Love Endures
by Dani
CHAPTER ELEVEN
"Good morning, darling," Ben said cheerily as he placed the breakfast tray on the nightstand.
"And good morning to you as well, sweetheart," Meg replied and reached up to kiss him. "I see that you managed to make it up here with breakfast this morning," she noticed.
He grinned. "Why, yes, I did. You must have been exhausted."
She smiled at him. "Oh, maybe just a little. Yesterday was a very eventful day."
"Yes, it was. And today is going to be even more exciting and eventful."
"Really? And why is that?" she asked.
"Well... Today we'll be spending the day with the children."
"Oh..." she laughed. "Are you implying something about my children?" she questioned, pretending to be upset.
"Of course not, Mrs. Evans," he replied innocently. "I was only implying that a day with OUR children is very exciting."
"And you're very right about that, Mr. Evans. I think we'll have our hands full."
"That we will," he smiled. "Now, enjoy your breakfast. You'll need your energy," he joked, placing the tray on her lap.
"Jacob... Jacob, sweetie, it's time to wake up," Meg whispered and kissed the little boy's forehead lightly. His eyes slowly opened and he glanced up at his mother's face. He rubbed his eyes with tiny clenched fists.
"Good morning," she smiled. "Are you ready to spend the day with me and your Daddy?" she asked. He yawned and nodded. He sat up and wrapped his arms around Meg's neck. She returned his hug and kissed him again. "I love you, angel," she whispered.
"Shh... There, there, Audrey," Ben whispered soothingly. "Don't cry. Daddy's here." She looked up at him with her deep blue eyes and gradually stopped crying. Ben smiled down at her, then kissed the top of her forehead gently.
"That's better," he soothed. "Are you ready for a day out with your mother and I?" he asked, as if he would get a response from the ten month old baby. She giggled and smiled up at her father.
"That's what I thought," Ben laughed. "I can see how excited you are..." He smiled down at the baby again, all the while thinking about how lucky he and Meg were. "I love you, little one..."
Ben and Meg took the children all around the city, although they hardly got to see the real tourist attractions. Jacob was mostly interested in following the animals he found - mostly small birds he found fluttering close to the ground - and Audrey spent the entire day doing two things - giggling and sleeping in her stroller.
Ben watched Meg and saw her truly happy for the first time in awhile. With the news about being unable to have more children, she had hardly been able to enjoy herself, regardless of how hard she tried to put up a brave front around Jacob and Audrey. But now he watched as she played with Jacob, chasing those birds and running around the park, all seemed right with the world. She was happy now, and so was he...
"Alright, Jacob. Mommy's got to stop for a minute. I'm out of breath." She sat down on a nearby bench and laughed as she watched Jacob running towards Ben.
"Whoa..." Ben laughed as Jacob jumped into his arms. "I think you should slow down a little. You're tiring your mother out," he smiled.
"Oh, I'm fine. Maybe his father should chase him around for awhile, though, and let me keep an eye on sleeping beauty," Meg grinned as she reached down to kiss the sleeping baby in the stroller.
"I think I can handle him," he laughed and began tickling the boy in his arms. Jacob squirmed until Ben finally had to let him go. He was then led all around the park by Jacob. He finally managed to capture him and sat down wearily beside Meg on the bench.
"I told you that we would have our hands full," Meg reminded him, and kissed his cheek. "It comes with the territory..."
Ben looked at her, wondering what she meant. He then realized. "Oh. Parenthood," he laughed. "You're very right, my dear. But it's very worth it..."
CHAPTER TWELVE
"You look stunning," Ben said quietly when Meg entered the room. She was wearing an elegant black evening gown. Her hair was swept on the top of her head and she was smiling like Ben had never seen her smile before.
"Thank you," she said in return. "You look rather dashing yourself, Mr. Evans," she grinned and walked over to him. She kissed his cheek lightly and then looked into his eyes.He returned her gaze and smiled broadly at her.
"I just can't believe that I'm so lucky to have you in my life. You're so gorgeous, so loving, so tender, so... amazing." He caressed her cheek and kissed her lips tenderly.
"Ben, you say the sweetest things," Meg whispered after the kiss.
"Because I'm talking to the sweetest woman in the world," Ben answered sincerely. "It's very easy."
"There you go again," she laughed slightly. "I love you very much, Ben Evans," she smiled.
"Well, I love you, too, Meg Evans," he replied and pulled her in for another kiss. "Maybe we could skip dinner tonight..."
"Ben Evans, I don't know what I'm going to do with you," Meg laughed. "That's all you've thought about since we've been in Venice."
