Love Conquers All
by Dani
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
"...Mr. and Mrs. Ben Evans!"
Ben and Meg walk into the room, hand in hand, and make their way
through the crowd which has gathered to wish them well on their wedding day.
Bette stops them when they walk by.
"Hey, Big Guy, Mrs. Big Guy... Hey, I've got a new name for you now,
Muffin... Congratulations!" Bette kisses Meg on each cheek, does the same
to Ben, and then walks off, leaving them alone.
They were greeted by several other people, all with well wishes for
their marriage. After their first dance as husband and wife, Ben and Meg
made their way to the cake.
"Don't you dare, Ben Evans," Meg warned as Ben neared her with an
enormous piece of wedding cake. She leaned in so only he could hear her.
"If you do what I think you're going to do, your wedding night won't be much
to look forward to."
"Meg... I can't believe you thought I was going to do that. "I'm a
gentleman. I'd never do that to you... definitely not after what you just
told me," he replied in a whisper.
"Okay, everyone! It's time for Meg to throw the bouquet!" Sara, Meg's
maid of honor, shouted above the crowd's low roar.
Meg stood on the balcony above the group of her single girlfriends.
"Here we go, girls..." She tossed the bouquet over her shoulder...
"I caught it, Meg!" Sara yelled from below. "Gee, I wonder who the
lucky guy will be," she laughed.
"Let's find out. It's my turn, now," Ben grinned.
"Ben, you had better behave yourself. Remember what I said about the
cake?"
"Of course, Meg. How could I forget?"
"Well, the same thing applies in this situation. Watch yourself, Ben."
Ben reached under Meg's gown, looking for the garter.
"Ben!" Meg cried, blushing.
"Sorry about that. My hand slipped," he whispered, giggling. He then
looked to the crowd below, who had obvously heard Meg's cry. "Don't worry!
Everything's under control!" he laughed.
He finally retrieved the garter and stood to throw it. He tossed it
over his shoulder...
"I got it!" Casey said as he held up the garter.
Ben helped Meg from her chair and walked to the edge of the balcony to
speak to their guests. "We really appreciate everyone coming tonight, but
we're going to have to leave. The honeymoon awaits..."
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
"Ben, this is beautiful!" Meg exclaimed as he helped her from the car.
"I never dreamed that a little cabin in the middle of nowhere could be this
amazing."
"I'm glad that you like it, sweetheart. I'm sorry that we couldn't go
to Venice, but Tyus said it would be best if we didn't fly right now. I
promise that I'll take you there someday. Maybe for our second
honeymoon..."
"Well, we haven't even started our first honeymoon yet, Ben. Besides,
I don't have to go to Venice anytime soon. I'm perfectly happy as long as
I'm with you." She kissed him as he led her toward the entrance to the
quaint little cabin.
"Shall I carry you over the threshold, Mrs. Evans?"
"If you can pick me up, Mr. Evans," she smiled.
Ben opened the door and lifted her up into his arms. "Darling, you're
not heavy at all."
"I love you, Ben. You're such a good liar."
"Liar? What ever are you talking about, Meg?" he asked as he carried
her into the cabin.
"I'm not heavy, huh? Then what is this little bead of sweat on your
nose? It's a pretty hard workout carrying me into the house, isn't it? I
am three months pregnant you know," she teased.
"How could I not know, darling?" he said as he put her down and then
placed his hand on her stomach. "It's hard not to notice," he smiled.
"Well, you're still a good liar," she said as she wrapped her arms
around his neck. "You've got to give yourself a little credit."
"I wasn't lying, Meg." He put his arms around her waist. "You're
really not that heavy..."
"Okay, let's just drop the talk about my weight. I'm starting to feel
a little uneasy about this topic."
"Fine. Then what shall we talk about, darling?"
"Oh, I don't know." She pulled away from Ben and walked over to sit on
the sofa. "Maybe we should talk about the weather. I understand it's
supposed to rain this weekend," she smiled.
Ben followed Meg over to the sofa. "We don't need to talk about the
weather. Who cares if it's going to rain this weekend?" He sat beside her
and placed his arm around her shoulder. "All I care about is us. Let's
talk about that."
"If you insist. What is there to talk about?"
