a new life part 2

 Feels like, I'm standing in a timeless dream
Of light mists, of pale amber rose Feels like, I'm lost in a deep cloud of heavenly scent  Touching, discovering you  those days, of warm rains come rushing back to me Miles of windless, summer night air  Secret moments, shared in the heat of the afternoon  Out of the stillness, soft spoken words Chorus:  I love you, always forever  Near and far, closer together  Everywhere, I will be with you  Everyday, I will devour you  I love you, always forever  Near and far, closer together Everywhere, I will be with you  Everyday, I will devour you  You've got, the most unbelievable  blue eyes I've ever seen  You've got, me almost melt away  As we lay there, under a blue sky  with pure white stars  Exotic sweetness, a magical time  (Chorus)  Say you'll love, love me forever  Never stop, not for whatever Near and far and always and everywhere and everything Say you'll love, love me forever Never stop, not for whatever Near and far and always and everywhere and everything Say you'll love, love me forever  Never stop, not for whatever Near and far and always and  everywhere and everything

Just then everyone came on the dance floor and started to dance, it was a great party, the food was incredible and occassionally the baby would kick to show that he/or she was also enjoying  our reception as well.

We danced and just laughed all night long..and as soon as the last piece of cake was eaten and the last guest left, we came home and immediately fell asleep.

 Because i was pregnant and couldn't travel, our honeymoon would have to wait until after the baby was born, so we rented movies and ate popcorn for the next few days.

It was the day before Christmas eve, which was what John lovingly called D-day, the baby showed no signs of coming so John decided to go into work for a few hours and i decided to get the rest of my christmas shopping done, i had to buy a present for Ali and try to figure out what to get my mother because she basically hates everything we'd ever bought her.

John had just left after making me promise to call him every hour and give him an update on the baby..i was so big..i know i'm not a skinny person but i looked like someone inflated my stomach and refused to let the air out of the balloon

I was getting up to go the bathroom, when i got up and SPLAT!..my water broke!

"Oh my god!..not now..your not supposed to come for another day...and Daddy's supposed to be here, OoOO god!"I said as the first contraction hit

"Ok, let's call Daddy," I said picking up the phone

"Distefino skateboard repairs...Vince speaking" the voice said

"Vin, is john there?" I said

"Oh hey Nik, he just went to get a sandwich, why? what's wrong?" Vince asked

" I'm having the baby" I said

"Oh shit..:" He said," I'll get go him"

"You do that but tell him to meet me at Cedar's Sinai" I said

"Got it" Vince said then hung up

"OoOO GOD! We need to find Auntie Annie or Auntie Catie or one of your Aunts Quickly" I said dialing the phone

"Hello?" Annie answered the phone..thank god

"Oh i think i love you..I'm having the baby!" I said

"Ok calm down, i'll be right there don't panic" Annie said then hung up the phone

"Don't panic she says, i'm beeing ripped in two and she says don't panic, oOo god!" i said hunching forward as a contraction hit

The contractions stopped long enough for me to get my tank top and jeans on, it may have been december but it was so warm out..

"Where the hell is Annie? i'm gonna have this baby right here on the floor if she doesn't come soon" I said talking to myself

"I'm right here..so quit bitching.. " Annie said opening the door

"I have a right to BITCH OoOo god! " Another contraction hit, this time i fell on my knees

"We'd better get her to the hospital" Another voice said

"Who's that?" I said

"Honey, open your eyes, it's me Nat " Natalie said..i didn't realize my eyes were closed

"Ooh nat..i think the baby's coming" i said

"I know but unless you want to make the six o'clock news, you need to get up" Nat said helping me up

We managed to get into the cab without a problem but hit traffic

"OoOO god! here comes another one" I said

"Breathe In, Breathe out" Annie said

"It's not working! It's not working!" i said

"Uh Uh close your legs!" Annie said

"She shoulda thought of that nine months ago!" Natalie said

"OoOO don't make me laugh!" I said

"We're here!" Annie announced as the cab pulled up in front of the hospital

"OoOO good! Morphine!" I said

We checked in at the front desk and were soon put up in a private room, where a nice man in scrubs gave me an epidural ..which numbed the pain for a bit but soon the contractions were coming stronger and faster

"WHERE'S JOHN!" I yelled

"He's coming honey, don't worry" Annie said holding my hand

"OoOO god!! i wanna die !!" i cried

"Now Mrs Distefino, we need you to push ok?" the doctor said

"No..john's not here yet.." i said

"Well..this baby doesn't want to wait for him..you need to push " the doctor said

"Nik,honey!" John said

"Where the HELL have you been??!" i asked

"Sorry i got stuck uptown and there was an accident on the Mahattan Overpass" John explained

"I'm having YOUR baby and your giving me some lame excuse?! are you kidding me?!" I said an inch away from biting off his nose

"Can we fight about this later?..right now..PUSH!" John said

"AUGHHHH!!!!! OH MY GOD..SHE'S GOT MY MOTHER'S HIPS!" I yelled

"One more!" the doctor said

"UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed..

the baby came sliding out and shriek

"WAHHHHHHHHH!" The baby shrieked

"Is it a boy or a girl?" John asked

"you have a little girl!" the doctor said

"Oh my god!" i said crying

the doctors cleaned up the baby and handed her to John

"She's so tiny.." He whispered

I took a good look at our daughter, she had peach-colored skin and the darkest hair, my eyes and john's nose..she was so adorable.