"It's hard not to when I have the most beautiful woman in the world with me in the most romantic city in the world," he grinned.
"Well, we have dinner reservations tonight, but we'll see what happens when we get home, okay?" she grinned.
"Okay," he conceded. "You know, Meg, these last few weeks have been incredible. I don't think I've ever seen you this happy."
"Well, Ben, that's because I've never been this happy. After Tyus gave us the news about - "
"Meg, we don't have to talk about that right now," Ben interrupted.
"Yes we do, Ben. I need to say this... After Tyus told us that we couldn't have children anymore, I spent a long time sulking. I thought that something like that would be the end for us, Ben..."
"Oh, Meg..."
"I didn't think that we could survive something like that, but I was wrong. Ben, I was so wrong..." She began crying, softly, quietly.
"Meg, it's alright now. We're fine..." he assured her and took her into his arms.
"I know that now, Ben, but I was so scared that if I couldn't have children, we couldn't be happy anymore. It just worried me that maybe you wouldn't look at me the same way again..."
"Meg, how could you even think that? I love you, sweetheart, no matter what. And this is just another challenge that we've been able to overcome together. It's brought us even closer than before... I won't lie to you, Meg. It did disappoint me to discover that we can't make our family bigger, but you're still the same woman I fell in love with and the same woman that I'll always love. I love you more and more every day, Meg. Nothing could ever change that..."
"Oh, Ben..." she cried into his chest.
"Hey..." He rubbed her shoulders tenderly and kissed the back of her neck. "I love you very much, Meg. Very, very much."
She raised up to look at him. "I love you, too, Ben." They kissed passionately.
"Too bad we have those dinner reservations," he grinned mischeviously. "I could go for a quiet evening here..."
"Yeah, me too. And the children did go out with the nanny..."
"Hmm... Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he smiled.
"Oh, I think I am..." She kissed him again. He scooped her up into his arms and whisked her up the stairs. She giggled as they neared the bedroom.
He placed her gently on the bed and kissed her again. "Mrs. Evans, I think you've spoiled me," he chuckled.
"Oh, Mr. Evans, I plan to spoil you for the rest of our lives..."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Ben placed Jacob in bed carefully and lifted the blanket to tuck him in. He gently kissed his son's forehead and stepped aside to let Meg kiss him good night.
"Good night, sweetie," she whispered as she bent to kiss his forehead.
She and Ben walked out into the hallway with Audrey.
"I'm going to take this little one to the nursery," Meg said.
"Alright. I think I'll bring in the rest of the luggage before bed. I'll be right up."
"Okay," Meg replied, smiling. "We'll wait on you," she continued as little Audrey yawned softly.
"Asleep already?" Ben smiled when he returned to the nursery. Meg was sitting in the rocking chair, rocking Audrey. The baby was sleeping, but Meg was wide awake.
"Yes... I think she knows that this is home," she answered quietly, being careful not to wake the baby.
"It was a very exciting month for all four of us," Ben smiled as he walked over to stand beside Meg.
He kneeled beside the rocking chair. "I really think that our little vacation did all of us a lot of good.
"I think you're right," Meg replied. When Ben reached over to kiss her, the baby stirred slightly.
"Maybe we should put Audrey to bed and then go toour own bed," Ben suggested.
"Maybe," Meg smiled as she stood to walk over to the crib. Ben followed her and watched as his wife carefully placed the baby in her bed.
"It's amazing how much she's grown, isn't it?" Ben commented as he watched Audrey's chest rise and fall with each breath she took.
"It is... It's hard to believe that she's almost a year old," Meg said quietly. "Do you remember what happened right after Jacob's first birthday?" Meg asked as she recalled the event.
"You know I do, Meg," Ben replied as he reached over to take her hand.
"I found out that I was expecting Audrey..." She continued staring at the little girl in the crib. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if - "
"Meg, please don't do this," Ben pleaded, knowing what she was thinking.
Meg suddenly came back to reality. "I'm sorry, Ben. I shouldn't have started, but I can't help it. And you must admit that it would be nice to find out that we were expecting again."
"Meg, that would be nice, but you know what Tyus said, and I'm not willing to take any chances on your health. He said it wasn't a very good idea even if you could get pregnant, Meg, and I'm not willing to take that chance."
"Ben, I understand that, but I just can't help but wonder what would be happening right now if this whole mess wasn't happening. We'd probably be expecting another child, Ben, but now... Ben, it's all my fault," she cried.
