Chapter 32

            Why did I agree to go to this thing?  I look like a cow, my back has been hurting all day, and I don’t even know half the people at this stupid party.  I’ll just stay home and baby-sit my niece and nephew and make Laney go as Nick’s date instead!  Caryss huffed as she slid her swollen feet into the most comfortable pair of dressy sandals she could find and picked up her clutch that matched her dress off the table in the foyer. 

            “Oh, Car, you look beautiful,” squealed Laney as she walked into the foyer after he sister.  She saw the flustered look on her sister’s face and smiled.  “Enjoy this night because once that baby comes, it’ll be a long time before you get another night out.”

            “Three more weeks,” said Caryss softly as she rubbed her enormous belly.  “And mommy and daddy don’t even have a house yet!”  They had continued to stay at AJ’s house for several reasons, but the biggest being that Caryss’s blood pressure didn’t need to wrestle with the stress of house hunting and moving while she was still pregnant.  AJ told them they could stay with him as long as they needed and they were very thankful for that. 

            “Aunt Caryss, you look like a princess,” exclaimed Abby, who had just turned three a few months ago, as she walked into the foyer to find her mom. 

            “Thank you sweetie,” responded Caryss.  I don’t feel like a princess, more like the dragon that’s keeping the princess prisoner!  Caryss looked down at her watch and huffed again.  “Where is Nick?  He’s the one that wanted to go to this thing in the first place and now we are going to be late!”

            Laney snickered at her sisters exasperated comments.   “You aren’t even married to him yet but you already sound like you have been for decades!”  Caryss gave her sister a sideways glance, signifying that she wasn’t amused, but then looked away quickly as she heard footsteps approaching the foyer. 

            “Finally,” murmured Caryss as Nick walked through the doorway.  He cocked his head to the side, trying to figure out what she meant, but his mind turned to other things as he gazed at his girlfriend. 

            “You look breathtaking,” he said as he walked towards her.  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him until her stomach was pressed against his and he couldn’t get any closer to her.  He chuckled a little as he looked down her pregnant belly, and before she could ask what he was laughing at he pressed his lips to hers and kissed her passionately.  

            They pulled away from each other a few minutes later, breathless and wrinkled and they smiled deviously at one another.

            I love that he still finds me so irresistible when I’m about to pop thought Caryss as she smoothed her dress. 

            She is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and being pregnant with our child makes it even better, he reflected as he held open the door for her. 

            The drive to the house where the party was taking place lasted about thirty minutes due to heavy traffic, and they pulled into the driveway a little after eight o’clock.  Even though it was November, the air was still muggy and warm, and clouds had blown in and blanketed the night sky. 

            “Looks like it might storm,” they heard a man saying as they walked up the path to the front entrance of the house.  Once inside, Nick led Caryss around, introducing her to record company execs, old friends of the group, and anyone else that they bumped into while meandering and mingling. 

            An hour after arriving at the party, Caryss’s back began aching more than it had earlier in the day and felt slightly queasy.  She placed her hand on the back of a chair to steady herself as she walked around it and sat down slowly.  She felt her abdomen tighten as she sat down and cramp-like sensations radiated across it. 

            “Hey guys, you both look great,” said Howie as he walked up to Caryss and Nick.  “You remember Suzzie don’t you?” he asked, motioning towards the same brunette on his arm that was with him at Mood. 

            “Of course, nice to see you again Suzzie,” said Caryss softly as another wave of pain spread across her stomach.  She grimaced a little and Suzzie stepped towards her. 

            “Are you okay?” she whispered as she bent down next to Caryss’s chair. 

            “Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” responded Caryss nonchalantly as she waved her hand towards Suzzie in disregard.  “It’s just Braxton-Hicks contractions, I get them every once in a while.  No big deal.”  She smiled at the sweet brunette and glanced at her watch as she felt another contraction coming on. 

            Braxton-Hicks usually aren’t so regular and close together though, she thought to herself.  “I’m going to step outside and get some air, would you excuse me?” she announced as she struggled to get up from the chair. 

            “Do you want me to come with you?” asked Nick as he pulled Caryss to her feet. 

            “No, that’s okay.  I’ll be right back; it’s just a little stuffy in here.  Enjoy your party sweetheart.”  She smiled at Nick and lifted her body onto her tip-toes and placed a gentle peck on lips. 

            “I love you,” he said as she turned to walk outside. 

            “I love you more,” she called out before walking as quickly as she could outside before another contraction hit.  She made it to the railing on the back porch just in time and she clenched it to steady herself as yet another contraction rippled through her torso.  She looked at her watch again, four minutes apart, I think I’m in labor.  She began to panic on the back porch, all the thoughts of labor, giving birth, and raising a possibly un-normal child rushing over her as ferociously as her contractions. 

            “I can’t do this!  What am I doing?  I’m not ready to be a mom!  I’m not ready to have kids!  Make it stop!  Make it stop!”  She walked down the steps off the porch and onto the sandy beach that made up the backyard of the truly extravagant house the party was at. 

            “God please, give me a sign!  I am so scared and I don’t think I can do this!”  She heard a crack of thunder rip through the sky above her and in an instant, heavy rain was falling from the clouds and drenching her quickly.  “Oh God,” she cringed as a stronger contraction hit her and this time she found nothing to grab onto.  She started to sink down onto the sand as the pain became too strong for her to hold herself up.

            “I got you,” she heard from behind her as a pair of strong arms grabbed her under her armpits and supported her weight until the contraction had passed.  She turned around when it was over and came face to face with the man she loved more than anything, and at that moment, she knew that God had sent her a sign; she knew she could do this, and she wouldn’t be doing it by herself.  He would be there to do it with her for the rest of her life and as he helped her walk back towards the house, she silently thanked God for that.