Chapter Ten

Though she had thought that she had only been pregnant for a total of four weeks, Xiaoyu had, in fact, been pregnant for seven. As her morning sickness and fatigue gradually began to wear off, though there were still ever present reminders of her pregnancy, her irritability and mood swings became more frequent.

In the next three weeks it wasn't uncommon for Jin to come home from work and find Xiaoyu on the couch, extremely happy or extremely sad. She would have a magazine open in front of her or the television on or maybe not have been doing anything at all and she would either be laughing or there would be twenty or more used tissues surrounding her.

Her mood was a warning sign to Jin about how she would need to be treated for the rest of the night. If she was happy, Jin could joke around with her; he could tickle her, cuddle with her, and even tease her. He would be able to talk to her about the baby and about her day.

If she was sad, however, he had to hold her and kiss her. He would have to sit with her for the rest of the night and tell her how much he loved her and how beautiful he thought she was. Though he didn't like finding his wife sad, Jin couldn't help but like always needing to be hugging her and kissing her.

One night Jin came home to find Xiaoyu sitting on the couch and laughing at a television show she was watching. He smiled to himself; knowing that this was going to be a good night. When he closed the door behind him, Xiaoyu turned around and smiled.

"Come sit with me, Jin!" she yelled, moving over and making a spot for him to sit. She was wearing a white tank top and faded jeans.

Jin set down his briefcase and took off his suit jacket. "In a minute, baby," he said. "I'm gonna go change out of my work clothes."

She didn't say anything but went back to laughing at her television show. Jin made sure that he hurried to change out of his work clothes. He put the tie back in the closet and tossed the dirty clothes into the basket outside of the bathroom. Slowly, Jin walked down the carpeted stairs and stopped in the doorway of the living room to look at his beautiful wife.

Xiaoyu was still watching television and laughing occasionally. Her small legs were crossed underneath her and a blanket was wrapped around her shoulders. She looked up at him standing in the doorway.

"Come sit down!" she called. "I've been so bored all day without you!"
Jin wrapped his arm around Xiaoyu's small shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug. "Ohh," he groaned. "I've missed you."

Xiaoyu turned and faced him while she pressed her lips against his. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she pushed him down on the couch. She laughed and hugged him as tightly as she could.

Something caught Jin's attention; something between them. Once the hug had ended, Jin reached down towards Xiaoyu's stomach and patted it lovingly. He smiled at her as she blushed.

She still wasn't showing but Jin knew that their baby was still growing. Eventually everyone would be able to tell that Xiaoyu was pregnant; but it might be a while longer.

Xiaoyu had chosen not to tell everyone about the baby; not yet. She wanted to be sure that she didn't have another miscarriage. Jin didn't mind if no one ever knew; it was his baby, after all.

"I told my uncle about the baby, today," Xiaoyu smiled up at him. "And your grandfather."

"What?" Jin asked, sounding alarmed. "My grandfather knows?"

Xiaoyu smiled. "Of course, someone had to tell him eventually," she beamed.

"What did he say?" Jin asked.

"Well, he made me promise that our baby wouldn't call him great-grandfather," Xiayou smiled and gave Jin a quick kiss. "But I think he was excited."

"Who else knows?" Jin asked.

"Umm," Xiaoyu thought for a minute. "Well, those are the only two people that I told. We can tell everyone else now, I guess."

Jin smiled. "We can tell them when you're ready," he whispered, pulling her into another long hug and kissing her over and over again.