This Is The Time-Chapter 14
Title: This Is The Time-Chapter 14
User: bluangleyes75
Pairing: Rob and Kristen
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Kristen and Tom conspire against Rob
Disclaimer: I don’t own then, I don’t even know them, but a girl can dream. All mistakes are mine. Thank you so, so much robstenfan_93 for the idea, your support, and your willingness to preread!
Previous Chapters:
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13)
Flinging her head back against the pillow, she groaned in frustration and beat the mattress on either side of her legs with closed fists. Biting back the tears that were threatening to over fill her eyelids, she called out through the empty room; hoping Rob would hear her, wherever he happened to be in the house. When he didn’t immediately answer, she flung the covers off herself and screamed out again, this time putting all of her pent up energy behind the yell. Just as she was getting ready to get out of bed, he flew through their bedroom door with wild frantic eyes.
“Oh my God, what’s wrong?” He asked breathlessly as he looked her over from head to toe.
“I’m bored,” she whined. “Will you please let me get out of this God Forsaken bed? The doctor said to rest more, not that I had to be on complete bed rest, Babe!”
“Kristen? Seriously?” He narrowed his eyes at her and prepared for a fight.
“Yes, seriously! Please, please, please, GOD! Let me get up and do something,” she begged, sticking her lower lip out in a pout.
“Take a shower or a bath, Love,” he offered, waving his hand toward the en suite bathroom.
“NO! I want to do something. My ass is getting sore, my muscles are starting to atrophy, ROB!” Her frustration was evident in her tone of voice. “Can I at least come down to the couch or something?”
“Ugh, I guess…” he acquiesced. “What are you gonna do down there that you can’t do up here though?” He pressed his luck, trying to get her to see that it wasn’t going to make much difference where she was.
“Stare at a different fucking wall!” She snapped. “And right now, that sounds pretty fucking amazing…that okay with you?”
Realizing that he was in a no-win situation and that they might only survive if he let her up, he nodded and shrugged again. “Fine, what do you want to bring down?”
“Nothing, I’m taking a shower first,” she wobbled around in the bed to gain momentum.
“I just told you to take a shower and you said…” He started, but she cut him off.
“Well, now I’m taking a shower and then I’m going downstairs. You have a problem with that Rob?” She glared at him as she sat perched on the edge of the bed.
“Nope, guess not,” he bit back the sarcastic remarks that he wanted to unleash.
“Good, see you downstairs in a few,” she waved her hand to dismiss him as she slid from the bed and shuffled to the bathroom, not giving him a second glance.
When she’d moved past him and shut the door, he blinked a few times and drew in a deep breath. Making his way to the bed, he grabbed her huge-ass pillow and her favorite blanket before going back downstairs to finish cleaning the kitchen.
****
Kristen’s nasty Mr. Hyde attitude was replaced by her much kinder Dr. Jekyll personality as soon as she was propped up on the couch. Amazed by the complete turnaround from the girl he’d had to deal with upstairs, he approached her cautiously with a cup of ice and a fresh glass of water. Twisting to look at him, she smiled widely and sincerely thanked him when he set them on the end table by her head.
“You wanna come sit with me?” She asked, grabbing her cup of ice, pinching a piece between her fingers, throwing it in her mouth and crunching obnoxiously while she waited for him to answer.
“Ugh, in a little bit. I want to finish picking up and I have to change the laundry over. While you’re down here I want to strip the bed and wash the sheets.” He listed everything he was trying to get done.
“Okay. Sorry I haven’t been able to do anything, Baby. Do you want to call the cleaning service and have them come in?” She asked sweetly, depositing another piece of ice in her mouth.
“They’re coming, but I have to pick up before they get here. They just do the weekly stuff, Love,” he reminded her. “They’ll do the sheets, but since you’re up, I’m just gonna change them now.”
“Okay, love you,” she grinned and wiggled to try and get the laptop from the table where he’d set it.
“I love you too,” he said, stepping to grab the laptop and hand it to her, along with the remote. “You want me to put a movie in for you?”
She shook her head and pointed her phone and ear buds, telling him she was going to listen to music instead of watch TV.
“Okay, holler if you need me,” he instructed her and bent to kiss her cheek before exiting the room.
Jogging from the room, he went back to the housework he wanted to complete, leaving her to enjoy her change of scenery.
****
Not even fifteen minutes after leaving her alone, he heard her scream out for him again. Shoving their sheets in the washing machine, he didn’t bother to abandon the task, deciding to just holler back, “Yes, Love?”
“BAAAABBE,” she screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Kris, hold on,” he bellowed back, shoving the sheets into the washer as fast as he could and slamming the door. Walking towards the living room, he stopped and turned back to start the washer before going to her.
When she saw him enter the room, she shook her finger at the screen of the computer and muttered profanities under her breath.
“What?” He asked as he bent over her to see what she was looking at.
“Someone at the hospital sold us out,” she spat, flicking the screen with her fingers in disgust. “We are now officially on baby watch!”
“What?” He asked, puzzled.
“Look, there are all these stories on here about whether we had the baby or not. Some say we did, some say we didn’t. They are even going as far as to say what we named the baby,” she gasped and shook her finger.
“Love, we know we didn’t have the baby. That’s all that matters. Calm down,” he ran his hands through his hair, trying to calm himself and stay strong for her, though she was definitely trying his patience.
“Yeah, but now we won’t be able to go anywhere without being stalked. How are we even gonna get to the hospital when it is time for the baby,” she whined and flung her head back against her pillow.
“Kristen, this isn’t good for your blood pressure and where are we gonna go? You’re on bed rest. Stop trolling the internet and be blissfully ignorant. Everything will be fine,” he stepped to her and reached to shut the laptop.
“I am not on bed rest,” she grumbled from between her clenched teeth.
“Okay, you’re not, but you are supposed to be taking it easy, so we won’t be going anywhere anyway,” he tried again, more gently.
“Fine,” she grumbled. “Wanna play a game?” She asked.
“A game?” He inquired and waggled his eyebrows at her when she looked up at him.
“No, you have me on ‘bed rest’,” she made air quotes and dropped her hands against her stomach. “If I can’t even walk around without you freaking out, I’m definitely not playing any games like the ones you’re thinking about,” she laughed.
“Oh,” he pouted and flopped onto the couch next to her.
“Yeah, shoulda thought about that one a little bit harder, Babe,” she teased.
“Video games are out, they make you sick. What kind of game do you want to play then,” he lulled his head on the cushion of the couch to look at her.
“Words with friends?” She shrugged and held up her phone.
“Seriously?” He smiled and sat up to dig his phone out of his pocket.
“I don’t care. I’m bored,” she laughed.
“Okay,” he filed through his apps to find the game. “I haven’t played in forever.”
“Kay, entertain me, Mr. Pattinson,” she chuckled as she nestled her feet in his lap and unlocked her phone.
****
When she didn’t retrieve her phone, perched on her belly, to take her turn, he knew she’d fallen asleep. He’d been watching her yawn for the past hour and noticed that her eyelids would droop and that she would shake her head to try and fight sleep, but she’d finally given in. Quietly and gently, he removed her feet from his legs and extricated himself from the couch. Stalling for a second, he made sure she he hadn’t disturbed her before he exited the room and went to put their sheets in the dryer.
