Summary: Things don't always go as planned. Faced with an unexpected pregnancy, James and Rose have to work quickly to get everything prepared for their fifth child, and to prepare their eldest children for a new addition to the family.
Ages of the Tyler-McCrimmons at the start of the chapter:
James: 39
Rose: 34
Ainsley: 9
Sianin: 6
Twins: 7 months
Chapter Rating: T
Warning for pregnancy complication at end of chapter.
Chapter 7:
If she hadn't known any better, Rose wouldn't have realized she was pregnant. It may have been too early for the pregnancy hormones to start wreaking havoc through her body, but Rose hoped she continued feeling normal for as long as possible. She'd never had much morning sickness with any of her previous pregnancies and was crossing her fingers that the trend continued. For the time being, she didn't have any food cravings or sensitivities either, though she did notice James had preemptively thrown away (or eaten) the bananas that usually sat on their counter.
Meanwhile, she and James began working almost immediately to get the ball rolling with moving to the McCrimmon manor. Jackie was indeed available to keep Ainsley and Sianin overnight the following weekend, allowing James, Rose, and Robert to meet up to discuss the family's relocation to Scotland without any little ears over-hearing the plans, and the reason for needing to move sooner rather than later.
James was still out, driving their elder children to Jackie's flat in London, when Robert arrived. As per usual, he let himself into the house with a quickly announced, "It's me!"
Rose, busy cleaning a dirty nappy, called out from the nursery, "Be out in a second."
After efficiently wiping Hannah's bum, securing a fresh nappy around it, and snapping shut the onesie, Rose picked her daughter up and walked to the living room. Her father-in-law had a drowsy Maddie in his arms and was slowly pacing the living room, speaking softly to her.
Rose's heart squeezed and, quietly as she could so as not to alert Robert, she pulled her phone from her back pocket and snapped a few photos. He must have seen her from the corner of his eye, because he turned to face her and grinned broadly.
James is going to be looking damn fine in thirty years.
Her father-in-law had always been an attractive man, and he seemed to have gotten more distinguished as he got older. Considering James was the spitting image of his father, Rose felt pretty confident that he would age just as finely. Despite Robert being seventy, he didn't look it; he was as vibrant and energetic now as he was ten years ago. It filled her heart to see the overwhelming love her father-in-law had for her children; she was grateful that her children had such a doting grandfather who loved them like a third parent.
"Hi Dad," she said, tiptoeing up to him to give him a peck on the cheek.
Hannah, seeing her twin, squealed in delight, which jarred Maddie awake. Her face crumpled as she let out a wail, causing Hannah to begin crying as well.
"It's your fault she's upset," Rose muttered as she rocked and bounced her baby. She kissed Hannah's soft, fine hair. "Don't go makin' loud sounds while your sister's trying to sleep."
It didn't take long to get both babies settled again. Robert got Maddie back to sleep and wisely placed her in her crib in the nursery, since Hannah wasn't ready to go down for a nap yet. Instead, the baby wanted to be set down on the floor, where she happily rolled from one toy to another.
When Robert returned, he opened up his arms and said, "A proper hello. And I hear congratulations are in order! How marvelous, darling. I'm so excited for you and James."
Rose grinned and leaned into her father-in-law's embrace. "Thanks. We're excited too. And panicking at the same time."
"Understandable. Can I make you a cuppa tea while we wait for James?"
Rose nodded, and her father-in-law disappeared into the kitchen to start heating the water.
It was another hour before James returned, time that Rose and Robert passed by chatting absently and watching silly cartoons even after Hannah had slumped face-first into a blanket for her nap. Robert mindlessly reached down to turn the baby's head to the side to keep her nose free of the blankets.
When Rose saw James's car pull into their drive, she lightly leapt to her feet and opened the front door as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake their napping children. James's face lit up in a bright smile when he saw her, making her stomach swoop. He quickened his pace until he was in front of her, then he leaned down and pressed a series of kisses to her lips.
"Hi," he murmured.
"The twins are asleep," Rose managed to say between kisses. She placed her hand on the nape of his neck, keeping him in kissing range. "Wanted to warn you before you came barging in."
"Me? Barge? Never."
Rose grinned and stretched up to kiss him again. "Dad's inside."
"Hmm, then we should keep this outside, is what you're saying," James teased, grabbing her arse.
Rose rolled her eyes and planted one final kiss to his lips before pulling away, ignoring his pout. "We can continue this tonight. Don't have to be as quiet with Ainsley and Sianin gone."
James waggled his eyebrows, then gestured for Rose to enter the house.
To be perfectly honest, Rose didn't care about any of the discussions about the legal aspect of moving to the manor, especially since, legally, it wasn't her responsibility. James and Robert were sheepish when they told Rose she wasn't actually allowed to be listed as a legal owner of the house.
"It's passed through James's side of the family," Robert explained. "Even when Vera and I lived there, everything was in her name. When she passed, I was made the… the… caretaker, I guess you'd call it. Watching over it and maintaining it and being allowed to live there until James was ready for it."
"That's such an antiquated idea," James groaned, cheeks flaming red. "Can't we… I dunno, redo the paperwork so Rose has full authority over the house too? What if I drop dead next week…?"
