More than Expected

Part 34

October 5, 2023
      The soft whimpers from the bassinet in the corner of the room puts both parents on high alert. Royce had been nursing every three hours since they brought him home, so when Kate sees that it's 5:00 in the morning, she knows what their little one is crying for. Rick kisses her cheek and rolls out of bed to grab their son before placing the baby in her arms and going to the bathroom to pee. She sits against her headboard and lifts her shirt over her chest to free her breasts and allow the baby to latch.
      She doesn't even mind being woken up so much. She runs her finger over the newborn's cheek and stares at him in complete awe that just three days ago he was still in her belly. She looks up to find Rick leaning against the doorway and watching her with a smile on his face. "He's so cute." She tells him. He chuckles before gently getting back into bed as to not rustle their little one. "I know. He's perfect." "He really is. I love him so much, Rick." She says, "I do too. It's so crazy cause everyone talks about the love you feel for your child, but you truly don't understand it until you experience it."
      She nods in agreement, "I just can't believe he's ours forever." "For the rest of our lives, love." He kisses her forehead while she switches Royce to her other breast, "Makes me want to do it 50 more times." She tells him which makes his eyebrows shoot up, "Really?" He asks, "Well, not actually 50, but maybe 2 or 3 more times." She corrects, "I think 4 kids sounds good. An even amount that way everyone has a buddy." Rick explains.
      She nods, "Gotta marry me first though." She teases. "Baby, if we were of legal age, I would've married you the moment I laid eyes on you." He says as he stands with the baby in his arms and begins burping him, "Maybe we should just go see the Justice of the Peace." She thinks out loud as she snuggles back under the covers. Her boyfriend lowers their son back into his bassinet before joining her back in bed, "Uh uh. You're getting the proposal you deserve. If after that you want to elope, then that's what we'll do."
      She giggles and presses her lips to his, "I just want you and Royce forever. I don't care about legality." She says as she traces the line of his nose and down to his jawline, "You have us. Always." He promises and presses his lips to her forehead before tucking her into his chest so that they could both get a few more hours of sleep. When Royce wakes them up at 8:00 for his next feed, Rick goes to fetch him and Kate some breakfast where he finds Jim and Johanna sitting at the bar, "Good morning." They greet him.
      "Morning." He replies tiredly, "Little guy keeping you guys up?" Jim asks, "Yeah. He sure loves to eat." Rick says as he puts a bagel in the toaster for Kate who makes her way downstairs with Royce in her arms, "There he is!" Johanna exclaims happily before taking her grandson in her arms. Kate smiles as she watches her mother and father fawn over her son. When she first found out she was pregnant, she didn't know how they'd handle it and those first few months were rough, but she's happy to see how much love Royce will experience.
      She graciously accepts the bagel from her boyfriend and begins eating. Nobody told her how hungry breastfeeding would make her. "He really is so cute. You two did good." Johanna says with a smile. The slight grimace Jim gives doesn't go unnoticed by Kate and she knows it's because of the reminder of what had to be done to get Royce here. They continue chit chatting, steering the conversation away from the baby's conception, when Rick's phone begins going off. He excuses himself and steps away from the group. The phone call is one that shocks him and he knows he needs to talk to Kate.
      He walks into the kitchen where Johanna and Jim are alone, "Where's Kate?" He asks, "She went upstairs to change Royce's diaper and get changed." Jim answers. Rick goes upstairs where he finds his girlfriend leaned over the side of the bassinet as she carefully places their son in it. She stands up and notices him, "Hey, everything okay?" She asks. Rick closes the door, "That was my notification of PCS orders." Rick says. Kate's heart sinks: He's moving. She thinks to herself. She knew this was a possibility but she thought he would stay in New York for at least a year.
      "Where'd they station you?" She asks, "Fort Bragg, North Carolina." He answers. She can feel her throat choke up, "When?" "I have to check in no later than January 31, 2014 and I don't get restationed until June 2017." He tells her. Kate bites her lip and looks away as a tear falls down her cheek. She has three more months with him in the same state. Three more months where they'll be a family under one roof. Three more months until she'd have to navigate raising Royce on her own.
Part 34! Little bit of a cliffhanger! Let me know what you think!