Chapter Text
This was the third day in a row – the third day in a row that I woke up sick. I held myself close as I felt the dread of nausea creeping up on me. It was coming. Fortunately, I found that a bucket had been left by the bed. Did Zayne leave this here?
That was irrelevant at that moment. I took the bucket from its sitting place and threw up. Turning around, I saw that Zayne was already up. He came around to help me up, and without a word, he lead me to the bathroom.
When we arrived, he left me near the toilet where I continued to throw up. It felt so terrible. I could taste it in my mouth – it was so bitter, like that disgusting medicine that Zayne would occasionally prescribe to me.
The taste of my vomit lingered in my throat when I was done. I was catching my breath before, I turned to see that Zayne had magically appeared with a cup of water.
“You should drink,” Zayne said, “I diluted this with a little bit of juice.”
“Thank you,” I told him.
From his hands, I took the cup and gulped down the contents. I’ve never felt so thirsty in my life. When I passed it back, he put his hand to my forehead.
“Your temperature feels normal, yet this morning sickness…” Zayne paused, thinking before he spoke again, “Moira, I’d like to do a urinalysis to see if my guess is true.”
“What guess?” I asked.
“This is the third consecutive day that you have experienced this morning sickness,” Zayne said, “Yesterday, I took a look at your menstrual calendar. I noticed you had missed one. At the time, I didn’t think much of it. Skipping your period can happen for a variety of different reasons – stress being one of them.”
“Zayne, are you saying that I’m… that we’re…?” I struggled to say it out loud. Then again, it wasn’t entirely implausible.
“As I’ve said, we’ll need a urinalysis to verify it,” Zayne said.
I won’t go into detail about that, for obvious reasons, but yes, I had a urinalysis. Zayne took the sample to Akso, whilst I, at his insistence, stayed home and rested. We had been married for more than a year now – wow, where did time go. I remembered the wedding like it was yesterday; it was the most wonderful day of my life. Marrying Zayne, the man I loved most, the man who became a surgeon for me – he was mine. I love him so much.
After about an hour, my phone started ringing. It was Zayne.
“The results have come back,” Zayne said, “It’s just as I suspected. Moira, you’re pregnant.”
His words made me freeze, like he’d used his evol on me. I had to ask him again to make sure I heard him right.
“Yes, Moya,” he said, “You’re pregnant. We’re having a baby.”
We’re having a baby. I instantly let go of myself. I was pregnant, according to my own husband. I couldn’t find the words to tell Zayne. A part of both of us was growing inside of me. Oh, a boy or a girl? What would they look like? Would their hair be red like mine, or black like Zayne’s? How far through was I? This question I asked to Zayne.
“If I remember correctly, it was around six weeks ago that you had the bright idea for us to have sex without a condom. I always keep track of the days when we don’t use birth control.”
He was smart. No wonder he got that PhD so young.
I sat on the couch, waiting for my husband to come back home. I wanted to cuddle him and break him to pieces. Being pregnant used to terrify me, but knowing that the child was mine and Zayne’s, I was happy. We would raise it together and teach it everything we knew.
What helped was seeing Angel the cat snoozing away in her chair. Without regard for her peace and quiet, I went over to seize her from where she sat and cuddled her. Zayne and I had adopted her from a cat cafe that had recently ceased operation. It was a shame – Zayne and I loved going there, but the owner told us we would be allowed to keep one of the cats. It took a long time, but eventually, we decided on Angel. She was such a sweet cat, and the only one that seemed to like Zayne – she liked him more than me even. Zayne was always the first lap she chose to sit upon.
Angel stayed with me for a good while before Zayne came home. When he saw me, there was a face that could only be described as happiness. Angel came up to greet him, and Zayne gave her a pat before coming over to me.
“Welcome home,” I said to him.
With this, Zayne kissed me before swooping me up into his arms. He cradled me close as I cuddled his neck. He walked out into the garden, where we stopped under the maple tree where he turned to me with a smile. I too was smiling. We leaned in to kiss each other.
“We’ll have to start making space for the little one,” Zayne said, “Perhaps we should move our bedroom to the second floor for starters.”
“Right,” I said, “Because of how dangerous it can be for a baby to climb up the stairs?”
“Without supervision, a baby being left alone on the stairs is a recipe for disaster,” Zayne said.
“When should we tell your parents?” I asked.
“Moya, you do understand that the first three months are dangerous,” Zayne said, “During this time, I advise you to only tell the people closest to us. I revealed the news to my parents right before I left the hospital. We had a call on the way home. They were ecstatic.”
I was too after Zayne hung up earlier that day. I was practically screaming. Yes, I knew the risks of telling people too soon. Tara and Xavier would have to be oblivious for the time being. And Caleb? He’s my brother – surely he would want to know if he was about to become an uncle. He was probably the only person I could tell.
“Now, you know you won’t be able to drink any alcohol for the time being,” Zayne said, as he carried me to the swing.
“I know,” I told him.
“If you have any cravings, let me know,” he said, “I’ll make sure to stock up on them. For dinner tonight,” Zayne started swinging the handle back and forth, “I’ve brought some steak. Red meat like beef and lamb are a good source of iron, a nutrient your body will need more of whilst you’re pregnant. It can also promote a healthy baby.”
“Steak sounds lovely,” I told him.
Zayne came around to sit opposite me on the swing. With one hand, he cupped my face, and with the other, he held my hand. I love this man with all my heart. I wish we could grow old together, that we can create many wonderful memories together.
No one knew what the future held. I for one was eager to see. Zayne was too.