May.
Erin greeted spring fever with enthusiasm. She was just starting to show, the tiniest bit, only apparent to those who knew her. The morning sickness had vanished, her energy was in full swing, and she and Robert were getting quite good at riding the waves of her hormones with perfect rhythm. His research was gaining him quite a bit of notice, and he ate up the attention with a spoon. Some people were disheartened to find good old Rocket back in firing form, but Erin was thrilled by it. She didn't even mind the occasional caustic inquiry.
"How can you stay married to a man who can be such a bastard?"
The answer came on May eleventh.
She hated leaving him in bed. The circle of warmth their bodies created was her favorite delicacy, and she could gorge for hours and never be satisfied. But she had promised Susan a Sunday off, and she dragged herself to the shower.
County was blessedly quiet. Even Elizabeth got bored up in surgery and came down to pass the time. They were chatting quietly when a delivery van pulled up outside in the ambulance bay. The driver hopped out and wrestled a huge bouquet of roses and lilies from the back. He strode to the admit desk and placed them on the counter to a chorus of whistles. "Is there an Erin Romano here?" Erin smiled, a bit confused. "That's me." She signed the clipboard he held out, and fumbled through the fragrant buds, looking for a card.
"It's not your birthday." Carter mused. "Not her anniversary, either." Lydia added. "They are from Robert, right?" Elizabeth asked as she found the small envelope. She pulled the card free, and her eyes began to shine with unshed tears. "What does it say?"
Erin turned the card so they could see the three words written there:
"Happy Mother's Day."
The flowers would have been enough.
But at noon, a young woman approached the desk, carrying boxes of wonderful, steaming fragrance. "Yeah, I'm looking for Erin Romano. I have a delivery from Spiaggia."
Erin's brow furrowed as she accepted the boxes. "You guys don't deliver."
"We do when we get paid this well. Enjoy!"
There was a note taped to the top of one of the boxes. "Don't share. You're eating for two."
That would have been more than enough.
At three o'clock, another delivery. A plain white box wrapped in a red ribbon. Innocuous enough. Erin opened it at the desk, pushed aside the tissue paper, and gasped a bit in embarrassment. She tried to slam the lid down, but Randi, quick as a wink, snatched the red satin and lace from inside. A slip of perfumed paper fluttered to the counter. Malik grabbed it as Erin covered her face. "Ooooh, girl. 'For practice. In case we decide we want another one someday'."
A chorus of whistles, catcalls, "Somebody's getting laid tonight!" and she was unable to resist.
"Oh, honey, I get laid every night."
The chorus erupted into a roar, and Erin grabbed the teddy away from Randi, stuffing it unceremoniously back into the box.
Six o'clock finally arrived, and he swooped in through the ambulance bay doors. She fairly leapt out of her skin and rushed into his arms. "You are the sweetest man..."
"And you are the sexiest mother-to-be I've ever seen," he growled, closing his lips over hers. "Come on, let's get out of here. We've got reservations at seven, and I am dying to see you in that, ahem, present." He hugged her close, and suddenly, Erin gasped, her eyes wide as saucers. She grabbed Robert's hand and pressed it to her stomach. He stood, blank, for a moment. Then the charge in her eyes ignited in his own. "Oh, my God - was that...?" She nodded frantically, and he gazed down at his hand in wonder. "I'll be damned."
Thirty feet away, leaning in the doorway of the suture room, Elizabeth stood in quiet observation. She watched their shared wonder and excitement, watched Robert pull Erin into his embrace, saw their lips find each other like pieces of a puzzle meant to fit together. And she sighed.
It was just her luck.
The summer was shaping to be one of the hottest on record. And just when her stomach was really beginning to swell. Robert didn't seem to mind, especially since she'd taken to wearing nothing more than her swimsuit around the house. Add to that her raging hormones...
Yes, it was shaping up to be a long, hot summer indeed.
They scheduled Erin's ultrasound for the middle of July.
They sat, side by side in the quiet pink office, watching the screen with enraptured eyes. Four pumping chambers, three visible cord vessels, a stomach, two kidneys. Sucking its thumb. "Do you want to know the sex?"
Simultaneous. Robert: "Yes." Erin: "No." They exchanged looks.
"Yes." "No." "Yes." "No!" "Yes!" "NO!"
The radiology tech laughed. "Okay, folks, I need a decision here."
"No," Erin insisted. "We don't want to know."
"What's this 'we', paleface?" He scowled at her.
Erin fixed the tech with a withering look. "Under no circumstances is that man to know the sex of that baby. In fact, I don't even want you to know."
"Well, I should note it for the file."
"I'm a doctor. Tell me why."
"Well, because....well, I guess - all right. No sex. Gotcha."
Erin grinned in triumph. Robert rolled his eyes before leaning in for a kiss. "You're lucky I find this whole hormone-crazed-control-freak-bitch thing sexy." Erin snickered against his mouth.
