FicWad

The Tenth Day Of Christmas

"Hello?" She croaked, pushing the phone to her head, Patrick stirred and his heavy arm draped over her waist as she spoke on the phone.

"This is Dr Bainschab from Chicago University Hospital. I was wondering if you can come in and see us today for a check up and get some more blood tests done?" She asked in a strange accent.

"Well I'm feeling fine so-"

"-Miss Annerson, we really need to check you over. It's quite important you come in today." She said.

"Ok...Ok, what time?" She asked, pulling up Patrick's arm and looking at his watch.

"1pm ok?"

"That's fine." She said sleepily, and they closed up the call.

She suddenly picked up Patrick's arm again and stared at the watch.

"Trick!!" She called, she turned over and shook him.

"Trick!! - it's like 10am!" She whispered hard.

"Uhmm!" He moaned.

She frowned, he was a pain to wake up if he wasn't ready. Her fingers slipped under the sheets and she tickled his tummy, he roared in disagreement a second later and she sat up quickly.

"It's 10am Trick - you're late for work!!" She gasped.

"What?" He asked sleepily.

"Work!! YOU!! Late!!" She said, pulling back the sheets from him.

"I'll work from home today!" He grumbled angrily and pulled the sheets back.

"Ugh! Alright for some!" she said and threw herself up. He grabbed her arm and yanked her back on the bed , across his tummy.

"Where are you going?" He asked gently.

"I was gonna take a whizz but now I'm not so sure!" She said smiling at him. He let her go and she rushed up and ran to the bathroom.

He held out his arms and she climbed onto the bed.

"I had such good dreams last night!" He smiled, she moved the hair from his eyes and smiled at him.

"What did you dream about?" She asked, kissing his lips softly.

"We were just being happy...." He said, she laughed gently.

"You don't remember do you?" she said. He shook his head and she giggled.

"Well there was one dream...and it was so vivid...." He said. She raised her eyebrows.

"But it's kind of embarrassing...." He said, tweaking his bottom lip to one side.

"Ohhhh tell me!" she smiled.

"Promise you won't laugh!" he asked, raising his eyes brows now. She nodded enthusiastically.

"Promise!" She whispered.

"I dreamt that..."

"Go on!" She smiled, as he stopped.

"I dreamt that you asked me to marry you!" He said. Her face fell suddenly, she stared at him.

"It was beautiful!" He said.

"What did you say??" She asked, he smiled shyly.

"I said yes..." He smiled. Her heart thumped loudly and she took his face in her hands.

"Patrick you weren't dreaming..." She whispered.

"what?" He frowned.

"You weren't dreaming - I did ask you to marry me , when you fell asleep...." She said,

"You did?" He asked, stunned.

"yeah...." She added.

"and I said yes...." He said, putting it all together.

"You did..." she said, her lips met with his and he caught her soft cupid bow lips in his lips and they kissed deeply.

"But just to make sure.....Will you marry me?" she asked again.

"Yes...Yes I will."



January 3rd 2005


They'd had dinner together and they were walking back home.

"You ok baby, you been quiet tonight?" She asked, swaying her arm with the green purse in.

"I'm good, just work y'know...." He sighed. She clutched his arm tightly and he put his arm around her fully, bring her close to him.

"I still cannot believe Nathan is getting married. The whole thing's a joke!" She laughed.

"I know, I cannot see him being husband to Kim, I mean....she's a fairly strong character.." He said, dwelling on her featured dominance.

"That as well - the whole concept of marriage is a joke though, don't you think?" She asked him, looking up at him from his side.

"I..." He started. She concentrated on her walking, easing her eyes off him.

"I think it's different now to what it used to mean but I don't think it's a joke." He said gently.

"You think that two people can commit, remain faithful and truly love each other until their dying day?" She asked.

"I hope so!" He said.

"Or else...what is love?" He asked.

"Love dies.." She said. He stopped walking and turned to her.

"Love dies?" He asked.

"Yeah...and when it does, it takes down whoever was involved in that love too....it's not always about two people."

He looked into her eyes, what the deeper message here, could he get it out?

"Well love isn't supposed to die Ella, love is meant to grow, for sure , it changes, it changes a lot, but it shouldn't die." He frowned.

"Well it does." She said. He frowned harder.

"You're so scarred!" He said suddenly. She stared at him angrily.

"Yeah well you're blind!" She snapped.

"I'm not blind Ella, I just have faith in love."

Ella knew he was right. She saw the determination in his eyes.

"And I don't, right?" She said softly.

