13 weeks
Harry sighed internally as he sat down opposite Towers in his office. "So what emergency is it this time?"
"Nothing," Harry said. "Things seem to be running better than smoothly.
"Then you're here because?"
"We are required to have these weekly meetings between our offices," Harry reminded him.
"Ah yes. You could have sent Ruth," Towers said with half a smile, wondering how far he could push Harry. "I'm sure you have more important things to do and I haven't seen the beautiful Miss Evershed in quite a while. Ever since the Russian reception I believe. How is she?"
"I think she's very well thank you," Harry said with a smile. "A little tired but its to be expected what with the baby and everything." A pause as Towers looked blankly at him. "Ruth's pregnant."
"Oh, um congratulations," Towers said, clearly surprised. "Although I'd love to know what you have to make women crawl all over you."
"I don't know what she sees in me to be honest, but she seems happy."
"Well congratulations," Towers repeated. "How is the other one? Jamie?"
"He's fine, loud and kicks everything in sight," Harry said with pride. "How is your wife?" he added, wanting to move the conversation away from his family life slightly.
"Fine," Towers replied. "She's visiting our daughter for a few days, I couldn't get away from the office." The conversation went on smoothly until Harry got up to leave.
"Do pass on my congratulations to Mrs Pearce won't you?"
"I certainly will," Harry said, privately appreciating her change in name. "Thank you William."
Harry got home late that night because of a JIC meeting that had overrun. When he opened the door he found Ruth carrying Jamie round in circles as the boy giggled. "I'm tiring him out before b.e.d." Ruth said spelling out the word because Jamie had recently worked out what bed meant.
"Stop for a minute," Harry said. She stilled and looked at him confused. "Hello," he said after kissing her. "And hello to you my little tyke!"
"Dada!" Harry smiled as Ruth put him down and he ran off. He was actually running now rather than walking and then falling over a few seconds later.
"I wanted to talk to you," Ruth said as she went through to the kitchen and put the kettle on.
"No good has ever come to a man after hearing his wife say that," Harry said. She reassured him with a brief kiss.
"I think we should get rid of your office in the house, you never use it anyway," Ruth added as he looked at her blankly. "When I moved in, nothing really changed in the house, which was fine. We were busy and you had the space for me. Then Jamie came along and we turned the spare room into his bedroom. Now with this one," she paused giving her stomach a pat. "We have no room for him or her. I don't want to move house because this is where we finally became us properly, so I've been thinking we can get rid of your office."
"Yes," Harry said.
"That's it, you're not going to argue with me?" Ruth asked, bewildered. She'd expected a bit of a fight.
"Of course I'm not arguing," Harry said. "Spud needs a room and I don't think I've used my study once since I married you."
"Okay," Ruth said giving him a kiss. "Good. I was worried about asking you that. I don't want you to feel like I'm emasculating you. I mean lot of our lives revolves around both of our children."
"I love you," Harry said simply. "You could redecorate the whole house if it would make you happy and I wouldn't care."
"I love you too," Ruth said. She was interrupted from looking into Harry's eyes by a tiny hand pulling on her leg.
"Mama?" She looked down and saw him doing a perfect little yawn.
"Come on then," Harry said, picking Jamie up. "Time for sleepy byes."
"I can do that," Ruth said.
"No, I'll put him down, you relax," Harry said. "Say goodnight to mama."
"Na!" Ruth smiled, knowing that was his version of goodnight.
"See you tomorrow handsome," Ruth said. She smiled as both the men in her life left the room and she made herself some tea.
By the time Harry came downstairs Ruth was halfway through a tub of vanilla ice cream watching some period drama on the TV. "Which Austen is it? Pride and Prejudice?" Harry asked recognising the type of thing she was watching.
"No, Persuasion," Ruth said, wriggling across the sofa so he could sit down.
"That's the worst story in English literature," Harry said, taking her feet in his lap and gently starting to rub them.
"I think its romantic," Ruth said with a glint in her eye. "Two people who can't quite get together because the timing is always wrong and things beyond their control. Then years later everything falls into place. Its romantic."
"You may have a point," Harry said, digging his thumbs into the arches of her feet making her sigh. "By the way Towers gave his congratulations for the bump today."
"You told him?"
"Yeah, was that okay?" Harry asked worried.
"I guess he'll stop flirting with me now," Ruth said.
"There's no need to sound so disappointed," Harry said correctly reading her tone of voice.
"Its not that, I spent years of my life feeling completely undesirable to everyone in the world. It was flattering to have a small distraction with Towers."
"Hm," Harry said sounding thoroughly unconvinced. Ruth fidgeted and moved so she straddled his lap, her body pushing against his delightfully.
"No one in my life has made me feel as beautiful or as wanted as you do, every single day," Ruth said with a smile. "He was a minor distraction at boring political events and dull meetings. Now kiss me and make me feel like something other than a fat expanding house." He needed no further persuasion and kissed her firmly, and didn't stop for a long time.
15 weeks.
"Wake up!" Ruth hissed, giving Harry a hard shove.
"What?" he moaned sleepily.
"Your child is moving now wake up!" Harry jerked upright and put both hands on Ruth's bump before his eyes had properly opened. Ruth smiled as she felt the child turn over as a flutter in her stomach.
"I can just feel it," Harry said honestly.
"I can really feel it," Ruth said in a quiet awestruck way. Eventually the movement stopped and she collapsed into the pillows. "That makes it so real." Harry stared at her with a quirked eyebrow. "Yes I know the large stomach and mood swings were massive giveaways but this makes it more than an abstract idea."
"Yes, Jamie really is going to be a big brother," Harry said with a smile. "Do you want to know whether it's a boy or a girl?" he asked once she'd settled comfortably against him.
"Yes," she said instantly. "I want to be proved right that it's a little girl."
"Okay," Harry said. "Whatever you want."
"You want to know too don't you?" Ruth asked.
"God yes," he said. "Can start properly thinking of names then. Once we know whether my office will be painted blue or pink."
"So we've agreed?"
"Yes," she said. She kissed him happily and they slipped into sleep. But not before the unborn Pearce gave another happy kick.
I probably won't use the headers "13 weeks" all the way through her pregnancy but its fun for the moment. Next time the scan and we find out whether its a boy or a girl.
