Monday, October 14th. Weeks of pregnancy—28
"Yes, Madoka, I know. I'm trying to get ready so we can leave now."
Naru sighed, his wife struggling to put on her skirt as she cradled the phone between her head and shoulder in front of the dresser. He sat on the bed just as annoyed as she was that Madoka kept calling to remind them about the doctor appointment Mai had today. What, did she really think they would forget so easily?
"Well, if you didn't keep calling every ten minutes I would be ready by now! Besides why did you even make an appointment for nine o'clock in the morning?! ...Oh plea—What? No, you don't need to come! I've already told you hundred times already that Naru's going with me."
Fed up with it all, Naru stood up and took the phone from her. Over this past week he's learned why Mai had wanted to suffocate the woman in her sleep and he was starting to wonder why she really didn't go through with it. Surely he would have if he had to listen to this constantly for three months. And he had thought Mai was exaggerating when she told him all of the things Madoka did. As if he didn't feel guilty about all of the things he put Mai through just by him not coming home, he really felt it now. Mai had told him she figured Madoka would "chill out" about everything once he had come home, but apparently not. Needless to say, neither one could wait until the woman went back to England.
"Madoka, that's enough." He said sternly over the phone while Mai sighed in relief, silently thanking him from the look in her eye, and finished getting ready. "The reminder you gave us last night was sufficient enough, you don't need to keep calling."
"Mai just forgets things so easily the last couple of months, I just want to make sure she remembers everything!" The pinkette defended.
"She's not alone in case you've forgotten, now goodbye, Madoka." He hung up before the woman could say anything else on the matter. After getting her shirt over her head and stomach, Mai looked up at him.
"See what you put me through?!" She pointed a finger at him accusingly, though it was half-hearted. Naru kissed her forehead as an apology before ushering her out of the apartment.
Mai couldn't help but stare at Naru as he tried his best not to bounce his leg up and down. He was tense and anxious, she knew. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest and his expression was stoic, his eyes absently scanning over the other women—and their husbands or boyfriends if they were accompanying them. Naru just looked so out of place from everyone else that it almost seemed funny. He definitely wasn't comfortable here, but still, he was enduring for her.
"What?" Naru asked without even looking at her. Mai blinked, realizing she was caught staring.
"Nothing..." She murmured, though she didn't look away. She bit her lip nervously as she remembered something. There was one...little thing she and Madoka had been hiding from Naru—and everyone else. And now he was going to find out because unfortunately her doctor would no doubt mention it to him, and then he'd be upset with her because she never told him about it. But maybe...hopefully it wouldn't be that much of a big deal? Yeah, fat chance... "Just...calm down."
"I am calm." Her husband had an eyebrow raised with an incredulous look in his eye, wondering why she'd even think of such a thing. Mai refrained from rolling her eyes.
"Right, okay."
"The fact that you even think I'm not is—"
"Mai Shibuya." Called a nurse, interrupting Naru. They both looked towards the woman, and with Naru's help, Mai stood up. Placing a hand on her stomach she followed the nurse with her husband right on her heels, knowing that before they left this place he wasn't going to be too happy with her.
As the nurse directed them into a room, claiming she'd be right back, Mai heard her name being called right before she and Naru crossed the threshold. Surprised, she turned around with her brows furrowed. Her mouth dropped upon seeing the one doctor she hoped to never see again. Oh no...
Dr. Anno was smiling, his hands behind his back and rocking on the balls of his feet. That must be a habit of his. He was always doing it whenever Mai saw him. Please, oh please, don't tell me Dr. Nishida isn't here again!
"Here for another checkup, are we?" He asked casually. Mai noticed Naru tensing beside her. Deciding to take the risk, she spared a glance at her husband only to find him practically glaring at the doctor with narrowed eyes, as expected. She inwardly cringed. She hoped she would've been wrong about his reaction.
"Um...yeah." She glanced around hoping that nurse would come back. "Is Dr. Nishida here today?"
"Oh, yes, yes, of course. I just thought I'd say hello." Dr. Anno answered, to which Mai gave a nod and a tight polite smile. His eyes flicked up to Naru for the first time. "Is this your husband? The one who left you?"
