Chapter 14: Enjoying Life
Susan was now four months pregnant and enjoying every minute. She had gained the weight that had been missing for so long. She also had a healthy bump which neither Mark or Susan could stop touching and admiring.
Susan was also back on top of her game at work, she was successfully treating more patients than she had in a long time. She was still going to therapy once a month, but she was about to stop as she no longer felt she needed to go.
She had a healthy home life, relationship and baby (all be it, still unborn) The nursery was decorated, Mark and Susan had done it themselves, and to say neither of them professed to be any good at art the outcome was just perfect.
It was a gorgeous ocean scene, delightful blues and sunny yellows, with little red boats floating on the horizon. A white cot was in the corner with a beautiful hand crafted mobile hanging above it.
Mark had seen it in a craft shop, got it all wrapped up and presented it to Susan. When she opened it her face lit up as she saw what was inside. She gave Mark a huge hug and kiss.
The rest of the room was filled with gorgeous accessories. A pine bookshelf and toy box and a rocking chair positioned by the window with a yellow blanket draped over it.
They had bought a white sleep suit and blanket set. That was what they were planning to take the new baby home in.
Both Mark and Susan were enjoying life. Susan's due date was 17th December so baby would definitely have to be kept wrapped up for the first few months of its life.
They had names planned for either eventuality, but neither Mark or Susan would reveal their choices. They wanted it kept secret until the birth, much to the annoyance of the rest of the ER staff.
Every day someone would try and find out the names, they even cheekily broke into Mark's locker after a rumour circulated that they had stashed a list in there, but to no avail.
Some were just out and out blatant about their desire to know.
"So Mark, boy or girl?" Carter asked
"Carter give it a rest, neither of us are going to tell you. We don't know what sex the baby is, but we do have names. However, if I gave you any information Susan would kill me. And I'd kinda like to be around when our baby is born." Mark replied
"Ok, guess we'd better give up now then. Only about 5 months to go." Carter answered
"19 weeks actually, and everything is already done. Nursery is decorated, and we've bought so many clothes. This baby is going to be one of the best dressed around. Although we've had to go for neutral colours. Whites, browns, yellows. Everything has to be fleecy as well, don't want him to get cold" Mark said
"Ah so it's a boy?!" Carter yelled
"No Carter, just a figure of speech. We REALLY don't know" Mark replied
As Susan made her way towards Mark and Carter she had a big grin on her face. As she got close enough Mark stretched a hand out, wrapped it around her waist, pulled her close and gave Susan a kiss on the head. Carter smiled as he saw just how happy they were.
"What are you smiling at?" Susan asked
"You two. You look so great together. That baby is really growing isn't it?" Carter replied
"Oh yeah, can't wait 'til it starts kicking. Hey Mark, you'd better let me go, I have patients to see"
"Ok, see you later. Love you" Mark said as he gave Susan a little kiss
Mark stared in awe as he saw Susan walk off with her hand resting protectively over he bump.
"So you gonna marry her?" Carter asked
"Oh god Carter, we haven't got that far yet. I hope it'll happen one day, but right now we have a baby to concentrate on and I don't want Susan to feel rushed. I'm going to help as much as I can with the baby but she's still bound to be tired. Arranging a wedding would drive us both mad"
"Yeah I guess so. Make sure you invite me though." Carter laughed
"Of course I would. We have talked about it and we both want to get in contact with Doug and Carol. I'd want Doug as my best man and Carol would be Susan's matron of honour. However, I would like you to be my other best man. You've watched us get together while Doug knew us before getting together. It'd make the speeches more balanced." Mark replied
"That would be great. But I won't get too excited, because it took you so long to get together it'll probably take an age for you to get married." Carter said before he left to treat another patient.
Mark just smiled to himself as he thought what it would be like to be married to Susan. It was a warming thought and something Mark definitely wanted and he knew Susan did too, but not just yet.
"Hey you, I heard you're planning to marry me Doctor Greene" Susan said as she crept up behind Mark
"Oh yes and who did you hear that from?" Mark asked as he escorted Susan to the doctors lounge.
"It's true I was talking about it with Carter but I told him it wouldn't be happening for a while. It's something I want Susan, I want to be with you forever, but right now is not the time for planning a wedding, we have enough with planning to be parents." Mark said
"Mark, I know. I don't expect you to propose to me just because I'm pregnant. In time yes, but not right now. We have this little one to think about" Susan said as she held Mark's hand to her stomach
Mark smiled once again, he hadn't smiled this much since Jennifer was pregnant with Rachel, but this time it felt different. Although he was in love with Jen when Rachel was born it always felt as if something wasn't right. Jen was never really a friend to him, she always had a jealous streak that never went away, she could be cold and cruel. She didn't want Mark around half the time she was pregnant with Rachel, saying it was her duty to be pregnant.
Now Mark had his best shot at Fatherhood. Susan wanted Mark there for everything. It wasn't that she was demanding, just wanted him involved. She admitted to being a little scared, but she was throwing up at the time. Her morning sickness came in waves. Some days it could be ok, others she had to run to the toilet every 15 minutes.
