M!A: Baby boom ( 2 months)
Itâd started with the sickness. God, it was so awful, he had to call off a few flights, which pissed off Carolyn to no end. And the few flights he felt up to taking ended up with his head in GERTIâs loo with the all-tto-helpful steward rubbing his back and shushing him. Everyone remarked that Martin looked awful, and that he needed to see a doctor so he could get sorted out.
And so he did.
And he wasnât happy with the result.
Christ, how was he supposed to know he was a carrier? The rarest of men, less than a thousand known in the world.
Two months. He was two months pregnant. And he knew straight away who the babyâs father was.
Itâd been a few weeks since heâd seen Hercules Shipwright, when theyâd went to see another opera. To be truthful, Martin found them all too long, and couldnât understand a word, but the music and the atmosphere were pleasant, as was the man heâd been dating. Were they dating officially? He didnât know. It would feel strange to call a man twenty years his senior his âboyfriendâ.
After long and careful consideration, Martin decided Herc should know. Before Martin made a decision, anyway. Because it was a decision, and he wasnât sure which route he would take yet. He couldnât raise a baby by himself, and he certainly wasnât giving up his job, and he knew there wasnât exactly a maternity (paternity) leave policy in MJNâs contract.
After a shuddering breath, Martin finally worked up the courage to phone Herc, squeezing his eyes shut and pressing âcallâ before he lost his nerve again. He sucked in another breath, holding it, waiting anxiously as he counted the dial tones.
Martin shut the door behind himself, leaning against the wood and blowing out a long breath. He needed a quick escape, from all of that overwhelming emotion. It was still a lot to process - carrying two babies, while managing to keep it secret from the rest of the world including his employer and crewmates; Herc already subtly proposing marriage, moving into his partnerâs home, with only five months (probably less) to prepare for the arrival of twins.
The pilot sat down on the edge of the crisply made bed, stroking a hand over his middle as he stared at himself in the vanity mirror. He was showing. It was becoming all too obvious, his condition. He might have been able to bide more time if he were only expecting one baby, but the twins would soon be occupying all the space in his abdomen. Martin would have to come clean soon.
He blew out another breath as he felt something bubbling within him, enable to discern if it was nerves, indigestion, or⊠something else. Martin knew from the book heâd been reading that now would be about the time he should start feeling movement, but he wasnât sure.
He was short about neatly putting his clothes in the empty drawers, setting his books and other belongings in their new homes on tabletops and shelves, and he kept his toiletries in his bag, not yet wanting to invade Hercâs bathroom with his things. Soon, Martin returned to the kitchen, glancing down to see Herc doing the crossword. âTom Cruise. 16 Across; actor, Top Gun,â he said knowingly, seating himself at the table.
Herc was usually good with crossword puzzles but some of the newer pop culture references were outside of his ken. He was still puzzled by what a "dougie" was (and also wondering what Douglas would do if called this) when he heard Martin's voice.
Glancing to 16, he swiftly wrote it in. "Thank you, Martin." He said as he looked up with a warm smile. "The only actor I could recall from that film was Anthony Edwards and obviously he didn't fit in the spaces."