Having been so busy with the nursery and taking care of Kristen, he hadn’t taken the time to speak with any of friends, so when the dryer was set and running he decided to call Tom and catch up. He knew Tom would be able to sympathize with his worries and frustrations, having just been through it with Sienna. Dialing his number, he retrieved a beer from the fridge and stepped onto the patio with the dogs. Settling into a patio chair, he waited for an answer as he brought the beer to his lips and savored his first gulp. Taking another swig just as Tom answered; he settled back in his seat and got comfortable for the long haul.
“Lo,” Tom’s voice sounded in his ear.
“Oh, Thank God,” Rob breathed into the phone. “How in the hell did you get through this without killing her or pulling your hair out. I need help, Mate! You also need to tell me what to expect when she delivers…I’m starting to think I’m in over my head and I can’t let her know I’m freaking out.”
“Took you long enough to ring. I’ve been waiting for this,” Tom laughed into the phone.
“Yeah, well…start talking before she wakes up,” Rob chuckled and brought his bottle of beer to his lips.
“First off, you have enough beer to get you through this. If not, maybe you should ring me back after you’ve made a run for more,” Tom warned.
“Fridge is stocked. Hit me with it! What do I need to know?” Rob went straight to the reason for his call to his best friend as he glanced nervously through the patio doors to make sure Kristen was still asleep.
****
Kristen stirred and tried to roll over, but there wasn’t enough room. Fighting to sit up, the fog started to clear from her mind and she realized she was on the couch and not in her bed. Glancing around, she concluded she was alone and that she’d probably been asleep for a while. The setting sun was casting a warm orange glow through the widows of the house and her bladder was protesting at its fullness. Turning to place her feet on the floor she wiped her eyes and rolled her shoulders to release tension. She wrangled herself off the couch and ambled towards the restroom, searching for Rob as she went. Passing the sliding glass doors, she saw him sitting at the patio table, talking on the phone, a relaxed smile on his face. Dancing down the hall, she decided that she needed to take care of business before going out to talk.
Opening the door quietly, she stepped out and reached behind her to shut it before he saw her. Looking up, he offered a goofy grin and patted his lap in invitation for her to come sit with him. Padding across the tile floor to where he sat, she looked around and noticed an unusually large collection of empty beer bottles littering the table top. Easing herself into his lap, she bent to brush her lips against his, noting the taste and smell of beer when she made contact.
“Yeah, she just got up,” Rob, smiled at her and explained to whoever he was talking to.
Kristen ran her fingers through his hair and raised an eyebrow in question, wanting to know who he was speaking with.
“It’s Tom, Love,” he slurred slightly and winked at her.
Reaching to pluck the phone from his hand, she brought it to her ear and clucked her tongue. “Tom, have you been sitting on the telephone with my husband getting him shitfaced while I slept?”
Rob smiled widely and shook his head while Kristen listened to Tom’s answer.
“Right…yeah…really?” She mumbled and nodded as she brought her free hand up to rub her eye.
“Yep,” she said popping the P and dropping her hand to her belly to scratch lightly as she continued to listen.
Rob snaked an arm around her and rubbed her belly as she continued to nod and listen to his best friend on the phone.
“Really,” she uttered and shook with laughter. “You’re kidding right?”
Rob rested his head on her arm. When she started to laugh at something Tom said, her body vibrated and he smiled at the sensation.
“Yep, it would. But isn’t that kind of mean?” She asked into the phone and laughed harder, bringing her hand to tousle Rob’s hair. Whatever Tom was saying was making her laugh harder and instead of questioning what was so funny, he just smiled against her arm, happy with the thought of her enjoying herself after being so miserable for the past few days.
“Oh, you are good, Tommy! Yeah…Ha!” She wrapped her hand around her stomach and bent slightly, trying to keep from shaking the baby too much with her giggles.
Rob picked his head up and looked at her though his alcohol-hazy eyes, “Tommy?” he stuttered and chuckled.
Kristen stopped laughing and looked at him, furrowing her eyebrow. “You need another beer, Babe,” she asked and wiggled from his lap.
Walking away, she glanced over her shoulder before she stepped into the house and closed the door. Watching her closely, he realized that once she was away from him, she starting speaking hurriedly into the cell and waving her free hand around as she spoke. She walked out of his line of vision briefly and came back into view with another beer in her hand. Glancing out the window at him, she set the beer on the counter and kept talking while she stared at Rob. Placing his elbows to rest on his knees he fisted his hands and laid his cheek against them, never removing his eyes from hers as she chatted away inside.
Just as he was starting to get irritated that he was keeping his beer hostage, as well as talking incessantly with his best friend about something she obviously didn’t want him to hear, he saw her pick the beer up and waddle back to the patio door. Sitting up and leaning back against the chair, he waited for her to bring him his drink and tried to smile at her. He expected her to sit back down on his lap, but she remained standing in front of him and held her pointer finger out to him, letting him know that she would only be a minute more on the phone.
“Yep…Okay…You too,” she cooed and shifted her weight from foot to foot. Rubbing her hip, she nodded and drew her bottom lip between her teeth as she started to laugh. “No promises, but I’ll try…Kay, here’s my husband…Bye Tom!”
Dragging the phone from her ear, she held it out to Rob, who looked at her with a questioning expression, but didn’t reach for the cell.
“Here, Babe,” she shook the phone around in his face, prompting him to take it.
“You okay?” He asked as he extended his hand for the phone.
“Yep, I love you,” she bent down and kissed the top of his head before turning and retreating back into the house and leaving him to finish his conversation and wonder what had just transpired between his wife and best friend.
****
Reading a book propped up in bed; she kept looking down at Rob who was snoring, not so gently, beside her. He was sprawled on his back, mouth wide open, leg flung off the side of the bed. He kept swatting at something nonexistent in the air and rubbing his nose. Trying not to laugh, she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and returned to her book. When he flung himself closer to her and tried to wrap his arm around her middle for the tenth time in thirty minutes, she absentmindedly reached out and tickled the tip of her finger against his lips until he pulled away and rubbed the back of his hand frantically against his mouth to scratch the itch. Laughing to herself, she glanced at the clock and noted the time. She wondered if she went overboard and gave him too many beers while they watched movies and if he’d be upset when he realized that she’d been the one to actually make up the bed because he’d been too drunk to do it himself by time she was finished plying him with copious amounts of alcohol.
Setting the book on the nightstand and resting her glasses on top of it. She made sure her phone was charged and ready to go before she turned the off the bedside lamp and burrowed into bed. Like a moth to a flame, he gravitated to her and tried to pull her and her pillow against him to cuddle with. His breath, hot against her skin and reeking of stale beer, made her cringe slightly, but she was able to deal with it, knowing what she about to do to him.
