Desire Ch. 86 - We're having a...

[itztigress3]

Chapter 86 - We’re having a…
POV: Emily / Zac
Word Count: 3407

June 4, 2012;

  20 weeks and the morning sickness was no less than it was then; the only way to keep anything down was to lay down after eating until I felt like I could sit up. It totally sucked because I hated to just be lying in the office alone for two hours unable to do anything. So, when the sickness passed this morning I went to the studio, sure they were busy working on songs but I would be on the couch anyway. When I quietly walked through they all gave me a confused look, I crossed quietly to the couch and lay down. They finished the take and then Zac came over.

“Baby? Are you ok?”

“Don’t feel good and I’m tired of lying up there alone, I’ll be quiet and out of the way but at least I’m not alone.”

He kissed my forehead and laid a blanket over me, went back to what they were doing. The upside to not being able to sit up and do anything is everyone else took up the slack, but that made me feel bad. I was being paid to run the place, not lay on my ass. The downside is endless hours of boredom and thinking, which thinking was not something I should be doing right now.

Maddi had e-mailed me the next day and after thanking me again for talking she said that she’d had some cramping that morning and Max had taken her to the ER, but she assured me they were fine. Cramping reminded me of how I felt then, some of those feelings that I’d never really mentioned. I’d already let down one baby, was I doomed to do it again? I couldn’t keep anything down, how could that be safe for me or the baby? What was my body doing to cause this reaction? Hopefully the doctor could give me something or do something. I could hear Zac beating the hell out of the drums and while it should be giving me a major headache, it wasn’t. I fought sleep by playing a game on my phone and I replied to Maddi’s latest e-mail before they started singing and that did it, the last thing I heard was Zac’s voice singing…

Juliet, you are a drug and it is quick
And with a kiss I lose my senses
Juliet, you are a fire, I am consumed
Tonight I’m dying in your arms.

I closed my eyes and let sleep take over, let his words just sink in.

-Zac-

We were working diligently on a song and every fifteen or so I would glance at Emily, she was being super quiet laying there. I prayed the doctor could tell us something about this sickness crap though, her constant throwing up was a major concern and I know she hated lying most the day.

I however tried to tell her she was beautiful and she is. It seemed like little things I noticed like I could tell she was showing a little but she insisted she wasn’t, her hair was softer to me, and she insisted it was no different. She glowed and that was hard to explain to her so I hadn’t really mentioned it. I found myself staring at her asleep on the couch and Taylor poked my arm.

“Your keep doing that and we’re going to get all jealous.” He said.

I looked at him. “Hey, we hopefully find out later if you’re having a niece or nephew, don’t get on my bad side.”

“We’ll just sweet talk it from Emily.” Isaac said.

“She has to be awake and here for that.”

“She’s still not feeling any better at all?” Taylor asked.

“If she lies down for a while after eating it’s usually not bad. She’s not as bad but she’s still throwing up everything. She plans to talk to the doctor today and see if there is anything that will work.”

They nodded. “So, how much longer do we have?”

“I have two hours before we have to leave for the doctor’s office.”

“Ok. Let’s work on vocals then.”

We spent another hour and a half working on the vocals for Juliet, making sure the right notes were hit, that the melody was right. Casey was in the booth at the PC taking and recording them, I was about to tell him to move forward because I liked the take, but he cut in.

“Check on Emily, she’s moved a few times the last several minutes. I don’t know if we’re waking her up or if she’s dreaming or what…”

I took the headphones off and was on my way to the couch when she woke up screaming, she hasn’t done that for months. I picked up pace and was there in a few seconds, where I sat down behind her and pulled her to me.

“Hey, you’re ok Emily.”

Taylor, Isaac, and Casey came out but I held my hand up. She wasn’t saying anything and normally she instantly tells me what the dream was about. Generally, they were what happened in the basement. She was just clinging to my shirt. They sat down at the piano and waited.

“Emily?”