"She's perfect" I said

After a few hours in recovery, the baby and i were brought into a hospital room, where John stood over her and watched her sleep

"We still  need a name for her" I said

"I know..do you have any ideas?" He asked

"Maggie?" I said

"Hmm..Maggie..i like it ...what about Elizabeth for a middle name?" He said

"Maggie Elizabeth ..i love it.." I said staring at my husband

"Maggie Elizabeth Distefino you are.." He picked up the baby and we all sat on the bed together

We watched our little daughter stretch and move around a bit, she was so amazing ..and when she looked at us with a dead on stare, it was instant love

Just then there was knock at the door

"Come In" I called

"Are you guys up for vistors?" Stevanne said poking her head through the door

"Sure..Come on in" I said struggling to sit up

"Don't get up for us.." Catie said

"Haha" I said rolling my eyes

"Is this her?"Annie asked pointing to Maggie

"No..it's a loaner" Natalie laughed

"Guys ..this is Maggie" John said

"OoOO She's so pretty ..i gotta take a picture" Michelle said  starting to snap a ton of pictures

"Alright Michelle, let's not blind the kid" Catie said,

"Anyone know what time is it?" I asked

"It's around 2am..why?" Annie said looking at her watch

"It's christmas eve" I said

"Well We got our present a little earlier this year" John said

"Happy Birthday to you," Catie started to sing," Happy birthday to you .. happy birthday dear Maggie Elizabeth ..happy birthday to you"

 Everyone joined in and sang to our baby, who closed her eyes for a little bit then she'd wake up and look around.

"Oh my god!" Annie gasped suddenly

"What?" We broke away from looking at our daughter to looking at her

"It's snowing!" We looked out the window

"Oh, wow..Look Maggie, snow" I said to the baby, who'd fallen asleep in my arms

We said around and talked and watched the snow for a bit until everyone had to go then it was just John me and the baby.

"Can you believe she's here" John asked

"Oh i believe it.. 10 hours of labor, i believe it.. " I said laughing

"True..i think this is going to be one of the best christmas's ever" John said

"Absoutely" I said

We were able to bring home Maggie the day after christmas, December 26th.

As we pulled up to the house, it seemed like a lifetime ago that just the two of us lived there ..

"Oh while you were in the hospital, i finished up the baby's room" John said before turning off the car

"You did? by yourself?" I asked slowly letting myself out of the Jeep

"Well No, Gina and Annie came by and helped paint then Stevanne and Catie setup the crib" John said taking out the baby carrier

"oOo thouse guys are too much" I said opening the front door

"SURPRISE!" voices shouted

"oh my god!" I said putting my hand over my mouth

everyone was there, our parents, all our friends and basically everyone who'd come to our wedding were in our Living room throwing confetti at us.

"I can't believe this...!" I said as everyone rushed around us hugging me and slapping John on the back

"We've been planning this for months!" Catie said then giving me a hug

"Where's my grandchild!" My mother said pushing past Catie

John had taken the baby upstairs to change her but was coming down the stairs

"Me first" John's mom said

"She's my daughter" My mom said squaring off with John's mom

"He's my son" John's mom said

"How about this..let me sit down and you both can hold her?" I said

"Alright" They both relented

"I knew we shoulda had twins" John whispered in my ear

"Fine next time YOU have the baby" I said then laughed

"So have you picked a name yet?" Vince asked kneeling beside my chair

"Yes..this is Maggie Elizabeth" I said

"Hello Mags" Vince said stroking  Maggie's hair

She wiggled for a bit then went back to sleep

"Oo someone's tired" i said playing with her little hand

"How are my two favorite girls?" John said leaning over the chair

"Well Maggie's sleeping and i'm starving..could you take her so i could get a cookie or something?" I said standing

"Uh sure.but i don't wanna drop her" He said nervously

"You won't..i'll be right back" I said and handed him the baby

I walked to the other side of the house where the food had been set up and just watched John with our baby, he looked nervous but after a few minutes, he started to relax and he even started to dance around a little with her.

