**Thank you to everyone that has read and is following this story. I just discovered the traffic button and am humbled by the number of hits. A very special thank you to everyone who chooses to review, the encouragement keeps me writing.
*Just a reminder this is all fiction and none of the medical or nautical information is true.
The day of the ultrasound had finally arrived. Victoria had taken special care to get herself ready for this appointment. Louise and June were going with her as her moral support and enthusiastic aunties. They picked up Victoria first thing in the morning and took her to the doctor's office. Victoria for her part was nervous, she hoped that both babies were healthy. Sver had seen her the night before and told her that she was carrying low which meant the babies were probably boys. Victoria's dreams had been filled with cherub faced little boys setting fires and throwing lawn darts at each other. The waiting room was crowded with pregnant women, Victoria found a seat and gracelessly plopped down into it. June and Louise walked to the receptionist and checked Victoria in.
"Wow, you look like you are ready to pop" said the woman next to her.
"I've still got a while to go" replied Victoria.
"How many you've got in there?" asked the woman.
"Two" answered Victoria.
"Good Luck with that" said the woman as her name was called.
June slid into the seat next to Victoria and smiled.
"I think that woman just called me fat" said Victoria suspiciously.
"Well everyone in here is in the same boat. Don't take anything too personal" said June.
Victoria just pouted, her feelings slightly hurt by the woman's comment. She gazed critically down at her body, her arms and legs (what she could see of them) looked to be the same. Her belly however was huge and as is natures cruel way her butt seemed to be sticking out more to offset the new bulge on her front.
"Victoria, it's your turn" said Louise.
Victoria snapped out her musings, pried herself out of the chair and followed Louise. She smiled to herself realizing she was one step closer to having these babies.
The air on the Northwestern was filled with anticipation. Everyone knew this was ultrasound day. Sig had even volunteered to switch places with Norman so he could be the first to know the sex of the babies. Of course Sig said it a little more disparaging than that, making some comment about hearing Victoria cry on the phone like a little girl was bad for his ears. Norman had thanked him and taken the seat in the captains chair. The crew on deck were enjoying having Sig outside helping them pull the pots. The Discovery Channel guys were in heaven, this season was going to be the best ever. Not only was the pregnancy announced on the boat but they'd heard the babies heartbeats, and now they were going to find out the sex of the babies all on HD digital film. They were smelling an Emmy. Edgar had taken bets on the sexes of the babies and everyone's guesses were listed on the white board in the galley. Edgar had picked two boys, Matt had said 2 girls, Sig and Nick had said one of each and Jake had said triplets, which earned him a serious smack on the back of the head.
Victoria laid back on the exam table trying not to complain about how uncomfortable she felt. The technician had told her that she was going to do some measurements first then turn the screen around and show everyone the babies. Victoria stared at the ceiling trying not to grunt every time the ultrasound wand pressed against her bladder. June and Louise had tried to keep up a running dialog of small talk but it soon became clear that Victoria had no interest in talking. The technician finally finished all the measurements and turned the monitor so Victoria, June and Louise could see. Louise pulled out the cell phone and dialed the boats number. Switching the phone to speaker Norman's voice filled the room.
"Victoria, how are you feeling?" asked Norman.
"I'm good. Are you ready to find out what we're having" said Victoria.
"Yes" said Norman.
Victoria nodded to the technician who began to move the ultrasound wand around on her belly.
"Ok, Victoria. This is baby 1 would you like to know the sex?" asked the technician.
"Yes, we'd like to know both of the babies' sex" said Victoria.
"Alright. Well this is baby number 1 and it's a boy" said the Technician.
"Wow, a boy. He looks so big" said Victoria her hand stretching towards the monitor.
"A boy" said Norman over the phone.
The technician moved the wand around a little more searching for the second baby. Finally the little baby came into view, still partially blocked by it's brother. The wand pressed deeper into Victoria's tummy as the technician tried to pick up the sex of the other twin.
"Finally, this one is a shy little girl" said the technician.
"Wow, you got one of each" said Louise.