Her breathing calmed a moment before she suddenly got up and ran from the room, I quickly followed knowing exactly where she was going, the bathroom just outside the studio. I had the rag ready when she sat back against the wall and I sat down beside her.

“It wasn’t about the basement was it?”

She shook her head and then wiped her face off and sat there a moment. I waited patiently.

“I recall from Natalie that it’s not uncommon to have bad dreams when you’re pregnant. The first one scared me and I called her. That’s just the second one so don’t freak out. The first one was more a less about the miscarriage actually, it just wasn’t David that caused it. This one was worse because I was at the hospital and we’d had the baby but I kept begging to see my child and no one would answer me. Then David tells me my child is dead. I woke up after that.”

I put my arm around her. “Honey that will not happen and you know that. We heard the heartbeat Emily, you and I both did.”

“I’m only half way there Zac, a lot can happen between now and then. Added, I can’t keep anything down and that’s not good for either of us.”

“Maybe he can give you something today that will help you.”

“If he can’t? If he tells us there is something wrong because I’m not keeping anything down?”

I wiped the tears from her cheeks and kissed her. “Emily, you are gaining weight which means you’re doing something right. Ask the doctor today if everything is fine, they can tell you and if not, we’ll find a way.”

She smiled some. “Hey, maybe if you feel like it we can go to the zoo this weekend.”

“We’ll see. When do we have to leave?”

“About ten minutes.”

She got up slowly and so did I.  She first let the other three know she was ok and then we left and went to see the doctor. Doctor Shane O’Brian recommended by Zander and so far we liked him. She signed in and we didn’t wait long. I sat down in the corner of the room and let them do what they needed too. His rooms were contained they did everything in one room from blood pressure and weight to just talking. She had in fact gained weight, her blood pressure was fine, and she had no temperature. She told them about the constant throwing up still and the nurse didn’t seem too worried about it. She left the room and Emily changed for the exam part.

“I may never get use to this.” I said.

She smiled. “You could have waited out there, they would have gotten you.”

“No. I told you I wanted to be part of this and I am going to be. It’s just weird that’s all.”

“Yeah, it’s not like men have to do this.”

“I’d be mortified if I had to be sitting like that.”

She smiled and giggled. “You know they’ll eventually tell you to do a prostate exam, but then again you’ve had practice.”

I felt the flush in my face. “So evil.”

There was a knock and Dr. O’Brian walked in. He was a tall man with a shaved head and brown eyes. But he was very good with details.

“So, it looks like vitals are normal and I like the weight gain. But you’re still throwing up?”

“Yes. If I eat and lay down I’m fine sometimes, but not always.”

“Is it any specific type of food? Chinese, Mexican, American, some combination?”

“Whatever I eat, I’ve tried everything I like, and everything reacts the same. The only group that seems to stay down is super sugary foods. I learned that by accident I was craving ice cream and Mt. Dew.”

He smiled and sat down. “There’s not much I can prescribe and the last one did nothing to help. I know it sounds mean but perhaps the best thing to do is lots of rest. Weight wise your ok and when we do the sonogram I’ll make sure the baby is developing normally. Are the prenatal vitamins agreeing with you?”

“Yep, no problems with those.”

“You were sick before you took them right?”

“Yep.”

He looked over the chart for several minutes before he went ahead with his exam declaring everything normal. He drew blood to run some tests and while he left she got dressed again. I could tell she was nervous about the sonogram, she was afraid there would be a problem. The nurse returned and set up the machine and then Dr. O’Brian returned. I slide closer just to let her know I was there. She didn’t seem fazed by the gel he applied. At first we couldn’t see the screen; he was moving buttons, clicking areas, and moving that wand around quickly. I couldn’t read his facial expression at all but Emily looked pale and worried. He turned the sound on and we heard the rhythmic beating of our baby’s heartbeat.

I don’t think I’d ever grow tired of hearing that rhythm. It was strong, fast, and steady and to me that said healthy.

“Strong heartbeat.” He said.

That was a good sign to me but Emily didn’t seem convinced.

