The Broken Fairytale
Chapter 7 - Sisters, Scans and Little Kicks
Time seemed to have flown past and today was Ruth's twenty week scan.
Christmas had been and gone. The decorations had been put up and taken down. The family had been reunited as Ellie and Leila came home for the holidays. Both were overjoyed with the news of the impending arrival of their nephew or niece. Ellie especially.
Ruth sighed as she remembered the evening they had settled down in the living room to tell the girls who had just arrived back respectively from their university and new home.
"We have some news." Ruth told her nervously. As River bounced up and down excitedly desperately trying to keep herself from blurting out the good news before Ruth had chance.
"We're having a baby." Jay blurted out a huge grin crossing his face.
"Congratulations!" Leila smiled "That's really great news."
"I get to be a big sister not a little sister anymore!" River exclaimed excitedly
Ellie was quiet but Ruth could tell she was happy by the look on her face.
Jay stepped away from Ruth and announced he was going to get some tea ready for everyone, Ruth made a move to go help.
"You rest, I'll help with tea." Leila offered standing up and gesturing that Ruth should sit down.
"I'm helping too!" River said grabbing her big sisters arm excitedly and bouncing up and down excitedly.
They left the room so it was just Ellie and Ruth.
Silence fell.
"Scared?" Ellie asked simply
"Petrified." Ruth smiled lopsidedly "But more excited that I have been about anything in my entire life."
"I got a boyfriend." Ellie blurted out
"Really?" Ruth looked over at Ellie who was blushing.
"Yeah, he's really sweet." Ellie beamed "He's also very supportive and understanding…"
"Good." Ruth smiled simply "But if he ever treats you wrong…"
"Jay will strangle him with your stethoscope." Ellie laughed slightly "I already warned him I know how protective Jay is."
"I am proud of you." Ruth suddenly looked into Ellie's eyes "You're a very brave girl. I would be happy if my baby grew up to be anything like you."
"I'd be proud to grow up to be like you." Ellie responded
Ruth had been so touched by those few words it was untrue.
She never thought anyone would ever look up to her in the way Ellie did. She never thought anyone would like her full stop. Her dad had always told her she wasn't worth the air she breathed so she had never though she was worth anyone's time yet here she was. She had everything she ever wished for and a whole lot more.
Saying goodbye to Ellie at the end of the holiday was harder than it had ever been before as Ruth was beginning to feel extremely close to the eighteen year old.
But after Ellie left Ruth had other things to distract her from the missing part of the family. She couldn't help but be fascinated by her expanding belly. River also seemed enamoured with it and Ruth had stopped flinching when the little hands would appear just under the hem of her t-shirt at random times of the day when she least expected it.
Infact she was just happy River was getting so involved. A lot of kids might have been jealous or angry that their 'Mum' was going to introduce another child to the family.
But River took everything in her stride as always. She had even had a tantrum when Ruth said she was going to be dropped off at Adam's whilst they went for the twenty week scan. Which was how Ruth found herself lying on a bed with Jay sat next to her a little nine year old bouncing about the room asking the poor nurse more questions than she knew the answers to.
Nerves flicked through Ruth's body as she waited for the nurse to sort out the machine. She could feel the little baby wriggling under her shaking hands which were rested across her belly, apparently he or she was nervous too.
Ruth remembered the moment the kicks has began distinctively. She was four months and two weeks pregnant.
Ruth was talking River to school. They were walking hand in hand down the high street. Her bump was now clearly visible under her cardigan and Ruth was attracting a lot of looks from different people.
River was chattering away about how excited she was about going back and apparently about some game Bethany had gotten for Christmas. Ruth had nodded along at the right points but she was really focusing on her surroundings, taking in the leafless trees and kids in scarves. Winter had always been her favourite season even if she had spent most of her childhood winters freezing in the shabby flat with no heating as all her parents money had gone on booze yet again.
Why she liked the season was beyond her. Maybe it was because it matched her personality or maybe it was the idea of bundling up in more layers than physically possible and snuggling down under the duvets, one of her childhood safe places.
Whatever it was her she was firmly lost in her thoughts when the strangest sensation rippled though her body. She recoiled and yelled out worriedly wondering what was happening.
Little River was immediately at her side, tugging on her sleeve.
"Mum! Mum are you ok?"
"It feels strange." Ruth gasped slightly as the strange feeling took over again
"Shall I call Jay?"
"No give me a minute sweetie." Ruth said rested her hand on her bare stomach suddenly she felt it again and she realised… This was perfectly normal.
"It's the Baby!" She told River excitedly "Its kicking!"
"Really?" River said excitedly "Can I touch?"
"Yes!" Ruth said excitedly
River slid her hand up next to Ruth's and giggled as the rippling went through Ruth's stomach once more.
"Wow!" River beamed
"I know!" Ruth felt like a small child
They stood there for a good ten minutes waiting for it to happen again acquiring some strange looks, Ruth didn't care, this was the single most amazing thing she had ever felt.
She smiled at the memory as she felt that now familiar ripple of a kick.
The nurse looked over.
"Little bit of a wriggler is it?" She asked with a smile and Ruth nodded
"Lets have a look then."
She squeezed the bottle of jelly onto Ruth's stomach and then gently put the scanner in it slowly spreading it around and revealing an image that Ruth found simply amazing. Ten little fingers, ten little toes, a head, a body, two arm and two legs. They all sat there even River was transfixed by the image. Ruth had never seen the nine year old so quiet and so still. The nurse patiently let them look for a few minutes as she printed three copies of the image on the screen and handed them one each. River immediately put hers in her pocket proudly.
"Everything looks healthy Mr and Mrs Faldren." She smiled "The baby is a good size and growing correctly, I Imagine it should be quite easy going, I don't foresee any problems."
Ruth was relieved to here those words, she knew the birth wouldn't be easy but to know that the pregnancy was going smoothly and there didn't seem to be any impending problems was a relief alone.
"Thanks." Ruth sighed as River bounced over and dipped her finger in the jelly.
"Can I have a go?"
"Ok but be very careful." The nurse smiled slightly at River's enthusiasm and immediately set about showing her how to hold the scanner and how to move it over Ruth's belly.
"I'm going to be a midwife!" River announced as the Nurse took the scanner back and started packing he equipment away.
Ruth shook her head smiling as she clutched the picture of her child closely to her chest excitement bubbling through her, everything felt a lot more real and a lot more amazing.
