I can't believe this, I'm blubbering like an idiot. Oh, that was so
beautiful.
"My wife the romantic," Jean-Claude says, tucking my hand in the crook of
his elbow.
"She was so beautiful," I sob, "and Rob looked so good too."
"That's because he's my brother."
"Oh honey, be serious."
"I am."
"She is beautiful, isn't she?" my dad asks as he joins me and Jean-Claude.
"Yes, she is."
"Too bad your mother..."
"Daddy, no. Mother brought this onto herself. She could have behaved and
she chose not to. She paid the price."
"I know. But still-- your sister looks so beautiful!"
"I know."
"And her husband?" Jean-Claude asks, "what do you think of the way he
looks?"
"All right, I suppose. I mean, I suppose the girl could have done worse
and hooked up with that Spike Dudley fellow."
"Don't you think Rob's looks are extraordinary?" Jean-Claude asks, his
eyes going wide.
"Eh--," Dad makes a face, "if someone likes these kinds of looks. I mean,
it's nothing extraordinary."
"It's not?"
"Daddy stop it," I laugh, patting my father's arm. "That's not nice, you
know how vain my husband is."
"I know."
"So this is a joke? Brandons against Van Damme?"
"Isn't your last name Van Varenburg?"
"Ugh!"
Jean-Claude starts to walk away and Dad holds him back.
"Come on JC-- this is my only chance to cut loose, the wife isn't here to
singe me with a mean look. And think about it-- your brother's new... I have a lot of catching up to
do with him. Scare him a bit."
"Can I watch?" Jean-Claude asks too cheerfully.
"Of course you can."
"Boys," I say, stopping them. "Wedding day? You ruin it, you have to deal
with my ticked off sister. Do you want to reconsider?"
They both swallow and shake their heads.
"I thought so. Now, let's pay our respects to the bride."
I tuck my hands into the crooks of Jean-Claude and Daddy's elbows and we
head over to the bride and groom. I stop for a moment and look at the kid.
She's happy. Well, with a husband almost as good looking at mine, how
could she not be?
I still can't believe it. Even as I dance in his arms, my cheek against
his chest, his arms around me, I still can't believe that he's finally
mine. Completely and totally mine. I look up at him and smile. "I love you
so much."
"I love you, too," he says. Rob leans down to kiss me and it's fantastic.
I'm lost in his lips, in his embrace, just lost in him. When we finally
break apart, we've got company. I blush slightly, then look around.
"Um-- hi," I tell them. My eyes go to my father and there's something
about him. His eyes are playful and his smile is nothing but joyous. It
still makes me wonder how, if he was so happy when she wasn't around, he
and mother had managed to stay together for so long. I pull away from Rob
slowly and go to him, wrapping my arms around his waist. "Thank you,
Daddy," I say softly. He hugs me then looks down.
"What for?"
"For staying?"
"Honey-- it's your wedding day. Just think about happy thoughts."
I look up at him and smile.
"Well, um-- since it is my wedding day-- can I have something-- minor."
He looks down at me questioningly. "Could you guys like-- not-- torture my
husband just yet? Maybe wait til we're back from our honeymoon?"
Daddy actually looks like he's thinking pretty hard. I pull out my
patented baby girl pout and he mimics it. I hear Kat starting to laugh,
but I hold it. She always does that. I pout, she laughs, I laugh... no
more pout. But, not this time. Not-- I hear a noise from the other side of
the room and groan. There are ECW people around and all sorts of trouble
to get into. I turn to Rob and bite my lip. This is a hard decision. Keep
my husband out of the clutches of my family for a while longer? Or save
the gifts table. The gifts won out when I heard a yell and I shook my
head.
"Please... don't be too hard on him?" I kiss him and caress his cheek. "I
love you."
"Love you, too. Hurry back."
"I will." And off I go. I have to wonder, will he love my quite so much
after being alone with my father?
Life is-- better. Months later, I still feel like I'm on my honeymoon.
