Pregnancy series: Bruce
Finding out || Telling him -
"Good morning, or should I say afternoon!" Bruce smiled down at you from the doorway. You looked at your bedside clock before groaning and flopping back onto the pillows. "Why did you let me sleep this late?" You moaned. You head his soft chuckle as he snuck into bed with you. "You just looked too adorable to wake!" You smiled and snuggled into him. "I love you" You said quietly "Love you too" He replied. After cuddling in bed for a bit too long you eventually dragged yourself out of bed and took a shower, got dressed and decided there was no point in dressing prettily as over half the day was gone anyway so you may as well have a lazy day. You plodded into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl to pour yourself some cereal before Bruce popped his head in the door. "I made waffles! They're in the living room." You grinned and put the cereal and bowl away then ran through and gobbled up a waffle.
Later on in the day the two of you were reading books while sat together. You were trying to think of something to get Bruce for your anniversary present. You'd agreed there was a £10 limit which would help save money and encourage you to make it more personal. Bills seemed to be higher than ever and you were having to cut back a little. "Right, I need to go! Bye honey!" He was meeting with Tony to do some sciency stuff. You knew he wasn't going to be back until late so there was no point waiting up for him, so you went to bed as soon as you felt tired. When you were curled up in bed you realised something. The week after you wedding anniversary was the anniversary of something else. The birth of your baby girl, Annie Jemima Banner. She died two days after she was born due to being premature. The two of you always did something special to remember her on the anniversary of her death. Due to losing your first child your relationship with Bruce had almost crashed and burned, but somehow you managed to fix it! Losing the baby absolutely broke you, you stopped eating and barely did anything, never went to work or saw your friends. Eventually Bruce took you to the doctor and he diagnosed you as depressed. You went to counselling and started taking meds and now you're almost off them! It's been 4 years since Annie died and 5 years since you became Mrs. Banner. Recently you and Bruce had discussed trying for a baby again, having not wanted to when you were still depressed. You'd been trying for 2 months and hadn't fallen pregnant yet, but you had not lost hope one bit!
When you woke up Bruce still wasn't in bed and you were a bit confused. It was 9 o'clock and so you doubted he would be awake after spending a night with Tony Stark. You wandered into the living room and there, asleep on the sofa, was your husband. He'd managed to take off his shoes but still has his jacket on, so you put a blanket over him as he looked cold. You made yourself some breakfast and went about your normal day. You had to go food shopping and once you'd returned from the shops Bruce woke up; it was around noon. "How was your night?" You asked teasingly. "Uggh, I drank a bit too much and stayed up way too late!" He groaned rubbing his temple. "I guessed that's what happened." You replied offering him some painkillers, which he refused. "What are you going to do for the rest of the day?" He asked. "I don't really know!" He thought for a moment "Well I'm planning on taking a very special lady on a picnic!" You raised your eyebrows "And who is this lady?" He smiled "My gorgeous wife!" You giggled and smiled. "Okay! Where'd you wanna go?" He frowned before saying "It's a surprise!" Then he quickly got dressed and put together a picnic. He drove you to a little park nearby and you sat and had a very romantic afternoon. "So what do you want to do for tomorrow?" Tomorrow was your anniversary and you still hadn't decided what to get him. "Well we normally go out for dinner some place nice so I was thinking we could make a posh dinner ourselves? I think doing it together would be really nice!" You agreed with Bruce's idea and packed up the picnic, returning home. That night you and Bruce were just so caught up in love that you had the best night you'd ever had! Well actually you did have a wild night about two weeks ago.
Once you woke up Bruce had already gone off to work but he'd left you a note:
'Good morning my beautiful angel,
I'm so glad I met you all those years ago. These 5 years have been the best of my life and I'm glad that you're my gorgeous wife! I'll see this evening when we'll make dinner together. I'll be thinking of you all day my perfect girl
All my love forever and always,
Bruce'
You smiled and jumped out of bed, happy that you didn't have work that day. You had a quick shower and got dressed before you received a call from your bestfriend asking where you were. The two of you always met up for breakfast together on a Monday morning as neither of you worked on a Monday. You told her you were running slightly late and dashed off to the cafe.
