DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GA.
CHAPTER 11: Thank God for Howalons
"Oh! This one is cute! This too! And this!"
The couple has just finished their check-up and are now in 'Baby's Haven', the most popular baby store in Central Town. They decided to buy a gift for Kaito's birthday even if it was still two months early.
Mikan insisted that she wants to be the one who personally chooses Kaito's gift. And being already eight months pregnant, they decided to buy the gift now so that Mikan would have more time to rest until the twins would come.
Natsume, on the other hand, just followed behind his waddling wife. Mikan gained a lot of weight. She frequently complains of her swollen feet, and most of all, the back pains. "Oi, Polka, this is a baby girls' area. Kaito is boy, in case you forgot."
"Ugh. Just seeing an all pink area makes me want to shudder. Of all the damn colors in this world, why is pink the default color for baby girls?"
"Ne, ne, I wonder what kind of costumes Hotaru will give us?" An excited Mikan reminded while looking through baby clothes. "You know, it's a themed party."
Natsume scoffed. "Tch. I'm not wearing a costume."
"Come on, Natsume, don't be such a kill joy. You can be daddy robot, I'm mommy robot, then the twins are baby robots. It's a robot family!"
"Tch. Just get something already!"
Mikan gasped. With wide eyes and a smile that would reach her ears, she headed towards the toy section. "This! This is just perfect! Right, Natsume? If you disagree, I'll step on your foot."
"Hn." Was all that Natsume could say. From the months of his wife's pregnancy, he definitely learned one important tip: Never be on Mikan's bad side. They paid for the gift and went straight home.
"My feet hurt." Mikan whispered, stretching her legs as she sat at the corner of their bed. Natsume came to her, signaled her to lie down, and then started massaging her feet. "Mmm. Now that feels a lot better. Thank you. Oh, that reminds me, Natsume. Don't you have any afternoon duties?"
"Got them all cancelled." He coolly replied while continuing the massage. "I'm on leave starting today."
Mikan sat up. "What are you talking about?"
"I convinced mother and father to take a leave. The peanuts are about to come. I want to be there for you." He replied, covering his face with his bangs. Mikan gave him a kiss. "I am the luckiest wife in the whole of Alice."
"Aren't you scared?"
"I'd be lying if I say that I'm not. Hotaru said it would hurt a lot. But I know you're there with me. That gives me more than enough courage to get through things."
Natsume was about to kiss Mikan but a grumbling sound was heard. Natsume stared at her belly in disbelief while Mikan just laughed it off. "What? They're hungry."
"So what weird delicacy do they want now?"
"Hmmm. I'm thinking of… I know! Pancakes!"
"Seriously? Pancakes? It's almost dinner."
Mikan nodded, her eyes were twinkling. "Uh-huh! Pancakes! Topped with rice and egg rolls! Oh! Don't forget the sesame dressing sprinkled around everything! I'll go with you! I have to make sure everything is into place!"
Natsume just groaned while imagining the combination. "Come on then."
"Ne, Natsume, can you see my feet? How does it look?"
"They look like… feet."
Mikan rolled her eyes. "No point in asking him. Well at least one of us can see them."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
The twins are already 33 weeks old. And each day passes, Mikan and Natsume were feeling restless. The brunette can't even get some decent sleep.
"Hi, Hotaru. How are you?" sometimes, Mikan would call Hotaru to keep her mind off of things. "Fine. Babies coming?"
"No. I wish they would. All Natsume ever did was stare at me. He won't even let me go to the toilet on my own!" she then heard Ruka laughing on the other line. "Hi, Ruka-pyon! Hotaru! how many times have I told you not to put me on loud speaker whenever I call?"
"How many times do I have to tell you that I need to? Holding a phone while making inventions is counter-productive."
"How is the birthday planning going?"
"It's fine, Mikan-chan." This time, it was Ruka who replied. "We pray for your safe delivery and a fast recovery. You guys need to be healthy if you're to come to Kaito's party."
"Oh, sorry, Ruka-pyon. I have to go to the toilet. One of them is stepping on my bladder again. Sheesh."
As Mikan was leaving the toilet, she felt a sudden pain in her lower abdomen. "Ow!" She clutched her stomach and leaned on the wall for support.
Natsume hurriedly grabbed the bags they have prepared and teleported their way to the hospital with the use of Mikan's alice stone. "I'm scared." Mikan whimpered.
"You'll be fine." Natsume reassured her while she was brought inside the delivery room.
"We would have to check on her first." Dr. Minoru stated. "I'll have someone call you in after checking her staus."
"Hn."
After a few minutes, Dr. Minoru came out. "It was a false alarm, your highness." Natsume just stared at her then he saw Mikan being assisted out of the room. "What she felt were Braxton Hicks contractions. These are like practice contractions. These normally happen. The muscles on the uterus tighten for around 30 to 60 seconds. Sometimes it could last for two minutes."
"How will we know if it's the real thing?" Natsume asked.
"Braxton Hicks are not as painful as real contractions and they can occur at any time of the day. I suggest when she experiences another contraction that you time the intervals in between contractions. Real contractions usually get closer together, and they become stronger."
"Hn."
"Thank you, sensei." Mikan said with a bow. "We apologize for troubling you."
"It is of no trouble at all, Mikan-hime. I shall take my leave now and get to my rounds."
The doctor left and Mikan was in a daze. "Oi! You alright? What are you spacing out for?"
"Natsume, did you hear what she said? Oh gosh! I'm doomed! I'm done for!"
The flame caster held Mikan's shoulders. "Calm down. What the heck are you talking about?"
"Sensei said! Sensei said! Oh no!"
"Take a deep breath. Inhale, exhale." Natsume instructed while Mikan did what she was told. "Now tell me, in a veeeeery calm way, what are you talking about?"
"Sensei said these Braxton thingies are not as painful as the real ones."
"Hn. So what?"
Mikan blinked in disbelief. "So what? I can't believe you'll just say 'so what'! That thing that happened already hurt so much! And now they tell me that there's something even more painful than that? Oh wait, there's more! The pain actually gets stronger!"
Natsume just kept quiet. He chose not to say anything. "Panic attack. Tch. Guess I'll just have to wait for her to finish her rants then find a way to calm her down. No point in cutting her midway."
"That's it! I have made up my mind!"
The Fire Prince cocked an eyebrow at her. "What? Finally decided to get a C-section now?"
"No!"
"Then what?"
"The twins are staying here in my belly! I won't let them out! No giving birth means no labor means no pain! They'll be peanuts forever!"
At this point, Natsume wants to bang his head on the wall. "She has totally lost it."
"You don't want them out?"
"Yes."
"We can't give them names if they don't come out. We won't know their first words, can't see when they will first walk, and we'll miss all of those 'parent and kid outings' that the shadow freak was talking about. Do you want to miss out on all the fun?"
"But… But…"
"Scared of pain? Who was it that said my presence is enough for all the courage that you need? I'm with you. You got your family and friends with you. What's there to be scared of? You've faced a lot scarier battles in your life than this one."
"Sorry for freaking out." Mikan whispered in between sobs.
"It's alright. Just don't do it again. How about we get some Howalons on our way back?"
"Yey!"
"Tch. Typical Polka. Well, at least she's happy. Thank God for Howalons."
