Author's note - Hey all! Sorry for the lateness (and shortness) of this, but here's the Doctor x Elli installment at last. Now I love this adorable pairing, yet I've never written it before, so I sincerely hope I haven't completely ruined it! And, as always, thanks to my reviewers: Tamaki11, The Scarlet Sky, Dancing Raindrop and Awesome Rapidash.
Difficulties
Doctor Timothy Pritchard, Mineral Town's very own medical expert, knew every aspect of pregnancy. He knew all about the hormones and their affects. He knew exactly what was supposed to happen and at what stage. In fact, he knew pretty much everything.
Well...almost.
For you see, while he knew all that, what he didn't know was how to deal with it in his own wife. And that just so happened to be the most important detail of all.
Basically, he was in for a tough nine months. Not that he'd have have mentioned that to Elli though. Not unless he wanted a very sarcastic - and highly uncharacteristic - reply in return...
Elli sat restlessly at her desk, her eyes shifting nervously from one side of it to the other. On the right were piles of her usual paperwork, while on the left sat a tower of pregnancy related hard-backs. An audible sigh escaped the young brunette, as a grimace crossed her lips.
It wasn't as though she was unhappy about having a baby - in fact, she'd never been more thrilled - it was more, well, Tim really.
Oh, he was excited too, no doubt about it. Only, as with any emotionally charged subject that entered their lives, Tim had thrown himself into the technical side of things. Usually, Elli found his little way of dealing with situations cute and endearing. Not this time, however. No, the last thing she wanted to hear, when Goddess knows how many hormones were battering her body, was their scientific name. Or, perhaps, a 'useful' quote for '100 Things You Should Know About Pregnancy'. And why he needed that particular book was beyond Elli.
She loved Tim, of she did, though at the moment he was driving her utterly mad.
Deep down, Elli realised that Tim was acting no different to how he normally would. In fact, she was probably over-reacting slightly. It was just so difficult at such an emotional time...
Just then the Clinic door opened, allowing in a gust of Fall wind that brought with it several dead leaves. Elli sighed as they settled on the reception floor, before turning her attention to her husband. The dark-haired doctor, still dressed in his usual white overcoat, was currently struggling to close the door and balance a large bag of groceries at the same time.
"Right," he said, as the door finally shut with a snap. "I think I managed to get everything you asked for on the list. And I paid the tab, too, while I was there."
Elli's eyes widened as she made her way over to inspect his purchases. "I said I'd pay the bill," she pointed out, trying to stop her voice from getting ridiculously high-pitched. It had been happening a lot lately and although she'd been telling herself not to get wound up over such petty things, her emotions simply ran away with her.
Fortunately, Tim seemed not to notice. "Well, I thought I may as well pay seeing as I was there," he explained, carrying the bag over to her desk. "Though actually I don't think I'm up to this shopping business at all; in fact, I think I may have forgotten something. I'm afraid you may have to pop there yourself, tomorrow."
Either that, Elli thought with a smile, or he was being incredibly tactful. A quick glance at the shopping showed her that everything she'd asked for was present and purchased in exactly the requested quantities. Tim was clearly not the amateur he made himself out to be.
Currently, he was flicking through her pile of pregnancy books with only a vague interest and seemed to have other things on his mind. While she packed the shopping back into the bag, Elli watched him, waiting patiently.
"Elli?" Tim ventured after a little while. He was flicking through the pages of one particularly battered book agitatedly. Whether it was from nerves or excitement, though, Elli couldn't tell.
"Mmm?" she answered softly.
"You know you're due a scan, don't you?" he said slowly, as though talking to a patient. "You know, to check that there's no problem with the baby?"
Elli laughed, "Yes Tim, I'm familiar with the process!"
Chuckling in return, albeit a little worriedly, Tim made his way to the door. In one quick movement he flicked the sign that hung there from 'Open' to 'Closed'. It was then that Elli's relieved smile faltered a little.
"Now?" she asked hesitantly. She was fine talking about the scan as if it were in the distance future; in fact, she was pretty excited in that case. Today, though, was another matter entirely.
"Yes, now," Tim clarified. He walked back and slipped a comforting arm around his wife. "There's really nothing to worry about, you know. I just need to check that the baby's growing properly and that there are no complications. I thought today would be best, you see, because we don't have any appointments this afternoon. So is that okay?"
It most definitely wasn't - at least, not for Elli. Try as she might, she just couldn't help worrying about her unborn child. What if there was something wrong? Tim would be devastated and though he'd never blame her, she'd forever blame herself. After all, no one else was carrying this child, but her. There was no one else to blame.
"Oh, but - well - " Elli stuttered. There were far too many frightening scenarios and worrying 'what ifs' swirling around her head for her to form a coherent thought, let alone voice any of them. "But what if... Jeff needs us?" she finished lamely instead.
"You know, I think he'll manage!" Tim laughed.
Not long later - though after many more protests - Elli was lying on the hospital bed, while Tim fiddled with the ultrasound equipment. As a way of calming down almost, Elli was patting her fast growing bump affectionately. "Will you be able to tell the sex of the baby yet?" she wondered aloud as the thought occured to her.
"I should think so," Tim replied absently. He was still sorting out the relatively new equipment and, only moments afterwards, a fuzzy black and white image flickered into life on the screen. He breathed a sigh of relief, before enquiring, "And do you wish to know it?"
"The sex of the baby? Well..." Elli hesitated, not quite sure what to say. She had always wanted it to be a surprise, right up until the birth, but, of course, Tim would be able to tell from the scan. And it would certainly be very odd if he knew and she didn't.
Reaching around, Tim took her hand sympathetically. "If you'd rather not know, then I'll simply keep it to myself," he assured her. "I think I can manage that."
Somehow, Elli doubted the plan would work, but she nodded anyway, allowing Tim to continue examining the screen. To her it looked like nothing more than a selection of blobs and sqiggles, though judging by the inquiring expression on Tim's face, she was wrong.
"There!" he said suddenly, causing Elli to jump. "There! There's our baby's heartbeat!"
Relief washed through the young nurse, so blessed and wondrous that she couldn't help, but sigh. "Everything's okay then?"
"I should say so!" Tim replied happily. He was beaming at the monitor with such intense pride that Elli found it infectious. "He's doing great."
As soon as the words had crossed his lips, the couple froze in shock. Elli stared at the screen as silence descended over the room. "He?" she squeaked after a pause. Tim, meanwhile, sat awkwardly in his seat, his usually pale face flushed crimson with embarrassment.
"Uh - I mean - " he stammered, trying to undo the damage. By this point, though, it was far too late. "I am sorry, Elli."
Surprisingly, Elli shook her head. "It's fine," she insisted, her voice coming out rather thick and muffled due to the tears streaming down her cheeks. "I just can't believe it - we're going to have a baby boy."
Suddenly, the screen before her no longer seemed fuzzy and strange - it had a meaning. One so deep and powerful and hope filled that Elli felt she could watch her little boy's heartbeat forever. It was only when Tim at last turned off the equipment that she wrenched her stare away.
Her eyes met Tim's and they both smiled. "I don't why I'm crying," Elli laughed, as her husband leant forward and brushed his fingers along her tear stained cheeks. "I'm being so stupid!"
"No, you're not," Tim reassured her. "It's not your fault, it's the hormones - " And just like that, he was once again babbling away in 'Doctor Mode'.
This time, though, Elli didn't get mad.
Instead, she simply kissed him.
A/N - Ahh! So...much...fluff... Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! Next up will be Cliff x Ann. Bye!