"Don't you bloody dare, mister," Rose interrupted, poking her finger into his chest. "You're not leavin' me with five kids, thanks."
"If, God forbid, you were to untimely pass," Robert interrupted calmly, "I would stay on as caretaker, meaning I could give Rose and the kids full permission to live there. Then, when Ainsley turns eighteen, the house can be legally transferred to her."
Rose sat up straighter and glanced at James out of the corner of her eye. "Er… how does that work, though? We've got five kids. It's not fair that the house would go to Ainsley just 'cos she happens to be the oldest."
"You've got several options." Robert grimaced. "James has got several options about how he legally wishes to pass along the house."
"Stop that," James growled. "Rose has as much input as I do in this situation. This is going to be our family's house."
"I know that," Robert said patiently. "But legally, it's not. If anything were to ever happen, Rose legally does not have a say in what happens. Just as I legally don't have a say in the manor. I am simply acting as its guardian until it is filed under your name, James."
Rose took James's hand and caressed her thumb across it before turning her attention back to Robert and prompting, "Several options?"
"Right. Yes. You've got several options. You can bequeath it to any of your children, regardless of age or gender. Or you can make them all legal owners, and they can decide among themselves who gets to live there. There is a trust fund established if any of the kids wants to sign away their rights to the property, they get compensated for it. However, that's a final decision on their part; they can't "buy it back". And there are a few other options too; however, I think we are very much getting ahead of ourselves. We're supposed to be discussing the two of you moving into the manor, not your successors."
For the next hour or so, Robert outlined all of the documents that needed to be signed by James as the official holder of the deed title, and by Rose, who would be listed as the new caretaker of the property should something happen to James.
"And if you want to do any renovations on the manor, I would suggest you start thinking about them now," Robert said when their discussion wrapped up. "It takes time to get contractors out to examine the house, see what you want done, take measurements, come up with an estimate, and so on. When were you two planning to move in, anyway?"
Rose grimaced. "We haven't completely decided. We're torn between moving before the baby gets here, or waiting 'til the girls' school term ends next June." She covered her flat stomach. "It also depends if everything… er… goes all right. No complications, or…"
She let the words die on a little shrug. Clearing her throat, she continued, "We're thinking of going to Scotland for the kids' half-term break next month. We're going to tell them we're moving into that house, and ask for what they might like to see done with the house so it'll feel more like their home when we move."
"We could use an extra set of eyes and hands to wrangle the kids," James added, smiling sweetly at his father. "Wanna play the favorite grandfather?"
A grin tugged at the corner of Robert's mouth as he rolled his eyes. "I suppose I could be persuaded to tag along."
oOoOo
The first week of October brought with it crisp, cool weather and an explosion of colors on the trees. It was as if the leaves shifted from green to hues of reds, golds, and oranges overnight. Autumn had always been Rose's favorite time of year, between the perfect weather, the gorgeous scenery, and, of course, celebrating the day James was born. This year had the unique pleasure of it being his fortieth birthday, and Rose couldn't wait for the end of the month so they could go away together for a long weekend to celebrate. She'd already made all of the arrangements, and though she'd told James they were going away, she told him nothing else and scolded him whenever he tried to wheedle the information out of her.
But first, she and James had a month of autumn festivities to share in with their children. The first weekend of October was packed with autumn traditions. They awoke early with their daughters and bundled them up into the car to drive to an autumn festival in a nearby town. They'd attended the festival annually since it opened up five years ago, and Rose felt a sudden pang that she and James would have to find somewhere new to take the kids for annual traditions once they moved to Scotland. They would have to find somewhere else to walk through a corn maze, pick their pumpkins, harvest their apples, find their Christmas tree…
"Penny for 'em," James said, bumping his hip against hers when she nearly walked away from the admissions gate without taking back her credit card.
She flashed an apologetic smile to the front gate attendant, then accepting her credit card from James. He leaned close to her ear and asked, "Got baby brain already?"
Rose rolled her eyes and smacked his arm lightly. After making sure her eldest children were out of earshot, she said, "Just thinkin' that this time next year, we'll be in Scotland. We'll need to find new places to form traditions with the kids."
Judging by the blank and then stricken expression on his face, the thought never occurred to James. Though they were eager to move their family to Scotland, neither of them had fully processed that moving meant leaving behind everything that had become so familiar to their family.
"Well. I'm sure they've got pumpkin patches and corn mazes in Scotland," James sniffed.
"That's the spirit," Rose laughed, threading her arm through his as he pushed the twins' pram in front of them.
Ainsley and Sianin were holding hands and chattering excitedly as they led the way through the festival. The girls wanted to hit the face painting station first, but James gently reminded them that they enjoyed bobbing for apples, and that water and paint didn't mix.
"Where's the apple bobbing station?" Sianin asked, standing up onto her tiptoes as though that would help her see past the throng of people twice her height.
Ainsley, meanwhile, grabbed the map they'd picked up at the front gate and scanned it quickly. Her face lit up and she jabbed her finger into the paper. "There!" She glanced up and around, orienting herself to where they were, she spun in a quarter circle, and said, "It should be this way."
James glanced over to Rose, his eyebrows raised. Rose merely shrugged and followed their eldest; even if she was wrong about their direction, it wasn't exactly as though they could get lost.
