February 16, 2015 (Reagan is 34 weeks, Alana is 33 weeks and 6 days)
Class is going on a field trip today, so i decided to stay home. 'Cause why spend eight hours with a bunch of assholes i don't even like when i don't need to? By the way, so sorry for the late ass update.
Lukah is on the side. ♡
Nathaniel put down the finishing touches backing away from the plate with a smile, feeling accomplished with his work.
"You can cook," came Reagan's surprised voice as she joined him in the kitchen. "Last time i checked, you could burn water," she added, all the while inspecting the meal with curious eyes.
He gave a sheepish shrug, "what can i say, I'm a quick learner". His heart thudded faster as she approached the dustbin, pressing down on it with her foot to open the lid.
"Mhm," Reagan giggled, shaking her head at him while he feigned a look of shock. The dustbin was filled with empty cartons of IHOP pancakes, sausage links and two small Yoplait vanilla cups.
"I have no idea how those got there," Nathaniel put a hand behind his back, crossing his fingers, "promise".
Rolling her eyes at him, Reagan picked up the plate of food and gave him a kiss. "It's the thought that counts, Nathan, besides, I'd rather not get food poisoning".
He pouted at that, letting put a huff as he crossed his arms. "You and i both know my cooking isn't that bad".
She raised a brow, swallowing the last bit of food in her mouth before she spoke. "And, you and i both know that's a giant lie".
"Well, i just wanted to start your birthday off with a good breakfast, sue me". Nathaniel dramatically flailed his arms in the air with and exasperated sigh. All of which earned a snort from Reagan. "How does being twenty-four feel like," he asked, taking a sip of water.
She raised a brow, silently asking herself if she should answer such a ridiculous question. "Like being twenty-three".
He smiled at her, playfully, and carefully, nudging her side, occasionally cracking jokes as they ate their "homemade" meal together.
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"So, where exactly are we meeting them," Reagan asked, staring at her reflection in the mirror in concentration while trying to brush her hair back into a neat bun, but failed once the band broke in two.
Nathaniel chuckled at her misfortune as he slipped on a random pair of black trousers. "Some new place called Rock Fish, never heard of it, though. And, leave it down, please, i like it that way".
"No," Reagan let out a frustrated sigh when her hair fell all in her face. "I hate seafood," scrunching up her nose at the mere thought. "Sometimes, i just want to chop all my hair off".
"And, I'll never talk to you again if you do," he replied, to which Reagan gave him a look for. "I'm kidding, I'm totally kidding," Nathaniel quickly said. He watched as Reagan once again attempted to tame her hair. This time just setting it in a simple side plait.
"Eh," Reagan shrugged her shoulders, "good enough".
Nathaniel was soon beside her, hopping on one foot while trying to put on his second shoe. "As for the seafood problem, I know you don't like it, which is why we'll eat before we go".
She nodded at his reflection, "okay, but, while we're at it, we can go grocery shopping, too". Walking out and grabbing her cell phone from the night stand, she added, "the fridge is looking pretty empty".
He smiled a little, knowing Reagan was just stalling, trying to keep them busy for as long as she could. "I'd like to, but my mom wants to meet with me before we have lunch, not sure what for though".
Frowning a little, Reagan slowly nodded at his response, "that's fine, I'll just go with Nolan, or see if Andrew can come with".
"Actually, 'Drew took Mia and their kids to some mini vacation, he'll be back in about two weeks, i think". If his little brother were here, Nathaniel would tell him how proud and happy he is for him. Probably at this very moment, Andrew's gotten down on one knee, proposing to his girlfriend of nine years.
Something Nathaniel has yet to have enough guts to do with his own.
But, i guess you could say he's one step closer seeing as he's actually going to meet up with Reagan's parents to ask for permission to wed their daughter.
Of course, Reagan didn't need to know that.
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Ringing the doorbell of Nolan's flat, Reagan groaned, pressing it one more time, and knocking for good measure before retreating back to her car. She waited a couple more minutes to see if he'd open up, but, to no avail.
