Hello everyone! Another update to my story. This one doesn't include a whole lot. In this chapter we find out if there's anything wrong with the baby and we find out her name! Hurray! Oh, and in the first chapter I think I put it down that this story has 6 chapters. Sorry! This story only has 5. I was working on an extra where we get to see different characters reactions to meeting the baby, but I never finished. I'm not sure if I will, and if I do it will be a long time before I update. School is hectic, and I really just don't have time to write any more for this story until the end of this month.
And to my reviewers: Thank you all so much for the reviews. I really appreciate them.
Oh, and I went on to the discovery health website and looked up the show "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant" for some explanations on why a woman wouldn't have any weight gain during pregnancy and for as to why she wouldn't feel a baby move insider of her. This is what I've discovered:
Reason for not feeling fetal movement: "Believe it or not, sometimes babies just don't make a lot of commotion in utero. In addition, some women's babies rest naturally toward the back of the womb, so that motion and kicking aren't easily detected from outside the mother's body. Many women believe that fetal movements are just irregular or strong digestive activity!"
Reason for minimal or no weight gain: "Women who are very active and watch their weight religiously may crank up their fitness routine and/or begin dieting when they notice a weight gain. Because of this, they may not gain weight as their pregnancy progresses." -I this this is a good explanation for why Wolfram wouldn't gain any weight since he's such a healthy person by nature who also values his personal appearance. In my mind, the second he noticed a slight weight gain he would have started eating healthier, (maybe cutting down on those sweets he loves so much), and working out a little more. Plus, from personal experience, it's hard to notice when you put on one or two pounds when your naturally thin. As long as your clothes still fit, unless you weight yourself, there's not way to really know about something like that. Sorry I didn't include this fact in my story, it just never occurred to me.
Anyway, here's the new chapter!
I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant
Chapter 4: That Which is Desired
Gisela awoke from her sleep to a very loud pounding noise. Slowly opening her eyes and groaning, she sat up and pushed her hair out off her face. Gisela always slept in one of the hospital beds in the infirmary in case something should happen during the night that would require her attention. And whoever the person knocking on the door to the infirmary was, they better hope it was important, because otherwise they were going to get a face full of crazy sergeant lady.
"Gisela!" She heard a voice call through the door. It sounded familiar, but was too muffled for her to recognize. "Hold on one minute!" She yelled back, quickly getting out of bed to find her robe. She was in her nightgown and had to be decent in case it was a man who was at the door. Despite her words, the person at the door continued to knock on it relentlessly. This worried Gisela a little. Whatever they wanted, it had to be important.
Rushing over to the door, Gisela threw it open to see who it was only to meet the eyes of Sir Conrart Weller. "Your…your Excellency?" She asked, wondering what could be wrong. Conrart seemed fine. Suddenly, a little cooing noise came off from the side of Conrart. It was then that she first took note of Lord Wolfram von Belfield. He was wrapped up in an extremely poofy robe that was far to big for him, and he looked like hell. His eyes were swollen and red, his face was pale, and he looked over all exhausted.
Something was obviously wrong with him. "Come in, come in." Gisela stated, standing aside so both Conrart and Wolfram could step inside the infirmary. Conrart kept a protective arm wrapped around Wolfram the entire time, which both warmed Gisela's heart and made her worry more. Something very serious must be wrong from lord Wolfram to allow Conrart to touch him.
Conrart immediately lead Wolfram to one of the beds in the infirmary, guiding him to sit down. Gisela was about to speak up again and ask what was wrong when that cooing noise she heard earlier came from lord Wolfram's direction again. Staring at him intently, Gisela watched as Conrart opened Wolfram's robe to reveal a tiny bundle wrapped up safely in a soft white towel that lord Wolfram was holding protectively against his chest.
"What's that?" Gisela asked, approaching lord Wolfram. Just as she was about to place her hand on the towel to move it aside, it cooed. She immediately retracted her hand, shock evident on her face. From beside her, Conrart sighed deeply, then placed a hand on her shoulder. "Gisela," he began, "we do not blame you for what has happened, even though you did miss the signs. But what matters right now is that both Wolfram and the baby get the proper treatment that they need."