Mai's eyes widened, anger creeping into her veins, and quickly went to her husband's defense before he himself could say anything. "He didn't leave me—"
"Oh, yes. My apologies, that came out wrong, didn't it?" Dr. Anno gave them both a tight-lipped smile. "He only left, not knowing when he'd ever be back."
Although he rephrased his sentence, it didn't lighten Mai's anger.
"When did he come back?" He asked, as if the man in question wasn't standing right beside her.
"Last Saturday, not that that is any of your business. Now if you'll excuse us." Naru answered, placing a hand on his wife's back and guiding her into the examination room before closing the door behind him. Once Mai turned around to face him, her eyes flew to the tiled floor, suddenly finding it a lot more interesting than the conversation she knew they were about to have. She had to have him credit. His voice hadn't sounded nearly as intimidating as his face looked.
"Who was that?"
"Um, a doctor?"
Naru gave her a dead panned look. "I know that, Mai."
The pregnant woman sighed as she climbed on to the exam table and Naru stood in front of her. She swung her legs a few times before answering. "Dr. Nishida had a family emergency one time I came for an appointment so Dr. Anno had to fill in for her."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Naru, honestly, what does it matter? It was a one time thing. It happens sometimes with doctors, you know—they have to fill in for each other. I know he's incredibly rude, but—" A knock sounded at the door before she could finish, and a moment later the nurse walked into the room, carrying the equipment she needed to check Mai's vitals. Naru took a step back to let the nurse get to work and leaned against the wall, his arms crossed again. Mai glanced at him and turned her head to hide her smile. He was just as tense and uncomfortable as he was in the waiting room. Well, it is the first time he's came to an appointment with me... The nurse informed Mai she needed a urine sample, so she hopped down from the table—with the help of Naru—and went to the bathroom. After she was done, she came back, and the nurse checked her vitals.
"Alright, all done. The doctor will be with you shortly." The nurse smiled lightly at the two, after she was finished, and left the room with her things. Once the door clicked shut, Mai started to take peeks at Naru again from the corner of her eye. She waited a few minutes, wondering if he was ever going to say anything. The silence was killing her, especially knowing he was probably upset with her. She knew he was going to be even more upset when Dr. Nishida came in here, so might as well fix the problem before then. She bit her lip.
"Naru, I'm sorry, okay? I know you're upset with me, but I really don't see why it matt—"
"I'm not upset with you, Mai." He murmured, shifting his eyes to lock with hers. Mai blinked once, then twice.
"You're...not?" She asked skeptically. Did he really realize he was being silly about the whole thing? I mean, sure, she knew how he felt about her having a male doctor, especially when he had to...examine certain parts of her body—even she was extremely uncomfortable about that, no one should look except her husband honestly—but Dr. Anno was a doctor. He was a professional.
"Even though I loathe the idea of you not seeing your regular doctor, it couldn't be helped that she had a family emergency. Besides, regardless of the doctor, you had still needed to be check out to make sure you and our child were healthy." Naru said while Mai scrutinized him for any signs that he might be lying. There wasn't any. Huh. "But I will see to it that it doesn't happen again." He added, which only made a smile break out on Mai's face at his overprotective quirkiness. She held out a hand for him to take and brought him closer to her.
"I know I've told you this a million times since you got back, but I've really missed you." Mai placed her other hand on the back of his neck to lean him forward and pecked him on the lips. With the hand that was still holding on to his, she brought his hand to touch her stomach and placed hers on top of his. "We've missed you, and we both love you."
As if agreeing, Mai felt the baby kick a bit roughly, making her wince. Her face lit up though when she saw the small smile on Naru's face as he stared down at her stomach. Ever since he came back it seemed the baby would only kick whenever he was touching her stomach or was close enough that the baby could hear his voice. How the baby knew that it was him was beyond her, but she knew one thing. Their baby adored its father and vice versa.
"You shouldn't kick your mother so hard, you know." Naru told the baby lightly. Mai smiled lovingly at him. After another minute or two they heard another knock on the door, and the doctor walked in with the charts in hand. Naru went back to stand against the wall.
