A moment later the horse came to a halt and after Gabriel had helped Nathalie get out of the wagon, the coachman said:
"From here on, you'll have to walk. I'll be back in the afternoon, if you won't call me, because you need me to come back before. Have a nice day."
And with that he clicked his tongue again and drove a big circle to get back to his stable.
"Thank you!", Gabriel called after him seeing the man raise his hand shortly. He then turned around and smiled at Nathalie to hold out his hand, asking solemnly:
"Nathalie, my beautiful wife. May I offer you my arm to hold on to for the last section of the way? Sadly the carriage couldn't go there, so we'll have to walk that last passage. But we've got enough time and can walk slowly. Is that okay with you? If you don't feel like it, I...."
He quieted instantly, when the pregnant woman closed the gap between them and snaked her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his chest.
"Honestly, Gabriel, I feel really good today. So I am sure, that I will very much enjoy the walk!", she hummed cheerfully.
"Shall we then?"
His hair shimmered in a mixture of grey and blond in the light of the early morning sun, when Gabriel bent down to steal a quick kiss, before taking Nathalie's hand firmly into his. He pressed her forearm with his own taut to his side.
"Just in case!", he said sheepishly to the female's questioning look and scratched the back of his neck with the other hand. "I want to be able to catch you in time, if you're tripping or anything like that."
She wanted to tell him, that she was pregnant and not stupid. That despite the things, that the chef at the hotel had suggested, she was very well able to balance herself out while she walked. But Nathalie looked up to him, anger showing on her face, when she saw his caring and loving gaze and sighed. He was just taking care of his family, how could she even think about scolding him for that?
"Just don't drag me with you, if you stumble and fall, Honey", she cockily replied instead.
"Are you calling me old again, woman?", he joked with a hand on his chest.
"Maybe, I don't know. Would you say you are?", she teased.
"We will see to that, when our daughter is born, love. I am pretty sure, that I can still beat you on every hike then!", Gabriel bragged.
"Oh please, darling, I would beat you just like this, here and now, if you'd let me!"
The couple looked at each other in a challenging way, then they started to laugh.
"I'm very certain, that you would, my dear!", he said indulgently.
Nathalie smile at him warmheartedly.
"I think it would be close, because you would let me win either way, as you were too worried I could overdo it once more, isn't that so?"
Gabriel shrugged and squeezed her hand gently, then he pointed his head towards their destination and started walking. The young, very soon to be, mother nodded and followed his lead.
Though Nathalie had recognized the tree stump and the tree, to which Gabriel had brought her back then to recover, from afar, it was still a ten minute walk from the dirt road, where they had climbed off of the coach, to there.
"Let's take a few minutes, love. Come just sit on my legs, it's still damp from the night everywhere. And don't look at me like that, I can tell, that you need that break!", he proposed calmly.
Nathalie gave in and cuddled into his lap, her arms around Gabriel's neck.
"You're good?"
"I'm just a little out of breath, but that's according to my doctor and the internet absolutely normal at this stage of a pregnancy", she lectured.
Gabriel nodded and placed a hand on her tummy.
"How's the little one?", he asked with a smile.
"That's the best part of this little trip. She's obviously sleeping. That's why we shouldn't rest too long, because then she'll wake up again. She seems to fall asleep faster, the more I am moving", Nathalie mused.
"Oh, maybe we should move together than later, my love", he said with a smirked and wiggled his eyebrows.
She slapped his shoulder.
"Would you stop saying things like that? It's totally creepy. If at some time she has trouble sleeping, you wouldn't want to rock her cradle by doing 'that', right?"
Now the designers cheeks turned scarlet red and he took a deep breath about to justify his words, when Nathalie started to giggle.
"Relax, Honey, I was just teasing you. I honestly would love to 'move' a little with you later!"
