beside me but is preoccupied with whatever inter
"Officer, can you watch over my kids for me? I just need to know what's happening to Cathy." I asked Officer Philipps and he nodded. "ZG, Zia, Officer Philipps will stay with you for a while, okay? He we keep you safe. Daddy is just going to see Mommy." I said to them, and they both nodded at me. "Come back soon, Daddy." ZG said and I nodded at him, giving them each a kiss on the forehead before heading out of their hospital room and making my way to the Emergency Room. "I'm looking for Catherine Mitchel, she got shot." I said as calmly as I could to the person at the desk. She nodded and started tapping on her computer. "The patient has been transferred to the operating room." She said and I dashed off before she could finish talking. The lights in the operating room were already on when I got there, so there was only one thing to do, wait. Minutes passed, then hours, and a couple of minutes after the three-hour mark, the doors opened. "How is she?" I immediately asked the
I got out of the house, I need fresh air. I had to clear my mind or our conversation would not get anywhere. I was in the middle of the park when I decided to call someone I really trusted. "Good afternoon, sir. Can I speak with Officer Philipps?" I asked the person in the other line. "May I ask who this is?" He asked. "This is Gavin Mitchel." I answered shortly. "Okay, sir. I'll patch you in." He replied and a lively tune started playing before I was greeted by a familiar voice. "It's been a long time. How are you, Gavin?" Asked Officer Philipps through the phone. "Not so good, sir. I need your help." I then gave him a quick rundown of everything that went down. After I finished I heard him sigh. "Why do both of you attract these types of people?" He asked curiously, but even I couldn't give him an answer. "For now, be with Cath. I'll look into it and call you as soon as I get something." "Okay, Officer. Thanks... for everything." "Now, go home. And make sure Cath doesn't d
This is probably the longest ten-minute shower I ever had. I'm still waiting for Nathan's instructions and I got into a huge fight with Gavin because of it. “You want me to be okay with him taking my wife in exchange for my kids?” He asked. “No way I’m letting him take any of you.” “Love, we can guarantee that he wouldn’t hurt me but we can’t say that it's the same for our kids. We don’t know what’s going inside his head.” I said, trying to reason with him. “No. No. Sorry, love. That is not an option.” He said walking out of our bedroom. It was a hard decision for me too, but I can't let my kids get hurt. I can't let any of them get hurt because of me again. This time, it's my turn to save them. I got out of the shower and Gavin was still not back in our room. I grabbed my phone and there it was. A message from Nathan. It didn't have any time or date, just the address, making me think that he probably wanted me there as soon as possible. That works for me because I want to see my k
"Where are my kids, Nathan?" I began, trying my best to remain calm in the situation. Gavin tried to snatch my phone from me but I avoided it. I don't think it's a good idea to let the two of them talk. they both might explode. "They're safe. I have them with me. We had a little bonding session today. I was hoping you could join us?" He asked trying to sound sweet, but I couldn't help but feel a shiver down my spine as listened to him talk. "I'm still at work, Nate. Maybe another day? Do you mind dropping them off at the office?" I asked, acting oblivious to his motives. "Oh come on Cath. It's already seven in the evening, you should be home by now, right? Both you and your husband?" He asked and Gavin quickly took the phone from me. "Where are our kids, Nathan? I'm not playing with you!" Gavin angrily said through the phone. "You are going to talk to me! Just what do you want from us!" Then Gavin went silent. He looked at me, his eyes trembling. I could see fear in them. "Fine!
Being with Gavin again made me realize that I have never stopped loving him. No matter how much I wanted to forget about him, my heart remained with him throughout the years. I guess it is true, that no matter how far you walk away from each other, people who are meant to be together will always gravitate back to each other. "Mommy?" I heard Zia's voice as she was tugging on my dress. "Are you okay?" She asked me. "Why? What happened?" Gavin suddenly asked as he and ZG walked towards us. "Mommy was staring at you with a silly smile." Zia said that made my eyes bulge out of their sockets. "No, I wasn't." I said to her, looking right at her. Asking her to shut up with my eyes but it looks like I need to work on my silent communication with my daughter. "Yes. You were." She said before hopping away from us. "Just hold it in, love. Our kids are still awake." Gavin whispered to me, taking the picnic basket from my hand before following our daughter, leaving me dumbfounded. "I wasn't
The weeks went by in such a bliss and now, we’re moving back in with their dad in our old apartment. It took a lot of convincing on my side but eventually, Gavin was able to make me agree with him. “Are we there yet?” Zia asked for the nth time as we were driving to the apartment. She has been very excited since we told them about the move, and couldn’t wait to see the room her big brother was talking about. “No yet baby. We’ll have to stop to get some groceries, remember?” Gavin answered her sweetly. “Aww. Are we going to stay there long?” She asked again with a pout on her face. “Come on, Zia. It’s going to be fun. And you can pick out some decorations for our room.” ZG said, calming her sister in the back seat. “Yey!” Zia screamed as she started humming the theme song of her favorite show. Thank goodness, ZG knows precisely what to say to his sister in every situation. When we got to the groceries, the two of them walked in front of me and Gavin and started getting things that