Ainsley hadn't been wrong, though, and a few minutes later, James and Rose were standing with the crowd of other parents to watch their children bob for apples and get utterly soaked in the process. Even though the stand offered protective plastic sheets for the kids to wear around their shoulders, Sianin seemed to defy all laws of nature and gravity in her quest to retrieve her apples. Her hair was dripping onto her shirt when she and Ainsley joined them several minutes later.
James rooted through the carrier basket on the bottom of the pram for the towels they'd thought to bring to the festival.
"C'mere, you," he said, and he flung the towel over Sianin's entire head, making her squeal with laughter.
Rose watched with a smile as James wrapped his arms around Sianin, who had the towel draped over her head, and tickled her relentlessly. She shrieked and squirmed in his arms.
"Daddy, stopstopstop!" Sianin cried breathlessly, even as she giggled.
James immediately pulled away from her and tugged the front of her towel away from her face. "All right?"
Sianin's cheeks were bright red and her eyes shone with mirth. "My lungs were getting tired."
"Well, we can't have tired lungs, can we?" he asked. "Will you let me dry your hair?"
Sianin nodded and angled her head towards him. He vigorously rubbed the towel through her mousy brown hair. It was still damp when he pulled away, but it at least wasn't dripping wet.
He then turned to Ainsley. "How's your hair doing?"
Ainsley accepted the towel from him and squeezed it around her hair. She then turned to Rose. "Will you braid my hair?"
Rose gestured towards an open bench a few paces away. There was no back to the bench, so it was easy for Rose to straddle it with Ainsley in front of her. She quickly and efficiently worked Ainsley's thick chestnut hair into a simple, loose French braid.
"Me next, me next!" Sianin shouted, bouncing beside Rose.
When Ainsley stood from the bench, Sianin took her place. "Can I have piggy tail braids? But make 'em end in a ponytail. Please."
Rose hummed in assent, and, five minutes later, Sianin's hair was finished as well.
The family's next stop was to grab snacks for the kids. Rose bought a caramel apple apiece for the girls, and one for her and James to share. However, after only one bite, her stomach rolled.
"Nope, too sweet," Rose said, pushing it into James's hand with a grimace.
He frowned at her. "Are you feeling all right?"
"Yep, and if I want to continue feeling all right, you're gonna have to eat that by yourself," she replied.
James didn't look convinced, but didn't press the issue. Instead, he said, "We're going to have to find something else for you to eat."
She shrugged. "I'm not all that hungry anyway."
He rolled his eyes and continued munching his apple.
When the kids had finished their caramel apples and their faces were wiped clean, Rose suggested they go to the face painting station next before they headed to the back of the festival grounds for the corn maze and the pumpkin patch.
Rose was glad for the opportunity to sit for a few minutes while the kids got their faces painted. Her feet were beginning to hurt, and, despite the fact that she wasn't hungry, the lack of food in her stomach was making her a little lightheaded. Ignoring her wobbly vision, Rose guzzled water and was glad when it seemed to help.
James rolled the baby buggy up to her, then he reached inside to pick up Hannah. The girl beamed and gurgled, drool dripping down her chin. James crouched down and placed Hannah onto the bench seat beside Rose.
"Nappy change," he explained unnecessarily, peeling Hannah's leggings down her chubby thighs. He cooed down at the baby as he efficiently cleaned and changed her, and he handed her to Rose while he tended to Maddie.
"We should probably feed them," Rose said, glancing at her watch. "Think we've got time?"
James glanced over to the face painting station. "Probably. Ainsley and Sianin are still waiting their turn."
By now, James and Rose were proficient with mealtimes, and especially mealtimes in public; it helped that the twins were good eaters. They very rarely made a fuss about what food they were being offered, unless it was a brand-new food. However, James and Rose tried to keep the experimentation at home so as to not provoke a public meltdown. The twins happily munched on their lunch of pureed avocado and peas, and ended up wearing a decent amount of it in the process. They were starting to grab the spoon to feed themselves, and while both parents were pleased with the milestone, it made mealtimes that much messier and more frustrating.
"I win," Rose crowed when she tossed the empty jar and spoon into the baby bag. Maddie, the twin she had been feeding, only had a few drops of green on her shirt, whereas Hannah's entire shirt was covered.
James stuck his tongue out at her and continued coaxing Hannah into swallowing her food rather than playing with it in her mouth.
"Mummy, Daddy, look!"
Rose glanced over and saw her second oldest child racing towards her. Sianin skidded to a halt then closed her eyes and pointed to her face. She had gotten a spider web haloed across her forehead and around her eyes and eyelids, with a series of black spiders peppered along her cheeks and crawling down her jaw and neck.
"Very spooky," James praised. "You look beautiful, darling."
"Let me take your picture," Rose said, grabbing her phone.
Sianin grinned at the camera, baring her teeth and scrunching her eyes shut. Rose laughed and snapped the picture, then said, "Okay, a little more restrained, if you please."
Ainsley hurried up to them next. She had gotten a tree painted along the right side of her face; its branches stretched midway across her nose and forehead, and sparse red and orange leaves floated across to the other side of her face, collecting into a pile along the curve of her jaw.
Rose dutifully took Ainsley's photograph, then told the girls to pose together.