It was hard for her sometimes. She had seen so many pregnant women, but every twinge Susan felt, her face would show a slight sign of worry until Mark calmed her down.
At six months Susan was over the worry, she knew now that it was highly unlikely that anything would go wrong. She had, had her 24 week scan and both Mark and Susan revelled in the fact that they could see the outline of ten little fingers, ten little toes and a heart beating as healthily as any foetal heart could. Nothing was going to go wrong with this baby.
Mark and Susan protected it with their lives. Susan could feel it kicking now and every time it did her skin would ripple. Every one in the ER knew when the baby was kicking now as each time it did Susan would let out a little giggle, sometimes in the middle of a trauma.
It would still be a while before the baby would turn and be in the position ready for birth, but Susan was certainly going to know about it when it did do it's 180 degree rotation. The kicks were strong enough when it was just practising, so goodness knows what the real thing would be like.
Every night when Mark and Susan got home, they would order Chinese take out. Mark was starting to put on weight, really get a belly on him, despite his running. But what could he do, Susan craved it. Chicken Chow Mein was her favourite, but no rice. They couldn't risk food poisoning especially that from rice, as that could be extremely dangerous.
Sometimes Susan would look at Mark with quiet awe, she couldn't quite believe that she was pregnant with his baby. It was almost like all her dreams had been fulfilled. She would catch Mark looking at her when he didn't think she could see. She would often wake up in the morning with Mark looking at her, so found that cute. He would admit he had woken an hour before and was more than happy just to watch over her. That made her feel safe, like no-one could do her any harm any more.
On their days off they would look at the baby name book.
"What do you think of Aaron?" Susan asked
"Hmmm Aaron Greene. Ah it's ok. What about Maddie for a girl?" Mark replied
"Maddie! No way, Maddie Greene, makes her sound like an old person" Susan said with a laugh
"Oh ok" Mark said looking a little hurt " I just thought it was nice that was all. Oh and I really don't like Aaron." Mark answered
"Fine. I'm going to do some shopping, if you think of any names let me know" Susan replied
As the days of the sixth month passed by it wasn't long before Susan found herself with only ten weeks to go until the birth. She was suffering from slight oedema in her ankles and her blood pressure was slightly high, but she was told it was nothing to worry about. The baby was now in the birthing position and everything was looking great.
Susan was absolutely huge, this baby was going to be big. Carter checked the size and said that even at seven months the baby was already weighing 5 and a half pounds, so in two months it had the chance to grow a lot.
Mark blamed the Chinese take out, saying that Susan must have made the baby fat, but Susan didn't care how big she got, it just went to show how well their baby was growing.
Susan was now four months pregnant and enjoying every minute. She had gained the weight that had been missing for so long. She also had a healthy bump which neither Mark or Susan could stop touching and admiring.
Susan was also back on top of her game at work, she was successfully treating more patients than she had in a long time. She was still going to therapy once a month, but she was about to stop as she no longer felt she needed to go.
She had a healthy home life, relationship and baby (all be it, still unborn) The nursery was decorated, Mark and Susan had done it themselves, and to say neither of them professed to be any good at art the outcome was just perfect.
It was a gorgeous ocean scene, delightful blues and sunny yellows, with little red boats floating on the horizon. A white cot was in the corner with a beautiful hand crafted mobile hanging above it.
Mark had seen it in a craft shop, got it all wrapped up and presented it to Susan. When she opened it her face lit up as she saw what was inside. She gave Mark a huge hug and kiss.
The rest of the room was filled with gorgeous accessories. A pine bookshelf and toy box and a rocking chair positioned by the window with a yellow blanket draped over it.
They had bought a white sleep suit and blanket set. That was what they were planning to take the new baby home in.
Both Mark and Susan were enjoying life. Susan's due date was 17th December so baby would definitely have to be kept wrapped up for the first few months of its life.
They had names planned for either eventuality, but neither Mark or Susan would reveal their choices. They wanted it kept secret until the birth, much to the annoyance of the rest of the ER staff.
Every day someone would try and find out the names, they even cheekily broke into Mark's locker after a rumour circulated that they had stashed a list in there, but to no avail.
Some were just out and out blatant about their desire to know.
"So Mark, boy or girl?" Carter asked
"Carter give it a rest, neither of us are going to tell you. We don't know what sex the baby is, but we do have names. However, if I gave you any information Susan would kill me. And I'd kinda like to be around when our baby is born." Mark replied
"Ok, guess we'd better give up now then. Only about 5 months to go." Carter answered
"19 weeks actually, and everything is already done. Nursery is decorated, and we've bought so many clothes. This baby is going to be one of the best dressed around. Although we've had to go for neutral colours. Whites, browns, yellows. Everything has to be fleecy as well, don't want him to get cold" Mark said
"Ah so it's a boy?!" Carter yelled
"No Carter, just a figure of speech. We REALLY don't know" Mark replied
As Susan made her way towards Mark and Carter she had a big grin on her face. As she got close enough Mark stretched a hand out, wrapped it around her waist, pulled her close and gave Susan a kiss on the head. Carter smiled as he saw just how happy they were.