When you arrived she had already ordered you both a coffee which you gladly drank. You chatted a little before a waiter came to take your order. You ordered the usual and went back to chatting. When the food came out your stomach reacted a bit oddly to the smell. Normally your mouth watered when you smelt your favourite breakfast dish but not today. "Are you okay?" Your friend asked. You looked at her and nodded "Yeah I suddenly feel a little off for some reason." You waited a few moments before digging into the food. After two mouthfuls you felt that familiar yet horrible signal. You were going to throw up. You ran as fast as you could to the toilet, luckily all the cubicles were empty and got in just in time to throw up. Your friend came running in just a bit behind you and held back your hair for you. Rubbing your back soothingly. Once you'd finished throwing up you friend gave you a mint and took you home. The pair of you decided you'd spend the day watching sappy romantic films and eating popcorn; well you didn't eat the popcorn as you didn't feel like eating. "Do you have any idea what made you throw up?" You shook your head "No! I threw up a couple days ago in the morning as well!" You frowned for a moment "It was the smell of the food that made me feel sick. The smell of the bacon specifically." Your friend looked puzzled. "But you love bacon!" You nodded "I know!" Your friend jumped up "Do you have any bacon?" You nodded "In the fridge." She ran into the kitchen and you followed, confused. Your friend put some bacon on the grill and dragged you closer. "What are you doing?" You asked. She hushed you "Bend down and smell the bacon." You lent over cautiously and smelt the bacon. You stomach flipped again and off you ran to the toilet to throw up again. Only this time you threw up for ages. It just kept going on! Your fiend was very concerned by the time you stopped. "I think we should go to the doctor." You stood up feeling weak and agreed. So you phoned the doctor and asked if there were any appointments available for that day and luckily someone had just cancelled their appointment that was in 10 minutes! You asked if you could have that slot and the receptionist reserved it for you. Your friend drove you to the doctors and you went in together.
"So what's the problem?" He asked. "Well this morning we went to get some breakfast and when I smelt my bacon I threw up, then later on we cooked some bacon to see if it was that and yet again I threw up but that time I threw up for like 15 minutes straight!" The doctor frowned "Have you ever had a problem with eating bacon before?" You shook your head vigorously "No! I love bacon!" He chuckled "And how do you feel now?" You told him your felt perfectly fine. You also mentioned the throwing up a few days prior. A colleague of his popped her head in and quickly asked for him to have a quick look at a patient of hers. He politely excused himself and said he'd only be a minute. "Oh don't let me forget! I need to buy an anniversary present for Bruce that has to be under £10!" Your friend grimaced and sighed "Under £10?! That's going to be difficult!" You sighed "Yeah I know but it's meant to therefore make the present be more personal and thought-out!" Your friend giggled and shook her head "You guys are so sappy!" The doctor then came back in and resumed your conversation. "Have you had any other odd occurrences in these past few days?" You thought for a moment "Umm I've gained a bit of weight the past couple weeks and I was due on two days ago but I still haven't started - but it's normal to not always start exactly four weeks later, right?" The doctor smiled a little and nodded "Yeah, that's completely normal." You mentally signed in relief but frowned at the doctors next words "But paired with the throwing up and weight gain, that's not completely normal." Your friend shifted in her seat "Is something wrong?" You asked nervously, receiving a bit of a knowing smile. "Are you sexually active Mrs Banner?" You nodded "Then I think you might be pregnant." Your friend gasped while your hand flew to your mouth. "I'm going to advise going to the shop and getting a pregnancy test. If it's not positive then come back and see me." You nodded and stood up. "Thank you!" You called as you walked out. Neither of you said anything until you were in the car.
"So... supermarket?" You sighed and turned to look at your friend. "I don't know if I can do this..." You trailed off. "Y/N, you've been trying for 2 months now because you've put the past behind you. C'mon we' gonna go to the shops and you're going to do the test at home." You sighed and nodded. Minutes later you arrived at the shop and headed to the medicine aisle. You quickly picked out the best one and headed to the till. You paid for it and got back in the car. Your friend had to coax you into taking the test. Eventually with shaking hands you were waiting, sat on the toilet seat, with your friend leaning on the doorframe. You had set a timer on your phone for 5 minutes as that was how long the test took. "Hey, Y/N it's okay, if you're pregnant then it's exactly what you wanted and-" You interrupted "But what if something happens again?" She shook her head "Nothing's going to go wrong! What happened with Annie was a very rare occurrence! And you know that!" You sighed and nodded. You friend pulled you up by the arm and hugged you tight. Just then her phone beeped. You took in a deep breath and looked at the test. You weren't close enough to read it but you were too nervous. "I can't do it - will you look?" She shook her head "No, you have to do this." You let out the breath and shook your hands. You stepped forward and picked it up with closed eyes. You counted "1, 2, 3!" Then snapped open your eyes and look at the pregnancy test.