Nathalie pulled him down by his neck and kissed him passionately, then rested her head on his shoulder. They stayed like this for more than twenty minutes, enjoying the absence of any traffic noise, listening to the birds twitching, the insect humming and the soft wind rustling in the trees.
As they continued their way, it was already getting really warm.
"Fuck, why is it so hot? I am dressed for April and not August!", the pregnant woman cussed panting, while she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"Just a little further, love. It's gonna be cooler inside the cave!", Gabriel encouraged his wife.
Nathalie nodded and put both hands on the small of her back to stretch by bending over backwards.
"My back is acting up again too. Good thing, we're almost there!"
Finally they stood in front of the familiar rock wall.
Nathalie gasped and slapped both hands to her mouth. Tears instantly brimming her eyes, when she saw what he had organized.
The ground was completely covered with blankets and cushions and small pillows. Except for the picnic blanket in the middle of all the soft, fluffy stuff, that was filled with all kinds of snacks, that she loved 'and' could eat without regretting it instantly.
"How did you d-d-do that without me noticing? And who did all that? I mean, they had to carry all of that out here. And they had to make all that food. When did they get up this morning?", the surprised woman blurted out enthusiastically, "if I didn't already love you, I would fall for you on the spot!"
She turned around to Gabriel, who had stayed a little bit behind and watched her with a blissful smile.
The devoted man walked towards her now and hugged her tightly.
"Do you know, what would be really nice? If we could spend the night and celebrate your birthday as well", she fantasized, "spending the night, waking up together, having a little bit of nostalgic reunion, then eat breakfast and return to the Spa in the afternoon. How does that sound, my darling?"
Her husband shook his head with a sad smile.
"That would be wonderful, Nathalie, but there isn't the tiniest chance for you to convince me, to let my pregnant wife spend a night in a cave in the forest, 'in April' !", he pointed out the word April to keep her from even starting a discussion. "Though I have taken care for every possible situation, that might make us stay here for longer than planned, that is just too much of a risk, love"
Gabriel brushed a loose strand of hair from her sweaty forehead behind her ear with two fingers. He watched the young female's expression carefully, afraid to upset her, when he actually did all of this because he loved that woman so much.
Though clinging on to the thought of bringing Emilie back for so long, he had never felt like that, when he was with her. When he was with Nathalie, when he saw her, yes just 'saw' her, when he held her, when he listened to her deep and soothing voice. He hated women with high pitched voices, who were squealing and screeching all the time.
She made him complete and he knew exactly, if she would start pleading, he would quickly give in. He just couldn't bear to see her in any kind of pain anymore.
Heaving a soundly sigh, Gabriel braced himself for his wife's reaction.
But Nathalie simply smiled wearily and leaned her head back to look into his eyes.
"I 'do' know. And of course I understand. But a girl can dream, right?", she replied softly.
Gabriel cupped both her cheeks now and kissed her ever so passionately. He only stopped when he lifted her up bridal style and carried her the last few steps into the cave. Setting her back onto her feet, he asked:
"Do you need help to sit down?"
Nathalie shook her head and smiled.
"I'm good. Maybe I need your help to get up later!", she mused.
He nodded with a laugh and sat down on a thick, fluffy cushion, yet still kept an eye on his loved one, watching her crouch down, then turn on all fours to flung herself backwards onto an almost mattress sized pillow, that was filled with tiny styrofoam balls.
"Damn it, that one's comfy", Nathalie exclaimed happily.
"And loud", the designer replied.
She giggled and shifted left and right to make it rustle again, sinking deeper into the fabric.
"Well, I definitely will need help if I ever want to get out of this again", she stated dryly.
Gabriel was still totally amazed, as he hadn't seen her with so much enthusiasm and energy for some time. Maybe he should have taken her more often to the countryside to breathe something other than Parisian traffic air.
"Whap are wou finking about?", Nathalie asked with a full mouth. Then she realised that she did and quickly took a zip from her coffee and swallowed hard. "Sorry", she said with a sheepish smile, "I asked what you were thinking about."