Ben sighed. "Meg, please..." He took her hand and led her out into the hallway. "I thought that we'd finally gotten over this. It's not your fault, and you'll never be able to convince me that it is. You can't change what happened, and we've already come to that conclusion, Meg. I don't want you to do this to yourself anymore."
"I know, I know," Meg said quietly.
Ben lifted her chin so their eyes met. "Hey... I love you, Meg, and that's all that matters."
She smiled weakly. "I love you, too." She wiped a few tears from her cheek and then continued. "Now let's go to bed..."
"It's wonderful to be home again," Meg sighed as she and Ben crawled into bed. "Venice was wonderful, but I guess I just missed our home."
"I have to agree," Ben said as he pulled her close to him. "I'm so glad that you enjoyed our vacation."
"And I'm glad that you took us all away for awhile," Meg replied and placed her head on Ben's chest. "I think it helped a lot." She paused for a moment before going on. "Ben, I'm sorry about my outburst in the nursery. I don't know what came over me. But I really am getting used to the fact that this is all the family that we'll ever have, and I'm sorry for bringing it up again. I shouldn't have done that."
Ben gently ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her forehead lightly. "It's okay, Meg. I know this has been hard for you, but I think that you've finally accepted it. It's normal to feel this way. I feel the same way. But it's not nearly as difficult to deal with as it was before."
"You're right. I think I'm finally where I need to be," she grinned.
"And where would that be?" Ben asked curiously. She smiled up at him. "In your arms..."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"Jacob, stop that!" Meg scolded. He was trying his best to climb over the sofa and was about to fall off. Meg walked over, picked him up, and placed him in the floor beside Audrey. "Play with your sister," she instructed.
He reluctantly stopped his activity and proceded to teach Audrey how to stack his building blocks. Meg continued her task of cleaning up the room that had already been destroyed by the children.
"Jacob, be nice to Audrey. Share," Meg ordered when she saw him taking away everything the baby picked up. Jacob immediately handed a block to Audrey. "That's better," Meg smiled and went back to the task at hand.
"Anyone home?" Ben called as he entered the living room.
"Daddy!" Jacob exclaimed and ran over to Ben. Audrey attempted to walk over to him, stumbling, but made it to him all the same.
"This is a nice welcome home," Ben laughed as he picked up both of the children. "Now all I need is a hug from Mom," he hinted.
Meg smiled weakly and walked over to him. "Welcome home, Dad," she smiled as she wrapped her arms around her husband and children.
"Why, thank you," Ben smiled. He then looked more closely at Meg. "You look horrible, sweetheart," he said simply.
"Thanks a lot," Meg laughed and took her arms away from him.
"Meg," he began, "you know what I meant. You look tired, almost sick. What's wrong?"
"I know. I'm just tired. It's been a long day," she sighed. "You son has been climbing on the furniture and your daughter has been into everything, just like every day since she started walking."
"Oh, so they're MY children when they're into everything, huh?" he teased. "Last time I checked, you were their mother."
"Alright, I get it," Meg laughed. "I was just telling you what the children have been doing today. You asked."
"I know." He returned Jacob and Audrey to their spot in the middle of the living room floor and led Meg to the sofa. "Sit down and take a break for a few mintues. You really look tired."
"I'm fine, Ben. Don't worry about me," Meg said as they sat down together. "I've just had a lot of work to do around here lately. And Audrey's destroyed everything I've cleaned up today..."
"Oh," Ben said, trying not to laugh as he saw their little girl pulling some papers from the desk. He stood, walked over and took them from her, placing them back on the desk. "I understand. We'll have to have a talk with her, won't we?" he said as he carried Audrey back to the sofa with him. "Audrey," he began, "you have to stop causing all of this trouble for your mother." She clapped her hands and looked over at Meg.
"Alright, I think she understands," Meg smiled. "Come here, you," she said and reached over to take her from Ben.
Jacob came over to the sofa and climbed up beside Ben. Ben thought he was going to sit, but he continued climbing over the back of the sofa. "Jacob, stop that," Ben said as he grabbed his son and placed him on his lap. "Audrey needs to stay out of things, and you, young man, need to stop climbing on the furniture."
"Okay, Daddy," Jacob said, only to please his father. "I'll be a good boy," he promised.
"Good," Ben smiled. "I knew you'd understand," he laughed, knowing that his promise would last for a maximum of five minutes.
"I'm proud of you, Dad," Meg smiled and reached over to kiss Ben's cheek. "If anyone can keep these two in line, it must be you," she giggled as she watched Jacob jump out of Ben's lap and rush over to the table where he proceded to find some way to reach the top of it.
