Nathalie and Gabriel somehow managed to get out of the shower and really spent the afternoon with their little girl in the outside swimming pool. After fuzzing over being covered in sunscreen all over her body, Hélène seemed to really have fun in the cool water, despite just being used to warm bathing temperatures.
After Marinette had offered, that she and Adrien wouldn't mind taking care of the little baby for another night, whispering to Nathalie, that it was 'that' time of the month anyway,
So they had yet another night on their own and after the night before they just kept the remaining condoms in the box.
It was only a week later, when Nathalie entered the office with a smile.
"Period", she just said.
Gabriel turned towards her, looking puzzled.
"I'm sorry love, but I have no idea, what you said before, I just heard you finishing with: 'period'!"
Now Nathalie giggled.
"I didn't say anything before that. I was simply informing you, that I just noticed, I am having mine, so we were lucky, when we didn't remember to use any kind of protection this time!"
Her cheeks were dark red, while she told him about that, as she still didn't like to talk about things like that.
"Oh", was all he said.
"You sound as if you were disappointed instead of relieved", Nathalie carefully stated.
Gabriel chuckled and walked towards her, to kiss her lips tenderly.
"Maybe a little. But we can still try again in about two weeks, right? I'm just teasing you, Nath. I told you, when ever you're ready, I am. So, back to the condoms it is, right?", he asked.
Nathalie shrugged.
"Maybe we just take the risk and..... well....que sera sera", she mumbled.
"Mh", he hummed into her neck, "I like that!"
The young woman giggled. Yet at the same time pushed against him to entangle him into a passionate kiss.
The sudden crying of their baby interrupted them.
"Let me please!", Gabriel suggested.
Nathalie nodded.
"That's a good idea. I just pumped a fresh bottle of milk and it should still be warm. She will be quite surprised though, if you come and get her in broad daylight", she said laughing.
Her husband smirked.
"Want to come and look at her face?"
Nathalie nodded with a giggle and together they walked to their bedroom, where Hélène had been sleeping.
"Hello my little princess!", Gabriel cooed, "what made you cry, little sweetheart?"
And indeed, the little girl seemed to be so surprised that she immediately stopped crying and looked at her father.
The designer lifted her up to his chest and grimaced.
"Ooh, now I know, what woke you up. Aren't you a little smelly girl?", he said sweetly.
Nathalie went into the room, questioning:
"Do you want my help?"
Despite still not looking happy, Gabriel waved her off.
"I think I can handle that little bit of....
okay.....that not so little bit of....poo...my dear!", he uttered.
"If you say so", she smirked, "I'll just leave the two of you on your own then."
Two more weeks passed and something seemed to be very wrong with Nathalie's health. Not only that she was sleeping a lot again, Gabriel had noticed her, drinking chamomile tea instead of coffee for the second time this week.
He didn't mention it yet, but he had his suspicions. But then, another week later, he caught her yelling at Hélène, as the baby pulled at her hair and didn't want to let go. He rushed towards them and before he was even close, Nathalie had already started to cry and was cuddling the from her yelling scared and crying child.
"I'm sorry, my sweetheart!", she hummed, " I don't know what's going on with me lately, precious. Please forgive me, my little baby!"
"Would you like me to look after her for a while?", Gabriel asked softly, as he laid an arm around his sobbing wife, "maybe you should take a little nap just now."
But the young mother shook her head while she sobbed into his chest.
"I don't want to. I don't know myself, what's wrong with me. I..."
"If I didn't know it better, I would say, you're pregnant again. But since you had your period...!", he told her with a concerned look at her face.
"Well, I had the same thought already. And it was a rather short and weak period, so it could be, but..... I wasn't so snappy, when I was pregnant with Hélène, was I? Please tell me, I wasn't.....oh God.......please hold her.....I....."
She laid the baby into his arms and ran off to the bathroom. Gabriel followed her slowly, to hear the to him very familiar sounds.
"Seems like you're about to have a little brother or sister, precious. What do you say?"
And Hélène, as if she understood him, started to laugh and squeal.
"Yeah, that's what I thought too!", he cooed with his daughter.
They waited outside of the bathroom for Nathalie to come back. She did a moment later, still looking pale, but smiled at her husband and child.
"Hey", she croaked, her voice still a bit strained from the vomiting, "it's nice that you're waiting for me. You're laughing again, cutie! Thank you, honey, I was feeling so guilty already!"
Gabriel kissed her softly. Then he chuckled.
"I remember that smell. What is it? Mouth wash?"
Nathalie nodded and grinned sheepishly.
"Yeah, I somehow needed to hide from you, that I was still throwing up at least once a day, back then, right?", she admitted.
"Will you be alright, holding her for a moment? I would like to talk to that nice doctor of yours and see, if he can find a little spare time, to squeeze you in. If you agree, of course!", the designer now suggested.
The young mother agreed.
"Yeah, maybe that would be best. No guessing or dreading, just knowing. We'll be fine, right, precious?", she asked her daughter with her sweetest voice, being bit, with toothless gums, into her cheek.
"Oh, you little monster!", Nathalie squealed with an overly high pitched voice, making Hélène cry out in joy. The young woman giggled. "I love you so much!", she now growled with a deep voice and nuzzled her nose into the baby's stomach, earning a loud laughter.
