❝ Is just strawberry okay? They didn’t have strawberries and cream. ❞
“I’m not sick, I’m pregnant.”
The words hung in the air as they both took them in, before Glenda quickly climbed out of bed and walked over to their en suite bathroom.
“Glenda, what are you --”
“I think I still have a test here,” she explained, interrupting his question as Thorfinn followed her into the room.
“When did you last buy a pregnancy test?” He asked, managing to hide the skepticism from his voice as she squatted down and began to rummage through one of the drawers. As horrible as she’d felt all day, the adrenaline seemed to kick in, and she didn’t even think about her nausea as she continued to search.
“I don’t know,” she admitted, before grabbing the sink to steady herself, no doubt dizzy from the lack of food and day spent in bed. Thorfinn’s hands immediately moved to her waist to make sure she didn’t fall, eventually instructing her to sit down.
“Okay, you sit down, I’ll look.”
And a minute later she was sitting on the closed toilet while her husband searched through their (slightly packed) drawers. There were a few amused comments made about the mess and the definite need to clean everything out before a test was eventually produced.
“See I told y--” She began before he cut her off with a shake of his head.
“It’s expired, love. Two years ago,” he added, squinting down at the slightly faded writing.
“I could still try it,” she suggested, but she didn’t sound particularly sure.
“I don’t think it’s going to work,” he laughed, handing her the box. “You really think you’re pregnant?”
“This is how bad I felt with Is,” she noted, popping open the box just for the hell of it, far too curious for her own good. “I don’t know, I could be -- I think so,” she added, looking over at him as she unpackaged the test. And without second-guessing herself, she took it, the stick eventually propped up on the sink as they waited, the digital countdown practically taunting them as it blinked.
“We weren’t planning on any more babies,” Glenda eventually said, their chat up until that point mostly just Thorfinn checking to see if she was feeling alright.
“We don’t know that there is another baby.”
“I know, but --” And before she could finish her thought, the little screen flashed and she reached for it, a frown appearing on her face almost instantly. Brow knitted, she handed it to him. “Negative.”
It was an odd and almost unexpected reaction. Because even though she’d only thought she was pregnant for all of five minutes, it was… weirdly disappointing that she might not be.
“It’s expired,” Thorfinn reminded her, tossing the test into the bin before he stood back up. “Okay.” Leaning down, he pressed a few soft kisses to her lips, speaking between each of them, “I’m going to get a new one, you go lay back down.”
“Now? It’s late,” she half complained against his mouth, even if she couldn’t help but laugh when they pulled back and she caught his very amused expression.
“I’d rather be sure tonight than wait,” he pointed out, lightly caressing her cheeks as if doing so would smooth out her frown. “Plus, you won’t sleep if you’re thinking about it.”
And with a few more placating kisses, he was off to get a few things, only delayed by the time it took to get dressed and to bring Glenda some water. When he returned he was greeted by a laugh as he closed their bedroom door behind him, the two large bags in his hand carrying much more than a single pregnancy test.
“What’s all that?” She asked with a laugh, sitting cross-legged on the bed, a mostly empty glass in her hand.
“Drink,” he handed her a bottle of Ribena as he rummaged through the bag, pulling out things as he went. There were a few more drinks, if only so they could get her to pee again, her favorite crips, a chocolate bar, three separate pregnancy tests (because clearly they needed to have more than one very old one lying around the house), more chocolate, and finally a pint of strawberry ice cream. The ice cream, of course, made her laugh even harder. “Is just strawberry okay? They didn’t have anything strawberries and cream.”
The last time she’d been pregnant, strawberries and cream had almost been a topic of contention in their home, as it was the one craving that would not go and often led to Thorfinn looking around various shops for the flavor combination. Simply put, she’d eaten a lot of cake while pregnant with their youngest daughter, which had eventually become a running joke in their family.
“You’re so cute,” Glenda smiled at him, opening the drink and taking a few gulps, wanting to get as much down as possible. He rolled his eyes more so out of habit than anything else, but easily matched her smile.
“You’re only getting away with that because you might be pregnant,” he warned, even if she’d managed to get away with it nearly every day for the last decade or so.
Continuing to sip her drink, she watched as Thorfinn set the snacks down on her nightstand, and tugged on his hand to pull him back into bed a moment later. It was how they spent the next hour -- half cuddled up while she continued to drink, chatting about what another baby would mean.
“The girls would be excited.”
“Elsie wouldn’t bat an eye,” Glenda laughed.
“Is was obsessed with taking care of Aurelia.”
“She’s the one I’d be worried about.”
“It’d be the biggest change for her,” Thorfinn agreed quietly, his hand resting on her unchanged belly, lightly rubbing it. If there was a baby, it was definitely far too early to tell by just looking at her. “If you aren’t pregnant then I’m going to feel ridiculous for feeling you up like this,” he added with a laugh.
“It’s my food baby, it’s cute,” she grinned, patting her stomach. “And if I am pregnant?”
“Then we’re having another baby.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“There’s no way it could be a bad thing, my love.” Pressing a kiss to her temple, they cuddled for a bit longer, his hand still on her belly. Eventually, as the hour grew later and it was clear they were both getting tired, his voice lowered to a mock whisper. “Tell me you’re going to need to pee soon.”
Lips pursed as she looked up at him, Glenda looked thoughtful before giving a decisive nod. “I think I can do it.”
Which is how they ended up back in the bathroom, a new test propped up in that same spot, both of them staring at that ridiculously long timer. Half worried she would get dizzy again, Thorfinn pulled her onto his lap as they waited, arms snaked around her waist while one of hers rested around his shoulders.
And they waited, bathroom silent.
And they waited.
And they waited.
Until it finally changed, the blinking countdown turning into a definite result. Unable to keep looking, it was only when Thorfinn laughed that Glenda turned her head to sneak a peek at it, the surprise clear on both of their faces. Surprise, and happiness, and outright laughter because this had been the absolute last thing either of them had expected to happen when they’d gotten up that morning. Truthfully, it had been the last thing they ever thought would happen again, quite sure they had been done having babies four years ago.
“Holy shit.”
“We’re having another baby.” And the way he grinned up at her, Glenda’s smile softened as well.
“We’re having another baby.”
@worldofmuses