As Rose took the photos, James worked on cleaning Hannah's messy face and neck, and switched out her soiled shirt for a clean one. He then swapped babies to get Maddie cleaned up. When he'd finished with her, he set both babies in Rose's arms and said, "Everyone sit with Mummy."
Ainsley and Sianin scrambled onto the bench and wrapped their arms around Rose's waist. James backed up a few paces and snapped their photograph.
"Watch out, love," Rose called out as he continued stepping back to get a better angle and nearly bowled over an elderly couple.
"Oh, blimey, I'm so sorry," he said, eyes wide.
"Would you like us to take your photograph?" the old woman said, waving off his apology. "You've got such a beautiful family, it'd be a shame if you were left out of this memory."
Rose could see James's chest puffing up with pride. "That'd be brilliant. Thanks so much."
He handed his phone to the old woman and motioned for Sianin to stand up. He sat in her place, then hauled her onto his lap. Wishing she could tug Ainsley into her lap, Rose settled for readjusting her grip on the twins so she could wrap her arm around her eldest child. Ainsley leaned into Rose's side, wrapping one arm around Rose's lower back, and the other in front of the twins.
"Smile," the old woman said before she tapped the phone screen a few times. "There! Beautiful!" She hobbled up to them, her husband trailing good-naturedly behind her. "Daughters are such a wonderful blessing, aren't they?"
"Oh, yes," James replied, accepting his phone from her.
"We had three girls," the old man piped up. "Best gifts to come of our fifty-six years together. Now we've got four grandsons and three granddaughters, with a great-granddaughter on the way shortly after the New Year."
He smiled softly down at his wife, who beamed up at him. Rose's heart squeezed with happiness, and she blurted, "Can we take your photograph for you?"
"Oh, that's very kind, dear, but we haven't got those fancy mobile phones. Just those old flip-phones. Our children try to get us to upgrade, but we can't seem to justify the expense." The old woman laughed. "Thank you for the offer though. Have a lovely day."
The old man linked his hand through his wife's, and together they shuffled away and got lost in the crowd of people.
"They were so adorable," Ainsley sighed dreamily. She nudged her elbow into Rose's ribs. "That's gonna be you and Dad in like forty years."
"I sure hope so," Rose murmured, glancing up at her husband.
James's face was soft as he leaned down and brushed a kiss to her lips.
"Ew, stop that," Sianin whined, wriggling off of James's lap.
"Shut up, Sian," Ainsley said. "We're lucky that Mum and Dad love each other. We could've been stuck with parents who hated each other and fought and yelled constantly."
"Nuh uh, because Mummy's egg and Daddy's sperm made us, so we wouldn't be us if we had different mummies and daddies."
Rose blinked, her expression mirroring James's.
"That's… that's very astute, Sianin," he said.
She squinted at him. "What's a stute?"
"Astute," James corrected. "All one word. Means clever. That was a very clever observation you just made, about you being a different person if you came from a different mum and dad."
"Oh, okay. Can we do the corn maze now?"
"Sure, darling." James stood and took one of the twins from Rose, securing her into the pram once more.
Rose stood with the second baby, but had to sit back down again when the world tilted on its axis. She tightened her hold on her baby, suddenly terrified she was about to drop her.
"Whoa." James gripped her shoulder. "You okay?"
"Stood up a bit fast," Rose said, blinking against her pulsing vision. "Gimme a minute."
James squeezed her shoulder, then reached down to take the baby she held, strapping her into the pram beside her twin. By the time he'd finished that task, Rose's head had cleared and it didn't feel as tingly.
"Let's go to the corn maze," she announced with enthusiasm.
James was watching her closely, but after a few seconds, he nodded and moved to begin pushing the baby buggy in the direction of the corn maze.
"Let me?" Rose requested, hoping that her balance would be aided by holding on to the pram.
"Have some water first," James said, cracking open a new bottle. He stole a few mouthfuls before he handed it to her.
She hadn't realized how thirsty she was, but once the cool liquid hit her throat, she couldn't stop herself from polishing half of the bottle off at once. Rehydrating helped, and she didn't feel as shaky as she walked with her family to the corn maze.
James kept his hand on her lower back as he guided her inside the maze on the heels of an exuberant Ainsley and Sianin.
"Can we do it on our own?" Ainsley pleaded when they made it to the first fork in the path.
Rose hesitated. The corn maze was intended for children and families, so it wasn't all that complex. Ainsley had a decent sense of direction and solid logic skills, so she would probably be fine. But if she and Sianin got separated… Well, it was a maze. A game designed for players to get lost.
"Pleeeease?" Ainsley begged, turning her pout on her father.
Rose had to bite her lip to stop from smiling. She could practically see James's reservations disappearing as Ainsley flashed him those big blue eyes of hers. He helplessly turned to Rose.
"I guess it's okay," Rose said, then she hardened her voice. "Hold your sister's hand and do not let go." She glared at her middle child. "Do not leave Ainsley's side. Do you hear me?"
Sianin nodded solemnly, even as Ainsley scoffed and rolled her eyes. "There are maze attendants wandering around the maze the entire time, Mum. It's not like she would permanently be lost in there."
"Watch your tone, little miss," James said, arching an eyebrow. "Your teen years are still a few years off, yeah? You're not allowed to get annoyed with your mum for caring and worrying about you and your sisters."