"No, I don't think you do. You have every reason not to have faith in love Ella, look at the shit you've been through. But I hope you have faith in me. I hope you have faith in my love for you, because I'm not leaving. I'm not going anywhere." He said. Her eyes glassed over and she blinked the urges for tears, away.

The people who were supposed to show her what faithful love was had failed with a misery so deep. Her father's careless conduct had meant she'd witnessed on too many occasions, his disregard of his wedding vows to his wife. Her Mom had failed to show faithful love in beating her mental anguish and overcoming urges to take her life and thus leaving Ella without her Mother at 21.

She took his hand softly in hers and they continued walking, in utter silence, all the way home.





The next day at work, during lunch, he walked to the jewelers and pulled out the pretty blue leather box with engagement ring in it, as he waited for the gentleman, he took it out and looked at it. He'd imagined over and over in his mind how exquisite it would look on her finger and he'd been so close on so many evenings over the last week to asking her. He also pulled out the receipt and the gentleman came his way.

"Hi, I bought this weeks ago but .....but I need to return it, it hasn't been worn." He said clearing his throat slightly.

"I see..." The man said softly, he took the receipt and the box from Patrick.

"I'm sorry..." He said compassionately as he handed Patrick back his credit card.

"Thanks." He said, Patrick knew his face was sad, he had no reason to be happy, bringing back the ring he was going to use Ella to ask to marry him with. But what a marriage without faith be?




January 3rd 2007

"Do you wanna come with me for this check up or do you have too much work to do?" She asked.

"No - I'm coming." He said flatly. She pulled on her jacket and he closed down his laptop. He drove her car to the hospital and it was like a dream to drive compared to his Chevy.

"I think I might sell the house..." Ella said as they made the journey, Patrick looked at her.

"Really?"

"Yeah..." She sighed.

"We could use the money to pay off the mortgage on the new house!" She smiled.

"Are you sure!?" he asked

"Of course I'm sure! It'll be a fresh beginning for us, it'll do me good to get rid of that house!" she said relieved.

"I think it will." He agreed and she rubbed his thigh affectionately.



The young woman that opened came towards them startled them as she thrust out her hand.

"Dr Bainschab, pleasure to meet you." She said, it was a firm hand shake and Ella smiled, distracted by the curls that appeared to have escaped her once neat hair bun?

"Come this way!" She said, Ella looked at Patrick and smirked, he nudged her and she followed the white coat clad woman into her room.

Sitting at her desk, she gestured to the seats before.

"I wanted to talk to you in person, I hope you didn't mind coming in." She said politely, although it sounded rude.

"No, not at all." Ella said edgily, perching on the very end of her chair.

"Your blood tests...." She started, Ella watched her carefully.

"We were testing for something called Hypertension, which is a high blood pressure." She explained.

"And?" Ella asked impatiently, Dr Bainschab appeared to smile at this and removed her glasses.

"You don't have hypertension." She said factually, although it sounded dubious, maybe it was her accent.

"But you are pwegnant." She said.

Patrick and Ella froze.

"Sorry what?" Ella said quickly.

"Pwegnant, you're pwegnant!" She said again,

"I'm pregnant." Ella said staring at the woman.

"Yes!" She said half excited, half, well not sure what the other emotion was.

Ella looked at Patrick quickly.

"I'm pregnant!" She said in disbelief. Patrick was dumbfounded, he looked at the woman behind the desk, his jaw ajar rudely.

"From the bloods we took, the hormone levels are consistent with levels at about 9 weeks." She said, looking at the forms.

Ella let out a rugged sigh and Patrick stood up suddenly. Ella stood too and touched her tummy. A shrill squeal tore through the room and she jumped on Patrick, pulling he legs up behind her. He squeezed her tight as they kissed hard.

"I'm pregnant!!!" She laughed. She turned to Dr Bainschab,

"I'm pregnant!!" She smiled

"Yes you are." She said, with a slight smile.

"We've been trying for months and months - this is just.....are you sure??" She asked, leaning on the desk and looking at the blood tests.

"Quite sure." the Dr said.


"Oh my God Trick, we're having a baby - it's finally happening!!" She cried, putting her hands to her mouth.

"Why don't you take a seat and we go through a couple of things...." She said, standing and gesturing again for them to take a seat.

"Where are you from?" Patrick blurted out. Ella snatched a look at him as she saw him frowning at the Dr slightly.

"Austria." She said firmly.

"Oh." He said, he noticed Ella's eyes on him and he looked at her.

"What the hell???" She mimed, he just shrugged.

They both looked back to Dr Bainschab and listened very carefully.