Becoming One: In The Heights

Twelve (Becoming One As Parents To Be)

Nina sat at the counter as Benny cooked dinner. Her hand rested on her small baby bump. She was 14 weeks along. Benny wasn't facing her, not seeing her smiling down at her belly. Not until he heard her gasp. He instantly turned to look at her, eyes wide, running to her side. "What's wrong? Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"

"Yeah. The baby...I think it moved. It didn't kick, it just...it just moved!"

"Oh my god! I thought something went wrong...I just got so nervous."

"Awe. Baby, that's so sweet. I love you." Nina said, hugging him to her side. A smile crept onto her lips as Benny kissed her temple.

"I have an appointment at six. You're coming right?"

"Of course!"

(The next day)

Nina and Benny followed a nurse. The nurse took Nina's weight. All the while, Nina held Benny's hand.

"I'm nervous." She said aloud. Benny rubbed her back reassuringly.

"Is this your first baby?" The nurse asked.

"Yeah. It is." Nina answered.

"That's always nerve racking." The nurse scribbled Nina's weight. "You can get off now." Nina did, slipped on her shoes and followed down the hall.

In the room, the nurse took Nina's blood pressure and then left.

Alone, Nina and Benny began to talk. "If the baby's a girl..." Benny started. "Could we name her Claudia?"

Nina felt shocked. "Yeah. Of course we can." Nina put her hand on Benny's forearm. "Of course we can."

"Do you have any boy names that you like?"

"Yeah. I really like Seth. Or Kyle."

"I really like Seth too."

"Then, if it's a girl, Claudia and if it's a boy, Seth." Nina confirmed.

The doctor walked in then. "Señorita Rosario. How are you feeling?"

"Good. I think I felt the baby moving around yesterday."

"Good! You're bound to start feeling that during this time."

Nina bit her lip and turned her head to face Benny. "I'm happy. It was so weird but cool to feel."

"I bet. Okay. Unbutton your pants and roll up your shirt please." Nina did as told. Benny played with her hair and Nina looked up at him, not moving her head.

The gel that the doctor put on Nina's stomach was cold, causing her to shiver. Benny chuckled softly and kissed her head.

Throughout the appointment, things about the baby were pointed out. Somethings were laughed at, others received 'awes' and 'oh my gods'. When they heard the heartbeat, Nina covered her mouth with both hands. It was one of those moments that was worth a thousand words.

Benny kept playing with Nina's hair, smiling at Nina's reactions. It was something neither of them would never forget. "Question, why is it so easy to love an unborn baby so much?" Nina asked suddenly. The doctor stopped scribbling down notes to answer the question to the best of her ability.

"Well, I don't know, really. I'm not a mother. But I think it's your maternal instincts kicking in, helping you keep yourself healthy, to keep your baby healthy."

"Oh."

"I think it varies, too. It depends on the woman. But from what I gather from you is that you want your baby healthy. As you mentioned last time, you had to fight your father to keep your baby."

"Yeah. I guess that's it." Nina said, eyeing Benny carefully. "I do want the baby to be healthy."

"Me too baby girl." Benny said, continuing to play with her hair.

~~~

"You Teo can pick up your ultrasound pictures at the front desk. See you in four weeks."

~~~

Back home, they looked at the photos. Nina felt a strong connection just looking at them. This is what it meant to become one as a parent to be.

***Author's Note***

Word count: 626

So my stepmom had to get stitches from a previous surgery. So yeah. Sorry for taking so long to finish this chapter. I have the next one started. Excessively worrying took up a lot of energy. Now I'm just lonely. Anyway...

...be fearless!

Xo,
Ryeli