Cuddling up against him, she started to wake him up sweetly. She trailed her fingers through his hair and scratched at his scalp until he started to slip towards consciousness, but then abandoned her efforts to lie quietly and breathe deeply so he would think she was sleeping. When she was sure he’d fallen back to sleep, she traced her finger along his stubbled jawline until he turned his head back and forth, trying to get away from her touch. When he stilled again, she drug her foot against his leg and pinched him with her toes.
“Kris?” He croaked into the darkness.
“Rob!” She cried, sounding panicked.
“What’s wrong?” He struggled to sit up, but flopped back against the bed when the effort was too much for him to handle.
“Babe,” she whined and gripped his hand in hers tightly. “I think I might be in labor!”
“Wha…? No..Now? Wha? Ugh!” He shook his head and clenched her hand in his.
“I didn’t want to wake you, but I’ve been having contractions and…OWE,” she cried out, folding into herself and breathing heavily.
Bolting upright, he scrubbed his hands across his face, ran his hands through his hair, and tugged before releasing and repeating the gesture. Twisting to look at her, he stared with wild eyes as she panted through her nonexistent contraction.
“Turn on the light,” she whimpered, peeking up at him through her half-cracked eyes.
Flailing around, he swatted at the lamp on his nightstand, trying to find the switch to illuminate the room. Knocking a bottle of water and his phone of the nightstand, he cursed under his breath before finally standing and using both hands to figure out how to turn on the light. Kristen watched his discombobulated and drunken movements and fought hard not to laugh at him. Finally finding the switch for the lamp, he hit it and the room lit up. Cringing, she peered up at him with a miserable expression on her face and whimpered again.
“Holy Shit,” he groaned and turned to walk towards the bathroom before stopping abruptly and turning to walk back to the bed. Stalking back and forth, he watched her out of the corner of his eye and mumbled under his breath. Easing out of her pose on the bed, she gave a mock sigh of relief and started to wiggle up and out of the covers.
“Babe,” she said, rubbing her tummy soothingly. “Don’t freak out, please.”
“Yeah, right!” He nodded firmly as if telling himself the same thing. “How far apart are they?” He asked and placed a knee on the bed to reach for her.
Swatting at his hand, she pulled away from him and looked down at her hands. “I don’t know, but I’ve been up all night. They seem to be getting closer and they feel different,” she explained, biting her lip and averting her eyes so he couldn’t look into them.
“Okay…Alright…Ugh…” He stammered as he stood again and scratched his bare chest. Glancing around their room, he searched for an answer as to what to do, but he was still too drunk to think properly and she could tell he was struggling.
“I need some water,” she spoke quietly as she watched him.
“Ugh, Yeah…I can do that,” he tried to convince her, as well as himself. Straightening his boxers, he turned towards the bathroom again and made it all the way inside before stepping out and walking back to the bed. “I…I’m gonna go…” he pointed towards their bedroom door and swayed a little. “I, ugh, I’m…Yeah, I’m gonna go get you a bottle from the fridge,” he gave her a play-by-play of his intentions before he ran to the door and ducked into the hall.
When she heard him bound down the stairs, bouncing against the wall a few times on his way, she brought a pillow to her face and used it to muffle her laughs. Grabbing her phone, she typed out a quick text to Tom.
You’re fucking BRILLIANT! -K
Listening to him bang around in the kitchen, she tried hard to control her laughter. Turning the phone in her hands, she heard Rob yell up the stairs, his voice thick with panic. “You okay, Love? You need anything else before I come back up,” he yelled from the bottom of the stairs in the kitchen.
Trying to buy a couple more minutes she thought quickly before calling back out, “A popsicle, please. My mouth is dry. Can I have a red one?”
“Fuck,” he mumbled, barely audible, but since she was listening intently she was able to pick it up. Drawing the pillow to her mouth to bite on, she listened as he answered her. “Red? Yeah…I can do red…In the freezer in here or in the garage?” He asked, more to himself than to her.
“I don’t know which freezer, Babe…Hurry!” She yelled back.
“Okay, okay, okay…” he repeated, his voice lessening as he moved back to the kitchen to fetch her Popsicle.
Just as she was getting ready to yell out again, her phone vibrated in her hand.
You’re fucking MEAN…LOL! You better get video of that shit! -T
Hearing Rob trip on the stairs and cuss, she quickly exited the text and got the camera ready on her phone. Barreling towards the door, he misjudged the frame and crashed into it with his shoulder, knocking himself back into the hall.
“Bloody Hell,” he mumbled and fought to regain his footing, swaying slightly as he opened and closed his eyes in an effort to focus.
“Oh, You okay, Babe?” She asked innocently, her eyes wide with concern.
“Yeah, I think so. You okay?” He slowed his pace and turned sideways to make it through the bedroom door without another incident.
Suddenly feeling bad, she nodded and followed him with her eyes as he stumbled across the room with her bottle of water and a Popsicle resting in a bowl. Coming to a stop next her side of the bed, he wavered on his feet and squinted, fighting to appear more sober than he really was.
“Thanks, Babe,” she said taking the bowl from him and nodding for him to place the water on the nightstand.
“Sure,” he answered, giving her a drunken lop-sided grin. “Any more contractions?”
“Just one while you were downstairs, but it wasn’t as intense as the last couple,” she shrugged watching his eyes widen at her admission.
“Why didn’t you call me,” he reached out to stroke her cheek, but must have been having trouble seeing her clearly because he poked the corner of her eye.
“Owe, Shit,” she cursed and reached to wrap his wrist in her hand before he poked her eye out completely.
“Ooo…Oh, shhiit,” he drawled out. “I’m sssssorry,” he tried to apologize.
“Socks,” she glared at him, suddenly not finding much humor at his drunken state. “I need a pair of socks please.”
“Yeah,” he drew his hand back, turned towards their closet and wobbled across the room.
Setting the Popsicle on the nightstand, she turned her phone on and got ready to record. When she heard the drawer in the closet slide open, she took a deep breath and got ready to really mess with him.
“Roooob,” she cried, “Babe…I think my water just…Oh, SHIT! ROB!”
Raising the camera, she hit record just as the dresser door slammed shut and he flew through the door of the closet. The look of pure terror plastered across her face, made her feel bad for a split second, but when he tried to run towards her, tripped on his own feet and pitched forward, her guilt was replaced by worry. When he recovered quickly and threw himself upright to stand tall and yelled out, “I’m okay, I’m okay…are you okay,” while frantically trying to find her and focus, she could hardly bite back her guffaw.
“Rob,” she said, trying to bring him out of his panic slightly.
“Yeah, Okay…we have to go. Where are the bags?” He turned away from her and looked around the room, lacing his fingers behind his neck and whipping his head from empty spot to empty spot in their room where he expected her bags to be.
Biting the insides of her cheeks, she continued filming and let out a whimper of escaped laughter that he mistook for a reaction to pain.
“Oh, Christ,” he cried. “I can’t do this…we didn’t even pack yet did we? Did we pack, Love?” he turned and peeked over her shoulder. “You can’t have the baby if we haven’t packed!”
“Ugh,” she didn’t know how to answer him.