Victoria just looked at the screen, tears streaming down her face.
"I've got to tell the guys" said Norman. There was the sound of his voice over the hailer announcing the sex of the babies.
"The babies look right on target for size and they look healthy. However, the doctor will be checking the pictures closely for any abnormalities.
"Victoria, I have to go, it's getting a little sloppy out. I love you so much and tell our baby girl and boy I love them too" said Norman.
"I love you Norman, please take good care of yourself and everyone else" said Victoria.
Turning back to the monitor Victoria spent the last few minutes of the appointment staring at her babies pictures on the screen.
Louise and June took her out to lunch after her appointment treating Victoria to a decadent meal including a sumptuous dessert. Victoria went to the bathroom 3 times during the meal and each time she left the table Louise grabbed her phone and frantically copied down the names and phone numbers in her contact list. Victoria returned to the table none the wiser.
"So Victoria, have you thought about a baby shower?" asked June casually.
"No, I've been to quite a few in my time and I think I'd just like something really small" said Victoria.
"You should think about registering for a few things" said Louise.
"I guess you're right" said Victoria thoughtfully.
"It should be sooner than later, because twins often come early" said June.
"That's what Dr. Rob said" commented Victoria.
The mention of his name started Louise on a gushing session about how great he was and how she loved going with Victoria to every appointment. When the meal was over Louise and June drove Victoria back to her house. Once she was out of the car the ladies immediately began to discuss the baby shower.
"Ok Louise, how many people were in her contact list" asked June.
"Wow, 100. But some aren't women so we don't have to invite them and they probably won't all fly up here for a shower" said Louise.
"Alright, well we are going to have to call them to invite them since we don't have addresses. I'd really rather send out a proper invitation" said June.
"Well, we will still send out invitations to the people we do have addresses for. The people up here, like Nick's wife" said Louise.
The ladies spent the rest of the afternoon discussing Victoria's party. In fact most of the party was planned by the end of the evening.
Norman was on cloud nine, he floated through his work with a smile on his face. He'd been in such a fantastic mood he'd even willingly talked to the cameraman for a good two minutes about how he was feeling about finding out the sex of the babies. Edgar walked into the stateroom and pulled out a plastic bag he'd hidden. Inside it was the stuff for Norman's baby shower which the crew was planning to throw as they headed in to offload. Edgar quickly shoved the bag back under his bunk when he heard someone walking down the hall. Matt opened the door and Edgar let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.
"Hey Ed, I wanted to ask if you still wanted me to make shrimp for dinner since it's Norman's special night" said Matt.
"It's the traditional going in meal, why change it" said Edgar.
"Roger" said Matt.
"Hey, where is the dad to be?" asked Edgar.
"He's up talking to Sig" answered Matt.
"We need to keep him out of the galley for awhile so we can decorate" said Edgar.
"I'm sure we can think of a reason to keep him in the room or we can just board him in here" said Matt.
"Maybe we can lock him in the engine room" said Edgar thoughtfully.
"We should just tell him to call Elf, they always talk forever" said Matt.
"Good idea, we can tell him to call her" said Edgar.
"That would be a good idea if it wasn't the middle of the night" said Matt.
"Damn it" said Edgar. "We'll just play it by ear."
Matt and Edgar both headed out of the room and walked to the galley. Nick and Jake were playing cards at the table when they walked in.
"Hey Edgar, what's up?" asked Jake.
"Tonight's the night" said Edgar mysteriously.
Nick rolled his eyes then whispered to Jake what was going to take place after dinner. Edgar and Nick had both brought "gifts" for Norman. A few little things to help him deal with his new job as a father.
"Cool" said Jake.
"Junior I have a job for you. I need you to distract Norman and keep him out of here until dinner is ready" said Edgar.
"How am I suppose to do that?" asked Jake.
"That is for you to decide. But he needs to stay out of here and if he doesn't you are going to be in deep shit" said Edgar.
Jake sighed and got up to find Norman. He thought it was probably easier to swim back to Dutch than try to tell Norman to do anything. Suddenly his whole demeanor brightened as he was struck by a particularly brilliant plan.