Gisela stared at Conrart like he had something strange on her face. "Wha…what are you saying?" She asked, completely thrown off by his statement. Conrart looked at her seriously, then removed his hand from her shoulder to place in on the towel. He moved it aside to reveal a tiny little black haired green eyed baby, who looked up at Wolfram intently. Wolfram looked back down at her, smiling softly.
Gisela couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Where….where did you get that baby?" She asked, pointing to the child. Conrart sighed again. "This is Wolfram's baby. He gave birth to her in the bath." He stated. Gisela looked back at him, then once again at the baby. "Gave….birth? But….how is that possible? Sir von Belfield wasn't even…."
That's when it suddenly hit her. The swollen ankles, stomach sickness in the morning, back pain, physical exhaustion. These symptoms, all of them, where normal symptoms that you would encounter in a pregnancy.
"Oh Shinou…." She stated, the truth still sinking in. Lord Wolfram had been pregnant? He had given birth to a baby, all alone at that? A baby that neither he nor she had known about? "Oh no…how…how couldn't I have noticed?" Gisela asked, shock and guilt written all over her face as she stared at both lord Wolfram and the baby. This was all her fault. She was lord Wolfram's doctor, she should have been able to tell that he was pregnant. Sure, his midsection didn't show the pregnancy, but still, she had given him at least two physical exams in which she should have been able to detect the baby.
She was a complete failure as a healer.
At least, that's how she felt at the moment. "I'm so…" She started, tears forming in her eyes, "so, so sorry." Gently, she reached out and placed a hand on the baby's head. The little girl brought her green eyes to Gisela, staring at her curiously. Gisela felt so horrible. If this little child, or lord Wolfram had come into harm because they didn't get the proper treatment that they had needed, it would have been all her fault.
"Gisela," Conrart stated in an almost angry voice, grabbing her attention immediately. She turned to look at him with a little fear evident in her eyes, removing her hand from the baby's head. "Yes, your Excellency?" She asked. Conrart gave her a very serious stare. "Now is not the time. Wolfram and the baby need you to exam them and make sure that both of them are ok. Can you do that for them?" He asked, looking back to his brother and his niece.
Gisela realized her fluke, and her eyes hardened a little in determination and she nodded her head. "Yes sir!" She stated, immediately bringing all of her attention back to lord Wolfram and the baby. "Your Excellency, please hand me the child, and Sir Weller, please go to the room next to this one, on the right, and wake up my two attendants. I will be needing their assistance."
Conrart nodded to her, quickly taking off. Wolfram looked at her with a worried look, then back at his child. He gently stroked her cheek, being reluctant to give her up. Gisela softened some, understanding how he might feel. "Please, your Excellency," she stated, "I need to make sure that she is ok." Wolfram looked back up at her, then back to his baby, then to her again. He nodded his head, gently handing his child off to the lady healer.
Gisela took the baby with care, smiling down softly at the little child. She then moved over to an examination table off to the side of the room, laying the baby on it and opening up the towel so she could look at her. "She's a girl," Gisela stated, conjuring up her healing powers so that she could run over the baby's body, "congratulations." Wolfram smiled and nodded in her direction. "Thank you," he replied.
Gisela first examined the baby's head, checking for any trauma. "You gave birth to her alone, yes?" She asked, careful lying stroking her hands over her. "Yes," Wolfram replied, "I gave birth to her alone in the bath, like Conrart said. By the time I realized I was giving birth I couldn't go for help, so I had to do it alone." Gisela's face was once again stricken with guilt. "I'm sorry," she stated, trying to keep her mind on the task in front of her.
She continued. "When you gave birth to her, did she fall and hit her head on anything?" She asked, moving her hands down to the baby's neck. Her head appeared fine, but she still had to be sure. "No, when I thought she was almost out I reached down and took hold of her. She never touched the ground until I laid her down to wrap her up later." Gisela nodded her head, that was a very good thing.
Her neck also seemed fine, so Gisela lowered her hands to her chest. "She was born underwater, did she breath any of it in?" She asked, slowly moving her hands in circles around the child's chest to see if there was any fluid in her lungs. Wolfram shook his head. "No, I don't think so, though she didn't cry right after she was born. I turned her over and patted her back until she did, and she did gurgle up some fluids but she started to cry really loudly so I figured that she was ok."
