Chapter Text
“Love, are you feeling alright?”
Hearing the call from outside the bathroom door before it swung open made Amy try to perk up. It was to no avail because she dry heaved over the toilet again with a pained moan. The contents of her breakfast had long been flushed down the drain, but for whatever reason, her stomach refused to settle. A hand gently rubbed circles into her back, easing a bit of the tension there.
Once the last bout of nausea dissipated, she managed a weak nod. “Yeah… might be a stomach bug. Lots of customers at the bakery have been telling me something’s in the air lately.” Amy paused to cough, which unfortunately turned into a gag. She swallowed hard to keep down the acid trying to crawl its way back up. “I… should probably call Vanilla and ask if she can open for me today. At least until Cream gets there. I’m gonna go to the doctor.”
“Don’t worry about that, you finish getting ready and I’ll reach out to her,” Shadow said, already pulling out his phone. “I will drop you off on the way to work.”
“You really don’t have—” she paused and dry heaved again. “—to. You'll end up late, sweetheart.”
“I’m not letting you drive like this, and I have no qualms with cleaning the car if there’s an accident. This is not up for debate.”
She rolled her eyes as her heart grew warm. Amy should have known better than to argue with her husband when his mind was set by now. Shadow was speaking with Vanilla the entire time he assisted her by staying near with a trash can. The perfect balance of doting that allowed her independence and room to ask for extra help if need be. Thankfully, she didn't have to use it and managed to get dressed.
On the way to her car, he called Rouge to alert her of the situation as well. Of course, it was met with empathetic well wishes the moment she buried her head in the trash can as another bout of nausea took over when the vehicle set in motion. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, stuck between disobeying traffic laws and remaining a role model citizen. Somehow, he achieved an in between to skirt by on the edge of the former.
It wasn’t too long before Shadow pulled up to an urgent care facility.
“Are you sure you don't want me to stay with you?” he asked. His fingers drummed along the steering wheel, one of his nervous tics. “It wouldn’t be an issue to call Rouge back.”
Amy waved him off, sliding out of the car slowly. “Just a stomach bug, it's not that serious.”
“I still worry.”
“You always do, cutie.”
His ears flattened and his snout wrinkled with a frown even as he blushed. “Don't make me change my mind.”
“You're just looking for an excuse to, and I'm not letting you. Get outta here, I'll be fine!”
“Alright,” Shadow huffed. “Call me immediately when you're done, I'll take an early lunch and take you back home.”
Amy squinted her eyes playfully. “You don't have—”
“Either I stay or I leave and come back.”
“But—”
“Amy.”
They stared at one another. Eventually she sighed and nodded. He relaxed, if only slightly, and nodded back once. No other communication was needed. After all, being married for six years opened some kind of telepathic channel exclusive to the two of them. And as Amy watched him drive away, a tiny pinprick of guilt in her gut told her she probably should've mentioned she had a feeling this was a bit more than a stomach bug…
Oh well.
Perhaps it would be better to wait until she had confirmation.
✿ . ˚ . ˚ ✿.
“When will you be getting home, love?”
Hearing that phrase, Shadow packed his bag a little faster while making sure he was checking weapons properly. “I'm headed out once my mission end report gets handed over. That's my next stop.” He unloaded a few magazines and set them aside. “Should I be expecting an ambush that requires me heading straight to the bedroom upon arrival?”
Air whistled as his wife inhaled, a sound he was quite familiar with and all the meanings it held. Her following silence helped him discern what this one meant. “Oh, no, I see. What have you done?” he inquired softly.
“Nothing! But… I do have a surprise for you.”
“Good or bad?”
“Technically good, depending on how you take it, I suppose.”
Shadow paused. He failed to comprehend how any kind of Amy Rose surprise could be interpreted as ‘bad’ on his end. He trusted her with his life. The uncertainty behind her tone, however…
“Should I make haste, then?”
“Only if you want. We're not going anywhere.”
Forget the weapons, he'd make Rouge finish up for him. Gathering his personal items became top priority before he slung a backpack over his shoulder and exited his office. “I'll be there shortly. I love you.”
“Love you, too! See you soon.”
As he made his way through the halls of G.U.N, beelining to the meeting room where Commander Abraham awaited, something his wife said stuck out to him. ‘We're not going anywhere.’ He wracked his brain in attempts to figure out if he'd misremembered an important date. They still had some time before their anniversary and his birthday came around; her birthday was almost two months ago. Unless it was a celebration for one of their friends, he hadn't a single clue as to why anyone other than Amy would be waiting for him at home.