Suddenly, right as soon as she got into her car, the front door opened, out came a frustrated looking Nolan and a sad looking, yet handsome, young man.
But, his frown quickly turned upside down once he saw Reagan. He ran up to her with a big grin, almost knocking the poor man out the way as he went to hug his sister.
"Happy birthday, little sis," he announced, placing a wet kiss on her cheek with the sole purpose of annoying her. She shrieked in disgust, wiping off the side of her face with the back of her hand.
An awkward cough interrupted the two, making them pull apart. Nolan gave him a blank look, "why are you still here," and to that, the man blushed a beet red, scurrying away from the two.
"You didn't have to be rude, Nolan," she tutted, hitting his chest lightly to which he shook off, scoffing.
"I wanted him to leave, he wanted me to cuddle," he let out an exasperated sigh. "It just doesn't work".
Reagan rolled her eyes playfully at his ways, opening her car door and stuck one foot in. "Get in loser, we're going shopping".
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"Get me a basket, please," Reagan said, waving him off as she walked off into the snack aisle.
"Yeah, sure. Here you-" he turned to give it to her, but frowned once he saw she was gone, "go".
Nolan grumbled lowly to himself about how annoying his little sister was for dragging him into grocery shopping with her. So, here he was, at a small pop in shoppe in the snack section and an almost empty shopping basket being swung back and forth carelessly in his hand.
He hummed a random tune, his eyes scanning all the different brands of cereal until he found the right one. Nolan smiled lightly, reaching and grabbing it at the same time as someone else.
His smile quickly turned into a frown then, turning his head to see the culprit. "I got it firs-" Nolan started to say childishly, but practically got the wind knocked out of him at the sight of the gorgeous man in front of him.
The man looked amused, letting go of the Trix cereal box, putting his hands up in mock surrender. "You can have it, I'll just get the next one".
Nolan shook his head, eyes trained on the mans pink and kissable lips. "N-no," he cleared his throat, "you can, uh, take this one," giving the man a shy smile.
He took it, shaking his head, letting his curls whip from side to side, with a small laugh, and extended his hand toward Nolan. "My name's Lukah".
"Uh," was all he could say at first, but then finally managed through his sputters, "Nolan". He returned the handshake with a firm grip of his own.
Just then, Reagan came down the aisle with the shopping basket swinging back and forth at her side. Many varieties of crisps, cookies, and any other sugary treats you can think of were in that basket.
"Alright, i think I've stalled long enough, and it would suck a whole lot less if you came with me to meet Nathan's monster and dad for lunch".
Nolan rolled his eyes at his sister, "alright, alright," he picked up two different boxes of Trix and Reese's Puffs. He turned back to Lukah to say goodbye, although, he really didn't want to.
"Got to get back to the Mrs, right," he asked, a look of slight disappointment in his features, but it was quickly covered up with a forced smile.
Nolan held back a laugh, "oh, God no, that's my sister. I guess you could say i got roped into being her little butler for the day".
Reagan checked her cell phone, eyes widening at the time; they were late, really late. "Yeah, and this little butler has got to go," then added with a wink, "you can call him later".
She began to drag him by his hand to the check out counter, but was stopped by Lukah's voice. "But, he can't do that without my number". Nolan grinned widely at that, eagerly pulling out his cell phone for the atrractive brunette, watching as he typed in and saved his digits.
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"Ew, seafood," was the first thing Nolan said once he saw the little restaurant. He turned his attention back to his phone, replying to the text he'd just received from none other than Lukah.
"My words exactly," she replied, cutting the engine and getting out the car, Nolan not too far behind. Almost as soon as the two siblings walked in, they were spotted.
Nolan leaned in to whisper in Reagan's ear when he saw Rhia, "she looks mean," earning a smile and nod in agreement from his sister.
Rhia's eyes widened slightly at the size of Reagan's bump, "wow". She held in a grimace as she continued, "you really need to slim down, being pregnant is no excuse for all this pudge".