Gisela nodded her head again. That was another good sign. When she was certain that there was nothing wrong with her lungs, Gisela moved over to where the baby's heart should be. Quietly listening to it beating, Gisela noticed that it was a little weak. This worried her. Thinking of the reasons why this could be, Gisela then looked down to where her umbilical cord should have been. The cord was obviously snapped, and there was nothing tying it closed.
"How did her cord break?" Gisela asked, then turning to look at Wolfram. Wolfram's eyes suddenly widened. "I….I don't know. It wasn't attached when I picked her up out of the water." Gisela's eyes scrunched a little. This was not a good sign. "Did you see any blood?" She asked again. Wolfram shook his head. "Hmmm…." She hummed, looking back to the baby.
This was a very bad thing. If the cord had broken when she first came out she could have bleed through it. Lord Wolfram probably wouldn't have noticed because he would have been in too much shock after the birth. If this was the case, then her loss of blood could be the reason why her heart beat was a little slow. Gisela quickly moved her hands to what was left of the baby's umbilical cord, looking for an opening which she could have bleed through.
She found one. "Darn…" She stated, quickly using her healing powers to seal the opening in her flesh. She then moved over to a book case she had packed with different supplies and took out a short, thin piece of string. She returned back to the baby's side, then used the string to tie off what was left of her umbilical cord. Afterwords, she grabbed some scissors she had sitting on a table next to the examination table and cut more of the umbilical cord off so that is was only an inch or so long.
"Is…is something wrong with her?" Wolfram asked, fear and concern written on his face. Gisela's actions obviously showed that something was wrong, and he wanted to know what. Gisela looked back at him, wondering if she should tell him. When his eyes hardened in anger after a couple of seconds, she knew he wouldn't let it go.
"I believe that she may have lost some blood when the umbilical cord broke," She stated, turning her attention from Wolfram back to the baby, "but I do not believe she lost enough for it to be too serious." This wasn't a lie. Even though the baby's heart beat was a little bit weak, this didn't automatically mean that there was something seriously wrong with her.
Just as she was about to get back to her examination, and just as Wolfram was about to ask her another question, the door to the infirmary opened. Standing in it was Conrart and two young women also wrapped in robes that looked very much like Gisela's. "Lady Gisela, what is wrong?" One of them asked, Conrart abandoning them at the door to go over to Gisela and the baby. He stared at her with a worried face, obviously concerned whether or not his niece was alright.
Gisela took a few seconds to acknowledge him, then brought her attention back to her assistants. "Mary, Karen, please examine Sir von Belfield for me. He has recently given birth and I do not know if he is fully physically well or not. Once you are done, please assist me in caring for the child."
The two women stood there in complete shock, not knowing how to react. Sir von Belfield had just given birth to a baby? He had been pregnant? Was his majesty the father? This certainly complicated the love lottery. Before either of the women could asked any questions, Gisela's eyes hardened at them. "NOW!" She yelled, grabbing both of their attentions. Almost nothing was as scary as Gisela in crazy sergeant lady mode.
"Yes mam'!" Both the girls stated at the same time, rushing over to Sir von Belfield. In the meantime, Gisela's loud outburst had upset the baby, causing her to cry lightly. Gisela brought her attention back to her. "I'm sorry, little one," she whispered stroking the baby's left cheek. Conrart instinctively moved his hand to her other cheek. "It's ok, I'll take care of her," he said while moving his hand to take one of her little one's in it, "you continue with your examination." Gisela looked from the baby to him, nodded, then brought her attention back to the baby.
In the meantime, Wolfram was becoming very annoyed at Gisela for not telling him more about his baby's condition, and at her two assistants for trying to get him to lay down so they could examine him. He swatted them away, standing up and glaring at Gisela. "What is wrong with my baby?" He stated in a harsh voice, intending to march over to her but being held back by her two assistants. He ignored their requests for him to lay back down and take it easy.