Norman was talking to Sig in the wheelhouse when Jake appeared. Norman passed Jake a cigarette as he walked up to him. Jake lit it and handed the lighter back to Norman.
"What's up Junior?" asked Sig.
"I just wanted to ask Norman a question" said Jake.
"Oh really? What's up?" asked Norman.
"Have you and Victoria thought about names?" asked Jake.
"Not really. Why do you have a suggestion?" asked Norman warily.
"I've always been partial to Jake" answered Jake.
"I don't think we are planning to name either kid after anyone we know" said Norman with a smile.
"I think you should name the boy Sig, because I was the one who told her she was pregnant" said Sig.
"I remember how much you hated that name in school and you want to torture another kid with it. Besides you have fans who've already named their kids after you" said Norman.
"Well you've told us all the names you don't want to name them, what about names you do like" asked Jake.
"It's Norwegian tradition to use parts of the parents names to create the names of the first born boy and girl" said Sig. "That is how I ended up with Sigurd."
"That's very cool. So lets see you could name the boy Norvic and the girl Riana" said Jake helpfully.
"Wow, those are some really interesting names, I'll have to write those down so I can share them with Victoria next time I talk to her" said Norman.
"I'm sure she already has names picked out" said Sig. "She's probably already made a list of them and is trying them out in front of Hansen to make sure it sounds good."
"Probably. Although she hasn't mentioned any names to me, maybe she's saving them for when I'm home" said Norman.
"Yeah because she wants to spring some really crazy one on you like Harmony or something" quipped Sig.
"Victoria doesn't really strike me as a weird name kind of girl. She seems like a traditionalist, someone who likes strong historical names. I mean she's named after a queen" said Jake.
"Maybe she's named after the lingerie store" said Sig.
"Call and ask her, I'm sure it's after the queen" asserted Jake.
"Junior, it's late and I'm sure she needs her rest" said Sig.
"I already know the answer. She is named after queen Victoria, her mom was a big fan of the royal family. Victoria was a very strong and regal queen" said Norman.
"Told you so" said Jake.
"DINNER" called Edgar from the galley.
As Norman walked into the galley his eyes widened in surprise. In the middle of the table was a paper stork centerpiece and scattered across the table was baby rattle confetti. The walls looked like they'd been sprayed with pink and blue silly string and there was a small pile of gifts sitting on the counter.
"What's going on here" asked Norman quietly.
"It's your baby shower" said Edgar.
"Great" said Norman unenthusiastically.
"Lets eat, then you can open your prizes" said Matt.
Dinner was dished out and everyone ate in relative silence, only the occasional request for something to be passed. Once the last dish was cleared from the table Matt brought out a chocolate cake with a pink and blue pacifier stuck in the top.
"Congratulations Norman" said Matt passing Norman a stack of plates and the knife.
"I should just kill you all now before the embarrassment begins, but the cake looks too tasty" said Norman.
After the cake was finished and the dishes cleared Edgar passed Norman the first gift in the pile.
"This one is from Nick" said Edgar passing Norman a box wrapped in tinfoil.
Norman tore open the gift before giving Nick a smile. It was a box of earplugs.
"I can only imagine what it's going to be like with two babies, one was enough to split my eardrums with her crying" said Nick.
"Thanks" said Norman.
"This one is from me" said Edgar.
Norman hesitantly opened the bag then immediately closed it again.
"Come on Norman, show everyone your special gift" said Edgar wickedly.
"Fine" said Norman.
He pulled out a stack of adult magazines and a bottle of astroglide.
"Wow Edgar, that's a pretty strange gift" commented Jake.
"It's perfect because Norman's not going to be getting any for a while after the babies are born" said Edgar.
"You are taking great pleasure in my future misery" said Norman.
"It's about time you get to join the no sex father club" said Edgar.
"Open my gift next" said Jake sliding an envelope over to Norman.
"Thanks Junior, it's a certificate good for one free night of babysitting. I'll have to check with Victoria to see if you're an approved childcare provider" said Norman.