"Nik?" Annie said snapping me out of my stare

"Yeah?" I said turning to her

"How you feeling?" She said

"Incredibly sore" I said laughing

"Eh ..it'll pass.." She said handing me a cookie

"Yeah..i hope so" I said biting into the cookie

"We were thinking maybe next week we'd all go out to dinner?" She said

"Maybe.." I said as the baby started to cry

"NIK..HELP" John called

Everyone turned and laughed because he looked so helpless and Maggie was moving her little hands and legs like she was trying to go somewhere

I shook my head and walked over to where he stood

"I think i broke the baby" He said panicking

"Why? what makes you think that?" I said trying not laughing

"She's making weird noises and twisting around" He said

"Babies make noises and they move around..Maggie's seeing everything for the first time and she wants to be where the action is" I said taking the baby and walking around the living room

"Oh here's the guest of honor!" My Auntie Diane said

"Oh auntie" I started to say

"Not you dear..Maggie" She said holding out her arms

"Oh." I said then gave the baby to my aunt

I was walking around and talking to different people when someone grabbed me from behind, before i could scream..i realized it was John..

"Can I have this dance?" He asked spinning me around

"Oh i suppose but we have no music" I said

"I think we can fix that..YO! VIN...TURN UP THE STERIO " John yelled

"Alright" He turned up the radio

my favorite song..Leather and Lace by Stevie Nicks

  Is love so fragile... and the heart so hollow Shatter with words... impossible to follow You're saying I'm fragile...I try not to be I search only...for something I can't see I have my own life...and I am stronger  Than you know  But I carry this feeling When you walked into my house That you won't be walking out the door Still I carry this feeling When you walked into my house That you won't be walking out the door Lovers forever...face to face  My city or mountains Stay with me stay I need you to love me I need you today  Give to me your leather...Take from me...my lace You in the moonlight With your sleepy eyes Could you ever love a man like me  And you were right  When I walked into your house  I knew I'd never want to leave Sometimes I'm a strong man  Sometimes cold and scared And sometimes I cry  But that time I saw you  I knew with you to light my nights  Somehow I'd get by  First time I saw you  I knew with you to light my nights  Somehow I would get by  Lovers forever...face to face  My city or mountains  Stay with me stay  I need you to love me  I need you today  Give to me your leather  Take from me...my lace  Lovers forever...face to face  My city or mountains...stay with me stay  I need you to love me...I need you to stay   Give to me your leather  Take from me...my lace  Take from me...my lace  Take from me...my lace

As we were dancing..John started singing to me..it was so sweet..

After everyone left and it was just the three of us..the apartment seemed suddenly empty.

"Now what?" John asked

"Good Question.." I replied

After we put Maggie to bed, we sat in bed, i attempted to read but John was restless

"How long before we can ..ya know?" He said

"Six weeks" I said turning the page

"Oh man" He said rolling his eyes

"Well i need time to heal..i did just have a baby you know" I said

"Yeah I know I know" he said

Just then Maggie started to cry

"Do you want me to go or do you want to go?" I asked

"You go" He said

"Fine" I got up and walked into the nursery

"Hi baby," I said picking her up and sitting the rocking chair

She fussed and squirmed around for a few minutes.

"Is she alright" John asked from the doorway

"I think she misses her Daddy.." I said

"Well..i think fix that" He said taking the baby from me,"Hi there Maggie"

she stopped fussing and started to fall asleep

"Oh that's it baby..go to sleep..nite nite"He put her in the crib and we went back into our room..

Over the next few weeks, we got into a schedule, Maggie would get up at 3am, one of us would feed her then put her back, where she'd go back to sleep until 7am then we'd take turns feeding her and playing with her until the other one would wake  up and then that person would take over..

this worked well until Maggie was about six weeks old, John had to go out of town

"Your leaving?" I said two days before he left for California

"Nik, i have to go, It's the skateboarder's convention" John said packing his suitcase

"What's more important..your daughter or a convention?" I said

"Hey, that's not fair" He said looking for his watch

"Right here, well it's true" I said holding up the watch

"C'mon..you know Business sucks right now..i need to go the convention besides it's only for three days" He said zipping up the suitcase

"Gee..maybe while your gone..I'll go clubbing" I said

"Yeah Ok" John rolled his eyes

"It's true..i can have fun while you have fun" I defended myself

"Yeah,Well just don't get Maggie arrested, we don't want her having a record before her first birthday" He said then picked up the Baby,"Alright Maggie, say bye bye to Daddy" He kissed her on the forehead and then just before he walked out the door, he kissed me on the head and handed me Maggie.

"I love you Nik" He said

"Yeah Yeah i love you too .." I said then he was gone

"If you were any kind of a daughter, you'd have thrown up on him" I said looking down

She burped in response

"Thank you" I said

That night Maggie and I went to dinner  all my girls, Catie, Stevanne, Gina, Nat, Annie Michelle, Both Jens and Rachel.

I wheeled the carriage into the restaurant..20 minutes as usual..

"Finally" Annie said then hugging me

"Sorry..it's so was hard to get a cab" I said

"Why don't you have Car?" Catie said

"We would have been stuck on Avenue A for another 40 minutes" I said sitting down..

