Parker was long gone when he returned home. She was, as usual, buried under the blankets. She lay on her back for once, clutching a pillow like it was her lifeline.
Barry was careful to not make any unnecessary noises as he undressed. He climbed into the bed. Slowly, he curled up, placing his head low on her chest. His fingers danced across her stomach.
"Hi, little Allen," he whispered, "It's your father, here. Your beautiful mother is sleeping right now. Rightfully. I gave her a good scare today...
You see, baby, I talked to my own Mom today. You'll never meet her, but I sure wish you could... We, um, read a story together. Our story. And, I hope, one day your mother and I can read this to you when you're here. Until then, I can do it alone...
'Once there was a little dinosaur, called a Maiasaur, who lived with his mother.
One day, he told his mother, 'I wish I were special like the other dinosaurs! If I were a T.Rex, I could chomp with my ferocious teeth!'
'But if you were a T.Rex,' said his mother, 'how would you hug me with your tiny little arms?'
'I wish I were an Apatosaurus,' said the little dinosaur, 'so with my long neck, I could see high above the treetops.'
'But if you were an Apatosaurus,' said his mother, 'how would you hear me in the treetops when I told you I love you?'
'What makes you so special, little Maisaur?' said his mother, 'Is it your ferocious teeth, or long neck, or pointy beak? What makes you special, is that out of all the different dinosaurs in the big, wide world, you have the mother who is just right for you, who will always love you...'"
Barry sniffled, wiping at his tears. He couldn't distinguish whether or not the tears were joyful or saddened. He didn't have to force a smile at his wife's stomach when he settled his hand across it.
"And that she, and I, will do, baby. I promise."
"You two are lifesavers!" screamed Parker, the following morning. She made sure to steal the to-go bag of Big Belly Burger before she showered them in thankful kisses.
"Iris thought you might be hungry," said Barry.
"She was damn right. I haven't eaten all morning. We ran out of crunchy peanut butter around here," said Parker sadly.
"Yeah, but there's still some smooth left. I had some yesterday," said Barry, pointing over his shoulder.
"I'm too good to be reduced to smooth peanut butter."
"Why's that, baby?" teased Barry.
"Because I'm not a communist, that's why," sassed Parker, "Dad! Good morning!"
Henry rubbed tiredly at his eyes. "Good morning, good morning. What are you guys up to?"
"Arguing over which type of peanut butter is better," said Iris.
"Crunchy," said Henry instantly .
Parker's heart swelled with utter love. "I love him. I love your father more than you," she decided.
"Dad," said Barry, suppressing his eye roll, "you said we could do an ultrasound, right?"
"Yes, absolutely. I'd just have to make a run for the gel," agreed Henry.
"Since when did we get the machine? Did I pay for one? With what money?" interrogated Parker.
"We've got one in the Workshop, according to Cisco. He said he was going to break it open for it's parts, I guess. He and Harry are down working on it right now," explained Barry.
"Let me make a run to the store. Do any of you need anything?" asked Henry.
A chorus of cheerful, "No, thank you," rang out.
Parker tossed Henry a pair of keys. She was sure to keep him as far away from the number eight van as humanly possible.
"How are you feeling today?" asked Iris, sitting on the chair beside Parker.
"It's a little unnerving, knowing there's something inside you," admitted Parker.
"You said you were twelve weeks?"
"Should be. We should probably go to the Doctor to check it out, though."
"I can make an appointment later today," offered Barry.
Iris breathlessly chuckled. Hand over her mouth, she shook her head unbelievably at the two in front of her. "Never thought my best friends..."
"Crazy how life turns out, huh?" smiled Barry.
"Park, how did you not know for twelve weeks? There wasn't any sickness? No swelling? Nothing?"
"She did throw up once, but we both thought that was from the Thai food," said Barry, reminiscing in their 'exotic' food phase.
"It did taste funny," agreed Parker, "see, Iris, once you're married, you totally let go on trying to look good, so I wasn't concerned of my weight."
"Is it too early to start thinking of baby names?" asked Barry abruptly.
"Nora's going to be the middle name, if it's a girl," said Parker casually.
Barry felt the whole world stop. "What?" he mumbled.
"You really think it's not going to be after your mother?" asked Parker, looking at him in an obvious fashion.
"Does that automatically mean if it's a boy, he'll be after your father?" wondered Barry.