"Seriously Norman, after a couple of months she's going to be dying to get out of the house. She'll be happy to let Junior babysit" said Sig.
"Here's one from me" said Matt.
"It's $50, for pizza when Victoria is too tired to cook" said Norman reading the card.
"Louise says she's still cooking up a storm at home" said Edgar casually.
"Yep, she told me she was making seafood risotto last time we talked" said Norman with a smile.
"Here's my gift" said Sig handing Norman a bag.
"What's this?" asked Norman pulling out a bottle.
"It's a bottle of champagne to open when the kids are born" said Sig.
"Thanks for all the gifts" said Norman.
"There is one more from us" said the cameraman. "But you'll have to wait until we get back to dry land, we had the guys in LA cut together the stuff from Victoria's pregnancy to some music and stuff."
"Cool, I hope I'm not in it too much" said Norman.
The rest of the trip back to Dutch was spent relaxing. With another successful offload the crew was once again heading back out hopefully for their last trip of the season.
Louise and June sat at a small cafe in downtown Seattle discussing Victoria's baby shower. The ladies picked at their salads while they reviewed the menu for the event.
"Well, what about the guest list?" asked June.
"It's the same as before, just the girls we know. None of Victoria's friends are coming" said Louise sadly.
"Are you sure you called everyone?" asked June.
"Yes, and honestly I think most of those names are of people she worked for. They all seemed to be surprised that I was calling them, but seemed happy to find out Victoria's married and pregnant. They've all been sending gifts but no one is actually coming to the shower" explained Louise.
"Where are they sending the gifts?" asked June.
"My house, since we are having the party there I thought it would be easier. Now I'm not so sure, she must have 50 gifts already. I'm going to run out of room" said Louise.
"Well at least they are sending her gifts" said June
"One person seemed pretty upset that I called her. She kept asking where I got her number and if Victoria had given me permission to call" said Louise.
"What did you say?" asked June.
"Nothing, I just hung up" said Louise.
"I'm sure it's nothing" said June reassuringly.
Lunch passed quickly and by the end of it June and Louise had the baby shower details all wrapped up. It was the following weekend and now that they had a confirmed guest list they were able to make the favors and order the food and of course tell the mother to be about her party.
Victoria already knew about her shower because all her former employers had called to find out why some strange lady was calling their private lines. Even the people that had been completely pleasant to Louise wanted to know why Victoria had given someone their phone numbers. Victoria patiently explained that she hadn't given anyone anything and that she was sorry that they felt their privacy had been violated. Then she graciously accepted their congratulations and hung up. Her personal favorite phone call had been from Trix, who'd immediately told her she wasn't allowed to go to the party because the dragon had gotten all up in a fuss about her private number being used. Victoria had apologized profusely to Trix because she knew what a pain she'd be going through for the next few weeks. Victoria was a little surprised at how sneaky Louise and June had been about the guest list. She was a little hurt they hadn't just asked her for a guest list, not that she had anyone specifically in mind but still it would have been nice to be asked. The more she thought about it the more she realized she should be happy to be a part of a family where people actually threw surprise parties. It was a novel experience for a little orphan.
The day of the party had finally arrived and Victoria found herself in Louise's house watching everyone play silly shower games like not saying the word baby in conversation and trying to sit without crossing their legs. This was certainly not her first baby shower, but it was obviously the first one where she was the guest of honor. Louise and June had ordered her favorite foods even getting risotto from Mario Batali's restaurant. Finally the time for presents arrived and Louise moved Victoria into a big plush chair and started bringing down package after package from upstairs. Alexis volunteered to write down who gave what. Victoria didn't know what to say the sheer number of gifts was overwhelming. She decided to start with the gifts from the people who actually attended the party so they could be thanked in person. The gifts were incredibly generous and she was really touched by everyones thoughtfulness. She stopped once the gifts from everyone at the party had been opened. Louise and June took over and Victoria watched with detached amusement as they opened and catalogued the 65 gifts received from her friends and former employers. Once everything was opened June and Louise sat back enjoying a glass of wine while Victoria rested on the couch.