"Good Point."  Gina said

"Where's Maggie?" Stevanne asked

"Right here" I said lifting her out of the carriage

"Ooo there's little Maggie!" Michelle exclaimed holding out her hands

"Hey me first" Jen said

"Back off..I'm first" Jen T said

"How about we eat first then fight over my child" I suggest

"Ok Ok.." They agreed  

"Hey where's John tonight?" Rachel asked

"He's in Califorina for the next few days so it's just us girls" I said drinking my water

"Really?" Interesting.."Annie said

"What are you thinking?" Catie said

"Well.." Annie said scratching her head

"Oh god..i know that look" Gina said burying  her head in her hands

"Let's have a party" She said jumping up and down

"Oh hell no" Stevanne said

"What? why not?" Annie said

"Why not? because i have child and one of your parties would send the both of us up the river" I said shaking my head

"What river?" Annie looked confused

"Neva Mind.. no big parties ..but we can have a little one" I said

"What kind of a Little one?" Natalie asked

"Like a sleepover" I said

"A sleepover, we haven't had one of those since high school" Catie pointed out

"I'm in" Stevanne said

"Me too" Everyone else said

"Alright everyone ..be at my house @7" I said

The next day, I was rushing around trying to clean everything up before everyone come over and running around to the supper market to get the supplies.

just before everyone was due at our house, Maggie started to cry, I was downstairs reading a magazine but jumped up and ran up stairs to get her

"Hi Baby" I said picking her up,

she kept on wailing

I walked back and forth but nothing would calm her down

"Alright Alright..Do you want your ducky" I said

She screamed later

"Ok Ok, let's go downstairs, find your ducky and maybe have a bottle before all your aunts come over" I said starting to walk down the stairs

We got about half way down  the stairs before i tripped over John's sneakers and fell down the stairs

  just before ilanded at the bottom, i saw Maggie hit her head on the front door

"My baby" I said before passing out

As i was out cold, all these memories suddenly came rushing toward me, starting when i was kid,playing with my cousins, then as a teenager goofing around playing in the car and then graduation,  I saw Annie crying and Dina laughing, I myself getting my diploma and watching the expressions on everyone's face when i read my speech, then suddenly time rushed forward and i saw John and I on our wedding day, saying our vows and looking at each other, then I saw Maggie being born and watching John hold our daughter for the first time.

I just wanted to wake up but it was like someone was holding me down, i struggled to get up but it was so hard...

"Nik" I heard a voice call my name..God?!!

"NIK!" The voice called again..

Please god.. Don't take me...  i want to see my daughter grown up, I want to be able to fight with her when she's a teenager..

"NICOLE!" The voice called more urgently

Please God..if you have to take me..can't you just wait until my Husband gets here so my daughter will have someone to watch over her

"NICOLE..IF YOU CAN HEAR ME..PLEASE SQUEEZE MY HAND" The voice said

God sounds remarkably like Catie

"NIK, PLEASE..YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP" the voice sounded so far away

I can't... I'm sorry ..tell Maggie I love her ..Tell John..I'm sorry I have to leave like this and I do love him..please protect them..  Say goodbye to Ma and Daddy for me..Tell Ali to be a good girl.. Tell Stace..I'm sorry about half the crap i put her threw..just tell them goodbye and I'm sorry..I want to be able to say goodbye.. ..goodbye..goodbye...

"Goodbye" I muttered

"Oh my god she's awake!" a voice said

"Are you positive?" another voice said

"Yes..she just said goodbye" The voice replied

"Nikk.sweetie" a third voice said  

"Goodbye" I muttered again

"No goodbye honey.." a fourth voice said

"Nikko, open your eyes!" a voice demanded

"NICOLE!"  a voice shouted

"Don't shout!" a voice said

"Well maybe scaring her would wake her up" the voice replied

"She's in a coma, not Yankee stadium" the voice sounded pissed

If this is Heaven..I'm screwed ...

"Alright.. I know my Nikko..she won't respond to yelling or threats..Nik.there is a HOT intern you have to open your eyes to see..he said if you open your eyes..he'd give you a special Spongebath" the voice whistled

"Catie!" a voice sounded shocked

"What?..hey i'm trying here..gimme credit" The voice defended herself

even on my deathbed..they'd still fight..i don't believe this

"I don't believe this" i muttered

"She's talking!" a voice said

"NICOLE OPEN YOUR EYES..BABYGIRL..YOU HAVE TO OPEN YOUR EYES!" A voice called

then suddenly I could move and my eyes worked again..but once i opened my eyes..i couldn't see anything

"Oh my god I'm blind!" I panicked

"No Honey..they took off your glasses in the ambulance" a blurry person said ..i think it was Annie

"Here " Someone put my glasses on my face

"I'm alive?!" I couldn't believe it

"Hi Baby..of course you are" Natalie said

"What happened?" I tried to look around but something was preventing me from moving..

