Lovers

What's In A Name?

Hello hello hello! Long time no see! Ya girl survived a week of intense rehearsals, and I'm back with an update- one of my favorites. I hope you all enjoy- leave a vote and comment what you think the baby will be named! This chapter is the biggest hint you're all getting.
-ab

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March 3, 2028

Harper

"What are we doing tonight?" I ask Patrick, trying to get answers out of him, for what feels like the hundredth time.

"You've already been told, it's a surprise," he tells me. "Just put on something nice and we can be on our way. The sooner we leave, the sooner you'll know."

I groan. "I don't want to look nice."

"You can't go out in joggers," he informs me. "You wouldn't be caught in public in joggers ever, much less with what we are doing tonight. I know you, sweetheart. You're going to want to look nice. Now, come on. If you look good, then you'll feel good."

"Are you saying I don't look good right now?" I fire back at him.

"No, you look beautiful, as always," he insists, "but I think that you'll feel better about yourself in a nice dress or something more like that."

"Fine," I roll my eyes. I pick out a long sleeved maternity dress and slip it over my head, then pull on leggings with it. After a moment, I then decide to put on a bit of makeup, so I pull my hair out of my face, then begin to put the makeup onto my pale skin.

Fifteen minutes later, I've completed my makeup, let my hair back down and pulled it back with a headband. "I'm ready to go," I tell Patrick.

"Perfect," he smiles at me. "You look gorgeous today, sweetie."

"Thanks," I tell him. I don't add in the fact that I feel far from gorgeous today, but instead rather like an elephant. My stomach is so big, and I can feel that the baby is going to drop soon. She's getting ready to make her appearance, and I'm starting to get terrified for it. But I can't let that show.

"Shall we be on our way, hon?" he asks. "I've got dinner reservations, come on."

"Okay," I smile. We leave our house, and I manage to walk to the tube, though it isn't too fun. On the train, Patrick notices that I've removed one of my trainers and I'm massaging the arch of my foot.

"Should we be using Ubers tonight?" Patrick asks me. "I don't want you to struggle, love."

"No, I'm fine," I promise.

"Don't hurt yourself," he tells me, "or the baby."

"I won't. I'm good. I'm just complaining. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Patrick asks, raising his eyebrows. I nod, and he decides to believe me. "If you change your mind, let me know."

I assure him that I will, and he drops the topic.

As for dinner, he takes me to a nice restaurant in Chinatown. It was a favourite of mine when I was in Les Mis, but I didn't come too often, as it was a bit expensive.

The two of us share a lovely hour, talking and laughing over our Chinese food. I almost forget all about how yucky I've felt recently, as I enjoy my chicken lo mein noodles.

Once we are done, Patrick takes me out on the streets, and we begin to walk. "You used to work not too far from here, right?" he asks.

"Yeah, the Queen's Theatre isn't very far from here," I tell him.

"What do you say we go and check out the show tonight?"

He catches me completely off guard, and the next thing that I know, he's slipping a heavy piece of paper into my hand. I realize that it's a ticket to tonight's showing of Les Miserables.

"Wait, you're kidding me," I say. "Patrick Alwyn, you're bloody joking."

"I'm not," he tells me. "We are seeing Les Mis tonight, front row of the dress circle."

"Patrick!" I squeal. "How did you pull this off?"

"I bought tickets about a month ago. I thought that you might enjoy it, and I love surprising you."

"You are too much," I tell him.

"I know that you love it. Now, come on. Let's go and get to that theatre."

Patrick and I walk, hand in hand, to the Queen's Theatre, and even once we get there and go inside, I'm still in shock about what is happening. I had no idea that he had all of this planned, and I can't believe that he managed to pull it off. Every day, just when I think I couldn't love him any more than I already do, he does something like this and my heart grows even bigger.

I feel as if I'm in a trance, and before I know it, the lights are going down. It isn't long before I find myself crying, and I don't really know why. I think it's a combination of a lot of things.

I spent the best year and a half of my life up on that stage. I don't see myself ever loving a role that I've played more than Cosette. It was my first professional job, and it changed my life forever. It was what brought me to Patrick, the love of my life, and I truly don't know where I would be, had I have never played Cosette.

When the 'Rue Plummet' sequence begins, my heart melts. The girl who is playing Cosette up there today, Emmalyn, is doing amazingly. She hits every note with such elegance, and on her high notes, she is able to 'sit on them.' I've seen some girls play Cosette who haven't hit the note right on, but instead been a bit flat, and slid up to the right pitch. I tried very hard to never do that, when I played the role.

'One Day More,' the finale of the first act, makes me sob even more than I have for the entire rest of the first act. I'm so hormonal from my pregnancy, but also, the show is just that beautiful. It has been much too long since I was back for a visit, and I don't suppose that I'll be back again for another few years.

I can't believe that Patrick knew how badly I needed this, even when I didn't know how badly I needed it.

When the lights come up on the interval, Patrick can see that my eyes are red and blotchy, and tears are streaming down my face.

"Honey, why are you crying?" he asks me.

"I don't know," I admit. "It's just so beautiful."

He laughs. "Take a few deep breaths. People haven't even started dying yet."

I laugh and wipe tears out of my eyes. "Thank you for bringing me tonight. This was the best night you could have possibly given me."

Once the second act begins, I make it about five minutes before I'm fully sobbing. I'm sure that Patrick, sitting next to me, is having some sort of large regret over bringing me, but I couldn't be loving my life any more. I'm also sure that he's thankful for me being sat on the end of a row, so that there is nobody next to me to judge me, short of him, of course.

Somewhere near the end of the second act, a thought dawns on me. I don't really know where it comes from, but it's something that I can't wait to share with my husband.

I lean over to him, and whisper a name into his ear.

"What do you mean?" he whispers back.

"Our baby. That's what we should name her."

He smiles at me. "It's beautiful, sweetie. I think we have found our name."