Theon
It didn't take long before we crossed the Vail limits and arrived at the clinic.Samantha went to fill out her chart, while I went to get juice from a vending machine for her. When I returned, I found her sitting on one of the chairs in the waiting room, I sat next to her, observing some people waiting for their exams.
" Thank you," Samantha smiled, opening the bottle I offered her.
" How long are you expecting? " asked a woman.
" Twelve weeks " Samantha clarified.
" Is this your first child? " Another woman, who was accompanied by her husband, spoke up.
" Yes," I confirmed, feeling a little uncomfortable.
I wouldn't want to talk about our situation with random people, especially people I had never seen before in my life.
" This is our third child," the second woman explained, "you're really going to love it. It's the best thing in the world, I don't have a single complaint about motherhood.”
" Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see," Samantha answered politely.
" Ahhh yes, first time parents, it must be a bit scary," the first woman smiled, "but don't worry, everything will be fine. We can give you some advice.”
Samantha looked at me a little uncertain while those people were watching us expectantly.
" Sure," I answered without much conviction.
" For starters, you shouldn't be drinking this," the second woman pointed to the lemon juice Samantha was holding.
" Exactly, you need to cut lemons out of your diet," the husband agreed.
" What? Why? " Samantha looked shocked.
" It causes babies to be born hairy," he confided.
This was the biggest crock of shit I had ever heard, but before I could answer, the other woman spoke up.
" You should also stop eating sugar. The last thing you want at home is a hyperactive baby.”
" And have you made a birth plan yet?”
" Birth plan? " Samantha gave me a terrified look.
" Oh yes, what's your birth plan? " the man asked.
" I don't know, the baby will decide to come out and we'll go to the maternity ward and get him out of the womb? " she answered in doubt.
Well, that sounded like a good plan to me!
" Ahh dear, you need to choose the maternity hospital," the woman complemented her husband's comment, "and make sure that everything goes as you wish.”
" Well, we just want him to come out well," I decided to take charge of the situation.
" Be sure to have a natural birth, you won't feel like a mother if it's not a natural birth," the first woman assured.
" And in case they really need to do a c-section, keep your eyes closed the whole time. You don't want to watch while they revise your organs, sometimes they need to get them out!”
" Wait, what? " Samantha looked like she was about to run out.
I brought my hand up to hers, trying to convey some peace to her.
" There's no reason to think about that now," I assured her, "we have time.”
" Speaking of time, have you already enrolled the baby in a good prep school? " the man asked.
" School? Isn't that something like five years from now?”
" Yes, don't worry," I whispered.
" No way, either you start now or you won't get any places and you won't send your son to college, and he will hate you for the rest of his life!”
" Theon!”
" And I hope you're not having sex," a lady who was sitting there watching this whole torture session warned us, "you might hit the baby in the face.”
Samantha stared at me dumbfounded as I took a deep breath. It was getting worse by the second.
" This is a little personal, and…”
" Or the baby can hold it in " the man warned.
" Babies don't do that," I turned to her “Sam, Babies don’t do that!”
Not that we both needed to worry about that particular situation, but I needed to cut through all the crap. This was a good lesson for me not to take any more advice from strangers!
" Samantha Hurst " thankfully the doctor called her while everyone else looked at us with a pitying expression, as if they knew much more than we did, and we were rejecting their wisdom.
I put my arm around her shoulder, wrapping her in a protective half-hug as I guided her into the room, that fearful expression still stamped her face, but luckily I could make her forget all that nonsense.
" Theon, I'm going to ruin this baby's life," she babbled.
" Forget about it, they don't know what they're talking about," I assured, receiving a curious look from the doctor.
" Good afternoon, I'm Dr. Olsen, is there a problem? " he asked.
" Some people in the waiting room frightened her," I explained, "I'm trying to convince her that everything they said is nonsense.”
" And what did they say? " He indicated that we should sit in two chairs in front of his desk.
Samantha settled down, telling the doctor about all the advice she had received, the man listened with a peaceful smile on his face, and as soon as she finished her report he sighed before starting to speak.
" Don't worry, you're not doing anything wrong," he assured her, "there will always be someone to advise you, even if the advice has no foundation.”
" You mean…”
" There's nothing to worry about, Ms. Hurst," he assured her, "if you have any questions, you can ask me. Just don't give so much credence to such nonsensical information.”
" Thank you," she sighed with relief.
" Now let's go, I believe you want to see the baby " he indicated the gurney for Samantha to lie on.
She settled down, exposing her small round belly for the doctor to spread the gel. Samantha made a small gesture with her head for me to stand next to her, and I did as she asked. Dr. Olsen started the exam while I watched the screen with anticipation.
