"I'll be fine here."
"Are you sure Elicchi?"
"I'm very sure."
She watched with baited breath as Eli carefully maneuvered one leg after the other onto their bed. Her heartbeat rattled her ears. The mattress creaked under her weight. Nozomi cast a shadow over Eli's stretched robe and swollen belly as she hovered close. Worry bled into her eyes, contorting her face as she twiddled her thumbs. Her mouth opened, but no words came. She frowned at the sound of Eli's annoyed sigh. Eli reached for her right hand and stared into her eyes. At the touch of their fingers, her heart calmed. The churning of her stomach waned. Like a scolded child she hung her head, then blushed with embarrassment. Eli softly spoke.
"I know you're worried about the baby and I, but I promise you nothing has changed since the last doctor's visit."
"I'm sorry Elicchi. I can't help it, something could go wrong at any moment during times like these. What if something terrible comes up and I'm not here to help you? What if you get the swelling, or the sweats, or those minor contractions hurt-"
"Nozomi, anything could happen even if I weren't pregnant. Take it easier on yourself. I know you'll always be there for us. I have nothing to be afraid of. If I do start to feel terrible, I'd tell you right away."
"…You're right Elicchi."
Eli smiled as Nozomi sighed. She crossed her arms; her worry deflated. Rolling gently onto her side, Eli held her stomach and adjusted her posture. Nozomi lifted their duvet, draping it up to Eli's waist. Gently she smoothed the creases and bent toward her wife's lips. Their kiss was brief yet brimmed with an unspoken affection. The minty aftertaste of Eli's toothpaste lingered on her tongue, and blew in her face when Eli began to murmur.
"Now I'm going to have a nap. Be good and don't worry too hard in the meanwhile, honey."
"Yes darling."
She pressed another kiss to her cheek. She sauntered toward their doorway, taking a velvet pouch off her nightstand on her way out. As she turned down the lights and grabbed the doorknob, her eyes trailed over Eli's round silhouette. A smile cracked on her face. Quiet as a mouse, she shut the door. The air made her shiver. Rubbing her arms, she cupped her hands and blew. The heat slapped weakly against her skin. She descended the stairs, turning left and stopping at a set of french doors. She clutched her pouch, feeling it's surface dent as she entered the study.
The pent up heat of the fireplace caressed her legs before the wood crackling snapped in her ears. Her shivers stopped one limb at a time. Warmth washed over her body in a tidal wave as her muscles slackened. She drew a deep breath and closed her eyes. Her thumbs smoothed back and forth across the velvet until they tingled and ached. Without much thought she found herself standing before one of the chairs near the fire. She set her pouch onto the low table; then grabbed the throw pillow. Gently she placed it onto the floor as if laying a babe to rest.
As she kneeled atop the pillow, her hands pulled open the tie string. Out slid a deck of cards into her palm. Their diamond backings were scuffed, their white edges frayed. Her eyes fixed tenderly to the celtic knot at the center as if meeting an old friend.
"It's been too long since the last time."
The deck could not respond but smacked loudly while she shuffled. With a swipe she spread the cards in a fan across the table. She raised her hands and hovered them above. Her lower lip quivered, she bit it. An uneasy nausea churned her stomach.
"Please, show me if our daughter will be born safely. What kind of child will she be? What has fate planned for her? Reveal the future here and now!"
She drew a card and laid it face up above the spread. A woman faced moon with closed eyes hung above howling dogs with glazed eyes. The Moon. She sighed in relief. Next came a crowned blond man on a seat pulled by sphinxes, The Chariot. Her fingers lingered over the right wing of cards. Out came a wheel in the heavens surrounded by golden statues of an angel, a lion, a bull calf, and a bird. Wheel of Fortune. She sat upright in her seat, her eyes widening as big as saucers. Hurriedly she pulled cards one by one, setting them below the first row. Death. The Hierophant. The Magician. The Emperor. The Fool.
Her breath caught in her throat.
"This…this is impossible. No one could be this lucky, not even I'm this lucky!"
Slowly she lifted The Emperor and held it to her eyes. A man in robes crowned and holding the scepter and orb with a silver beard contemplated on a throne. In the same quiet voice of earlier she mumbled.
"A leader huh…"
"Nozomi? Have you been here long?"
"Oh, Elicchi you're awake."
"Yes, it was the insomnia that kept me up. I really only got half an hour in maybe."
Eli stood at the doorway, her hands at her sides. Her belly poked out awkwardly and Nozomi found herself staring. Eli's face scrunched as she glanced down.
"Are you still worried?"
Nozomi chuckled softly and grinned. She waved The Emperor and looked it up and down.
"Not anymore."