"Thank you both so much for throwing this amazing shower for me. I feel really blessed to have such an amazing family" said Victoria.
"You are so welcome, we are so excited for you" said Louise.
"How about we get you home. We'll bring over all the gifts later and help you set up the nursery" said June.
"Sounds good to me, I'm exhausted and all I did was sit, eat and open presents" said Victoria.
June drove Victoria home even going so far as to walk her to the door. With Victoria tucked safely into bed June drove back to Louise's to help clean up.
Norman and the guys were heading in for their final offload of the season. The season had been full of storms, ice and good fishing. As was their tradition no one called home until they were safely at the processor in Dutch to call the season over. Norman pulled his pictures of Victoria and the ultrasounds out and looked at them with a smile. He was so close to going home and seeing his beautiful pregnant wife. Edgar walked into the room snatching the ultrasound pictures off the bed.
"I think you should name the boy Edgar or at least have Edgar as a middle name" said Edgar.
"I was thinking of Norman the second" said Norman.
"Really? That's interesting" said Edgar.
"No, Victoria and I haven't even talked about names. It doesn't seem like something we should do over the SAT phone. But I'll make sure to let her know about your suggestion" said Norman.
"Please do. I'm going to take watch, I'll see you later" said Edgar.
Edgar walked up to the wheelhouse and relieved a very tired looking Sig. Edgar settled into the captain's chair and was soon in a sort of exhausted daze. Then the SAT phone rang.
"Northwestern, Edgar."
"(unintelligible mumbling followed by crying)"
'Victoria? What's wrong?" asked Edgar.
"I campbowl rover" said Victoria.
"What? I can't understand what you're saying. Are the babies ok?" asked Edgar in a panic.
*Sniff* "Yes, they are fine" said Victoria her voice calming slightly.
"What are you crying about?" asked Edgar.
"I can't roll over" said Victoria. "I just woke up because I couldn't roll over. I'm like a huge beached whale in the middle of this bed."
"I'm sure you look beautiful" said Edgar trying to slow his heart rate.
"How's everything going up there?" asked Victoria her voice a little watery.
"Good. How are you? Do you always call hysterical in the middle of the night or is this a special call because I'm on watch?" said Edgar.
"This is my first hysterical call. It's really the first time I've ever had a reason to be hysterical" said Victoria.
"I'm excited to be the one you reached" said Edgar.
Edgar heard Victoria yawn and smiled to himself.
"So Victoria, have I ever told you about the time Sig got boxing gloves for Christmas?" asked Edgar.
"No" said Victoria sleepily.
"I'll tell you now, just lay down ok" said Edgar.
"Done" said Victoria.
"All tucked in?" asked Edgar.
"Yep, and I'm ready for my story" said Victoria.
"Well Santa thought it would be great to get the oldest, meanest brother boxing gloves for Christmas. So Sig rips open the box slips on the gloves and decides to go after the smallest albeit cutest brother. So he's punching me and Norman like the great brother that he is holds me down so Sig can get in a few easy punches before finally letting me go cry to mom. I ended up in the family photo with two black eyes and a swollen nose."
Edgar could hear the faint sounds of Victoria's breathing.
"Ok Victoria, hang up the phone" said Edgar soothingly.
"Thanks Edgar" said Victoria's sleepy voice. "Tell Norman I love him."
"Will do, take care of yourself" said Edgar as he heard Victoria hang up.
A few hours later Norman came in to take watch and Edgar told him about the phone call from Victoria. They both had a good laugh about that fateful Christmas and Edgar assured Norman that Victoria was fine, perhaps just a little upset about not being as mobile as she use to be.
The boat was docked at the processor and the first few brailers had already been dropped onto the deck. Sig made the first phone call home.
"Hey June baby, we are coming home" said Sig the moment his wife answered.
"Oh great" said June. "Is everyone ok?"
"Yep, once again a good season with no injuries" said Sig proudly.
"That's great honey" said June distractedly.
