Part 202
"Sarah, what do I do?" Nick ran his hand through his hair as he flopped down on the bench seat in Howie's bus.
"Nick, it can't be that bad," Howie said.
"Man, it's awful. Bec's so down on herself."
"She's always had a problem with self-confidence," Howie reminded him.
"No, it's more than that." Nick shook his head, chewing on a fingernail.
Sarah laughed and patted him on the knee as she sat beside him. "Welcome to Revenge of the Hormones, Part 2."
"Huh?"
"You may have missed the early mood swings, but Mother Nature is making up for it now."
"Sarah, you should have seen her."
Nick looked truly distraught and Sarah instantly felt a wave of pity for him. "Let me guess – she's fat, her hair is falling out and how can you still love her when she looks like this. Right?"
"Yeah … wow."
"But Angel," Howie said, "that's not true. She's beautiful. There's something about her that just …" His voice trailed away as he noticed the look Sarah was giving him. "I mean-"
Sarah laughed again. "I hear you, no more little green monsters, ok? Nick, she IS gorgeous. She's so happy she glows and Howie's right, but she can't see it."
"But I TOLD her."
"You need to SHOW her. Nick, this part of pregnancy is almost worse than the morning sickness. At least the morning sickness went away. Right now Becca feels like she's been pregnant forever and there's no end in sight."
"How am I gonna make it through the next three or four weeks?"
"Prayer, man, lotsa prayer." Howie laughed and shook his head. "Angel, was it like this for you when you had Jesse?"
"Oh yeah." Sarah sighed. "I felt like a beached whale and that was on a GOOD day. Jewelry was out of the question, and Russell got pissed at me when I couldn't wear my rings anymore."
"Asshole," Nick mumbled.
"Sometimes, yeah," Sarah laughed. "And I couldn't walk without waddling, my back hurt and forget about getting a full night's sleep. I swear this part of being pregnant must be to prepare you for staying up all night with a baby, because you NEVER get any sleep. I bet that's part of Becca's problem, Nick, she's exhausted. There's no way to get comfortable at night. Sleeping on your side is just as bad as being on your back."
"I guess I hadn't thought of that," Nick mumbled.
"No DUH, Nicky! That's because you sleep like the dead, blonde boy. You've probably never even noticed her tossing and turning all night, have you?"
"Shit." Nick looked even worse than when he'd first come on board.
"But knowing Bec like I do, if she knew she'd kept you awake that would give her something else to feel guilty about, so don't sweat it."
Howie asked, "What about the swelling, Nick? You said her ankles and her hands were swelling again."
"Well, that seems to be ok," Nick shrugged. "We called Dr. Warren this morning. Bec's blood pressure is still pretty normal, so she's not too worried. She seems to think most of the swelling is normal for this stage."
"But?" Sarah could tell there was more to it.
"Not a big deal, she wants Bec to get a couple of tests when we get to Houston. She was gonna call someone to come do it at the hotel. You know, blood test, urine test …"
"Okay, that's standard."
"So what are we gonna do?"
"We?" Sarah asked. "WE aren't going to do anything. Nick, she's YOUR wife."
"And she's YOUR best friend. Come on, Sarah," he whined.
"Oh god, do NOT whine. I haven't heard you do that in ages." She covered her face with her hands.
"Please???"
"What about a nice romantic dinner?" Howie suggested.
"We're stuck on the road, D," Nick reminded him. "There's hardly any down time except travel days."
"Then do something on the bus, Nicky," Sarah said with the last bit of patience she could muster.
"You can't be romantic on a bus, Sarah," he said impatiently.
"NICK! Don't be a dork." She stood up and began to pace as Howie tried to hold back the laughter.
"WHAT? Geez, Sarah, it's true."
"That you're a dork? Yes, you are. Nick, look, romance isn't a 'place', it's an attitude. Just woo her all over again."
"Woo her?"
Howie agreed. "She's got a point, Nick. Do something special like when you were first dating. Flowers, soft music, create a mood. Have a nice meal and just hold her for the evening."
"I guess…"
"I'll help, ok?" Sarah agreed.
Nick sighed. "Thanks Sarah, you're the best."
"I know, and you owe me one." She laughed as Nick stuck his tongue out at her. "So where'd you stash her this morning?"
"I got Brian to take her on his bus for the morning. He was gonna call Sonja so they could all talk. She wasn't too hard to convince, in fact, she couldn't wait to get away from me."
"I'm sorry, Nick, really I am, but this will pass."
The bus began to slow as they approached their rest stop and Nick was anxious to get back to Becca.
As he walked toward the steps, he felt something soft hit him in the back. "What the-"
"Take it, Nick." Sarah had tossed him one of their extra bed pillows. "Tonight at bedtime, tuck it under Bec's belly. It'll help support some of the weight and help her sleep."
Walking all the way back to where Sarah stood, he wrapped her in his arms and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Sarah," he said quietly.
Giving in for just a moment she hugged him back. "Any time, Nicky. My sis loves you, so you can't be all bad."
"Can I quote you?" he grinned, pulling away.
"No, now get off my bus, blondie." She pushed him toward the exit as he smirked at her.
"I have a witness, Howie heard me."
"Heard what?" Howie asked innocently. "I was in the back, did you say something?"
"Go find your wife, Carter." Sarah grinned as he leaped off the bus, her mind already beginning to help plan Nick's romantic evening.