The next few weeks seemed to drag on forever but at the same time, fly by in an instant, they'd already seen their GP, and the midwife, and now, they were spending their day off, back at the hospital, waiting to be called in for Rita's first scan. Iain couldn't keep the smile off his face as he sat beside Rita, her hand held gently in his own, "I take it you're excited then" she chuckled.
"Of course, aren't you?"
Rita nodded, "Yeah, I'll probably be more excited afterwards though, when I know everything's okay."
Iain squeezed Rita's hand, "I'm sure it will be, but if not, then we'll deal with it together okay, no matter what happens, I'm not going anywhere."
"I know" Rita squeezed Iain's hand in return, not letting go as her name was called and she was led back into a small room.
Rita got settled on the bed, her fingers still entwined with Iain's, and it took the sonographer a moment of running the probe over Rita's exposed abdomen before a fuzzy white image appeared on the screen, "oh" Iain gasped, his eyes filling with tears as he glanced at the screen, "is that it?"
The sonographer nodded and smiled, she'd seen four crying fathers already that day, "that's your baby."
"That's our baby Rita" he squeezed her hand, "our baby."
"I know" Rita whispered, "Jack's going to be so excited."
"Not as excited as me" Iain pouted.
"Of course not" Rita laughed before telling the sonographer, "Jack's our son, he's five, I think mentally the pair of them are about level."
"Ah" she laughed, "well, based on the size, I'd say your dates are more or less spot on, so you can tell Jack his little brother or sister will be here just in time for the summer holidays."
"Can you tell what it is yet?" Iain asked.
The sonographer shook her head, "we don't like to say this early on, you should be able to find out at the 20 week scan, provided baby plays along and doesn't hide, but for now I'm pleased to tell you everything looks exactly as it should, you've got a very healthy baby growing in there."
They spoke for a few minutes more before Rita was passed a paper towel to wipe at her stomach, thanking the sonographer and leaving the room, stopping on their way out to pick up their baby's first picture.
"Why are you in the car?" Jack asked as Iain strapped him into his car seat once they'd picked him up from school, "we always walk when you've not been to work."
"I know we do mate" Iain ruffled his hair, "but me and Mummy had to go somewhere before we picked you up and we didn't want to be late fetching you so we came in the car."
"Oh" Jack nodded before asking, "where did you go."
"We'll tell you when we get home" Rita told him.
Jack nodded as he sat back in his seat, "I bet it was the shops" he mumbled, quietly but not quietly enough, Iain still heard him.
"Nope, it was somewhere way more exciting than the shops."
Once they were home, as always, Rita sent Jack upstairs to change from his uniform, "can I know where you went now?" he asked as he bounded back into the kitchen where Iain had cut up an apple for him and poured him a glass of juice.
Rita and Iain shared a look and Iain picked up Jack's cup, "bring your apple into the living room."
Jack frowned but did as he was told, following carefully with his bowl of apple chunks, "who are they for?" he asked as he saw two presents wrapped up on the sofa.
Rita smiled, almost bursting with excitement, "you're getting good at reading, why don't you look at the tags?" she suggested.
Jack nodded, putting down his bowl he lifted the tags, "they're both for me" he frowned, looking up at his parents when he realised his name was the only thing written on the tags.
"You'd better open them then hadn't you mate?" Iain smiled, watching as Jack nodded before he tore into the paper.
"A new top?" Jack asked as he unwrapped the t-shirt, "what does it say?"
Rita sat down on the sofa, "why don't you open this one first" she pointed to the second present, "and then I'll read it to you."
Jack frowned as he unwrapped the baby grow, "I think you got the wrong size Mummy" he said as he held it up, "I'm too big."
"Well" Rita smiled as she reached out to stroke his hair, "this one isn't for you, this one is for you" she picked up the tshirt again, "and it says 'best big brother'."
"But I'm not a big brother" Jack frowned, "you said it would take a long time to get a baby brother or sister."
Rita smiled softly and bit his lip as she picked up the baby grow, "this is about how big a newborn baby is, and this says, "I love my big brother."
Jack looked confused, "but we haven't got a baby Mummy".
Rita looked up at Iain, silently giving him permission to tell Jack their news, "we haven't got a baby yet" he said as he sat on the floor beside Jack, "but there's one growing in Mummy's tummy, it will be born before your summer holidays from school."
Jack looked up at Rita, wide eyed with a big grin on his face, "you've got a baby in your tummy?"
"I have" Rita smiled, "when we went out earlier we went to the hospital so the doctor could use a special machine to make sure the baby was growing properly, would you like to see a picture?"
Jack nodded as he jumped up onto the sofa, "yes please Mummy" Rita took the scan picture from her handbag, pointing out all the baby's features, her eyes filling with tears as Jack grinned excitedly, "is it a brother or a sister?" he asked.
"We don't know yet mate" Iain lifted Jack one to his knee as he sat beside Rita, "not until the baby grows a bit bigger"
They spent most of the evening curled together on the sofa, answering all Jack's questions about the baby, both Rita and Iain smiling as, on several occasions, Jack's hand wandered onto Rita's stomach the same way Iain's had done almost constantly since they'd found out she was pregnant.
"I love you" Rita kissed Iain's lips once they'd finally got Jack to sleep that night, excited, not only by the fact he was going to be a big brother but by the fact he'd been trusted to keep the news a secret until Dixie's birthday in a week's time, his smile growing as he promised over and over again that he wouldn't tell her.
Iain smiled and returned the kiss, "I love you too, now how about me, you and this little one" he gently placed his hand on her stomach, "have a nice soak in the bath."
"Mmm" Rita groaned at the thought, "throw in a shoulder massage and you're on."
Iain laughed, already beginning to massage Rita's shoulders, "you drive a hard bargain woman but you're on."