"Honey..you broke your ankle and they had to put a cast on you up to your kneecap.."Stevanne explained

"How did i break my ankle?" I wondered

"You don't remember?" Catie asked

I shook my head

"Well We were going to have a sleepover, as a matter of fact, we were on the Porch when Natalie saw you fall from the top of the stairs" Gina said grabbing my hand

"Oh my god Maggie!" I was panic-stricken

"She has a slight concussion,they had to put her in a medically-induced coma" Rachel said crying

"What? Why?" I said

"Because where she's still so little, they didn't want to take any chances and because you were out cold and John's in California, they asked us for consent and we agreed" Michelle said

"Is my baby going to die?" I said crying

"We don't know..the Doctor's haven't done rounds yet" Jen said

"Has anyone called John yet?" I asked

"Not yet..we were waiting to see if you'd wake up" Natalie said

"How long have I been out?" I asked

"Two days" Annie said

"TWO DAYS?" i couldn't believe it

 

a new life

So Ok..I'm the last person who should ever be telling my story but here goes

Life's funny..one minute your a carefree 21 year old with the world at your finger tips, the next moment, your life changes in an instant.

My boyfriend, John and i had been together for almost five years, we'd been through everything together, graduations,breakups, funerals ..everything..although we seemed incompatible, we had alot of things in common, we both loved to laugh, loved music and just in general had an amazing connection..Just after we'd moved to new york and into an apartment  ..that's when things started to get crazy

"Nikki,..let's go on vacation" John said one night while i was reading and he was bored because nothing was on tv

"Alright..but where?" I said putting my book down and looking at him

"I don't know, how about Paris or Maybe Monaco?" John said

"Let's go to Paris..i always wanted to go there..do you want me to make the arrangements?" I asked

"No..i got it..well there is one thing you could do..hehe" He said pulling me towards him

"Oh boy" I said laughing...

the next few days  as John made arrangments for Paris, i was going around trying to get everything done, first giving my notice at the New York Times and then going shopping for new clothes because lately my clothes hadn't been fitting right..

I was in the middle of  Saks, digging through the sales rack with my friends,Catie, Gina Annie and Natalie when i started to feel sick

"Oh my god!, i think i'm gonna be sick.." I said putting my hand over my mouth and running into the ladies room

"NIK..YOU IN HERE?" Cat yelled running after me

"yEAh..hold on!" i said as i got sick again, Annie opened the stall and Gina pulled my hair back ..

"Nikki..what the hell did you eat to make you so sick" Natalie said

" Nothing.. I'm pregnant" i said getting up and sitting on the toliet seat

"What?" the four  of them said at the same time

"Yup..I'm pregnant" I said

"Oh my god!" Natalie said

"Holy hell" Gina said

"Oh honey, i'm so happy" annie said wrapping her arms around my neck

"Does John know?" Catie asked kneeling down

"No i figured I'd tell him in Paris...guys..what am i gonna do? I can't have a baby." I said crying into Catie's shoulder 

"Nik..calm down..people have babies EVERY day...it's gonna be ok" Gina said handing me a water bottle

"Besides,when this baby comes, everyone is gonna help out and love this baby so much..it's gonna be nuts" Natalie said

"Nikki..the best part about you having a baby..is gonna be the baby shower..which is gonna kick ass" Annie said

 "Now before you blow chunks again..let's go buy something sexy for you to wear to break the news to John" Catie said

"Alright but something black because i'm already getting huge" I said crinkling my nose

A few days later, we got on a plane to Paris, which is like a 12 hour flight, torture for a person who wants to throw up every 10 minutes, i was cramming crackers down my throat.

"Are you alright?"John asked just outside of the terminal

"I'm fine..just nerves i guess" I said sticking a cracker into my mouth

"Oh Ok " He said turning around and giving our tickets to the flight stewardess and we got on the plane, We'd barely gotten our seatbelts on when i had to get up and go to the bathroom

"John ..let me out" I said because i was sitting on the window side

"Didn't you just go to the bathroom" He asked getting up

"So?  i have a weak bladder" I said walking passed him..as soon as i was out of his eye-line.. i ran to the bathroom and got sick.. why do they call it morning sickness when it happens EVERY  20 minutes

After i got sick..i cleaned myself up and walked back to the seat..

"John ..can we switch seats?" I asked

"I guess..why?" he asked

"Can we just switch..please?" I said irrated

"Yeah alright" he said finally moving

I wanted to tell him a million times durning the flight about the baby but i figure..him flipping out on a plane would not be good especially people tense about terrorists

We finally landed in Paris at 9o'clock(new york time) .. got our luggage and headed out to get a cab

"So what do you wanna do first?" John asked

"Can we just go to the hotel?..i'm really tired" I said

"Sure..but i have a romantic dinner planned for later tonight..do you think you'll be up for that?" He asked opening the door of the cab

"Absoutely" I said getting into the cab, as the cab pulled away, i put my head on John's shoulder and fell asleep

"Nik....wake up...We're here"John said as the cab jerked to a stop

"Hmm Ok" I said struggling to get my eyes open

"Are you alright?" John asked helping me get out the cab

"I'm fine..just a little jet lag" I said getting a look at our hotel

It was beautiful.it was a castle..it was like something out of a fairytale

"Oh John" i said

"like it?" he asked

"I love it" I said

"I'm gonna go check us in" John kissed me on the forehead and went inside

I couldn't believe it..i was in the most romantic place in the world and all i could think about was how i was getting sick every few minutes.. I looked around and everything was beautiful, the buildings, the statues ..everything..it was amazing..