"Good morning, Mai. How are we today?" Dr. Nishida asked. Mai smiled, her hand still on her stomach.
"Just fine. The baby's already kicking up a storm this morning."
"Oh, hello." Dr. Nishida greeted Naru once she noticed him. She began to wash her hands. "You must be Mr. Shibuya."
"Yes, I am." Naru nodded towards her.
"Well, it's nice to finally meet you. Mai's spoke of you often." She said, drying her hands off and looking over at Mai with a teasing smile. The brunette pressed her lips together in embarrassment. That'll boost up his ego... Mai thought sourly. The doctor sat down on the stool and rolled over to sit in front Mai, holding her chart. "Well, Mai... Your blood pressure is still very high—like it has been the last few months. We've talked about this."
"I know, I know..." Mai refrained from wincing at the sharp look that her husband was currently sending her. He's going to kill me. "And I thought that once my husband came home it would straighten itself out since I might've been stressing out over that... But I guess not." She told her doctor, her eyes flickering back and forth between her and Naru.
"And you've mentioned how your hands and feet have been swelling, and you have gained more weight within the last few weeks that's...a little more than normal." Dr. Nishida continued. Mai's brown eyes snapped towards the doctor, and her body started to fill with worry and panic.
"N-No, I...I can't..." Mai slowly shook her head. She wrapped an arm around her stomach, wishing she could hold her baby and protect it from her own self.
"What is going on?" Naru's stern, controlled voice broke her away from her thoughts, and she bit her lip.
"Ah..." Dr. Nishida let out a disappointed breath. "I see Mai hasn't told you."
"Apparently not, but one of you better have." He said. He was beginning to get anxious, especially from his wife's reaction. What didn't she tell him?
"Mai has a few of the leading symptoms of preeclampsia." The doctor informed him. Attempting to control his thoughts, Naru momentarily closed his eyes, exhaling through his nose. He knew what preeclampsia was; he read about it during his time in England when he was researching different things about pregnancies.
"I know what it is."
Dr. Nishida nodded solemnly. "And I assume you know that if she does have preeclampsia, and if it develops into eclampsia, then Mai and the baby's life might be at risk, right? I've already spoken with Mai about it a couple of months ago."
Naru clenched his jaw and nodded. How could Mai not tell him this? "Yes."
"B-But you don't know if I have preeclampsia or not though, right?" Mai asked, her brows pinching together with worry. Her doctor let out a contemplating breath.
"I'd have to wait for the results of your urine test to see if there's any protein in it first to know for sure, but no. Right now I don't think you have preeclampsia. Alright?" She placed a comforting hand on Mai's arm. "Hey, it's alright, Mai. Calm down—don't put any more stress on the baby about something that hasn't even happened yet, or may not even happen. Okay?" Mai nodded hurriedly to assure her, or convince herself. "Alright, let's get you checked up before I go see the results. Lie down."
Once they finished the exam, Dr. Nishida announced she'd go look at the results and would be back as soon as she could. From the look on his face, Mai didn't dare speak to Naru unless he spoke first, even though she wanted something to talk about to distract her from the overwhelming nervousness she was feeling. She knew he probably wouldn't say anything to her until they were alone together in the car. You knew he was going to be mad when he came here. Apparently Naru sensed how she was feeling—as if her leg bouncing up and down didn't give any indication—and squeezed her hand wordlessly. Mai stared at their joined hands, the corners of her lip turning upward, and lightly squeezed back. They waited almost fifteen minutes before the doctor finally came back.
"Good news." She said as soon as the door shut. "The results came back negative." Both of the parents-to-be let out a breath of relief. "But I want you to start coming to see me twice a month now, Mai."
"Okay." Mai quickly agreed before Dr. Nishida could finish.
"We want to make sure you don't develop preeclampsia, but if you do then we want to be there to help prevent it from getting worse, okay? Alright, Dad?" She teased Naru, whose lips twitched up. "I'll see you back in two weeks."
"Thank you." Mai spoke, getting down from the table, with Naru's help again. Right before the two left the room, Dr. Nishida spoke out again.
