"Is everything alright?" Dr Stella McCartney asked, peering at Paul who was anxiously pacing the room as they waited for her to setup the ultrasound machine.
Alex was at her monthly prenatal checkup at Weymouth Street Hospital. She was lying on the examination bed with her legs up on the stirrups. She was very comfortable. She glanced at Paul and chuckled. "We had sex yesterday," she told Dr McCartney and got surprised look from both the doctor and Paul. "He's worried about hurting the baby."
Paul exhaled and continued pacing.
Dr McCartney chuckled and said, "Sex is completely safe during pregnancy, unless your doctor has said otherwise. I've looked over Dr Keller's notes and he didn't mention anything, so I think we're good."
Alex gave Paul an I-told-you-so look and he chuckled, but he still looked slightly worried.
"I'm starting now," Dr McCartney said to Alex. She squirted some blue gel on Alex's exposed belly and smeared it around using the metal wand. Then she turned her attention to the screen. She pressed a button on the machine and the familiar distorted heartbeats sound filled the room.
Paul stood beside Alex and held her hand as they looked at the monitor together.
"Your baby looks good, strong heartbeat, growing as scheduled," Dr McCartney commented, nodding her head. "Are you interested to know the gender?" she suddenly asked.
Alex looked up at Paul and he caressed the top of her head. He looked uncertain.
"You don't have to," Dr McCartney said, "Some parents prefer to wait until birth to be certain. These scans are not very accurate."
"But you can tell us now?" Paul asked.
"Based on what I can see," Dr McCartney said.
Alex and Paul looked at each other and an understanding transferred between them. Alex turned to Dr McCartney and said, "Tell us, please."
Dr McCartney smiled and pointed to the screen. "From what I can see, or cannot see at this point, I believe you're having a girl."
"A girl?" Alex repeated excitedly. She looked up at Paul and he was smiling widely too. He leaned down and kissed her gently.
"It will be clearer as your pregnancy progresses, so don't go painting the nursery just yet," Dr McCartney said, smiling at them.
*****
Alex stood in front of the mirror in the closet. She turned to her side and sighed. At 24 weeks pregnant, she looked like she had hidden half a large watermelon under her dress.
She noticed Paul was standing at the door and smiling as he watched her.
"I look like a whale," she complained.
"That's utterly absurd," Paul said, strolling towards her. "You look absolutely drop dead gorgeous from where I'm standing."
"Try standing in my shoes," Alex said to him and then quickly added, "Oh, you can't. I'm blocking you because I'm an elephant."
Paul chuckled and hugged her from behind. He kissed her neck and softly said, "If only you could see yourself through my eyes."
"What will I see?" she asked him.
"The most beautiful woman in the world," he said, smiling at her through their reflections in the mirror.
Alex chuckled softly and turned around to face him. Paul pushed a stray hair away from her face and kissed her tenderly. Then he held her belly and asked, "How's our baby?"
"Sleeping, I think," Alex said, smiling to herself. "She will start kicking when I go to bed later."
Paul chuckled and sighed contently. Then he looked at Alex and asked, "Are you ready for dinner? We should leave now otherwise Lord and Lady Smallwood will be kept waiting."
"Yes, I am," Alex said and grabbed her purse. Paul kissed her forehead and held her hand as they walked out together.
*****
"Bedrest? Really? For how long?" Ethan asked, with a pained look on his face.
Alex was sitting up in bed, her belly was the size of a beach ball at 38 weeks pregnant. She was on FaceTime with Ethan using her MacBook. She groaned and said, "Until the baby comes. The doctor was worried when I started bleeding last week. She was worried about me having pre-term labour."
"Pre-term labour?" Ethan asked. "You look like you're about to burst!"
"Feels like it too," Alex said. Suddenly she winced and let out a painful hiss.
"Whoa! What happened?" Ethan asked.
Alex chuckled and said, "She kicked me."
"She kicked you?" Ethan asked in disbelieve.
"Yeah, it's like she's playing soccer in there. Ooh, I bet you can see it," Alex said and eagerly aimed the camera at her belly. She pushed one side of her belly and suddenly a large bump appeared and she winced again.
"OMG, I saw that!" Ethan said excitedly. "That's her kicking you from inside your uterus?"
Alex aimed the camera back at her smiling face. "Yup, that's her, kicking and squirming in there."
"Well, I can't wait to meet her," Ethan said.
"Me too," Alex said and smiled happily at him.
*****
Alex woke up in the middle of the night. She felt like she needed to go to the bathroom. She swung her legs over the side and pushed herself off the bed with a lot of efforts. She stayed for a minute to clear her head. She glanced at Paul. He was fast asleep. Then she got up and waddled to the bathroom.
She barely made it to the toilet when she felt warm liquids dripping down her legs. Alex groaned, thinking that she had peed on herself. She grabbed a towel and wiped her legs. Then she noticed the bloody spots on the white towel and realised that her water broke.
Holding the towel in between her legs, she went into the bedroom and woke Paul up.
He stirred and asked her sleepily, "What's wrong?"
"My water broke," she told him.
It took him 5 seconds to process her words. Then his eyes grew wide and he leapt off the bed.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the hospital. Alex was taken into the labour ward and they monitored her for contractions.
It wasn't until 28 hours later that she was fully contracted and the baby was coming. Paul was by her side, holding her hands during her contractions and whispering words of encouragement. Dr McCartney guided her through her pain, but she had to use the forceps to assist with the birth when she saw Alex losing strength while pushing her baby out.
Finally, with all her remaining energy, Alex brought a little girl into the world. Dr McCartney asked Paul to cut the cords, while the baby was wailing with a pair of strong lungs. Then she wrapped the baby in a blanket and showed her to Alex.
"Congratulations, it's a girl," Dr McCartney said softly.
Alex saw a chubby pink face before her eyes rolled back into her sockets and she lose consciousness.