"Jacob, get down," Ben said as he stood to retrieve his son again. "I thought I told you not to climb on the furniture."
"Ben, I thought you had everything under control," Meg said, still giggling, as Ben carried Jacob back to the sofa.
"Oh, I do," he replied. "Don't you worry about these two. I'll take care of them," Ben said and began tickling Jacob.
"Daddy, stop!" Jacob said, laughing.
"Pleeease..." he begged, unable to stop his laughter.
"Only if you promise to stop climbing on the furniture," Ben said, trying not to laugh, himself.
"Okay, okay," Jacob conceded.
Ben stopped tickling him and sat him between his parents. "Now, unless you want to be tickled again, you'll stop climbing on the furniture. You could hurt yourself."
"Daddy's right, sweetie. You've got to stop that," Meg interjected. She then bent to whisper to Jacob.
Jacob climbed into Ben's lap, looked at his father's face and began trying to tickle him.
"Jacob!" Ben laughed, playing along. "Stop that!" he said and then grabbed his son, placed him back in his spot on the sofa and then turned to Meg.
"I think your mother deserves some payback for what she just did to me. Would you two like to help?" he asked the children.
"Yes, Daddy!" Jacob said excitedly. Ben took the baby from Meg and then the three of them began to smother Meg in kisses, all the while tickling her.
"Hey!" Meg yelped. "This isn't fair. Three against one?!"
"Well it wasn't fair for you to send my son to do your dirty work either, was it?" Ben laughed. When they'd all grown tired of the game, the tickling stopped and the family sat back on the sofa.
"Well, that was fun, wasn't it?" Ben chuckled.
"Fun, huh? You just wait until these two are in bed and see how much fun you have," Meg joked.
"Oh, really?" Ben replied. "I can still tickle you, you know," he smiled.
"Oh, I know," she sighed as she took Audrey from Ben again. "I think it's about time for dinner. Let's see what we can find," she continued as she stood and headed toward the kitchen.
"We'll help," Ben said as he took Jacob's hand and followed behind Meg.
"Oh..." Meg groaned quietly as she reached for something to hold onto. She carefully put Audrey down and lowered herself to the floor.
"Meg? Meg, what's wrong?" Ben asked worriedly as he saw her grimace in pain. He released Jacob's hand and hurried to her side.
"Nothing... Nothing," she said, shrugging it off. "I'm fine," she lied.
"Meg, you're NOT fine," Ben said as he took her in his arms. "What's wrong with you?" he asked.
"I don't know, Ben. I just don't know..." she said and tried to pull herself up, to no avail.
"Meg, I'm worried about you. You need to see a doctor about this. You've been weak for awhile now," he said. "Since we got back from Venice."
"Ben, I'm fine. I guess the trip just took all of my energy. But I'll be fine. There's nothing for you to worry about," she assured him, trying to smile.
"It's stopped now. I'm fine. I'm just tired, Ben. All I need is a little rest."
"I don't care what you say, Meg. I'm taking you to Tyus..."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
"So how long has this been going on, Meg?" Tyus asked.
Meg held onto Ben's hand tightly, remembering the last time they had been in Tyus' office. "About a month, I guess. It's just been a lot of dizzy spells and a few stomach cramps. I don't think it's anything serious."
"Meg, let Tyus decide just how serious this is," Ben added when she had finished. He then turned his attention back to Tyus. "She's been like this since we came back from Venice, but she's been shrugging it off the whole time."
Tyus looked at the couple and could see a look of genuine concern on Ben's face for his wife. "Well, I'll have to run some tests just to be sure, but I think that it's just the stress you've been under since your return. I'm sure you hardly had to lift a finger while you were away."
"You're absolutely right," Meg smiled. "My husband loves to spoil me."
"And I think I have a right to do that, don't I?" Ben questioned.
"Of course," Meg smiled. "You know I love it."
"Well, I think that these problems are simply due to the fact that you've been working a bit more lately. I'll run those tests as a precaution, but I wouldn't worry about it."
"Great," Ben sighed, feeling a sense of relief at having the doctor's opinion. "Thank you, Tyus."
The next morning, Meg awaited the phone call that finally came...
"Tyus wants us to come in this afternoon, Ben... I'm worried," Meg said after the telephone conversation.
"I'm sure it's nothing, sweetheart," Ben replied, trying to convince himself that he was right.
"You said that the last time, Ben, and you know how much pain THAT caused us," Meg said, on the verge of tears.
"Hey..." he whispered and walked over closer to her. "Let's not make anything out of this until we've got the facts from Tyus, okay?"
