"Alex, now!" Lara reached an arm through the bathroom door, took hold of
his belt and used it to pull him away from the mirror.
"Hey! I haven't finished doing my hair!" Alex tried to pull back to look in the mirror again, reaching for a bottle of gel, but Lara kept hold of his belt and tugged him away.
"Oh quit whining, it doesn't matter," she said, winning the fight as they got closer to the bedroom door.
"I does matter," he whined, as Lara pulled him down the stairs.
"No, it doesn't. We're going on my bike, it's going to get messed up, ok?" She turned around, still keeping hold of Alex's belt. "You are so vain."
"Well, I guess that's true. So, uh, I'm driving yeah?"
"In your dreams."
Alex sighed in submission and climbed onto an antique Harley behind her, placing his hands around her waist.
Lara gunned the ignition and they sped through the gates. She ruthlessly broke the speed limit all the way into London and took a few corners way too fast. Lara knew she was showing off to Alex but she couldn't help it, and she liked to feel him holding on to her tightly.
*
When they pulled up outside the large hospital entrance and removed their helmets Lara got off the bike quickly and made for the automatic glass doors, but Alex restrained her and spun her around to see his serious expression.
"You could have gotten us both killed, Lara. We weren't in that much of a hurry."
She gave a sarcastic smile. "I told you. I like to go fast." She began walking towards the doors again.
Alex remained standing where he was. "You know, you really don't need to prove anything to me," he called after her.
Lara stopped walking, but didn't turn around. She took a deep breath and set her jaw before turning slowly. "Let's not do this now, Alex, or we really will be late," she said as calmly as she could.
"Fine."
*
Soon they were waiting in a treatment room, Lara sitting up on the narrow hospital bed with a sheet over her lap and Alex wandering impatiently around, looking at the pregnancy charts and posters that covered the walls. He turned on the tap of a small metal sink in the corner and used the water to fix his messed up hair in the reflective glass of the door.
Lara sighed loudly, breaking the silence that had reigned for a good few minutes. "Are you trying to be this annoying or does it come naturally?" she snapped.
Alex scowled at her, then leant back against a wall with his arms folded across his chest, looking out of a high window at the sky. The poster he was leaning against came unstuck and began to swing from one corner as he stepped away from that section of wall, trying to look like he had nothing to do with it.
Lara just shook her head and absently ran a hand over her tight plait, as if making sure her hair was still in place. Suddenly the door opened and a female doctor in a white lab coat entered, holding a clipboard against her chest.
"Lara Croft?" she asked brightly. "My name is Doctor Amanda Goodyear and I'll be looking after you for the next few months." She shook hands with Lara, then turned to Alex. "And you must be the father?" she asked, sticking the loose poster back on the wall before holding out a hand to him.
"Yeah, Alex West," he said and shook hands, still scowling.
"Ok then," Dr Goodyear said slowly, with a false smile. She turned back to Lara. "Let's get going. How have you been feeling?"
They talked for a couple of minutes as the doctor examined Lara and soon an image came up on a computer screen.
"Right," Dr Goodyear pointed at the monitor with her pen, "this is your uterus, and this...this here is your baby."
Lara leant forward to get a better look and smiled when she saw the tiny form that was being indicated to her. "Wow," she breathed.
Alex walked over to look casually over Lara's shoulder, but his mouth dropped open when he saw the image on the screen. "Th...that's..." he stammered.
"Amazing?" Lara suggested, turning to look at him.
Alex grinned at her and put an arm around her shoulders. "Yeah. Amazing."
"Hey! I haven't finished doing my hair!" Alex tried to pull back to look in the mirror again, reaching for a bottle of gel, but Lara kept hold of his belt and tugged him away.
"Oh quit whining, it doesn't matter," she said, winning the fight as they got closer to the bedroom door.
"I does matter," he whined, as Lara pulled him down the stairs.
"No, it doesn't. We're going on my bike, it's going to get messed up, ok?" She turned around, still keeping hold of Alex's belt. "You are so vain."
"Well, I guess that's true. So, uh, I'm driving yeah?"
"In your dreams."
Alex sighed in submission and climbed onto an antique Harley behind her, placing his hands around her waist.
Lara gunned the ignition and they sped through the gates. She ruthlessly broke the speed limit all the way into London and took a few corners way too fast. Lara knew she was showing off to Alex but she couldn't help it, and she liked to feel him holding on to her tightly.
*
When they pulled up outside the large hospital entrance and removed their helmets Lara got off the bike quickly and made for the automatic glass doors, but Alex restrained her and spun her around to see his serious expression.
"You could have gotten us both killed, Lara. We weren't in that much of a hurry."
She gave a sarcastic smile. "I told you. I like to go fast." She began walking towards the doors again.
Alex remained standing where he was. "You know, you really don't need to prove anything to me," he called after her.
Lara stopped walking, but didn't turn around. She took a deep breath and set her jaw before turning slowly. "Let's not do this now, Alex, or we really will be late," she said as calmly as she could.
"Fine."
*
Soon they were waiting in a treatment room, Lara sitting up on the narrow hospital bed with a sheet over her lap and Alex wandering impatiently around, looking at the pregnancy charts and posters that covered the walls. He turned on the tap of a small metal sink in the corner and used the water to fix his messed up hair in the reflective glass of the door.
Lara sighed loudly, breaking the silence that had reigned for a good few minutes. "Are you trying to be this annoying or does it come naturally?" she snapped.
Alex scowled at her, then leant back against a wall with his arms folded across his chest, looking out of a high window at the sky. The poster he was leaning against came unstuck and began to swing from one corner as he stepped away from that section of wall, trying to look like he had nothing to do with it.
Lara just shook her head and absently ran a hand over her tight plait, as if making sure her hair was still in place. Suddenly the door opened and a female doctor in a white lab coat entered, holding a clipboard against her chest.
"Lara Croft?" she asked brightly. "My name is Doctor Amanda Goodyear and I'll be looking after you for the next few months." She shook hands with Lara, then turned to Alex. "And you must be the father?" she asked, sticking the loose poster back on the wall before holding out a hand to him.
"Yeah, Alex West," he said and shook hands, still scowling.
"Ok then," Dr Goodyear said slowly, with a false smile. She turned back to Lara. "Let's get going. How have you been feeling?"
They talked for a couple of minutes as the doctor examined Lara and soon an image came up on a computer screen.
"Right," Dr Goodyear pointed at the monitor with her pen, "this is your uterus, and this...this here is your baby."
Lara leant forward to get a better look and smiled when she saw the tiny form that was being indicated to her. "Wow," she breathed.
Alex walked over to look casually over Lara's shoulder, but his mouth dropped open when he saw the image on the screen. "Th...that's..." he stammered.
"Amazing?" Lara suggested, turning to look at him.
Alex grinned at her and put an arm around her shoulders. "Yeah. Amazing."