Happily Ever After?? (Third in the Through The Dark And Free series)

Chapter 34

Harry sat back and watched the doctors check Julie again before dinner that evening.  Between the doctor and him, they had convinced her to stay for the night.  She wasn't real receptive, especially at first, but he knew she would do what was right for the baby, and they just couldn't get her contractions to stop completely.  She spent the day telling people not to come visit her.  She was cranky and admittedly so, and she didn't want any company right then.  Julie had bit his head off a couple of times, and tried to get him to leave a couple of other times, but he wasn't leaving.  He could handle the mood.  He understood she was going through a lot, and he'd put her through even more with his escapades the other night. So, Harry was sticking by her side whether she liked it or not.

He looked at Julie when the doctor left, and she called his name.  Nothing had really changed, not worse, not better, so they'd just hang around a little longer to see how things progressed.  He planned on having dinner delivered for her.  He'd already cleared it with the doctor, so she didn't have to have hospital food tonight.  Something she didn't ask for, but he felt he needed to do.  "I'm here, baby, do you need something?"  Harry nodded when she asked him to get her hand bag from the small closet for her.  He brought it to her and sat next to her.  "I know you don't want to stay here, baby, but we'll make the best of it."

"Yeah, whatever, it's fine."  Julie waved him off.  She didn't want to talk about it.  She was already annoyed enough at having to stay.  And the longer she was lying there, the more uncomfortable she was becoming.  She opened her bag and dug inside for a second before pulling out a small box.  "With everything going on, I never gave you your birthday present."  She played with the small box in her hand.  "Usually, your presents consist of a little more me and not so much gift because you're really hard to shop for.  You can buy anything you want anytime you want.  But this year, it was pretty impossible to do what we normally do on your birthday so, I went with a bit more traditional gift."

"You know you didn't have to get me anything, right?"  Harry sat down in the chair next to the bed.  He should have known she would have gotten him something, but with everything happening, he wouldn't have been disappointed if she hadn't.  She was giving him the best gift of all by having his baby.

"Of course, I did.  I'm your wife."  Julie shook her head.  "But it isn't easy.  The longer we are together, the harder it is to be clever and think of things that will mean something beyond spending money."

"You've always been pretty great at the meaningful gift giving, love.  I've never had a complaint."  He took the small box from her and smiled at the bow tied on top.  "I have to say, I'm pretty excited to see what it is."

"Go ahead and open it."  Julie shrugged.  "Sorry, I didn't give it to you on your birthday, sorry you're getting it while sitting in a hospital.  But, Happy 25th Birthday, Harry."

Harry leaned forward off his chair and kissed Julie's lips.  "It's perfect right here, baby.  It doesn't matter as long as we're together."  He sat back in the chair and slowly unwrapped the box.  He carefully untied the bow and then careful not to rip the paper, he slowly pried the taped edges open.  He smiled at Julie and then opened the box and looked at the ring lying beautifully inside.  He ran his fingers over the smooth stones.

"It's a titanium ring.  The center stone is an Amethyst, which obviously is your birth stone, and which Grace's will be, too.  I was pretty confident even before now, she would be born in February.  The small stones are Sapphire.  Which, again, you know is my birthstone.  I know you have a pretty massive ring collection, but I thought, maybe this way, even when you had to be away, you could always carry a part of Grace and me with you.  I know we will always be in your heart, but, I dunno.  I hope you like it."  Julie rambled.  She was always nervous when it came time to giving him gifts, but she had no reason to be.  He always adored everything she gave him.  No matter how small, inexpensive, or silly she thought it was.