"Okay," she said quietly, holding back tears.
"I'll try," she continued and forced a weak smile.
"That's better," he smiled and gently kissed her forehead. "It's nothing to worry about..."
"Have a seat," Tyus offered as Ben and Meg entered his office once again.
"Thank you for seeing us again so soon, Tyus," Ben said, sitting down by Meg.
"No problem, Ben. I consider you and Meg good friends, and I'm happy to help you out."
"Thank you, Tyus," Meg said nervously. "Um... Could we go ahead with this? I hate to sound so anxious, but..." She stopped, being at a loss for words.
"I understand, Meg," Tyus responded. "I'll get right to the point." He watched as Meg's grip on Ben's hand tightened. "Well you both know by now that I only call you into my office when the news I have is important..."
Ben and Meg squeezed one another's hands. "Go on, Tyus," Ben urged.
"Well, the news I have for you is more than important. It's rather shocking actually..." He watched as the couple before him grew more and more nervous by the second. "As I said, I'll get right to the point..." He paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "Meg, you're pregnant..."
Neither Ben nor Meg could speak; they only looked at Tyus in complete awe for several passing moments.
Finally, Meg broke the silence. "Tyus, I thought I couldn't get pregnant again..."
"No, Meg, I didn't say that you COULDN'T. I said that it was very unlikely... and very risky..."
"But I AM pregnant?" Meg asked, beginning to smile.
"Yes, Meg. You're definitely pregnant," Tyus said again.
"Ben, this is wonderful!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her husband.
Ben kept his gaze on Tyus while embracing Meg and finally asked the question he was afraid to learn the answer to... "Tyus, this baby isn't exactly great news, is it?"
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
"Tyus, this baby isn't exactly great news, is it?"
"Ben, what are you talking about?" Meg asked, pulling away from him. "This is WONDERFUL news. We didn't think we'd ever have children again, and now I'm pregnant. How can you even say something like that?"
"Meg, I'm afraid he's right," Tyus interrupted. Meg looked at him in shock, but in her heart she knew how serious the situation was. "Tyus, what are you telling us exactly?" she asked reluctantly, afraid to learn the answer.
"Meg, this pregnancy could mean a lot of things. Like I told you before, another complicated delivery like your last could be very serious. And that's only if you make it to the delivery..."
"Tyus!" Ben shouted. "Please don't upset Meg," he continued, when in reality he, too, was becoming upset.
"I'm sorry, Ben. I shouldn't have said that... What I meant was that this could easily become a high risk pregnancy."
"And... and what does that mean, Tyus?" Meg asked, fighting back tears.
"Well, that could mean anything from total bed rest during the pregnancy for you to a premature birth for your baby... or worse. That's why I told you that I wouldn't advise another pregnancy... The truth is... well, the truth is you may not survive this one..."
By this time, tears were flowing freely for Meg. Ben pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair. "Shh... It's okay, Meg..." Silence filled the room as Ben cradled Meg in his arms. He tried to remain strong for Meg, but inside the news was tearing him apart...
"I'm sorry," Tyus said quietly. "I really don't know what to say..."
"Well, maybe you could tell us what we're supposed to do now, Tyus," Ben said as Meg began to pull away from him again.
"Well, there are a few options," he began. "For one, you could go about this as a normal pregnancy and... well, and pray that everything turns out for the best..."
"And what are our other options?" Ben asked reluctantly.
"Well, Ben, Meg, I really wish I didn't have to say this, but as your doctor I need to..."
"Tyus, please," Meg said, trying to control her tears.
"Alright... As your doctor, I have to tell you that the safest medical solution for you would be to terminate the pregnancy."
"What?!" Meg exclaimed. "Tyus, I'm NOT getting rid of this baby."
"Meg, darling, maybe we should think about this," Ben said, trying to calm her down......but only making things worse.
"Think about it?! Ben Evans, how could you even CONSIDER that?!" Meg asked angrily.
"Meg, I'm worried about you," Ben said as he took her hand.
She quickly jerked it away. "No... No, Ben, I'm not having an abortion. I can't do that. This is the child that we thought we'd never have, Ben. Don't you want this baby?"
"Meg you KNOW I want this baby, but what I DON'T want is to take the chance of losing you..."
She just stared into his eyes for a moment, then suddenly burst into a flood of tears, collapsing into her husband's arms. For several mintues she sobbed into his chest, letting him hold her as tightly as he possibly could. He tried to control her as she shook gently in his arms.
"I'm really sorry," Tyus said as he watched the couple before him. "Maybe you should go home and talk about this. I'll give you a call in a few days."
