James - Sixteen Weeks

"Everything is looking completely normal," says the nurse, displaying a clipboard's worth of ticked boxes and scribblings. "The baby..."

Charlotte interrupts her. "Peanut..."

The nurse's mouth quirks to a smile. "Peanut is doing just fine. Just a trifle over the average size for the date but well within the norms. All the blood tests have the results you would hope for."

"Now…" She slides the probe over Charlotte's expanding midriff, cutting a trail through glistening gel. ""That's all looking good too." She traces a line over the screen. "You see? That's the head and you can see the heart is beating strongly."

Charlotte cranes to look. "Can you see what sex the baby is?"

"It's a bit early and the angle's off a touch with the way she's lying, but I'm pretty sure it's a girl."

Charlotte beams at me.

I stroke her fingers. "A boy would have been fine. A healthy baby is all that counts."

"I know Mast… James. But I was so hoping it would be a girl."

A printer clicks and whirrs.

"There you go." The tech passes me the print. "'Baby's first photo' means something different these days."

And there, in grainy black and white, is my little girl.

Your gift to me…

Jade…

Tight-throated, I tuck the photo into my wallet. "Thank you."

*****

James – Eighteen Weeks

I find Michael in the viewing gallery over the gym. "Hi. I was…"

Michael is leaning back against the wall, shaking. As he sees me, he presses a finger to his lips and thumbs towards the observation window, his eyes brimming with laughter.

As quietly as I can, I join him, keeping my voice low. "What's so funny?"

He just nods down into the gym. "Look."

I follow the finger and the gaze…

Wtf?

Charlotte's in there, on a treadmill, but whereas most runners just… well…. run… She's….

Dancing?

"What the hell does she think she's doing?" I hiss.

Is that the Charleston?

"…You wouldn't think it was possible, would you? How the hell is she doing that?"

Michael is all but helpless with laughter. "Blowed if I know but trust our Charlotte. Every part a moving part, I always say, even with a bulge growing round the middle." He has that look in his eye.

"Can we pass over that for a minute. You don't think we should stop her?"

"Oh God, no. If she thought we were here, watching her, I might never get to see this again."

"She shouldn't be bouncing around like that. And what if she slips or loses her balance? She is pregnant. And she's already taken one fall."

He sobers up on the spot. "You're right. We'd better get in there."

*****

As we enter the gym together, Charlotte becomes a blur of movement and abruptly, is simply walking briskly on the belt. She smiles brightly. "Hi, guys."

"Hi." Michael strolls across, all casual nonchalance. "Mind if I join you?" He steps onto the next machine, walks for a few seconds, then moves up to an easy trot.

"Course not."

I talk to her reflection in the wall mirrors. "You're not over-doing it are you?"

"No. I just don't want to seize up. Or get too fat. You know, pregnant and all that."

I measure her stomach by eye. "You're right on target. And you haven't put on any excess weight. Just what's appropriate to your condition. I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"Ah-ha." She turns up her speed a notch, striding out more briskly. "Just taking precautions."

*****