Everyone was stunned at the comment, Jared elbowed his wife gently, whispering harshly under his breath to her about how rude it was. She shrugged carelessly, sipping on her Long Island iced tea casually.
Taking a deep breath in, Reagan sat down, giving her parents and Nolan a reassuring smile. Honestly, she had already mentally prepared herself for all the jabs Rhia would throw at her. Reagan just hoped she'd be able to dodge them all.
Reagan ran a hand through her wild curls that at some point unraveled from its loose plait, setting her eyes on Rhia, a stern expression on her face. "Let get one thing straight here-"
"I'm not," Nolan interrupted with a know it all finger pointed in the air, casually bringing his eyes back to his cell phone at the ping of a message notification.
Cereal is a meal for any time of day.
And, a picture of Lukah eating the Trix he bought earlier with a goofy smile on his face and a droplet of milk sliding down the corner of his mouth was attached to the text. Nolan smiled at the text, shaking his head at how childlike, yet true the statement was.
"I'm not asking you to like me, I'm not a fucking Facebook status. So, we can either sit here like civil adults, or you can continue glaring at me like a five year old across this table". Reagan finished her mini rant with a small huff, crossing her arms over her chest. "Your choice".
Shifting uneasily in her chair, Rhia clenched her fists on the arm rests, aggravated at the way Reagan spoke to her. Yet, no one came to her defense, not even her husband.
In fact, he looked as if he were hiding a smile of his own behind the tall glass of water he'd been drinking.
Scoffing, Rhia grumbled out "option two" under her breath, fixating her gaze on Nolan this time.
Rhia eyed Nolan in disgust, not able to mask her discomfort. He caught her gaze, raising a brow, "i'm sorry, is there a problem," he placed his hands on the table, folding them together as he waited for her answer.
She scrunched up her nose, looking him up and down as she said, "man should not lie with man, it's an abomination". Rhia glared at no one in particular, continuing, "just like Nathaniel's two " she paused, spitting out the words like venom, "friends".
Everyone turned to her, including Jared, appalled at the words she just uttered all the while Nolan shrugged carelessly, unaffected. "So is that hair-do," he picked up his glass of water, taking a sip, "but, i figured that was your business". {AN: AHS!}
All the men around the table bit back a laugh while Ramona and Reagan hit their arms lightly to make them stop. But, even the girls were smiling just a little.
Nolan abruptly stood up, picking up the small baskets of cheesy bread sticks in the middle of the table. He looked around the table lazily with disinterest as he told Reagan, "i took your car keys, by the way". Then, looking over at Nathaniel's monster, "Raina?"
"It's-"
He put his hand up to stop her, shaking his head, "i didn't ask for your life story". Sighing, he continued, "i just wanted to let you know that nobody likes seafood. Haven't you watched Finding Nemo," he asked caustically. "Fish are friends, not food," he quoted, smiling as he walked away with his basket of bread sticks.
"And," Reagan drawled, standing up with a bit of help from Nathaniel. "I think it's our turn to leave, we have an appointment to get to. You can come with if you want, that is, when you decide to act your age".
Jared stood up at that moment, calling a waiter over to pay for their meal, which wasn't much since only Rhia ate. "If it's okay with you, I'd like to come and see my future grandson".
Rhia grumbled out a reply, standing up as well, "let's just go".
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"Hello everyone," Doctor Hastings greeted in his usual cheery tone. "I assume you four are their parents," he acknowledged, opening the door wider to let them in.
They all replied with a simple nod of the head, pulling up one of the seats that leaned against the white walls.
"How are you feeling today, Ms Summers," he asked, sitting down on his wheely chair, rolling over to his computer table and turned it on.
She slowly got on the bed, "good, well, aside from the usual aches and pains, but it's tolerable".
He hummed, murmuring a "that's good," under his breath as he typed the given information onto his computer. After he was done, Doctor Hastings picked up a chart and a pen, standing up, walking over to her.