"Thank you, Tyus," Ben said quietly as he led Meg out the door, all the while wondering why he was thanking the good doctor for such horrible news...
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Ben and Meg walked into their house, hand in hand, putting on the bravest faces they could muster. "Hey, you two!" Sara smiled when they entered the living room. "We weren't expecting you back so soon," she continued.
Ben and Meg looked at the mess in the middle of their living room. Jacob was sitting in the floor, finger painting, his hands covered in paint. "Hi, Mommy. Hi, Daddy," he giggled, waving with his paint covered hands. The couple couldn't help smiling, despite the situation, at the sight of their son.
"Jacob, sweetie, we need to get you cleaned up," Meg said as she walked over to him. "And after that, I'm gonna have a little talk with your Aunt Sara," Meg teased as she took Jacob to clean him up.
"So how did the appointment go?" Sara asked as she began to clean up the room.
"Not as well as we'd hoped," Ben replied as he began to help Sara with the mess.
"Ben, what's wrong with her?" Sara asked, stopping what she was doing. Ben sat down on the sofa and buried his face in his hands. After taking a moment to regain his composure, he looked back at Sara. "She's pregnant..."
"Pregnant?! Ben, you should be thrilled. Why aren't you?" she asked concerned.
Meg walked into the room with Jacob and looked over to see Ben, obviously upset.
"Jacob, I think Daddy could use a hug, sweetie," she whispered and then released the little boy. He ran, giggling, to his father and wrapped his arms around his neck.
Ben smiled as he looked over to see Meg standing at a distance. "That's just what I needed," Ben said as he hugged his son as tightly as he could, without hurting him, and continued looking at Meg.
"Meg, what's wrong?" Sara asked when Meg joined them on the sofa.
"Sara, I really don't want to talk about this right now..."
"Okay," she replied reluctantly as she stood to leave. "I'm gonna leave you guys alone, but I'm here if you need me, you know..."
"I know, Sara... Thank you." Meg stood and hugged her sister with tears in her eyes. "I'll call you later... Bye," Meg called as her sister left the house.
Ben put his arm around Meg and pulled her close to him. They just sat there quietly, with Jacob on Ben's lap, both in deep thought. Meg finally pulled away and continued the job of cleaning up the living room. "Jacob, you and Aunt Sara certainly made quite a mess," she commented, trying to go on with life as usual.
Ben took Jacob from his lap and placed him on the sofa. He stood and walked over to Meg, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Meg, darling, just leave that for now, okay?" She shrugged him away. "I need to do this now, Ben, before Jacob makes an even bigger mess," she replied as she continued the task, never turning to look at him.
He sighed. "Why don't you go up and check on Audrey? Jacob and I will clean this up for you..." She finally turned and looked at him. "Okay," she answered quietly as she headed towards the stairs.
"Meg," Ben called as she began up the stairs.
She turned to look at him. "What?"
"We love you..."
She smiled weakly at him. "I love you, too..."
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Ben and Meg spent the rest of the afternoon trying to act as if nothing had happened. They tried to go about their normal lives, playing with children, eating dinner as a family, putting the children to bed... And finally they had some time alone... Meg sat at her dressing table, brushing her hair, although not really concentrating on what she was doing. By the time Ben decided to say something, he knew that she had been at it for at least half an hour.
"Meg, darling, could we please talk about this now?" He walked over to her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. "I know it's hard for you... It's hard for me, too, sweetheart, but we have to talk about it sometime..."
"I know that, Ben," she replied rather coldly.
"But I think that you pretty much said what option YOU were for in Tyus' office this afternoon."
"Meg, you know that I hadn't even had time to think about the situation. You can't hold it against me..."
She stood and turned to face him. "Ben, the thing that really bothers me is that you DIDN'T think before you said what you said. You were ready to go right ahead with terminating this pregnancy and you hadn't even thought about it. I just don't understand how you could EVER say something like that. Do you know how much it hurt me to think that you would even consider getting rid of our child?"
"I know, Meg, and I'm sorry. It's just that... Well, I was scared, to be quite honest. Tyus was making it VERY clear that this pregnancy could put your life in jeopardy, Meg. That's the last thing that I would ever want... I love you too much to risk losing you..." Meg was crying softly now as she looked into Ben's eyes. "Ben, I'm really glad that you love me that much, but you have to understand that I CAN'T get rid of this baby. Don't you remember how I felt - how we BOTH felt when we learned that we would never have children again? Ben, I know that this baby was meant to be, just like we were. And I know that this won't be easy, but how many times have you told me that we could survive anything, Ben? This is the same thing, and I KNOW that we can survive it. Have a little faith in our love, Ben... I do..."