That evening when Bruce arrived home you greeted each other in showers of kisses and hugs. You decided to make dinner and then give your presents to each other. You cooked your favourite meal and ate it in the light of candles, very romantic. Afterwards you went and sat in the garden on the porch swing. "Here's yours." Bruce said handing you a little box. You unwrapped the wrapping paper and it was a jewellery box. You smiled and opened it. In the box was a little ring. You recognised it. "Is this...?" You trailed off with tears in your eyes. Bruce nodded. For part of your first date you had taken a walk through the local park and there had been a little market. While having a quick look around you had fallen in love with a bracelet from one of the stalls. It was a silver bracelet with silver flowers and leaves leading around the chain. You remember not being able to buy it as you didn't have any money on you and you didn't want to ask Bruce to get it for you even though it had, surprisingly, been under £10. You'd planned on coming back the next day to buy it but when you did, it was gone. "Oh my god!" You said throwing yourself into a hug with Bruce. "How did you get this?" You asked him. "Later on, after walking you home, I went back through the park and the stalls were just shutting up so I managed to buy it. I'd noticed you looking at it; since then I haven't found the perfect time to give it to you!" You felt a tear slip down your face. Bruce kissed you gently on the lips and then put the bracelet on your wrist. You then took a deep breath, turned picked up Bruce's present and handed it to him. "Here you go!" You said, he looked confused at the shape of the box. Quickly he opened it.
He didn't say anything for so long. Eventually he looked up with tears in his eyes and whispered "Really?" You nodded, thinking that you wouldn't be able to speak without bursting into tears. "Oh my god!" He said loudly and jumped up. He pulled you up and kissed you passionately. He dashed back to the box and looked at the positive pregnancy test again. Then he spun you round and held you close. "How long have you known?" He asked excitedly. "I went to the doctors today because I've thrown up a bit recently and he recommended taking a test - so I did!" He grinned and said "I love you so much! This is going to be perfect!" You grinned back and nodded "I love you too."
Gender || Baby names -
"Yes!"
"No!"
"Why not?"
"I just don't think we should!"
"Ugh Bruce! Please!" You moaned
"I don't want to know the gender of our baby!" He replied sternly. You looked down and sighed, there was obviously a serious reason behind Bruce not wanting to know the gender. You sensed Bruce drop his shoulders and let out a breath. You looked up and saw him looking defeated sat on the sofa. You moved closer and sat down next to him. "Bruce?" You asked quietly. He didn't look up. "Talk to me Brucey." While you used the nickname in a jokey way it also worked for when he was upset. He sighed and said "I just don't want to know the gender..." He trailed off as if he wanted to say more but didn't. You wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close. He rested his head on your shoulder and let out a breathy sigh, like the one you do before you cry. "It's okay sweetie." You said quietly. "Why don't you want to know?" You asked. He didn't respond for a while but then he said. "Everything so far has been great, the first few scans have been perfect and I just don't want to know because what if something happens like last time? If I don't know if it's a girl or boy then the loss would... could be less." You shuffled away slightly and turned to him. "Bruce nothing's going to happen! What happened with Annie was a one off thing; and you know that. You've got to think positive!" He looked up at you. "I know, there's just that fear lurking in the back of my mind." You sighed "You don't think I have that fear as well? I was a mother for two days! Two days! Then that blessing was ripped away from me! I won't ever get to take my daughter shopping or see her in a wedding dress or... or teach her how to write. I've been through the exact same pain as you - I carried that child in my body for 9 months only to lose her after two days!" You broke off and let out a sob. Bruce pulled you close and held you against his chest as you cried. "I'm so sorry, I haven't been thinking about how scared you must be as well. You're right - you're the one that carries and provides for our baby before it's born and if you want to know the gender then we can." After a few minutes of silence and hugging you sat up again. "I love you so much Bruce." You said smiling lightly "I love you even more." He replied.
Later that day you arrived at the doctor's surgery for your scan. You didn't have to wait long before you were on the bed with the scan up on the screen. "So, there is the head." The doctor said as she turned the screen to you. You grinned and held Bruce's hand. "Would you like to know the sex of the baby?" You were asked. Bruce inhaled, about to speak but you jumped in first. "No thank you." Bruce snapped his head to you and frowned slightly, in a questioning way. You nodded reassuring him and squeezed his hand. "Okay, waiting for surprise then!" The doctor said happily. "Yep" You said with a happy sigh. The two of you looked at the scan for a while longer before cleaning up the gel and leaving the doctors. As soon as you were back in the car Bruce turned to you and asked "Why did you say that?" You smiled and said "I think that what you said has some truth to it but also I would like it to be a surprise!" He grinned and leant over to kiss you lightly. Suddenly he pulled back with an alarmed look on his face that worried you. "What colour are we going to paint the nursery? And what colour clothes are we going to get?" You laughed loudly at his alarm as you drove home. When you got home Bruce was in deep thought. "If we're not finding out the gender then we're going to need two names!" You nodded "Any ideas?" He shook his head. "No. You?" You nodded your head "I like Claire and also Joseph?" You said. "I love Joseph, not so sure about Claire though. Francis actually just popped into my head, what do you think of that?" You made a quizzical face before saying "Joseph Francis Banner?" He nodded excitedly "I love it. But any other ideas for a girl than Claire?" You shook your head and he sighed. "Mmm, how about Hannah?" You thought for a moment "I like it. I like Jayne. Hannah Jayne Banner?" You asked. Bruce nodded and jumped up from the sofa, pulling you with him. He spun you round, both of you laughing and said "Joseph Francis Banner or Hannah Jayne Banner! We're having a baby!" You giggled and kissed him happily.
