Emily's hand flew to cover the huge smile that spread across her face as she tried to contain her happiness as she looked down at the two bars proclaiming she was pregnant. She turned the face the father, Nolan, as he walked up to her and took her in his arms and let her head rest on his shoulder.
"Pregnant?", he asked almost quietly, as though he was worried that Emily's happiness might be for a reason he didn't even want to consider.
"Pregnant," she replied, her heart rate growing quicker at the thought of the little baby or babies that were growing inside her.
Emily stepped away from the love of her life for a moment and just gazed up at him, she hadn't expected to fall in love with her best friend but truthfully she'd never been happier than with him. Them being together wasn't complicated, it was easy and warm and true. She could feel a tear roll down her cheek.
Nolan's thumb brushed it away almost instantly and very delicately.
"I love you so much Nolan," she said, her voice cracking, she didn't know why it was so urgent that she must say it but he had to know how much he meant to her.
He once again cradled her in his arms and just whispered, "I love you too Ems.". She was warm and soft against him and if he could he would never let her go, If he could live in this moment forever, his beyond beautiful wife and their unborn child in his arms, he would.
Pregnancy somehow didn't suit Emily well and Nolan should have expected it, she was always grumpy and just got grumpier when Nolan told her how adorable she was grumpy. She ate everything in the house and Nolan often found himself having to go out for groceries (especially ice-cream) every three days or so. Though there were some advantages. Pregnant Emily loved to cuddle and the pair often spent the afternoon laying in a hammock and looking at the ocean.
"Baby names?" Nolan suggested one evening as his wife lay next to him, his hand resting on her teeny tiny belly.
"I was thinking," Emily began, bring her hand up to rest on Nolan's, " David for a boy and Amanda for a girl?"
"Perfect names Ems, at least we won't fight on names."
They ended up fighting for names. While they had the first name worked out perfectly, the middle name brought some problems and grumpy Ems just became grumpier and Nolan teased her about it and they fell into a routine. Nolan suggested a name, Ems said no, Nolan tried the same name again, Ems got grumpy and then Nolan teased her.
The weeks all started to blur together with doctor's visits and plans for the nursery which Nolan kept saying he was going to build himself but Jack came over a few too many times, though he sometimes gave them parenting advice he mostly stayed in the nursery.
The one moment that really stuck out to Nolan was the first time the baby kicked. Emily had screamed at him that if he didn't come to her now that she would divorce him. Nolan's hands fit perfectly over her belly and felt the kicks before catching Emily's lips in a chaste kiss.
Emily also wanted to have sex. A lot of sex. Usually Nolan didn't mind but he was absolutely petrified that he was somehow going to hurt the baby or his Ems.
Everything was fine, until that night. Nolan couldn't stop shifting in his bed, it was sticky with sweat, and he was surprised that Emily hadn't complained. Eventually he got up and decided to get a glass of water, though when he went to switch on the hall light he accidently switched off the bedroom light. Blood stained the white comforter and Nolan screamed but Emily didn't wake up.
He waited for five hours at the hospital until he was allowed to see her. Her eyes slowly blinked open and she smiled as she saw him though it quickly disappeared when she saw where was.
"Our baby?"
Nolan couldn't answer. He just shook his head and began to cry. He climbed in next to Emily on her bed and held her as they sobbed together.
"Girl or Boy?" Emily asked, her words broken up by deep heaving sobs.
"Amanda Charlotte Ross," Nolan answered, choosing the middle name which Emily preferred most.
Emily sobbed harder into his chest and Nolan held on tighter, afraid to loose his Ems too.