"But this is so much different, Meg. You LIFE is at stake here, and I... I couldn't bear to lose you OR one of our children, Meg. I just couldn't handle it..."
"Well, you're NOT going to lose me, Ben... From the moment I learned that I was carrying another one of your children, I've felt this amazing, unexplainable sense of finality. This baby will complete our family, Ben. All we have to do is be willing to accept it into our lives..."
"Meg, I really want this baby, more than you know, but..."
"No buts, Ben... Here..." She took his hand and gently placed it over her stomach. "This is our baby, Ben... Our miracle baby..."
Ben sighed and closed his eyes as he said a silent prayer, asking God to watch over the most precious thing in his life. "Meg..." he whispered. She looked up at him and smiled slightly. "Yes?" He looked into her eyes. "We're having another baby..."
CHAPTER NINETEEN
"Yes, Tyus, that's our decision... I understand that, but you have to understand that Ben and I... Exactly... Right... Yes... Thank you, Tyus..."
"So what does Tyus think?" Ben asked when Meg finally hung up the phone. She had been talking to the doctor for nearly an hour.
She walked over to join him by the sofa. "He thinks that we're taking a very big risk, but he understands that we're determined to have this baby," she replied.
"When is your next appointment?" Ben asked.
"Well, he wants me to come in to see him at least once a week, starting Friday. He made it very clear that he plans to monitor this pregnancy very well."
"Good..." Ben smiled and pulled Meg into his lap.
"And I plan to monitor YOU very well, my dear. I don't want you to lift a finger around this house for the next nine months, do you understand?"
"Oh, I understand, sir," Meg replied jokingly.
"You're going to do all of the domestic chores while I sit around and do nothing."
"Exactly," Ben smiled.
"Ben, you can't do everything by yourself..."
"Well, you can, can't you?"
"No, you help out a lot around here, and you know it, Ben. I don't think you'll be able to keep this house in order for nine months."
"Well, we'll just have to figure something out then, because I'm not gonna take any chances with you, Meg."
She smiled at him lovingly. "You're amazing, Ben Evans. I love you..."
"I love you, too, darling," he replied and kissed her tenderly.
"Ben..."
"What is it, sweetheart?"
"What should we tell the children?" Ben paused for a moment before continuing. "I'm really not sure if we should tell them right away - or anyone, for that matter. Maybe we should wait a while longer before announcing this."
"You're probably right," Meg replied quietly, knowing why Ben had suggested waiting. "If something were to happen..."
"Hey... Nothing's going to happen, okay? You've already convinced me of that, you know. We're having a baby, and..."
"A baby?" Jacob said as he entered the living room.
"Jacob, what are you doing out of bed?" Meg asked as she got off of Ben's lap and sat down beside him.
"You're supposed to be taking a nap, sweetie."
"I'm not sleepy, Mommy," he replied and took Meg's place on Ben's lap. "Where's the baby?"
Ben and Meg looked at each other, wondering what to say to their son. "Well, Jacob," Ben began, "how would you like to have another little sister or a little brother?"
Jacob pondered the question for a moment before responding. "Where is it?" he questioned.
"Well, sweetie, the baby's not here yet," Meg answered.
"Where is it?" he asked again.
"Ben, maybe you should take this one," Meg smiled.
"Well, son, the baby is waiting to be born right now. It's going to take some time before we get to meet him or her."
"But where is it, Daddy?" he asked for the fourth time.
"Meg..." Ben said, pleading for help.
"Jacob, do you remember before Audrey was born? You were just a little boy, but - "
"Now I'm a big boy," he stated proudly.
"That's right, sweetie, you are a big boy," Meg smiled. For a moment she thought that she had dodged the question, but...
"Where is the baby?"
Ben and Meg looked at each other and smiled.
"Jacob, the baby is growing inside of Mommy's tummy," Ben began. "And in a few months, we'll get to meet the baby."
"Oh..." he replied simply. "How did it get in there?" he asked as he reached over to poke Meg's stomach.
The parents just looked at each other for a moment, not knowing what to say...
"He wasn't this inquisitive with Audrey, was he?" Ben asked.
"No, I don't think so, but he wasn't three years old then either," she smiled.
Jacob continued looking at his parents, waiting for his question to be answered.
The doorbell rang...
"Oh, Jacob, did you hear that? Someone's at the door," Meg said, thankful for the interruption. "Let's see who it is..."