“It’s okay, it’s gonna be okay!” He held his hand up to her over her shoulder and stumbled towards the bathroom. “Hold on! Don’t push,” he called as he ducked towards the floor, disappearing from her view only to emerge with his pair of jeans from earlier gripped in his hand, which he was now waving triumphantly above his head.
“Let me,” he shook the pants out and bent over to stick one leg in, but didn’t have enough coordination to complete the task without leaning against the bed for aid.
“Rob,” she said, vibrating with silent laughter as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“It’s okay, Love,” he fumbled to get his other leg in before righting himself and hopping around helter-skelter as he tried to pull them up his legs.
“Rob,” she said a bit louder, struggling not to double over.
“Kristen?” He whipped around, plunging his hands through his hair again.
“Rob, I…I…”she couldn’t even speak. Letting loose the guffaw she’d been holding in, she bent over as much as she could, but tried to keep the phone in her hand up to capture his reaction.
“You’re not in labor are you?” He asked, his eyes narrowing and his shoulders relaxing.
“I…I…” she stammered, but couldn’t find the breath to continue.
“Jesus Christ on a Fucking Cracker, Kristen! That was…” he growled and waved her off as he stalked into the bathroom and slammed the door.
“I’m sorry!” She cried out through her laughter. “I love you, Baby! I’mmmm ssooooorry!”
Hitting the stop button for the video on her phone, she writhed around on the bed and struggled to breathe. When her stomach felt like it was about to explode, her ribs ached, and her eyes were swollen from crying, he finally ripped the door open and stepped back into the room, wearing only his boxers and a scowl on his face. Seeing how irritated he looked, she immediately didn’t find everything as funny anymore.
Lying on her back with her head tilted all the way back; she looked at him upside down and drew her bottom lip between her teeth to worry on as she waited for him to react. Gripping her stomach, she stared at him and he stared back until her neck started to ache. Letting her neck relax, she dropped her head forward and rocked and rolled until she was on her side and able to twist her body to look at him without cricking her neck. Bending her elbow on the bed, she sat up slightly and rested her jaw in her hand.
“You okay?” He asked.
She nodded.
“You’re not in labor. Have you had any contractions?” He stated and asked.
She shook her head.
“I’m too drunk to deal with this. You’re evil, Love,” he chastised her with a hint of humor in his voice as he reached to turn off the light.
Kristen pushed herself up and adjusted until she was on her side of the bed. Arranging her giant pillow, she nuzzled down in the covers and conformed it around her body until she was comfortable. Rob tossed and turned for a minute before sitting up and punching his pillow a few times, then flopped back down and let loose a deep sigh.
“I love you,” she whispered into the room.
“I love you too,” he said just before the bed started to vibrate with his laughter.
“You’re not mad?” she asked.
“No, I probably deserved it. I shouldn’t have had so much to drink,” he chuckled.
“I shouldn’t have given you so much. Tom and I just thought…” she tried to explain.
“I have to live with you, so you’re forgiven, but Tom better watch out, paybacks are a bitch!” He vowed.
Yawning, he scooted closer to her and pressed himself against her. Wrapping his arm around the pillow, he found her belly and started drawing soothing patterns.
****
Groaning, he cradled his head in his hands at the kitchen counter and stared at the cup of coffee seated between his bent elbows. His phone vibrated in his pocket, but he didn’t have the energy to reach for it. Closing his eyes, he blew into the steaming cup of caffeine he desperately needed. Kristen’s baby bump pushed against him from behind, just before she felt her hands rest on his back.
“Did you take something?” She asked in a low, quiet tone.
“Yeah, but I think I might need IV fluids and something stronger,” he joked.
“The price we pay,” she admonished him gently as she slid her hands down his back and onto her bump.
“Yeah, yeah,” he shook his head, “Shhh…”
“Next time you decide to get shitfaced, you better hope I’m not carrying your child.” She told him frankly and turned to get the juice out of the fridge.
“Was that payback for keeping you in bed?” He asked, peeking at her through the corner of his eye.
“Nope,” she stated. “That was payback for not communicating with me,” she shrugged and poured her juice in a glass.
“What?” He picked his head up and narrowed his eyes at her, trying to figure out what she was blathering about.
“That was for you calling Tom and telling him everything you should have told me,” she explained, bringing the juice up to her lips and taking a sip.
“I…I…Ugh,” he looked at her dumbfounded.
“I know you need your friends and I get that, but if you were freaking out so bad about stuff going on with us, with the baby, with the upcoming birth then you should have talked to me about it.” She said. “To call him and voice all those concerns and shut me out is soooo…”
“I didn’t want to worry you. I know you’re freaking out about it and…” he started to explain, but she cut him off.
“And…It would have been nice to know that you were feeling the same way. It would have been nice to talk it over with you instead of you just telling me everything would be fine and making me feel crazy. Then to find out you felt the same and decided to drink your worries away and go to Tom with your concerns.” She mean mugged him and brought her juice glass to rest on her distended stomach.
Staring at her with wide eyes he nodded and opened his mouth briefly before closing it again and repeating the action several minutes.
“So, like you said last night…Paybacks are a bitch. I’m pretty sure I proved my point and if you doubt me, I have video ready to send to everyone in our contact lists,” she smirked.
“You wouldn’t,” he smiled at her.
“I might,” she sang, bringing the glass to her lips again for another sip.
“You wouldn’t,” he said again, shaking his head and wrapping his hands around his coffee mug. Just as he was going to bring it to his lips, his phone vibrated in his pocket again. Digging in his pants, he retrieved it and looked at the screen.
“You Arse,” he answered and sat listening to the person on the line. Bringing the phone away from his ear, he looked at the screen and hit the speaker phone button before he tossed it on the counter and reached for his coffee.
Tom’s hysterical laughter filled the room and Kristen’s eyes went wide in alarm.
“You sent him the video, didn’t you?” Rob whispered just before he took a sip of his coffee.
Nodding slightly, she planted her face in the palm of her hand and shook her head. “Only him,” she whimpered, sounding remorseful, but when her shoulders started to rise and fall with her own laughter, he knew she wasn’t sorry, just amused.
“You two, I swear,” he started to laugh with them.
“I told you to talk to her mate and you kept telling me No. I told you not to fuck around, that Kris would be pissed if you didn’t work through shit with her…” Tom howled through the phone. “You asked for advice and I gave it to you, but you ignored it…”
“Okay, I got it,” Rob turned to speak in the direction of the phone as he threw an arm around Kristen and pulled her to him.
Burying her face in his chest, she fisted his t-shirt at his sides and continued to shake with laughter. “It was soooo fucking funny,” she cried.
“Agh, it was epic,” Tom’s voice cried through the room.
“Just wait Sturridge, you’ll get yours,” Rob guffawed.
“Bring it,” Tom challenged.
“When you least expect it, when you least expect it…” Rob promised through his laughter, moving one arm from around Kristen and reaching out to the phone on the counter to end the call, cutting off Tom’s laughter mid guffaw.
Kristen continued to shake with her own chuckles as he rocked her back in forth.
“I promise, no one else will get the video, but you really need to see it, Babe…It was soooooo funny,” she snickered.
“Ugh, I can only imagine,” he groaned. “It’s a damn good thing I love you so much!”