"Nik!" John called to me from the doorway

"Yeah.?" I said

"We're all set honey" He said and went back into the hotel

I nodded and walked into the hotel. The Bellhop took our bags and opened the door to a room.

It was beautiful..it had a balcony,a big bed and a huge living room..it was like staying at the Trump Towers..

"This place is so amazing.." I said bellyflopping onto the bed

"I saw it on the website and figured this would be a perfect vacation spot" John said flopping down beside me,"Are you gonna be alright here by yourself for awhile..i have to go run a few errands" he asked

"I'm fine..what kind of errands are you running?" I asked

"Never mind..just stay here ..and when i'm done..i'll call you " He said kissing me on the head and walking out the door

"k" I said falling asleep

i must have been asleep for a number of hours because it was dark outside and the phone was ringing

"ello?" i said rubbing my eyes

"hey sleeping beauty.." it was John..

"Hi honey" i said sitting up

"Put on your most pretty dress and come downstairs"he said then hung up

I put on my black strapless dress..put my hair in a pony-tail and put on my highest heels and walked down to the lobby..

At the front desk,i asked some woman where i was supposed to go

"Hi my boyfriend just called and told me to meet him in the lobby?" I asked

"Oh are you Nikki?" the woman asked

"Yes M'am " i said

the woman came around the desk and started to put a blindfold on me

"Excuse me? what are you doing?" i asked

"M'am..your boyfriend asked us to do this..ordinarily i would think this is insane but please just go along with it" the woman finished tying the blindfold

"How am I supposed to find my boyfriend if i can't see?" i said

"I'm right here" i heard John's voice

"John..why am i blindfolded?" I asked

"You'll see" He said mysteriously then took my hand

We walked for about five minutes before we finally stopped

"JOhN can i take the blindfold off?" i whined

"No..not yet..and stop whining" He said

"Augh this is torture" i said

"Alright Alright..take off the blindfold" John said

I took off the blindfold and gasped..

In front of me on a Balcony  was a table, with champagne, red roses..everything you need for a romantic night

"Oh my god! John!" I said starting to cry

"Hold on before the waterworks start..i need to ask you a question?" John

"Ok" I said wiping my eyes

he got down on one knee, took my hand in his and looked up at me

"Nikki..will you marry me?" he said opeing a box with a square cut diamond with hearts all around the band

"Oh my god" I said

"Well?" John asked

"I'm pregnant" I said

"What?' he couldn't believe

"I'm pregnant" I said getting down my knees beside him

"WHOO!" he said picking me up and swinging me around  

"Augh! Put me down!" I said laughing

"So Ok..you never answered my question" He said putting me down

"Of course!" I said kissing him causing him to fall backward, i was still laying ontop of him when he put the ring on my finger

"I guess you won't be drinking the champagne" He said

"No but you can feel free to get drunk" I said getting up

He got up as well and pulled out my chair..

"Why didn't you tell me your pregnant?" he asked

"I wanted to surprise you" I said

"When are you due?" John asked

"Dec 24th..christmas eve" I said

"It's gonna be a merry christmas.." John said standing up and kissing me,"A toast..pick up your water glass"

I held up my water glass

"To Us and to our baby!" John said

"To Us and our baby" i repeated and we kissed again.

We spent the rest of our vacation alternating between sightseeing and staying in bed all day..before we knew it..it was time to head back to New York

We talked about how we would break the news about our engagment and the baby to our friends and family, we finally settled on having a big party and telling everyone at once.

Looking around our tiny apartment, i realized we didn't have enough room  for a baby

"We need a bigger apartment" I said to John just after we got back from Paris

"You're right but can we afford a bigger apartment?" he said

"Yeah, I think we can with my job at the Times and you putting in overtime at the store, i think we can afford at least a decent sized apartment" i said

in between Apartment hunting and planning the party, we were both stressing out and getting ready to kill each other..

"OH MY GOD!" I yelled one afternoon after tripping over John's sneakers for the thousandth time

"What now?" John called from our bedroom

"IF I TRIP OVER THESE SNEAKERS ONE MORE TIME" I yelled

"Ya know..you are starting to sound exactly like your mother" He said coming into the living room

"What?" i was so angry

"You heard me" He said

"Oh that's it" i said picking up his sneakers and throwning them out the window

"My favorite running  sneakers!" he said running to windows

"Now they're air-jordan's!" I said

"Not funny!" he said running down the stairs and picking his shoes out of the garbage bin

When he came back into the apartment, i was laughing so hard i was in tears

"Pain in the ass" He said under his breath

The night of our party, everyome we'd  have known came into town, we'd spent nearly a thousand dollars on food because  neither of us cooks.

