Chances Not Worth Losing
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Inuyasha.
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A week and a half later Rin woke up in the morning to feel her stomach revolting against her. She threw the sheets off of her and ran into the bathroom just in time to throw up in the toilet. Sesshomaru heard all of the commotion and rushed into the bathroom to find his mate sprawled out over the toilet seat. "I don't feel good," she moaned.
He picked her up and tucked her into bed. He sat down on the bed next to her and caressed her face gently as he told her, "I'll call your office and tell them that you are sick. Stay in bed and get some sleep. I'll try to stop home sometime around lunch."
"Okay." He leaned over and kissed her forehead. He knew she would be getting sick soon because he had noticed a strange change in her smell. She fell asleep before he even got into the shower.
When he came home for lunch she was asleep, but some of her color had returned to her. He managed to get her to eat some toast and chicken noodle soup before he left for the office again.
That evening he came home again to find her up and making dinner as if she hadn't been sick in the morning. "Should you be up?" he asked her.
"I'm feeling just fine. It was probably just a 24 hour flu or something." She leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Dinner will be ready soon." They ate dinner like normal and enjoyed their normal evening activities thinking that Rin was just fine except that she fell asleep an hour earlier than normal.
The next morning Rin once again woke up needing to rush to the toilet before disposing of the previous evening's meal. "I wondered if you were well enough last night."
"I don't understand. I was feeling fine except for being tired."
"I want you to stay in bed today, and I will do the cooking." She nodded her head and curled up in the bed before fall asleep.
She wouldn't feel any better in the mornings for the next week, but every evening she felt fine even if Sesshomaru didn't believe her. He couldn't convince her to see the doctor though, so he called Sango and asked her to come over.
"Rin," Sango's voice carried through the house. It would be a couple of minutes before she appeared in the bathroom to find Rin looking rather green in the face. "Sesshomaru wasn't kidding. You aren't feeling good."
"No kidding," Rin said sarcastically. "I've been sick every morning for the past week."
"Just in the morning?"
"Yeah."
Rin flushed the toilet and rinsed her mouth out before climbing back into bed. Sango followed her sitting in the chair on the opposite side of the room so she could see Rin's face.
"Have you had your period this month?"
"No, but that's probably because of being sick."
"I'm not sure, but I think that you have morning sickness."
"What? Don't joke around with me."
"I'm not kidding Rin. It really does sound like morning sickness. I'm going to run out the pharmacy and get a pregnancy test."
"Don't waste your money. I already know that it's going to come out negative." She couldn't believe how incredibly nasty she sounded at the moment, but she just couldn't help being that way when she felt so sick.
"Just humor me, huh." Sango left Rin's house making sure she had the spare key with her and drove to the pharmacy. The clerk looked at her, a forty something year old woman buying a pregnancy test, strangely, but she ignored the looks. On the drive home she called the doctor they both went to for an appointment at noon. It was now nine o'clock, so hopefully Rin would be feeling better by then. "Rin," she said shaking her. "Rin, I'm back." She held out the box for Rin to take.
Rin begrudgingly took the box from Sango and followed the instructions. While they waited she snuggled up in the blankets again while Sango sat in the chair. "If it comes out positive, I made an appointment for you to get a positive confirmation."
"If it's positive, I apologize for everything I said today."
"I can understand how much morning sickness can make someone grouchy."
The timer in the bathroom dinged, and the two women looked at each other. "Please," Rin pleaded.
Sango went into the bathroom and returned with a straight face. "I hope you are feeling better by noon." A smile broke out on her face. "Congratulations, Mom."
--
"I'm in shock!" the doctor exclaimed. "I don't know what you did, but whatever it was, it worked. Have you told your husband yet?"
"No, but I was hoping to afterward."
"Okay. I need you to come in a few weeks for your first examination, and I hope you will bring Sesshomaru with you because I would like to get an ultrasound." Rin nodded her head. "Well, thank you for coming in, Rin, and I hope to see you again soon. It was also nice to meet you again, Sango." With that she was escorting both women to the receptionist. Rin made an appointment and they got into Sango's car and drove off.
"Do you just want me to drop you off at the Capitol?"
"I would appreciate it. Sesshomaru can give me a ride home."
"Okay." She entered the parking lot on the side of the building and pulled into a parking space. "Good luck telling him. I know he'll be happy."
"He's just going to be as shocked as I was. Thank you for helping me today."
"Hey, it's no big deal. You were there for me when I was pregnant." She gave Rin a hug and then told her as she was getting out of the car, "I'll see you soon?"
"Yeah. We'll have to do something together if you're feeling up to it."
"Sure." She waved at Sango as she watched her drive away. Rin turned around and walked to the closest entrance into the building. "Good afternoon, Dmitri," she said to the guard at the entrance.
"Good afternoon, Rin. How are you today?"
