Eeper of the Stars

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, and it was created solely by me as the author. Any similarities to characters, businesses, places, or things are all happenstance, though my appreciation to those who have

inspired

my works is immense.

Author's Note:

This is the seventh part of many to come in a series I believe many of you have come to love. Please keep in mind that my stories are STORIES, so many details make for fun, exciting, and interesting plot lines. Please remain calm in awaiting the next installment, but I assure you, it'll be worth it. Questions and comments are welcome. I hope everyone will be kind. Please take the time to rate this story, and don't forget to follow me if you haven't!

Keeper of the Stars - pt. 7

"Happy Anniversary, sweetheart," Savannah greeted Luke as she woke up next to him on the second day of their anniversary trip to the Dells. They'd spent the night wrapped up with each other, and Savannah knew they were both pleasantly spent. "Going the two weeks of Season without sex again definitely had its benefits. Wow. Just... wow."

"I'll say," Luke agreed and smiled from where he still hadn't moved since waking up. "Three years and still going strong. Like, really strong."

"I'm sorry we didn't use the work truck for this arrangement," Savannah pondered. "I know you kinda had your heart set on it."

"No, no," Luke argued and tried to sit up. "No need to apologize. I think the three times we did it last month in there were plenty. And the last time almost getting caught was enough to last another year, I think."

"Oh, gosh," Savannah reacted and then burst out laughing. "First of all, I had one to many that night, for sure. And I never have that much. Second, I had no idea Max would be riding by that late at night on his quad!"

"Savannah, it was 7pm," Luke countered. "It was barely dark. But it was fine. He didn't see anything. I've made love to a few different versions of Savannah. Everyday Savannah, incredible. Pregnant Savannah, so hot. Drunk Savannah? Massive amount of fun, a bit loud, and rather giggly."

"What about hot-for-her-husband Savannah?" she asked him as she straddled him above his blanket.

"I said that," Luke told her and shrugged. "Everyday Savannah."

"So confident, aren't we?"

"In your love? Hell, yeah. Three years and only getting better. Now," Luke told her as he wrapped his arms around her, "which Savannah are we right now?"

"Probably pregnant Savannah," she admitted and then smiled.

"What?"

"I'm fertile, Luke," Savannah informed him and nodded. "I purposely chose to have us leave Monday and be gone through Wednesday because of that rather than after Mass on Sunday as you'd suggested. You've been busy with Season again, so I've been charting myself. I knew it'd be around this time, so I did the math and guessed today or tomorrow."

"Really?" Luke asked and smiled as he laid her back and nodded. "Yeah? Well, you know how it worked last time. Best give it our all," he advised before slowly rubbing his shaft up her leg. Savannah smiled as she lifted her leg to rub against his as he prepared to enter her.

At some point, they were finally cleaned up enough to go out to the lazy river to do their laps and enjoy the lazy part. They laid out on the chairs and bought Patience a few souvenirs before heading back to the room to make love a few more times.

Cardmaking and multiple sales whisked Savannah away as soon as she and Luke returned to the farm. She'd kiss Luke goodbye when he went off to chores as she headed to her workshop, and Tabi slept over in case Patience woke up before Luke got back to get her up each morning. Savannah worked seven days a week and even got into a few shouting matches with Luke about working too hard and too long. They'd end up making up by spending the night in bed making love and apologizing for losing their tempers. It turned out that both Ana and Tara were right about make-up sex. It really was different, and wow! It was worth having.

On her 25th birthday, her golden birthday, Luke set out to give her a whole day of celebrating. It was the Friday after Thanksgiving which had been low-key since Ana and Andy had gone to be with her family to let them spend time with Kolbe and Jude. Luke and Patience took Savannah on a multi-store shopping spree and out to a fancy lunch, and while they were gone, Miša and Lori had created a surprise dinner. Savannah put her panties into Luke's pocket again when he headed to the bathroom, and Luke once again asked that Lori and Mike kept Patience for the night.

When they got back to the house, Luke didn't even turn on the light in the foyer as he locked the door and had her pressed against the wall making love to her before she could take her coat off. They made love throughout the night, and when they finally took a break, Luke asked her about the chart.

"Do we need to take a test?"

"A test to see how in love we are?" Savannah asked him and ran her finger down along his chest. "A test to see if we're too compatible?"

"Savannah, you know there are no scores high enough to test those," Luke teased back as he ran his finger along the back of her arm. "I meant a pregnancy test."

