Tuesday, February 18, 1985
The first thing Lux heard once he awoke was the hasty footsteps of his wife, Ahsoka, sprinting for the bathroom. It was followed by the loud slamming of the door. "Again ? It's been over a week that she's struggling to keep her food. That constant vomiting can't be good. I better get up and see if I can help."
He quickly walked over to the bathroom door and knocked. "'Soka ? You all right in there ?"
"Better now, Lux. I'll be out... in a few minutes." Several minutes passed, he quickly noticed the same tired look on her as she came out. "What is going on ? You've been having this sickness for over a week."
She turned to him, forcing herself to smile. "I wish I knew, Lux. Probably something I ate that doesn't agree with me. The question is what."
He looked at the clock. 5:50 am. "Well, you have time to get yourself ready for work. You sure you want to go in your current state ?"
"It's just a passing bit of nausea, Lux. Nothing more. I have no reason to miss a day of work. I'll be fine." She changed into her work clothes and quickly grabbed herself a piece of meat from the fridge to sustain her. Quickly donning her winter coat, she stepped out the door.
Lux scratched his chin, deep in thought. "That constant nausea can't be a coincidence. Could she be... ? No point in jumping to conclusions yet. As time goes, it should be more apparent if it's what I'm suspecting." He shook his head. "Likely not. Perhaps I'm being silly as usual..." He prepared himself a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of coffee, waiting for his time to head out to work as well.
Ahsoka was in the middle of working on a motor when nausea suddenly hit her again. "Will, can you see what you can do with this motor ? I'm not feeling very well all of a sudden, please excuse me." She quickly ran to the small employee bathroom. Will just checked how far she was in her repairs and began from where she left off. Burt came to him. "Where's Ahsoka ? Shouldn't she be doing these ?" "She ain't feelin' too good, boss ! Don't know why..."
"Oh for God's sake ! It's been 3 times this morning alone ! I'm gonna have to do this, Will. I don't like it, but this needs to be dealt with." They waited until she came out. Burt whistled to her and motioned her to come to him. "Yes ?"
"You don't seem to be in your best shape, miss. Care to explain ?" She knew she was in trouble. "I'm sorry, Burt. I wish I knew why I'm getting this sudden sickness, I really do." He looked down at her, crossing his arms in front of him. "Well then, you're going to find out. I'm giving you the afternoon off. Go to the Manhattan General Hospital. Get yourself checked. That's an order."
"Yes, sir ! Heading out now !" She walked as fast as she could out of the garage, heading towards the distant hospital.
Burt went back to his office, taking a sip of coffee and going over several documents. "She's going through the same symptoms that my wife Linda is currently going through. Wouldn't be at all surprised that she's also pregnant. So I'll need an additional replacement sooner or later."
Ahsoka soon entered the large hospital. There were plenty of people, sitting and waiting. She took a quick glance at the people around her. Some had broken limbs, others had merely a bad cough or flu. She took a chair and waited her turn. "Good thing I learned patience long ago. I would be going crazy waiting like this. Now that I think about it, I was such an immature brat when I first began my apprenticeship with Anakin. Thank the Force I grew up with time."
After about an hour of waiting in line, her turn finally came up. A female doctor motioned her to follow her in a private room. She was asked to sit on a chair.
"Good afternoon, Miss. I am Dr. Rebecca Roscoe. How may I be of assistance ?" She offered her hand to Ahsoka, which she quickly shook.
"Nice to meet you, Dr. Roscoe. The name's Ahsoka Bonteri. Basically, I've been having odd issues with myself..."
Rebecca held a notepad, ready to write details. "What kind of issues, Miss ?"
"Nausea getting me mostly in the morning... but sometimes later on in the day."
Rebecca nodded. "Could be indigestion. When was the last time you ate ?"
"Earlier this morning, actually." She soon felt her stomach grumbling.
"Anything else ?"
"I've been especially moody, I tend to eat more than I used to, I feel tired all the time... I think that's it as far as issues." She stroked her lekku nervously.
