When Worlds Collide
Chapter 11
By: Bella
Benji was in shock. He couldn't even speak, which was rare for him.
"I had made a doctor's appointment the second day that I got back, and it was scheduled for that Friday. But when I woke up on Thursday, I was bleeding …" Tristen said.
"You mean, we lost our baby?" he interrupted once he had found his voice and feeling his heart sink and tears welling up in his eyes once again.
She didn't answer his question directly, but just continued where she had left off. "I was so upset. I thought I had miscarried. I didn't know what to do, so I called my best friend Jill and she took me to the hospital. I was a wreck. It was so scary. But imagine how stupid I felt when the doctor checked me and said, 'What made you think that you were pregnant?'"
"What the fuck?" Benji asked, still in shock. He couldn't believe his ears.
"It was a false positive. I never was pregnant," she said, watching him as he tried to comprehend it all.
"Holy shit," he said. "How did that happen? I don't know whether I feel relieved or sad."
"I didn't either. Hell, I still don't know how I feel. It just feels weird, thinking that you've created something and then feeling heartbroken because you think that it's gone, only to find out that it never even existed," she said with a little laugh, feeling uncomfortable and overwhelmed. He hugged her and pulled her close.
"This does feel so strange," he admitted. "On the plane here this morning all I could think about was being a father and us being a family. For the first time I was so excited. I couldn't wait to watch your stomach grow, witness our baby entering the world, watch our baby grow up, and be there to see and experience everything. This morning I felt like a dad, and now I feel like a nobody."
"You're not a nobody," she said to him. "Because you're still my husband, and you still mean everything to me."
"I missed you so much," he said, still hugging her tightly.
"I missed you, too," she said.
"From now on I stick by you no matter what. I don't care what comes up, you're my wife and I'm here for you. I love you more than anything and I don't think I would have survived another day without you."
She smiled. It was exactly what she needed to hear.
---
Later that evening, Benji and Tristen discussed their wedding with their parents. Because it had been a month since Benji and Tristen had called off their engagement, Tristen's parents had since taken care of canceling everything for their daughter. Re-planning their wedding was quite a task, but by the end of the night they thought they had figured out a way to keep the original wedding date. Life would be hectic for the next month or so, but in the end Benji and Tristen were happy that it would all be over and they would be married (again) soon.
Benji stayed at Tristen's house, but in a guest bedroom a few rooms apart from Tristen's. That night after everyone had gone to bed, Tristen couldn't sleep. She couldn't stand being under the same roof as her husband, yet not being able to sleep in the same bed. All she wanted was to feel his arms around her and feel the movement of his chest as he breathed while she slept peacefully. It was a feeling that she hadn't felt in so long. She thought about sneaking in to his room and sneaking back in to hers that morning, but she was too afraid to. Instead, she decided to take a hot bath.
She had a bathroom in her bedroom with a large, old-fashioned looking tub. She had loved taking bubble baths since she was a little girl. They relaxed her. She turned on the light in her bathroom and ran the water. She lit a few scented candles and pinned all of her hair up so that it didn't get wet. Then she added a generous amount of bubble bath, creating a lot of bubbles. She got in and relaxed in a comfortable position. She closed her eyes and got lost in her thoughts.
She was startled as she felt something touch her leg. Her eyes immediately opened and she jumped, almost screaming.
"Shh …" Benji shushed her, putting his index finger to his lips. What she felt was his leg touching hers as he got into the tub with her. She was surprised but glad that he was there.
"You scared the shit out of me!" she said, trying to be quiet. "I didn't even hear you come in."
"Then I guess I'm good at being sneaky, huh?" he said quietly back with a little laugh.
"What if my parents wake up?" she said, a bit worried.
"I turned the light and fan on in the bathroom, so if they try to spy on me they'll think I'm in there," he said with an evil grin.
"I have a smart husband," she said smiling, as they both tried to change positions so that they could get comfortable. They finally settled with Benji behind Tristen, and Tristen laying back on him with her head on his chest. They relaxed with each other, played with each others hands, and occasionally talked quietly. After a while they began kissing. Tristen turned around and sat up so that she wouldn't have to twist her neck. She was sitting in Benji's lap facing him as they continued to kiss, but she felt him getting more and more excited.
"Hey, watch that thing," she said, shifting a little and laughing as quietly as she could.
"But poor little Benji is lost and can't find his way home," he whispered. "Think you can help him out?"
"Little Benji? Oh gosh, you've got problems …" she whispered back as she continued to kiss him and was about to "help Little Benji," but was interrupted by the sound of light knocking on her bathroom door. They both stopped and their eyes got wide.
"Yeah?" Tristen asked, trying not to sound panicked as Benji tried to get out of the tub as fast as he could without making a lot of noise or getting water and bubbles everywhere. He grabbed the nearest towel he could find hanging next to him and quickly tried to dry himself just enough so that he wouldn't drip all over the floor.
"I noticed your bedroom light was on and I just came in to make sure everything was okay," her mother answered from the other side of the door. Benji continued drying himself when he noticed that the door was unlocked. He quickly looked around for a place to hide, in case she came in, but there wasn't anywhere for him to go unseen. Her shower doors were clear glass. She was in her bathtub. He was way to big to fit in any of her cabinets.
"I'm just taking a bath," she replied.
"Oh," her mother said, opening the door to her bathroom and poking her head in. Benji stood behind her door and prayed that her mother didn't open it further because it would hit him and he would be found. "Couldn't sleep?"
"No, it's been too much of an eventful day," Tristen said as her heart raced. She focused on keeping her eyes on her mother and trying to ignore the terrified looking Benji who stood behind the partially opened door as still as he could that she caught in the corner of her eye.
"Yes I understand. Well, try to unwind a little. I'm going back to bed. I just got up to get some water," she said, holding up a glass of water.
"OK, goodnight mummy," Tristen said.
"Goodnight, dear," her mother replied as she shut the bathroom door. Benji remained against the wall behind her door holding his breath until they could hear Tristen's mother shut her bedroom door. Both Benji and Tristen let out sighs of relief.
"That was so close," Tristen said quietly, laying her head back on the back of the tub and closing her eyes for a few seconds. "I thought I was going to have a heart attack.
"Tell me about it," Benji agreed. "You almost had a puddle of piss behind your door on this fancy floor of yours."