After The Show
Chapter 13: ItÕs Time
A.N. Sorry this chapter took me longer to get up than others-the horror known as exams is now over so I no longer have to spend sleepless nights cramming! LetÕs see, when we last left the story, Satine had just told Christian she was pregnantÉ
Christian sat up, astonished. ÒP-p-pregnant? Are you sure?Ó he stuttered. Satine nodded ÒHow long?Ó Christian asked. ÒAbout a month. The baby is due on January 12. Ò Satine said. Christian couldnÕt believe it. In less than a year he had abandoned his upper class life, found true love, gotten married, and was now about to become a father. ÒMost people take years to accomplish all that, he thought to himself before taking Satine in his arms. He had never been happier in his life.
About a week later, Satine started to show some signs that she was pregnant. Her body hadnÕt begun to show it, but every morning Christian woke up to the sound of Satine having her morning sickness. At first, this terrified Christian. He had never been around a pregnant woman, except for when his mother was expecting his sister when he was only two, so he had no idea what was making his wife sick every single day. He had already seen her health go through so many ups and downs that he never hesitated to call Dr. Sherman about anything. When the doctor told him it was normal, it was hard for him to believe. However, he eventually got used to the idea, although it wasnÕt the most pleasant thing to wake up to. Time went on, and by the time Satine had reached the four-month mark, her morning sickness had started to subside. However, she was starting to show other physical and emotional signs of her pregnancy.
ÒGood morning, darlingÓ Satine said cheerfully as she exited the bathroom. Christian was still surprised by how happy and normal she sounded after her morning sickness. ÒGood morning, diamond. I was just about to go make breakfast, what would you like?Ó Satine thought for a moment. ÒEggs would be nice, and some pickles. I have a really strong craving for pickles,Ó she said, explaining her reasoning for wanting raw pickles with eggs. Christian simply shook his head and headed downstairs to prepare another ÒcravingÓ breakfast. Strange side dishes had become common with SaltineÕs meals. Pickles were a favorite, as was chocolate, watermelon, any anything else that was incredibly hard to come by.
Even with the strange food, morning sickness, and SatineÕs hormones having a field day, the couple was still incredibly happy. Christian tried really hard to be accommodating for Satine. He knew that she was going through a lot of discomfort, and making her a special meal was the least he could do. It was because of this that Satine avoided any major emotional meltdowns, which the doctor had warned Christian about in advance once it was apparent that Christian had no clue about pregnant women. In fact, the only thing that changed was SatineÕs shape. She seemed to be getting bigger by the day. At first this had upset her, but as time went on she got used to it.
As the days grew colder and Christmas approached, Christian and Satine decided to invite their friends from Montemarte to stay with them over the holidays, until the baby was born. Christian had already sent them word of SatineÕs pregnancy, and everyone was shocked and excited to hear that the sparkling diamond was having a baby.
On December 20, Christian was up on a ladder decorating the Christmas tree, while Satine watched (and criticized) him from below. ÒNo, it still looks crookedÓ she called out, in regards to the silver star that Christian was trying to balance on top of the tree. It looked fine to him, but he once again adjusted it. ÒOK, thatÕs good enough!Ó he said, and Satine agreed. He was halfway down the ladder when they heard a knock at the door. Satine practically jumped across the room to answer it, and the entry way was suddenly a wave of people hugging, congratulating, and giving holiday wishes. Satine was glad to see her old friends again. Harold gave them an update on the Moulin Rouge. The new show they had put together had been a success, and the theater was running just fine even without the DukeÕs money. Everyone still missed Satine and Christian. Even Nini was starting to miss them.