“Do you want to know the sex of your baby?”

She looked at me. “I think we do.”

“I agree. At least we’ll know what to get.” She said.

He turned the screen around and pointed to the screen. “Well, you’re having a boy and he’s not shy about letting us know that.”

He even had an arrow with ‘Penis’ above it, great my poor son is humiliated before he’s even born…wait…

Son. I’m having a son!

Emily smiled at me but looked at him questioning.

He moved the wand again. “Here is the legs and feet.” Again he moved it around. “Arms, and here is the heartbeat, you can see it’s strong. Unfortunately his head is turned toward your back, so I can’t really see his face but we can try for a 3D sonogram later on if you wish.”

Emily still didn’t seem convinced. “Dr. O’Brian our biggest concern is whether development wise he’s on track. We’ve both been worried about the constant throwing up if there both getting the right nutrients and requirements for her to be fine and for him to be healthy.”

“I did measurements first to be sure on that myself and he’s actually showing larger than what he should be given the probable date of conception. I’m not changing the due date or anything and he could slow a bit as well. But, right now everything looks fine. He’s ahead of where he needs to be size and weight wise, he’s showing no abnormal growths or anything strange.”

“Are you sure?” Emily asked.

“Yes, I am. Little baby Hanson is growing just fine and he’s where he needs to be. Your weight is fine and the blood work hasn’t come back yet, but it’s safe to assume its fine also.”

Finally it seemed like her worries paused or weakened at least.

Did I mention…I’m having a son?

“I’m going to recommend you try foods you don’t normally eat but avoid a lot of fish and extremely spicy foods as heartburn is not pleasant. If laying down helps, keep doing that. Crackers work for upset stomachs quite well so it might be worth it to have a few before eating and keep that small meals aspect going it’ll help too.”

“Ok.” She said.

“Otherwise, unless something occurs between now and you’re next appoint I will see you in about four weeks.”

“Let’s hope there is nothing.” She said.

“We all do, but don’t hesitate to call if you have questions or concerns. It’s what we’re here for.”

He printed off a few pictures for us and we left the doctor’s office.

“A son, you know your face light up when he said boy. Were you kind of hoping for one?”

“Maybe a little…”

“Zachary.”

“Ok, a lot. But, honestly I would have been fine had he been a girl.”

“I don’t think I minded either way, but I’m kind of glad we’re having a son, means if we do have a girl later on he can protect her too.”

“You’re thinking ahead Ems, he’s not even here yet and you’re talking siblings.”

She laughed. “Well, you and I agreed we wanted more than one. So how do we tell family?”

“We could be super mean and not tell anyone.”

“I’m sorry; I don’t want five brothers nagging me for the next 18 to 20 weeks.”

I pondered as we drove back to the studio on the possible ways. “What if we e-mailed everyone?”

“Well, your Mom and Dad don’t do e-mail that much.”

“Well, parents we can call. But I am talking siblings, all of your brothers use e-mail on their phones and so do mine. Zoe even has a phone with e-mail!”

“Hey, she is a social butterfly and needed that phone.”

“True, so we call the parents and e-mail the siblings. That way, none can be I saw first.”

“Where do we classify Casey?”

I laughed. “Sibling for sure.”

When we arrived at the studio we went to the office first, we used our cells and called our parents. Mom and dad were thrilled to hear the news, for their 6^th grandchild they sure did seem super thrilled to be hearing from me. I gave them an update as well, letting them know he was healthy and so was she. Emily called Ace and when she hung-up she smiled.

“He’s super thrilled, I’ve never heard a man more excited. Well, except maybe you.”

I smiled and we sat down together to put the e-mail together. She only included our siblings and Casey.

“Why not like Amanda, Craig, and the others?”

“I’ll include theirs in a secondary one. I’ll wait 30 minutes before sending it; actually I should include Craig, Amanda and Zander. As there close enough to be siblings.”

She added their names and I noticed the blue booties picture with ‘It’s a boy!’ under it. “Are you not including a sonogram?”

