Spain was laying down on the couch, trying not to cry. She pressed her hands lightly against the bulge in her stomach. It'd been six tense months since she'd first found out she was pregnant. To be fair, this pregnancy had lasted much longer than the others, which had lasted for only a few months or even merely weeks. But still…
Another jab in her abdomen almost made her sob. There was something wrong with her, she just knew it! For the past month she'd been feeling… movements. They'd been soft at first, barely little flutters that had gone mostly unnoticed. Now they were great jabs, big enough to wake her up at night and keep her alert.
"Why?!" she whispered. They'd been so close. In another three months they might have been holding their little baby, a boy, in their arms. Now this was happening! These flutters and jabd - something was wrong inside of her! Was her womb simply defective? Her eyes widened suddenly and she sat up. Was she being punished for all the terrible things she'd done in the past? Her mind conjured up plenty of memories; the Inquisition, her treatment of the American peoples, and so much more.
Was this simply poetic justice?
Another jab made her burst into tears. She tried to keep quiet, but Romano had suddenly developed the ears of a rabbit. "Spagna?" he asked, his voice cracking worriedly. He ran into the living room and found her sobbing on the couch. "Hey, what's-a wrong?" he demanded, kneeling at her side.
Wordlessly, she grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach, in the same spot she'd felt the jabs before. Romano looked at her oddly but said nothing, choosing to wipe at her tears with a free hand. They both flinched when they felt another jab a minute later.
Spain sniffled, expecting Romano's face to crumple or, even worst, demand they visit the doctor immediately to find out what was wrong. Instead… he smiled? Yes, he was grinning from ear to ear!
"He's kicking! I can feel him kick!" he said.
...What?
…
…
…
Oh, she was such an idiot!
"I never felt any of the others kick before," she murmured.
Laughing suddenly, she pulled Romano into a bonecrushing hug.
I made myself a little sad writing this…