Whenever Rob is at home, that is. I just hope this lasts. It's the most
wonderful feeling in all the world. Being close to him, knowing he loves
me as much as I love him. And then there's Jean-Claude. He and Rob are
closer than I ever thought possible. When I think how much they nearly
despised one another when they first met, and now-- they're the best of
friends. What a wonder a few drops of blood will do.
I sit on the sofa with my sister and can't help but smile at her. She's
got that typical pregnancy glow about her and it makes her radiant. Her
hand rested on her extended belly, absently rubbing. She turns her head to
me and makes a face.
"And you're staring at me because?"
"I don't know," I say to her.
"Then don't do that. You're making me fidget."
I sigh.
"Why are you fidgety?"
"I don't know. I am."
I look at her and sigh again. You'd think she'd be happier. I mean, not
only is she having a baby, but she's got the greatest sister in the world. Not to mention the greatest brother-in-law. The two boys are even working on a movie together. I'm not saying it's going to be a good movie, but
it's still a movie, and I'm sure we'll enjoy it.
I start to say something when I see Kat's face contort. "What is it?"
"Nothing," she says, turning back to the pathetic movie we're watching.
But not too much later, she twists her face again, and this time lets out
a small groan of pain.
"Kit Kat? What is it? Seriously."
"It's nothing. I just--" She stops and I watch the pain go over her.
"Damn! It's the baby, isn't it?" I stand up quickly and take her hand.
"Um-- we have to go to the hospital right?"
"Give it a while," she says. "They're not going to do anything right now
anyway. And don't they always say the first takes the longest?"
"Well, yeah, but-- If you're waiting for your water to break then no way!
Not all over my nice white carpet!"
She laughs and I can't help but join in. She manages to get me to sit back
down and wait but that doesn't last long. As the pains come faster, I
start to pace until she finally gives me permission to take her to the
hospital. And it was even before she messed the carpet.
I put her in the car and drive as fast as I can. "Don't kill us," she
tells me. I just look at her for a quick second and continue on. Minutes
away, I dial the studio where the guys are filming and wait forever for
someone to give me my brother-in-law.
"JC!" I yell. "You and Rob get your asses out of that studio right now!"
"Dear, we're working."
"Yeah, well-- your wife is having a baby. So get to the hospital."
I hang up the phone as I pull into emergency and look at Kat. "They'll be
here. They'll probably drive worse than me. Now, let's make you a Mommy."
God damn it! This fucking shit hurts! And they won't give me the epi yet.
Damn stingy bastards!
"Come on Kat, breathe," Carm tells me, holding my hand.
"I thought I'd hold my breath. Do you think that'll help?"
"You're being a bitch."
"That's probably on account of your being there instead of the man whose
appendage I'm going to have to dispose of."
"Can I watch?"
"Now you're being bitch."
"Nope. I'm being bloodthirsty. There's a difference."
Another contraction hits. Oh damn it! Jean-Claude is going to pay for not
being here. It should be his fingers I'm breaking, not my little sister's. I'm sorry," I mutter when the wave of pain slowly ebbs. "For what? Having a little being who's going to shit and vomit all over
the place and stink like crazy?"
"No. For hurting your fingers."
"It's nothing. The job's a lot harder."
"Good. Where the fuck are they?"
"I don't know sweetie. I just don't know."
"All right, Mrs. Van Damme, you can't stop yourself from not pushing
anymore. You're fully dilated and this baby wants out."
"But I want Jean-Claude to be here," I blubber. "I can't have his baby if
he's not here. Where's my husband? He has to be here."
"Kat, the doctor's can't wait anymore. We have to do this now."
"I want my husband! Jean-Claude!"
"I'm here baby! I'm here."
And in he comes. Like my savior, with the surgical mask and the long robe
and the silly hat over the hair he's grown for this stupid movie.
"Where the fuck have you been?"
"Honey, I am so sorry. There was a lot of traffic and I had to leave Rob
with the car and I ran here."