At first I couldn't identify anything until everything became clear and a small human form appeared on the screen.
" Look, there's the baby," he indicated, "he's quite lively, don't you think?”
The little one didn't stop for a second, every time the doctor tried to take some measurements he would change position or pirouette, escaping to the other side of the uterus.
" How can he move so much if I don't feel anything? " Samantha smiled.
" He's too small for you to feel anything yet," he explained, "but that will soon change, are you ready to listen to his heart?”
Before we could answer, a little red dot lit up on the baby's chest, and a steady, steady beat sounded through the room. I couldn't take my eyes off the monitor, I could follow his every move, I could count each of his fingers, he was just perfect.
How could something so wonderful have come out of such irresponsibility?
Without much thought I leaned over, kissing Samantha's head while holding her hand.
" You're amazing," I whispered, receiving a smile in return.
During the trip back that image was imprinted in my mind, I couldn't forget any detail, and finally, after everything started, I could see myself in the role of a father.
Yes, in a few months I would be a father to someone I didn't even know and it was already the most important thing to me. How could everything have changed so fast?
" Did you see his little hand? " Samantha sighed " I didn't think I could see it in such detail.”
" Me neither, thanks for inviting me," I gave her a quick look before turning my attention back to the road.
" You said you wanted to participate," she shrugged, "I would never deprive you of that.”
I brought my hand once more to her belly, caressing it for a moment.
" I can't wait to start feeling it.”
" There are two of us, Apollo, there are two of us," Samantha smiled.
**~~**
" Theon, are you sure? " Samantha asked as I parked the car outside my mother's house.
I had convinced her that it would be a good idea to take advantage of the fact that we were already together from our trip to Vail and take her to meet my mother, but now that we were here, she seemed to be changing her mind.
" Samantha, I told you, it's no big deal. We're already here, and you already know almost all my family," I reassured her.
" But you didn't even warn her.”
" My mom won't mind, I promise," I held her hand reassuringly, "and besides, if you feel uncomfortable, just let me know and I'll take you away.”
" What about Harper? “
Harper? What does Harper have to do with the story?
" I'm sure Harper won't mind, Samantha. She knows we are together today and I will see her later. It's no big deal.”
" If you're sure," she sighed, defeated, opening the door to get out of the car.
" Of course I'm sure," I smiled in reply, following her out.
We walked side by side to the front door, while I looked for a way to relieve some of Samantha's tension.
" What are your plans for Halloween, Samantha? " I questioned, seeing that the date was approaching.
" I don't know, stay home and eat the candy I'm supposed to give to the kids? " She scoffed, "You know, I have to maintain a balanced diet if I want to be a ball at Christmas. Actually, that could be my fantasy.
" You're exaggerating," I smiled before ringing the doorbell, since I was without my key.
" Well, what are the chances that my parents won't realize that I'm pregnant when they come to visit?
" They don't know yet? " I raised an eyebrow at her, before ringing the doorbell again.
Is she afraid to tell her parents about her pregnancy? Will their reaction be that bad?
" The opportunity to tell hasn't arisen yet, they just know that I have moved to Vegas and am teaching ballet to children," she shrugged, "I don't think anyone is home, Apollo. We'd better get back.”
" You had a chance to tell them about the move," I teased her, "and they are at home, they would never go out and leave all the lights on.”
" Look, I just don't know how to start the subject. It's not like I can just call up and say 'Mom, I moved away because I'm pregnant'," she sighed.
" It's not a pleasant subject, but I had to tell her something similar at home," I teased her, watching a shadow move into the house, "you need to build up courage before the situation becomes even more difficult to explain.”
" You're not an expert on the subject, Apollo," she rolled her eyes, "I'll tell you when the time is right.”
" Right time, that's bullshit," I sneered, "admit that you are afraid, Sam.”
" Hey, I'm not afraid," she elbowed me lightly in the ribs, "I'm the one who's going to have a human being coming out of me in a few months, and I'm not the least bit scared!”
That answer made me laugh even harder as a few steps approached the door from the inside, and I put my arm around her in a half-hug.
" Do you think I forgot the look on your face when that woman told you they would remove your organs during labor? " I teased her, getting a snort in return.
" How was I to know that she didn't know what she was talking about? She has three children! " she muttered, making me laugh at her expression.
The sound of the door being unlocked rang out, relieving me. For a moment I thought that there really was no one home, or that they wouldn't come to open. Any answer I could think of faded from my mind when the door opened and the smile on Harper's face turned to confusion to find us standing there, almost embraced in the doorway of my mother's house.
" Theon?”