"Those symptoms... I'm very familiar with them. Are you married by any chance ?" Rebecca scribbled some more details.
"Well, yes. I've been for almost a year now."
"I would assume that you and your husband..." Rebecca began before being cut off.
"Of course, we do ! I mean... don't all married couples partake in sex at some time or other ? But I fail to see what this has to do with my sickness."
Rebecca scribbled some more notes. "That could be it, Miss. Tell me, when was the last time you two engaged in sexual intercourse ?"
Ahsoka thought for a second. "Hmm... in the early hours of January 1st, I think. Yeah, that was it. No protection was used during that time. So you think that..."
Rebecca nodded. "It all adds up. After 6 weeks following fertilization, that's usually when most women begin to feel sick, especially in the morning. We could have you pass an echography. It's painless and we can see the developing fetus quickly. Would you be willing, Miss ?"
Ahsoka shook her head. "I'll pass on the offer, if you don't mind. But now that you're telling me this, that's probably it. Thank you, doctor. This visit has been... illuminating for me."
As she walked out the hospital, her mind was racing. "Well... I did ask Lux to wait at the New Year before attempting to conceive... So, judging by that doctor's info, I might as well accept the fact that I am pregnant. How am I going to tell Lux ? How will he react to the news ? *Looks at her watch* 2:45 pm. Might as well drop by the garage and give Burt the news."
She arrived at the garage and knocked on Burt's door. "Come right in !"
He broke away from his concentration and saw her in the entrance. "Oh, it's you. Well... what's the verdict ?" He motioned to her to sit.
"Going by what the doctor told me concerning my symptoms, I'm most likely pregnant. I'm sorry, I never meant to cause problems for you two."
Burt raised an eyebrow. "Problems ? No, it's no problem at all. You just need to learn to deal with the sickness. After you've woken up and thrown up for the first time in the day, do you know how to prevent it from occurring further ?"
She shook her head. "All right, listen up. You only need to make a quick stop to the drug store and ask for Folic Acid, better known as Vitamin B9. That, along with some slightly salted crackers will help curb your weak stomach. My wife, Linda, is currently pregnant and she is going through the same issues. After a while, it lessens. Take it easy, ok ?"
"I never thought there was such a simple solution to that. Thanks a lot, Burt. I'll see you tomorrow morning. Hopefully, I'll be able to perform a lot better." She quietly exited the office and made a stop at the local drug store, picking up some Folic Acid on the way and even stopping at the supermarket for some crackers.
As she arrived at her apartment, she felt slightly exhausted and took a nap on the couch. She slept until Lux arrived, carrying a few bags.
"Since when do you take a late afternoon nap, 'Soka ? Are you all right ?" He looked at her, slightly worried.
"Actually, Lux, I'm much better now that I understand what's going on with me." She pats the area next to her on the couch. "Come here. Have I got a surprise for you."
He sits next to her. "What is it ?"
She takes a deep breath. "Lux, I'm pregnant."
He blinks a few times and does a double-take. "W-what did you say ?"
"I'm pregnant." She repeats.
"P-pregnant ?! ... Th-that's won-wonderful !" He gave a gentle hug.
She raises an eye marking. "You look surprised. I mean, come on. Don't you remember our night on January 1st ? We made the decision to not use protection for that time... consciously. Neither of us were even drunk. We had hardly a glass of champagne each... You shouldn't be surprised that it actually happened."
"I simply wasn't expecting our very first real attempt to succeed. I've heard that it usually takes several tries before conception occurs. Well then, this means we'll need to start gathering some baby items. We'll need to shop for a crib, we'll need a high chair to feed him/her for the first couple of years. Obviously we'll need diapers... I don't know about you, 'Soka, but I'm not exactly looking forward to that."
She turned to him, looking slightly amused at his apparent aversion to diaper changes. "Your mother likely changed yours more than enough when you were an infant, Lux. I don't even know the steps of how to do the changes. Relax, we've got roughly 7 months and a half to prepare ourselves. We'll just go with the flow. We'll learn by doing, as we have always done. I don't know about you, but I think a bit of music will make me feel even better. Do you mind ?"
