New Life For Richard

New Life for Richard - Part 3

It was starting to get late, and Richard still wasn't home. To occupy your time, while you waited for him to arrive, you made his favorite dish for supper. After you put the food in the oven, you went upstairs and dressed up as nicely, but comfortably as possible. As you were about to walk downstairs to check on the meal, you heard the front door open. You smoothed out the non-existent creases on your clothes before padding down the carpeted steps to greet him; you hoped he would be happy with the news.

He looked up at you and smiled, his normally bright blue eyes were now tired and dull. "What's the special occasion, love?" His deep voice sounded exhausted and soft. You touched his bearded cheek. He closed his eyes, leaning into your touch with a gentle groan. You chuckled and smiled softly. "Go relax for a bit and get changed. Supper will be waiting on the table for you, when you come down." He nodded, lightly pecked your cheek with his lips, then shambled upstairs. "Another tiring day," you thought. You portioned out the food onto plates, set the table, and poured yourselves something cool and non-alcoholic to drink, so as not to damage the subject of your news.

Richard came downstairs, also nice, but comfortable, and sat opposite of you. He smiled and sighed with contentment, happy to just be home, but also happy at what meal had been served for supper. "Darling, how did you know I'd need this, today," he questioned, the extent of his exhaustion evident in his voice. You shrugged and smiled with a simple, "I just knew."

Over the course of the meal, he told you about his day. Filming was rough, and his character was becoming more intensive, all the way around, so it was starting to put more strain on him. It wasn't anything he couldn't handle, but it was exhausting. You smiled and listened to him talk, occasionally offering input. The whole time he spoke, however, you wondered when the time would be right to tell him the big news. You sat and waited for your chance to appear.

As you were washing up after supper, he opened a cold bottle of mead, pouring the honeyed liquid into two glasses. He came up behind you, put down the glass meant for you, and gently kissed your neck. You blushed and smiled, not looking at him. Instead, you nodded towards the glass. "What's that for?"

He smiles and shrugs. "No reason other than to thank you for just being amazing."
You dry your hands and turn to him, realizing that now was the time. You gripped the cloth in your hands. "Thank you, darling. I appreciate it, but I can't drink it. Not for a while." He looks at you, confused. "Why, love? It's your favorite."

You place a hand on your flat stomach and smile at it fondly. "I know, but... I can't. Not...not for a while... Not good for the health, you see..." You were being vague, hoping that Richard would arrive to the conclusion on his own.

Richard put his glass down and lovingly took your hands with his. "Love, did the internet tell you that? I told you, if you have health questions, you need to consult a doctor and not just blindly believe what the internet tells you."

You laughed. "I know. In fact, I confirmed it with a doctor, today. It's not good for the health."

Finally, this time, he started to piece it together. He stared at you for a few seconds, his eyes narrowing before slowly speaking up. "Darling, you keep saying 'the' health, not 'my' health. ... Whose health are we talking about?"

You gently place his hands on your stomach, smiling at the expression of shock on his face as he stares at your stomach. "...The health of our baby, Richard. We're going to have a baby. The baby can't drink alcohol, so I can't either..." He dropped to his knees, his eyes never leaving your flat belly.

"Baby...we're...we're going to have a baby? We're going to be parents... You're going to be a mother...and I'm going to be a...a father." As quickly as his happiness arrived, his face dropped as his own form of despair hit. He covered his face with his hands, his voice now coming out muffled. "I'm an old dad. Oh no. Noooo, I'm an old dad! I didn't want to be an old dad!" You couldn't control the laugh that escaped your mouth. "You're not old!"

He stood up, walking around the kitchen with his hands still over his face. "Yes, I am! I'm too old to be a dad, now! I'll be in my 60s when the baby graduates from secondary school! Will I even live long enough to see our child graduate college? Or have children of its own?! I'm so ooooooold!"

You sigh and rub your stomach, the smile on your face slowly vanishing. He had a point; He'd be very old by the time your child became an adult. However, you two had been trying for such a long time. Your own self-esteem started to plummet. If only you'd gotten pregnant sooner, he wouldn't have had to worry about this. But, surely...not having enough years remaining in your life weren't the only dangers. When you spoke, your voice barely came out above a whisper. "I'm sorry, Richard..." He stopped and turned towards you. "What was that, love?" You took a deep breath and forced your voice to come out louder. "I...I'm sorry."

He was taken aback; He wasn't expecting that response. "What are you apologizing for?" He watched as your whole body seemed to quiver. When you looked up at him, he saw the tears in your eyes. "I'm sorry, I wasn't able to get pregnant sooner, so you wouldn't have to be an old dad. I tried. We tried, and nothing ever took! I know you're worried about being an old father, but can you just...try to imagine how it will be for me? Or for our future? There's no guarantee that either of us will live long enough to even see our child live. If old age doesn't get us, a disease could, or an accident, or even someone cruel could take our lives...or our child's life. Nothing is certain." You were now shaking and sobbing, gripping your stomach protectively. "Why can't we just be happy with what time we have and not worry about our ages? Why is that so hard! Why can't we just be happy that I was even able to become pregnant, at this point! This baby is a miracle, to me, and I just want to rejoice in its existence! Why can't we just be happy?!"

His eyes were brimmed with tears. He carefully walked over to you and gently wrapped his arms around you. "I'm sorry, my love. You're right. It's the quality of the time we have that's more important...not how much time we have. I didn't mean to upset you." He knelt down in front of you and hugged your abdomen, pressing his lips to your belly. "And you, in there. We're going to do all that we can to make life wonderful for you, out here. So you just relax, grow big and strong, and we'll see you when you're ready to come out. Don't you worry about anything. We've got this all taken care of, especially your mother."

You smile at the man you love, the thin rivers that flowed down your cheeks began to dry, as he slowly stands up and puts both of his hands on your waist. "Don't worry about a thing. I've got you." He leaned down and brushed his lips against yours, deepening the kiss when he hears you sigh. When he pulls away, you smile up at him. "Well, then...we'll get started with the preparations tomorrow."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Author's Note:
Incoming baby Armitage! Richard has now been told the news and accepted his future role of "Father". But, pregnancy is rarely without surprises, so what tricks does Mother Nature have up her sleeve? Find out in Part 4!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, constructive criticism is always welcome! I hope you have a great day, and remember to be awesome to each other!

PS: The media is COMPLETELY unrelated...I just found it kinda funny.