*
"Are you going to tell me why you were crying in my dark office tonight?" Leo asks softly as he takes off his coat and hangs it up.
Margaret sighs and turns and looks at him. "Or was it crazy pregnant woman stuff?" He continues.
"What's on your mind hey?" He asks gently brushing her hair from her face and behind her ears. Margaret leans into his touch still choosing to say nothing, she silences any further questions by pressing her lips to his and fumbling open the buttons of his shirt then hers.
*
"You're keeping my sort of hours." Leo says standing in the doorway to the study at three that morning. Margaret jumps in her seat in front of the glowing computer screen. She quickly shuts the open windows and swivels to face Leo.
"It's not often you initiate sex." Leo continues observing casually. "Well not lately at least...feeling better?"
"My nausea is not as bad." Margaret nods as Leo comes and crouches in front of her.
"What are you doing at this hour?" Concern laced in his words as he looks over the pile of printouts.
"Can I tell you when I'm done?" Margaret says evenly taking her hand in his and squeezing it.
"I'm worried about you, about our baby, given that you've been so down lately." Leo confesses moving their joint hands to where the barely formed fetus sits.
"Don't worry, that's all over now." Margaret assures him standing to walk back to bed with him.
*
"The President came to me today." Leo says a week later in the car on the way home.
"What did he say?" Margaret asks looking over at him.
"He gave me an indication that CJ would be taking time off in the future, I wasn't to ask questions." Leo tells her.
"Not that you need to." Margaret answers sadly.
"You have another appointment in a few weeks." Leo asks changing the topic.
"3 weeks, it's routine you don't have to come."
"I want to." Leo insists.
"Don't, they need you here and all she'll be doing is taking my blood pressure and measuring my weight, checking for leg and ankle swelling and an ultrasound to check the development of the baby."
"That's important." Leo further insists.
"I have another appointment in the twelfth week, come then because they can distinguish the babies sex." Margaret suggests.
"Ok." Leo agrees wrapping an arm around her.
*
"How'd you go?" Leo asks eagerly as Margaret returns from her doctor's visit.
"Everything's fine." Margaret smiles genuinely.
"Good." Leo says closing the last exit door of his office and hugging her closely.
"I have something to tell you soon." Margaret whispers grasping a bunch of his shirt in her hand.
Leo pulls away, mild alarm on his face.
"It's not bad, it could be one of the most wonderful things in the world." Margaret assures him.
*
"Hello." Ella Reid greets Margaret.
"Good morning." Leo replies instead, visibly keen.
"Nausea gone?" Ella asks taking the usual blood pressure and weight measurements.
"Yes." Margaret answers obviously pleased about this fact.
"Your baby is now officially a fetus." Dr. Reid says setting up the ultrasound. "He or she is about three and a half inches and a half an ounce in weight."
The jell goes onto Margaret's belly followed by the ultrasound wand. "The head is still over large, but nails are appearing on the fingers and toes, the movements of your baby have been mechanical till now but the nerve and muscle co-ordination are developing so those movements will become more graceful and purposeful. Your baby is swallowing the amniotic fluid and is passing drops of urine into the amniotic sac."
The picture though by nature blurry and to most incomprehensible, forms on the screen accompanied by a quick noise.
"What's that?" Margaret asks a little concerned.
"That's your babies heartbeat." Ella replies watching the two becomes a captive audience to the 120 beats per minute.
"Your placenta is about six times heavier that that of your baby and blood is spurting through the lung blood vessels at about eighty 'breaths' a minute...we call is breaths because it's your babies lungs, but they're not consuming oxygen." She continues moving the wand across Margaret's belly.
"And the sex?" Leo asks.
"The external genitals are forming, but it is very difficult to tell and I wouldn't like to speculate at this time." Ella Reid apologizes. "Next appointment, 16 weeks, we'll know for sure."
*
"Are you going to tell me why you were crying in my dark office tonight?" Leo asks softly as he takes off his coat and hangs it up.
Margaret sighs and turns and looks at him. "Or was it crazy pregnant woman stuff?" He continues.
"What's on your mind hey?" He asks gently brushing her hair from her face and behind her ears. Margaret leans into his touch still choosing to say nothing, she silences any further questions by pressing her lips to his and fumbling open the buttons of his shirt then hers.
*
"You're keeping my sort of hours." Leo says standing in the doorway to the study at three that morning. Margaret jumps in her seat in front of the glowing computer screen. She quickly shuts the open windows and swivels to face Leo.
"It's not often you initiate sex." Leo continues observing casually. "Well not lately at least...feeling better?"
"My nausea is not as bad." Margaret nods as Leo comes and crouches in front of her.
"What are you doing at this hour?" Concern laced in his words as he looks over the pile of printouts.
"Can I tell you when I'm done?" Margaret says evenly taking her hand in his and squeezing it.
"I'm worried about you, about our baby, given that you've been so down lately." Leo confesses moving their joint hands to where the barely formed fetus sits.
"Don't worry, that's all over now." Margaret assures him standing to walk back to bed with him.
*
"The President came to me today." Leo says a week later in the car on the way home.
"What did he say?" Margaret asks looking over at him.
"He gave me an indication that CJ would be taking time off in the future, I wasn't to ask questions." Leo tells her.
"Not that you need to." Margaret answers sadly.
"You have another appointment in a few weeks." Leo asks changing the topic.
"3 weeks, it's routine you don't have to come."
"I want to." Leo insists.
"Don't, they need you here and all she'll be doing is taking my blood pressure and measuring my weight, checking for leg and ankle swelling and an ultrasound to check the development of the baby."
"That's important." Leo further insists.
"I have another appointment in the twelfth week, come then because they can distinguish the babies sex." Margaret suggests.
"Ok." Leo agrees wrapping an arm around her.
*
"How'd you go?" Leo asks eagerly as Margaret returns from her doctor's visit.
"Everything's fine." Margaret smiles genuinely.
"Good." Leo says closing the last exit door of his office and hugging her closely.
"I have something to tell you soon." Margaret whispers grasping a bunch of his shirt in her hand.
Leo pulls away, mild alarm on his face.
"It's not bad, it could be one of the most wonderful things in the world." Margaret assures him.
*
"Hello." Ella Reid greets Margaret.
"Good morning." Leo replies instead, visibly keen.
"Nausea gone?" Ella asks taking the usual blood pressure and weight measurements.
"Yes." Margaret answers obviously pleased about this fact.
"Your baby is now officially a fetus." Dr. Reid says setting up the ultrasound. "He or she is about three and a half inches and a half an ounce in weight."
The jell goes onto Margaret's belly followed by the ultrasound wand. "The head is still over large, but nails are appearing on the fingers and toes, the movements of your baby have been mechanical till now but the nerve and muscle co-ordination are developing so those movements will become more graceful and purposeful. Your baby is swallowing the amniotic fluid and is passing drops of urine into the amniotic sac."
The picture though by nature blurry and to most incomprehensible, forms on the screen accompanied by a quick noise.
"What's that?" Margaret asks a little concerned.
"That's your babies heartbeat." Ella replies watching the two becomes a captive audience to the 120 beats per minute.
"Your placenta is about six times heavier that that of your baby and blood is spurting through the lung blood vessels at about eighty 'breaths' a minute...we call is breaths because it's your babies lungs, but they're not consuming oxygen." She continues moving the wand across Margaret's belly.
"And the sex?" Leo asks.
"The external genitals are forming, but it is very difficult to tell and I wouldn't like to speculate at this time." Ella Reid apologizes. "Next appointment, 16 weeks, we'll know for sure."
*