"I'm good," she said while putting her purse on the conveyor belt of the x-ray machine and then walking through the metal detector. "I really need to talk to Sesshomaru first, but if I get a chance, I will come back down here and talk with you before I leave."
"Okay. I look forward to hearing from you soon," he called after her as she rushed down the corridor towards the stairs.
The State Police officer guarding the door opened it upon sight of her and nodded. The office's main secretary, a small toad demon named Jaken, sat at the desk talking on the phone with someone. He stopped his conversation to yell at her before she opened the door to Sesshomaru's office, "Stupid human, he is in the middle of a meeting."
Rin walked over to Jaken and slammed her hands down on the desk. "Don't you dare call me a 'stupid human' again! I am a lobbyist, the First Lady of Illinois, and…and I'll tell you the last part later! Now, let Sesshomaru know that I have something urgent to talk to him about but I can wait."
"Huh?"
"Just do it!" She sat down in one of the chairs in there and crossed her arms across her chest and her legs away from him.
Jaken reached across his desk and picked up his phone. In the inner office Sesshomaru excused himself for a second so he could pick up the phone. "Why are you interrupting me?" his angry voice carried through the phone.
"Um, Governor Sesshomaru, yo-your wife is-is here and she want-wants to talk to you," he stuttered.
His voice softened a little, "Did she tell you what it was about?"
"She said it was urgent but she could wait."
"Okay." He put down the phone and looked at the men sitting across from his desk. "My wife has something she needs to tell me. Will you please excuse me for a minute?" They gave their pardon and he walked out of his personal office. When Rin had something exciting to talk about that was of some importance she would always say that it was urgent but she could wait. The idea stemmed back to the day when he asked her to court him, and that evening he had said his business was urgent but he would wait for her to eat. He saw her sitting in the chair obviously upset with Jaken. "Rin, what is the matter?"
She turned her head to him and smiled. Jumping to her feet she walked up to him and whispered, "Is there somewhere we could go and talk in private?" He led her down a small corridor towards some more offices. She stood in front of him not touching him. "How is your day going?"
"You came down here and interrupted my meeting when you should be in bed resting to ask me how my day is?"
"Just humor me please?" she pleaded with her best puppy dog eyes impression. She knew he couldn't resist her.
He sighed, "I've had a terrible day. Nothing seems to be going right."
"Good, then I can give you the news that will make this day perfect."
"What are you talking about?"
She took his hand and placed it on her stomach. "A miracle has happened." His eyes saw what she had done and his ears had heard what she had said, but nothing was quite registering. "We're going to have a pup."
"We're going to have a pup?" he said in a rather dazed way. Then it suddenly hit him like a sack of bricks. He picked her up and swung her around before engaging in a heated kiss. Then he carried her into his inner office and set her down. "Sorry, for the interruption, but I've just been informed that I am going to be a father soon," he said in an expressionless tone.
Slowly the men stood up and shook hands with Rin and Sesshomaru congratulating them both. Rin then excused herself and went to talk with Kathy, who was currently not in a meeting. "Hey, Kathy. Can I talk with you?"
"Sure." She gestured to a seat across from her. "I am surprised to see you here. Sesshomaru told me that you were still sick."
"I have been sick every morning, but I guess I'm just going to have to get used to it for awhile. I'm pregnant!"
Kathy got up from her seat and walked around her desk so that she could hug Rin. "Congratulations! I'm sure Sesshomaru was happy to hear that."
"Oh, he was. I'm just…worried. I know what Sango went through when she was pregnant, but that was with humans. I don't know what to expect giving birth to a hanyou, and the couple with the hanyou children that lived next door moved away a couple of years ago. I was hoping you could tell me what it was like to give birth to a demon, and maybe I can figure out something similar between the two of them."
"It's really not that different, except for the fact that demons develop faster, so they are born sooner. I assume that a hanyou would not be as soon as a demon would, but I don't think you will be pregnant for nine months either."
"That could be a good thing."
"Well, yeah, but then again you will see your pregnancy progress faster. I don't think you need to worry though; you're strong enough to handle this with the help of Sango and me."
"Thanks."
"Do you feel any better?"
"Yeah, about that." She yawned. "I'm getting kind of tired and it's not like I can easily go home."
"I remember being tired a lot during my first trimester. You can sleep on my couch if you want. I don't have any more meetings today except for one with Sesshomaru and the legislative leaders in his office."
"I would appreciate it, but I promised that I would go downstairs and talk to Dmitri. I should also stop by the office for a few minutes."
"When you get back, ignore Jaken and come on in here."
"Ignoring Jaken is no problem. One day I'm going to make sure he is afraid of me."
"Good luck, he's only afraid of Sesshomaru." They laughed about how nervous the toad got when he made Sesshomaru upset.
