[hockeypreg2]

"If you're sure," Zach said, kissing his cheek gently. "Just remember that you can call an end to this at any point tonight. If you want to go home and get in bed with me, we can do that."

Zach tangled their fingers together and they walked back to the table. Gina immediately put her hand to Caleb's forehead, fussing over him. She sat him down, having ordered him some ginger tea and some crackers for him to try eating.

"Oh sweetheart," Gina said gently. "Is there anything else that might help?"

[Sam260]

Caleb shook his head and slowly - not in a rude way - eased away from Gina and her over bearing mothering. He laid his head against Zach's shoulder, practically burying himself in the material of his husband's jacket "No, I don't need anything... Thank you though, Mrs. Martin." Caleb said quietly.

He picked up the crackers and started slowly munching on them, several crumbs fell and landed in Zach's lap, but Caleb didn't really seem to care, he just occasionally brushed them off and focused on eating the crackers, and drinking his ginger ale - as much as he appreciated Gina's attempts at motherly love, it still just didn't sit well with him; even though him and Zach had both tried explaining that to her. "How much longer until dinner is over?" Caleb mumbled with his mouth full of crackers, making it hard for anyone but Zach to hear him.

[hockeypreg2]

"Soon," Zach promised. Everyone else was finished eating and no one seemed interested in dessert. Jen had a cup of coffee and was chatting with Mike about a book they had both read. Zach really appreciated her so much right now. Her ability to carry a conversation was always useful. He loved his parents dearly and he knew they loved Caleb, but it was still a little tough to spend a lot of time with them without Noah and Savannah around, especially his mom. His dad was much easier and tended to just let Caleb have his space and be quiet as he needed.

Zach paid the bill and they parted ways with his parents, hugging them goodbye as they headed back to the house to relieve Amanda. Zach turned to Jen who linked her arm with Caleb's.

"So you know the rest of the evening plans. Do you think we should go forward with them?"

[Sam260]

Jen shrugged her shoulders and looked Caleb over slowly "Well, he certainly looks less pale. I don't see why we shouldn't continue with our plans as we arranged them - Luckily they are all leaver-friendly so if anything else should happen during the course of the evening, you guys can just dip out and head home." Jen said with a cheeky grin on her face.

Caleb didn't quite like the sound of that, but he bit his lip and nodded in agreement "I feel fine, Zach - really. I don't want to put a damper on any of you guy's birthday plans for me... So, lead the way. I'll go wherever you guys go!" Caleb said happily, finally feeling a little more himself now that he didn't have Gina breathing down his neck. Nor did his stomach seem ready to revolt anymore.

Jen squealed happily and tugged Caleb over to the waiting car, Jim having waited outside for them the entire dinner courses. "You'll have fun, I promise, Caleb."

[hockeypreg2]

"And if at any point you aren't having fun, tell us," Zach said as they arranged themselves in the car. He snuggled Caleb close, Jen snuggling into Caleb's other side. "You're not going to hurt our feelings."

Jim headed towards the other end of town to a gay bar where they could dance for a bit without having to worry about being bothered that much. It was a nicer place, one that Jen insisted would be fun for all of them even if she was just the fly, not the fruit.

[Sam260]

Caleb nodded and snuggled closer to Zach than he did Jen; feeling a need to just be closer to his husband. He was still feeling a bit wishy-washy, tears at random leaking from his eyes and dripping into the material of Zach's clothes "I appreciate it - everything. You guys don't know how happy you've already made me..." Caleb whispered a little roughly. "I'm sorry if I ruined dinner by getting sick... I just don't know what it was that came over me."

Jen made a shushing noise and wiped away a few tears on Caleb's face without Zach noticing "It's okay, Caleb - We both know that Seafood just doesn't sit with you well sometimes... It happens." Jen said quietly, ironically she seemed to know exactly what Caleb was going through, without knowing at all.

By the time they arrived at the bar, Jen got all of their changes of clothes out and ready so they could head inside and change. She managed to corner Zach while Caleb was in the bathroom "Do you know what's *really* going on with your husband?" she asked quietly, glancing in the direction of the bathroom doors that they were covering so no one walked in on Caleb as he changed.

[hockeypreg2]

Zach sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Not a clue. Honestly the last time he acted like this he was pregnant with Noah and that's just ... not a possibility anymore. After Noah was born, Dr. Evans tied his tubes because it would be so dangerous for him to have another child. I asked so many times today if he was sure he wanted to go out tonight. We could have kept the sitter and stayed home."

[Sam260]

Jen crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head "Zach, tubal litigation is not always one-hundred percent... It sometimes fails - especially in high stress situations where a doctor is more concerned about her patients health than actually closing things up..." Jen said quietly, continuing to glance in the direction of the bathroom "Maybe you should consider that... and talk to your husband... because the vomiting, the lack of eating, his *silence*, Zach..."

Jen bit her lip and shook her head again "He is never quiet - and you know that. There are just so many signs and symptoms, and you should know them all by now, from his pregnancy to yours... You guys are experts on this basically."

[hockeypreg2]

Zach paled and grabbed Jen's arm. "You don't really think he could be, do you? Oh my god. How am I supposed to get through the rest of tonight without asking about this? He could die, Jen."

Jen patted his arm gently, giving him a sympathetic look. "Keep it together for tonight. You're an actor so act like you're not thinking about the fact you might have knocked your husband up again."

