Chapter 13-Of Boredom and Baby showers
A baby's cry filled the air. Taking one glance at his sleeping wife, James got up, for some reason or another, Harry was awake. Quickly moving to his room and rocking him back to sleep, James made his way back to the bedroom to get some shut-eye of his own.
He stopped at the doorway, a look of awe
on his face. Could this angel basking before him truly be his wife?
Her face was serene in the moonlight, relaxed, calm for once. Her
body was spread out around one half of the bed, moonlight spilled
across her milky skin, revealing the freckles and brilliant red hair
to him. A navy blue camisole peeked out from under the quilt, matched
with a set of plaid green and white pajama pants (Link to outfit
on Profile, check it out!)
He leaned against the wooden frame and rested his eyes on the beauty that lay before him. The last few weeks had been tough on her. Not a week ago, she'd been checked out of St. Mungo's, but she still had to stay in bed, only being allowed to leave for bathroom breaks and quick showers. James could tell it was driving her insane, but he didn't know what to do about it. He brought her magazines and books daily, both muggle and magical. He had even bought another muggle contraption known as a telly, charmed it to run magically, and put at the end of their bed.
Still, Lily was not herself, that much was obvious. She could be irritable at the most random times, lashing out for stupid things. She couldn't stand this. She couldn't stand being stuck in bed, not allowed to pick up anything heavier than a teaspoon, and having so much to do, so much she couldn't do. Sighing softly, and running a hand through his messy hair, only making it messier, James crawled into bed next to his wife. This would be a long month.
--
James was right, it turned out, Lily continued to be irritable throughout the next two weeks, but her mood had improved greatly, as all of the calendars she had taken the liberty of having James hang up in their room said that in two weeks time, she would be allowed out of the godforsaken bed she had been confined to. Josie came by all the time with weeding preparations, and Lily was always more cheerful after that, having something to look forward to, thinking about the upcoming wedding, James noticed.
And so that was where James found them, Lily fixated under the covers, a pink camisole and flowered bottoms haphazardly thrown on, (Link on Profile) Josie next to her, wearing a purple blouse with a sweater over it and black dress pants. Between them were a stack of catalogues, each depicting everything from beautiful white gowns to extravagant floral centerpieces.
James breathed a sigh of relief, she looked relatively happy, maybe they'd have a good night, and he wouldn't sleep on the couch. Silently, he thanked God; the couch was starting to take a toll on his back. He heard Harry calling his name for the other room, and went to check on him. Just as he stepped over the threshold, he heard that tinkly laugh that he knew belonged to her. Things were starting to look up.
--
James nervously paced back and forth, waiting for the guests to arrive. It had been Josie's idea, they were going to throw Lily a baby shower, she was going to be allowed out today, but for now she was sleeping, and Josie had this idea to surprise her with a baby shower, so they were sticking to that idea, too.
He heard a soft knock on the door and then Josie and Sirius were there, both sporting heavy-looking boxes.
"Hey guys," James said distractedly.
"Hi," Josie and Sirius replied in unison.
"We'll put these up, 'k?" Jodie said.
"Mmkay, I'll be there is a sec, Jo." James replied.
As James waited for the guests to arrive Josie and Sirius put brightly colored decorations that said things like 'it's a girl!' and 'we're having a baby!'
There was another knock and Remus's head peeked through the door. "Hi," he said, "I've got presents!" He held up a few brightly colored packages, "Where do you want them?"
"Over on the coffee table, James proceeded to show him and soon he was back to his bubbly self.
Suddenly, a small voice could be heard from the baby monitor, "Daddy! I want out!!" James rushed to collect Harry from his room, returning a few moments later with baby in hand.
"Knock knock!" A motherly voice called form behind the door.
"Maggie!" James exclaimed, rushing to greet her.
"Hello James, dearest," Maggie Evans greeted him warmly, touching his cheek with sincerity.
"Hi Maggie, come in, where's Ed?" James welcomed her.
"Oh he's out at the car, bringing in the presents." Suddenly a grunting was heard, and then a rather elderly man under a mountain of boxes and bags staggered into the room.
James set Harry down, only to have his grandmother pick him up again, grabbed a few of the presents and put them on the table.
--
Once all of the gifts were in place, and the guests arrived, James went to fetch Lily. After having a nap, she felt calm and refreshed. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife as Lily solely walked out of her bedroom and into the world for the first time in a month.
"Surprise!" Lily's face was a mixture of shock and happiness as she gazed around at her loved ones, all come to celebrate the adding of two lives to the world. She took it all in full swing and continued to thank her guests and relatives, talking and chatting, making her way around the room.
The gifts were about to be opened, and as Lily waddled over to the couch, a puddle formed under her, and she let out a small "oh!"
"Lily?" James asked, "What is it, love?"
"I think my water just broke, James, I figured that the girls were just kicking, they've been doing that quite a bit, actually, but I-I guess it was contractions."
James stood frozen, merely staring at his wife.
"Get my bag, James!" Lily exclaimed.
James rushed to their bedroom, grabbing her overnight bag, (link on profile).
They rushed off to the hospital, visitors in tow, and soon the waiting room was filled with loved ones who had decided to continue the party here, as Lily gave birth to two babies, but this time it was real.