Ainsley blinked, her cheeks flushing. "Sorry. I just… I meant that we're not alone in there, is all."
Rose took in a deep breath then let it out again. "Fine. Go ahead."
"Hold hands," James called after them. "I don't care how sweaty your palms get."
Rose watched her eldest kids clasp hands, but right before they disappeared around a corner, they let go again.
"Insubordinate little terrors," James grumbled, though Rose heard the affection in his voice.
They chanced upon Ainsley and Sianin a few times as they navigated the maze, until about ten minutes later, James and Rose emerged. Rose's head was pounding when they left the maze, and she immediately sank onto a nearby bench. James sat beside her and wrapped his arm loosely around her waist.
"Not sure it bodes well for me if my feet are already this tired," Rose joked, leaning into his side.
"I'll give you a foot massage when we get home," he promised, kissing the top of her head.
"Mmm, I knew there was a reason I kept you around."
"Definitely just for the sex," he deadpanned.
Rose laughed. "What can I say? You're a pretty good shag."
"Pretty good?" he squawked, indignant. "Pretty good?! Rose Tyler-McCrimmon, you take that back! I am the best shag you've ever had."
She patted his thigh good-naturedly. "You're the only shag I've ever had."
"Because why mess with perfection?" he asked, preening.
Giggling, she stretched and pecked a kiss to the corner of his mouth. He turned his head to catch her lips full-on.
Some far-off corner of Rose's mind told her that they were far too old to be snogging in public, but that thought was silenced by the pleasure of James's mouth moving with hers. They fell into an easy rhythm of lips pulling and pushing, of tongues teasing and gliding. He moaned quietly, and though the sound sent heat curling low in her belly, it was the trigger she needed to pull them out of the kiss. His soft, disappointed whimper nearly broke her resolve, but she persevered, and pulled away to rest her head on his shoulder.
They sat in contented silence for several minutes, enjoying each other's company and the gorgeous autumn day. However, the tranquility evaporated as more time passed and Ainsley and Sianin had yet to emerge from the maze.
"They're probably fine," James said, even though his bouncing knee belied his anxiety.
"You might wanna leave out the word 'probably' the next time you go to reassure me," Rose muttered.
"I'll go looking for them if they're not out within the next ten minutes," he said. "Remind me why we let them do the maze alone?"
"Because we can't resist when one of them pouts?"
"We really need to work on that," he grumbled. "We're the authority figures, dammit."
Rose snorted, and returned her attention to keeping watch of the maze exit. To their surprise—and slight concern—Ainsley and Sianin prancing over to them, happy as could be, from the direction of the main festival grounds.
"Where were you?" James demanded. "You were supposed to stay here and meet us."
Ainsley winced apologetically. "Sorry. Sianin had to use the toilet."
"It was an emergency," the six-year-old added. "I thought I was gonna wee myself."
"She threatened to squat behind a tree. I told her I'd find her an actual toilet." Ainsley skipped up to James and threw her arms around his neck, jumping to plant a kiss to his cheek. "Sorry Daddy."
James sighed, and returned her kiss. "Try not to wander off in public again. Especially somewhere as crowded as this. But thank you for helping your sister."
"Can we get our pumpkins now?" Sianin asked, bouncing on her toes.
"Sure thing," James said, standing.
He turned to Rose and held out his hands to pull her to her feet. As soon as she was standing, her stomach gave a violent lurch and her vision went dark. Rose couldn't feel her body or the ground beneath her feet.
Oh, God, don't pass out, don't pass out, don't pass out…
James was calling her name, but she couldn't hear him. Her bum hit something hard, and she blinked firmly, trying to clear her swimming vision to see if she'd fallen over.
No, James's hands were wrapped around her biceps from where he'd guided her back onto the bench. He was crouched between her legs, brow knit in anxiety.
"Breath, love," he said, his voice deceptively calm. "Breath. Talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."
"M'really dizzy," she answered, leaning forward. James hurriedly got out of her way, as though concerned she was about to vomit all over him. Instead, Rose set her elbows on her knees and braced her head in her hands.
"Are you going to be sick?"
"I dunno," she admitted. The nausea in her stomach was steadily rising higher and higher, constricting her throat and flooding her mouth with saliva. She swallowed, desperate for the feeling to go away.
"I wanna get pumpkins!"
"Hush, Sianin," James said. "Ainsley, fetch me a water bottle. And crackers. Quick as you can."
Moments later, a lukewarm bottle of water was pressed into her hands.
"Drink up," James said. "Then we'll try some crackers. You haven't eaten all day, which probably isn't helping."
Rose grunted in agreement, but didn't bother telling him that the thought of eating anything was abhorrent to her. Instead, she slowly sipped her water, pleased when her head stopped spinning after a few minutes.
"Deep breaths. As soon as you can stand, we'll head to the car."
"Noooooo!" Sianin wailed. "We need to get our pumpkins!"
"Sianin, enough," James snapped. "Your mum is unwell."
Though she hated Sianin's tone, Rose agreed with the sentiment. They'd been having such a nice day, and the weather had been cooperating, a rarity for October in England. She didn't want to be the reason their family outing was cut short. Plus, they had plans. Robert was coming over that night to help carve pumpkins, but to carve pumpkins, they first needed to obtain pumpkins.
