In the End

Lazily brushing his thumb over Ariella’s stomach, Gerard quirked a soft smile to himself, unable to stop himself picturing the bump which would soon swell it, providing a home for their baby. It hadn’t been long, after Ariella had shared the news that she was expecting their baby with him, she had quickly become tired and had headed up to bed, and whilst Gerard had been quick to follow after her, he hadn’t been able to get more than a couple of hours of sleep, his mind still buzzing with the idea that they were only a few short months away from welcoming their first child.

It had knocked him for six, as soon as he had figured out what it was that Ariella had written onto his plate, his mind had gone numb for a few minutes, but the more he thought about it, the more it made him smile, something he hoped Ariella shared in. It was soon, for a relationship that had had the problems that theirs had had previously, it was likely that Ariella was worried that it was too soon for them, but he hoped that she would see that it was good news, even if it had come along quicker than either of them had been expecting. He hoped that his reaction to it had been enough to convince her that it was something they could handle.

Tracing circles into her bare skin with the pad of his thumb, he carefully leant forwards and pressed a kiss against her stomach, the grin on his face still not moving.

“Aren’t you supposed to be resting before the match tonight?”

Gerard, who’d been watching his thumb brush against her stomach, looked up at the sound of Ariella’s voice before he nodded, breathing out a soft laugh. “Probably” he quipped “But I’ve found sleep a little hard to come by. You see, my wonderful girlfriend told me that we’re having a baby last night and I can’t get it out of my head” he added.

Ariella, who was still curled up against her pillow, smiled sleepily. “Wonderful girlfriend, huh?” she teased.

“Wonderful pregnant girlfriend” Gerard corrected with a boyish smile.

Ariella rolled her eyes, but couldn’t keep the blush off of her cheeks, something which made Gerard’s smile widen before he shuffled up the bed, settling his head on the pillow next to hers. “How are you doing?” he asked, disturbing the momentary quiet which had settled over the two of them.

Ariella, who’d moved to try and straighten out her knotted hair slightly, shrugged. “I don’t want to vomit right now” she replied.

“I’m glad” Gerard noted “But that’s not exactly what I meant. Last night, we both got pretty swept away in the moment, and I was more asking about how you feel about this...this whole thing” he explained cautiously.

Ariella tilted her head, something which caused Gerard to reach his hand out, tenderly tucking her hair off of her face. “You’re a worrier, Ella” he mused “You’re a planner, and this...” he trailed off, his thumb passing over her stomach once more “This wasn’t exactly part of the plan, at least not after six months” he added as he lifted his eyes, mirroring her stare. He knew that they had to talk, even despite his excitement about the idea of them welcoming a baby together, he knew that they needed to have a conversation about it, and he wanted to get it over with, wanting to leave Ariella in no doubt about where he stood.

Ariella held his stare for a moment, quietly thinking over his words, before she lowered her stare, settling it on the hand of his which seemed glued to her stomach. “I am scared” she admitted softly “You said it yourself, I am a planner and this...this is a pretty big detour from the plan I had in my head for us, but it doesn’t change the fact that...that I am excited too, Geri” she breathed out.

“You are?” Gerard asked, trying, and failing, to keep the tone of surprise out of his voice.

Ariella quirked an eyebrow. “That surprises you?” she posed.

“A little” Gerard admitted “I mean, you do have form for freaking out on me, and this...this would be a pretty good reason for you to freak out” he added, brushing her stomach again.

Ariella watched his thumb for a second before she leant up, pressing a soft kiss against his chin. “I know it would be” she breathed “But, honestly? I feel pretty good about this. I know it’s not something we’ve talked about, I mean, until you grinned up at me last night, I didn’t even know if having a baby with me was something you wanted, but I have a good feeling about this. It is sudden, and it is fast, and it is pretty terrifying, but it’s also new and exciting, and whenever I think about it, I kind of want to smile, which is going to sound really dorky but, right now, I don’t care. I’m thrilled, Geri, really” she rambled, her voice warm and excited.

She didn’t blame him for asking, with her track record for worrying about the little things, the chances were that she was likely to freak out over something as huge as the prospect of them having a baby, but she wanted to reassure him that she was excited, even if there were a few inevitable nerves. The overwhelming emotion she felt was one of happiness and excitement at the thought of them starting a family.

Gerard stared down at her as she spoke, not missing the warmth in her blue eyes, before he carefully leant across, pressing their lips together briefly before he pulled back, a wide grin stretched across his face. “I love it when you get dorky and start babbling” he teased.

Ariella rolled her eyes, something which made him chuckle before he leant in again, kissing her softly once more. “Seriously” he mumbled between kisses “I am so happy to hear you say that because...because I love that you’re pregnant” he added, pressing his forehead against hers.

Ariella closed her eyes, relaxing into their embrace. “I don’t know how long you’re going to feel that way” she murmured, gently brushing their noses together “I mean, there’s going to be a lot of throwing up, a lot of crying for no reason, and I will almost certainly curse your name when I am pushing him or her into the world. I don’t know how much you’re going to enjoy this pregnancy” she teased softly.

Gerard scoffed quietly, dipping in towards her for a brief kiss. “I wouldn’t miss it” he mused “Besides, we both know I am going to be a fussing protective pain in your backside for the next few months. You’re going to have to find a way to put up with that” he added.

Ariella giggled quietly before she nodded, pecking his lips once more. “I wouldn’t have it any other way” she murmured.

“Good” Gerard retorted “Because you’re not getting rid of me for anything. I’m here, Ella, and I am going nowhere” he added, his voice warm and reassuring.

Ariella merely smiled up at him, something which caused Gerard to kiss her lips once more before he shuffled down the bed, pressing a brisk kiss against her stomach before he stood up, mumbling something about fixing them some breakfast. Flashing her a grin, he leant over and kissed her stomach lightly once more before he stepped out of the room, leaving Ariella staring after him, a wide grin perched on her lips. It had come as a surprise, until her doctor had suggested it, the notion of her being pregnant hadn’t even entered her mind, but she couldn’t deny that she was excited by it, even if there were a few inevitable nerves in her stomach. The thought of her and Gerard having a baby was one which made her happy.