Pregnancy problems -
You never actually had any problems with your pregnancy. Other than the normal ones - occasional mood swings, stretch marks, need a wee a lot - the usual.
Labour || Holding your baby -
You mentally groaned as you felt yourself waking up because you needed a wee. Or at least that's what you thought. You sat up and shuffled slightly so you could get out of bed. As you moved you noticed that there was a wet patch on the bed that had spread to your crotch area. Your eyes widened and you clambered out of bed. The sudden movement woke Bruce up. "Y/N? What's going on?" He said sleepily. "I think I've wet myself!" You said shocked. He didn't say anything and then suddenly let out a huge laugh. "Oh my god!" He said mid laugh. You frowned and held back a laugh. "Stop laughing! It isn't funny!" You said. He rolled out of bed and pulled back the duvet and turned on the bedside lamp. After your eyes adjusted to the light you noticed that sure enough - there was a huge wet patch. "Go to the bathroom and clean yourself up - I'll change the sheets." You sighed and nodded "Yeah." You started walking towards the door. Your face crunched up and you bent over as you felt a sudden pain in your womb. "Y/N?" Bruce said suddenly by your side. After a few moments you straightened up, met by Bruce's extremely concerned face. "Are you okay?" You nodded. Your eyes widened in realisation. "Bruce! I think my waters broke!" He made a small gasp. "So you didn't wet yourself!" You laughed a little at his comment and placed a hand over your stomach. "So that was a contraction then?" You nodded. "Yeah." You called your midwife and were advised to stay at home until the contractions were longer than 30 seconds and about 4 minutes apart.
A while later you were clean, sat on the sofa with Bruce. "Ooh!" You whined and tensed up as another contraction hit. Bruce pressed start on the time on his phone and waited for you to tell him it was over. "53 seconds and 4minutes 39 after the last one!" You looked up and grinned at him. "Let's go then!" He sighed happily and stood up, grabbing the bag you'd packed. He helped you up and to the car. Once you arrived at the hospital you were shown to a private room where you were regularly checked up on by a midwife.
"Bruce?" You said quietly when the two of you were alone. "Yeah?" He asked looking up from his book. You let out a deep breath "Come here?" He stood up and sat down on your bed next to you. He lay himself down and you curled into his chest. "I'm scared." You whispered. "Scared? Of what?" Bruce asked immediately. "Having this baby." You replied. Bruce sat up and looked you in the eye. "Y/N nothing is going to go wrong! You know it isn't! The scans so far have been absolutely perfect! Don't let what happened with Annie scare you this time. Annie was premature and this baby is being born on its due date!" You smiled at his reassurances. The midwife came in and told you that you were ready to start pushing. Your birth went perfectly fine with no problems - well it was gross as usual. "One more push for me Y/N and then this baby will be out!" You let out a scream as you pushed down. "C'mon sweetie! You can do this!" Your husband said enthusiastically. You felt a big release of tension as you heard a baby's cry. "You've done it!" Bruce said kissing your temple. You sighed and dropped your head back quickly. Suddenly your baby was placed on your chest and you let out a breathy laugh. "Here's your baby! Would you like to check the sex?" The midwife said. You carefully unwrapped the blanket and confirmed "It's a boy!" Bruce laughed in joy and you saw the tears well up, along with yours. "He's beautiful!" Bruce whispered. You nodded holding in a happy sob. Your baby was cleaned, as we're you. Your baby was placed in the mobile cot and placed next to your bed. He fell asleep really soon. "So..." Bruce said as you were cuddled into his chest on his bed. "So..." You replied Letting out a content sigh. "Joseph Francis Banner." Bruce said, holding you close. "Our little happy family." You whispered - falling asleep. "Go to sleep sweetie, I'll keep an eye on him." You nodded; exhaustion suddenly crashing down on you. Your eyes flickered shut as Bruce looked upon his small, content family. "I love you Y/N. I love you Annie and I love you Joseph." He whispered as he did every night before he went to sleep, except Joseph was added today. Sometimes you heard him, other times not but you were always sure of his love for you and your family.
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Mrs Captain Rogers
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