Unrequited

The Gift - December, 1998

John stood in the living room of Arianna's house, helping the kids decorate the Christmas tree. That would be his first Christmas without his Mum, and he felt rather sad about it. He had already walked away from the tree once, going into the powder room for a bit of a cry and then collecting himself before returning to the family.

Arianna had been watching him closely, knowing he would be struggling with the holiday, and so far, he had managed to only break down in private. But she knew by the look on his face that he could feel the lump of emotion rising in his throat when they were sitting with the kids. He had gotten up and excused himself so he would not upset them with his tears. He returned from one of those bouts to hear Arianna and the kids talking about him, so he lingered in the shadows of the hallway, listening to their conversation.

"Will he be okay?" Sophia asked, and Arianna lightly smiled, nodding her head.

"He's just sad, honey. He misses Nana Taylor a lot. She was his Mommy, after all. Imagine how sad you would be if I went to heaven," Arianna said gently.

"Very," Sophia replied, bowing her head. When she looked at Arianna again, her eyes were brimming with tears.

"You're not going to, are you? Like my real Dad?" Sophia asked, her little face full of sorrow.

"I hope not for a very long time, sweetheart, but no one really knows. That's all up to God," she told the kids and watched them sadly drop their heads. "Oh, come now, it's okay. You can't think about that. You'll be sad all the time," Arianna teased.

"Like Daddy?" Dylan asked. Arianna dropped her shoulders, reached over, and pulled both kids against her in a tight hug.

"You guys need to be patient with him. He'll be okay soon enough. God won't let him hurt forever. He's already working on healing his heart, believe me," she said, glancing towards the hallway John had disappeared down earlier.

He stepped out of the shadows and came towards her, smiling. She stood as he approached her, and he pulled her into his arms, hugging her tight against him.

"I love you so much," he whispered as he squeezed her. "And I don't think I would survive this without you," he added before kissing her and pulling away. Arianna watched him walk into the kitchen. She needed to talk to him, so she decided that time was as good as any.

"You guys keep on putting the ornaments on the tree. I'll be right back," she told the kids and followed the way John had gone.

He was pouring himself a cup of coffee when she stepped into the kitchen. She went straight to him, loosely putting her arms around his waist and smiling up at him. He put his free arm around her and gently kissed her. She just continued to smile up at him, making him curious about her cheerful mood.

"What are you up to?" he asked playfully.

"The real question is, what is your Mum up to," she said, and he gasped at the mere mention of his Mum.

"What does that mean?" he asked, wondering how his deceased Mum could do anything.

"Well," Arianna started, pulling away from him and walking over to sit at the kitchen table. "She's done something completely amazing. She's definitely pulled some strings up there in Heaven," she told him, pointing upwards.

"Have you gone barking?" John said sharply and looked at her, utterly confused. "Mum is gone. What could she have possibly done?"

"Made me get pregnant as she wanted," she replied calmly. John froze and slowly brought his eyes up to meet hers.

"What did you say?" he whispered, completely in shock.

"I'm pregnant, John," she repeated.

"But... how? When? How?" he stammered, making her giggle.