Just before everyone arrived, we were getting dressed, I was attempting to squeeze myself into a sundress but not having any luck

"Augh..nothing fits anymore!" I said stomping  my foot

"Why don't you put on that black dress you wore in Paris?" He suggested

"I guess so .." I said  digging the dress out of the closet and putting it on

"Or..you could go naked?..which would be fine with me" John  said tackling me in front of the mirror and pushing me down on the bed

"Oh no you don't " i said attempting to get up," people are going to be here any second, john, oOo ..your squishing me and the baby"

"Oh right sorry" he said letting me up

"Great..now my hair looks like i just stuck my finger into an electrical socket" i said flatting my hair

Just then the door bell rang

"I'll go answer that while you fix yourself" John said

I tossed the pillow at his face. I heard him open the door and greet someone

"NIK" John called,"It's Stevanne and Michelle"

"I'll be right out," I called back

Over the next two hours, our parents, siblings, aunts uncles friends cousins, nieces and nephews arrived..our little apartment was FILLED with people

"ALRIGHT, Nik, you got us down here now what's the big surprise" My Cousin Louis shouted while John and I  were  in the kitchen

"I think we'd better tell them before the crowd gets restless" John said

"Alright" I took a deep breathe and walked into the living room

"EVERYONE SHUT UP.." Dina yelled

"Thank you D." I said rolling my eyes

"Everyone, I just want to thank you for coming and the reason that we called you here, is to tell you..we've decided to get married" John said

"FINALLY" everyone shouted together then everyone rushed forward to hug us

"Wait Wait there's more," I said

"What's else is there?" Stacey said

"I'm pregnant " I said

"Oh my god!" My mom said

"I'm too young to be a grandmother" John's mom said

"I'm going to be an Aunt" Stacey said crying

"I hope to hell you guys buy a bigger apartment" Dina said

"We are.." I said

"Alright..a toast.." my father said

"Wait..we have a surprise for Nikki and John" Vince said

Him, Newman and Sosseman  got in the middle of the living room, pushed back the couch and started to sing:

Were having a baby, my baby and me
You'll read it in Winchell's
That we're adding a limb to our family tree
We're pushing our carriage
How proud I will be
There's nothing like marriage
Ask your mother and father and they'll agree
He'll have toys, baby clothes
He'll know he's come to the right house
By and by, when he grows
Maybe he'll live in the White House
Our future gets brighter
But definitely
We're having a baby
We're having a baby
We're having a baby
My baby and me

I was laughing so hard because i love that show when i was a kid and couldn't believe that they'd actually got up and sang that for me..i also couldn't believe they knew i was pregnant

"You guys..that was so sweet" I said giving Vince a hug

"We wouldn't do it for anyone else but you Nik" Vince said

Well after our big announcement, everyone began talking at once until about three in the morning, when half our guests passed out on the floor and the other half passed out in the living room

As John and i were getting ready for bed,i was dead tired but i had to know how Vin knew i was pregnant before we told the rest of the family

"Johnny..how did Vince know i was pregnant?" I said sitting on the bed

"I uh don't know" John said turning around and walking into the bathroom

"You told him!!" I couldn't believe him

"No  i didn't " He started his teeth

"Yeah you did...we've only been back from paris for 7 days so you must have .." I stopped short

"Called him while we were in Paris ..yeah" He said then spit

"Why?" I asked

"Hey i was proud..." He said turning toward me

"the fact that we did it once and i wound up pregnant?" I said

"Well Hell ya " He said," You told Gina, Catie Annie and Nat before you told me"

"I did not" I said turning around and walking away

"You lie!" He called me on it

"Alright Alright ..i told them .." I confessed

"We're both guilty of having big mouths " John said getting into bed

"This is true..Night" I said and kissed him

"Night baby" He said kissing me then my stomach

Over the next few weeks, we were so busy trying to find an apartment, have a wedding and plan for the baby that we literally wore ourselves out..

the first problem...finding an apartment was solved quickly when we found a beautiful browstown in Brooklyn that had enough room for all our stuff that was in storage and enough room for the baby plus room for when our friend or family dropped by unexpectedly

the second problem was trying to find a church that could marry us as soon as possible that could also understand our "special circumstances", after visting about a half dozen catholic churches, we found a beautiful old church right in the center of Mahattan..that was settled

My biggest problem didn't really affect John because it was my minor problem.. my problem was trying to find a dress ..

The girls and i went shopping for a wedding dress

"May i help you?" the sales lady asked

"Yes i need to find a dress.." I said

"We're in a bit of a rush as you can see" Annie said putting her hand on my stomach which was getting bigger everday

"Ah... I see..follow me please?" The woman

"I betcha 10 bucks she brings out a white dress" Stevanne said

"I'll take that bet and i bet another 10 it'll look like something out of Rocky Horror Picture show" Gina said

"I'm in.." Catie said passing a 10 to Gina 

"You guys are awful... betting on her wedding dress!" Annie said then added ," 20 says the woman picks up a puke-green dress"

The woman stopped suddenly turned around and said,"I've got the perfect dress"

and then ran off.