"Oh, and before i begin, You may have noticed that your belly button has become an 'outie' or that it is extremely sensitive".
Reagan nodded, "yeah, it really disturbs me. Even the slightest touch hurts like Hell," pulling up her tee shirt.
"Well, if this is the case, i suggest you can take a small piece of tape or a band-aid to cover it. This may be extremely helpful if it pokes through your clothes". Doctor Hastings rolled over to them on his wheely chair, "any more questions," he asked, to which they shook their heads at.
"Alright, let's get started," Doctor Hastings said with a smile, picking up the dobbler from its stand. "Lay back, please," he put on his glasses, gelling up the wand as well as her round bump.
The familiar heart beat filled the room followed by the slightly blurry image of a baby, bringing smiles to everyones faces.
Even Rhia's.
Doctor Hastings squinted a little bit at the screen, moving the dobbler around to get a better view of the baby. "The top of your uterus can now be felt approximately 5 ½ inches (14 cm) above your belly button. Your baby is around 17 ½ inches (44.5 cm) long and weighs around 5 to 5 ½ pounds (2.3 to 2.5 kg)".
"The central nervous system is continuing to mature properly, and the lungs are well developed. While most health care providers, and myself for that matter, would ideally feel much more comfortable if you were to carry up to 38 to 40 weeks, your baby has a good chance of surviving outside of your uterus at this time".
Doctor Hasting grabbed the chart and wrote down the new found information quickly. "Are there any questions or concerns before i finish here," he questioned, to which Reagan and Nathaniel replied with a small "no".
He put the dobbler back in its stand, and handed a paper towel to Reagan to wipe off the gel. "I'll go get the pictures for you guys," leaving the room and coming back shortly after to give each of them a copy.
Nathaniel helped Reagan into a sitting position, "ready to go," he asked, wrapping his arms around her.
Reagan looked over at his mother, shaking her head no. "Actually, I'll meet you in the car, i want to have a little chat with your mons-mom". Nathaniel's eyes darted between the two cautiously, giving her a reluctant nod.
"Okay," pecking her lips quickly before he exited the room, Reagan's parents in tow.
"Um, Rhia, will you stay for a minute, i need to talk to you". It may have been a question, but with the tone she used, it was clear there was no room for discussion.
Yet, Rhia being Rhia, blatantly ignored her, going for the door, but Jared had other plans. He shut it before she could walk out, keeping a firm hold on the handle when she started twisting rapidly.
She let out a groan of frustration, banging on the door, "open up right now, Jared," Rhia demanded.
"I love you, too," he yelled back with a smile even though she couldn't see it.
"Are you done," Reagan asked caustically with a raised eyebrow. Rhia stayed silent, although she seemed like she had something to say.
"I'm not looking for an apology from you, nor do i want one. My ultimate goal for us here is for me to be able to sit in a room with you, and not envision myself strangling you in my head".
Rhia looked offended, but Reagan completely ignored her, not even a little bit sorry for the way she worded it.
Reagan continued her mini rant, "before we walk out this room, i want-no, i need us to meet in the middle. Because, whether you like it or not, I'm bringing your grandson into this world in a months time, maybe less".
"You need to learn how to respect me, how to bite your tongue when you have some snarky comment to make toward me. And, in return, I'll act the same way I'm acting now; civil". Reagan took in a much needed breath before extending her hand, "now, do we have a deal," she asked.
Rhia looked at her hand for a moment, hesitantly reaching out hers. With a defeated sigh, she nodded.
"Deal".
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I predict one more chapter and an epilogue in the future. (Fina-fucking-ly!)
Who's your favourite character?
Mine is Andrew, 'cause his personality and actions is based off of mine and the things I've done. Which means we're exactly alike! Except, you know, he has a cockolini alfredo and i don't.
This is the last chapter containing any Nolan/Kingsley drama. Consider this a teaser for what is to come for them, 'cause those two have so much baggage, that they're just gonna get their own little story. @TheWannaBeArtist you're welcome.