Christmas went very smoothly considering the house was full of bohemians. ToulouseÕs gifts for everyone were paintings he had made. He even made one for the babyÕs room, a green fairy. Thankfully, there was no absinthe bottle in sight, and Satine and Christian were glad to put it in the nursery, once they started to put it together. Although the baby was due in just over 3 weeks, they had not started on the nursery yet. So, the day after Christmas, Christian and the bohemians began an adventure they had not seen the likes of before-interior decorating. Because they didnÕt know if the baby would be a boy or a girl, they decided to paint the nursery a pale green. They outlined silver stars on the walls, and painted a border near the ceiling. ToulouseÕs painting went on the wall next to the white crib. Once a few more pieces of furniture were in place, the nursery was done. However, Satine wanted to add one more touch to the room. She went into the trunk she had brought with her from Paris, and found a small figurine. She put the figurine on top of the dresser, so overlooking the room was a small red windmill.
On January 11, Christian woke up to the sound of Satine yelling in his ear. ÒChristian! Wake up! ItÕs time!Ó In his exhaustion Christian didnÕt realize what she meant at first. ÒTime for what?Ó he asked sleepily. ÒTime to make a sandwich, Christian. What to you THINK itÕs time for?Ó Satine shouted again, and Christian suddenly realized what she was talking about. ÒOh my God! The baby! Oh, we have to call the doctor and get you to theÉYour suitcase! IÕll get the suitcase, no wait, I have to call the doctor, but how are we going to get there itÕs the middle of the nightÉÓ Christian was your typical father to be. Luckily, Toulouse and Harold came in, having been woken up by the noise. ÒWhatÕs going on?Ó Harold asked, but one look at Christian seemed to answer his question. Christian was still rambling about all the things he had to do, but didnÕt seem to be doing any of them. Harold took over for him, and told Toulouse to go call the doctor while he got Satine ready. Toulouse went downstairs and called the doctor, who agreed to send a carriage to pick them up, as no cabs were running at that hour. Somehow, Harold and Marie managed to get Satine downstairs and into the carriage along with Toulouse and Christian, who was still rambling about how he needed to call the doctor.
By the time they had arrived at the hospital Christian had stopped rambling and was now trying to get Satine to stop screaming. Her contractions had started on the way there. The doctor came out to greet them, and led Christian, Harold, Marie, and Toulouse to a small waiting room. ÒIÕll come get you when something happensÓ he told them.
If there was one thing Christian hated to do, it was wait. The four of them tried to pass the time by suggesting names for the baby. Harold had suggested ÒMadisonÓ for a girl and ÒDominickÓ for a boy. Toulouse had suggested ÒHenryÓ for a boy and ÒClarisseÓ for a girl. Marie said that she would have to see the baby before suggesting any names. Christian was still oblivious to everything. He heard Satine screaming from the other room. Although he knew the doctor wasnÕt hurting her, he couldnÕt stop thinking about the last time he heard her scream like that. One hour passed, then two, then three. After about three and a half hours, the doctor came out.
ÒCongratulations, you have a healthy baby girl!Ó he said. Harold, Marie, and Toulouse all jumped up and congratulated Christian. ÒCan I see Satine?Ó Christian asked. The doctor said yes and showed Christian where she was. When Christian walked into the room, he saw Satine holding the baby. ÒHey you, come meet your daughter,Ó she said as she smiled at him. Christian had never seen anything more beautiful than the baby Satine held in her arms, except of course for Satine herself. ÒWhat do you want to call her?Ó she asked him. Christian wished he had paid attention to all the names that had been suggested earlier. One did stick out in his mind, although he wasnÕt sure if it had been one of the suggestions. ÒWhat about BrookeÓ he asked. Satine looked at her baby. ÒI think Brook sounds more like a middle name, donÕt you? How about Cassandra for her first name?Ó Christian agreed, and their daughter was named Cassandra Brooke.
Soon Harold, Marie, and Toulouse joined Satine and Christian. Everyone wanted to hold Cassandra. The couple was told that Satine and Cassandra could leave the next day. Christian spent that night in the hospital, happier than he had ever been.
A.N. DonÕt worry, this isnÕt the end. There will be at least one more chapter. I wasnÕt sure if people really rushed out to hospitals to give birth in 1900, but the opportunity to have Christian rambling about getting ready was too good to pass up.