"Well..." He pulled her closer to him. "The only thing I can think of
that needs to be said is I love you and this..." He kissed her tenderly.
"I like this conversation," Meg responded as they ended their kiss.
"Let's talk some more..."
"How about we carry on this conversation upstairs?" Ben replied. He
stood, took her hand, and led her to the stairs.
"Ben?"
"Yes?"
She looked at him mischeviously. "We've got a lot to talk about..."
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
"Are you ready, Meg?"
"Yeah, Ben. I'm coming. Just a minute..."
Meg exited the house and shut the door behind
her. "The roses were beautiful, Ben. I don't want to
leave them upstairs. I only got to enjoy them for a
week."
"I'm glad you liked them, darling. And there are
plenty more where those came from. You don't have to
worry. I'll make sure you get plenty of them." He
kissed her softly.
She smiled. "Well, I guess the honeymoon is
over..."
"It doesn't have to be," he grinned and hugged
her tightly. "I'm going inside to get the rest of our
bags."
"Alright. Oh, I left my purse in the bedroom.
I'll be right down." Meg went back into the cabin
with Ben and then went upstairs.
While Meg was out of hearing distance, Ben picked
up the phone and dialed.
"Hi... This is Ben Evans... Right... They were
perfect... Yes, she loved them... This afternoon...
Can you have them ready by then... Wonderful... Yes,
the same... That's right... No, they were white...
Yes... That's it... Thank you..."
Ben placed the phone back on the receiver and
continued loading the remainder of the luggage into
the car.
When he had finished, he realized that Meg had
been upstairs for much longer than expected. He
decided that he had better check on her.
"Meg? It's taking a long time for you to get
your... Meg?"
Ben entered the bedroom to find his wife lying on
the bed, quite flustered.
"Ben..."
"Meg, what's wrong?" he asked as he rushed to her
side.
I was getting my purse and I felt sick so I sat
down and..."
"Oh, Meg. You must have passed out. Are you
alright?" He took her and cradled her in his arms.
He stroked her hair gently, trying to comfort her.
"I'm fine. Let's just go, okay?" she replied,
exasperated.
"Are you sure?" he asked concerned.
"Of course. I'll be fine. Just let me go to the
bathroom and freshen up a bit," she said. "Go
downstairs and start the car, okay?"
"Sure. Yell if you need me." He kissed her
forehead softly.
Ben reluctantly went outside and waited for Meg
to come down. Moments later...
"Ben!"
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
"Ben!"
He heard ths shout from the upstairs window and
immediately ran into the house.
"I'm coming, Meg!" he yelled as he rushed up the
stairs.
He soon reached the bedroom and found Meg doubled
over in pain.
"Oh my - Meg, what happened? I've got to get
you to the hospital." As soon as he reached her, he
began to lead her towards the stairs.
"Ben, hurry. I can't stand this. Oh!"
"What's happening, Meg?"
"Cramps... Oh, Ben, the baby..." she cried.
"Everything is going to be fine, Meg. You'll
both be fine..." As he spoke those words of
reassurance, he uttered a silent prayer...
Later, Ben sat in the waiting room of the
hospital, anxious to hear news about his wife and
unborn child. He sat with his head in his hands, on
the verge of tears.
"You can't do this to me. I can't lose her - I
can't lose either of them..." he sobbed quietly.
"Please, God, don't do this to us..."
"Mr. Evans..."
At the sound of his name, Ben stood immediately.
"Yes?"
"I'm Dr. Colley. I have news about your wife..."
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
"I have news about your wife, Mr. Evans," the
doctor said as Ben stood.
"Please, just tell me she's okay, Dr. Colley,"
Ben pleaded.
"Mr. Evans, your wife is going to be fine..."
"Oh, thank God," Ben sighed, relieved. "And the
baby?"
"The baby should be fine as well."
"What do you mean - should be?" Ben asked
angrily.
"Mr. Evans, your wife nearly suffered a
miscarriage. If you had gotten here minutes later,
she could have lost the baby. We've done everything
we can for them both, but we still need to keep your
wife here for a few days, just to be sure." The
doctor looked at Ben who had tears flowing down his
cheeks. "I promise you that your wife and child are
getting the absolute best care we can provide, Mr.
Evans. I know it's hard, but you shouldn't worry."
