Hurricane

I had knocked on the door a few minutes later, "Mikey? Can I use the bathroom?"

I heard a soft chuckle, and then I stood back; he opened the door, "I'm sorry, Rooney," he stepped out, "I'm stressed out, and with you talking to these people, I get worried."

I nodded, "I didn't mean to, Gretchen was sweet to me...and I do need the clothes."

Mikey smiled, cupping my jaw, "Give me the number, I'll call her for you."

"Are you serious?" I asked meekly.

He nodded, "Yeah, I am serious. What's the deal?" He smiled at me; that beautiful crooked grin.

I smiled back, "No deal, just wondering if you're serious."

"I am." 

I pecked his lips, "Thank you."

Mikey continued to grin, "Yeah, yeah."


Our second day in Wyoming, Pinedale to be exact, we drove to Gretchen's home. It was on a farm, very secluded, quiet, with a small lake in the back.

"I wouldn't mind living here." Mikey commented as we pulled up.

"Me either," I felt a warm fuzzy feeling as you began to kick, "look at the tire swing."

"We should find a place like this, Roo, until the baby is old enough to go to school." Mikey parked and looked over at me.

I bit at my lip, for a moment everything about our ruined past had disappeared, "You want to? I think that it'd be a lot better for us."

He nodded, "Yeah."

That's when you decided to kick me like crazy. I winced slightly, and Mikey had given me a worried look. I had taken his hand put it right on your favorite spot; he flinched, but left his palm there. His eyes gaze down at my belly, and I think I saw real love. No matter what, your daddy fell in love with you right when you kicked his palm.

No matter what he says, he loves you, Izzy. 

"Why is it kicking so hard?" He whispered.

"My heart is beating fast." I told him.

He licked his lips, "That's so weird."

"I know, but it's exciting."

Mikey had sighed and taken his hand from my belly, "Let's meet this Gretchen woman...I wanna see what she's got for you."

I think that Mikey is afraid of his emotions. The only real emotion he ever expressed was lust; for all the girls he slept with, and the way that woman had touched him. I don't think he ever really expressed love, fully, until he fell in love with me. He rarely ever showed himself being uncomfortable, but I could see love made him uncomfortable.

You and I made him uncomfortable.


Gretchen's home was big, open and smelled like fresh wild flowers. Her husband worked in the barn, fixing and making things. It was like a typical dream for retired couples. 

Gretchen told us stories about why she moved to Wyoming from California, and about her two daughters and three sons. She made us cookies, and gave me a bunch of clothes. Mikey was kind, and she could read him so well, he actually liked her.

"We were kind of looking for a place like this," He told her, "we want to settle down with our baby."

Gretchen smiled, across the table at him, "You two are really young! Why in the country?"

"Uh...well, we like the quiet. The city isn't for us." 

Gretchen smiled, "We have a small home a few miles down that we're thinking of renting out. If you two want it, you can have it."

I gave her a wide eyed glance, "Really?"

She nodded, "Yeah, we have a lot of our things stored there. It's just gather dust; there's three bedrooms and the backyard is fenced off some. I think it'd be nice for you two."

Mikey squeezed my hand, "When can we move in?"


The home was wonderful, and it was all one story, with a big basement; Mikey loved that. Gretchen, and her husband, Rich, helped us paint and fix it up. Gretchen checked in on me, from time to time, because we were far from the hospitals and clinics. She thought it was important that I see a doctor, but understood that I was "afraid" of going. The last time I had gone to the clinic, for a check up, I had learned you were a girl.

Mikey wasn't as elated as I was. In fact, he wasn't happy about a lot.

His drug habit was getting worse, and by the time I was 7 months along with you, he would be out at all times, selling and doing God knows what with Bob. I worried about him, I worried about his health, and my own, and yours. He didn't look like himself; the new Mikey...Jake, whatever. 

"Mikey, please, stay." I had begged.

He had darken circles around his eyes, his skin was sickly pale and he was skinnier than I had ever seen him. He gave me a look of annoyance, "Why?"

"I want you to hear the name I picked for the baby." I smiled at him, trying to entice him, "I'll give you a massage, too."

"Nah, I gotta go." He rubbed his neck.

I frowned, "Please, Mikey, for once, stay with me." I pleaded once more, and he gave in with a groan.

He knelt on the bed and then laid beside me, placing his hands on his stomach, and facing me. I ran my hand over his forehead, and through his hair; "Your hair is getting long." I murmured.

He smirked at me, "Your roots are showing."

"I know; I read that it's bad to dye your hair while you're pregnant."

He rolled his eyes, "I think you read too much, Roo."

"Maybe you don't read enough."

He smiled at me, "Maybe you're right." He propped up on his elbows, "So, you got names? What're we naming our dependent?"

I scoffed, "Well, geez."

"What? I asked what you're going to name It."

"Could you please stop calling our daughter, It? She isn't an It, she's a baby. Our baby."

He sighed, "Fine. What're you naming our baby?"

"Isabel. Do you like it?"

He shrugged, "Isabel Way...is it with a S or a Z?"

"I-S-A-B-E-L." 

"It seems too short, don't you think?"

"I think it's perfect, it's only 6 letters."

Mikey shook his head, chuckling, "Whatever you say, Rooney."

"So, do you like the name?"

He nodded, "I think it's perfect. Besides, you're doing all the work, you can call our baby whatever you want."

I smiled happily at him; it was the first time, in the longest time, that I felt truly happy with Mikey. I felt true love.