"What are you smiling at?" Susan asked
"You two. You look so great together. That baby is really growing isn't it?" Carter replied
"Oh yeah, can't wait 'til it starts kicking. Hey Mark, you'd better let me go, I have patients to see"
"Ok, see you later. Love you" Mark said as he gave Susan a little kiss
Mark stared in awe as he saw Susan walk off with her hand resting protectively over he bump.
"So you gonna marry her?" Carter asked
"Oh god Carter, we haven't got that far yet. I hope it'll happen one day, but right now we have a baby to concentrate on and I don't want Susan to feel rushed. I'm going to help as much as I can with the baby but she's still bound to be tired. Arranging a wedding would drive us both mad"
"Yeah I guess so. Make sure you invite me though." Carter laughed
"Of course I would. We have talked about it and we both want to get in contact with Doug and Carol. I'd want Doug as my best man and Carol would be Susan's matron of honour. However, I would like you to be my other best man. You've watched us get together while Doug knew us before getting together. It'd make the speeches more balanced." Mark replied
"That would be great. But I won't get too excited, because it took you so long to get together it'll probably take an age for you to get married." Carter said before he left to treat another patient.
Mark just smiled to himself as he thought what it would be like to be married to Susan. It was a warming thought and something Mark definitely wanted and he knew Susan did too, but not just yet.
"Hey you, I heard you're planning to marry me Doctor Greene" Susan said as she crept up behind Mark
"Oh yes and who did you hear that from?" Mark asked as he escorted Susan to the doctors lounge.
"It's true I was talking about it with Carter but I told him it wouldn't be happening for a while. It's something I want Susan, I want to be with you forever, but right now is not the time for planning a wedding, we have enough with planning to be parents." Mark said
"Mark, I know. I don't expect you to propose to me just because I'm pregnant. In time yes, but not right now. We have this little one to think about" Susan said as she held Mark's hand to her stomach
Mark smiled once again, he hadn't smiled this much since Jennifer was pregnant with Rachel, but this time it felt different. Although he was in love with Jen when Rachel was born it always felt as if something wasn't right. Jen was never really a friend to him, she always had a jealous streak that never went away, she could be cold and cruel. She didn't want Mark around half the time she was pregnant with Rachel, saying it was her duty to be pregnant.
Now Mark had his best shot at Fatherhood. Susan wanted Mark there for everything. It wasn't that she was demanding, just wanted him involved. She admitted to being a little scared, but she was throwing up at the time. Her morning sickness came in waves. Some days it could be ok, others she had to run to the toilet every 15 minutes.
It was hard for her sometimes. She had seen so many pregnant women, but every twinge Susan felt, her face would show a slight sign of worry until Mark calmed her down.
At six months Susan was over the worry, she knew now that it was highly unlikely that anything would go wrong. She had, had her 24 week scan and both Mark and Susan revelled in the fact that they could see the outline of ten little fingers, ten little toes and a heart beating as healthily as any foetal heart could. Nothing was going to go wrong with this baby.
Mark and Susan protected it with their lives. Susan could feel it kicking now and every time it did her skin would ripple. Every one in the ER knew when the baby was kicking now as each time it did Susan would let out a little giggle, sometimes in the middle of a trauma.
It would still be a while before the baby would turn and be in the position ready for birth, but Susan was certainly going to know about it when it did do it's 180 degree rotation. The kicks were strong enough when it was just practising, so goodness knows what the real thing would be like.
Every night when Mark and Susan got home, they would order Chinese take out. Mark was starting to put on weight, really get a belly on him, despite his running. But what could he do, Susan craved it. Chicken Chow Mein was her favourite, but no rice. They couldn't risk food poisoning especially that from rice, as that could be extremely dangerous.
Sometimes Susan would look at Mark with quiet awe, she couldn't quite believe that she was pregnant with his baby. It was almost like all her dreams had been fulfilled. She would catch Mark looking at her when he didn't think she could see. She would often wake up in the morning with Mark looking at her, so found that cute. He would admit he had woken an hour before and was more than happy just to watch over her. That made her feel safe, like no-one could do her any harm any more.
On their days off they would look at the baby name book.
"What do you think of Aaron?" Susan asked
"Hmmm Aaron Greene. Ah it's ok. What about Maddie for a girl?" Mark replied
"Maddie! No way, Maddie Greene, makes her sound like an old person" Susan said with a laugh
"Oh ok" Mark said looking a little hurt " I just thought it was nice that was all. Oh and I really don't like Aaron." Mark answered
"Fine. I'm going to do some shopping, if you think of any names let me know" Susan replied
As the days of the sixth month passed by it wasn't long before Susan found herself with only ten weeks to go until the birth. She was suffering from slight oedema in her ankles and her blood pressure was slightly high, but she was told it was nothing to worry about. The baby was now in the birthing position and everything was looking great.
Susan was absolutely huge, this baby was going to be big. Carter checked the size and said that even at seven months the baby was already weighing 5 and a half pounds, so in two months it had the chance to grow a lot.
Mark blamed the Chinese take out, saying that Susan must have made the baby fat, but Susan didn't care how big she got, it just went to show how well their baby was growing.