Delon's Slivers

"Good evening Sir" The maid greeted as Stephan walked into the dining hall,pulling out a seat for himself and slumping into it there after. "Good evening Odette" Stephan gave a terse reply, "Get me some water please",followed by a request. Taking hold of the tie which wrung itself around his neck,Stephan loosened its grasp in his attempt to secure air.If there was anything he hated about his profession,it was the recurring and sometimes incessant conferences and mostly,seminars. Don't get him wrong,he did love his job. He was grateful to his elder brothers for shouldering the family business and leaving him to pursue a degree in pharmacy. He loved treating people,rendering services to the sick and dispensing medicines to the public. However,over the years,he'd began to doubt if there was really any difference between his brothers and himself. He'd started with a medium sized pharmacy at the corner of the estate he formally resided. But as nature would have it,his little pharmacy had become a suite of many other branches,scattered all over the country. Stephan gulped down the glass of water he'd been offered in one go,taking to his feet thereafter and beginning his ascent over the pristine tiled stairs. He was glad he was home,because he'd missed Delia immensely. He struggled to tame the impatient urge to have her in his arms again as he strolled the hallway,in search of his wife. Although he knew just where she would be. Sitting before her canvas and with her black-brown hair held up by long sliver hair pins in what could be more or less called a french plait. Delia was bodily absent. All she could catch from her surroundings were the smooth sloshes of her paint brush over her canvas. She'd been on this piece for days now and with the colours she'd added today,it seemed to finally coming alive. She dropped the brush in hand on her palette,in search of the smaller one which she always used for the finishing touches. Just then,the sound of a few knocks resonating from the door had her flinching in her place. "Steph!" She cried,a smile quickly replacing her shock. "Lia" he hollered in a less enthusiastic tone,looking between her and the canvas and making her aware that he wasn't pleased. "Don't tell me you've been sitting here since I left for the pharmacy this morning" he queried,leaning against the door frame and bringing his hands to a fold over his chest. "Um,I did walk around" She beamed. Stephan did try,but he simply couldn't resist Delia's antics. Two years of courting and six months into their marriage,Delia still knew how to push his buttons real good. He could hardly resist a smile from her let alone a grin. It was the first thing which had him attracted to her,the first thing he'd loved about her. Her smiles were eternal,Delia was a joy giver. After their first year of dating,Stephan had decided to start a pharmaceutical company. He had no superfluous plan,he would just produce a few cough syrups and anti-bacteria medicines. Perhaps,anti-malaria too. But that plan had also come crumbling as his supposed little brand,Delon had so boomed after its establish that he feared it would someday monopolise the drug market. "That doesn't work on me anymore" he told the lie,walking into the studio to where she sat. "Is it the glamorelle painting?" He questioned from where he stood behind her,leaning down so he could wrap his arms around her waist and place his neck over her shoulder. "Yeah...." she trailed off,staring at her incomplete artwork,her dissatisfaction well laced with her tone. "Hey,you know you're doing great right? It's going to come out perfect" he whispered to her,brushing a few strands of her messy hair out of her face. He simply loved the intoxicating scent she eluded whenever her perfume got whipped with the tangy smell of vinyl chloride in her paint. "I hope so" she exhaled. "How was the seminar?" She questioned,turning to him. "It was okay,stressful as usual. I just wish I didn't have to make so many speeches and so many researches" Stephan lamented. "Aww,I don't like it when my baby is stressed" Delia chimed,bringing her palms to caress Stephan's face. "And I don't like seeing my baby work so hard,so up you go" Stephan chuckled,pulling her to her feet and helping her out of her paint-coated apron. "Just give me some minutes Steph,I'm almost done" Delia laughed as Stephan swept her off her feet and into his arms. "No more painting for you ma'am" Stephan told her,walking out of her studio and into their room,two doors away on the right. "You know you're mean,right?" Delia questioned once they were inside and Steph brought