“Tell me truth right now Mrs.”
“Yes, okay, fine I’m pregnant. Okay. Just please don’t tell anyone, at least till we have our first scan.”
“Oh my God, wow, just that’s incredible, Jesus.” She stands and tries to calm her excitement, then sits back down “Okay, I promise, this is exciting. That is going to be a gorgeous baby, with parents like you two.” She claps her hands excitedly, leaping from the sofa and jumping up and down on the spot.
“Calm down Maria,” she sits back down collecting herself, “Now pinky promise me.”
She curls her little finger around my own shaking our hands up and down and then tells me “I pinky promise.” She beams at me from her seat still trying to rein in her control.
“I still can’t believe it, Leighton Lock, is going to be a father, a father, I mean, it’s Leighton, first he settles down with a steady girlfriend, then he’s in love and now he is going to be a dad. This is too much. I think I need to lie down before I have a heart attack.” She collapses back on the sofa, wiggling her bum to the edge so her back is flat on the material.
“Breathe Maria, Breathe.” I laugh at her throwing a cushion at her face, landing directly on her nose.
“Congratulations to you both. You deserve this Abbi, after all the shit you’ve been dealt. This, this is good, your reward, everything you deserved.” she hugs me pulling me to her side.
“I hope so. I can’t handle anymore shit. I can’t wait for him or her to be here.” I rub my hand over my stomach.
“I can’t believe how much of a bump you already have, when is your scan? You need to get me a picture okay.” she looks at me seriously, warning me.
“Next Friday, and I know, I only found out about the pregnancy yesterday, I thought I was just bloated from being ill, I didn’t even clock on to being pregnant. I was so nervous to tell Leighton, but he was ecstatic when I told him. It made me able to be happy about the news.” I can’t believe it has only been a day since I found out it seems like it is already old news.
“You’ll both be incredible parents. And this baby will be loved by so many people. It will have so many uncles and aunties. Oh God I’m so excited.” Maria releases a huge breath clearly still trying to control herself.
“So anyways, did you hear that Scott is still seeing that skank?” I distract her, knowing how much Maria hates Kalina after her threatening me.
“Ergh, don’t Abbi seriously, she makes me so fucking angry. The boys took me to a dinner party last weekend and she was there, she tried to get Luke and Brad to join her and Scott in the bedroom. She was very close to me knocking her the fuck out.” I saw in an instant her demeanor change from excited and happy to furious and murderous.
I had found out soon after becoming friends with Maria, of her childhood, of how Antonio was brought into his father’s business really young. It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if Maria was also forced into participating in their fucked up family days out.
“I can’t wait to see her face when she founds out Leighton really is serious about me and that I’m having his baby. It will be a Kodak moment for sure. You want a cup of tea Hun?” I ask her, desperate for a mug joined by a biscuit.
“Oh yes please Hun, and a rich tea if you have one or twelve to spare.” She grins a big toothy smile at me.
*****
Maria leaves at about six o’clock to get dinner done for her men, and Leighton returns home at half seven.
We spend the night eating the meal I have prepared, cuddling up on the sofa watching this week’s X-factor before lying in bed kissing, holding each other and making love.
I have realised since taking my anti-sickness tablets I haven’t felt ill at all during the day, it is massive relief.
“Those tablets the doctor prescribed me are a bloody Godsend.” I inform him knowing that he had to have been worried about me feeling ill when he was gone.
“That’s good baby, I’m glad they helped. I didn’t like you that ill it was horrible to not be able to do anything to help you.” He kisses my hair softly and strokes his big firm hand across my small baby bump.
Bending down under the covers he brings his lips to the little mound “Goodnight Squishy, it’s Daddy here. You be good for Mummy tonight and let her sleep okay. I can’t wait to see you next week.” He kisses it once more before returning to the head of the bed and pulling me against him.
“Goodnight angel. Sleep well. I love you.”
“And I you Leighton, so much.” I roll onto my left side, being spooned from behind by the giant of a man.
I have told Leighton that Maria knows and he is over the moon about someone else knowing our good news.
I fall asleep comfortable and loved. No disruptions from sickness and no irritating nightmares.