"Give me a minute," Rose said, continuing to drink her water. She scrubbed her hands across her face; her cheeks were cold and clammy.
"It's fine, love," James said, lowering his voice so only she could hear. "Sianin has to learn that other people have to take priority sometimes."
"You could always take 'em to the pumpkin patch," Rose said.
He scoffed. "And leave you here by yourself? Absolutely not."
"I'm feeling better already," Rose said, though she wasn't sure James entirely believed her. "Seriously. I'm just gonna sit here and drink some water and eat my crackers. Very boring. The pumpkin patch isn't all that far away."
"I could stay with Mum."
Rose glanced over and realized with a start that Ainsley was crouched at her other side. Seeing she had her mother's attention, Ainsley stood and plopped down onto the bench beside Rose.
"No, darling, I can't make you do that," James said. "That's sweet, but…"
"I don't mind," Ainsley insisted. "Seriously. Take Sianin and find some pumpkins."
"You won't be able to pick out your pumpkin," Rose protested, rubbing Ainsley's thigh.
Ainsley shrugged. "A pumpkin's a pumpkin. As long as I get to carve it, I don't particularly care what it looks like. Besides, aren't you always going on about compromise and whatnot?"
James frowned at her. "Well, yeah, but this isn't exactly a compromise."
"It's close enough," Ainsley argued. "I get to spend a bit of time with Mum while you and Sianin pick out some pumpkins. Better than Mum passing out in a pumpkin patch, or leaving here with nothing."
Rose's heart felt too big to fit in her chest. To her mortification, her eyes burned and her throat swelled shut. Her Ainsley—her sweet, darling Ainsley—had more emotional maturity and empathy than many adults.
"Mum? Mum, what's wrong? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."
"I'm fine," she rasped. "I just… Oh, God, I love you, Ainsley. I love you so much."
Rose reached over and hauled Ainsley over for a firm hug, breathing in the scent of her child and the surrounding woodsmoke and dead leaves and fresh air.
"Er… I love you too?"
James's warm, solid hand stroked her back as she shed silent tears into Ainsley's hair, clinging to her daughter. Ainsley, bless her, simply returned the hug and nuzzled her face into Rose's neck.
"Love you, Mum."
"I love you too Mummy!"
Sianin raced up to them, squirming her way between Rose's thighs to throw her arms around her mum's waist. Rose snorted at her antics, but planted a dutiful kiss to Sianin's forehead.
"I love you, too sweetheart." Rose wiped her eyes dry. "Can you try to work on your empathy a bit more in the future?"
"Empathy?"
Rose bit her lip. "I wasn't feeling well, and your dad and sister were trying to help me, but you were asking about yourself, and what you wanted. That isn't a polite thing to do. The needs of other people are equally as important as your own, and sometimes they need to be prioritized—made more important—over what you want, okay?"
Sianin shrugged. "Okay." She glanced over at James. "Pumpkin time?"
James nodded as he rubbed Rose's lower back. "Yeah. Pumpkin time. Very quick pumpkin time. I don't want to leave your mum and sister alone for too long. Fifteen minutes, okay?"
Her face fell. "But…"
"Sianin," James said warningly. "Fifteen minutes, or not at all."
The six-year-old sighed, shoulders drooping. "Okay. Fifteen minutes."
James stood up from the bench, then he leaned down and planted a kiss to Rose's forehead. He gave a similar kiss to Ainsley.
"Call me if anything happens," James said, looking at Rose and Ainsley in turn.
"Cross my heart," Ainsley said solemnly, making an 'X' across her chest, then standing to trace one across his.
His face softened, and he pulled her in for a tight hug. "I love you both. We'll be back soon." He released Ainsley and glanced at Rose. "Try to eat something."
Rose gave him a lazy salute, which made him roll his eyes, even though a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
He reached down for Sianin's hand and guided her in the direction of the pumpkin patch.
When they were out of earshot, Ainsley exhaled loudly. "God, Sianin's a selfish arse… er, asinine child."
Rose pursed her lips, amused. "Nice catch. Don't curse."
"Seriously though. How dare she? She's always "me me me", it's annoying."
Refusing to put down one child in the presence of the other, Rose covered Ainsley's hand and squeezed. "She's still learning. She's only six. We need to help her, not lose our patience with her."
"Swift kick up her arse-inine bum should do the trick," Ainsley muttered under her breath, but her lips quirked up into a small smile.
Rose rolled her eyes. God, she sounded just like her father, especially with the word play.
"Where did you learn the word 'asinine' anyway? School?"
Ainsley snorted. "Pfff. Our word lists are a joke. Nah, I read it in one of my books. It's a fun word. Assssssssinine."
Definitely sounded like James. Rose wrapped her arm around Ainsley's waist and pecked a kiss to her temple. "You certainly have a mind for words and language."
Ainsley hummed, her chest puffing out with pride. She then peeked over and said, "If you're not gonna eat those crackers, can I have some?"
Rose nodded and handed her the sleeve of plain crackers, but stole a handful for herself first. Cautiously, she nibbled on one and was pleased when it didn't make her any more nauseated.
"What's the matter, anyway?" Ainsley asked.
