*TANNUS*
I opened my eyes and looked around, feeling something weird under me and confused as to where I was. I wasn't sure where I was since it was dark so I knew that it wasn't the hospital. I felt under me to figure out what the heck that buzzing noise was and found myself on one of those memory foam mattresses. I turned my head because the only kind of bed that had that was Delilah's bed.
Delilah...
She was back. I remember seeing her periodically through the fog in my mind.
I heard a moan and froze, wondering what the heck was going on. An arm flopped over on the pillows that were barricading me from someone on the other side. I got up on my elbows and took a peek at who was there. My eyes widened when I saw that it was Delilah but it wasn't Delilah that I was surprised at. It was her humongous stomach! I mean, damn!
I looked at Delilah's face and saw that it was scrunched up in a bit of pain and I reached over the pillows to tap her on the shoulder. She moaned and opened her eyes. When they settled on me she smiled and reached up to touch my face.
"You're awake... I'm happy to see you up."
I took her hand in mine and looked at her in confusion.
"Delilah, what happened? Why are you big like that?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm pregnant. There's four in there; they're yours. Happy birthday..." she mumbled, turning over from me.
"Whoa, wait, wait, say that again?"
"I'm pregnant with your children."
"But we didn't even have sex."
"No, I got really pissed off at you and for revenge I ate four jelly beans that had your DNA in it... But I'm not mad anymore and here we are."
"Here we are what? I don't understand what's going on..."
Delilah turned and smiled at me sweetly.
"Tannus, I'm your wife now."
I blanched at her and automatically looked at my ring finger on my left hand. Yup, a ring indeed.
"Wh- I- Uh..."
"I can explain if you like."
"Please do."
"Johnsie and Oliver came to find me and brought me back to the hospital. You had just gotten drugged up for your nosecomephobia and so when I go there, you were loopy. You knew who I was but you couldn't keep your thoughts to yourself in your state and so you said that you wanted to marry me. I told you that we should do it after you were better and not sedated but you declared to everyone that you were marrying me at once so that I wouldn't go away again.
"So, Oliver went and bought some cheapo rings in the gift shop and you "married" me in the hospital; the hospital clergy did the vows for us but he told us that since you were in a sedated state that he couldn't exactly call it legal because it could come back that we coerced you. But he said that in the eyes of God, we were legal but we would need to redo the vows at a JOP or something for the certificate and such. I didn't understand it very well... I don't know... So... yeah..."
I blinked at her and she smiled at me.
"So... are we married?"
"It's complicated... I think we are verbally but we need a marriage contract and everything for everything to be legal. The clergy guy didn't have one with him."
"Uh..."
"If you don't want to be with me then I won't mind. We're not legally married in the eyes of the state since there is no marriage contract so..."
"I never said I didn't... Uh... So, you're pregnant? How far along?"
"About four or five months. There's four in there so I look larger than usual."
"I see."
We were silent for a moment when she put her hand on mine.
"Tannus, I love you, I always have. I just wanted you to know that. I haven't been able to tell you because I've been so mad and confused. I really do love you, every part of you."
I sighed and touched her face softly, rubbing my fingers up and down her cheek.
"You don't know how long I've longed to hear you say that to me."
"I know... ever since the sandbox."
"Every since middle school. I was too young to know anything in the sandbox... Though I did think you were cute."
"Then why did you pour sand into my pants?"
"Because I liked you. It's a universal truth that if a boy likes a girl, he overcomes his shyness by doing something mean. He'll pick on her or whatever the case because he doesn't understand his feelings. I liked you, and I did want to be your friend. Boys don't know sometimes that girls don't appreciate boy games..."
"Do you really want me, Tannus?" she asked, her eyes becoming filled with tears.
I tsked and wiped the ones that had escaped and then kissed her nose.
"Of course I do, woman..."
"Then... then tell me why you did it."
"Did what?"
"Sadie Hawkins Dance of 1993. Why did you do that to me?"
I sighed and plopped on the pillows.
"Now? We were having a moment."
"I've been waiting for almost fifteen years to ask you what happened and why. I can't go another second without understanding what was going through your head."
I closed my eyes and sighed again, really not wanting to bring up the past. That horrible moment in my history.
"Okay... I had liked you ever since middle school when we started getting more classes together. I knew you really didn't like me but I thought I would try and get you to at least talk to me. Even the snaps were enough for me; at least you talked to me. When we started high school, I knew that I was going to win you. I was going to have you as my girlfriend. Hormones change and so by then, I wanted a girlfriend and the only one I wanted was going to be you. Unfortunately, I was kind of shy at first and so most of the time all I did was say 'hi' and walk on.