User: bluangleyes75
Pairing: Rob and Kristen
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Kristen and Tom conspire against Rob
Disclaimer: I don’t own then, I don’t even know them, but a girl can dream. All mistakes are mine. Thank you so, so much robstenfan_93 for the idea, your support, and your willingness to preread!
Previous Chapters:
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13)
Flinging her head back against the pillow, she groaned in frustration and beat the mattress on either side of her legs with closed fists. Biting back the tears that were threatening to over fill her eyelids, she called out through the empty room; hoping Rob would hear her, wherever he happened to be in the house. When he didn’t immediately answer, she flung the covers off herself and screamed out again, this time putting all of her pent up energy behind the yell. Just as she was getting ready to get out of bed, he flew through their bedroom door with wild frantic eyes.
“Oh my God, what’s wrong?” He asked breathlessly as he looked her over from head to toe.
“I’m bored,” she whined. “Will you please let me get out of this God Forsaken bed? The doctor said to rest more, not that I had to be on complete bed rest, Babe!”
“Kristen? Seriously?” He narrowed his eyes at her and prepared for a fight.
“Yes, seriously! Please, please, please, GOD! Let me get up and do something,” she begged, sticking her lower lip out in a pout.
“Take a shower or a bath, Love,” he offered, waving his hand toward the en suite bathroom.
“NO! I want to do something. My ass is getting sore, my muscles are starting to atrophy, ROB!” Her frustration was evident in her tone of voice. “Can I at least come down to the couch or something?”
“Ugh, I guess…” he acquiesced. “What are you gonna do down there that you can’t do up here though?” He pressed his luck, trying to get her to see that it wasn’t going to make much difference where she was.
“Stare at a different fucking wall!” She snapped. “And right now, that sounds pretty fucking amazing…that okay with you?”
Realizing that he was in a no-win situation and that they might only survive if he let her up, he nodded and shrugged again. “Fine, what do you want to bring down?”
“Nothing, I’m taking a shower first,” she wobbled around in the bed to gain momentum.
“I just told you to take a shower and you said…” He started, but she cut him off.
“Well, now I’m taking a shower and then I’m going downstairs. You have a problem with that Rob?” She glared at him as she sat perched on the edge of the bed.
“Nope, guess not,” he bit back the sarcastic remarks that he wanted to unleash.
“Good, see you downstairs in a few,” she waved her hand to dismiss him as she slid from the bed and shuffled to the bathroom, not giving him a second glance.
When she’d moved past him and shut the door, he blinked a few times and drew in a deep breath. Making his way to the bed, he grabbed her huge-ass pillow and her favorite blanket before going back downstairs to finish cleaning the kitchen.
****
Kristen’s nasty Mr. Hyde attitude was replaced by her much kinder Dr. Jekyll personality as soon as she was propped up on the couch. Amazed by the complete turnaround from the girl he’d had to deal with upstairs, he approached her cautiously with a cup of ice and a fresh glass of water. Twisting to look at him, she smiled widely and sincerely thanked him when he set them on the end table by her head.
“You wanna come sit with me?” She asked, grabbing her cup of ice, pinching a piece between her fingers, throwing it in her mouth and crunching obnoxiously while she waited for him to answer.
“Ugh, in a little bit. I want to finish picking up and I have to change the laundry over. While you’re down here I want to strip the bed and wash the sheets.” He listed everything he was trying to get done.
“Okay. Sorry I haven’t been able to do anything, Baby. Do you want to call the cleaning service and have them come in?” She asked sweetly, depositing another piece of ice in her mouth.
“They’re coming, but I have to pick up before they get here. They just do the weekly stuff, Love,” he reminded her. “They’ll do the sheets, but since you’re up, I’m just gonna change them now.”
“Okay, love you,” she grinned and wiggled to try and get the laptop from the table where he’d set it.
“I love you too,” he said, stepping to grab the laptop and hand it to her, along with the remote. “You want me to put a movie in for you?”
She shook her head and pointed her phone and ear buds, telling him she was going to listen to music instead of watch TV.
“Okay, holler if you need me,” he instructed her and bent to kiss her cheek before exiting the room.
Jogging from the room, he went back to the housework he wanted to complete, leaving her to enjoy her change of scenery.
****
Not even fifteen minutes after leaving her alone, he heard her scream out for him again. Shoving their sheets in the washing machine, he didn’t bother to abandon the task, deciding to just holler back, “Yes, Love?”
“BAAAABBE,” she screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Kris, hold on,” he bellowed back, shoving the sheets into the washer as fast as he could and slamming the door. Walking towards the living room, he stopped and turned back to start the washer before going to her.
When she saw him enter the room, she shook her finger at the screen of the computer and muttered profanities under her breath.
“What?” He asked as he bent over her to see what she was looking at.
“Someone at the hospital sold us out,” she spat, flicking the screen with her fingers in disgust. “We are now officially on baby watch!”
“What?” He asked, puzzled.
“Look, there are all these stories on here about whether we had the baby or not. Some say we did, some say we didn’t. They are even going as far as to say what we named the baby,” she gasped and shook her finger.
“Love, we know we didn’t have the baby. That’s all that matters. Calm down,” he ran his hands through his hair, trying to calm himself and stay strong for her, though she was definitely trying his patience.
“Yeah, but now we won’t be able to go anywhere without being stalked. How are we even gonna get to the hospital when it is time for the baby,” she whined and flung her head back against her pillow.
“Kristen, this isn’t good for your blood pressure and where are we gonna go? You’re on bed rest. Stop trolling the internet and be blissfully ignorant. Everything will be fine,” he stepped to her and reached to shut the laptop.
“I am not on bed rest,” she grumbled from between her clenched teeth.
“Okay, you’re not, but you are supposed to be taking it easy, so we won’t be going anywhere anyway,” he tried again, more gently.
“Fine,” she grumbled. “Wanna play a game?” She asked.
“A game?” He inquired and waggled his eyebrows at her when she looked up at him.
“No, you have me on ‘bed rest’,” she made air quotes and dropped her hands against her stomach. “If I can’t even walk around without you freaking out, I’m definitely not playing any games like the ones you’re thinking about,” she laughed.
“Oh,” he pouted and flopped onto the couch next to her.
“Yeah, shoulda thought about that one a little bit harder, Babe,” she teased.
“Video games are out, they make you sick. What kind of game do you want to play then,” he lulled his head on the cushion of the couch to look at her.
“Words with friends?” She shrugged and held up her phone.
“Seriously?” He smiled and sat up to dig his phone out of his pocket.
“I don’t care. I’m bored,” she laughed.
“Okay,” he filed through his apps to find the game. “I haven’t played in forever.”
“Kay, entertain me, Mr. Pattinson,” she chuckled as she nestled her feet in his lap and unlocked her phone.
****
When she didn’t retrieve her phone, perched on her belly, to take her turn, he knew she’d fallen asleep. He’d been watching her yawn for the past hour and noticed that her eyelids would droop and that she would shake her head to try and fight sleep, but she’d finally given in. Quietly and gently, he removed her feet from his legs and extricated himself from the couch. Stalling for a second, he made sure she he hadn’t disturbed her before he exited the room and went to put their sheets in the dryer.