"Just a bit of tummy troubles," Rose said smoothly. "It doesn't help that I wasn't feeling hungry so I didn't eat much. I'll be fine, love."
"What's the point of a pet name?"
Rose choked on her cracker. Coughing, she drank some water, then croaked, "What do you mean?"
Ainsley shrugged. "Dad calls us "darling" a lot. And you two both call us "sweetheart". And "love". You and Dad call each other "love" all the time, too. M'just curious why you don't just say our real names."
Rose examined her eldest carefully. "Do you not like it that we sometimes call you by a pet name? If you'd prefer, your dad and I can work on only calling you Ainsley."
She shook her head. "No, no. I didn't mean it like a bad thing. I was curious. Because I don't have any impulse to call you anything other than "Mum", or Sianin by anything but "Sianin". I'm curious about how that all starts. The origin of it, I guess."
"I dunno, really," Rose admitted. "They sort of… slip out at first, then it becomes a habit. One day, if you get a significant other or have a child, you'll have to let me know if you start using pet names."
Ainsley giggled, and she rested her head on Rose's shoulder as they waited for James and Sianin to return.
oOoOo
To Rose's relief, her nausea and sensitive stomach had abated by the following day. While she seemed to prefer pain foods, her stomach didn't roll if she attempted to eat anything else a little more exotic. However, to help keep the pregnancy hidden for the next few weeks before they told their eldest children about it, James and Rose worked around her appetite to plan and prepare meals.
"Not a good tummy day?" James asked when he came home from teaching one evening to see her boiling water for another pasta dish.
Eloquently, Rose replied, "Enh. I'm a bit… bleh."
"Right. I know exactly what you mean."
She stuck her tongue out at him and elaborated. "I'm feelin' a bit crampy and bloated."
"Crampy?"
"Nothing to worry about. Like I've got a ton of gas rollin' around in my stomach. It's sort of an uncomfortable pressure."
James came up behind her to wrap his arms loosely around her middle. "Surprised you didn't make a meal with beans in it to help you alleviate some of that gas."
"Pretty sure you'd kick me out of bed tonight if I had," she drawled, leaning her head back into his chest. She hummed when he pressed even closer. "You feel good."
"You feel even better. Coming home to you is my favorite part of the day." He nuzzled his nose into the side of her neck before planting a delicate kiss there.
Goosebumps prickled across her skin. She sighed and tilted her head to the side, urging him to continue. He did, lavishing her neck and ear with kisses. He explored lazily, taking his time painting her neck with his lips until her bone had practically melted and she was slumped against him.
"Love doing this to you," he whispered. He shifted her hair off of her shoulder so he could turn his attention to the other side of her neck. "Could spend hours kissing you."
"Pretty sure that's why I'm pregnant again," Rose breathed, moaning when a frisson of pleasure sparked shivers across her skin. "James."
"How long's the pasta been boiling anyway?" he asked, sounding far too clear-headed while she could barely keep her eyes open as she lost herself in the sensations of his mouth. "D'you want it al dente or squishy?
"Hmm?"
"Firm or flaccid?" he asked, a smirk dripping from his words as he nipped the sensitive skin right beneath her ear.
Rose gasped and reached up to thread her fingers through James's hair. It was soft as ever, and she took a few selfish seconds to run her fingers through it. Though it wasn't entirely selfish, judging by the groan rumbling up his chest. Finally pleased to be garnering a reaction from him, she dropped her other hand to cup her palm at the front of James's jeans.
"I can think of some other things I'd prefer to be firm," she purred, giving him a slow caress.
He exhaled a low, shaky breath, and rolled his hips into her hand. Nothing was really going on in his pants, no doubt because he was as aware as she was that their kids were in the living room and due to come into the kitchen for dinner any minute. Nevertheless, she knew he enjoyed the touch, even if he wasn't physically reacting; she gave him a teasing squeeze, applying just enough pressure to make his breathing hitch.
"Check the noodles, love," he murmured into her ear, planting one last kiss to her cheek before he took her hand away from his crotch and stepped to a cabinet for the strainer.
"You don't want me to check your noodle?"
James let out a loud bark of laughter that prompted Sianin to poke her head into the kitchen to ask if it was dinnertime.
"Almost," Rose answered, trying to ignore the lingering heat in her cheeks and neck.
Dinner was uneventful, if not messy as James and Rose tried to get the twins to eat tiny pieces of noodles covered in alfredo sauce. They ended up wearing more than they ate, and Hannah discovered that she could send alfredo sauce flying in every direction if she smacked her palms into the globs that had fallen off the spoon and onto her dinner tray.
"This is gonna be a nightmare with three," James mumbled out of the corner of his mouth as he wiped down his messy baby.
"We can see if straightjackets come in baby sizes."
He laughed and bent to kiss Rose's forehead, then Hannah's.
After dinner, Rose curled up with her husband on the sofa, hoping to continue what they'd started in the kitchen. She wasn't in the mood for a full-on make out session—especially since the kids were still up—but she was in the mood to tightly snuggle him and be held by him. She was in luck; he had similar plans.
"Are you gonna kiss all night?" Sianin asked, making a face at them when Rose draped one of her legs across his and stretched to kiss his jaw.
"Probably," she replied. "But mostly cuddle. Because I am completely besotted with your dad and wanna show it."