"Nathan Mitchell Sylas, my Dad was."
"Mhm. What a man," hummed Iris.
Barry raised his eyebrow at Parker.
"All my friends had crushes on my Dad. He was still in his prime when I hit high school," explained Parker.
"Okay, then. What about Mason Mitchell?" offered Barry.
"I'm not feeling the back-to-back M."
"Charlie Mitchell Allen?"
"Nathan Drake Allen?"
"We're not naming our kid after a fictional character."
"What's a more subtle reference than that? Mario Waluigi Allen?" snapped Parker.
"Shrek Donkey Allen," challenged Barry.
"Oh, see, that's beautiful," praised Parker. Barry winked. Her eyes lit up. "Better yet, Bartholomew Mitchell Allen. Bart for short."
Barry glared. "You know what, just for that, I hope you have twins so I can name them Don and Dawn."
"Fuck you, Barry!"
Henry chose that exact moment to return into the Cortex. Shaking his head at their antics, he set his grocery bag on top of the computer desk. He drew out the gel and disappeared into the Med Bay.
Soon after, Cisco and Harry wheeled the ultrasound equipment into the Cortex.
Barry slapped his hands on the handles of Parker's chair. "Are you ready, baby?"
"Let me finish eating," begged Parker.
"You had an hour to eat," whined Barry.
"You were bombarding me with names," said Parker.
"Names?!" yelled Cisco.
"You didn't wanna be here for that," admitted Iris.
"Waluigi Mitchell Allen, if it's a boy," introduced Parker.
"And Melody Nora Allen, if it's a girl," continued Barry.
Cisco's mouth opened, ready to say something to counter their ideas. Then, he shook his head, agreeing to let the lovebirds do what they pleased. Either way, he would love them and their little child.
"Can we do it now? I'll heat your food up later," begged Barry.
Parker shrugged. "No, you'll just have to wait."
"I don't like you."
"What else is new?"
"Actually," said Henry, exiting the Bay with the gel, "you aren't supposed to eat or drink anything up to six hours before the exam."
Barry grinned, happy to have a second opinion on his side of the argument. He won an argument.
"That's my breakfast, anyway," sighed Parker. She stood, wiping her hands on her jeans. "Well, come on, then. Let's do this so I can eat."
Barry took his wife by the shoulders and set her in the chair again. He wheeled her to the center of the room, setting her next to the machine. He reclined the back of the chair. He squatted beside her.
Parker lifted her shirt for Henry to spread the gel on her stomach. She winced when he applied it. Henry, knowing exactly why, moved past it immediately. His son didn't do the same.
"What? Does it hurt?" he asked hurriedly.
"It's cold, leave me alone," said Parker, swatting his hands from her.
Henry turned the screen from their view. With Cisco peering over his shoulder, the two searched for the baby in Parker's stomach.
"Is that it?" wondered Cisco excitedly. He pointed low on the screen.
"Yeah, that's the baby... Wow," mumbled Henry.
"Can we see?" asked Barry impatiently.
"Uh, you go ahead, baby," encouraged Parker.
Barry didn't notice her sensitivity to the subject. Eager to see his child, their child, he scurried behind the screen to see. He gasped. His hands slapped over his mouth. "Parker," he said softly, "Parker, we made that..."
"I'm sure it's beautiful," said Parker awkwardly. Her hands ran throughout her hair. She tilted her head back on the chair, staring at the ceiling.
"What's wrong?" asked Cisco.
"Are you feeling sick?" wondered Iris, placing the back of her hand on Parker's forehead.
"Incredibly," said Parker quietly.
"Maybe its the Big Belly Burger," suggested Harry. He and Parker looked to one another, both showing signs of varying amusement. Together, they shook their heads. "Nah."
"Do you two want to know what gender you've got?" wondered Henry.
"No," said Barry, and unsurprisingly, Parker breathed a tiring, "Yes, Barry. I'm not waiting nine months to decorate a goddamn room. Tell us."
"She's only at week twelve, though," said Iris.
Cisco nodded. "Isn't that a bit early?"
"It is, however, if you know what you're looking for..." said Henry mysteriously. He squinted at the screen. "Oh...Oh. Barry, come on. You have to know."
"Fine," he agreed.
"You're having a girl."
Barry and Parker met each other. "Melody Nora," they said simultaneously, though one was in fear and the other was in excitement.