"Oh, and Mai. If you start having any bad headaches or really bad stomach pains...go to the hospital."
Mai nodded wordlessly, knowing those were more signs of preeclampsia. She didn't move until Naru gently guided her out the room.
Naru waited until they were half way to SPR before he decided he was ready to talk. Since they had left the doctor office, from the corner of his eye, he noticed his wife fidgeting and taking nervous glances at him. She knew what he was upset about. She probably knew it before they even saw the doctor that he'd be upset.
"You know what I'm going to say." It wasn't a question. Mai sighed, slumping her shoulders. As she opened her mouth, he spoke over her, trying to keep his voice even. "And don't just say you're sorry, Mai. Why didn't you tell me you have high blood pressure and at risk for preeclampsia?"
"Just like I told Dr. Nishida..." She began quietly. "I thought it might have been just because you were gone...and that I was just stressed out about that."
"That doesn't answer my question. Why didn't you tell me?" He snapped his eyes towards her for a moment before looking back at the road in front of him.
"Naru," Mai shifted in her seat to face him more. "you were stressed out even more than I was about you leaving. You worried about me enough without me having to add on to that, especially after all of those 'incidents' and that time I almost had an accident. You needed to concentrate on your work and I didn't want to be an even bigger distraction for you. Besides, even if I did tell you, there's nothing that you could have done. And after what your parents told me how you were in England, I'm glad I didn't tell you. You would have driven yourself crazy."
Naru clenched his jaw, refusing to admit she was right—about all of it. "Why didn't you tell me after I came home then?"
"Again, like I told Dr. Nishida, I thought I was stressing out over you being gone. So I thought I wouldn't have high blood pressure anymore since you were here... I didn't want to say anything in case I didn't have it anymore... I was going to tell you...sometime..." Mai stared down at her hands as she twiddled with her fingers. Her words started to turn into mumbles.
"Mai, you can't—" Exasperated, Naru exhaled heavily to calm himself when his voice started to rise. Stay calm. "You can't keep hiding these kinds of things from me."
"I'm not hiding them!"
"Yes, you are!"
Mai flinched. Naru hardly ever raises his voice—especially at her—unless he was really mad.
"Just because I wasn't here, doesn't mean I don't deserve to know about anything that happened. And I have a feeling that if I hadn't kept trying to call everyone when you were in the hospital that none of you would have even told me you were almost in an accident. It makes me wonder what else you and Madoka have kept for me, or even Lin for that matter."
Mai sat in silence during Naru's rant. Honestly, she understood his anger. She'd be pretty angry, too, if she had been in a different country and he had been keeping things from her, especially things which involved his health. So, she just let him get it all out of his system.
"Nothing else, I promise." She said as he parked the car outside of the SPR building. Once he cut off the engine he gave her a look. She stared at him, begging him with her eyes for him to believe her. "I promise, Naru. I never meant to kept things from you to hurt you... I would never do that, you know that. I know how overprotective you get when it comes to me and my wellbeing. And I know that if we told you certain things, they would be all you would think about, and you wouldn't be able to concentrate on your work. That would have only made you stay in England longer."
A long breath escaped Naru's lips as he looked away to stare out the windshield, Mai's eyes never leaving his face. Logically he knew what she said made sense. He most likely would have done the same if he had been in her position. He wouldn't have wanted to make her worried any more than necessary, which is exactly what Mai had done. But on the other hand, Mai wasn't the only one involved. On one occasion—that he knew about anyway—their child's life could have been taken away. And it still could be if Mai's pregnancy turned in the wrong direction.
He glanced at his wife for a moment and instantly regretted it. He doubted she knew the power she held over him, but he could never stay mad at her for long especially when those innocent, brown, doe-like eyes staring back at him.
"No more secrets?" He asked. Mai quickly shook her head.
"No more secrets." She confirmed. "...None about my health, or the baby." She murmured under her breath, making him close his eyes for a moment. He wasn't sure he even wanted to know. It probably had to do with Madoka and her schemes or another. Besides, he admitted begrudgingly, this was all in the past. He couldn't change anything even if Mai did tell him everything.