"Why can't you do that on your own time?" she whined.
"Sianin, stop it," James said. "We're not full-on snogging. Your mum wants a cuddle, so I'm giving her a cuddle because I'm just as besotted with her."
Sianin rolled her eyes and grumbled some more before turning her attention to the television. Ainsley smirked at them from where she sat on the rocking reclining chair, a book in her lap.
James stuck his tongue out at their eldest, then he nuzzled his cheek into the top of Rose's head. His day-old stubble caught in her hair, making a mess of it, but she didn't care as long as he kept hugging her. She was nearly completely enclosed in his embrace, with her face tucked into his chest and her arms around his hips and his head bowed over hers. She loved it and never wanted to move.
Of course, they obviously did have to move when they started the process of getting the twins and Sianin to bed. And though Ainsley's bedtime wasn't for another hour, she surprised her parents by kissing their cheeks and saying, "I'm gonna read in my room for a bit then go to bed. Nighty night. Have fun."
"Stop that," James said, grimacing at her.
"Sex is a healthy and normal part of any relationship," Ainsley quipped, throwing their oft-said words back at them. "And I'm not an idiot. I know you have sex a lot."
Rose didn't deign to respond, and instead kissed Ainsley goodnight and helped James with the bedtime routine for their other children.
By the time she'd finished getting the twins to sleep, James was in their room, having finished Sianin's bedtime story.
"Did you want to have sex tonight?" he asked curiously. "Didn't think you'd be in the mood for it, considering you said you didn't feel well."
"No, I'm not in the mood for sex," she admitted. "But I would like a topless cuddle if we could?"
"I'm always eager to get topless with you," James said, grinning. "Love seeing my sexy wife."
Rose winked. "Not as much as I love seeing my buff husband."
James preened, puffing up his chest and flexing for her. He was by no means muscular, but he certainly wasn't wiry. He had enough muscle definition that his pectorals, biceps, and abdominals shifted with his movements.
"I love you, you nutter," Rose giggled, skipping up to him to plant a smacking kiss to his lips.
They rushed through their nighttime routine before falling into bed together. They indulged in many slow and lazy kisses that were more for comfort and love than for pleasure. And though James's body responded after a while, he assured her it wasn't pressing, and he very much wanted to continue kissing and holding her.
When they eventually stopped so that they could sleep, Rose found that her sleep was interrupted by bouts of nausea and cramping low in her stomach. Perhaps the dairy from the alfredo hadn't been a good idea after all, she grumbled as she rolled away from her husband to curl into a ball on her side.
Even with her eyes closed, she felt dizzy and lightheaded and on the verge of throwing up if she moved too quickly. She alternated between being too hot and too cold, and she was almost relieved when James's alarm went off because at least she didn't need to keep her movements to a minimum anymore.
"Morning," he mumbled groggily, slotting his warm body behind her. "Have a nice sleep?"
"No," she admitted. "I don't feel well."
He was instantly awake. He propped himself up on his elbow and reached forward to touch the backs of his fingers to her forehead, then her cheeks.
"You feel sweaty," he noticed.
"Feel like I'm about to be sick," she sighed, settling onto her back with her knees pulled to her chest. "But I never actually get there. And I'm really bloody dizzy."
"Do you want me to call off work today?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No, you've got more important things to do than listen to me whine."
"Nothing's as important as you," he rebutted. "How about I see if someone can watch the twins today? Let you laze in bed. And I'll drop Ainsley and Sianin off at school."
"Would you?" she asked gratefully.
"Anything for my wonderful wife, my perfect partner, my stupendous soulmate."
Rose cracked a grin, her heart swelling with affection. "My handsome hero."
James giggled high in his throat, and leaned down to peck a soft kiss to her forehead. "Try to get more rest, love."
He left their bed and went through his morning routine. She must have drifted off to sleep, because the next thing she knew, James was kissing her cheek and telling her he had the kids packed away in the car.
"The twins?" she asked.
"William's mothers are keeping them for the day," he answered, smoothing her hair away from her face. "I've put some water by your bed. Try to stay hydrated."
"Love you."
"Love you, too. I'll check in on you throughout the day as I can."
He kissed her one last time, then she was alone. Rolling over onto her side, she grabbed his pillow and hugged it close to her chest, breathing in his scent while she tried to ignore the cramping low in her belly long enough to drift off to sleep.
What had begun as a dull ache had turned to sharp throbbing over the course of the morning as Rose fell in and out of sleep. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought they were menstrual cramps.
"What's the matter, sweetheart?" Rose muttered to her belly as a sharp jab of pain flared through her hips, core, and lower back. On top of it, her bladder began making its presence known, forcing her from her warm, cozy bed.
"Let's go wee, then d'you think you'll let Mummy eat some toast? Will you let me keep toast down?" she asked as she shuffled to the toilet. "I hope so. Then we can go back to bed, I promise."
She trailed her hand along the wall as she walked, making her way to the attached bathroom. Her dizziness had returned once again, making her lightheaded. She persevered, though, and finally made it to the loo.
But when she sank down onto the toilet, her heart skipped a beat then began pounding through her entire body as she beheld the blood in her underwear.
If you read this and enjoyed it, let me know. I love hearing from you.