Gabriel smirked contently, certain, that he really could leave them alone, without anything new coming up for the time, and went to his office. Just a few minutes later, he was talking to Nathalie's gynaecologist.
"Doctor? Yes, Gabriel Agreste here. I am very sorry, to bother you right now, but I would like to make an appointment for my wife, an urgent one, if there is any chance to....oh, really, right now? That's very kind from you, thank you. See you in about an hour, then. Goodbye!"
He went into Hélène's room, to tell Nathalie and really had to bite back his laugh, when he saw them both on the floor, Nathalie on her back, snoring, while the baby, by now very well capable of holding her head up, was on her stomach next to her and was babbling and squealing towards her mother, as if she was scolding her for falling asleep, while playing with her.
Gabriel lifted her up and held her high above his head, to pretend to let her fall down. Something, he could only do, when his wife wasn't watching, because she would immediately freak out, if she saw him do that.
Hélène though loved the little game, especially, when her father made the most dramatic sounds, pretending to really be shocked and scared. She was squealing and crying happily then, and drooling long threads of saliva, a very certain sign, that she would soon start teething.
Now she was making all sorts of sounds too and Gabriel couldn't help but laugh along with his daughter. He then quickly changed her diapers and got her dressed, before he even tried, to wake his wife, who was still sleeping peacefully on the nursery's floor.
"Here's something to play, my little princess!", he then said to the baby and handed her a rattle, a red one with a bear's head. Hélène's actual favourite toy!
She immediately took a hold of it and started to shake it in her own uncontrollable way, not even bothering, if she hit her own face with it, as long as she saw the red and heard the nice sounds.
The proud father smiled at her, half lying, half sitting in her baby swing, with lights and sounds, if he would turn it on, but he didn't, as long as the baby was happy with her non-electronic toy.
Then he knelt down beside Nathalie and started to kiss along her jawline to her lips, feeling her move in her sleep and soon reciprocate his kiss. Then she opened her eyes and looked at him with confusion.
"What....where am....where's Hélène?", she sat up as fast as she could, regretting that in an instant, as she felt so dizzy all of a sudden, that she would have fallen back onto the floor, if Gabriel hadn't caught her in time.
Now she was groaning in his grasp, looking around frantically, searching for her child, she was supposed to watch out for..
Her husband chuckled:
"Just relax, my dear. Our daughter is safe over there and happily playing. How are you feeling? Do you think, you can stand up slowly, if I help you?"
A quick nod and another groan, the moment, she was standing on her feet.
"You're alright, love?"
But Nathalie shook her head and covered her mouth with her hands. Gabriel knew that gesture too well and supported her, by keeping her in balance, while she rushed into the little bathroom on the left side of the nursery. After throwing up for the second time this day, she was feeling a lot better though and asked Gabriel:
"I almost forgot, what did the doctor say?"
"That's why I had to wake you up so quickly, Nath, he said, we can come right now. I didn't tell him, why though, just, that it's urgent!"
Nathalie gave him a disapproving look.
"I wouldn't say, urgent, Gabriel, I..."
"Shush, I would call it really urgent, if my wife is throwing up twice in such a short period of time and passing out on the floor of her child's room. No matter if sleeping or loosing consciousness from trying to get up too fast. And now, let's go, Hélène is all ready to go. I thought, I could do that, while you took a little rest!", he uttered and held out his hand.
"God, Gabriel, let me take a quick shower before, you know...", she scolded him.
"There is no way, I will let you get into the shower on your own, right now. You can take a washing cloth, that should do. And then we can leave, is that okay with you!"
Nathalie rolled her eyes, but nodded.
Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in front of the doctor, who was looking at both of them expectantly.
"Well, Mr and Mrs Agreste, what can I do for you?"
The couple gazed at each other with reddened cheeks, until Gabriel reluctantly mumbled:
"Actually....you could tell us.....if my dear wife.....might be.....pregnant again!"
"Oh, that's...well...you should have let some time pass in between, but, let's just have a look, okay?
"Okay", Nathalie responded barely audible and gave her child to Gabriel.
"You still know the procedure, right?", the doctor asked.
The young mother nodded.
"I think, I do very well", she sighed with a sheepish grin.
Only a few minutes later, she climbed onto the chair, closed her eyes to the unpleasant feeling of the vaginal ultrasound, until she heard the doctor clear his throat.
Now they were both looking at the doctor expectantly.
"Uhm....I....well...I am not sure, if I.....should say congratulations....are you....I mean you were alright with the consequences, when you....or was it an accident?", he stammered.
The married couple started to laugh at the doctor's struggling and instantly Hélène squealed with them.
"Aren't you cute?", the older man cooed, making her immediately stop and give him her most angry look. "Okay, I won't talk to you until you allow me, okay?", he said quickly, making the little one yell, as if she was angry. The doctor chuckled.
"She was like that, before she was born, wasn't she?", he asked Nathalie, who nodded with a smirk.
"Yes, she was. But we love her even more for being like this. And we were okay with the consequences, so...", Nathalie replied.
The grey haired physician nodded.
"Well, congratulations, Mrs Agreste, you're definitely pregnant again. But...."
"But what?", Gabriel asked, as he saw the concern in the man's face.