her feet to the floor once again. "I wish I could help it" he whispered lowly,as she brought her arms around his neck,his lingering over her waist. Leaning downwards,he placed a fleeting kiss over her lips. "I missed you" he whispered thereafter. Delia smiled,a smile which caused Stephan to grow hotter than he already was. "I missed you too" Was all Delia had to say to have Stephan's hand picking out the two hair pins on her hair thus bringing her hair falling around her face. This time,with a tug on his tie,she brought their lips meeting again. Stephan hardened and Delia burned,their lips leaving heat trails over each other in their make out session. Stephan pulled Delia closer so she pressed hard against him,but it wasnt enough. Delia was heating up and she was doing so quite fast. They'd missed them,it was just a day but it felt like it's been forever. Stephan's hands trailed beneath the silk of Delia's shirt as he parted her lips,earning a soft moan from her not just from the kiss,but also from the way he'd began to caress her. Slowly,they found themselves heading for their bed and Delia,undoing the buttons of Stephan's clothes. Trailing his hands over the zipper of her jean pants,Stephan had Delia getting overly excited. "Stephan..." she breathed. "Yes baby girl" He whispered,his lips still making trails over her now exposed collar bone. "I love you" she managed to let out,whilst trying to tame her desire. "I love you more" Stephan whispered back,before placing his lips over hers again. **** It had only been a few days after Delia's exhibition. She was grateful it had went well. Not just that,it had exceeded her expectations this time. Almost all her pieces were sold out and others were booked for bigger auctions. It had been hell to get it all together but thanks to her assistant,Yasmine and of course,her husband,she was able to get it all together. That was the good part of the story,the bad part was she having to wake up to a striking headache and a nauseating feeling the next day. She'd crawled out of Stephan's arms and into the toilet hoping that the stir of her stomach would cease once she'd emptied her stomach but she'd been wrong. She could barely recall what she'd eaten to evoke such a response from her body. Stephan had walked in minutes into her trying to choke herself over te toilet seat,soothing her back in attempt to help her calm down. They'd both assumed it was probably due to stress. With that conclusion,Stephan put her back to bed,made a mental note to get her some medications and went ahead to get ready for work. His morning routine was disrupted however,as Delia's slight hyperpyrexia started hitting high bars. She was literally burning,causing Stephan to panic. After a few futile rounds of visiting the toilet,she suddenly demanded for cinnamon rolls. His work long forgotten,Stephan rushed around the house to get the maids to do the needful and in less that forty five minutes,he was walking into the room with a tray in hand. He placed it over the centre table of the room,helping Delia up and to where the food now lay. She'd barely ingested more than three chunks of the roll before rushing to the toilet again,this time emptying the little she'd managed to get in out. She slumped over the bathroom tiles thereafter,clutching her belly as she squirmed in pain. "Lia,please don't do this. Can you at least tell me what's hurting exactly?" Stephan panicked,gathering her from the floor and into his arms. "I don't know...I just feel... really dizzy,my belly really hurts and..." Delia tried to articulate the words but before she could,her eyes fell shut. It was Stephan's cue to go crazy. "Lia! Lia!" He shrieked,shaking her shoulders brashly as he did. As if realising that his wife was in no way ready to regain consciousness,he did the only thing which seemed reasonable. Lifting her light weight into his arms,he rushed for the parking lot. "Odette,get me my keys!" He yelled as he rushed down the stairs. Laying her in the comfort of the backseat of the car,he too settled into the drivers seat and bucketed down the streets of the city. Stephan could be everything but calm. He paced around the hallway,his head reeling with a million possibilities as he waited. He'd filled all appropriate documents and had given his mother who just happened to be in town a call. What if she suddenly left him in this cold world? Would her ever find it in him to be happy again? Would he ever forgive himself? "Oh Steph!" The voice which could always soothe his worries met his ears,that of Loris. Turning backwards,he recognised his mother making hurried steps towards