But It Isn't Right (Duskwood Fanfic)

The Wedding

Today was my wedding day. I could barely contain how happy I was. I was still nervous about having a baby, but Richy's overjoyed response made me feel so much better. Not to mention Jake's steadfast support. He was typically so stoic that it was fun to see him get excited about something. 

It was still so, so early in the pregnancy, but Richy wanted to tell everyone right away. I begged him to wait at least until we saw the doctor, and let him choose one person to tell right now. At that request, his face fell slightly. I knew he would have loved to tell his mom, and he mumbled that he would just wait. I hoped that what I had planned for him today would make him a bit happier, even if it wasn't a replacement for his mother being here. I missed her, too, and thought about how proud she would be of her son and how lucky our child was to have a grandmother like her. We had lots of videos and recordings to show them as they got older.

One thing I wasn't nervous about--marrying Richy. We'd purposely kept things simple. Lolo would perform basic vows. I wouldn't be singing at my own wedding, I wanted to save all of my energy to interact with people. No elaborate vows would be exchanged between us in public, either. We agreed that anything we wanted to say, we'd do in private later, in order to reduce the amount of time I had to be standing up. Richy had even offered to have me sit in a chair for the ceremony, but I declined, reserving the right to change my mind as needed.

Richy and I got to spend a quiet morning together. I didn't think it was possible for him to be more loving and gentle than he had been, but somehow, he managed it. The day before, he and Jake had spent hours poring over the instructions my doctor sent until they both seemed to have it memorized, complementing its contents with information Jake found on the internet. They researched the safest and best remedies for nausea and fatigue for a pregnant person and what kinds of foods might settle my stomach. Then Richy took the time to cook meals at a point in the day when I felt less nauseous so that the smells wouldn't bother me as much. He and Jake placed portions in individual containers. I watched in amusement and even covertly filmed them to send to Jessy.

Now, after being coaxed by Richy to eat some breakfast, we took a shower where he washed my hair and gave me a scalp massage. It was so relaxing that I took a nap until Jessy's arrival. Richy hovered near me while she worked on my hair. When my phone finally buzzed with a text, I snatched it up and grinned at Jessy. I showed her my phone and asked her if she could bring them in. She left, saying she'd be back in a minute.

"Bring who in?" Richy asked, trying to crane his neck to see my phone's screen, which I hid from him. "People can visit after the ceremony, you need to be relaxed now."

I beckoned him over to me. "I know how nervous you are about my health. But I want you to enjoy today, too," I told him. "That's why I arranged a little surprise for you, and I promise it won't stress me out."

The door opened, and Paul Roger walked in slowly. "Dad?!" Richy cried. He stared at him like he was seeing a ghost, and his father did the same to him.

"Richy..." his voice was choked with emotion, and I watched happily as they embraced somewhat awkwardly. "I'm so sorry that I left. I thought...I had to give up hope, because I couldn't live with the uncertainty."

Richy nodded, at a loss for words. "Paul, we hope you'll come back to visit more often. Now that you'll be a grandfather, I mean," I told him.

Paul's mouth formed an "O" of surprise. "Really? That's wonderful. Your mother would be so happy for you, son. You couldn't have picked a better woman, either." He smiled down at me with real warmth. Richy grasped my hand.

"Thanks, dad. I know, she's the best. I'm the luckiest man that ever lived." His adoration made me feel like I was floating on air.

"Well, I just wanted to say a quick hello. But there's someone else who wants to come in, so I'll leave you to it and we'll talk more later," Paul assured. He walked to the door and held it open, letting in Cleo and Thomas.