"June, is everything ok where you are?" asked Sig.
"Fine. Listen you can't tell Norman but Victoria fell this morning" said June.
"What? Is everything ok?" interrupted Sig.
"Yes, if you would let me finish. She's fine, Louise took her in to see the OB and he says the only thing that happened was she lost her mucus plug. It's really no big deal but he recommends bed rest until she goes into labor" said June.
"June, I'm no doctor, but that seems a little more serious than everything is fine" said Sig.
"She's fine, just resting at home" said June. "Don't tell Norman, Victoria was really upset at herself for falling. She doesn't want Norman to worry" said June.
"Fine, but if anything happens call my cell. We should be done offloading for the next 20 hours then we are coming home. The boat should be in port by the end of the week" said Sig.
"I can't wait to see you honey. I've missed you" said June.
"I love you and can't wait to hold you in my arms" said Sig.
Sig hung up the cell phone and quietly walked back on deck. He saw that Matt and Jake were carefully watching the brailer weights and writing them on the clipboard. Edgar and Nick were watching the guys loading the crab inside the tanks. Norman was no where to be found. Sig walked back inside nearly colliding with a very frantic looking Norman.
"What's up Norm?" asked Sig.
"I have to go home. Victoria fell today, lost some sort of plug" said Norman.
"June said she was fine" said Sig.
"You knew about this?!" demanded Norman.
"I just found out, I was looking for you so I could tell you what happened" said Sig.
"I'm going to fly home, just so I can be there to take care of her. She's on bed rest" said Norman.
"Go, we've got everything covered here. Have Edgar drive you to the airport, I'll see you when the boat gets in" said Sig.
"Thanks" said Norman.
Norman walked out onto deck yelling for Edgar. He explained the situation to Edgar who was clearly shocked by the new development. Norman was on the next flight out of Dutch and safely back in Seattle the following day.
Victoria laid in bed completely bored. Norman had arrived a few days ago and had been keeping her confined to the bedroom. She thought he was taking the idea of bed rest to a whole other level. Victoria had assured him that the doctor had said resting was a good idea not that she had to do it all the time. But Norman had insisted she stay in bed, only getting up to use the bathroom. Victoria heard the doorbell ring and hoped it was something to eat being delivered. A few minutes later Norman, Sig and Edgar walked into the bedroom.
"Wow Elf, you've definitely popped" said Sig.
"Did you just call me fat?" asked Victoria her eyes narrowing.
"What? No. I said you look beautifully pregnant" said Sig.
"Hmph" was Victoria's response.
"Well Victoria, Edgar and I are going to get the supplies to build the shelves in the nursery" said Norman.
"Great, once those are in everything will be ready" said Victoria.
"And Sig is going to stay here and keep you company" said Norman.
"Ok" said Victoria.
Norman and Edgar said their goodbyes and Sig sat down in the chair at the end of Victoria's bed.
"So Elf, how's everything been going?" asked Sig.
"Fine, your wife and Louise have been amazing. Did you want to see what I got from the baby shower?" asked Victoria.
"Sure" said Sig.
"Help me up and I'll show you" said Victoria.
Sig helped Victoria get to her feet and smiled as he realized that she was wearing one of Norman's Northwestern Sweatshirts.
"Wow, you are really filling out that sweatshirt" said Sig.
"Sig, if you want to save yourself from serious injury I would suggest not saying anything else about how big I'm looking these days" said Victoria in a sticky sweet voice.
"Roger" said Sig.
Victoria showed Sig the nursery and the ridiculous amount of stuff they'd been given.
"What's this?" asked Sig picking up a Lego ship.
"That is a lego version on the Northwestern given to us by a fan" said Victoria. "In fact since the season is previewing on Discovery we've been getting a lot of fan gifts."
"That's cool" said Sig.
"My favorite is this one" said Victoria pulling out a onesie that said My Uncle Sig says Shut Up and Fish.
"Has Norman seen all this stuff?" asked Sig picking up a stuffed toy from one of the cribs.
