And here we have the last chapter of this story.
I hope you all enjoyed my tale of two unlikely people falling in love.

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Gabe was in a good mood after his mid-afternoon nap.

It wasn't something that he normally did, but between the pain, the drugs and Natalia's inventive pain management methods, he found himself sleeping a lot more than he usually did. Correction: than he ever did. But he felt a lot more rested than he had in decades. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt truly present in the moment.

In the kitchen, Gabe made himself some fruity tea that Natalia swore by and ate leftovers before he took his antibiotics. The box he found was empty already but he knew Natalia had picked up a refill that she had left in her handbag. She hoarded a ton of interesting and random things in her oversized bag.

When he stuck his hand inside the bag he found a white branded paper bag from the pharmacy, inside it were his antibiotics but there was also another rectangular box, with the words pregnancy tested printed neatly on the side.

He stared at it with a myriad of conflicting feelings. It was no grand secret that his and Natalia's relationship was serious. So serious that he could envision a lifetime with her and everything that a lifetime entailed.

"Gabe I can explain..."

He didn't even know when she had silently padded down the stairs and crept into the living room.

"Please do," he requested and he internally winced at the tone. It had a tinge of asshole about it. He was hurt that she had neglected to mention this before.

His tone has nothing to do with the actual risk of pregnancy. In his subconscious, he knew that they had been behaving a bit recklessly.

When he was going away to Mali, with no real guarantee about his return. It made sense, it had been romantic even. But now in the cold light of day, the reality was starting to sink in.

"Okay, I only said that because that's what people always say. I have nothing to explain."

Gabe had to bite his cheek to stop himself from laughing. This was a serious conversation that could change the course of their lives. He couldn't derail it with their usual bickering and to and fro banter.

"Start with the basics, why are you in possession of a pregnancy test?"

"I'm not one of your little suspects you can interrogate, you know," she replied tersely.

It was definitely in response to his initial tone, Gabe couldn't deny that. "It's not rocket science. My period is late so I got worried, ergo, I bought a test."

"Were you going to tell me?"

Natalia looked away, avoiding his eyes. It told him what he needed to know.

He dumped her handbag on the couch, bringing the pregnancy kit with him. He grabbed her by the forearm and led her to the downstairs toilet in long strides.

He felt his temper rising and threatening to overspill.

"Sit."

"I'm not a — "

"Can you not make this difficult? I want to do this without arguing."

"Okay." She rolled her eyes at his bout of seriousness.

She held her hand out expectantly. Gabe ripped the box open and handed her the test.

She stared at him with wide eyes. "You're just gonna watch me, you perv?"

"Natalia I was literally inside you a few hours ago, what difference does it make if I watch? It's nothing I haven't seen before." 

"This is some white bullshit, Gabriel. You're not watching me pee!" she shouted, angrily complete with a sideways gunfinger gesture pointed at him and blazing eyes.

It was at that point that Gabe started to get a little afraid.

"I'll turn around," Gabe mumbled his concession,  shuffling his feet to turn.

"I want you out."

"It's my baby too, Nat. I want to be here for every part of the process."

"You were very part of the process as I recall, Gabs. I'm not the Virgin Mary," she retorted and then she paused, resting her arms on her knees. "Wow, we're really — " She looked a little shell-shocked. The reality of the situation was just dawning on both of them.

"This is really happening, ain't that something?"

"Yeah..." she echoed faintly.

"It's going to be ok." He rubbed her back, soothingly.

"Will it? This will change everything."

"And we'll deal with it together. I want you to be the mother of my children, Nat. It makes no difference to me if that's today, months or years from now. You're it for me."

"Okay, turn the tap on. I'm going to pee on this damn stick," she sniffed, hiding her emotional reaction to his words behind her usual bravado.

Gabe did as he was told, turning the tap and making sure his back was turned. He could still hear her relieve herself on the pregnancy stick but she didn't need to know that. He'd give her the illusion of privacy.

"I'm done." She had pulled up her underwear and pants, and bumped Gabe out of the way with her hip so she could wash her hands at the sink.

When her playful brown eyes met his, he knew they were okay and that they could survive anything.

"What now?"

"Now we wait."

"Are you mad?"

He was mad, but not at her. He was mad at himself for giving her the impression that he would be anything less than supportive.

"No, never that. I want to be a dad before I'm too old to show my son how to throw the perfect spiral or beat up the punks that try to date my daughter."

She laughed at that, her eyes shining with unshed tears and Gabe smiled back at her running a hand over her face. She leant into his touch, holding on to his forearm, pressing a soft kiss to his wrist. Right over his pulse.

He turned over the stick, laughing at the scrunched up face, Natalia was making at his casual touching of it.

He was actually nervous.

He shared a look with Natalia, his fears mirrored in her eyes.

"It's...negative."

"What?"

"It's negative." Gabe repeated and showed her the result.

Natalia looked at him, similar to how you look at a dangerous animal.

With concern and caution as he washed his hands in harsh movements.

Gabe sighed loudly, taking a seat on the closed toilet bowl.

"I'm disappointed." He felt a sinking rush of upset and disappointment so sore, he found it hard to breathe.

She wordlessly hugged him to her body, it just so happened with the height difference that he was pressed up against her abdomen. He felt her warmth and softness through her clothes, and was hit with another intense dose of yearning.

He wanted to see her round with his child. His head swam with images of button-nosed cherubic faced babies as soon as he had realised he held a pregnancy test in his hand.

She ran her fingers through his hair. "It's normal to feel disappointed, I am too. But we're not ready, Gabe."

"I know." He lifted his head to look at him. "I want this. I want to do everything I can to be ready." He swallowed, pausing, "Therapy, buying a bigger house, marriage..." They had never discussed those things before, but he knew they were all steps that he needed to take.

"You did not just propose to me, Gabriel!"

"I'm not proposing in a toilet, Natalia. I'm just saying that I would marry you today if you'd let me. I've been yours since you showed up fashionably late to the summer barbecue in that red dress. When I know you won't freak out, and it's fine if you do, I know it's part of your processing, I will propose and you better be ready to say yes."

"Yes...I mean, I'm saying a pre-yes to your pre-proposal." She held his face in her small hands, a beaming smile on her face. "I knew I looked ridiculously peng in that red dress."

They had lived through a catalogue of emotions in the space of minutes. It would give most people whiplash. But this was them and he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Dear Lord, do we need therapy. C'mon let's get out of here."

"Who's we, Gabriel?"

Gabe laughed as he led her out of the toilet.

If he was a believing man, he would say he had loved her sight unseen from her voice alone. That the universe had conspired to bring together the two loneliest stars in the galaxy.

But he was a man of science.

He could, however freely admit that his life had irrevocably changed for the better, the minute he had laid eyes on her in that airport parking spot on a hot summer's day.

He couldn't imagine life without her, nor did he want to and now he didn't have to.

The End

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I just wanted to thank everyone that has read and supported this story. You all have made this such an enjoyable experience. I loved reading all your comments and insights.

Next, I'm planning to edit this story.
I don't have a sequel planned at the moment, but that could change. I've grown to love these characters so much.

Leave me a comment, come say hey on my conversation wall or DM me whatever, I'm here for it all.

M