Having been so busy with the nursery and taking care of Kristen, he hadn’t taken the time to speak with any of friends, so when the dryer was set and running he decided to call Tom and catch up. He knew Tom would be able to sympathize with his worries and frustrations, having just been through it with Sienna. Dialing his number, he retrieved a beer from the fridge and stepped onto the patio with the dogs. Settling into a patio chair, he waited for an answer as he brought the beer to his lips and savored his first gulp. Taking another swig just as Tom answered; he settled back in his seat and got comfortable for the long haul.
“Lo,” Tom’s voice sounded in his ear.
“Oh, Thank God,” Rob breathed into the phone. “How in the hell did you get through this without killing her or pulling your hair out. I need help, Mate! You also need to tell me what to expect when she delivers…I’m starting to think I’m in over my head and I can’t let her know I’m freaking out.”
“Took you long enough to ring. I’ve been waiting for this,” Tom laughed into the phone.
“Yeah, well…start talking before she wakes up,” Rob chuckled and brought his bottle of beer to his lips.
“First off, you have enough beer to get you through this. If not, maybe you should ring me back after you’ve made a run for more,” Tom warned.
“Fridge is stocked. Hit me with it! What do I need to know?” Rob went straight to the reason for his call to his best friend as he glanced nervously through the patio doors to make sure Kristen was still asleep.
****
Kristen stirred and tried to roll over, but there wasn’t enough room. Fighting to sit up, the fog started to clear from her mind and she realized she was on the couch and not in her bed. Glancing around, she concluded she was alone and that she’d probably been asleep for a while. The setting sun was casting a warm orange glow through the widows of the house and her bladder was protesting at its fullness. Turning to place her feet on the floor she wiped her eyes and rolled her shoulders to release tension. She wrangled herself off the couch and ambled towards the restroom, searching for Rob as she went. Passing the sliding glass doors, she saw him sitting at the patio table, talking on the phone, a relaxed smile on his face. Dancing down the hall, she decided that she needed to take care of business before going out to talk.
Opening the door quietly, she stepped out and reached behind her to shut it before he saw her. Looking up, he offered a goofy grin and patted his lap in invitation for her to come sit with him. Padding across the tile floor to where he sat, she looked around and noticed an unusually large collection of empty beer bottles littering the table top. Easing herself into his lap, she bent to brush her lips against his, noting the taste and smell of beer when she made contact.
“Yeah, she just got up,” Rob, smiled at her and explained to whoever he was talking to.
Kristen ran her fingers through his hair and raised an eyebrow in question, wanting to know who he was speaking with.
“It’s Tom, Love,” he slurred slightly and winked at her.
Reaching to pluck the phone from his hand, she brought it to her ear and clucked her tongue. “Tom, have you been sitting on the telephone with my husband getting him shitfaced while I slept?”
Rob smiled widely and shook his head while Kristen listened to Tom’s answer.
“Right…yeah…really?” She mumbled and nodded as she brought her free hand up to rub her eye.
“Yep,” she said popping the P and dropping her hand to her belly to scratch lightly as she continued to listen.
Rob snaked an arm around her and rubbed her belly as she continued to nod and listen to his best friend on the phone.
“Really,” she uttered and shook with laughter. “You’re kidding right?”
Rob rested his head on her arm. When she started to laugh at something Tom said, her body vibrated and he smiled at the sensation.
“Yep, it would. But isn’t that kind of mean?” She asked into the phone and laughed harder, bringing her hand to tousle Rob’s hair. Whatever Tom was saying was making her laugh harder and instead of questioning what was so funny, he just smiled against her arm, happy with the thought of her enjoying herself after being so miserable for the past few days.
“Oh, you are good, Tommy! Yeah…Ha!” She wrapped her hand around her stomach and bent slightly, trying to keep from shaking the baby too much with her giggles.
Rob picked his head up and looked at her though his alcohol-hazy eyes, “Tommy?” he stuttered and chuckled.
Kristen stopped laughing and looked at him, furrowing her eyebrow. “You need another beer, Babe,” she asked and wiggled from his lap.
Walking away, she glanced over her shoulder before she stepped into the house and closed the door. Watching her closely, he realized that once she was away from him, she starting speaking hurriedly into the cell and waving her free hand around as she spoke. She walked out of his line of vision briefly and came back into view with another beer in her hand. Glancing out the window at him, she set the beer on the counter and kept talking while she stared at Rob. Placing his elbows to rest on his knees he fisted his hands and laid his cheek against them, never removing his eyes from hers as she chatted away inside.
Just as he was starting to get irritated that he was keeping his beer hostage, as well as talking incessantly with his best friend about something she obviously didn’t want him to hear, he saw her pick the beer up and waddle back to the patio door. Sitting up and leaning back against the chair, he waited for her to bring him his drink and tried to smile at her. He expected her to sit back down on his lap, but she remained standing in front of him and held her pointer finger out to him, letting him know that she would only be a minute more on the phone.
“Yep…Okay…You too,” she cooed and shifted her weight from foot to foot. Rubbing her hip, she nodded and drew her bottom lip between her teeth as she started to laugh. “No promises, but I’ll try…Kay, here’s my husband…Bye Tom!”
Dragging the phone from her ear, she held it out to Rob, who looked at her with a questioning expression, but didn’t reach for the cell.
“Here, Babe,” she shook the phone around in his face, prompting him to take it.
“You okay?” He asked as he extended his hand for the phone.
“Yep, I love you,” she bent down and kissed the top of his head before turning and retreating back into the house and leaving him to finish his conversation and wonder what had just transpired between his wife and best friend.
****
Reading a book propped up in bed; she kept looking down at Rob who was snoring, not so gently, beside her. He was sprawled on his back, mouth wide open, leg flung off the side of the bed. He kept swatting at something nonexistent in the air and rubbing his nose. Trying not to laugh, she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and returned to her book. When he flung himself closer to her and tried to wrap his arm around her middle for the tenth time in thirty minutes, she absentmindedly reached out and tickled the tip of her finger against his lips until he pulled away and rubbed the back of his hand frantically against his mouth to scratch the itch. Laughing to herself, she glanced at the clock and noted the time. She wondered if she went overboard and gave him too many beers while they watched movies and if he’d be upset when he realized that she’d been the one to actually make up the bed because he’d been too drunk to do it himself by time she was finished plying him with copious amounts of alcohol.
Setting the book on the nightstand and resting her glasses on top of it. She made sure her phone was charged and ready to go before she turned the off the bedside lamp and burrowed into bed. Like a moth to a flame, he gravitated to her and tried to pull her and her pillow against him to cuddle with. His breath, hot against her skin and reeking of stale beer, made her cringe slightly, but she was able to deal with it, knowing what she about to do to him.
