Can't Fall in Love Without You (Christian Yelich)

83

For the first time in a few years, there was no October baseball in Milwaukee. While Christian was obviously saddened that the Brewers didn't make the playoffs, he was more than happy to have the extended offseason to spend with his family. Plus Elizabeth was having a hard time lately, and he wanted to be there for her.

"Babe? You feeling okay?" Christian frowned, seeming to snap Ellie out of a trance where she was staring at a wall, cup of coffee in her hand.

"Hm? Yeah, yeah. Just tired," she smiled softly and gave him a gentle kiss, running her hands through his hair.

"Alright. Don't work too hard today, okay? I love you," Christian said softly, holding her close to him.

"I love you, too, Chris," Elizabeth grinned and reveled in the feeling of being in Christian's warm arms.

Christian could tell how tired she was and he really just wanted to be there for her and let her sleep. She hadn't been so exhausted since...

Since she was pregnant with Arlo.

Pregnant.

***

"Elizabeth? Elle!" Elizabeth was broken out of her trance by Kaitlin, jolting so hard that she ended up with coffee all over her scrubs.

"Jesus fuck," she hissed, jumping out of her chair and steadying herself as she swayed.

"Elle I'm so sorry!" Kaitlin gasped, helping to wipe the coffee off of her. "Go home, Elizabeth. You look absolutely exhausted."

"No no, I'm fine. Only six more hours," Elizabeth smiled softly. "Do you have an extra pair of scrubs I can use, though? I don't think these can be worn for the rest of the day."

"Of course," Kaitlin frowned, worried for her friend. She saw how pale Elizabeth got when she stood up.

***

Elizabeth was happy to go home early, because it meant escaping the watchful eye of Kaitlin. There weren't any other incidents throughout the day, but every time she stood up she felt her friend's icy blue eyes on her. It was unnerving to say the least.

"Chris? Hun, I'm home!" Elizabeth called out, heart warming when she saw Christian napping on the couch, Arlo looking so small on his chest. They'd been through so much together since Arlo was born, but she wouldn't change it for the world.

"Mama?" Arlo yawned, reaching out his arms.

"Hey lil guy," she smiled and picked him up, breathing in deeply. She still longed for another baby, but she knew the stress of trying to conceive nearly broke their entire relationship. Nearly tore them apart.

She became someone she didn't even know. She was using her own husband, and she understood that now.

So she was going to soak up the last moments with her babiest baby while she could.

"Hi, beautiful," Christian smiled softly and wrapped his strong arms around the both of them. "How was work?"

"It was good. Kaitlin was being weird, but nothing major happened," she sighed, letting out a huge yawn.

And now Christian was looking at her weirdly, too.

"What?" Elizabeth frowned, holding Arlo tighter.

"Have you... Please don't take this the wrong way, Ellie... I think you might be pregnant," Christian said softly, pulling away to look in her eyes.

"I think I would know if I were pregnant," Elizabeth scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I'm just overworked. Luckily it's the weekend so I can rest."

Christian bit his lip and looked at Elizabeth. "Can you... just take a test. To be sure?" He said softly.

"If you're that convinced. It definitely won't be positive," she shrugged and put Arlo down. "You don't even want another baby, so why are you so convinced?"

The question was punctuated with another eyeroll that made Christian's stomach drop.

Did Ellie really believe that?

Knock. Knock.

3 minutes to the second after Ellie finished peeing, Christian knocked on the bathroom door, gently wrapping his arms around his visibly nervous wife.

"I want to repopulate the world with you, Elizabeth Ann," he whispered, letting her get a few deep breaths in before pulling away slightly. "Should we look?"

"You look. I... I had so many months of disappointment. I don't know if I could handle it," she whispered, her head buried in his chest.

Christian's heart broke hearing that, and he held her securely against him before grabbing the test, breath hitching in his chest.

"Oh, Ellie," he whispered, the happiest grin spreading across his face.

"Negative?" she mumbled, not seeing his reaction.

"No, baby girl. It's positive. We're having another baby," he grinned and pulled away, his lips lovingly kissing her jaw and neck as she examined the test.

"A...another baby," she whispered, putting her hand over Christian's. She was thrilled, of course. She'd been wanting this for over two years... but the terror was setting in. The last time she was pregnant, it was only for a few days before their baby was painfully ripped away.

She was scared. And happy. And sad.

"Elles?" Christian frowned, sensing her trepidation.

"I... I can't lose this baby," she whispered, green eyes sparkling behind her tears.

"We won't. We're going to have another beautiful baby boy in 9 months. Everything is going to be perfect, love," he smiled and moved his hands to her hips. "I get why you're scared, but think positively. Enjoy every second of our baby," he whispered, knowing that she was still scared.

"Four kids, Chris. How are we gonna do this?" Elizabeth frowned, the shock finally lifting.

"The same as we have for the other kids, Ellie. It'll be hard and stressful, and we're probably going to mess up, but we'll love this baby with everything and do anything to give him the best life ever. Just like Reilly and Arlo. Just like you helped me do with Ivy. You're a phenomenal mother, Elles. And we make an amazing team. Please don't freak out about this."

Ellie took a deep breath and nodded, a huge grin spreading across her face. "I really will be a mom of boys, huh?" she hummed, leaning into him.

"The best mom ever," Christian responded. "Plus if we have 3 boys, that's a greater chance that one will carry on the athletic legacy," he teased.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Arlo is already kicking ass in tot hockey," she smiled brightly and kissed him deeply.

This just felt right. One more baby made sense for them, and Elizabeth Ann Yelich always did what made sense.