"You, my love. And that it probably would have been good for you, if you had gotten some fresh air before. You haven't been so energetic and....well.... I would...dare to....make the relation to Duusu again...like a bit hyperactive?", he carefully told her.
Nathalie now started to laugh.
"That's not because of the fresh air, Gabe, it's called nesting. If we were back at home, I would most likely be rearranging the nursery right now. The still not finished nursery by the way", she jokingly accused her husband. "Maybe it's because a certain designer had planned this out ages ago but still wasn't content with the fabric of the curtains."
He crawled over to his wife and pecked her cheek remorsefully.
"I know, I messed that up a bit and I am so sorry. Can you ever forgive me, my beautiful, kind, loving and intelligent woman?"
She pushed him backwards into the mountain of pillows and blankets and Gabriel let himself fall to the ground dramatically. Nathalie shook her head chuckling and reached for another piece of soft brioche bread.
Enjoying her second breakfast, Nathalie felt really good for the first time in a while. Even the pain in her back, which came and went continuously, didn't bother her that much right now.
After both were feeling more than full, Gabriel packed the remaining food into a cooler, that stood in the rear part of the cavern, while the young, pregnant woman, despite his objections, spread the blankets and cushions over the now empty place in the centre.
He gave her a disapproving look as he saw her doing that. But Nathalie looked up innocently, blinking with both eyes and gave him her most lovely smile.
"You, my love, are cheating right now and you know that!", he scoffed.
"I just didn't want to feel 'utterly useless', darling." They both grinned when she imitated Audrey Bourgeois' voice. "But it would be very nice, if you could help me stand up, because I really need to pee!"
"Always at your service my pretty woman!"
He bowed and held out his hands. Nathalie took them and let him pull her to her feet.
"Do you need any help? I mean, it's probably not easy to balance with your belly!" Though the man knew, she didn't like him seeing her doing things like that, not even just urinating, he offered his support.
She now got really close to his ear with her lips and whispered seductively:
"Do you know, what I would like you to do, darling?"
Gabriel gulped: "Wh-wh-what?"
No the female giggled and said: "To stay right here!" She laughed even harder at his expression. "You know I don't like it, if you see me...doing....those...things. I'll be right back, okay?"
He pecked her lips. "Just be careful, my love!"
"I always am!", she said, already walking off.
With a scoff Gabriel took a little stroll into the other direction.
"I really am, Gabriel. At least, since I found out about our little surprise!", she shouted so he would hear her despite the distance.
Nathalie was glad, that he had let her go on her own, because she had noticed her panties getting a little wet. And though this was a new one, she had read about a light incontinence so close to the end of the pregnancy, because of the constant pressure on the bladder and therefor on the sphincters.
As she now pulled her pants and underpants down, she sighed, as it was only a few drops. So she finished her business and cussed instantly, as the small of her back began to ache again, when she was just straightening from her crouched position. She tried to massage it a little and it really got better again. So the pregnant woman started to walk back the few steps to the cave.
From a little further, somewhere between the trees, she could hear Gabriel's ringtone and heard him answer his phone. A moment later she heard him shouting furiously, yet she could only understand single syllables and short words.
"....mean.....be....fore.....ning. I.....count.....ability.....peat....aid....you.... won't.....late....we......stay the night!"
Then it was quiet.
They arrived at the cave around the same time, Gabriel stomping there with big, outrageous steps, his face scarlet red, his chest heaving with every breath, as if he had trouble to breathe in normally.
Seeing his wife, he calmed a little bit, yet not completely. Until he felt Nathalie's hand in his own, as he just came to a stop in front of her. His expression instantly softened and he gazed down at her uneasily.
"What's wrong, Gabriel?", Nathalie questioned gingerly.
