Chapter 93 Blessed Indeed!
The next few weeks sailed by amidst fun, work, and lots of special heated moments between them. Christian planned a date every weekend and each of them was unique in their own way. Skylar was now quite comfortable around his group of reckless friends who frequented their home. Skylar didn’t mind, since her friends were the same.
Christian’s therapy was going well. He had improved a lot in the past few weeks. The limp was almost gone and he could run unlike earlier. With the strength back in his legs, Christian was unstoppable. He trained with renewed energy now.
At work, Skylar made excellent progress, making her mentor Mr. Fairbanks proud of her achievements. He was confident she could take over from him completely in three months.
They kept in touch with their family back in Cleveland and New York. Erica was doing fine and had joined work. Expecting twin boys, they were excitedly on the lookout for names. Skylar’s grandparents were still staying with them in New York. Caleb and Lillian were planning to visit them to plan Erica’s baby shower.
Skylar connected with her gang frequently, too. Alexander was undergoing a court case, but with Eva’s help, things settled down. Alexander’s parents accepted Eva into the family. Alyssa announced her pregnancy too after a few days. It made Skylar a little upset since she was the only one who wasn’t pregnant. They kept asking about her and she kept postponing the talk.
“How long will you hide the truth from them?” asked Christian, seeing her hesitate to tell them.
“I’ll tell them when we plan a party to treat them.”
“Fine. Next time we visit New York, I’ll plan something. Happy? By the way, this weekend, Eros is planning a party at his house before he leaves for Athens.”
“Oh, is Andrea going?” Skylar had bonded well with Andrea and Maddox’s cousin, Camelia in the last few weeks. They were her only friends in LA now.
“Yes, both Andrea and Camelia will be there.”
She looked forward to the party, but by Friday, all her enthusiasm was dashed. She was so exhausted that she returned from the office early. When Christian returned home, she was fast asleep which was rare indeed.
“She hasn’t eaten a thing since she returned home. She just freshened up and fell asleep,” said Joanna worriedly.
“Oh, what’s wrong with her? Is she sick or something?” he asked, striding towards his bedroom to check.
“She doesn’t have a fever. Maybe she’s exhausted. Let her sleep it off.”
Even after an hour when Skylar didn’t wake up, Christian was worried. Joanna summoned a doctor to check up on her. Christian paced the floor outside while the doctor revived Skylar and checked up on her. Later she summoned him and he dashed inside. He found Skylar sitting on the bed, looking a little better than before. She smiled at him weakly and he smiled back with relief.
“What’s wrong with my wife, doctor?” he asked anxiously.
“Nothing to worry, Mr. St. James. Your wife is four weeks pregnant!”
“Oh! Is she critical?” he gasped, his eyes widening with concern.
“It is quite normal to feel extreme fatigue during the first trimester. As the pregnancy progresses, it will reduce.” Christian didn’t know whether to rejoice at the news. Although he was happy, one look at Skylar’s pale face made him feel guilty. He should have used protection. It wasn’t fair to burden her with a pregnancy when she was just out of college. She hadn’t even enjoyed herself to the fullest.
“Will I be bedridden throughout my pregnancy?” she asked, hesitating a little.
“Not at all. You look quite healthy. Just follow the diet chart and the medicines I have prescribed. You’re lucky not to experience nausea yet. Even if you do, eat small, healthy, home-cooked meals. Don’t stay on an empty stomach.”
They thanked the doctor, and she left. Christian turned to Skylar with a guilty look on his face.
“Are you sure you can handle this pregnancy? I don’t want to burden you with it.” He leaned forward and pulled her into his arms.
“I want to go ahead with this pregnancy, Christian. I want to give birth to our baby. All my friends are expecting! I was so heartbroken that I wasn’t as blessed as they were. Now God had granted us our wish. Remember, you had asked the Almighty for twins? Well, at least He has granted us something if not twins.” Christian was too overwhelmed to reply. He held her close to his heart, letting the feeling seep into his soul. He would soon be a father!
