In the End

Slipping back beneath the duvet, Ariella let out a soft yawn, her head falling heavily against her pillow as she shuffled a little closer to Gerard’s sleeping body. It had been a couple of days, after the wedding, they’d been afforded a couple of quieter days before Gerard had had to return to training, and whilst it hadn’t been a honeymoon for the two of them, Ariella had to admit that it had been nice. They’d been left alone, with the wedding over and done with, their friends and family had given them some space, and whilst Ariella had ben grateful for their help in the build up to the wedding, she had been excited to have a couple of days alone with Gerard and Toby, still trying to wrap her head around the idea that they were only a matter of months away from welcoming another addition to their little family.

Squeezing her eyes closed, she tried to swallow the sensation of nausea which had washed over her before she felt a hand settle on her back, gently tracing soothing circles against the material of her pajama shirt. Smiling a little, she relished the soft touch for a few seconds before she carefully tilted her head back, her blue eyes looking up towards Gerard who was still rested against his pillow, a sleepy look on his face. “You should get back to sleep” she mumbled “It’s still really early and I don’t think your coach is going to appreciate you showing up exhausted on your first day of training. Maybe you should save that for the second or third” she teased with a goofy smile.

Gerard, who’d been trying to stifle a yawn into his hand, smiled as he moved his hand away before he shook his head, moving to tuck a few loose dark hairs behind her ear. “You OK?” he asked “I mean, I’ve only been awake for a couple of minutes, but caught the end of it. Do you need anything? I could get up and grab you some water or anything else you want...” he trailed off as Ariella let out a soft laugh, something which caused him to lift an eyebrow.

“What?” he asked.

“I forgot how much of a fusser you were” Ariella replied “I mean, Toby’s over a year old now, and I guess in that time I forgot how much of a fuss you made of me when I was pregnant. The last couple of days have been a reminder of just how cute you can be” she added.

Gerard scoffed playfully. “I’m always cute” he retorted.

Ariella grinned up at him. “You keep telling yourself that” she teased.

Gerard rolled his eyes, something which made Ariella laugh before she leant forwards, pressing a soft kiss against his chin. “Seriously” she mumbled “As cute as your fussing is, you really do need to get some sleep. You’re going into the tougher half of the season now and you’re not as young as you used to be. You could use all the rest you can get” she added, the teasing smirk practically audible in her voice.

Gerard let out another playful scoff before he wrapped his arms around her, mumbling a quip about her being lucky that she was cute, something which caused Ariella to giggle softly before she cuddled into him, quietly falling back to sleep.

~#~
Bouncing his leg anxiously, Gerard spared a glance down towards his phone, checking it for any sign of a message from Ariella. It wasn’t like her, with an appointment made with a midwife for that afternoon, he was sure that she would have been early rather than late, and the idea that she was running a little behind had caught him a little off guard, even if he had arrived a little earlier than he’d been expecting. He was half surprised to not find her sitting in the waiting area anticipating his arrival.

Messing with his phone, he pressed the home button to illuminate the screen before the sound of the word ‘papa’ reached his ears, causing him to whip his head up, his eyes quickly spotting Toby who was toddling towards him. Grinning, he proudly watched the little boy take a few shaky steps before he stood up, quickly gathering him in his arms. “What are you doing here, eh?” he quipped, greeting the little boy with a kiss on the cheek.

“His abuela had plans” Ariella, who’d followed Toby into the waiting room, explained “And she wasn’t available to babysit at the last minute, so I bought him with me” she added.

Gerard, who’d been happily babbling to Toby, smirked. “You’re late” he quipped impishly.

Ariella rolled her eyes lightheartedly. “You’ve been waiting to say that for years, haven’t you?” she asked.

Gerard merely offered her a teasing shrug, something which made Ariella roll her eyes once more before the sound of someone clearing their throat behind her caught her ears, causing her to turn around to face the woman who stood behind her, a pleasant smile on her lips. “Miss Montoya?” she asked.

“Mrs Piqué” Gerard corrected quickly, sparing Ariella a grin which made her cheeks flush pink.

The other woman laughed gently. “Newlyweds?” she guessed.

Ariella nodded. “We’ve been married for a whole four days” she confirmed “And you can just call me Ariella” she added.

The other woman nodded. “I’m Carmella” she mused “And I am going to be performing your ultrasound today, so why don’t you follow after me and we can get started?” she added, gesturing down the corridor.

Ariella hesitated for a split second before she felt Gerard’s hand slip into her own, something which caused her to smile up at him briefly before he tugged on her hand slightly, leading her down the corridor and into the small examination room. Offering her smaller hand another squeeze, he flashed her a brief encouraging smile before he dropped his hold on her, allowing her to settle down on the bed as he padded towards a nearby chair, settling Toby down in his lap.

“He’s a cutie” Carmella commented with a gesture towards Toby, disturbing the brief silence which had settled over the room “How old is he?” she added.

Ariella, who’d moved to roll her shirt up slightly, followed her gesture, her expression lighting up as she settled her stare on Toby and Gerard. “He turned one a couple of weeks ago” she mused.

Carmella nodded before she stepped across the room, lightly smoothing some gel over Ariella’s exposed stomach. “He’s adorable” she mused “You guys must be so excited about giving him a little brother or sister” she added.

“I think we are” Gerard mused “I mean, we’re surprised, but it’s probably one of the best surprises I’ve ever gotten” he added, flashing a wink at Ariella who rolled her eyes, trying, and failing, to stifle the soft smile which was quick to spread across her lips.

Carmella looked between the two of them and smiled. “You two are good together” she complimented warmly.

“Gracias” Ariella mused.

Carmella offered her another pleasant smile before she gently guided the scanner over her stomach, allowing a silence to settle over the room for a few long seconds before it was replaced with distinct thumping, something which made both Ariella and Gerard let out sighs of relief. “We’ve got a heartbeat” Carmella enthused “That means you’re probably a little further along than we thought, which isn’t too dissimilar to how things were during your first pregnancy. Your symptoms arrived relatively late, right?” she asked, scanning over the notes in Ariella’s file.

Ariella, whose eyes were locked on the scan, nodded, not wanting to move her eyes away from the screen. “I was three months in when I started to feel the symptoms” she mused.

“I’d say you’re about the same now” Carmella mused “But that’s nothing to be worried about. Baby’s got a good heartbeat, and that’s a good thing” she enthused soothingly before she stood up, excusing herself to make the brunette another appointment for a couple of weeks’ time.

Gerard watched the midwife out of the room before he stepped towards the bed, gently settling Toby down on the edge of it next to his mother. Quirking a small smile, he noticed that she hadn’t looked away from the screen, before he dipped down, kissing the top of her head softly. Ariella startled, surprised by the kiss, before she looked up at him, not even trying to hide the wide smile which lit up her face. “We’re really having another baby” she gushed “I mean, I knew that we were, the tests were pretty conclusive and my doctor confirmed it a couple of days ago, but...we’re really having another baby, Geri” she babbled.

Gerard smiled down at her softly before he leant in, pecking her lips a couple of times before Toby reached his hand up, tugging on his sleeve. “Papa” he squeaked.

Gerard pulled away from Ariella slightly before he lifted the toddler up, settling him on his hip. “Can you say baba?” he asked the toddler.

Toby stared up at him for a few seconds, something which caused Gerard to repeat the word a couple more times before Toby quirked a grin, enthusiastically announcing the word ‘baba’ to the soft laughs of his mother and father.