Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 75

***

Meryl startled awake with a smile as her hand went to her belly; the baby was kicking again. This time she wasn't holding their granddaughter for the first time in the throes of a seizure, she wasn't recovering from amnesia and she was awake to feel it unlike when her husband first felt the baby kick earlier that day. She was awake to feel it and she couldn't wait to feel it with her husband. Meryl didn't know the last time she was so excited and she could feel how brightly she was shining. She smacked her husband over and over "Oh my God, Don, wake up! Hurry! Oh my god!"

"Meryl?!" Don sat straight up and looked at her. like she was out of her mind and held his arm where she smacked him. "What's wrong? What happened? Are you in pain? That hurt."

" Sorry." Meryl giggled as she shook her head with tears in her eyes and placed his hands on our belly. "The baby...it's kicking."

"I felt it earlier, Darl." Don smiled; now that he wasn't frantic that something was wrong with his wife or their baby.

Meryl nodded and couldn't stop the tears that fell from her eyes. "This is the first time we get to feel it together. I'm sorry, I was just so excited that I had to wake..."

"Don't ever apologize." Don smiled as he spoke softly. "I'm glad we get to feel this together. You always wake me up for this."

Meryl pressed her forehead to his. "Our baby."

"Our amazing miraculous baby." Don whispered with a kiss to her lips. "Thank you for being here with me for this."

Meryl couldn't help but laugh. "I'm not sure if you would feel it without me, babe."

"You know what I mean." Don brushed his lips across hers. "Thank you for not leaving us."

Meryl knew how scared he was; she was as well. "I'm not going anywhere, Donald Gummer. I can't. I can't bare the thought of leaving you and our family. I'm going to do EVERYTHING the doctors tell me to do. I'm going to rest. I'm going to take the medications. I'm going to keep my feet up. You're stuck with me and this baby for life."

"That's all I want along with our others." Don said honestly as he rubbed his hand across her belly. "It sure is active."

Meryl nodded with a laugh. "Finally."

"It's stronger than I remember." Don said referring to the baby's movements. "Does it hurt?"

Meryl shook her head as she ran her fingers through his hair and gazed lovingly at him. "No baby, it doesn't hurt; but it does feel like it's winding down."

"How about I hold you both as we fall asleep?" Don asked.

Meryl laid back down so her back was pressed against his front; and he kept his hands on her belly. "Best ending to this roller coaster of a day. I love you, my Don Man."

"I love you too." Don whispered with a kiss to her head as he held her tighter. "Both of you; so much.:

***

Meryl smiled as their children walked into her bedroom with bags from Yankee Stadium. "You get it all?"

"We sure did." Louisa giggled.

Henry looked around. "Where's Dad?"

"Up in the office." Meryl held her finger up to her lips to signal her children to be quiet. "I told him he had to stay up there until I said he could come back down."

Suzie looked around her in-laws make-shift bedroom on the first floor of their Tribecca penthouse. "Aunt Meryl, are you sure you don't want us to set everything up in the den or something?"