The Pain We Face

Next Birthday Girl

"Sure." I say sitting next to him. He looks at me and pulls me close to him.

"You know I love you right?" He asks.

"Yes." I say.

"And when Tina kissed me I pulled away right away, but you had already run out...." He says. I can hear that his voice is a bit shaky.

"Carl!! I know! I totally trust you, it's just I had to get away from Tina. I knew you wouldn't just let her kiss you." I say curling up against his chest.

"Ok... I just wanted to make sure." He says. I look up at him, he has a few tears streaking down his face. I sit up and wipe his tears away. He smiles at me. I smile and kiss him. He kisses back, putting his hands around my waist. I turn so I'm straddling his lap. He traces small circles on my lower back, it sends shivers down my spine. Any time I touch Carl I get shivers down my spine. Is that what true love feels like? I pull away and smile at him. He's so perfect. He smiles and looks down at my stomach. I'm only showing a little, but Carl seems fantasied by how the baby grows everyday. He lightly touches my stomach and I giggle.

"Do you think it's going to be a boy or girl?" I ask.

"Hmmm. I think it's going to be a beautiful girl thats going to look just like her perfect mommy." He says putting a hand to my cheek.

"You think so?" I say smiling. He smiles and nods. I wrap my arms around him and he does the same. He holds me close, and it makes me feel safe. He pulls away and looks at me.

"You know your birthday is coming up soon." He says smiling.

"Yeah.. And...?" I ask.

"What do you want for your birthday?" He asks.

"I don't really want anything, except I wanna go on a run for baby stuff." I say. He looks surprised.

"You want to go on a run?" He asks. In the past I usually didn't like going on runs, but I feel like this one would be fun.

"Yeah, because it sounds fun." I say.

"Ok. What ever you want." He laughs.

"But I have another idea of what to get you." He says. He has a huge smile on his face, and I know he's up to something.

"I don't want anything though." I say.

"Oh I'm sure you'll like it." He says.

"Ok..." I sigh. He smiles and stands up.

"Where are you going?" I ask.

"I'll be right back. Just stay here." He says opening the door and walking out. I shrug and lay down. I start to dose off, and I must have fallen asleep because I wake up to Carl rubbing my back. I smile and turn over.

"Hey..." I say sleepily.

"Hey baby." He says crawling in bed next to me.

"What time is it?" I ask.

"It's like 2:00 you fell asleep for a while." He says taking my face in his hands. I laugh a little.

"C'mon lunch is almost ready." He says standing up.

"You go ahead I'm not that hungry." I say.

"No. You have to eat." He says trying to pull my up. I groan and get up.

"Want me to carry you?" He asks laughing a little. I nod sleepily and put my arms around his neck. He lifts me up lightly and carries me bridal style. When we get to the fire we get a bunch of "awe's" from the people sitting around the fire. Carl and I laugh and he sets me down on a chair. My mom smiles at me, and I smile back. I look at Daryl and he gives me a 'I know something you don't know' look. I roll my eyes and grab a plate of food.

"Sooo Nikki... What are we going to do for your birthday?" Julia asks, she has the same look that Daryl had.