"One day Oliver told me to just go for it. I told him that I wasn't that outspoken and so he told me to start trying to get with you in a more subtle way: science. So, I started hitting the books and I realized that I had a good knack for it. Eventually, I did it for the science and not you, but then we got to be in the same science class in seventh grade. We had always seemed to have a secret competition in things but now that I was really getting science, I was pushing the competition to another level. I thought, if I can just beat her then maybe I can gain some respect from her or something. Well, I never really beat you and to hide my shame and my secret crush, I picked on you.
"When we got into high school, I pushed myself to make it and when we were assigned to work on the huge science project together, I thought it was a dream come true. I could finally talk to you one on one and we could get to know each other. Then, when we won, you would be proud of me helping you and then I could finally get the courage to ask you out.
"You will probably have something to say to this but I didn't think I was the nicest looking guy in the world. But I had heard hearsay that girls were starting to like me and Oliver even told me that I was starting to gain a lot of attention with the girls of the school. As strange as it may seem to you, I was extremely shy around girls and even though they said I was cute, I didn't feel very likeable. I only had eyes for you... When you asked me to the Sadie Hawkins Dance, I was on cloud nine. I was so elated and so surprised that you had asked that I almost danced. I blurted out the time I'd get you and all that and left, feeling so happy.
"Then the strangest thing happened. I accidentally bumped into Melonie Sellsburger as I was coming around the lockers and knocked all of her stuff out of her hand. She growled at me and I helped her pick up her things. When we stood up, she had locked eyes with me and smiled. She asked who I was and then the strangest thing happened. She asked me to go to the dance. I was so flustered that I said yes immediately. To think that the most popular girl in school had wanted to go with me..."
"So... all the years you had liked me went out the window?" Delilah asked, a frown on her lips.
"It wasn't that I forgot. I was so surprised and excited that I forgot. I truly and utterly forgot about our conversation. In all honesty, I think my mind replaced it with a regular memory because I remembered talking to you, but I didn't know about what. I know it sounds dumb, but it happened. Anyway, we got to the Sadie Hawkins Dance and everything and then you showed up. I really was confused when you came with no one and then I asked who you asked and remembered. I remembered the conversation, the feeling, everything. That's why I tried to touch your shoulders, to tell you how sorry I was. Then you wigged out and started yelling at me.
"I got embarrassed and was feeling sorry for myself. So I tried to play it off, thinking that you'd get the distraction and allow me to take you somewhere else to explain. But you didn't. You really thought that I was being a malicious person and you slapped me. I was really surprised about it and when you said you hated me, it hurt. It hurt bad. I knew you meant it too... After that, I tried to forget about it and go about like nothing had ever happened, hoping you'd forget it and then I could explain later. But you never did... and then you threw the trophy at me and I knew I had royally screwed up. So... there you have it."
"You thought that I would go along with you on that?"
"Well, we had spent so much time together that I thought you knew me well enough. I thought you'd see the play in my eyes and realize that all I was doing was trying to keep a scene from developing. But I think you were so pissed off that you didn't see it. I never wanted to hurt you and I never wanted it to take this long for us to be together... The reason might not be to your liking, but it's the absolute truth."
Delilah looked at me for a long time and I thought that after all of this, she still wouldn't forgive me but she rubbed her belly and looked up at me.
"Would you like to feel them? They move often..."
I looked at her in confusion but stuck my hand on her stomach softly. Her stomach seemed to roll and I remembered when Aliya did the same thing. Remembering her, I took my hand away and went quiet.
"Tannus?"
"I'm sorry... I didn't get to have our baby. I'm sorry that I was a failure."
"You aren't a failure Tannus. Men aren't supposed to have babies, it's a natural fact. It was only natural that you didn't produce the right things. It shouldn't have even happened in the first place but it did...I don't blame her death on you. Don't think that."
I sat up and covered my face with my hands.
"I've failed you in a lot of things. Love, children, friendship... Nothing has ever worked for us."
"I wouldn't say that." I looked over at her. "You haven't failed at anything, Tannus. I think you pushed the goal a little farther from your reach, but you never failed. The friendship did happen, our love did happen, and the children are nestled here safe and sound in my big stomach. If all goes well, I should be able to have them to full term... Nothing has gotten so far out of your grasp that you didn't regain it."
"I almost did."
"True... but we're obviously supposed to be with each other or all this nonsense and weird shit wouldn't have happened."
"Fata viem invenient..."
"Exactly."
I smiled and moved all the pillows out of my way. I put my hands on either side of her face and looked into her green eyes.
"You understand my Latin I see?"
"Of course I do. All scientists need to know it."
"Is that so?" I smirked and she blinked. "How about this one then: veni, vidi, vici."
Delilah's eyes widened and then she grinned, putting her arms around my neck.
"Oh, Caesar..." she said with a seductive look in her eyes.
"Cleopatra..."
I leaned down and planted a firm, deep, and never ending kiss on the girl of my dreams, vowing to never let her out of my sight and to never let her forget that my love was eternal.