As Meg and Jacob walked over to the door, Ben sat back on the sofa and sighed. "Saved by the bell..."
CHAPTER TWENTY
Meg opened the door to be greeted by her sister and Casey. "Hi," she smiled. "This is a nice surprise."
"Hi, Meg. Hi, Jacob," Sara smiled. "You hadn't called lately, so I thought I'd come over and check on you," she continued as Meg led them into the living room. "I was starting to worry..."
"Sara, there's nothing for you to worry about. Everything will be fine."
"Well, I haven't talked to you since right after your doctor's appointment the other day, Meg, and Ben was really worrying me that afternoon."
Meg, Sara, Casey, and Jacob joined Ben in the living room. "Sara, let me take Jacob upstairs first, okay? I'll be right back... Come on, sweetie," she said as she took the little boy's hand.
"Hi, Sara, Casey," Ben said as they took their seats. "This is a pleasant surprise."
"Hi, Ben," Casey replied.
"What brings the two of you here?" Ben asked.
"Sara seems to think that something's not right at the Evans' household, and she's starting to worry me, Ben. What's going on?" Casey replied.
Ben sighed. "Well, Meg and I really haven't discussed what we're going to tell everyone right now, but I suppose that you both know now..."
Meg descended the stairs and joined everyone in the living room. "Jacob's occupied for now," she smiled. "What's going on?"
"Casey and Sara seem to think that something's wrong around here," Ben answered.
"Well, Ben," Sara began, "you told me that Meg is pregnant but you didn't seem very excited about it..."
"They know?! Ben, I thought we weren't going to tell anyone right away," Meg said, surprised.
"He told me after your appointment the other day, Meg. And I hope you don't mind, but I told Casey..."
"No, no, Sara. He's your husband now. You have a right to tell him," Meg replied, trying to think of a way to tell them exactly what was going on.
"So what's going on?" Sara asked again.
"Sara, you know that Ben and I thought that we'd never have children again..."
"Yes, and I know that this has to be a miracle baby, right?"
"Right... A miracle baby... But there's a bit of a problem," Meg began.
"And what's that?" Casey asked, concerned.
"When we went to Tyus before, he told us that it was very unlikely that Meg would get pregnant again, but he also said that if she DID get pregnant, it would be very risky... And now we're taking that risk..."
"So you're saying that having this baby could be dangerous?" Sara asked, concerned.
"Right," Meg replied simply. "So, what are you going to do?" Casey asked.
"Well, our plan is to go about this as a normal pregnancy and pray that everything will turn out for the best..." Ben replied.
"And what if it doesn't?"
Ben and Meg looked at each other. Ben took Meg's hand and squeezed it gently before answering Casey's question.
"It will, Casey. We both have faith that Meg and the baby will be fine, and we need the support of our friends and family..."
"Oh, Ben, you DO have our support," Sara answered. She got up and walked over to sit by her sister. She wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly. "We'll be here for you, Meg. If there's anything you want us to do, all you have to do is ask..."
"Thank you, Sara," Meg smiled. "There is one thing that I - we - would like to ask the two of you."
"And what's that, Meg?"
"Could you please keep this news quiet for awhile? We don't want to tell everyone right away... just in case..." Meg added, not wanting to say anymore than she had to.
"Of course. We understand... Listen, Meg, if you need anything at all, just give us a call, okay?"
"Thank you, Casey," Meg smiled. "I'm glad I havesuch a wonderful sister and brother-in-law."
"And we're glad to have you, Meg... We're going to go now and leave you guys alone," Sara said as she stood to leave.
"Thank you for coming over," Ben said as he stood to shake Casey's hand. "It's nice to have such caring friends... and family," he smiled.
"No problem," Casey smiled. "You two take care of yourselves, okay?"
"Okay," Meg replied as she walked with them to the door.
After they had gone, Meg fell into Ben's arms, sobbing.
"Hey..." Ben said quietly. "What's wrong?"
"Ben, what if... what if something DOES happen?" she cried.
"Meg, we have to think positively, alright?"
"I know, Ben, but there's a chance that something will go wrong sooner or later... What are we going to do if something happens?"
"Well, darling, we're going to survive it just like we've survived everything else... Just like you said we would..."
"But what if I was wrong, Ben? What if this is just too much for us?" she sobbed.
"Hey... Don't think like that. You're the one that convinced me that we could survive this, Meg. You've got to believe that..."
"I just don't know what to believe anymore, Ben. Maybe you were right... Maybe..."
"Hey... YOU were right, Meg. Everything's going to work out... You'll see..."