[Sam260]

Caleb came out of the bathroom a few minutes later and looked between Zach and Jen, immediately he could tell something was off by the way Zach was pale and clutching at Jen "Is uh... something wrong?" Caleb asked quietly and bit his lip. He looked down at his feet and blinked a couple of times "Are we leaving?" Caleb whispered.

[hockeypreg2]

Zach shook his head. "No. Jen just said something that startled me. I'm fine." He pressed a kiss to Caleb's cheek, looking at his outfit. He smiled and ran a hand down Caleb's side. "You look really hot. Are these new pants?"

Jen rolled her eyes at that and grabbed her clothes. "I'm going to change. Watch the door for me."

[Sam260]

Caleb looked down at himself and smiled lightly - he was wearing skinny jeans that were hot pink with splotches of purple and green all over them; like paint splatters. His shirt actually matched but was in opposite fashion, a purple tank top with hot-pink and green paint splatters all over it "Mmm, yeah they are new. I forgot I even had them in the closet..." Caleb said with a shrug and then looked up at Zach, tilting his head to the side.

Jen skirted past them and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Caleb bit his lip again and leaned against Zach "What did Jen say that startled you? You don't usually get so... scared looking..." Caleb asked quietly, running his fingers up and down the smooth silk-like material of Zach's dress shirt.

[hockeypreg2]

Zach made a face and instead kissed Caleb softly, cupping his ass gently. He wasn't sure if making out would distract Caleb from his question, but he was willing to try while he came up with something to say. When he finally had to pull back to breath, Caleb poked him in the side, giving him that look, one he knew all too well.

"She was asking if I was willing to do porn," Zach said with a shake of his head. "That startled the crap out of me."

[Sam260]

Caleb raised an eyebrow at that, he didn't know whether to believe his husband or not - the kiss suggested something more was going on, but... Caleb sighed and shook his head; he could never really tell when Zach was lying or telling the truth, given his acting skills were one of the best "Yeah... No one is sleeping with you, except me... and I don't even get paid for it." Caleb said with a teasing smile on his face.

Jen seemed to come out of the bathroom quicker than even Caleb, wearing a shiny silver tank-top and a pair of black jeans and boots "Okay, your turn Zachy! Go put on your most dazzling outfit and we'll get this birthday started off right!" Jen said as she walked over to Caleb and linked arms with him.

[hockeypreg2]

Zach headed into the bathroom, knowing they were going to be highly disappointed in his clothing as per usual. He changed into a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt, coming back out to see Jen and Caleb whispering with their heads tilted together. He knew Jen would back up what he said if Caleb called her on it. She was good like that.

"So how do I look?" asked Zach, holding his arms out and twirling around to show off his clothes.

[Sam260]

Caleb snorted out a laugh and shook his head, cheeks burning a bright red "Oh man..." he groaned and rubbed his jaw slowly "You look like you usually do, Zach... You're supposed to be flashy, more... eccentric and stuff!" Caleb said, waving a hand up and down to encompass his and Jen's more 'out-there' outfits.

Caleb sighed though as he walked over to Zach and hooked his arm with his husbands "Nothing we can do about your fashion statement now, though... One day, Jen and I will have to drag you out to a store and..." he paused and puffed his cheeks out slightly, closing his eyes against a sudden wave of nausea and dizziness; his body swaying slightly. It took him a bit of time to come back to himself "and get you some proper clothes that show you off, rather than hide you..."

Jen looked between Zach and Caleb, brows furrowed as she crossed her arms "He's right, you know - Clothes make the man, sometimes, and this all black... Jeans and T-shirt thing... It doesn't help you stand out much, Zach." she agreed with Caleb, simply to keep the conversation on track and not distracted with Caleb's obvious illness.

[hockeypreg2]

"But I look good," Zach said with a gesture at himself. "It shows off all my assets. Plus if I wear the same thing all the time then no one can sell pictures of me. I mean, I used to be a hot commodity. I still kind of am especially if the kids are with me."

[Sam260]

"I think you're still a hot commodity." Caleb purred and snuggled close to Zach - yet another sign/symptom of Caleb very likely being pregnant; wanting to just be *close* to Zach in any capacity. "Alright, so lets go out there and strut our stuff. I am ready to let loose!" Caleb exclaimed as he led the way, still tightly close to Zach, back into the main part of the bar/club.

[hockeypreg2]

Zach happily kept him close to his side as they made their way to the club. He was going to have to keep his protective side in check for now when all he wanted to do was take Caleb home and wrap him up in cotton until he knew for sure if he was pregnant or not. And if he was, figure out what they were going to do.

"Hey, can you grab us drinks?" Jen asked, already shimmying to the music. "Come dance with me, Caleb. You know Mr. Boring is just going to stand and watch anyway."

[Sam260]

Caleb bit his lip and looked between the dance floor that Jen was moving towards, and Zach who was now sitting at the booth. "I uh..." he stuttered slightly and shook his head "I think I'm going to sit this one out, for now..." Caleb said loudly enough to be heard over the music, but still quiet - at least for Caleb.

He quickly sat down in the booth and closed his eyes, pressing his forehead against Zach's shoulder and groaning almost so quietly that even if the club was quiet, you wouldn't have hardly heard him. The pulsing lights, the loud music, the screaming people... all of it was getting to Caleb, a bad migraine in the making, and yet just another thing that he experienced during his first pregnancy. Caleb clutched at Zach's thigh with a painful grip and grit his teeth as things around him just seemed to get louder, although the volumes stayed the same.