Abbott Elementary - Headcanons and Imagines

Having a baby with Melissa Schemmenti (Headcanon)

Classification: Fluff
Warnings: None
Word count: +1600

- She is scared to death of the idea of being a mother, first of all that it's something she put off all those years married to Joe because she knows it's a big responsibility she's not ready for, and second that Melissa thinks she's too old to have a baby. When you bring up the subject she immediately denies and laughs nervously, putting her cards on the table being sincere, you understood and respected her;

- But nothing is the same after that conversation, the famous "baby fever" happens and all she sees are babies, dozens and dozens of chubby babies, full of hair, gaping smiles and sweet eyes. And then her cousin had a daughter, Sofia, a baby who is obsessed with you and won't leave your lap at family reunions, in those moments she catches herself imagining how a baby of the two of you would look like. She always imagines a chubby baby with rosy cheeks, olive eyes, and a Schemmenti appetite;

- And it's at one of these reunions that she decides to give the possibility of having children a chance even at 50, you are cradling Sofia in the bedroom when she enters, with a plate of lasagna in hand and a rehearsed speech in mind, but when the teacher sees the scene she softens completely forgetting any words she has rehearsed. "I think I want one." She whispers sitting next to you on the bed, absorbed in the beauty of the scenery, pushing her own insecurities into the background and imagining a shared future;

- When you start talking about the possibilities, she tells you that she knows a guy and soon realizes the equivocation, retracting it by saying that she knows a guy who owns a fertility clinic and owes her a favor. After a few consultations you opt for artificial insemination and spend weeks choosing a donor, Melissa thinks it's stressful at first, but soon gets excited, especially when she and Barbara start ranking the "ugliest men no one would choose". After almost a month you find the perfect man, Italian family, green eyes, red hair, law degree, in appearance almost a male version of your wife;

- The first attempt is frustrated, there were six negative tests thrown away and a sensitive redhead for days, she is impatient and can't wait to work. The team finds her behavior awkward, and you fend off curious colleagues, choosing to hide from them and everyone else that you are trying to get pregnant, except Barb. The second attempt filled you with hope with a false positive from the pharmacy test and that was snatched away from you with the blood test, Melissa left the clinic silent and on the way home asked if you still want to go through this, the hormones, consultations, procedures and the disappointment. And it's not as if you can continue to pay for so many attempts on a teacher's salary. You say you feel equally frustrated, but want to give it one last chance and that you can turn to adoption;

- As some say, the third time is the lucky one. One trimester after the second attempt you decide to give insemination one last chance and, not wanting to give your already frustrated wife hope, you decide to do the test alone when suspicious. Almost a dozen positive pharmaceutical tests and one blood test confirm what you both hoped and wished for. A Schemmenti baby on the way;

- The reveal is simple but symbolic, you order an apron with the words "Mommy Schemmenti" embroidered on it. Melissa weirds out the random gift, especially since she hardly ever wears an apron for cooking, so she makes a sexual joke, teasing about a new kink she's heard about and whether this is an invitation for you two to try it. When you tell her that the two of you will be Schemmenti mommies she finally understands and can't help but shed tears of happiness, lovingly hugging and kissing you for the rest of the night, thanking you for bringing your child into the world;

- You decide to keep the pregnancy a secret, at least during the first trimester because it is the most delicate and intimate, the teacher is a fierce, loving and protective mother. The first weeks were physically exhausting, all those nausea, excessive trips to the bathroom, the fatigue and vomiting, the last one was the worst part, the baby apparently rejects any food that is not salad and yogurt. Melissa seems almost offended when you run to vomit after eating pasta a carbonara and questions the Italian origin of the donor while rubbing your back in front of the toilet;

- This woman has always had a hand on you, whether it's over the table at a dining table, the hand on your thigh at work meetings, on your back while you're leaving Abbott, etc. But since the discovery of your pregnancy this has become more than frequent, she simply won't leave your side, accompanies you everywhere you go and to all your appointments (she has even considered combining your two classes in just to be with you), takes care of your every need and desire. Do you want a strange milkshake in the middle of the night? She'll do it. Do you feel pain in your back or feet during class? Melissa will give you a massage at lunchtime. Did someone bother you? She will already be taking out her earrings to make that person cry;

- And that's how everyone finds out you're pregnant, you've just reached your second trimester and the baby has started to show, a visible lump that you hide with clothes. But Janine broke the air conditioner, again, and you had to take off the extra layer, which caught Ava's attention, the woman commented that you have put on weight and said she would send you a tik tok of a diet that is making success, Melissa doesn't lose your look of pain knowing how much you are struggling with the physical changes and self esteem. "She's not fat, she's carrying my baby, idiot!" your wife raises her voice and stands up, already taking off the earrings, ready to attack but you stop her;

- The team is simply delighted with the news, the next day they show up with gifts (among them an Eagles bodysuit and another written "Philly, No one like us. We don't care."), brownies and Ava starts a bet about the baby's gender behind your back, Melissa secretly enters the bet, she is sure that the baby will be a boy. Earlier the redhead wanted to find out almost immediately, so you were weirded out when she suggested a cliché baby shower reveal and insisted it be at the school. Obviously Barbara was in responsible, the only one who wouldn't open her mouth to anyone and so it was, you found out only when the slice was removed from the cake, revealing a dark blue. She, Janine and Gregory won the bet;

- The Schemmenti's don't exactly know how to react or what to say with the news, the siblings and cousins soon show excitement, always waiting for the moment when Melissa would bring additions to the family and a cousin to their children. Her parents seem more skeptical, they have seen their daughter have her heart broken and everything seems so fast with you compared to her previous relationships, deep down they are just afraid that she will over indulge and get hurt again, but they quickly get excited about the arrival of the new grandchild, her mother shows you all the embarrassing photo albums, told you about how Melissa was as a kid and gave you tips, you come home with copies of photos of your wife as a child and a happy heart knowing how lucky your child is;

- She likes to call the baby "Tesoro (Treasure)" and "Amore mio (my love)", Melissa has the habit of talking to your belly, the boy is very agitated by the presence of the other mother, but is also easily calmed down by her voice and affectionate nicknames. If he won't let you sleep, your wife will read children's books. If he is agitated while you are teaching, she will lecture the little Schemmenti, which he seems to understand and won't kick your internal organs for the rest of the day. Before bed is her favorite time to talk to your son, Melissa likes to have deep conversations with the child while you fall asleep, admiring their interaction;

- Although it doesn't seem so, she is still scared to death to be a mother, but ready and willing to do her best for your son. Sometimes insecurities surface and Melissa soon goes looking for advice, usually from Barbara, the first grade teacher reassuring her about motherhood and always giving affirmations about how she will be a great mother, the kids love her and so does the bambino, and he hasn't even been born yet;

- When your waters break a month earlier than expected, the usually composed and rational Melissa gives way to a terrified and crazed mother, running around before putting you in the car and making at least three tickets on the way to the hospital. She doesn't leave your side at any time, except when you ask for something, and she holds your hand through the six hours of labor, not caring about the painful squeeze and the swear words directed at her, the redhead knows it's not easy and all worth in the end, when you hear that loud cry that sounds like music to your ears;

- Melissa is the first to hold him and suddenly she finds herself very vunerable, the teacher can't help but shed tears as she stares at your little angel curled up in her arms, fragile and lovely, so perfect as you once imagined, with coppery hair, olive eyes, chubby cheeks and a killer smile, moody like his mother, a perfect little Schemmenti.