"Go right ahead, but try not to choose anything too hectic."
She browsed their CD library. "I'm in the mood for Dio right now. The song "Don't Talk to Strangers" always perks me up, despite how nonsensical the lyrics are.
And since I'm pregnant, I know that I can't partake in any alcohol whatsoever... and I should cut back on Coke as well. Can you bring me a glass of water, please ?"
Lux brought her some water as the song started. For once, he eagerly listened with her.
Don't talk to strangers
Cause they're only there to do you harm
Don't write in starlight
'Cause the words may come out real
Don't hide in doorways
You may find the key that opens up your soul
Don't go to Heaven cause it's really only Hell
Don't smell the flowers
They're an evil drug to make you lose your mind
Don't dream of women
'Cause they'll only bring you down
Hey you, you know me, you've touched me, I'm real
I'm forever the one that lets you look and see and
Feel me I'm danger, I'm the stranger
And I, I'm darkness, I'm anger, I'm pain
I am master, the evil song you sing inside your brain
Drive you insane
Don't talk, don't let 'em inside your mind
Run away, run away, gο
No, no, no don't let them in your mind
Protect your soul
"I'll probably surprise you by saying this, but this particular song ain't so bad. Even the guitar solo doesn't make me want to tear my ears out."
"It ain't all that bad, Lux. After a while, you kind of crave the loudness."
"Well now, don't push it, dear. I don't mind it every now and then, but constantly have my ears assaulted to such "aggressive" music... No, I don't see myself enjoying this on the same level as you do anytime soon. Anyways, I brought something "special" for dinner."
Her montrals instantly perked up. "Oh ? You've got my attention."
He removed the items out of the bags. She was hoping for something as exquisite as the fondue they had on Christmas Eve. She was shocked to see hot dog buns and a bunch of hot dogs, ready to be cooked.
"Hot Dogs ? You call that special ? Lux, you're unbelievable." She couldn't help but laugh at his silliness.
"Hey, it was our first meal on this new planet. I know you like yours with ketchup and mustard. How many will you take ?"
"I'm good for at least 3. But why did you buy so many ? Don't tell me we'll be eating hot dogs for a week."
He shook his head. "Not hot dogs per se, 'Soka. We can use the extra hot dog buns to make ourselves some lobster rolls. You could incorporate the extra hot dogs with pasta recipes, like in spaghetti or lasagna."
She couldn't help but smirk at him. "Now those are delicious ideas, Lux. Should I assume that you've bought some lobster meat for the occasion ?"
"As a matter of fact, I have. We'll be having lobster rolls tomorrow night. And maybe you could whip up a lasagna over the weekend."
"Sounds like a plan !" She reached under the oven where the various frying pans were stored and picked one randomly."Ok, get the butter for me, please ? We're gonna smear the buns in butter before we place them onto the pan. It'll be even better that way."
He reached in the fridge and took out a slab of salted butter and took out the ketchup, mustard and relish containers while he was there.
After a couple of minutes of cooking, their hot dogs were ready. If anything, Ahsoka loved warm meat. She quickly took a bite, savoring the meat and the accompanied condiments. Lux remembered his first Hot Dog experience and did not buy any Jalapeno peppers. For him, the extra relish was more than enough.
After she was done eating, she gently patted her stomach. "Fear not, my unborn child, you'll have your fill of good food by the time you're born. You'll soon appreciate delicate cuisine like me and your father."
"This will change our lives for the better, 'Soka. The challenge of parenthood, I won't back down from it. I promise." Lux said while placing a hand on his wife's stomach.
And we're off ! So, after the many events which occurred in A Fresh Start of Things, it was only a matter of time until the inevitable happened. What's even better for Ahsoka is that both her husband and her boss are ready to support her through this challenging time in her life. Over the next chapter, we'll cover the rest of her pregnancy. Like always, feel free to review.