“It’s unbelievable! Don’t you think? I never imagined I would see this day in my life! You’ve given me the greatest gift possible. The gift of life!” Skylar wrapped her arms around his torso, inhaling his warm, tingling masculine scent.
“So have you, Christian. I couldn’t have done it without your little swimmers. They had done their job well.” He chuckled, totally remembering his dialog the other day.
As they rejoiced in their newfound happiness, they forgot to attend Eros’ party. As a result, the entire gang arrived at their house with the food and drinks!
“There’s no celebration without Chris and Skye!” said Knox, while the others agreed.
“What were you two up to? How could you miss the party?” asked Killian, with a sly glint in his eyes.
“Skylar hasn’t been keeping well lately. So it completely escaped my mind. Sorry guys!” said Christian.
“Why? What happened to her? Is she pregnant already?” asked Camelia, making Skylar blush with embarrassment.
“Really? She is?” asked Andrea excitedly. Skylar nodded, and they all started cheering and congratulating them.
“I will be the Godmother! Don’t even think of anyone else. I’ll take care of you and the baby, Skye. Don’t worry at all!” said Andrea, giving her a hug.
“Do you even know anything about pregnancies and babies?” asked Knox with an eye roll.
“I can teach her everything!” said Maddox eagerly while everyone else groaned.
“And from where will you learn?” asked Camelia with a bigger groan.
“From mom. Why don’t you come over to my house to consult Mom, Andrea?” asked Maddox, his eyes shining with enthusiasm.
“Why would she? She isn’t pregnant! Skye should be the one to consult your mom,” barked out an annoyed Zion, walking out with a bottle of beer.
“Who stepped on his tail now? Why is he always so pissed off with me?” grumbled Maddox, while the others chuckled.
It was another crazy evening, and Skylar fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion when they left. However, the next day, Skylar received the news she had been expecting for a long time. Hayley invited her and Christian to her wedding, coming up in five days.
“Why do you need to marry at such short notice?” she grumbled as she lazed on her bed. The exhaustion was taking a toll on her health and all she did was sleep the entire day.
“Are you sick or something, Skye?” asked Hayley.
“Yes, a little, but I’ll be there.”
They chatted for a few minutes before Hayley disconnected the call. In the evening, Skylar informed Christian, and they planned their trip to New York.
“Will we treat them this time?” she asked hopefully. She knew this time they would surely grab her for an update.
“We can host a party here at home or at Escapades after we return. The guests can stay over here at our home for a few days. It’ll be like a mini vacation for them.” Skylar loved the idea immensely. This time, she would plan this out just the way she wanted.
“That’s a great idea. I love it.”
“We can plan it for next month. So that will give all of us ample time to plan this out.”
While Christian wrapped up his work, Joanna helped Skylar pack for their upcoming trip. Apart from fatigue, Skylar had no complications, thankfully, not even nausea. Christian ensured she took her supplements on time. He always called Joanna to check out if she was eating as prescribed. Ever since he came to know of her pregnancy, Christian reduced her office hours. She returned early to take a rest.
She still hadn’t found the time to inform her friends. Andrea was the only person who knew everything since she dropped by every day to check up on her. In fact, Andrea became more of Skylar’s best friend than Christian’s. Even Camelia came over often and brought lots of homemade treats for her to munch on.
The result was obvious! With so many people taking care of her, by the day of their departure, her health improved considerably.
“Do you want to rest?” asked Christian after taking off.
“No, I’m fine. Lillian called me yesterday to ask about your health. I announced my pregnancy to her.”
Christian groaned with agony, knowing the outcome. Lillian would surely land up in New York to meet them and lecture them.
“Great! We’ll meet her soon.”
Just as he had expected, the moment they entered the St. James mansion, Lillian came forward to give them a bear hug.
“Congratulations, both of you!” she yelled and everyone came forward to congratulate them as well.
“Where’s our treat?” they demanded.