him. "Mom" he cried,walking into her embrace. "Mom,she was fine yesterday. I don't know what happened,I...I don't want to lose her mom" Stephan cried over his mother's shoulder. "Steph,she'll be fine. Don't think too much,she'll be fine" She consoled,the feel of her slightly hoarse palms over Stephan's back happened to be working their magic again,as they'd always have. "Mr. Stephan Hudgens" A rather unfamiliar voice had Stephan breaking away from his mother's hold. "Yes doctor,that's me" he gave a quick reply to the man who had just come out of the hospital room before them. "Okay. Dr. Bernett is the name. This way please" he directed after a shake of the hand with Stephan,pushing the slide doors again so they could all walk into the room. "Delia my dear" Loris was quick to motion for Delia who was now laid over the hospital bed and fought to keep her lids open. "Oh God!" Stephan exclaimed,walking to a corner of the room and banging a fist against the wall. He'd been worried sick. Delia's failing gaze remained transfixed on Stephan,despite her mother-in-law seated beside her and was trying to ensure that she was okay. "Talk to me Delia,can you hear me?" Loris called out again. "I'm fine maa" she managed to let out. The doctors and the nurses seemed to be finalising some documents at a far end of the room. A nurse walked over to them,fixing another IV fluid to the drip connected to Delia's wrist. "Steph" Delia called lowly,noticing how red rimmed his honey brown orbs had become,causing her heart to ache. "Its okay,I'm fine" she tried to comfort as he took another seat beside her,taking her hand in his. "I was so scared I'd lose you" he whispered to her. "You know there's no way I'd go anywhere without you" she whispered back. Stephan lay a feather like kiss over the palm of her hand,holding it to his temple thereafter. He'd feared he would never get to do this again. "Um,sorry to interrupt but,I come bearing good news" Bernett interrupted,earning their keen attention. "Yes doctor,is anything wrong with her? Is she okay?" Steph questioned. "Well,her stress levels are high and given her current condition,she'll need to tone down the pressure and try to up her nutrition game as well" He told us. "Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Stephan Hudgens. You'll be parents soon. Your wife is pregnant Mr. Stephan" With the delivering of the information,Delia found herself sitting up in place. The room stilled,each family member trying to assimilate what they'd just heard. "Oh goodness me,Delia! You're going to be a mother!" Loris was first to speak up. "Am I hearing right,Lia?" Stephan turned to his wife,his orbs now brimming with tears. He just couldn't believe it,he was going to be a father at the age of twenty four. "I...cant believe it either,I...I'm carrying a child...I..." Delia bubbled with untold joy,her hands coming around her belly,tears beginning to brim in her orbs as well. "Steph,we're going to be parents. There's a life growing in me,Steph! Do you get it?!" Delia's tears had begun to come down over her face freely. Subtly,Stephan brought his arms around her. He ran his fingers through her hair in attempt to soothe her cries,even though he was tearing up as well. "Thank you Lia. I...I wouldn't have had it any other way" he told her,placing a kiss over the crane of her neck. To think he'd never suspected. With all his pharmaceutical training,he'd failed to suspect this. He'd panicked instantly and left no space for logical reasoning in his brain. After the few minutes which they used to soothe each other,Stephan was all over the place. "I'm going to be a freaking Dad!" He'd become extremely euphoric,yelling so loud that his voice could he heard at the other end of Loris' phone calls who had taken to sharing the good news. Delia couldn't suppress her laughs whilst watching Stephan. Surely,they hadn't planned it to happen this way. But then again,they hadn't planned at all. She couldn't prance around the room as Stephan or Loris could at the moment but she knew her heart held twice as much joy. She clutched her belly tightly,salty puddles gathering beneath her orbs every now and then. Stephan walked back to where Delia sat,taking the seat beside her again and her hand in his. "Lia.." he started,placing a kiss over her lips thereafter. "...did I ever mention,I love you so much" the expressions which whisked over his orbs complimented the intensity of his statement. "I love you too,Steph..." Delia cried "...So much" Smearing the tear which had escaped the canthi of her eyes and cupping her face,Stephan brought her into his embrace once again.