The Monroe Legacy - G.2. Chapter 12 - I'd Do Anything

The next few weeks were perfect. Movie montage with a Hall and Oates soundtrack perfect. 

As both Hallie and Cai worked from home they spent their days in and out of bed, completely shut off from the world. Hallie only left to go with her family to meet little Christopher, Oscar and Marisol's new baby boy.

Hallie felt like a completely different person the moment she let Cai in. There was a side to her, a wild, artistic energy that she'd harnessed as a teen to create her street art and crushed into a corner to please Brian. Cai revelled in it. 

Hallie painted him, sculpted him, painted on him and talked for hours with him about whatever popped into her mind.

But all honeymoon periods come to an end and as the next payment on the house remodel came in Hallie knew she needed to get back to work. Cai's novel was almost due and so, with a heavy heart, he packed up to return to New York to finish the book and fulfil his commitments.

Before he left, he and Hallie sat down and had their first serious talk about their relationship. Since the fire it had been all heat and happiness but they had never really discussed how they were going to make it work. 

Hallie was a little worried, Cai knew everything about her situation with the legacy but she somehow had never asked where he stood on marriage and kids and all those important things. 

In their years if friendship she'd deliberately avoided such subjects in case it had blurred the wobbly line they'd been walking between friendship and more. Now Hallie wished she knew.

As she sat across the table from Cai she felt sick. Hallie knew he loved her, but she didn't know whether he wanted the same things from that love as she did. Her stomach churned as he began speaking.

'Whilst I'm in the city I thought I would pack up all my stuff and sub-let my place. I'll get all my things shipped down to arrive and unpack when I'm back, I figured they could just wait in the study.'

Hallie was overcome with relief and strangely emotional, she felt tears in her eyes and blinked hard to clear them.

'Hallie what's wrong,' Cai worried, moving round the table towards her. 'Don't you want me to move in? I can rent someplace in town if you like, I just figured-'

'No I want you here!' Hallie interrupted. 'I was just scared you were going to go back to New York for good and it wouldn't work out or that we'd have to go long distance and I need you with me. I love you and I want you to stay.'

She cuddled tightly under his chin and could feel him smiling into her hair.

'Hal, you really are an idiot sometimes, you know me, you know that I know that your life is here and I'd never ask you to change to be with me. All I want is you, always, and I'd move to Antarctica or Iraq if that's where you were. I love you more than any city or thing.

Hallie just gave him a goofy grin as the butterflies in her stomach changed from nausea to desire.  That night their lovemaking was tender and reassuring. Their words and actions promised that they would forever belong only to one another.

Hallie lay sleeplessly in Cai's arms all night, anticipating the pain that the morning's separation would bring. As dawn broke the nerves increased until finally the ache in her stomach turned to a rolling sickness. 

Untangling herself from Cai's possessive arms Hallie ran for the bathroom and threw up the remains of last night's dinner.

She felt much better afterwards and after a quick shower she went downstairs to make Cai his favourite breakfast. By the time he came down to eat she'd forgotten the vomiting episode and they made the most of their last hours together, lying on the sofa and talking.

When the moment to say goodbye came, Hallie clung on until the cab driver was pounding the door and shouting that they'd miss the flight. She was dreading the weeks alone in the big empty house. 

Cai had made it a home.

Promising to return the second he was able Cai drive off leaving Hallie listless in the house. 

She was moping in her studio looking at her sketches of Cai when Luna arrived. Barging straight into the room by the side door she stopped short when she saw the rather naked picture that Hallie had been admiring.

'Oh thank GOODNESS' Luna sighed dramatically! 'Tell me you two finally admitted you're meant to be together? I was beginning to think you'd both die miserable and alone!'

Hallie blushed and gave a short version of the story knowing she'd have to go over the gory details later anyway.

Luna seemed content to give her a pass for now, though a glint in her eye assured Hallie that she'd have to spill eventually, and flopped on the sofa declaring,

'If I'd known it would take a fire to bring you together I'd have torched the dorm three years ago and saved us all the drama!' 

The girls spent a pleasant evening watching movies and stuffing popcorn and until she left, Hallie almost forgot to miss Cai. 

When bedtime arrived his absence was keenly felt and Hallie was staring at his empty pillow when her phone rang.

'Hey Hal,' came Cai's rumbling voice down the phone, 'You in bed?'

'Mmhmm, I miss you, come back?' She whined.

Cai chuckled, 'I wish I could baby, but as soon as I can I'll be back where I belong. Now go to sleep, just don't forget to dream of me'. 

Cai whispered to her until she fell asleep and as she drifted off, Hallie could almost feel his warmth by her side and imagine him home.

Determined to get on with life and help time rush by, Hallie spent the next day lining up jobs and catching up with her family. 

Belle was singing with a band in Sweden, Georgia was enormously pregnant, Oscar was busy absorbing his baby son before heading out for a tour in the Middle East and Lola was back at work having just been promoted to Resident and juggling the hours with her fast growing brood!

Hallie couldn't believe how much Zander looked like his grandma Marlie!

Whilst hanging out with Georgia, Hallie suddenly felt the bile rising in her throat again. Rushing for the bathroom she vomited and emerged a short while later to a concerned sister.

'Are you okay Hallie, there's that nasty virus going around still?' Georgia asked.

'I'm fine, I just ate something funny,' Hallie guessed, though now she thought about it, two days in a row was concerning.

Georgia seemed reassured laughing, 'Ah well just wait until you're pregnant. My first trimester was worse than eating a dodgy shellfish buffet on a ship in stormy sea. I have never been so sick!'

Even as Hallie laughed she inwardly panicked. She couldn't be. They'd been so careful and she was meticulous with her birth control pill. Nonetheless when she dropped Georgia home Hallie stopped at the chemist and bought a pregnancy test, just take ease her mind.

To her complete mortification the pharmacist, who had known her since she as a baby, winked and said,

'About time Miss Hallie!'.

She got home and followed the instructions, pacing the room until the three minutes had passed.

She peeked.

And checked again.

Impossible.

The two lines said pregnant and the time estimate said 6-8 weeks. That would mean she'd gotten pregnant the first couple of days that Cai and she had been physical. She had been extra careful those first few days with her pill.

And then she remembered the day of the fire.

The stomach virus would have stopped it from working properly.

Hallie felt the blood drain from her face.

-----------------------------------------

Find out how Cai takes the news in The Monroe Legacy - Gen. 2 Chapter 13 - Moments of Perfection.