I apologise for being so late with updates, I just have major writer's block and I can't figure out how to continue. This is for my chica Mickey, happy birthday honey bunny.
Disclaimer – Don't own any OC character.
There it was.
The tiny sound.
That was all it was.
A tiny little blip.
The baby's heartbeat.
The sounds came in regular succession and Sandy couldn't absorb it. The miracle of it. The little blips were coming from inside Kirsten where he or she was safely nestled and quite content. He looked down and saw Kirsten looking over at the monitor with a smile on her face.
He knew she was thinking the same thing.
Their baby's heartbeat was simply music to their ears and they could already visualise the little one running around the house with them followed in suit. The sweet giggle from the child echoing off the walls and flowing through the house. It might as well be a dream but in just over 3 months it would be a reality.
The grainy image on the screen stared right back at him and there in the corner was the baby. Their new son or daughter.
"The baby's heartbeat is nice and strong and it's growing at a nice rate, perfect size for it's age," the doctor mumbled while examining the screen, "has anyone told you the sex of the baby?"
This was the first time that this doctor had taken them for the sonogram as Kirsten's regular doctor was on paternity leave after his own wife gave birth to their fourth child.
"No. . . they haven't," Kirsten replied.
"Would you like to know?"
Kirsten looked up at Sandy looking for the answer to the question but she was only met by his questioning eyes.
"Would you-" they both began at the same time before stopping.
"I don't mind – do you? - Up to you," they said in perfect unison.
"Sorry, twenty years of marriage, more or less, and you develop this synchronicity," Sandy apologised to the perplexed doctor.
"No need to apologise Mr. Cohen . . . so would you like to know?"
"Kirsten?"
Kirsten resented being left to this decision and she couldn't decide. When she was pregnant with Seth she and Sandy decided to keep it a surprise until the birth but since this baby would probably be their very last, she didn't know whether or not to wait.
"Hey honey, let's try this . . . you said that when you had Seth you thought it would be a boy and you were right."
"Well I had a fifty fifty percent chance of getting it right," she replied.
"Doesn't matter, you were still right. How about it? No harm in trying . . . guess and the doctor could give an inkling of whether you're right or not."
"I dunno Sandy . . . what if I get it wrong?"
"Well you said it yourself, you have a fifty percent chance of getting it wrong."
"Ok."
Kirsten looked off into the screen and tried to get a gut feeling of what sex her baby would be. She eyes swam in the blue and black waves and the tiny being lying nestled inside her. Closing her eyes, she tossed the proverbial coin in her head – heads it would be a boy and tails it would be a girl. But wait, if she tossed if heads up it would pretty much land heads up. So how could she toss the coin impartially?
'Damn it Kirsten, turn your brain off and just pick' she cursed herself.
She opened her eyes and Sandy and the doctor were sitting expectantly but inside of answering them, she looked down at her bump. It had the clear goo on it.
'What's that stuff called? Why are you asking yourself? You don't fucking know! Good point,' Kirsten thought.
She felt a twinge from inside her stomach and simply went with her gut feeling.
"Girl," Kirsten answered.
Sandy looked towards the doctor instantly.
Several seconds seemed to pass before he motioned to answer.
"It's a girl," he confirmed.
"It's a girl!" Sandy and Kirsten repeated together.
"It's a girl, congratulations."
"We're having a girl," Kirsten beamed.
"We're having a girl!" Sandy repeated bending down to hug Kirsten as he laughed excitedly.
They could definitely see the future now. A little blonde haired girl running happily through the house in a pink dress holding onto a teddy bear as she giggled as her parents followed her.
The little girl giggled happily and turned around and her deep blue eyes looked up at them filled with pure innocence. Her cherub cheeks stuck in an eternal heart melting smile.
Their daughter.
"I'm so glad I didn't say I hope the baby gets my looks," Sandy laughed.
"Yeh cuz that would be a good look for her," Kirsten replied smiling.
"Oh I know . . . I want her to look exactly like you . . . blonde hair, blue eyes . . . cute button nose. She's going to be beautiful . . . which makes me think of how boys are gonna want to date her."
"Sandy!" Kirsten interrupted, "do you wanna back it up a little bit, she's not even born yet and you are already making up the Father Questionnaire for boys to take."
"Sorry."
"I take it this is your first girl," the doctor said.
"Yeh . . . we have two sons, we always wanted a girl but . . ."
"Circumstances took over," Sandy finished.
"Well, Kirsten, your baby is healthy and a nurse will come in and clean you up and you can go and I'm sure Doctor Allen will be back next month."
"Thank you Doctor McCartan."
"You're welcome."
And with that the doctor left the room leaving Sandy and Kirsten alone with their unborn daughter.
"Circumstances," Kirsten whispered, "some circumstances."
"I know honey," he consoled as he sat down beside her on the bed where she cuddled up to his chest.
"Is it weird that that baby was a girl and now this one? Is it trying to say something? I don't know what I'd do if I lost this baby," Kirsten rambled.
"Hey, hey, hey honey, don't speak like that . . . Olivia won't like it," he said placing his hand on a clear area of her stomach, "she can sense what you are thinking."
"Have you been watching documentaries again."
"Just the odd one."
Kirsten looked at him expectantly.
"Yeh I have – there's this one from the UK and it's about this guy and he says he can read baby's minds and he can understand why they are so unruly and things like that. I tell ya honey, some of things he says the kid tells him are spooky. He said that the kid told him that her mother had been raped and she hasn't told a single person."