"Shouldn't worry? Are you insane? My wife
almost lost our baby and you're telling me not to
worry? I'm sorry, Dr. Colley, but I AM worried. I'm
worried about my wife's physical AND emotional
condition right now. I'm worried about the life of
our unborn child. I'm worried that we came close to
losing the child we've never met..."
"I understand, Mr. Evans. Listen. Why don't I
take you to see your wife now?"
"Yes, please. I need to see her," Ben replied
anxiously.
"Right this way..."
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
"Right here, Mr. Evans... Mr. Evans, before you
go inside, I want you to know that your wife is very
weak right now. Don't let her strain herself, okay?"
"Of course, Dr. Colley. Now can I just go and
see her, please?"
"Yes. I'll leave you alone," he answered as he
opened the door and let Ben inside.
Ben's heart was crushed by the sight he saw when
he entered the room. Meg was sleeping - peacefully,
it seemed - but he could see how weak, tired, and
fragile she was. He walked to the bedside and sat in
a nearby chair. He took her hand in his, and gently
kissed it, careful not to disturb her.
"I'm here, Meg," he whispered. "Everything is
going to be alright. I promise you that, Meg. We're
all going to be okay." He fought tears of
thankfulness when he realized that the worst was over.
"I love you..."
"Ben? Ben, is that you?" Meg said wearily.
"It's me, darling. Are you alright?" he asked as
he got up to sit beside her on the bed.
"I'm okay," she replied quietly. She immediately
placed her hand on her stomach. "Ben?"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"The baby..."
"Meg, you're both going to be fine," he assured
her. "The doctor just wants to keep you here for a
few days to make sure everything is alright with you
and the baby."
"Thank goodness," she sighed, relieved. "Ben, I
was so scared..." she wept.
"So was I, darling," he admitted. "So was I..."
They sat in silence as Ben held onto his wife,
comforting her.
"I'm so glad you're alright, Meg," he whispered
as he stroked her hair. "I was afraid that..." He
stopped.
"You were afraid that what?" she asked.
"I was afraid that something was going to happen
to you or the baby. Meg, I almost lost it when you
told me you were cramping. I thought... Well, I
thought that you were going to lose the baby."
"So did I, Ben." She began crying again. "Are
you sure that the doctor said everything was okay?"
"I'm absolutely sure," he replied. "He just said
that you needed to stay here for a few days to be
completely sure. He basically told me that it was a
miracle that the baby survived, Meg. It must be meant
to be."
She smiled through her tears. "Yeah, I think
that you and I and the baby ARE meant to be - meant to
be together..."
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
"They were supposed to be home this afternoon,"
Sara said to the crowd in the living room of Ben's
house. "I don't know what could be keeping them."
"Maybe they were held up in traffic or
something," Casey suggested.
"That could be it," Gabi added. "I'm sure
they'll be here soon.
"Well, if they don't show up soon, this is going
to be one boring welcome home party."
Sara suddenly heard her cell phone. "Maybe
that's Meg." She eagerly got it from her purse, and
answered it.
"Hello?"
"Sara, this is Ben."
"Ben, where on earth are you two? Your honeymoon
is over. You should have been home by now," she
scolded.
"Sara, don't panic, but Meg's in the hospital
and - "
"The hospital? Oh my - "
"Sara, it's going to be alright. She asked me to
call you and let you know where we were."
"What happened?"
"She just got sick, Sara. She and the baby - "
"Oh, no. Is the baby alright?" she asked
concerned.
"Meg and the baby are both fine. The doctor just
wants to keep her here for a few days to make sure.
We'll be home then. I'll let you know if anything
happens."
"Yeah, of course," she replied in shock. "Tell
Meg that I said hello and I hope she feels better."
"I will. Listen, could you let everyone know
what's going on? If it's not too much trouble, that
is."
Sara looked around the room at a full house of
Ben and Meg's friends. "Oh, it won't be any trouble
at all."
"Good. Bye, Sara."
"Bye... And take care of my sister, okay?"
"You know that I will. Bye."
Sara turned off her cell phone and gathered the
attention of the crowd.
"Could I have everyone's attention, please? That
was Ben..."
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
"Can I get you something, Meg?" Ben asked as he
sat by her bedside.
