Sequel: Standing Tall
Status: To make a sequel or not...that is the question...

Getting Back Up

Unfolding

Over the next week, Rebecca and Scott continually met with his lawyer to complete the paperwork to submit to the court for the annulment. As an added measure, they decided to request a restraining order to keep Brad away from Tyler mostly. The lawyer said that he hopes he can have the whole thing resolved within a few months. In the meantime, they should just go about their normal lives.

Rebecca had scheduled a doctor's appointment with her OB/GYN for the following week and although she told Scott he didn't have to go, she wanted someone to be there. With only a days notice Lindsey cleared her schedule to be there for her best friend.

Lindsey sat in the waiting room while Rebecca was in the exam room and flipped through a Parenting magazine, though not really reading the articles. She kept glancing at the clock on her phone and then the door that Rebecca had walked through an hour before. Finally after another twenty minutes, Rebecca walked into the waiting room.

"Well??!" Lindsey asked as she stood up.

Rebecca chuckled at how Lindsey and Scott both couldn't wait for the news. "I'm having a baby!" she responded. Lindsey squealed and hugged Rebecca.

"I cannot believe this is happening!" Lindsey exclaimed.

"Me either," Rebecca smiled. "Now I just have to tell Tyler."

"He'll be fine. He loves you...and he adores Scott. I bet he'll be ecstatic," Lindsey assured her.

********************************************************

Lindsey was right. That night after dinner, Scott and Rebecca told Tyler the news. "Are you serious?!" Tyler exclaimed.

"Yes sweetie," Rebecca smiled at her son and then at Scott.

"This is freaking awesome!" Tyler shouted. He got up from the table and hugged his mother, then shook Scott's hand. "So when's the wedding?" he joked.

Rebecca and Scott looked at each other before she said, "Someday. But not right now."

"Oh...kay...," Tyler said as he glanced at Rebecca and Scott.

"There's stuff going on that we need to clear up before that can happen....nothing you need to worry about though," Scott said.

"If you say so," Tyler smirked. "So when will baby Caruso-Hartnell be joining us?"

"Sometime in July," Rebecca smiled.

"Which is perfect. We don't have to worry about me not being here," Scott said.

"Thank goodness for that," Rebecca winked at Scott.

*****************************************************

Five months later, Rebecca sat at a table across from Brad listening to a judge read through the documents regarding their annulment. Scott sat in the viewing area, with his eyes glaring at Brad the entire time. Brad had called Rebecca after receiving his copy of the petition and the restraining order, and after twenty minutes of him yelling at her, Scott took the phone, used a few choice words, and then hung up.

This was the first time since the last hospital visit that the three of them have been in the same room. God willing, it would be the last. As the judge finished reading through the briefs, he asked Rebecca a few questions about the events that led them to this hearing. Rebecca told the story about their past...the short version. The whole time Rebecca was speaking, the judge would glance at Brad for a reaction to hearing her describe him as a manipulative monster, but Brad stayed stoic...his eyes stared ahead at nothing in particular, his hands folded on the table.

When Rebecca was finished, the judge then turned to Brad. Brad only gave short non-descriptive answers. His lawyer had advised him that resistance was futile. He needed to let her go, no judge would ever deny her petition, not under these circumstances. Finally, the judge was satisfied with the information they had supplied and rendered his verdict. Their marriage, if you could call it that, was over.

Brad immediately stormed out of the courtroom without so much as a sideways glance at Rebecca. Scott stood up from the pew and walked to the aisle to meet Rebecca and their lawyer. Scott thanked him for helping them and shook his hand. He then wrapped his arm around Rebecca's waist and kissed her cheek.

****************************************************

Rebecca and Scott had met by chance when neither of them were looking to start a relationship, but it only took one date for them to know that there was something special between them. Now, seven months after that date, they were preparing for a baby. It was a sunny spring day in May, and although the Flyers had been eliminated from the playoffs earlier in the week, Scott was excited to visit the Timonens for a barbecue.

Rebecca suspected that the barbecue may be a cover for a baby shower, but she let Scott continue to think she had no idea. When they arrived at the house, Scott got out of his SUV and walked around to the passenger side to help Rebecca out of the vehicle. Climbing into and out of the large truck wasn't as easy as it used to be now that she was almost seven months pregnant.

They walked around to the side of the house to enter the backyard through a gate in the fence. Rebecca could see pink and blue balloons blowing in the gentle breeze as they turned the corner at the end of the house. A loud "Surprise!" was shouted by Lindsey, Erica, Tiffany, and the entire Flyers roster and their wives and significant others.

Rebecca faked being surprised, but her joy was real when she saw her mother and Tyler standing behind Lindsey and the girls. She made her way over to them and gave them the tighest hug she could muster. She then found Kimmo and his wife, Johanna, to thank them for hosting the shower.

Unlike any normal baby shower, theirs sported typical outdoor summer barbecue activities. Horseshoes and badminton, and even the swimming pool was available for whoever was willing. The women were content just chatting and opening gifts when the time came. The older Flyers sat poolside with their beers while the younger ones played beer pong and flip cup.

As the sun began to set on their day, Scott gathered everyone near the house so that they could thank them all for coming. He stood next to Rebecca, holding her hand while he spoke. "Everyone here I consider family and I am thankful every day that I can say that. Seven months ago this beautiful woman walked into my life at a time that I had given up on falling in love again. I thank God that G and the Schenns convinced me to go out that night, because if I hadn't, I wouldn't be standing here with the love of my life, waiting for the second love of my life to arrive," he said as he placed a hand on Rebecca's stomach.

Scott subtly removed his hand from her stomach, reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He turned to face her, looked into her eyes and said, "Rebecca, I've loved you since our first date. You didn't want to have anything to do with me...but I wanted you. The beginning of our relationship wasn't easy. But we got through...due in large part to this little one," he said as he rubbed her stomach, "I cannot express how much you mean to me, but I hope I can spend the rest of my life showing you."

He knelt down on one knee as the onlookers gasped at the realization of what was about to happen. He looked up at her and smiled, holding her left hand as she covered her mouth with her right, staring down at him in amazement. He held out the ring box to display a three carat, round-cut stone surrounded by bead-set diamonds that shimmered with the fading rays of sun.

"Rebecca Caruso...will you marry me?"
♠ ♠ ♠
That's it folks. Not sure if I want to write a sequel to follow them through the wedding and the birth. What do you guys think?

Hope you enjoyed the story...I know I did. Thanks again for all the comments and for subscribing. I appreciate it.