Chapter 4
"Brian! Nick's gonna be here soon!" Heather called.
"Why?" Brian asked.
"Because Monica needed a ride over here and Nick said he'd stop by so you dont have to meet him at the taylor's," Heather said.
"Ok." Brian nodded. After talking with both of their parents, they had all decided that their new wedding date would be on August 15. Mrs. Mason and Mrs. Littrell were busy scrambling for the phone, trying to call all of their guests.
"So what are you going to do today?" Brian asked Heather, and joined her on the couch.
"Well, I have to make the "stomach" part of my dress a little bit bigger, so that's basically it. Besides, Monica will keep me company." Heather said and placed her head on Brian's shoulder and sighed.
"I won't be back late, I promise," Brian stated.
"Don't worry about it, sweetie. Now I got to go take my shower, and if you leave before I get out, I love you." Heather said and got off the couch with Brian. She leaned in and kissed him, her lips mingling with his own for a few extra seconds.
"I love you, too." Brian said and watched Heather disappear up the stairs.
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"What time do you think you'll be back today?" Monica asked Nick in the car on the way to Heather's.
"Oh, I don't know. I wish I didn't have to go. I wanna be with you." Nick said. "No pun intended," he added with a laugh.
"Well, tonight we can go back to my place...." she trailed off, blowing cold air into his ear.
"I'll count the minutes," Nick whispered as they walked in Heather's living room.
"Hey Bri, you ready?" Nick asked.
"Yea. Monica, Heather wanted me to tell you that she is in the shower," Brian said.
"Oh, thanks Bri. I'll see you guys later," she told them. Nick bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips.
"I love you," he whispered into her mouth.
"I love you too. See ya tonight!" she reminded him.
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Heather put her hair into a loose pony tail, put on one of Brian's shirts, and headed downstairs. She saw Monica reading a magazine on the couch.
"Hey," Heather said.
"Oh, hi. I didn't even hear you coming," Monica said, obviously startled. The two girls talked for a while until they heard the front door open and Mrs. Mason and Mrs. Littrell, along with the seamstress, walk in. Heather's wedding dress was clutched in the hands of the seamstress.
"Ready to get this fixed?" her mom asked, pointing to the dress.
"Um, yea. Thanks," Heather said and took the dress from the seamstress and quickly changed in the bathroom. She barely fit into the dress. Heather carefully walked over and stood on the stool that the seamstress had prepared for her.
"Ok, we'll need to do some adjustments here...." the seamstress said, placing measuring tape around her waist. She held the tape in place by putting a hand over Heather's stomach. The seamstress smiled and looked up at Heather. She could feel the slightly hardened bump beneath her dress.
After about two hours of adjustments, Heather looked beautiful, but felt drained.
"Beautiful," Mrs. Mason remarked, kissing her daughter. Monica walked over and placed a hand on Heather's stomach.
"I never noticed it before!" Monica exclaimed, referring to Heather's baby.
"I know!" Heather cried and reached over and hugged her best friend. All of a sudden a wave of nausea swept over her. She pulled back with a hand over her mouth.
"Heather, what's wrong?" Monica asked.
"I think I'm gonna be sick," Heather said, running to the bathroom.
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Monica waited patiently outside of the bathroom door for Heather to come back out.
"Are you OK?" Monica called to her. Out came Heather, her pale face drenched with sweat.
"OK, come on to bed," Monica said, guiding her up the stairs towards her bedroom. Heather was too weak to walk on her own.
"Heather, can you get out of your dress by yourself?" Monica asked. Heather shook her head slowly.
"OK, then. Lay down and I'll do it for you," Monica mumbled.
"I'll be right back," Monica said, once Heather was under the covers, clad in only her bra and panties. Monica walked downstairs and saw Mrs. Littrell and Mrs. Mason in the kitchen.
"How is she?" Mrs. Mason asked of her daughter.
"Well," Monica started, "I think she threw up some stuff she ate last year and she is burning up. She's in her bed now. Do you have a washcloth I could use?" Monica asked the two women. Mrs. Mason handed her one.
"Thanks," she said, and filled the bowl with some ice and water. She dipped the washcloth in the bowl and made her way back upstairs. She rung out the washcloth and dabbed Heather's face with it, cooling the obvious sweat that was defeating her face. Monica continued this for a while, until Heather fell asleep. She folded the washcloth and placed it on Heather's forehead, then quickly tip-toed out of the room.
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"You know I could beat you anytime!" Nick said to Brian in the car on the way home to the Taylor's.
"At basketball, Nick? Are you sure we are talking about the same sport, here?" Brian joked. AJ laughed at the two of them while Kevin drove and Howie flipped through the radio. Brian and Nick continued their argument until they pulled into Heather's driveway.
"Hey, we're back!" Brian called into the house.
"SHHH!" said Monica, Mrs. Littrell, and Mrs. Mason.
"Why are we whispering?" Nick whispered to Monica, grabbing her hand.
"Heather's sick." Monica said.
"Where is she?" Brian asked.
"She's upstairs, sleeping." Monica said before Brian left the room to go to Heather.
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"Heather? Baby?" he asked. He heard a light moan from the bed.
"Hey, sweetie. How you feeling?" he asked, kneeling beside the bed.
"Sick. It's so hot..." she whined.
"Here," Brian said and squeezed some water onto her face. "Better?" he asked.
"Uh-huh," she said. He dipped some water onto her shoulders and could almost feel the heat coming off of her body. Before he realized what he was doing, he pulled the covers down slowly to reveal her chest and her stomach. He ran the towel across her stomach, cooling it off by the seconds. His other hand rested on her stomach, gently carressing the baby that lay beneath her skin. He looked up and saw that Heather had fallen asleep with a flushed face. He smiled and gently and softly, kissed his unborn baby, then covered her back up.
"I love you, sweetie." he said and kissed her forehead. With that, he left the room, shutting the door quietly.
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