"You left my husband in the car? Where is he, you big French lummox!"
"On the highway. He'll be fine."
"You just dumped my husband out there? Fine brother you are!"
While the two of them have at it, another contraction hits and it hits
hard.
"Will the two of you shut the fuck up? I am having a baby here and unless
you both want me and my child to be out of your life permanently, someone
had better give me fingers other than mine to break!"
The bickering stops long enough for me to squeeze the life out of both of
their hands. After a few more contractions, I start huffing and puffing
and pushing and the doctor interrupts me.
"All right, the baby's in the wrong position. I'm going to have to reach
in and turn it."
God, I can feel him in me, moving the baby this way and that. And while
this is happening, my brother-in-law comes in, dressed exactly like his
brother. What a fucking chaos!
"All right," says a nurse, "there are too many people in here. I don't
care how you do it, but two of you have to leave."
"That's my sister! I'm not leaving."
"She's my wife!"
"She's my sister-in-law! In two ways!"
"Sister, brother-in-law," the nurse says, pointing to Carm and Rob, "out
with you!"
"No! I want them to stay!"
"That's too many people!"
"This is my child's family! They stay!"
"All right," the doctor says, "everybody stays, but they stay the hell out
of my way. I'm delivering a baby here!"
And so, surrounded by family, my daughter Alexandra comes into the world.
As I stand outside of the nursery, looking at my niece, I can't help but
smile. How many times have I said I don't want kids? Who knows. And right
now, there's still a part of me that says that. Says that I don't want
them, at least now. But another part says, yes. You want to hold your
husband's child in your arms and care for it and love it.
With that thought, I lean back against Rob's chest and he wraps his arms
around me. Who'd have thought that we'd all have this much? Definitely not
me. And I know it makes him happy, looking at his niece. His blood niece.
Something he never thought he'd have. We watch together as the nurse comes
in to get Alexandra to take her to Kat. I turn in Rob's arms and lay my
head against his chest. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
I'm quiet for a moment, then say, "We'll have one eventually."
"Yeah," he says softly and I can hear the smile in his voice. "One day."
He kisses the top of my head then turns to walk down the hall. "Now, let's
go see Mommy and Daddy with their little girl."
Women are lying bitches! All the chicks in the Lamaze classes told me it
wouldn't hurt that much! That it was beautiful pain. That you forgot about
it later! Lying bitches! It still hurts. I look at Jean-Claude and I
smile. Well, maybe the pain was worth it. Now, we have a baby that we made
together. Him and me. Oh man, so it was worth it. Next time, I'll just
make sure they give me more drugs.
"You are the best," Jean-Claude whispers, laying a kiss on top of my head.
"You couldn't be more right."
"You gave us a baby girl."
"Yes."
"She's beautiful. Perfect."
"Yes she is. Jean-Claude, I love you so much."
"Me too baby. I love you too."
"Mr. and Mrs. Van Damme? Your little girl."
When the nurse puts her in my arms, her black hair plastered to her head,
her eyes closed, so tiny, so beautiful, I can't help but cry. Jean-Claude
sits down on the bed next to me, runs his finger down her cheek and she
opens her cute little mouth in response.
"Can we come in?" I hear my sister ask, "or is this a family thing?"
"It's because it's a family thing that you can come in."
Rob comes to stand beside me and lays a gentle kiss on Alex's cheek.
"Thank God the kid's got some of me in her," he tells me with a proud
smile. "It's her claim to beauty."
Jean-Claude doesn't respond to Rob's comment. He's too busy stroking the
soft skin of his daughter's tightly curled fist.
"She's perfect," Carm whispers, worming her way into Rob's arms.
"Thanks. So, changed your mind about having one of these?" I ask her.
"Maybe."
"Good."
Just then, Alexandra's eyes flutter open and her mouth opens in a mighty
wail. All four of us smile at the same time and say the exact same thing:
"She got that from me!"
More of Two's Company, Four's a Reunion
More Series Fics
More Fan Fic
Main Page