Savannah lifted her head and then tilted it. "Oh, gosh. Oh, my gosh, Luke. I've been so busy with cards. I don't have any tests here. I took one at Ana's for Patience and got it done at the office when I was there for the one-year checkup."

"I got a pack of them when I got you flowers this morning," Luke confessed and watched her face. "I hope you're not mad."

"Mad? No way! I really, honestly, totally forgot, Luke," Savannah answered and sat up. "Should I take it now? Are we ready to know? Oh, gosh! That's why we'd been arguing so much! I was tired and cranky, even more than usual. Do you think, really?"

"They're in the bathroom, babe," Luke told her and pointed. "Go find out." He laughed when she scrambled off the bed to go and take it. When she came out of the bathroom wearing a robe, she smiled at him as she held out the test.

"Yeah?" Luke asked as he finished putting on his own robe. He walked to the stereo and turned on a CD to play. "Is it?"

"We're having another baby," she answered and tossed the test back into the bathroom on the sink. Luke smiled and opened his arms to her, and she sauntered over to him with her hands in her pockets.

"Dance with me, my beautiful wife," Luke requested of her and pulled her hands out of her pockets to put up around his neck. "I love you, you know," he told her and kissed her forehead. Savannah closed her eyes and smiled.

"I love you, you know," she answered back and put her head on his shoulder. "I think Mt. Olympus is just good luck, you know? It's our place."

"You're my place, babe," Luke answered. "Wherever you are, that's where I'm meant to be. You know, as long as you're on this farm and living with me."

"Oh," she answered and nodded. "I'm your place, with conditions."

"You get it," he teased. "Happy Birthday, my love."

"Thanks, Luke," Savannah answered and ran her fingers up through his hair. She smiled when he shuddered. "Still got it," she whispered.

"Yeah, you do," he whispered back and continued dancing with her until the eighth song had finished. They went to bed and decided they'd tell everyone in the family at Christmas and then announce with cards to the cousins after the first trimester. They knew the family would respect their desire to keep it in the family until then.

At Christmas, Patience had everyone excited when she wore a "big sister" shirt. It only took Ana three seconds to realize it. Savannah put her finger to her mouth to keep her from ruining the surprise for everyone else which had them in stitches by the time everyone else realized what it said. And it was always at different times. Lori was in the kitchen when she realized it. Mike shared that he'd seen it as soon as they walked in and didn't say anything to keep from ruining the surprise.

At dinner, Luke requested that everyone please keep it in the family and then explained that between Angela's many miscarriages and Savannah's experience in August which few of them had known about, they were a little hesitant to celebrate with everyone until she hit her first trimester. Everyone was excited for their shared news, but sad to hear about the experience in August. Ana took it the worst.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Ana asked her and wiped away a tear. They were sitting in the office.

"Only Luke and Anthony knew, Ana. I knew as soon as I told Luke that something was off. I didn't want to tell anyone, and I was so sad knowing how excited Luke was. When I finally got Anthony to listen, well, it snowballed into an ultrasound, silence, ME walking in, silence, lots of shaking of heads, a call to Luke, and me having a D and C.

"This time, well, morning sickness has started, and we were arguing in November, which you know we almost never do, though it made for some great make-up sex." She smiled, and while Ana rolled her eyes, she smiled too. "I definitely feel it this time. And I'm excited."

"Well, I'm happy for you, Vanna," Ana admitted. "I just, I wish you hadn't had to go it alone."

"Ana, you have to admit that two having has been a handful for you, and you would have more than likely told me the same thing Luke and Anthony did every time I told them I didn't feel pregnant. 'Well, all pregnancies are different,' I can hear you saying. The only thing you would have done differently is refrained from telling me I should be thankful I didn't feel like throwing up every day. You, as a mother who has experienced morning sickness, would have understood that the fact was definitely a sign."

"Fair enough," Ana resolved and stood up. "Now, let's hug it out. I need to go rescue Andy from Kolbesaurus and Jude-rex. Halloween was two months ago, and we can still hear you calling them that. And they respond!"

"Favorite Aunt Banna," Savannah stated with a shrug. "They love me. Not sure what else I can say about it!"

Savannah was laughing when she came out of the office, so when she saw both Jude and Kolbe sitting outside the door, she was bent over in hysterics when she heard Jude squeal and Kolbe yelled, "Banna!"

