Breaking the News
The first sign was that she was late, which was very abnormal for Sybil.
The next was tenderness.
Then the morning sickness. And how terrible that was. And inconvenient.
'That's it,' she thought to herself after a particularly bad episode, 'I'm asking his mother.'
Thankfully, Tom was at the office all day, writing an article for the newspaper, so there wouldn't be questions as to where she was going. Luckily, it was only a ten minute walk to her mother and father-in-law's, which she was glad of. Although she didn't feel ill all the time, she had started to become drowsy during the day.
An hour later, after a long talk with Katherine, Tom's mother, she was back at her and Tom's house, having come to the conclusion that she was pregnant.
Then she thought of something.
She would have to tell Tom…
Sybil was struggling to think of when – and how – to tell her husband the news later that evening.
And not getting very far.
She tried to tell him at dinner, but lost her nerve, telling him it was 'nothing'.
Then she tried again later on in the evening, still with no luck, her husband growing ever more confused.
When it reached half past ten in the evening when they were getting ready for bed, Sybil thought to herself, 'Enough's enough. Muster up some courage and just tell him!'
"Tom?" She said quietly, just loud enough for him to hear her from where he was sat at the foot of their bed, unlacing his shoes.
"Hmm?" He acknowledged her, putting a brown shoe on the floor.
Sybil sighed, subconsciously wrapping her arms around her waist, as if trying to comfort herself, "There's something I have to tell you."
He paused in putting down his other shoe, sitting up straight, his expression slightly worried. "It's nothing bad, is it?" He asked, his brow furrowing slightly.
"No! No, of course not." She smiled slightly, looking down at her feet as she took a step closer to him. "Tom, I-" She hesitated, looking up to see him gazing at her intently, his facial expression seeming to say, 'Go on.'
She took a deep breath, before saying as slowly as she could muster, "I'm pregnant."
She heard his breath hitch and saw his eyes widen. Silence filled the room for longer than she had thought it would, before he said, "Are you-" He stopped to clear his throat, where his voice had wobbled slightly, "Are you sure?" She saw his gaze flick from her face, to her tummy, then back again.
She nodded mutely, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
The silence was back, the only sound his heavy breath out. She watched as a smile worked its way onto his face as he stood, walking across the room towards her. He gently rested a hand on her tummy, so gently it seemed like he thought he would hurt her.
He sank slowly to his knees, pressing his cheek against her tummy, encircling her waist with his arms. Sybil smiled, stroking his hair gently as she asked, "Are you happy?" She felt him nod, and hold her tighter, before standing up and holding her close.
"Yes." He murmured, kissing her forehead gently before resting his cheek on the top of her head.
"Let's hope it's a boy."