Meeting Marshall Mathers: The Later Years

Every cloud...

"Negative?" Marshall popped his head around the door, I was sat on the side of the bathtub looking at the little window on the test,

"Mhm" I couldn't hide my heartbreak and frustration, we'd only been trying for four months, but each negative test especially with my periods being late was really kicking me to the curb. We'd been tracking ovulation with tests and each month I'd be symptom spotting like a mad woman, I had also developed a new addiction to taking multiple tests way before my period was due, knowing I wasn't pregnant but googling all sorts to ensure there was hope with negative results when my period was late.

"Ay look..." he took the test from my hand and dumped it in the sanitary bin before returning to me, kneeling in front of me and taking my hands in his,
"Maybe we should take a minute and stop with the testing, just.. let Mother Nature do her thing?"

"I'm just.. I'm sorry" I let go of his hands to swipe my hair from my face in frustration, Marshall then stood and sat beside me, putting his arm supportively around my waist to which I rested my head on his shoulder,

"What you gotta be sorry about? Didn't the woman at the clinic tell us to relax and keep doing what we was doing? She did say testing could cause stress and prolong it more than it could encourage it, remember?"

"No you're right.. I need to chill. I was just.. certain it would happen this month. I'm being stupid"

"You ain't being stupid. I know how much this means to you.. to us. But look, we done it twice before right? My sperm count's normal, you're ovulating as you should, so.. I believe when it's baby's time to be here, then.. it'll be here"

"You know just what to say" we shared a kiss,
"You're right. I think we should just go back to basics... start.. enjoying sex again, you know?"

"Yea.." he chuckled as we stood up,
"I do know. It's been feeling like a military operation. Not that I'm complaining but.."

"No you're right, it's felt like.. a duty, more than fun. Hey..." I pulled him back by his hand,
"I love you"

"Man.." he blushed,
"I love you too. We been doin' real good lately. And I just wanna say that.." he fumbled for words as he smiled and looked away,

"Go on.." I urged with an eager smile,

"I wanted to tell you that.. I've told Paul to shove work up his ass for a week.."

"You're.. taking a week off?" I frowned, I was expecting a declaration of love with how he was blushing!

"Don't act so happy about it" he chuckled as did I,

"No it's not that, I was just.. expecting you to say something romantic"

"Yea well if you'd of let me finish.."

"Oh I'm sorry" I made a zip like motion across my lips,

"As I was sayin'... so I told Paul I was taking a week off, because I'm wanting to take us away for a little bit"

"A holiday?" My smile couldn't of got any bigger,

"Yea... I asked the girls too but... Lainey's tied up, and well.. Hai's also tied up and.. Whitney's goin' through some shit. I told her that'd be all the more reason to come on vacation with us but.. she's taken some time out away from Kim's place, she's real difficult to get through to at the minute.."

"She'll just be going through that awkward time in life, you know where you don't really know what direction you want life to go in, or not sure what you want to do as a career or whatever.. and if her and Kim are butting heads then.. sometimes you've just got to let them do their own thing"