Forever & Always || Redlyn

Excited if You Are

"Why are you up?" Big Red mumbled wearily. "It's 5 in the morning."

"Don't feel great. Go back to sleep." Ashlyn whispered, getting out of bed.

"What's wrong?" He frowned.

"Nothing, sleep."

"Tell me." He made puppy dog eyes.

"I'm just nauseous."

"Do you need anything?"

"No, thank you love." She smiled at him before leaving to the restroom. A few minutes passed.

"Ash, everything okay in there?" He asked, fidgeting with his hands.

"Um, yeah, I think so!" She shouted back. Awhile later, she came back and sat by him.

"What happened? You look sick." He put his arm around her.

"Well, I think I am sick." She sighed.

"Then get some rest." He smiled slightly and gently pushed her into a lying position, lying down himself too.

"Goodnight hon."

"Goodnight." He quickly fell back asleep. Ashlyn stayed awake, staring at the ceiling in thought. After awhile, she picked up a now crying Hazel and walked into the kitchen.

"Calm down..." She yawned.

"Ashlyn, come on." Big Red, who had just woken up, sat by Ashlyn on the couch. Until he had showed up, she had been half asleep and holding Hazel. "You look tired and you look sick."

"What was I supposed to do?" She asked, sitting up and putting her head on his shoulder with her eyes closed.

"Wake me up."

"I was already awake." She replied, mumbling.

"Fine, but now you rest."

"Yeah, yeah, okay." She nodded, curling in a ball under her blanket as Big Red took Hazel out of her arms.

"Need anything?"

"No thanks." She shook her head. "But can you stay here? I'm comfy."

"Sure. Just please don't throw up on me."

"We'll see, no promises."

"I guess that's fair." He pecked her cheek, smiling. "Quiet, music, or TV?"

"You choose." She laid her head in his lap.

"No, I don't know how you're feeling."

"Quiet."

"Mkay, great." He stroked her hair. "Love you hon."

"Love you too." She mumbled wearily.

"Baby?" Big Red whispered.

"Yeah?" Ashlyn responded weakly, having woken up from his talking.

"I've gotta go to work..."

"See you later." She held back a sigh.

"You'll be alright?"

"Mhm." She hummed tiredly.

"You can watch Hazel like this?"

"I'm sure I'll be fine."

"I don't want you getting her sick, or making yourself sicker. I can take off if I need to." He said, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "You're really warm sweetie."

"Stay." She said, sitting up and hugging him. "If you can."

"Alright." He hugged her tightly. "Feel better Ashy."

"Um... hon?" Ashlyn set down her fork in the middle of eating dinner, which Big Red had picked up earlier.

"Mhm?" He smiled.

"I, uh, I'm not exactly... sick like normal."

"Oh, is it bad? Do you need something?"

"No, not at all." She shook her head. "I'm pregnant again."

"Really?" His eyes lit up, but she didn't notice.

"Yeah, I think that's why I'm sick..."

"Well as horrible as it is you aren't feeling well, that's great news." He leaned over the table to kiss her cheek. "It's great news, right?"

"I'm excited if you are." She beamed.

"Of course I am!" He got up to hug her. "Wow, two kids."

"Yeah." She hugged him back. "Ever imagine this when we started dating?" She chuckled quietly.

"Not exactly, but you can trust I imagined the future, which I hoped included you."

"Me too." She hugged him tighter, a comfortable silence forming before she broke it. "Baby?"

"Yeah?"

"I can't imagine my life without you. I can't imagine where I'd be or how heartbroken I'd be."

"Me neither, love." He kissed her gently, yet it was also passionate. "I wish I could say a bit more than that, but you took the words right out of me."

"No, that's perfect. You're perfect. Everything's perfect." She smiled.

"How're you feeling?" He asked, pressing the back of his hand to her forehead. "You're still a little hot."

"Not at my best."

"Okay, I'll grab Hazel and we can watch something?" He suggested. She nodded and started walking into the next room. Big Red reached out to pick up Hazel.

"Daddy!"

"Did you hear that?" He asked.

"Yeah, I did!" She walked back over, beaming. "Our daughter talked, wow."

"So... this day is officially the best."

"Yeah, it is." She agreed, her eyes watering. "And I'm officially a mess." She wiped her eyes.

"Yeah, I am too." He said, turning from Hazel to her with tears in his own eyes.