Cuddling up against him, she started to wake him up sweetly. She trailed her fingers through his hair and scratched at his scalp until he started to slip towards consciousness, but then abandoned her efforts to lie quietly and breathe deeply so he would think she was sleeping. When she was sure he’d fallen back to sleep, she traced her finger along his stubbled jawline until he turned his head back and forth, trying to get away from her touch. When he stilled again, she drug her foot against his leg and pinched him with her toes.
“Kris?” He croaked into the darkness.
“Rob!” She cried, sounding panicked.
“What’s wrong?” He struggled to sit up, but flopped back against the bed when the effort was too much for him to handle.
“Babe,” she whined and gripped his hand in hers tightly. “I think I might be in labor!”
“Wha…? No..Now? Wha? Ugh!” He shook his head and clenched her hand in his.
“I didn’t want to wake you, but I’ve been having contractions and…OWE,” she cried out, folding into herself and breathing heavily.
Bolting upright, he scrubbed his hands across his face, ran his hands through his hair, and tugged before releasing and repeating the gesture. Twisting to look at her, he stared with wild eyes as she panted through her nonexistent contraction.
“Turn on the light,” she whimpered, peeking up at him through her half-cracked eyes.
Flailing around, he swatted at the lamp on his nightstand, trying to find the switch to illuminate the room. Knocking a bottle of water and his phone of the nightstand, he cursed under his breath before finally standing and using both hands to figure out how to turn on the light. Kristen watched his discombobulated and drunken movements and fought hard not to laugh at him. Finally finding the switch for the lamp, he hit it and the room lit up. Cringing, she peered up at him with a miserable expression on her face and whimpered again.
“Holy Shit,” he groaned and turned to walk towards the bathroom before stopping abruptly and turning to walk back to the bed. Stalking back and forth, he watched her out of the corner of his eye and mumbled under his breath. Easing out of her pose on the bed, she gave a mock sigh of relief and started to wiggle up and out of the covers.
“Babe,” she said, rubbing her tummy soothingly. “Don’t freak out, please.”
“Yeah, right!” He nodded firmly as if telling himself the same thing. “How far apart are they?” He asked and placed a knee on the bed to reach for her.
Swatting at his hand, she pulled away from him and looked down at her hands. “I don’t know, but I’ve been up all night. They seem to be getting closer and they feel different,” she explained, biting her lip and averting her eyes so he couldn’t look into them.
“Okay…Alright…Ugh…” He stammered as he stood again and scratched his bare chest. Glancing around their room, he searched for an answer as to what to do, but he was still too drunk to think properly and she could tell he was struggling.
“I need some water,” she spoke quietly as she watched him.
“Ugh, Yeah…I can do that,” he tried to convince her, as well as himself. Straightening his boxers, he turned towards the bathroom again and made it all the way inside before stepping out and walking back to the bed. “I…I’m gonna go…” he pointed towards their bedroom door and swayed a little. “I, ugh, I’m…Yeah, I’m gonna go get you a bottle from the fridge,” he gave her a play-by-play of his intentions before he ran to the door and ducked into the hall.
When she heard him bound down the stairs, bouncing against the wall a few times on his way, she brought a pillow to her face and used it to muffle her laughs. Grabbing her phone, she typed out a quick text to Tom.
You’re fucking BRILLIANT! -K
Listening to him bang around in the kitchen, she tried hard to control her laughter. Turning the phone in her hands, she heard Rob yell up the stairs, his voice thick with panic. “You okay, Love? You need anything else before I come back up,” he yelled from the bottom of the stairs in the kitchen.
Trying to buy a couple more minutes she thought quickly before calling back out, “A popsicle, please. My mouth is dry. Can I have a red one?”
“Fuck,” he mumbled, barely audible, but since she was listening intently she was able to pick it up. Drawing the pillow to her mouth to bite on, she listened as he answered her. “Red? Yeah…I can do red…In the freezer in here or in the garage?” He asked, more to himself than to her.
“I don’t know which freezer, Babe…Hurry!” She yelled back.
“Okay, okay, okay…” he repeated, his voice lessening as he moved back to the kitchen to fetch her Popsicle.
Just as she was getting ready to yell out again, her phone vibrated in her hand.
You’re fucking MEAN…LOL! You better get video of that shit! -T
Hearing Rob trip on the stairs and cuss, she quickly exited the text and got the camera ready on her phone. Barreling towards the door, he misjudged the frame and crashed into it with his shoulder, knocking himself back into the hall.
“Bloody Hell,” he mumbled and fought to regain his footing, swaying slightly as he opened and closed his eyes in an effort to focus.
“Oh, You okay, Babe?” She asked innocently, her eyes wide with concern.
“Yeah, I think so. You okay?” He slowed his pace and turned sideways to make it through the bedroom door without another incident.
Suddenly feeling bad, she nodded and followed him with her eyes as he stumbled across the room with her bottle of water and a Popsicle resting in a bowl. Coming to a stop next her side of the bed, he wavered on his feet and squinted, fighting to appear more sober than he really was.
“Thanks, Babe,” she said taking the bowl from him and nodding for him to place the water on the nightstand.
“Sure,” he answered, giving her a drunken lop-sided grin. “Any more contractions?”
“Just one while you were downstairs, but it wasn’t as intense as the last couple,” she shrugged watching his eyes widen at her admission.
“Why didn’t you call me,” he reached out to stroke her cheek, but must have been having trouble seeing her clearly because he poked the corner of her eye.
“Owe, Shit,” she cursed and reached to wrap his wrist in her hand before he poked her eye out completely.
“Ooo…Oh, shhiit,” he drawled out. “I’m sssssorry,” he tried to apologize.
“Socks,” she glared at him, suddenly not finding much humor at his drunken state. “I need a pair of socks please.”
“Yeah,” he drew his hand back, turned towards their closet and wobbled across the room.
Setting the Popsicle on the nightstand, she turned her phone on and got ready to record. When she heard the drawer in the closet slide open, she took a deep breath and got ready to really mess with him.
“Roooob,” she cried, “Babe…I think my water just…Oh, SHIT! ROB!”
Raising the camera, she hit record just as the dresser door slammed shut and he flew through the door of the closet. The look of pure terror plastered across her face, made her feel bad for a split second, but when he tried to run towards her, tripped on his own feet and pitched forward, her guilt was replaced by worry. When he recovered quickly and threw himself upright to stand tall and yelled out, “I’m okay, I’m okay…are you okay,” while frantically trying to find her and focus, she could hardly bite back her guffaw.
“Rob,” she said, trying to bring him out of his panic slightly.
“Yeah, Okay…we have to go. Where are the bags?” He turned away from her and looked around the room, lacing his fingers behind his neck and whipping his head from empty spot to empty spot in their room where he expected her bags to be.
Biting the insides of her cheeks, she continued filming and let out a whimper of escaped laughter that he mistook for a reaction to pain.
“Oh, Christ,” he cried. “I can’t do this…we didn’t even pack yet did we? Did we pack, Love?” he turned and peeked over her shoulder. “You can’t have the baby if we haven’t packed!”
“Ugh,” she didn’t know how to answer him.
“It’s okay, it’s gonna be okay!” He held his hand up to her over her shoulder and stumbled towards the bathroom. “Hold on! Don’t push,” he called as he ducked towards the floor, disappearing from her view only to emerge with his pair of jeans from earlier gripped in his hand, which he was now waving triumphantly above his head.