Gisela kept her eyes on the baby, and continued to run her hands down from where the baby's heart was to her stomach. "I just reexamined her heart, your Excellency, and I cannot find anything that would show that she is in any serious danger. Yes, she lost some blood, but the damage is minor. There is nothing for you to worry about." Before Wolfram could ask any more questions, Conrart spoke up. "What are you talking about?" He said in a very concerned voice, looking at Gisela with fear and worry.
Gisela looked back up at him. "When Sir von Belfield gave birth to her, the umbilical cord broke and she lost some blood through it. Because of this, her heart beat is a little slow. However, I have thoroughly examined her and I cannot find evidence that it has caused serious or permanent damage. She will be fine, Sir Weller." Gisela replied, smiling at Conrart. He closed his eyes and sighed in relief. If something was wrong with Wolfram or his niece, Conrart would never be able to forgive himself. It was his fault for not paying enough attention to Wolfram for him to notice his condition, after all.
Gisela's words calmed Wolfram as well, and he finally submitted to the two attendants, sitting back down on the bed and then leaning back and laying on it. "I'm sorry, your Excellency, but we must remove your nightgown for us to give you a proper examination. Also, we must remove your….undergarments…..as well." Wolfram glared at them, angry at their words. "I'll be damned if you're going to strip me." He stated, determined not to submit to their request.
Conrart looked at him from across the room. "Wolfram, they have to see your entire body. Otherwise they wont know if any damage was done…..down there, from the birth." Both Conrart and Wolfram blushed at his words. Wolfram continued to be stubborn, though, swatting the women's hands away when the took hold of his nightgown. "They can remove my nightgown, but nothing else!" He stated, wrapping his arms around himself.
Conrart sighed, shaking his head. "Wolfram," he began, "don't you want to be fully healthy so you can take good care of your baby?" Wolfram looked over at him, then up at the ceiling, frowning. After a minute of debating, he shut his eyes and sighed, nodding his head in defeat. He was then stripped by the two annoying assistants, who blushed after all his clothes were off, and a blanket was placed over his lower half to preserve his decency. Wolfram wondered why they would take the trouble, since they were going to be looking down there anyway.
Immediately, one women went to Wolfram chest to check his breathing while another one went to his midsection to check to see if any organs were damaged during the birth. Each one ran their hands over Wolfram's body, checking for damage. The one at his chest moved her hands to his heart, finding nothing wrong with his breathing. The other one glided her hands to where his womb should be, careful not to push down too hard.
After a few minutes of examination, the woman at Wolfram's midsection frowned. She then turned her attention to Gisela. "Mam'," she stated, grabbing Gisela's attention. "Yes, Karen?" She asked, momentarily halting her examination of the baby. Karen looked at her worriedly. "I've examined Sir von Belfield's womb, and I believe that there is still some afterbirth left in it."
Gisela frowned, humming again. She then brought her attention back to the baby. "I'm almost done with her. Give me a few more minutes and I'll check him for myself. Until then, continue with the examination." Karen nodded at her, returning her attention to Lord Wolfram. She continued running her hands over Wolfram's midsection, checking over his kidneys and liver.
Mary finished her examination of his heart, then decided that she needed to move lower. She grabbed some gloves and put them on, knowing she would need them for what was to come next. Walking over to the end of the bed, she leaned over it so that she was at Wolfram's feet. He stared at her, and she blushed slightly. "I'm sorry, your Excellency, but I have to check you…down there. Could you please lift your legs and spread them for me?" She asked, doing her best to keep her eyes on him.
Wolfram looked at her in shock, then blushed and turned his head away, never nodding but raising his legs and spreading them obediently. Pushing the blanket up his legs so that it went past his knees, Mary crawled onto the bed so that she was in between them and conjured up her healing powers to examine him. Wolfram flinched when her hands first touched him, but relaxed soon enough. Her healing powers actually felt kind of nice, working to ease the soreness and slight burning that he had been feeling down there since the baby came out.
After a little over five minutes, Mary lifted her head and turned to Gisela. "He has some tearing, but I don't think it's serious. I can probably heal it myself." Gisela turned to look at her, nodded her head, then turned back to the baby. "Go on," she stated, continuing with her own examination. Mary nodded, returning to her work. Wolfram lifted his body slightly to look down at her. "Tearing? You mean, like my skin?" He asked, a little bit of fear in his eyes. He had felt a lot of pain during the birth, but he hadn't noticed his skin being torn.