Shadow took wider steps to cover more ground because he was a bit anxious to find out what was going on.
✿ . ˚ . ˚ ✿.
At the sound of the door opening and closing, Amy perked up from her seat on the couch. She was on her feet immediately, launching herself into fluffy chest fur that smelled of lavender, cinnamon, and the faintest trace of musk. Even though Shadow didn't believe her, she always loved his smell upon coming home from work. She was also glad it didn't set her off because it would be incredibly sad to go so long without basking in it.
He leaned down to kiss her gently. His backpack dropped unceremoniously to the floor in favor of scooping her up instead. In his arms where she rightfully belonged, Amy sighed.
“I missed you.”
Shadow nosed into her cheek to make her giggle. “I missed you more. I hated having to leave on such short notice after you became ill.”
“I survived. It was only a few days.”
“Days I could have been home taking care of you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don't worry, Vanilla gladly took up the mantle in your stead. She kicked me out of the bakery and took over. She and Cream are taking turns bringing me stuff.”
“Remind me to thank them both later,” he said. Shadow carried her back to her spot in the living room and spotted a box laid on the coffee table. It was small, wrapped with a yellow ribbon. This must be the so-called surprise she had for him. “Did I miss something while I was away?”
Amy hummed, following his line of sight. “Yes and no.”
He raised an eyebrow and she bit her lip.
Taking a seat, settling her in his lap comfortably, he huffed, “You're being weirdly cryptic about this. Whenever you make things for me, you can hardly keep what it is to yourself.” He picked up the box and was taken aback by how light it felt. “May I have a clue?”
“They're very small.”
“...they?”
Amy nodded.
Carefully, he pinched one end of the ribbon and pulled. “First a we, now it's they. Are you simply referencing yourself in third person, or—?”
“Oh, there's a third person, alright.”
Before he could question what she meant by that, he froze the moment the lid was removed. Amy held her breath.
Inside were two teeny tiny knitted socks, one pink and one blue. That didn't seem to be what caught his attention, though. With surgical precision, the socks were moved aside to take out the grainy black and white picture beneath. A solid, lumpy looking mass rested in the center.
Shadow stared at it. Then his eyes slid to her abdomen. And lastly, crimson locked with misty jades.
“Rose, you're…”
“Yeah.”
“And this is…”
“Ours.”
He finally breathed in, having stopped entirely. A shaky exhale came out in return. “We did it? But- when did—? How far—?”
“My birthday…” Amy laughed quietly, wiping her eyes. She blushed and bashfully continued, “I think we got a little carried away at some point? It'll be seven weeks tomorrow, though.”
Lifting the hem of her shirt, a hand rubbed on the already hardening muscles of her abdomen.
“There's a baby in there.”
“Mhm.”
He smiled. “Our baby.”
She sniffled and smiled back. “Mhm.”
“And what would have made you think I would take this as bad news?” Shadow kissed her cheek, then all over her face. A final one landed on her lips, chaste and short. “We’ve been trying on and off for so long, I almost didn’t think it was possible.”
“I know, that’s why I thought… I just wasn’t sure you wanted it anymore. I got scared.”
“I would never think less of you even if it never happened at all. As long as I have you, I'm more than happy. Children are simply a bonus, my love.”
He settled into the crook of her neck, a deep purr provided vibrations that tickled. Thoroughly relaxed into a lazy embrace, Amy let him run his fingers along the growing baby inside of her as much as he wanted. She felt a weight lifted from her shoulders. One that didn’t have to be there at all. A sudden rush of warmth washed over her, overwhelmed her, until all she could do was laugh and nuzzle against the top of her husband’s head.
“I can’t believe I’m going to be a father…” Shadow whispered.
“You’re gonna be great. I know you will.”
“And you will be an amazing mother.”
She blushed, smiling wide. “I can only hope so.”
“You will be. I have no doubt.” Shadow’s thumb grazed over a golden band sporting a small ruby cut in the shape of a heart on her ring finger. “Do you think we’ll have a boy or a girl?”
“Oh, as much as I would love a boy, I don’t think we’ll get one on the first try.”
He gave her a look, eyes shining with mischief. “Already planning for another?”
“Maybe. I want at least two. But I have a feeling this little one will be a girl.” Amy cradled her stomach, staring down at the soon-to-be bundle of joy. “And I have a name. It’s one that’s stuck with me since we’ve talked about having children some day.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Jewel Marie Rose…”