Chapter Twenty-One
The next week passes ridiculously slowly. Every day drags, Leighton and I just sit around every day waiting for Friday to come along.
On the morning of Friday, I sit in the waiting area of the perinatal unit in the hospital, flicking through maternity magazines, glancing back and forth to the clock, every second hammering through my excited and impatient brain. I occasionally get up and pace the area, unable to relax.
“Baby, sit down. Stop worrying.” He tugs gently at my clammy hand, pulling me onto his lap, lifting my legs to drag me to his body, kissing my hair in his usual nurturing fashion. “Everything is going to be okay baby. Stop stressing. In approximately five minutes we’ll get to see our little squishy on the screen and hear its heartbeat. I hope you’re as excited as I am angel.” He lifts my hand, entwines it with his and then places delicate butterfly kisses to my knuckles.
“I’m more than excited Leighton, I can’t contain my excitement, and I can’t sit still. I just want to get in there and see our baby. To know it’s healthy and has ten fingers and toes. To hear the beat of its little heart, to see what we have created and to be the best parent in the world to our beautiful little squishy.” At this point I think Leighton realises the reason I am so excited is because I want to prove to everyone I’m not like my father, that I will be there for my child, to love and cherish it, always and forever.
“Baby, you aren’t him okay. This child will be loved so much by everyone.”
The door to one of the rooms opens and a woman in pale pink scrubs emerges, her perfect face and perfect hair look immaculate against her hospital attire.
“Miss Adams?” the sonographer calls to me.
Leighton stands and places me on the ground, clasping my hand he pulls me towards the room.
The woman closes the door behind us both.
“Good morning Miss Adams, I am Doctor Smith; I’m the Obstetrician in the maternity and delivery ward here at the hospital. Today we are going to be using an ultrasound to look at the baby, date your pregnancy and also listen to the heartbeat. Sound good?” she asks me, her friendly, warming smile settling any nerves I have.
“Sounds brilliant.” I reply, taking a few deep breaths.
“Right, let’s get started. If you could just pop up onto the bed, and pull your top up over your stomach and lower the waist band of your trousers a little.” I lie down with the unneeded assistance of Leighton and lift my top over my bump, rubbing my hand over it a little, and then pulling the band of my trousers down a little.
“Good. This is going to be a bit cold, I need to use the gel to do the scan, or it won’t work otherwise. Ready?” I nod, grasping Leighton’s hand.
He looks at me and mouths silently “You okay?”
I smile and nod back, mouthing “perfect.” And I am, my life has become perfect. I have the man of my dreams, a beautiful home, wonderful friends and surrogate family and now my own little baby to complete it all.
The ‘cold’ gel hit my tummy causing me to jolt and scream a little. Leighton and the Doctor laugh at my abrupt outburst.
“Poor baby, is that cold?” Leighton’s mocking tone causes me to scowl at him.
The doctor places a weird shaped hand held device over the gel and then begins to rub it in circles, spreading the goop everywhere, creating a ridiculous mess.
The screen flickers, the grey and black switching and swapping all over until it settles on an open space with a grey baby shaped blob on the screen.
A small gasp escapes my mouth along with the tears welling up in my eyes, making the screen go blurry.
“Mum and Dad, there is your baby.” She points to the screen in the spot I had already seen my baby. She pauses the screen on the section so Leighton and I can have a good look. “Looking at this scan, I can date your pregnancy at twenty six weeks and three days. The baby is very healthy, a good size, measuring at about thirty four centimeters, a little small but nothing to worry about, fantastic heartbeat. I can tell you the sex now if you would like me to?” the doctor asks as more of a question than a statement.
“Erm. I’m six months pregnant?” the doctor nods back. “Why is my bump so small, are you sure the baby is okay, surely I should be massive by now?” I start to panic, my baby bump clearly not the average size of a six month foetus.
“Miss Adams, your baby is perfectly healthy, and not all women have an enormous bump in their pregnancy. Sometimes you can hardly see some women’s bumps even at full term. It’s perfectly natural. You still have three and a bit months left of pregnancy, you could blossom, so do not worry okay.” the Doctors reassurance calms my sudden anxiety a little.