"What's wrong?" Luke asked when he came running and found Savannah bent over. When she stood up and had the sheer look of immense laughter on her face, he put his hand to his heart and stood against the wall to calm down. "Good Lord, Van. I seriously thought..."

"Oh, she's fine," Ana assured him and waved off his concerns.

Savannah picked up Jude and Kolbe at the same time and carried them into the living room to give them to Andy. They got their coats and boots on and walked slowly with Patience back over to their house to spend the rest of the holiday cuddled up on the couch with their daughter as they watched a movie. Luke carried sleeping Patience up to her crib and then joined Savannah in their room where they celebrated all the blessings in their life in their usual way.

Savannah had just finished making the announcements one afternoon in late January. She planned to fill them out and send them the following week to all the cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents. She was surprised that her morning sickness had subsided quicker than it had with Patience's pregnancy, but she was grateful that she didn't always worry about where the bathroom was when they were out and about.

When she walked into the house, Tabi was finishing her book. "Hold on, Vanna," Tabi requested when Savannah greeted her. "I'm two pages away from the end. This book is so good!" Savannah smiled as she picked up Patience who had come running when she saw her enter the house. The sharp pain in her side caught her off guard, and she let out a yelp.

"Whoa," she breathed and carefully set Patience back on the floor to run around again. "Ow, that hurt," she said aloud and winced.

"Done! Oh, Vanna!" Tabi exclaimed as she slammed the book shut. "I'm so glad you suggested these books last year! I have loved every one of them."

"I told you," Savannah tried to say excitedly but winced again at her pain. "Thanks again for staying with her. Luke had some stuff to do out on the farm and didn't want to wake her from her nap to do it. You're the best, Tabi."

"I'm always happy to hang with my niece, aren't I?" Tabi regaled Patience and then gave her a high five. "I taught her that! Good job, Paish! Well, I'm out of here. Gotta prepare dinner for the family tonight. See ya!"

"I'm proud of you!" Savannah called after her before the door had shut. She turned and looked down at Patience. "High five?" Patience lifted her hand and gave Savannah one and made her laugh. "Good job! I'm so proud of you too, sweetheart. But, for now? I think I have to sit down. Mommy's side hurts a lot. At least we know it's not appendicitis!"

"Mommy," Patience repeated and pointed up at Savannah. Savannah sniffed a laugh.

"Yes, I'm your mommy, and I love you!" Savannah declared and then put her in the highchair with much strain on her side again. "Ouch! What the heck?" She grabbed some snacks for Patience to eat while she took out the food for dinner. By the time Luke walked into the door, Savannah was bent over in immense pain.

"How are my girls today?" Luke asked as he hung up his coat and took off his boots by the door. "Daddy wishes he could have brought his girl with him to drive the farm today. Van, did you get those cards done? Van? Van? What's the matter?"

Savannah held her stomach and looked at her husband with tears in her eyes. "Luke, something's not right. It hurts so bad!" Luke grabbed her phone out of her back pocket and called ME.

"Something's wrong with Savannah," Luke informed her and then waited to hear the response. "She's bent over in pain. She's holding her stomach." He paused. "Yep, tell Mom to be ready, please. Bye." He hung up and slid the phone in his own back pocket. "Let me get Patience's coat and boots, honey. Come sit for a second."

Luke ran around getting the stuff together, checking to make sure the stove and oven were off, and when the front door opened, Luke called out. "In here," he yelled and picked up Patience. "Come on, Paish," Luke told his daughter in a gentle voice. "Let's go to Gammy and PopPop's with Tabi."

When they were gone, Luke brought over Savannah's boots and helped her to get into them and then held out her coat. "Give me one more second, baby," he requested and kissed her forehead. He was whispering what sounded like prayers as he hurried to put on his own boots. He had his coat on and made sure hers was on and zipped up before they left the house. "It's going to be OK, sweetheart. Van, you're gonna be OK."

"It really hurts," she whispered and gasped when she felt herself getting wet in her panties. "Oh no, no, no. Oh, no, Luke, I think I'm bleeding."

When they got to the house, he picked her up and carried her to the room, and before he laid her on the bed, he told his mom, "She's bleeding." She quickly grabbed a pad to put down under her bottom and then pointed at the chair.

"Sit, Luke," Lori insisted. He watched as ME and Lori got to work to figure out what was going on.