"You're lucky this hormone-crazed-control-freak-bitch hasn't knocked you on your scrawny ass."
"Scrawny? I am not scrawny." Robert smirked.
Erin gestured to her well-pronounced middle. "Compared to me? Scrawny."
"Oh, sure, when it's two on one you're the big tough guy. Then again, how much damage can a skinny little shit like you inflict with a basketball?"
Erin grinned wickedly. "Take me home and I'll be happy to show you."
He came home one afternoon to find her napping restlessly on the couch. Gretel was draped across her lap, her head shifting every once in a while as the baby kicked beneath her. Robert smiled before gently shooing the animal away. He sat down on the couch, lifting Erin's legs into his lap. He massaged her ankles gently, carefully, occasionally reaching up to rub a bump that might be an elbow or a foot. She blinked open her eyes and groaned her approval at his touch. "For a minute there I thought I'd died and gone to Heaven." She struggled to sit up. "Then I realized Heaven wouldn't be this friggin' hot." She dipped her fingers into the glass on the end table beside her and pulled out a handful of ice cubes. She trailed them over her collarbone and throat, grinning at her suddenly dry- mouthed husband. "Looks like you're heating up a bit yourself." He shifted on the sofa, moving closer to her. He held out his hand.
"Why don't you let me do that?"
Her fingers trembled slightly as she placed the ice on his open palm. He used his empty hand to pull her tank top over her head, then he lay the other flat against her throat. Erin gasped, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back on her neck. His touch moved lower, over her collarbone, down into her cleavage. He bent his head and kissed the hollow of her throat as his hand moved left, bringing soft flesh to a firm, excited peak. The melting ice had left a trail of water droplets behind; he traced it with the tip of his tongue as Erin's hand fluttered to the back of his neck. His head moved lower and lower, and he kissed her belly warmly. "Think little one would mind some knocking at the door?"
Erin giggled. "The fact that that does not totally turn me off really worries me.."
They lay in each other's arms after, Robert's head resting above her now protruding navel. Pressure from beneath her skin. "Getting stronger every day."
"No kidding," Erin groaned. "Ever had your ass kicked from the inside out?"
Robert laughed heartily, watching her fingers rub a point below the left side of her ribcage. "Still likes that one spot, huh?" He reached up and brushed her fingers away with his own, massaging gently, feeling an alien lump move under his touch.
"Yes. Pushing on it constantly, and it's starting to hurt."
"So," he raised his eyes to hers. "Sorry yet?"
She smiled.
"Nowhere near."
Erin greeted spring fever with enthusiasm. She was just starting to show, the tiniest bit, only apparent to those who knew her. The morning sickness had vanished, her energy was in full swing, and she and Robert were getting quite good at riding the waves of her hormones with perfect rhythm. His research was gaining him quite a bit of notice, and he ate up the attention with a spoon. Some people were disheartened to find good old Rocket back in firing form, but Erin was thrilled by it. She didn't even mind the occasional caustic inquiry.
"How can you stay married to a man who can be such a bastard?"
The answer came on May eleventh.
She hated leaving him in bed. The circle of warmth their bodies created was her favorite delicacy, and she could gorge for hours and never be satisfied. But she had promised Susan a Sunday off, and she dragged herself to the shower.
County was blessedly quiet. Even Elizabeth got bored up in surgery and came down to pass the time. They were chatting quietly when a delivery van pulled up outside in the ambulance bay. The driver hopped out and wrestled a huge bouquet of roses and lilies from the back. He strode to the admit desk and placed them on the counter to a chorus of whistles. "Is there an Erin Romano here?" Erin smiled, a bit confused. "That's me." She signed the clipboard he held out, and fumbled through the fragrant buds, looking for a card.
"It's not your birthday." Carter mused. "Not her anniversary, either." Lydia added. "They are from Robert, right?" Elizabeth asked as she found the small envelope. She pulled the card free, and her eyes began to shine with unshed tears. "What does it say?"
Erin turned the card so they could see the three words written there:
"Happy Mother's Day."
The flowers would have been enough.
But at noon, a young woman approached the desk, carrying boxes of wonderful, steaming fragrance. "Yeah, I'm looking for Erin Romano. I have a delivery from Spiaggia."
Erin's brow furrowed as she accepted the boxes. "You guys don't deliver."
"We do when we get paid this well. Enjoy!"
There was a note taped to the top of one of the boxes. "Don't share. You're eating for two."
That would have been more than enough.
At three o'clock, another delivery. A plain white box wrapped in a red ribbon. Innocuous enough. Erin opened it at the desk, pushed aside the tissue paper, and gasped a bit in embarrassment. She tried to slam the lid down, but Randi, quick as a wink, snatched the red satin and lace from inside. A slip of perfumed paper fluttered to the counter. Malik grabbed it as Erin covered her face. "Ooooh, girl. 'For practice. In case we decide we want another one someday'."
A chorus of whistles, catcalls, "Somebody's getting laid tonight!" and she was unable to resist.