--
Three hours later Sesshomaru found Rin sleeping on the couch in Kathy's office. She had spent several minutes talking to some of the people downstairs and then an hour at the office making all the necessary arrangements for her return to work the next day and when she would need to go on pregnancy leave. By the time she got back she was thoroughly exhausted and fell asleep in only seconds.
He picked her up gently and took her home. How could he have missed the scent of half demon blood growing in her? Actually, he had smelled it, but he had mistaken it for illness.
Things would definitely be different now. It was unsure how long she could be pregnant, so around the seventh month he would have to stay in close contact with her. They wouldn't know what to really expect from her pregnancy at all because of the difficulty in trying to conceive and a hanyous were so rarely born.
She opened her eyes to see him put her into the bed and leaned down to put his ear on her stomach. The baby's heartbeat was slow, but it was there. "Good morning," she said smiling at him. Her hands ran through his hair as she held him closer to her stomach.
"It is the evening."
"I know, but I was being funny anyway." She let go of him and went downstairs.
"What are you doing up?"
She turned to look at him as he stood in the doorway. "I am making us dinner."
"You should be in bed."
"I'm awake now, and I'm going to have to get used to not being able to sleep all night." She started pulling things out of cabinets, drawers, and the refrigerator. "I was thinking about changing jobs."
"Why?"
"Because I don't think I will have enough time to be both a lobbyist, First Lady of the State, and a mother. It's already hard enough being the first two."
"It does work out though. I saw it in my dream."
"But I don't like the idea of leaving you guys for a week at a time. It almost sounded like I did it often if our daughter was already quite responsible for a 15 year old. Weeks ago I was told that they are looking for staff in the President's Office."
"Gregory? I had heard that he was looking for someone."
"Why not at least let him know that I am interested. He's knows my work."
"Yes, but you may put him in an awkward position. He's a friend of ours, and he's a party member."
"I'll just remind him that I want him to give it to me fairly, based on my qualifications." She turned her full attention to him and pleaded, "Please. Will you do it for me and for our pup?" She rubbed her stomach attracting his attention.
How could he say no? "You've already made up your mind, so I'm not going to stand in your way."
"Thank you." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek before returning to cooking. He stood there looking at her and imagining what life would be like if she were to get this job. It was contrary to his dream, so would that mean that the rest of their life would not be the same? Would they only have one pup, and if so, what would it be now? Would they still be happy?
He would once again have to live life not knowing what was coming next, and that couldn't be too bad since it would make life more exciting.
--
Five days later Rin sat in Gregory's office. "Congratulations on your pregnancy."
"Thanks. We're both really excited about this pup."
He sat down in his large leather chair. "How may I help you, Rin?"
"I am coming to you asking you for a job. I'm not coming as a friend or as the First Lady of the State but as a woman of political experience looking for a better job."
"I know of your work as a lobbyist, but I never thought you would leave such a job."
"To be honest with you, it is hard for me to devote enough time to being a good lobbyist with my husband's job and now raising a pup…. I know that working here will give me a chance to work just as hard and influence the political process without my being needed 24/7."
"Is that the only reason why you want to change jobs?"
"It was at first." He raised an eyebrow. "I also realized that I need a job that will allow me to work hard and use my education instead of a job that relies on how I can wine and dine politicians and make deals. I know that I am going to have to deal with other members of the party, but I want to be able to help them instead of trying to influence them."
"Now that's what I wanted to hear. I think I could find somewhere for you around here. We can even arrange for you to take as much time off as you need for the pregnancy, and once you have the pup, you may care for it at work if need be. You already know about the State's health insurance plans for state employees. The starting salary is $75,000, but you don't have to worry about that with Sesshomaru's salary as it is. How about we have you start a month from today?"
"I have one question."
"Okay."
"What exactly will I be doing?"
"Researching bills that are submitted in the Senate and writing up summaries for our members. When they need something done, you will supervise other staff in making sure things get done. You will also be helping me in scheduling appearances."
A smile crossed Rin's face. "That sounds wonderful."
"Good. I will see you back in here a month from today." They shook hands and parted ways.
Rin ran down half a flight of stairs to the second floor and into Sesshomaru's office. "Where do you think you're going?" Jaken croaked. "Sesshomaru is too busy to talk to you."
"Excuse me?" She leaned in and got in Jaken's face. "And what exactly is he doing that makes him too busy to talk to me?"
"He's reviewing some of the bills that have just arrived from the House."
"Then he's not too busy to talk to his wife." She stood up straight again and stuck her tongue out at him before going into Sesshomaru's office.
He looked up at her and opened his arms to her. She sat down in his lap and wrapped an arm around his neck. "Do you have the job?"
"I do!" She hugged him. "I'm so excited. I'm going to start in a month. He said that they'll allow me to even care for our pup while at work when I'm ready to come back from pregnancy leave."
"That's quite generous."
"If you want, you can always watch our pup here."
"I know. I look forward to it." He kissed her forehead gently before allowing her to leave.