Chapter 25

Early September 1960

"Bed rest!" Clara yelled, "I can't do bed rest! I can't stay in bed for another 3 weeks. I'll die of boredom!"

John was having a really hard time calming Clara. As cosy as it had been in the first months of her pregnancy now it was all becoming a little too much for both of them. A month ago the doctor had told her stop going to work and John had needed a lot of breath to talk her into giving up on work for the time being. She had been bored and moody ever since and now that the doctor had ordered her bed rest John feared it would become so much worse.

He tried placing his hands on her shoulders to comfort her but Clara just brushed them off.

"John, I'm serious about this. I can't do this anymore! I'm bored out of my mind, my back is in agony, my feet hurt – all of that from carrying this thing with me."

"It's not a thing, darling, it's our baby," he told her calmly.

"Right now it's a thing, an annoying thing and I want it out!"

"Just three more weeks and-"

"John, get a pen and paper and write this down: after this – no more children. I'm not doing this ever again! I'm fat, I'm ugly, I'm in pain, I haven't had a good night's sleep in weeks thanks to the soccer player you put in my belly. Not again! No matter how well it turns out!"

John chuckled. "Football. If I put anything in your belly, then it's going to be a football player."

"I don't care what you call it on your sorry little Island, I just want this to be over!" Clara groaned, "Please, make it stop."

"Come here," John said as he sat down on the opposite end of the bed, "Give me your feet."

Reluctantly and still under growling protest Clara freed her feet of the blanket and John took the first one in his hands and started massaging it.

"You are not fat, darling. You're having a baby and for that I think you're still too thin. The rest will be gone after you've given birth and you could never ever be ugly to me. I think you are the most gorgeous woman on earth."

"What about Mars?" Clara asked, still half grumpy but also half amused.

"Everyone knows Marsians are beauty queens. You could never compete with that," John replied jokingly.

Finally Clara cracked a smile.

"Can you rub my back, please?" she asked sweetly.

"Of course, darling, come here," John said and propped himself up against the wall, inviting Clara to sit between his legs. She took off her shirt and scooted over, her back to him. He unhooked her bra and started to let his hands run carefully over her back, kneading the muscles where he thought she was tense.

"Mhhh," she hummed, "That feels nice."

"I was thinking about going to the city later to get a few more things for the baby. Do you need anything else? A few books to pass the time? Any special cravings?"

"Books are a good idea. And we could do with another set of sheets for the cradle," Clara replied, letting her head hang as she was enjoying her massage.

John smiled and lowered his lips to her neck, trailing it with soft kisses. For a brief moment he wondered if Clara would let him make love to her. The pregnancy usually didn't keep them from it, unless she wasn't feeling well but on some days the mere suggestion could start world war three.

"Mh, you didn't shave," Clara murmured.

"Too scratchy?"

"No, not at all. I like it."

John started sucking the sensitive skin at the base of her neck gently, making his intentions known and causing Clara to utter the tiniest moan and without even wanting to he slid his hands to her front, cupping her breasts carefully cause he knew that on some days she didn't like. Today however she didn't seem to mind at all.

"John, what are you doing?" Clara asked weakly.

"Helping you unwind," he breathed against her skin in reply as one of his hands slipped beneath the waistband of her skirt. He rubbed himself against her bum and was already starting to grow hard. John wanted her so much right now.

"How can you even find me attractive?" Clara sighed but let his hands and kisses continue.

Gently he bit down into her shoulder.

"I always find you attractive, even like this."

The moment the words left his mouth John knew he was in trouble. Bad phrasing. Very bad phrasing. Clara immediately struggled free of his embrace, slapping the hand away from her belly and she turned around to face him, looking furious.

"Even like this?" she asked angrily.

"I'm sorry, darling. That's not what I meant," John apologized sincerely.

"Oh? What did you mean then? 'I know you're currently the size of a small elephant but I'm too horny to care'?" Clara yelled at him. She was deep into her rage again and he doubted it would be so easy to calm her this time.

"That's definitely not what I meant, Clara. I love you and I don't care if you're the size of a small elephant or a big elephant. You're my wife and you're carrying our child and my feelings for you or my attraction to you isn't even remotely changed by that."

Before John had a chance to duck Clara reached for a pillow and hit him across the head. "That's exactly what I meant! Men! You don't care where you put it as long as you can put it somewhere!" she yelled and hit him again.

"Ow! Clara, please, calm down. You've got this all wrong!"

"Get out!"

"What?"

"I said get out," Clara repeated angrily, "I don't want to see you right now."

John took a deep breath. "Clara, please, let's talk about this. And above all, calm down."

"I will calm down once I'm alone!"

Knowing that he was defeated John got up from the bed.

"I'll go to the city. I'll be back in two or three hours, alright?"

"Just get out," Clara said weakly.

OOO

John returned home three hours later, packed with sheets, several sets of nappies, a stuffed puppy, several books and a huge bouquet of flowers, hoping that some of these things would lighten his wife's mood.

"Darling, I'm home," he said as he stepped inside their apartment, yet he got no reply. Walking further into the flat he found the living room empty. He quickly checked the kitchen and the bathroom but Clara was nowhere to be found.

John groaned as he dropped the results of his shopping tour next to the coffee table, thinking that Clara had probably gone to the diner against her doctor's instructions. Just last week he had caught her there chatting with Carlene.

John grabbed the bouquet and headed back outside but soon walked into the unfriendly and very angry looking landlord.

"Today isn't Friday," John said in passing.

"I know, but you'll pay extra this week because I had to clean up your wife's mess," he demanded angrily.

John turned around, the annoyance more than visible on his face. "What mess?"

"Her water broke right in the hallway. I had to clean it up. I'm telling you, it wasn't pretty-"

John was sure that the landlord was saying something but he had stopped listening after the first part of the sentence. No, it couldn't be. It was still three weeks before she was due.

"Hang on, what did you just say?" John asked, the panic showing in his voice, "What did you say about Clara?!"

"Her. Water. Broke," the man repeated as if speaking to a mentally disabled person, "She went into labour."

"Where is she?!" John shouted at him, "Where's Clara? Tell me!"

The landlord groaned. "The other waitress said she would drive her to the hospital but I'm still not seeing any money-"

"I have to go!"

Before the landlord could say anything else John rushed downstairs and back to his car. What the hell had Clara been doing? The baby wasn't due for another three weeks!

Panic was starting to rise inside him as he started the engine. What if something had gone wrong? What if something was wrong with the baby – or worse – with Clara? He should have been with her. In a hurry he pushed down the pedal and drove off into the direction of the hospital.