Chapter Three
Aly couldn't believe she had missed it. She knew all of the signs, and she had all the symptoms. She should have known right away when she was late, but her times had always been so irregular, it didn't register. But now, with the healer confirming it, the realization hit her like a pie in the face.
Aly practically ran out of the healers' wing to get to Nawat. She had big news.
She was in such a hurry to find Nawat, she didn't realize he was sitting in the hall on one of the benches by the door, waiting for her. Aly blew past him in a mad rush, to find him. It wasn't until she had turned the corner, and was halfway down the corridor, that she remembered that Nawat had come with her. He had promised to wait. She immediately pivoted her direction, and smacked right into a very familiar broad chest. Nawat grabbed her arms to steady her and keep her on her feet.
"Aly! What happed? What's the matter?" Nawat gasped, obviously terrified by her odd behavior. "Why did you run out of there?" Aly threw herself into his arms knocking him back a step. She started saying something over and over, so fast; Nawat couldn't understand a word of it.
"Aly," he said, pulling her from him so he could look her in the eyes. "Please, slow down. I can't understand, you're rambling." Nawat now looked beyond petrified. "What is going on?" Aly realized with all her crazy actions, she was scaring Nawat senseless. She had yet to tell him nothing was wrong. Which couldn't be truer. Nothing was wrong. Everything was great. No, everything was beyond great. Everything was perfect.
"Nawat!" she cried then kissed him, "A nestling! I'm not sick, I'm pregnant! We're going to have a baby Nawat!"
Nawat's reaction was an absolutely total look of bewilderment, followed by a shocked look of delayed comprehension, and finished with the longest embrace Aly had ever received. He then followed that up, by kissing her breathless, picking her up and spinning her, then starting all over again. Needless to say, he was just as happy and excited as Aly about the future they now saw before them.
During Nawat's third round of kissing Aly into a daze, however, Aly's stomach let out a very loud complaint for food. Once again, the couple broke apart into a shaking fit of giggles. Then, holding onto each other, the new mother and father to-be, made their way to the kitchens for breakfast. The whole way, Nawat was smiling like a fool. He had one of his arms around Aly's back, the other hand was sprawled protectively across her stomach.
Late that night Aly was lying in bed pretending to read, when she finally heard Nawat come in. Right after breakfast, he had departed and had been gone for most of the day. He had told her that he had "a very important errand to do" and simply refused to give Aly any explanation more than that. So, needless to say, when he arrived back, Aly wasn't ready to throw her arms around him and shower him with kisses as she had that morning.
When he walked into their bedchamber, he came over and gave Aly a small peck on the cheek. She refused to acknowledge him, but simply sniffed, and turned the page. Nawat, whom realized earlier what the consequences of his silence would be, was quite ready for this. He didn't do anything, but pull out a small box, set it on Aly's thigh, and walk over to their wardrobe to change for bed.
Aly, not wanting Nawat to know that he had spiked her curiosity, slowly lifted her book the tiniest sliver, and peeked under to see what he had placed on her on her leg.
Seconds later, Aly, squealing with joy jumped out of bed and ran to be embraced by the waiting arms of…
her love, her life, her fiancé.