Mary looked up at him for a moment. "Yes, your Excellency, but don't worry. Tearing is very natural during childbirth, especially for males and ones who are as young as you are. It's very easy to heal and it shouldn't hurt at all as I do it." Wolfram stared at her for a moment, then nodded his head and relaxed onto the bed again. Mary quickly returned to hear healing.
A minute later, Gisela smiled, satisfied that she was finally done with her examination. She then turned to look at Wolfram, blushing a little at the image of her assistant Mary leaning in between his legs. "Your Excellency," she exclaimed, immediately catching Wolfram's attention. "Yes, what is it Gisela?" He asked, a little bit worried. He calmed down when he saw how big her smile was.
"Your baby is completely healthy. I can find nothing wrong with her." She stated. Wolfram sighed and smiled deeply. "Thank Shinou…." He whispered, shutting his eyes and completely relaxing for the first time that night. Conrart also sighed and smiled, looking down at his beautiful little niece with complete relief, knowing that she would be alright. Gisela then left the examination table to return to her book case of supplies, opening a box and sitting it on the floor.
Reaching inside, she pulled out a diaper, a small pink nightgown, a tiny little matching pink hat, and two tiny little matching pink booties. She held then in one hand, then picked the box up in another and put it back on the shelf. Pulling down another box and also sitting it on the floor and opening it, she pulled out a soft pink blanket with little yellow flowers all over it. She returned that box to it's place on the shelf, then walked back over to the examination table.
She sat the clothes, booties, and blanket down on it, then looked up to Conrart and smiled. "I keep these around in case any of the pregnant servants go into labor at the castle. It's happened before, so I like to be prepared." Conrart smiled back at her, and nodded his head. "It's a good thing you do." Gisela nodded her head, then looked back at Wolfram.
"If you don't mind, Conrart, could you dress the baby? I want to go over to lord Wolfram and finish his examination." She asked, looking back at Conrart. He nodded his head immediately, going over to the little clothes and picking up the diaper. He then moved over to the baby, watching her as she watched him. He couldn't help but smile widely at her. She was such a beautiful cute baby. As he started to dress her, she wiggled around a little, gooing and cooing every time he touched her. It was evident that she was already fond of her uncle Conrart. He reached out and tickled her belly slightly, earning a tiny little "aaaaahhhhhh" noise in return. He chuckled slightly.
In the meantime, Gisela had already begun her examination of Wolfram's womb, Karen standing aside to give her room. Putting a little bit of pressure on it, Wolfram hissed and contracted into the bed slightly, earning a "sorry" from Gisela. After a couple of minutes, her brows furrowed and she frowned slightly.
"Your Excellency," she began, Wolfram looking at her with a worried look. He nodded his head. She sighed. "Mary was right. You haven't delivered all of your afterbirth yet. It's likely that it will still come out, later, but if it doesn't I might have to perform surgery…" "Surgery?" Conrart asked from across the room, momentarily bringing his attention from the baby to Gisela. She turned to him and nodded. "If the afterbirth doesn't come out it could result in an infection which could turn life threatening." Conrart's eyes widened in shock, and he turned his head to look at Wolfram with concern.
Gisela then looked back at Wolfram, and smiled softly. "Don't worry, your Excellency, the surgery is not that hard to perform. It's similar to a caesarian. You should be fine. We'll give you a few days to naturally deliver the afterbirth yourself, then we'll worry about that." Wolfram's eyes held worry in them, but he nodded his head and stared at her in determination. He would not act weak, to the best of his abilities, even in a situation like this.
Conrart decided to speak up again. "Is this…is this because we didn't notice his pregnancy?" He asked Gisela, guilt written all over his face. Gisela turned to him, then look at his sadly for a moment, before smiling softly to reassure him. "No, don't worry, this condition has nothing to do with that. Sometimes, it just happens. We really don't know why." Her words relieved Conrart a little, but he still felt a decent amount of guilt.
