A tidal wave of thoughts were going through Kitsune's head. Pregnant! Me! For real? She was going to have a second child! She would have another little baby to take care of! Ichiro was going to be a big brother! But what about work? Would she be able to keep up with her duties? And (eek!) what would happen if she started labour on board the Octopod? "How far along?" She finally asked.
"About nine weeks," said Peso.
Kitsune sat up. Her face flushed; she had so much going on in her head!
"Not to worry, Kitsune," said Peso, putting a flipper on her shoulder. "I've delivered a few babies in my time. If anything goes wrong, I'm ready."
Why, it was like Peso could hear her thoughts! "Thank you," said Kitsune. "Oh, I'm so flustered right now."
"Do you feel ready to talk about it to everyone else, or would you rather wait?"
"Oh, let's wait until we land," said Kitsune. "I want to tell everyone at once."
And just like that, the Octopod landed in its new location. Kitsune tensed up a bit, but then relaxed her shoulders. "Okay. I'm ready."
The moment the phrase "I'm pregnant" passed Kitsune's lips, Dashi and Deborah broke into excited squeals and glomped her with hugs.
"Nice one!" Sarabi pumped her fist.
"OMG, OMG, oh, some time I have to bring Stacy over for them to play. They're so gonna be besties!" Deborah was bouncing up and down. When Shellington approached her, she jumped to hug him too. "And Peri! They'll be like the Three Musketeers!"
The other Octonauts chattered warmly. They were all very happy for Kitsune.
Finally, Captain Barnacles approached Kitsune. "Congratulations, Kitsune. I'm very proud and happy for you. Listen, uh, I've never had a pregnancy aboard the ship before, so any kind of, uh, accommodation you need, you have to tell me so I can work it out. Otherwise, I'll have no idea."
Kitsune chuckled. "You sound like my husband," she said as she hugged her captain.
That night, as Kitsune went to bed, she put a paw over her abdomen. "I know you're there," she thought to her baby, "and I promise I'll always love and cherish you."
She snuggled into her bed and closed her eyes, warmed by the fuzziness in her heart.