“Should we?”

“Yes.”

She quickly scanned one and added it as well. Then provided a message saying they were having a nephew and that he was healthy and already bigger than he should be! She also included that she was also fine. She then sent the message and we went to the studio. I could hear Casey in the booth yelling for Taylor and Isaac to check their phones and we giggled when they all got excited.

Once they knew we were in the building we got congrats and then Taylor and Isaac said I had to get my ass back to work. Emily laughed.

“I’ll go send the e-mail to close friends. Um, do we post this on the website? I mean really Zac we haven’t even made an announcement to the world yet. You claim I am showing some you realize in a few more months I’ll be showing a lot.”

“Well, make a post. But, I’d rather not say we’re having a boy on the website.”

“Ok. I’ll send to friends and post on the website while they make your ass work.”

“Ok. If you get to feeling too bad though, lay down.”

“I will. Uh…but um…we all know Casey is sweet and nice and all that…”
                  
He giggled. “What do you want me to do?”

“Go to the diner and bring me back ice cream and the hottest thing on their menu.”

I raised my eyebrow. “The hottest thing?”

“I don’t usually eat hot foods; maybe it’s what your son wants.”

I smiled at that, my son. It was real and I had pictures to prove it! Ok, well black and white grainy ones but it’s still a picture!

“Sure thing, anyone else want anything?”

“Sure, we can do lunch.” Isaac said.

“Well, why don’t we all just go there?” I asked.

“Even better!” Casey said.

We did end up going to the diner for a later lunch and true enough she ordered the hottest thing on the menu, yet she didn’t complain as she ate but used the ice cream to cool her mouth down when she needed too. She went to the office when we returned and we went to the studio. Around seven I went up-stairs and she was sitting at the desk.

“Feeling ok?”

“I felt slightly nauseas when we got back but I got crackers and I feel ok, haven’t thrown up since we got back.”

“Maybe it is the hot foods then, lord I hope not because you looked miserable eating that.”

“My mouth is still on fire, but if it means I can hold down foods then it’s worth it to me. Maybe I can tone down the hotness though, try something not quite flaming.”

“Probably a good idea, you ready to head home?”

“Yeah, let me save this. Oh, posted to the website and so far everyone is happy and lot’s of congratulations from everyone. There have been a few that disagree but hey, we’re use to that.”

“Let them disagree all they want as you and I are raising him not them.”

She smiled and closed stuff down, we then went home.

“I wonder if those stairs were a good idea, I wasn’t expecting this whole climbing them pregnant.”

“Christina made it, I am sure you can.”

I went to the kitchen and fixed dinner for us both, adding hot sauce to hers as requested.

“You know you keep on doing this and I’m going to be so spoiled.”

I smiled. “It’ll be fine. I don’t mind it’s improving my cooking skills.”

“No shit. It’s improved tenfold since we found out.”

We had dinner and then settled on the sofa for a movie, just to make sure she would be ok, but turns out the hot sauce didn’t work. She seemed even more ill than normal this time, but I can’t image hot sauce taste great coming back up. I suggested lying down and she agreed.

Turns out the hot sauce worked sometimes. We did go to the Zoo on Sunday, she’d stayed at home the rest of the week and Thursday and Friday I’d made Casey go stay with her because she really did seem much sicker. We didn’t stay all day but enough for her to visit each animal and get some pictures. It was nice to see her outside.

Maddi and Max had come here and Emily had showed me pictures of the giraffe licking his face, so I stayed away from those suckers! I still wasn’t sure if I totally trusted them both, she had a stalker in jail and that worried me. Added, she’d known about Emily being pregnant without being told and that was a little weird. Yet, neither had said anything about what was said there which I was grateful for. Having another man know what I’d done in private was strange. Emily however seemed to enjoy talking to Maddi, so I was fine with that.


*footnote*
Juliet © 2013 Hanson / 3CG records. I do not own the rights to this song.
Juliet can be heard on the Anthem album (2013)