After Gisela was finished, Mary leaned up from between Wolfram's legs and pulled the blanket down so that it fully covered him. "My examination is done," she began, "I healed whatever tearing there was. Nothing else appears to be wrong." Karen also spoke up from next to Gisela. "I finished mine too. Besides the afterbirth issue, I also cannot find anything else wrong with his Excellency."
Both Conrart and Wolfram gave a relieved sigh in response to their words. Gisela nodded to both of them. "Very good. Since the examination is done and nothing can be found wrong with his Excellency or the baby, I will no longer be needing your services. Karen, Mary, you may return to your quarters and get some rest." Both Karen and Mary nodded to her in response, each quietly making their way to the door. Just as Karen reached out to touch it, she was halted by lord Wolfram's words.
"Oh, and you two, remember, speak a word of this to anyone and I will personally flambé you with my maryoku." He smiled at them. "And thank you for your help. I appreciate it." Karen and Mary turned to look at him, their eyes wide with terror. "Yes your Excellency!" They both declared, then quickly left the room. Conrart raised an eye at Wolfram, then smiled and chuckled slightly. Gisela smiled as well. "Well done, your Excellency." Wolfram nodded at her, an evil smirk on his face. "And I meant every word."
Gisela picked up Wolfram's nightgown and undergarments from off the bed adjacent to his, where Karen had left them, and handed them to Wolfram, blushing slightly. Wolfram took them, also blushing, and quickly slipped the nightgown over his head. Gisela turned around away from him so that he could put his undergarments back on without having to be embarrassed.
In the meantime, Conrart had finished dressing the baby and had gently picked her up in his arms. He smiled down at her, full of love for her, and took one of her little hands in between his thumb and finger and gently rubbed it. "Hello little one, and how are we feeling this morning?" She looked up at him with her big green eyes, moaning out "uuuuhhhhh" in response. He chuckled lightly, then tickled her little cheek.
"I'm dressed, you can turn around now," Wolfram stated, Gisela nodding her head and returning to him. She pulled the blanket that had covered his legs while Mary gave her examination up so that it covered him up to his chest. "There, everything is fine now, alright? So I want you and the baby to get some rest." She said to Wolfram, smiling kindly. She then turned around, looking back at Conrart and the baby. Conrart smiled at her and nodded, understanding. He walked back over to the bed, offering the child to Wolfram.
Wolfram looked at her curiously for a moment, then his face relaxed and he reached out to her. He took her in his arms carefully, pulling her to his chest and kissing her head. "I love you," he whispered to her, "your mine." Both Gisela and Conrart watched them, admiring the bond they already shared. The baby cooed in response to Wolfram's words, shutting her eyes and relaxing against his chest.
Gisela then spoke up again. "You and her get some sleep. When you wake up, we can think of names for her." Wolfram looked from his baby up to her, for the first time realizing that his baby needed a name. "Oh, that's right…." Wolfram stated, softly so that he wouldn't disturb his baby. He thought about it for a minute, then looked back up at Conrart and Gisela.
"Mother told me that before I was born she had wanted a little girl. She said she wanted to name her Ava, after her mother. She says the name means 'desired.'" Wolfram then looked back at his baby. "I like that name a lot, and it makes sense for her. Because I've always known that I wanted to have children, I've always desired her….even though she was a real shock to me."
Conrart chuckled at his words, then nodded his head and smiled at him. He reached out his hand and stroked Ava's hair gently so as not to wake her up. "Ava, that's a beautiful name. I remember mother saying that before you were born. Yes, it suits her very well." Gisela also nodded her head, smiling down at little Ava. "Yes, Ava is a very good name. It's beautiful, like her."
Wolfram looked up at both of them and smiled, pleased at their words. He then looked back at his daughter, his Ava. "Well Ava, welcome to the world." Her eyes opened slightly at his words, then shut delicately as she drifted off to sleep once again.
So, hope all of you liked it. In the next chapter Gwendal and Yuuri will be meeting Ava and we'll get to see both of their reactions to her. Also, we'll get to see whether or not Yuuri and Wolfram's relationship will progress because of Ava's birth.
See you, (not really, that would be creepy), next Friday!