"So the baby knows things."
"Apparently so."
Kirsten stared off into space at that revelation. If dark secrets haunted the mother then it haunted the baby and may cause the baby to hate the mother.
The abortion.
Even though Sandy knew about it and he'd been helping her with it, it still haunted her. Instinctively, her hand moved to her bump and gently soothed it.
She prayed to god that her past didn't harm the baby. But then again, Seth turned out fine even though she was still carrying the burden of what John did to her.
'Stop thinking about it or Olivia might pick up on it, so shh!' she told herself.
"What are you thinking?" Sandy asked into Kirsten's hair as they sat huddled together on the beach.
"I'm thinking that we're having a girl. This baby is a girl. I always wanted a girl."
"I know you did."
"And now, here she is," she whispered rubbing a hand over the purple material of her top.
"I know, it's amazing isn't it?"
"I think it's more than amazing. It's a miracle Sandy. I- I didn't think we could have another baby after – after what-"
"Yeh, that was hard .. . I still think about her . . . she would have been fourteen this year."
"More or less yeh. I can't help but wonder what she would've looked like or if this baby looks exactly like what Amy would have been."
Amy.
She hadn't used that name in years. It was the name that they would have called their daughter if she had been carried to term but instead she was lost to them.
"I know honey . . . but everything will be fine . . . I promise," Sandy whispered reassuringly.
"Dude what the hell? Come on! You just freaking stabbed me with the lightsaber again," Seth yelled.
"What? Is it my fault that I'm better at this than you?" Ryan replied.
"Well . . . stop."
The whizzing and whirring of the computer game continued and the ferocious taps of their thumbs and fingers methodically moved.
Then Seth heard a familiar sound that he didn't like hearing.
"Dude, stop with the lightsaber, I only have like 25 life points left . . . either quit it or show me how to do it."
"Ok, it's down down, up left, square, triangle, L1, R2, triangle, x, down square, square," Ryan mumbled without taking his eyes off the screen.
"What?" Seth asked completely confused.
"I just told you what I just did to your character while you were listening to me."
"So that wasn't the combination?"
"Nope."
"Ryan Atwood . . . that was sneaky."
"Well, you used the same manoeuvre on me," Ryan replied.
"And oh how the tables have turned."
"Yeh and now the table is now reading game over."
Seth looked at the screen and saw his character lying on the floor with his lightsaber on the floor nearby. The words 'Game Over' were printed across the screen mocking him. The white colouring and high case font reiterating how Ryan had defeated him.
"Excuse me while I go hang myself or chuck myself in the pool . . . whichever is more painless cuz me and pain don't mix."
"Seth, take it like a man."
Seth looked at Ryan with a knowing look.
"Well, try to," Ryan corrected.
"Ha ha, Ryan, ha ha. Look at me, I can't even beat you, next think I know Summer is going to be interested in comic books."
"Summer is interested in comic books."
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."
"Why?"
"Because then it means that I can't beat you at a Star Wars game," he pouted.
"Seth?" Ryan asked, "do you want a rematch."
"So badly!"
"Right, let's go."
The frantic whirring and tapping resumed.
"Ha! No more Mr Lightsaber Thrower!"
They were so engrossed in the game that neither of them became aware of the front door opening and closing or the sound of the footsteps approaching them.
"Hey fellas."
No response.
"Boys," Sandy said raising his voice slightly.
"What?" Seth answered monotonously without diverting his attention.
"We're back."
"That's good."
"Seth."
"Yeh?"
"That wasn't a question."
"I'm this close to beating Ryan."
"You're this close from being grounded."
"What can I do for you?" he asked putting the game on hold and feigning enthusiasm.
"How was the appointment?" Ryan asked.
"What appointment?" Seth enquired.
"Your mother's sonogram."
"Oh . . . oooo that was today?"
"Yes, Einstein."
"How was it?" Seth asked.
"Baby's healthy and good."
"Did they ask you if you wanted to know what it was?"
Sandy and Kirsten had debated on the drive home whether or not they should tell the boys what sibling they should expect. Kirsten tried to figure out the pros and cons of it but what pros and cons could there possibly be. But they both knew that with knowing what sex the baby was, they could fully prepare for her arrival.
"Yes they did," Kirsten replied with an arm draped protectively over her belly.
"And? Am I getting another brother or a sister."
"Ryan do you want to know?" Kirsten asked.
Ryan in that moment was told once again how this family had taken him in. Kirsten cared about whather or not he knew what 'sibling' he could expect.
"Yeh, I'd love to know . . . never really had a little sibling so never had this chance before, so I'd love to know."
"Well . . . we're having a girl."
"A girl? I'm gonna have a little sister?"
Sandy and Kirsten both nodded.
"That's awesome!" Seth smiled.
"Wow, you guys that's so cool."
"Thank you Ryan," Kirsten beamed.
"And hey Kirsten, at least with the baby you won't be the only girl in the house," Ryan said.
"Hey that's right," Sandy replied, "I think this calls for a celebration."
"What do you have in mind?"
"How about we go out to eat? And then we'll take it from there," Sandy suggested.
"Sounds like a plan," Seth added.
"Who am I to argue, let's go," Kirsten finished.
The Cohens grabbed their coats and respective paraphernalia and walked out the door before bundling into the range rover.
Again, Happy Birthday Mickey honey. Reviews are the best and they might spur me to update more. Or to help me get over this darn writer's block. Rock on!