“Let me,” he shook the pants out and bent over to stick one leg in, but didn’t have enough coordination to complete the task without leaning against the bed for aid.
“Rob,” she said, vibrating with silent laughter as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“It’s okay, Love,” he fumbled to get his other leg in before righting himself and hopping around helter-skelter as he tried to pull them up his legs.
“Rob,” she said a bit louder, struggling not to double over.
“Kristen?” He whipped around, plunging his hands through his hair again.
“Rob, I…I…”she couldn’t even speak. Letting loose the guffaw she’d been holding in, she bent over as much as she could, but tried to keep the phone in her hand up to capture his reaction.
“You’re not in labor are you?” He asked, his eyes narrowing and his shoulders relaxing.
“I…I…” she stammered, but couldn’t find the breath to continue.
“Jesus Christ on a Fucking Cracker, Kristen! That was…” he growled and waved her off as he stalked into the bathroom and slammed the door.
“I’m sorry!” She cried out through her laughter. “I love you, Baby! I’mmmm ssooooorry!”
Hitting the stop button for the video on her phone, she writhed around on the bed and struggled to breathe. When her stomach felt like it was about to explode, her ribs ached, and her eyes were swollen from crying, he finally ripped the door open and stepped back into the room, wearing only his boxers and a scowl on his face. Seeing how irritated he looked, she immediately didn’t find everything as funny anymore.
Lying on her back with her head tilted all the way back; she looked at him upside down and drew her bottom lip between her teeth to worry on as she waited for him to react. Gripping her stomach, she stared at him and he stared back until her neck started to ache. Letting her neck relax, she dropped her head forward and rocked and rolled until she was on her side and able to twist her body to look at him without cricking her neck. Bending her elbow on the bed, she sat up slightly and rested her jaw in her hand.
“You okay?” He asked.
She nodded.
“You’re not in labor. Have you had any contractions?” He stated and asked.
She shook her head.
“I’m too drunk to deal with this. You’re evil, Love,” he chastised her with a hint of humor in his voice as he reached to turn off the light.
Kristen pushed herself up and adjusted until she was on her side of the bed. Arranging her giant pillow, she nuzzled down in the covers and conformed it around her body until she was comfortable. Rob tossed and turned for a minute before sitting up and punching his pillow a few times, then flopped back down and let loose a deep sigh.
“I love you,” she whispered into the room.
“I love you too,” he said just before the bed started to vibrate with his laughter.
“You’re not mad?” she asked.
“No, I probably deserved it. I shouldn’t have had so much to drink,” he chuckled.
“I shouldn’t have given you so much. Tom and I just thought…” she tried to explain.
“I have to live with you, so you’re forgiven, but Tom better watch out, paybacks are a bitch!” He vowed.
Yawning, he scooted closer to her and pressed himself against her. Wrapping his arm around the pillow, he found her belly and started drawing soothing patterns.
****
Groaning, he cradled his head in his hands at the kitchen counter and stared at the cup of coffee seated between his bent elbows. His phone vibrated in his pocket, but he didn’t have the energy to reach for it. Closing his eyes, he blew into the steaming cup of caffeine he desperately needed. Kristen’s baby bump pushed against him from behind, just before she felt her hands rest on his back.
“Did you take something?” She asked in a low, quiet tone.
“Yeah, but I think I might need IV fluids and something stronger,” he joked.
“The price we pay,” she admonished him gently as she slid her hands down his back and onto her bump.
“Yeah, yeah,” he shook his head, “Shhh…”
“Next time you decide to get shitfaced, you better hope I’m not carrying your child.” She told him frankly and turned to get the juice out of the fridge.
“Was that payback for keeping you in bed?” He asked, peeking at her through the corner of his eye.
“Nope,” she stated. “That was payback for not communicating with me,” she shrugged and poured her juice in a glass.
“What?” He picked his head up and narrowed his eyes at her, trying to figure out what she was blathering about.
“That was for you calling Tom and telling him everything you should have told me,” she explained, bringing the juice up to her lips and taking a sip.
“I…I…Ugh,” he looked at her dumbfounded.
“I know you need your friends and I get that, but if you were freaking out so bad about stuff going on with us, with the baby, with the upcoming birth then you should have talked to me about it.” She said. “To call him and voice all those concerns and shut me out is soooo…”
“I didn’t want to worry you. I know you’re freaking out about it and…” he started to explain, but she cut him off.
“And…It would have been nice to know that you were feeling the same way. It would have been nice to talk it over with you instead of you just telling me everything would be fine and making me feel crazy. Then to find out you felt the same and decided to drink your worries away and go to Tom with your concerns.” She mean mugged him and brought her juice glass to rest on her distended stomach.
Staring at her with wide eyes he nodded and opened his mouth briefly before closing it again and repeating the action several minutes.
“So, like you said last night…Paybacks are a bitch. I’m pretty sure I proved my point and if you doubt me, I have video ready to send to everyone in our contact lists,” she smirked.
“You wouldn’t,” he smiled at her.
“I might,” she sang, bringing the glass to her lips again for another sip.
“You wouldn’t,” he said again, shaking his head and wrapping his hands around his coffee mug. Just as he was going to bring it to his lips, his phone vibrated in his pocket again. Digging in his pants, he retrieved it and looked at the screen.
“You Arse,” he answered and sat listening to the person on the line. Bringing the phone away from his ear, he looked at the screen and hit the speaker phone button before he tossed it on the counter and reached for his coffee.
Tom’s hysterical laughter filled the room and Kristen’s eyes went wide in alarm.
“You sent him the video, didn’t you?” Rob whispered just before he took a sip of his coffee.
Nodding slightly, she planted her face in the palm of her hand and shook her head. “Only him,” she whimpered, sounding remorseful, but when her shoulders started to rise and fall with her own laughter, he knew she wasn’t sorry, just amused.
“You two, I swear,” he started to laugh with them.
“I told you to talk to her mate and you kept telling me No. I told you not to fuck around, that Kris would be pissed if you didn’t work through shit with her…” Tom howled through the phone. “You asked for advice and I gave it to you, but you ignored it…”
“Okay, I got it,” Rob turned to speak in the direction of the phone as he threw an arm around Kristen and pulled her to him.
Burying her face in his chest, she fisted his t-shirt at his sides and continued to shake with laughter. “It was soooo fucking funny,” she cried.
“Agh, it was epic,” Tom’s voice cried through the room.
“Just wait Sturridge, you’ll get yours,” Rob guffawed.
“Bring it,” Tom challenged.
“When you least expect it, when you least expect it…” Rob promised through his laughter, moving one arm from around Kristen and reaching out to the phone on the counter to end the call, cutting off Tom’s laughter mid guffaw.
Kristen continued to shake with her own chuckles as he rocked her back in forth.
“I promise, no one else will get the video, but you really need to see it, Babe…It was soooooo funny,” she snickered.
“Ugh, I can only imagine,” he groaned. “It’s a damn good thing I love you so much!”