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"That's too bad," he said and leaned over me, giving me a kiss. "I'll let you know how things are going but I think we better cancel tonight."
"Aww, Luke, that's too bad," I said, making a sad face. "Are you sure?"
He nodded. "I couldn't have a party if John's mom dies today. It just wouldn't be a happy occasion. We can reschedule for next weekend. Maybe you could call people and cancel."
"I will. That's too bad, but I totally understand."
"If you want me to pick anything up for you, I can when I come home. I don't know when that will be, given the circumstances but I could pick up some pho if you want. That's usually a good choice for you."
"I'll see how I feel," I said and felt a tug at my heart for John. "Don't worry about me. Stay with him as long as he needs you. I'll be fine."
"You're the best," he said and stood up. "I'll grab a bagel and coffee on the way to the hospital. If I can sneak home at lunch, I will."
"Don't leave on my account. I can fend for myself. John needs you."
"Okay," Luke said and bent down to kiss me once more. "I'll keep in touch. Sorry about messing up your day."
"Bye," I said and held up my mug of warm peppermint tea and a cracker. "I'll call everyone and cancel. I'll be here catching up on Watchmen and maybe I'll do some reading for my paper once I feel better."
He left me alone, closing the door and locking it behind him. I sighed and turned back to the flatscreen, switching channels so I could find the latest episode of Watchmen. I'd have to cancel plans for the dinner later. While I was sad at doing so, there was no way Luke would want to have a party on the night John's mother died or was dying. We would reschedule it for the following week, and so I'd have to call the caterers and make new arrangements.
It would keep me busy, once my morning sickness passed.
Later that day, after I spent some time calling everyone and canceling the party, I spoke with Luke's dad. He wanted to come by later with his gift for Luke even though the party was canceled.
"I'm sure he would be pleased to see you," I said, writing down a note to let Luke know. "I don't know if or when Luke will be home for supper, given what's happening. You could call before you arrive and see if Luke is here or you could just drop off the gift when it's convenient for you."
"I'd like to see Luke, if possible," Mr. Marshall said. "I'll call him and get him to let me know when he'll be by."
"Okay," I said. "I'm sure Luke will be happy to see you. I only wish he was on better terms with his mother. It must be hard not to have her support."
"It must be, and it's a crying shame that she's so petty and vindictive that she can't just accept you and see how happy Luke is with you. It's her loss."
"And Luke's loss," I replied. "He'll be feeling it acutely today, given what's happening with John's mother."
"I know she loves him, in her own way, but she just can't keep from meddling. She'll regret it one day, even if she doesn't yet. When that baby comes, she'll be wishing she was on good terms with you so she could come and enjoy helping you two. I keep telling her to make amends, but she's stubborn and thinks you have to come to her. I told her it's the other way around, but she won't listen to me."
"She just doesn't like me," I said, a feeling of sadness in my chest at the thought.
"No, there's nothing not to like about you, sweetheart," Mr. Marshall said. "She just thinks she knows best and feels that Luke should marry into money. I told her Luke should marry for love and nothing else. We're not in the damn Middle Ages, for God's sake, but she won't listen to reason."
I smiled at the sound of anger in his voice. He was happy that Luke and I were together.
"Thanks for your support," I said. "Believe me, I appreciate it."
"Don't even mention it. I'm happy because Luke's happy. Any fool with eyes could see it. Now, you take care, dear, and I'll see you later."
"Goodbye," I replied and ended the call, sighing at the prospect of Mrs. Marshall remaining on the outs with Luke. Christmas was coming, and I wanted us to be all one big happy family for our first Christmas as a married couple.
I had a bad feeling that wasn't going to happen...
Whatever the case, I would do whatever I could to make it as happy as possible. If Mrs. Marshall couldn't find it in her heart to accept me and be on good terms, I'd make sure Luke was surrounded with other family and friends. I'd invite my parents, Dana and little James, Candace, Mr. Marshall, and John and Felicia. Together, we'd have a perfect family Christmas Dinner at the beach house on Westhampton. I wanted to start a tradition of hosting the big holidays there, so we could create long-term memories of the place. One day, I knew we'd be able to look back with real happiness at our times spent there with everyone.
With that in my head, I called the caterers and rescheduled the dinner for the following weekend. It was late to do so, but they totally understood, and I offered to pay for any food that had already been prepped that they couldn't use, asking if they could donate it to the local homeless shelter instead so it didn't go to waste. They agreed and so I felt like it wasn't a total loss.
Something good would come out of a bad situation.
For the rest of the day, I battled nausea and fatigue, surprised at how long it was lasting. I had hoped that it would start getting better, but it seemed to only get worse.