Savannah winced in pain and cried when she finally heard what she was desperately dreading. She was miscarrying. She had begun bleeding, and they were monitoring her to be sure she wasn't hemorrhaging. She stayed the night, and Luke never left her side. He was numb with shock. He didn't cry this time. She'd seen him put up something like a little protective wall from the time she had tested positive in their bedroom that night. He was afraid to feel excited until he really knew it was happening. He couldn't get that attached again. It had hurt too much.

Unlike the last time she'd heard that the pregnancy wasn't happening, this time, Savannah was nearly inconsolable. She was so sure she was going to be able to carry this one to term. She blamed herself and kept saying she should have done better, known better, that she had worked too hard, and it was all her fault. No matter what Lori, ME, Ana, or Luke told her, she was unable to be convinced that she was not to blame and needed to get over those thoughts.

When Luke's 26th birthday came around, Savannah and Patience made him breakfast and greeted him warmly by waking him up since he hadn't had to do chores that morning. "Good morning, sweetheart," Savannah greeted him quietly as he opened his eyes. Patience was holding balloons and a bottle of syrup. Savannah held the tray of their plates of pancakes, sausage, and cups of orange juice.

"Hap Birfday, Daddy!" Patience yelled and danced around watching the balloons.

"Whoa! What a surprise!" Luke announced and winked at Savannah. "What have we got here?"

"Panicakes, sauce, and juicy," Patience declared proudly. "Oh, and seerp!" she added and lifted the bottle she was holding in her hand.

"Seerp!" Luke told her as he lifted her up onto the bed. "My favorite! Oh, man, girls! What a treat."

"Hi," she greeted him again as she set the tray down on either side of his legs. Savannah kissed him and sniffed a laugh as he held her face to his so she couldn't just pull away. "Wow," she whispered and shook her head.

"Daddy kiss-ded Mama!" Patience exclaimed and clapped.

"Yeah, I did!" Luke agreed and pointed at his cheek. "Where's my kiss from my other girl?" When Patience leaned in a kissed him, Luke sighed. "Ah. My cup runneth over. Alright, let's pray! Big day today!"

When they had finished eating and Savannah had everything cleaned up, Luke walked into the kitchen wearing running pants and a t-shirt while carrying Patience and a suitcase. "Alright, Patience," Luke told his daughter as he held her facing Savannah. "Say 'bye-bye' to Mommy! Say, 'surprise! I'm going to Gammy and PopPop's for the next four days so you two can spend the whole weekend together!'"

"What?" Savannah asked and tilted her head. "When did this get planned?"

"When I decided that the only thing I wanted for my birthday was to spend time with just my wife. They're taking Patience for the extended weekend, and I have a whole stay-at-home mini vacation planned. My chores are covered today through Monday too so that we can be together the entire time."

"Luke! Why didn't you tell me?" Savannah asked and sat down. "I had stuff planned too, but..." and she trailed off. Maybe this was what she needed. She hadn't been feeling like herself since the miscarriage, and she knew it was time to snap out of the funk she'd been in. "You know what? Good. I'm glad we're doing this. What do I need to do? I'm assuming you're taking her over there now?"

"Yep," he answered and handed Patience to her so she could get a big hug from her daughter. "First thing? Go put on your running clothes. I'll be back shortly and want to go for a good run."

"Bye, sweetheart," Savannah whispered and put her nose to her daughter's cheek. "I'm going to miss you, but you're going to have so much fun with Gammy and PopPop! I bet you'll see Kolbe and Erika and Jude... and maybe even Joshie? I think I heard Sara and Jake were bringing him over to see Sam and Max this weekend."

"Josh," Patience repeated and then said it again.

"Yep, essentially your twin buddy," Savannah teased. "Cousins born two days apart. I was teasing when I told Sara she could only miss coming to meet Patience if she went into labor."

"I'll be right back," Luke promised and left with Patience. Savannah ran up the stairs to get her running clothes. When she was dressed, she knelt at the side of the bed and put her head in her hands.

"God, please, please help me to get out of this funk," Savannah prayed aloud. "Help me to stop blaming myself for the loss of our last pregnancy and to make this the most perfect weekend for Luke. Thank You for his patience and tolerance of my self-pity as I've been wallowing through this for too long. Please rain down birthday blessings on him and help me to be part of those blessings. I love You, Lord. I praise Your name. Amen."