"Good."
"Speaking of secrets... Any you have that I should know about?" Trying to lighten the mood, Mai leaned closer to him, trying to hide a grin. "No college girls I should be worried about?"
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Naru settled for calling her a dummy and shaking his head. He smirked and closed the gap between them, letting their lips meet.
When they walked into the office, Lin and Madoka were the only ones there. But seeing as how it wasn't even lunchtime yet, it wasn't a surprise. Madoka came out into the lounge area when she heard them come in. She had a small smile on her face, but her eyes were crazed with happiness, Mai noted suspiciously.
"Hey!" Madoka came and hugged the pregnant woman. "So, does he know now?" She asked quietly, a bit worriedly. Surely Naru would kill her now.
"Yes, I know. I know everything." Naru answered before Mai could even get a chance to nod. Madoka gulped and took a step back as he glared at her.
"Everything?"
"Everything." Naru repeated. Madoka snapped her eyes towards Mai for confirmation. Did she just tell him the main things or everything—like the time at the mall, or the time they got kicked out of that restaurant? And in her defense, neither occasions were really her fault. Mai shrugged for Naru to see, but she gave Madoka the smallest shake of her head to let her know he didn't entirely know everything.
"He knows about my high blood pressure. And he met Dr. Anno... So I had to tell him that." Mai said vaguely. Madoka relaxed some.
"Ugh, that man... I wish they would fire that no good, nosy, thinks-he-knows-it-all bast—"
"Madoka." Lin scolded as he appeared in the doorway of his office, making his girlfriend roll her eyes.
"Madoka and Dr. Anno... Really didn't get along... They argued the entire time." Mai explained to Naru, who had his brows furrowed in confusion.
"So... I'm not in any more trouble with you, am I?" Madoka asked hesitantly. The way he scrutinized her and his on-going silence just made her more nervous. After a nudge from Mai in the ribs, Naru finally spoke.
"No... I asked you to keep her alive and you did. I could not expect any more from you."
The pinkette clenched her fists before 'hmph'ing. "Whatever, I'm not going to let you ruin my incredibly good mood today."
Naru raised a brow in question while Mai came to him and rested her head on his shoulder. She felt immensely drained already. And her back hurt. And so did her feet—well everything hurt, really.
"Yeah, you do seem to be really happy today." Mai stated. Madoka grinned, walking to Lin and linked their arms together.
"We're getting married!" Madoka squealed happily, holding out her left hand for them to see the diamond ring on her finger. Mai's eyes widened, lifting her head up quickly as she felt Naru stiffen. What? Oh no, does that mean—? "And after talking through it with Martin and Luella, who supports this hundred percent, I'm moving to Japan!" She squealed again and grabbed Mai's arm before Naru had time to stop her. She spun the girl around like they were children before drawing her in for a hug.
Mai met Naru's darkened eyes from over Madoka's shoulder and showed him the misery in her eyes. He wasn't too pleased to hear this news either. She loved Madoka, really, she did, but after living with her for three months and then seeing her at the office every day and also having to endure the endless phone calls from her... Needless to say she couldn't wait for Madoka to go back to England and have a break away from her before she and Naru's parents came back once the baby was born. But now Madoka would be here all the time... Throughout the pregnancy and through their child's life. Always, Madoka would be right there. Don't cry, Mai, don't cry! Think happy thoughts!
"Great..."
They're getting married! Woo! XD Poor Mai and Naru though... I'm evil, putting them through that hehe. It shouldn't be too much longer before Mai gives birth! Sorry, again, for disappearing. I honestly never mean to. Things happen, I kinda lose inspiration to write, and then before I know it months have flown by! And then a couple weeks ago I also had been without power for almost a week due to Hurricane Matthew too. Ugh, that was horrible.
But anways, I am in college now. Woo. Studying to be a Veterinarian Assistant! ^_^ I really love it. I love animals more than anything, so it's perfect for me. I've actually wanted to do this since I was five years old lol. My 'what I wanna be when I grow up' never changed. XD
Please review~!