"Yeah, I think he's a little surprised at how much stuff we have for two tiny babies" said Victoria walking out of the room.
Instead of turning back towards the bedroom she ambled towards the stairs and started to walk down.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" asked Sig.
"I'm getting a snack" said Victoria.
"Are you allowed to do that?" asked Sig.
"Yes, I have to eat" said Victoria.
Victoria walked into the kitchen for the first time since she'd fallen. She took a deep breath and sighed, it was so good to be back. She immediately walked to the pantry and pulled out the makings for mushroom risotto. She started the rice while Sig sat down in the kitchen chair.
"What are you making Elf?" asked Sig.
"Mushroom Risotto and a steak. Do you want some?" asked Victoria.
"That is a snack?" asked Sig.
"Remember what I said earlier about watching what you say to me" said Victoria warningly.
"Sounds delicious I'd love to have a snack with you" amended Sig.
Victoria puttered about the kitchen bumping her tummy here and there until one particular bump caused her to cringe.
"Are you ok?" asked Sig.
"Yes, it's just sometimes I bump them and they get a little upset" said Victoria.
"Can I feel?" asked Sig.
"Sure, just let me stir the rice" said Victoria.
Once the rice was stirred and she was sure it wouldn't burn she walked over to Sig. She pulled up the sweatshirt so her belly was fully exposed. Sig gently placed his hand on her stomach feeling the movement of the babies inside.
"You should talk to them" said Victoria. "They love it when Norman does."
Sig leaned forward almost pressing his lips to Victoria's belly.
"Hey kids, I'm your uncle Sig. Your best uncle" said Sig.
He leaned back and watched as Victoria's stomach rippled slightly and the clear impression of a foot appeared just above her belly button.
"Wow, that was a foot" said Sig placing his hand where the foot had been.
He could feel the faint outline of the body part. He pressed slightly harder trying to feel the contours of the foot. Victoria stepped back rubbing her hand along her tummy.
"Not so hard. You can't grab the foot through my skin" said Victoria.
"Sorry, I got carried away" said Sig.
"It's ok. Are you ready to eat?" asked Victoria.
"Yep, what do you want to drink?" asked Sig opening the fridge.
"Sparkling water, the lemon one on the top shelf. You look like you could use a beer, try one from the door" said Victoria.
"I don't want to drink one in front of you at 10 am" said Sig.
"I won't tell" said Victoria.
"Norman would have my ass if he thought I was drinking. What if you went into labor?" asked Sig.
"Well Norman is already going to have your ass because I'm suppose to stay in bed" said Victoria. "What's beer?"
"You said you were allowed out of bed" said Sig grabbing the drinks.
"I am, but only to go to the bathroom. Don't worry, if anyone asks I'll say you made the food" said Victoria setting the plates on the table.
"I'm so dead. You better eat fast and get back upstairs" said Sig.
"I haven't been allowed of bed since I fell, I'm relishing this. In fact I may not go back upstairs at all. Maybe I'll take a walk" said Victoria.
"You eat your food and then you are going back upstairs even if I have to carry you" said Sig.
"If you plan on carrying me I hope you've been lifting weights" said Victoria.
"I could do it. It would probably be all on adrenaline anyway, like those moms that lift cars off their children" explained Sig.
Victoria and Sig ate their meal enjoying the delicious food and spirited conversation. Once Victoria was finished she sighed then yawned. Sig helped her upstairs and tucked her back into bed. He'd just finished putting the last dish away when Norman and Edgar returned.
"How'd it go?" asked Norman.
"Fine, she's taking a nap" said Sig.
"Good, she needs the rest" said Norman. "Did she get up at all?"
"She showed me some of the gifts in the nursery" said Sig.
"Oh, well I guess that's ok" said Norman.
"Norm, we need to get started on the shelves" said Edgar.
"Right, thanks for Elf sitting for me Sig" said Norman.
"You're welcome" said Sig. "I'll see you later."
Sig made a quick exit before Norman discovered what Victoria had really been up to in his absence.
A/N: Up Next the birth of a couple of babies.