"No, I'm alright. I just wish I could get out of
this horrid hospital bed. I've been here for three
days... Ben, when do you think they're going to
release me?"
"I don't know, darling." He kissed her forehead
lightly.
"Well, I certainly hope that it's soon. I don't
know how much longer I can stand being in this room."
At that moment, a knock came at the door and Dr.
Colley entered the room.
"Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Evans. I've got some
wonderful news for you both," he informed them and
then began thumbing through Meg's chart.
"Well, what is it?" Ben asked impatiently.
The doctor turned his attention to Meg. "It
looks like both you and the baby are going to be fine.
Everything has been perfect for the last three days
after you were admitted. I think that it's safe to
send you home today."
"That's wonderful," she smiled. "I can't wait to
get home."
"I'll draw up the paperwork and we'll have you
out of here in an hour or so... Mrs. Evans, you're
going to have to take it easy for the rest of your
pregnancy. Make sure you see your doctor when you get
back... Mr. Evans, you're responsible to see that she
takes care of herself..."
"You can rest assured that Meg is in good hands,"
Ben replied. "I'll make sure that she takes care of
herself."
"Very well then. I'll take care of the
paperwork... You can get ready to go home, Mrs.
Evans." With that said, he left the room, leaving Ben
and Meg alone.
"Did you hear that, darling. We're going
home..."
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
"Thank goodness this month has been uneventful,"
Meg said happily. "I hope the next five months are as
good as this one has been," she continued.
"So do I, darling," Ben replied and then kissed
her hand. "Meg?"
"Yes, sweetheart."
"Have I ever told you that you're the most
beautiful pregnant woman I've ever seen?" he said
sincerely.
"Well, if you count all the times you told me the
same thing this morning and yesterday and the day
before that and..."
"Okay, I get it. I won't say it anymore," he
teased.
"I didn't say you had to stop saying it...
Actually, I kind of like it," she smiled.
"Good, because I think I'd have a little trouble
not telling you that every day. After all, it's the
truth, you know."
"Really?" she said sarcastically. "I don't think
so myself, but I won't argue with you." She placed
her head on his shoulder when he sat beside her on the
sofa. "Ben, I'm worried."
"About what?" he asked as he stroked her hair.
"What if I'm not a good enough mother for the
baby? I don't know if I can do this."
"Of course you can, Meg. You're going to be a
terrific mother," he assured her.
"I hope so, but I just don't think I'm ready."
"Yes, you are, Meg. Besides, we still have five
months to prepare for this little one," he said as he
patted her stomach gently.
A moment of silence passed as Meg lay contentedly
on her beloved's arm.
Meg looked down at her stomach and frowned.
"Ben, I look like a beached whale," she laughed. "How
can you say that I look beautiful?"
"Meg, you always look beautiful to me." He
kissed her tenderly.
"What's wrong, Ben?" Meg asked when she noticed
how exhausted he seemed.
"It's nothing, darling. Let's just go to bed. I
have a bit of a headache..."
CHAPTER THIRTY
"Ben, I'm really worried about you, honey. I've
never seen you in so much pain. Maybe you should see
a doctor."
"I'm fine, Meg. It's just a headache. I'm sure
it will pass," he assured her.
"That's what you said last night, Ben, and it
hasn't passed yet... I'm really worried, sweetheart."
"I promise you, Meg. If it gets any worse, I'll
have someone check it out, but right now I just want
to forget about it."
"If you're sure it's alright, then I'll TRY to
forget about it for now, but you promised..."
"Yes, I promised. Let's just see how things go,
okay?"
As Ben assured Meg that everything would be
alright, he couldn't help but wonder why he was having
those headaches again. It had been so long since...
No, it couldn't be... He's dead...
"Speed it up a little, Tess. We don't have all
bloody day."
"I'm coming, Derek. Give me a minute, alright?"
Tess came into the room, prepared for their trip. "So
what exactly is your plan?" she asked as she walked
over to him and rubbed his shoulders.
He shrugged her off. "Oh, you'll find out soon
enough. I'll fill you in on the details in the car...
Let's get out of here. We've got some work to do."
The duo left the small hotel room and headed for
the car which would lead them to their destination.
They loaded it up and pulled away. They were on their
way to Sunset Beach...
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