“Baby it’s okay. Breathe. Everything’s fine, our baby’s fine, it’s healthy. Look at the screen angel, its moving about, its little heart is beating. It’s perfect angel, our little squishy.” He leans down and plants a heavy kiss on my lips, brushing away my tears and my hair from my eyes. “Do you want to know what we’re having, baby?”
Did I? Did I really want to know? Not really.
“No, no I don’t. I want that movie moment when I deliver and the Doctor tells me that I’ve had a little boy or girl, I don’t want to know and then answer his excitement by saying ‘yeah, Doc, I already knew that’ kind of ruins that moment I think.” He nods his agreement with me.
“Ok Abbi, we’ll wait, it’ll be perfect.” He looks to the Doctor “We’ll wait Doc.” He tells her and then kisses me again.
“Would you like some pictures for the road?” she asks us both and we nod our head in answer.
“Can I have a couple of spares?” I ask her politely then look at Leighton, “Maria wants one; she asked when she found out.”
“That’s fine but you’ll have to pay for the extras, first two are free.”
“That’s fine. I can’t wait to tell everyone.” Leighton’s excitement oozes from him. “We are having a party baby a big one. It’s your birthday in a week, so we’ll tell everyone then.”
“Okay, yes, that’s fine. I can’t believe I’m going to be twenty two. So much has happened this year, it’s crazy.” I almost forget the Doctor is still there until she clears her throat to alert us.
“Miss Adams, your pictures. I’ve done you three extras so that will be fifteen pounds extra, if you can pay at reception.” She hands me the pictures, all five different to one another, showing different angles of my baby, my beautiful baby.
“Thank you Dr. Smith.” I tell her smiling happily.
“It’s not a problem; you won’t have any more scans now, unless there’s a problem, which I’m positive there won’t be, I’ll see you in delivery Miss Adams. Good luck.” She cleans the goo off of my belly. I pull my trousers up properly and lower my top over my now chilly stomach.
Leighton assists me from the bed and holds my hand as he leads me from the room. I stand at the reception desk whilst Leighton pays for our extra scan photos, fixated on the pictures. I can’t seem to put them down.
“Beautiful isn’t it?” Leighton disturbs my public daydream.
“Very. I can’t wait to hold him or her.” I clutch the photos to my chest, kiss one of them and then place them safely into my handbag.
“Come on mamma, let’s get you some food.”
“Hmm please. I could eat a whole cow, I’m starved.” I rub my hungry protruding stomach.
“I bet you are bubba.” He pulls me through the hospital to the car park, he helps me to get into the car (even though I don’t need the help) and then settles himself in the seat before he drives away.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The next week doesn’t go as slow, the excitement of seeing my child has simmered a little, having a photo to hold and see whenever I want to.
Maria was ecstatic to receive her photo claiming that she was officially auntie/Godmother to my unborn child already, that she would always be the cool aunt my son/daughter went to when they needed someone to talk to who wasn’t the ‘boring parent’.
The only other person who is aware of our pregnancy is Antonio. Firstly being Leighton’s best friend, and being Maria’s brother it seems only logical. Also I think it would be nice for Leighton to have someone to talk to about it like I have. Antonio was overwhelmed for us, he even cried a little, also now claiming to be uncle/God father to my child. I have no qualms with either of them being God parents; they would have been my first choice anyway, along with Thomas.
Antonio brings around cigars and expensive scotch to celebrate with my boyfriend about our expectance. The pair of them laugh, reminisce and celebrate our news. It is beautiful to see my love so at ease and happy, the smile painted on his stunning face still causes a flutter of butterflies inside my gut.
The morning of Saturday arrives, the day of my big birthday. Leighton has seen it as an excuse to celebrate both my twenty first and twenty second birthday, stating I didn’t celebrate my big twenty first the way it was meant to be done so he is making this party very over the top big.
I have woken up to breakfast in bed. A breakfast big enough for a king, to feed the foetus in my flowering stomach as well.
After a deep relaxing, warmish (due to the baby) bath, Leighton sitting at my feet, massaging them with the soft bubbles, I’ve dressed in some jeans and a blouse and then met Leighton in the kitchen.
“Feeling good baby?” a beautiful deep kiss fills my mouth, tongues clashing and moans escaping. Wetness pools below my waistline as it always does when his lips or skin touch me.