Daddy Duo

Chapter 7

Bump in the Night

(AN: Serious WAFF alert. Diabetics beware!)

Duo woke up to a strange, intermittent buzzing noise. He looked at the clock. It was 3:00 a.m.

He looked over at where the sound was coming from. It was Hilde; she was snoring softly in her sleep.

"Roll over babe," he whispered, pushing gently on her shoulder. She half awoke and obeyed, rolling over onto her side. The slight buzzing stopped.

He sighed and looked at Hilde. She was six and a half months along now, and her stomach was about the biggest part of her. She was such a little thing anyway, he thought.

He reached over curiously and rubbed his hand firmly along her burgeoning abdomen. He almost jumped when he felt a strong answering kick to his caress.

He'd felt tiny flutters here and there when Hilde would put his hand on her stomach, or embrace her, but this was and strong and definite KICK.

He rubbed her stomach in the same place and felt another answering kick against his palm.

"Hilde!" he said, shaking her shoulder. He was excited. "The kid, he just kicked my hand. I mean, he kicked it hard! Your stomach, it bounced!"

"I know, I felt it," said Hilde drowsily. "Why are you playing with my belly at this hour of the night?"

"Hilde, this is freakin me out! There's a person in there and he just kicked my hand!"

"Well, what did you think was in there?" Hilde asked, opening her eyes. Duo had a stunned look on his face.

"I don't know, it just seems so real now," he said quietly.

"Duo, you've seen the baby on sonograms," she said, "We even know he's a boy. You're a funny guy, you know that?" She chuckled and reached over and rubbed her cheek against his shoulder.

Duo leaned over and put his cheek on Hilde's stomach and began to rub slow circles around her navel.

"Hi in there, little guy," said Duo. Hilde giggled and her stomach shook against Duo's mouth.

He'd been doing this for several months now. He'd read in one of those books they'd gotten that a baby will recognize his mother and father's voice at birth and he insisted on these conversations with "the little guy" as he called the baby.

Hilde was a little surprised at Duo reading all the baby books. He wasn't the kind to sit around and read much of anything. He rarely even read the newspaper.

Duo continued. "I know you're in there," he said, "and I just want you to know that we're all waiting for you to come out and see us. There's Mommy and Daddy and Uncle Quatre, he's the one you can feel when he puts his hand on Mom's tummy, and then Uncle Trowa, the quiet one, and Uncle Heero; he'll be the guy with a gun in his hand yelling 'Omae o korusu!' And then there's Uncle Wufei. He's a little grumpy sometimes, but you'll like him."

"Duo!" said Hilde, giggling.

"Well," said Duo. "I want him to get to know everyone."

"I think he will know everyone soon enough."

"They're my family," said Duo stubbornly. "We're all orphans, even Quatre now. We have to work harder at this family stuff than other people. I just want the kid to know he has a family. He's not gonna be alone like I was."

Hilde heard the catch in Duo's voice at that, and she sat up. "Duo, I know how you feel, remember? You're all I have now too."

He had his head turned away, and Hilde knew he was crying by the rigid way he held his body.

She put her arms around him, pressing herself against his bare back.

The baby gave a sudden kick against Duo's back and he turned around, tears still running down his face.

"Did you feel that?" he asked in a teary voice, wiping his eyes on the back of his arm.

She nodded. "Of course, silly." She said it gently.

"I think he misses you talking to him," said Hilde, laying back down and rubbing her stomach.

"Hi Solo," said Duo, putting his mouth down close to Hilde's stomach.

"Solo?" said Hilde.

"If it's all right with you, I want that to be his name," said Duo.

"It's a wonderful name," said Hilde, her eyes shining with tears now.

"Solo," said Duo, "But you're not going to be alone."

Hilde nodded. "No, he won't." She yawned widely in spite of herself.

"It's all right, babe, go back to sleep," said Duo, putting his head next to Hilde's stomach and gently stroking it with his hand.

"You have no idea how good that feels," said Hilde drowsily.

"Good night, Solo," said Duo. "I'll be seeing you soon, little guy."