Aftermath

Part 16

"I told him, yesterday," I said softly.

Cristina adjusted herself in the chair next to me. We had found a relatively less crowded table in the corner to sit at. Not that Joe's was ever really quiet. 

"Derek? About the baby?"

I nodded.

"How did it go?"

"There was a lot of crying," I decided not to tell her about the part where we were about to have sex and I stopped it. "But now he seems to be walking on eggshells around me all the time,"

"It's good you told him. I mean, he deserved to know,"

I shrugged lightly, picking up a peanut from the bowl on our table and eating it. 

"And he cares about you. Obviously he's gonna want to take care of you after hearing what you've been through,"

"That's just it! I don't need to be taken care of, he needs to worry about himself. I managed just fine for all these weeks on my own,"

Cristina looked like she was about to argue with me, but Joe set down two shot glasses in front of us, filling them with straight tequila. 

"Let's, uh, change the subject," I suggested. 

"To me getting married!" Cristina toasted as she lifted up her shot glass.

I copied her, and we both downed the shots. I enjoyed the warm burning sensation tequila gave you when it went down. I was still unsure of the marriage, but I could never really find the right way to bring it up to her. 

"So Derek's mom is coming to visit,"

"Oh, when?"

"Day after tomorrow, she's staying for like five days,"

Cristina frowned. "At your house?"

"Yes, where else?"

"Is she coming to my wedding?"

I stopped. I hadn't thought about that. 

"Are you okay with that?"

"I mean, it's not like you can host a giant party with her there and tell her to stay in the bathroom all night. I guess so,"

"If you don't want her there, I'm sure we could secure her a hotel room or something. It's your wedding,"

"No, it's fine. She can stay," Cristina shrugged and motioned to Joe to refill our shot glasses, which he did.

Cristina picked up the newly filled glass and smirked at me. "Here's to hoping you survive a week long visit from your mother-in-law," 

"I'll drink to that," I said, and we both downed the shots. 

Hours and multiple drinks later, we were both hysterically laughing about Lauren.

"Did you see the way she looked when you came out in the red dress?" I asked.

"God, she definitely hated her job so much in that moment!"

"She tried to convince us to buy a different damn dress!" I laughed.

Cristina doubled over, clearly drunk. We were laughing about nothing really anymore, everything seemed to be so much funnier when influenced by alcohol. 

"Keys, ladies," Joe demanded holding out his hands. 

"Aww, c'mon, we're not that drunk!" Cristina protested, pulling out her keys and handing them over anyway. 

"I'm with her!" I said when he looked at me.

"I'm going to call you cabs," He told us as he walked towards the phone.