She came back several minutes later, holding a white fluffy gown that even Rupaul wouldn't be caught dead in.

"Um..did we happen to mention..I'm pregnant..i don't think i should be wearing white." I said uncertainly

"Well ..if you pick your dress, we can have it dyed any color you choose." the woman said

"Ok..thank you.." Annie said taking my hand and leading me around the bridal store, after searching for about 20 minutes, i found a beautiful long sleeved kinda mini skirt  just like the one Julianne Moore wore in 9 months. It was perfect,

"What color would you like us to dye your dress?"the woman asked as she ran my credit card through the machine

"A very pale pink" I said

"PINK?" the girls said together

"Yes Pink" I said

"And for the bridesmaids?" the woman asked

 "Black and white strapless gowns .." I said

"How many?" The woman asked

"5" I said

"Ok..come back in a month and we'll do the final fitting " The woman said

The month went by quickly and pretty soon, it was the day of the wedding, I was so afraid that my dress wouldnt fit but somehow it fit! Between my mother, my friends and my cousin helping me get dressed, i didn't even get a chance to process what was going on until Annie was attempting to straighten out my hair

"Oh my god!" I said jumping up

"What? Did i burn you?" Annie asked

"No..I just realized I'm getting married!" I said

"Honey, you've been planning this wedding for over three months ..it just crossed your mind that your getting married?!" Catie said

"It just completely hit me! ..oh my god! am I doing the right thing?" I said starting to panic

"A little late to be backing out dontcha think?" Stevanne said

"No i could just run out and forget the whole thing!" I said

"You're pregnant you can't RUN anywhere " Natalie pointed out

"True" I said

"So are you gonna bail or are you gonna get married?" Catie asked

"Get Married" I said taking a deep breathe

"Good because i will never get your hair this straight or flat again" Annie said twirling the chair around to the mirror

I gasped, Annie and Catie had woven little flowers in my hair underneath my veil..it looked AMAZING i couldn't believe it, I started to cry

"Oh god..the waterworks are starting and that water-proof mascara only lasts through   light tears not hysterically sobbing so let's get moving!" Gina said clapping her hands

We got into the Limos and got to the church, standing in line it went Natalie, Stevanne, Gina Catie and Annie..before it was my time to walk down the aisle i peeked inside the church and saw John at the end of the aisle ... he looked amazing in his versace suit...i couldn't believe it..we're finally getting married!

As my father walked me down the aisle, i couldn't take my eyes off John, he seemed to lose control because his eyes were getting red,

We finally reached the end of the Aisle, where my father gave my hand to John,

"Who presents this woman to be wed?" the priest asked

"Her mother and I do" my father answered then sat next to my mother

"Dearly Beloved, we are gathered to celebrate the marriage of Jonathan Roger  and Nicole Victoria, if anyone has any objects to these two being wed ..please speak now or forever hold your peace" The Priest said

Nothing

"Jonathan, do you take Nicole Victoria to be your wife, to have and to hold through sickness and health until death do you part?" The priest asked

"I do" John answered

"Nicole Victoria, do you take  Jonathan to have and to hold through sickness and health until death  do you  part?" The Priest asked me

"I do" I responded

"May i have the rings please?" the priest asked Vince who was John's best man and asked Annie who was my maid-of-honor

"Jonathan Roger, please repeat after me..with this ring, i thee wed" The priest

"With this ring, i thee wed" He said putting the ring my finger

"Nicole Victoria, with this ring, i thee wed" The priest asked me

"With this ring, i thee wed" I said and started to cry

"With the Powers invested by me and the state of New York, I now pronouce you husband and wife " The Priest called,"You may now kiss the bride"

John gave me such a kiss that we nearly toppled over

"Ladies and Gentleman, I present Mr.and Mrs. Jonathan Distefino!" the priest called

The whole church errupted into screams and cheers..John and I practically ran down the aisle, we were so happy!

 In the limo, on the way to the reception, we sat back and just looked at each other

"Can you believe we're finally married!" John said

"I know..it's so surreal!" I replied, just then  i felt a little kick,"Oh my god..john!..the baby kicked!"

"What?" John said

"Yeah here put your hand here!" I took his hand and placed it on my stomach where the baby kicked again

"I think someone's happy!" John said then put his mouth to my stomach,"Are you happy now that mommy and daddy have made it official and your not illegimate anymore!" just then the baby kicked again

"I think that's a yes" I said laughing  

We walked into the reception, everyone stood up and cheered,  the Dj annouced our arrival and John took my hand and led me on the dance floor, where we had our first dance as husband and wife to Donna Lewis Now and Forever