"Oh, honey, I get laid every night."
The chorus erupted into a roar, and Erin grabbed the teddy away from Randi, stuffing it unceremoniously back into the box.
Six o'clock finally arrived, and he swooped in through the ambulance bay doors. She fairly leapt out of her skin and rushed into his arms. "You are the sweetest man..."
"And you are the sexiest mother-to-be I've ever seen," he growled, closing his lips over hers. "Come on, let's get out of here. We've got reservations at seven, and I am dying to see you in that, ahem, present." He hugged her close, and suddenly, Erin gasped, her eyes wide as saucers. She grabbed Robert's hand and pressed it to her stomach. He stood, blank, for a moment. Then the charge in her eyes ignited in his own. "Oh, my God - was that...?" She nodded frantically, and he gazed down at his hand in wonder. "I'll be damned."
Thirty feet away, leaning in the doorway of the suture room, Elizabeth stood in quiet observation. She watched their shared wonder and excitement, watched Robert pull Erin into his embrace, saw their lips find each other like pieces of a puzzle meant to fit together. And she sighed.
It was just her luck.
The summer was shaping to be one of the hottest on record. And just when her stomach was really beginning to swell. Robert didn't seem to mind, especially since she'd taken to wearing nothing more than her swimsuit around the house. Add to that her raging hormones...
Yes, it was shaping up to be a long, hot summer indeed.
They scheduled Erin's ultrasound for the middle of July.
They sat, side by side in the quiet pink office, watching the screen with enraptured eyes. Four pumping chambers, three visible cord vessels, a stomach, two kidneys. Sucking its thumb. "Do you want to know the sex?"
Simultaneous. Robert: "Yes." Erin: "No." They exchanged looks.
"Yes." "No." "Yes." "No!" "Yes!" "NO!"
The radiology tech laughed. "Okay, folks, I need a decision here."
"No," Erin insisted. "We don't want to know."
"What's this 'we', paleface?" He scowled at her.
Erin fixed the tech with a withering look. "Under no circumstances is that man to know the sex of that baby. In fact, I don't even want you to know."
"Well, I should note it for the file."
"I'm a doctor. Tell me why."
"Well, because....well, I guess - all right. No sex. Gotcha."
Erin grinned in triumph. Robert rolled his eyes before leaning in for a kiss. "You're lucky I find this whole hormone-crazed-control-freak-bitch thing sexy." Erin snickered against his mouth.
"You're lucky this hormone-crazed-control-freak-bitch hasn't knocked you on your scrawny ass."
"Scrawny? I am not scrawny." Robert smirked.
Erin gestured to her well-pronounced middle. "Compared to me? Scrawny."
"Oh, sure, when it's two on one you're the big tough guy. Then again, how much damage can a skinny little shit like you inflict with a basketball?"
Erin grinned wickedly. "Take me home and I'll be happy to show you."
He came home one afternoon to find her napping restlessly on the couch. Gretel was draped across her lap, her head shifting every once in a while as the baby kicked beneath her. Robert smiled before gently shooing the animal away. He sat down on the couch, lifting Erin's legs into his lap. He massaged her ankles gently, carefully, occasionally reaching up to rub a bump that might be an elbow or a foot. She blinked open her eyes and groaned her approval at his touch. "For a minute there I thought I'd died and gone to Heaven." She struggled to sit up. "Then I realized Heaven wouldn't be this friggin' hot." She dipped her fingers into the glass on the end table beside her and pulled out a handful of ice cubes. She trailed them over her collarbone and throat, grinning at her suddenly dry- mouthed husband. "Looks like you're heating up a bit yourself." He shifted on the sofa, moving closer to her. He held out his hand.
"Why don't you let me do that?"
Her fingers trembled slightly as she placed the ice on his open palm. He used his empty hand to pull her tank top over her head, then he lay the other flat against her throat. Erin gasped, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back on her neck. His touch moved lower, over her collarbone, down into her cleavage. He bent his head and kissed the hollow of her throat as his hand moved left, bringing soft flesh to a firm, excited peak. The melting ice had left a trail of water droplets behind; he traced it with the tip of his tongue as Erin's hand fluttered to the back of his neck. His head moved lower and lower, and he kissed her belly warmly. "Think little one would mind some knocking at the door?"
Erin giggled. "The fact that that does not totally turn me off really worries me.."
They lay in each other's arms after, Robert's head resting above her now protruding navel. Pressure from beneath her skin. "Getting stronger every day."
"No kidding," Erin groaned. "Ever had your ass kicked from the inside out?"
Robert laughed heartily, watching her fingers rub a point below the left side of her ribcage. "Still likes that one spot, huh?" He reached up and brushed her fingers away with his own, massaging gently, feeling an alien lump move under his touch.
"Yes. Pushing on it constantly, and it's starting to hurt."
"So," he raised his eyes to hers. "Sorry yet?"
She smiled.
"Nowhere near."