"That moron of a farmer just drove with his tractor backwards against the coach and broke an axle. Of course, he won't find anyone to repair that today, so he is now trying to either borrow another wagon from somewhere, or send someone else to bring us back to the hotel. Problem is, if he can't find anyone, he'll try to fix it himself. If he won't be able to do that, until it's getting dark, he won't be coming until the morning!", he tried to stay calm, but his voice was trembling and he was still breathing heavily.
Nathalie stepped a little bit closer and snaked her arms around him. She couldn't hide the smile, that tugged at the corners of her mouth.
"Well, it seems as if I'm getting my overnight stay anyway. Come on, Honey. Let's at least have a look at your phone and check for the weather forecast. Maybe that will get you to calm down a little bit."
He sighed as he did what she asked for. And Nathalie was right, seeing the weather for the night and the following day, temperature's not going any lower than 16°C (60.8°F) took a few of his concerns away.
"I'm still scared, Nath. I will do whatever it takes to get you back...what's wrong?", his brows narrowed because Nathalie had made a grimace as if something was really bothering or hurting her.
"It's nothing to worry about, just my back again. So just come and enjoy all those fluffy cushions with me, yeah? You planned out all of this so beautifully, don't ruin it for the both of us by being so worried all the time. And didn't you say you were prepared for any situation?", Nathalie spoke calmly and quietly, trying to ease him up a little bit.
"Well", he hesitated, looking at his watch, "it's barely past noon. There are still about eight hours of light left. So if he hasn't called or arrived right here, to inform us until seven, he probably won't come. Let's just hope, that imbecile will be here before that! Come on, my dear, let me help you. Your face still says, that you're not comfortable."
The young woman really welcomed his strong arm around her waist right now, as it eased the pain when he supported her back like that.
The couple snuggled closely at each other. Nathalie was lying on her back, while Gabriel was on his side, caressing her belly, his little daughter only softly nudging against his hand.
"Wow, she's so gentle today. Maybe she noticed, that your hurting and goes easy on you today", he chuckled.
The grey haired man watched his wife's face once more, her outlines, her skin, the colour of her eyes, which were fluttering closed while he did, until he heard her breathing get slower and deeper, a sign that she had fallen asleep. Quietly he pulled out his phone to check it again, deciding to switch off all not so important functions, to save the battery, wich said 64% right now and if it would continue loosing power at that rate, he wouldn't be able to keep it going until the evening.
Gabriel took a deep breath, then rested his head back on the pillow underneath them. He watched Nathalie for about an hour with growing concern. Though she was still sleeping, she was grimacing for several times in pain, shifting as she did, sometimes even letting out a silent groan.
He stood up quietly and stepped into the sun, savouring the light and the warmth on his face for a moment, then he started for a short walk. Gazing around for the first spring flowers, he soon had a little bouquet in light lilac, light pink, yellow and white, mixed with different long grass stems, and partly even edible plants, which despite that looked pretty in the mix.
Before he returned to his wife, he checked the phone again, then furrowed his brows, noticing that his signal was gone. After walking a few, quick steps into the other direction, it slowly returned, staying rather weak though, yet it was there.
The time showed already 3 o'clock PM and he felt surprised, as he didn't think, he had taken so long to pick those few flowers.
Nathalie was sitting in the entrance of their little retreat and watched him, as he approached. She smiled, but something about that smile felt wrong.
Gabriel squatted down in front of her, presenting his bouquet, then kissed her softly.
"Hello my sweetheart, what woke you and how are you feeling?"
She still smiled awkwardly, then closed her eyes for a moment to reluctantly say:
"Honestly? I've been better. These are beautiful. You already did so much, Gabriel, you didn't have to. I mean, what time is it? I bet it's less than twelve hours until your...........birthday, it should be me picking flowers for you!"
"What was that, Nathalie, that pause? What's wrong?", he was getting antsy right now.
She didn't answer.
Nathalie had her eyes shut and was leaning back onto her outstretched arms, hands flat on the soft foliage on the ground, breathing in and out deeply, her head was back at her neck.