Father Figure

I waited in front of Mario's front door. It swung open a moment later, revealing the hockey god himself. I smiled up at him. "Good morning," he greeted. 

"Good morning to you, too," I greeted. 

"What's up?" he asked. 

I shifted my weight from foot to foot. "I was, um... I was just coming to tell you that I'll probably be moving out completely within the next few weeks," I told him. Telling Mario about the step Sid and I had agreed on made me nervous. It was like asking for permission from his second father. 

But Mario grinned down at me. "So I've heard. You excited to move over there?"

I felt my stomach relax a bit. "Yeah. It'll be nice having us all together, you know? And I think the boys will be happy about not having to go between houses," I answered. 

He smirked. "It's a big step for your relationship, too."

I nodded my head. "I think I'm ready for it, though."

"I think it'll be good for you two. Good luck with it. And if you need any help moving or anything else, just let me know. It was nice having you and the boys here," he told me. 

I gave him a smile. "Thank you for letting us stay here. It's been great."

I left shortly after that to go back to packing up the boys' things. I had most of it done already so I figured I could finish by the end of the day. My things were already at his house, taking up barely a quarter of the massive walk in closet. I didn't have much, but it was definitely enough for me. Sid had been more than happy to direct me around the house about where I could put what. It made me feel good he was excited about it, too.

With each day that passed that I moved in more, his house felt more like a home. When I'd put up some pictures the day before, I'd almost started crying. Because it was a home now. For our family. 

I'd told him about it over the phone that night. I wasn't sure, but I could've sworn he'd gotten choked up a bit. The boys had taken his phone before our conversation could go any further, but I could tell he was just as excited as I was. 

The date was creeping closer and closer to when they'd be home. I had a week left and my boys would all be here with me again. Moving things over here had given me something to keep my mind off of it, but that only lasted for so long. Their things made me miss them more and more until it was almost painful. I didn't like this being away from them for a month when they weren't even teenagers yet. It wasn't good for me at all. 

I paused in front of the floor length mirror hanging in my room. I need to get back to the gym. I could see a visible change in my body - and not in a good way. My stomach was showing the most. I groaned and ran a hand over my hips and thighs. I definitely needed to hit the gym again. 

"My lovely Nathalie, where are you?" Vero sang out in French as she entered my house. 

"In my room," I called back. 

Vero appeared shortly after, grinning widely. "What are doing?" she asked curiously. 

I glanced over at her. "Realizing I need to go to the gym more often. I'm gaining weight," I told her honestly. 

She shrugged her shoulders. "I am, too. Just embrace it!"

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "But you're pregnant. I'm not. It's okay for you to be gaining weight - in fact it's healthy," I told her. 

She laughed softly. "You could just say you're pregnant. You'd be about as far along as I am, or not quite. Depending on, you know. You're activities with your boyfriend," she hinted and wiggled her eyebrows. 

I rolled my eyes at her. "I am not pregnant, thank you very much," I stated firmly. 

She moved to lay back on my bed. "How do you know? When was your last period?" she teased. 

I started to laugh, but stopped short. When was my last period? 

Vero sat up straight when I didn't answer. "I'm going to guess from your silence and your deathly pale complexion that you don't even know..." she said slowly. 

I swallowed hard. "No, it was probably before the boys left. Maybe a bit before. It gets delayed sometimes if I'm really stressed out," I dismissed quickly. 

Vero stared at me expectantly. I huffed and turned to continue cleaning up my bathroom. "It happens, Vero. Stress and sickness delay it," I called into my bedroom. 

"Yeah, and so do babies!" she yelled back. 

I dropped my hair brush into the sink. I groaned and reached to pick it up. My hands were shaking, though. Fuck, what if... "God damnit..." I whispered to myself. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to recall my last period. It'd been awhile ago. A long while... And seeing as Sidney and I hadn't had sex since the night several months ago, I'd have to be...

"Fuck," I snapped. 

Vero appeared in the doorway. She looked both worried and sad. "Hey, it's fine. Don't get upset," she told me as she rested a hand on my arm. 

"But what if... God damnit, I'm an idiot! And I work in the medical field? Vero I was sick for two weeks, puking my guts out. I've gained weight. I can't remember my last period. And we... Fuck, I don't know if we even used protection," I cried out. 

She pulled me into a hug. "Calm down. It's okay. We'll schedule you a doctors appointment and find out if you are or not. Sid will be home soon, too. He'll be here to help you through it, just like I will be. Okay?"

I hugged her tightly, wanting any comfort I could find. "Vero, I can't have another kid. I've got three already. What about the boys? What if they didn't like their little sibling?" I started. 

Vero pulled back to look me directly in the eye. "Stop. Take a deep breath," she instructed. I did as told. "Now let it out slowly." Again, I did as she said to. "Now. We're going to go call your doctor. We'll get in as soon as possible. And if you are, we'll start planning on what to do. And then we'll get Blizzards from Dairy Queen and sit on my coach and watch stupid old horror films. If you aren't, then you don't have to worry about a thing. Got it?"

I nodded my head. "Thank you, Vero."

She gave me a smile. "I like being pregnant. It means I get to act like I'm in charge and have authority. It's great!" she told me. 

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Better go get my cellphone, then," I decided. She nodded in agreement, but pulled me in for one more hug. 

"It's all going to work out in the end. Just take it day by day."