Baby Number Two(14)

Esther nodded to indicate that she was. "I'm fine," she insisted,  gripping the wall in an attempt to compose herself. "She's just kicking  more than usual tonight, that's all."



Joy jumped into action then, stepping forward to escort her into her  room. She remained by her side until she fell asleep, stroking her back  the way a mother would for her sick child.



"Hey," Silas greeted when she stepped back out into the hall, his  presence catching her somewhat off guard. He nodded towards Esther's  door. "How's she doing?"



Joy looked over her shoulder into the room before closing the door.  "She's fine," she told him, leading him into the living room. "She's  just a little worn out. She could pop any day now."



Joy walked past Silas to grab her coat and car keys from the kitchen,  but he stopped her in midstride, pointing up at the green sprig hanging  above their heads. "Mistletoe," he whispered, pulling her into a kiss so  deep it left her gasping for air.



Regardless, she didn't want it to end.



Not now.



Not ever.





Chapter 17



"Tonight was nice," Silas said as he drove Joy home from the Christmas  party he'd organized at the shelter. He'd bought all the girls gifts  just as his therapist had suggested, and he was still inflated with joy  from their reactions. "Esther really seemed to like that bassinet, don't  you think?"



Joy nodded. "She loved it," she muttered, reaching forward to turn the  radio on low with the hope that the conversation would end.



Silas noticed that she didn't seem in very good spirits during the  party, but he chopped it up to her being stressed out about the holidays  and left it at that. Their daughter would have been born around  Christmas, and it didn't seem like that much of a stretch to him that  she was still having a hard time dealing with the holiday season for  that reason. However, it wasn't until he pulled into the parking lot of  her apartment complex that he noticed the tears in her eyes.



"Joy, hold on a second!" he called after her as she got out, grabbing  his key from the ignition and rushing to follow her up the walkway. "Are  you alright? Was it something I said?"



"I'm fine," Joy said without looking at him. She struggled to get her  key in her buildings front lock, and he was quick to follow her inside  when she finally did. They made their way up the two flights of stairs  that led to her apartment, and she was just about to enter it when he  grabbed hold of her forearm and forced her to meet his gaze.                       
       
           



       



"I should have done this a long time ago," he admitted, pulling a small  velvet box from his jacket pocket and bending down on one knee.



The gesture caused Joy's heartbeat to quicken. She struggled to speak as  she stared down at him, and he smirked at her reaction before reaching  for her left hand and flipping open the box to reveal a breathtaking  diamond ring. "I know why you're upset," he told her, his tone  matter-of-fact. "This time of year is hard for me too. I don't know if  it'll ever stop being hard. The only thing I know for sure is that I  don't want to spend another Christmas without you by my side."



Joy allowed her tears to fall freely then, not bothering to wipe them  away as Silas slid the sparkling six-carat onto her finger and pulled  her into a kiss even more passionate than the one they'd shared under  the mistletoe a few days prior. They found themselves inside her bedroom  within seconds, but she struggled in his grip when she began to  consider the possible repercussions of accepting his proposal when he'd  only just ended another engagement.



"I don't know about this," she whispered through swollen lips. "You and Lara only just broke up … "



Silas sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He'd been dying for  this particular ship to set sail ever since he'd seen the tight red  dress she'd decided to wear to the party. On the flipside, the very last  thing he wanted to do right now was talk about Lara. "We weren't right  for each other," he insisted. "Not in the way we are."



"I know … I just … I don't want us to rush things … " Joy removed the necklace  she was wearing and slid the engagement ring onto it before securing it  back around her neck. "Let's just take things slow, alright?"



Silas agreed, albeit reluctantly. In the days that followed, he and Joy  each took care of business of their own with the hope that it would set  the groundwork for a healthy relationship. They both put in extra hours  at work and volunteered at the shelter together in their free time, and  Silas was even by Joy's side at the baby shower she held for Esther at a  nearby banquet hall.



The pair were making great strides in the right direction, which was why  Joy wasn't prepared for the blow she was dealt when she popped into his  office for an early lunch one Monday morning to find him having a  discussion with none other than Lara. The tight-laced woman looked up as  soon as she entered the room, and the look she gave her was anything  but kind.



"It's not what you think," Silas assured her, not wanting her to get the  wrong impression. "She's just here to drop off some stuff of mine."



Joy nodded from her spot in the doorway, but she made no attempt to enter the room any further.



"Well I guess that's my cue to leave," Lara chided in, standing up to  gather her things. She waved goodbye to Silas and pushed past Joy, but  she stopped short when she caught sight of the diamond hanging on the  chain around her neck, giving the couple one last poisonous glare before  disappearing down the hall.



"Don't mind her," Silas said, standing up to pull Joy inside his office.  He reached past her to close the door, making sure to lock it. "She's  just bitter."



None too amused, Joy started to respond, but she fell silent when she  felt Silas's palms drifting up beneath her dress. He allowed his eyes to  follow the line from her cleavage down to her thighs, and his girth  stiffened when he felt just how wet she was.



Silas groaned as Joy began kissing his neck, guiding her up against his  desk as she went to work unbuttoning his shirt and loosening his tie. He  palmed her right breast as soon as it was exposed to him, alternating  between gentle licking and forceful sucking as she arched against him in  silent satisfaction.



"I love you," Joy whispered, bracing herself against the desk as Silas forced her black lace panties down her legs.



"Show me," he commanded, allowing his breath to linger against her  flesh. She obliged by freeing his length from his pants, keeping her  gaze focused on his as she guided him inside of her.                       
       
           



       



They moaned as they came together, sharing a sloppy kiss to keep from  being heard by his co-workers. Silas could tell that Joy was close to  reaching her climax when her legs tightened their hold around his core,  and he was even more convinced when she reached up to grab a handful of  his hair. He reached his peak at the same time she did, shuddering as he  filled her with seed.



The pair spent the rest of the afternoon eating takeout and discussing  their plans for the future, including what type of wedding they wanted  and where they wanted to live. It didn't take long, however, for the  subject to shift onto that of children.



"She'd be nine this year," Silas remarked, sounding vaguely despondent. "Time flies … "



"I know," Joy said, reaching across the desk to touch his hand. "Trust me, I think about it all the time … "



Silas looked up from his half eaten salad to meet eyes with her. He was just about to speak when her cellphone vibrated.



"Hello?" she answered, her expression somewhat worried. The number wasn't one she recognized.





"Joy, it's me," Blair responded, frantic, her breathing shallow. "You need to get to Sibley Memorial as soon as possible."



***



"This can't be happening," Joy repeated on a loop as Silas drove them to  the hospital, not sounding at all like herself. "I just saw her not  even two hours ago. It just … it doesn't make any sense."



Silas looked over at her when he heard her voice crack, reaching across  the middle console to caress her hand. "It'll be okay," he said for what  must have been the tenth time since they'd gotten the news, signaling  his blinker as he turned into the hospital parking lot. "She's strong.  She'll pull through."



The pair entered the building as fast as their feet would carry them,  and they were greeted with a swarm of activity as soon as they arrived  in the maternity ward.