"You ready?"
"Yeah, hurry up, this box is heavy."
"Okay. Here we are!"
"Wow."
Nick took one glance at the inside of the house and knew it was perfect. This was the first time that he had been able to see the house his mother and Judy had picked out, and he wasn't disappointed. It was a bit of a fixer-upper, but what house wasn't? For him and Judy and their family, it was the most beautiful thing to happen to them since Judy had announced that she was pregnant. It had taken a little bit longer than expected for the house to be officially closed in Judy's name – almost a month and a half longer, but it had been closed in her name nonetheless. In that time, Judy and Nick used boxes to pack up their apartment and black markers to label everything. Just the day before, all of the paperwork had been officially approved and this morning, the couple began to move their things in with the help of Mrs. Wilde and a few friends from work. Judy did the unpacking, as Nick wouldn't let her lift anything heavy. With his leg now fully healed, Nick practically did everything for the bunny since she was now almost eighteen weeks pregnant, her back beginning to officially arch in with her pregnancy.
"Well, what do you think?" Judy asked in an excited voice.
"It's amazing. Good pick, Carrots."
"Thank you," Judy smiled. "But your mother is the reason we have the house."
"I still can't believe she paid as much as she did."
"She's amazing. When she said that she would pay a large portion, I didn't know that meant all of it plus more."
Nick's mother had indeed made an offer on the house that was debated and discussed several times before it was officially decided on. Then, Nick's mother had paid for not only the house, but had also given Judy and Nick enough money to fix the home up and add things to it.
"Remind me to send her a gift, Nick. Delgato! Be careful with that box, it's full of our dishes!"
"How's the unpacking going?" Nick asked, watching the lion officer readjust his grip on the box he was carrying.
"Pretty good. I unpacked clothes, pictures, some blankets and towels, but that's about it."
"I'll be able to help in a minute. We're down to the last few boxes and pieces of furniture. We don't really have that much stuff."
"Okay. You're going to my appointment today, right?"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Nick smiled.
Later that day, Judy was set for a check-up appointment that would also reveal the sexes of all four babies. Although Nick and Judy had argued over it for the last few weeks, they had decided that it would be better to know… well, that and Judy was just too impatient to not know. After the appointment, the couple planned on going to pick up some cans of paint to repaint the inside of the house and to pick up some baby supplies.
"I'm looking forward to it," Judy grinned. "Oh, and don't forget that we are visiting my parents next week."
"I forgot about that," Nick groaned.
"Quit whining, my parents love you."
"No, they hate me."
"How could they hate you?"
"Firstly, I'm a fox. Secondly, I'm a fox who started dating their rabbit daughter without their knowledge. Oh, yeah, and thirdly, I'm a fox who got his girlfriend, their rabbit daughter, pregnant, also without their knowledge."
"I fail to see the problem," Judy laughed.
"You would," Nick chuckled as he set down the box that he had been carrying. "Can I see upstairs?"
With a big grin plastered across her face, Judy gave Nick a full tour of the house, telling him where she planned to place certain things.
"I'm thinking we place the crib against that wall," Judy stated as she gestured to a wall with one paw, the other resting on her lower back.
"Crib?"
"Yeah, I decided to get only one."
"Are they going to have enough room?" Nick asked with a puzzled expression.
"Of course! They're sharing my womb, aren't they?"
At the look on Nick's face, Judy laughed herself to near tears.
"I'm kidding, Nick! Well, I mean, it's true, but I ordered a huge crib, and we can divide it with pillows if we really need to."
"Is this the crib we're picking up later?"
"Yes, it's absolutely gorgeous. It's made from wood that's been stained black. That's why I want to paint the wall behind the crib and the opposite wall a turquoise kind of color, with the other two painted white."
"Okay, I think that would look nice."
"I knew you would love it. Now, come in here really quick."
Judy then led Nick down the hall to the master bedroom. Their bed had already been set up and centered against the farthest wall from the door.
"I'm thinking that the wall behind the bed should be a deep red color, with the other walls white."
"Okay, and how do you want to do our bathroom?" Nick asked as he gestured to the bathroom that joined the master bedroom through a small hallway set opposite from the bed.
The master bedroom's bathroom technically didn't have a door, just a small hall that led into a large bathroom with a tub, shower, two sinks, large mirrors, and a toilet included.
"Probably the same way," Judy shrugged. "I don't know, we'll see how it goes. I really like the gray tile, though, and I think it would look great with a dark red."
"The bathroom across the hall from the kids' room?"
"Same colors as their room?"
"Sounds good to me."
"And I want to keep the carpet white, so we may have to hire someone to professionally clean it."
"A white carpet with four kids?"
"They'll keep it clean or I'll make them clean it."
"Ha, alright, Mom," Nick chuckled.
"I would like the kitchen painted the same way as our room; I think that would look nice with the applewood cabinets."
"Okay, keep the white tile?"
"Yes. What should we do with the living room and the dining room, though?"
"I like turquoise, just like the kids' room. Besides, no use in buying more paint than we have to."
"Right, I like that idea."
"We'd have to get a new couch with those colors…" Nick suggested.
"Thank God, I hated that couch."
"You slept on it for like two years!"
"I know, but I was just trying to be nice," Judy said with an apologetic look. "I was secretly hoping it would break so I wouldn't have to sleep on it anymore."
"You could have just told me," Nick laughed.
"And sleep where?"
"In my bed."
"With you? We weren't even dating when I first started sleeping on that thing!"
"We could have started dating sooner."
"I still slept on the couch when we started dating."
"You're something else," Nick laughed.
Judy laughed too, playfully punching him in the arm as she did so.
"You love me," she smiled.
"Do I? Yes, yes I do."
"That's my line!"
"You don't own it!"
The two continued to laugh and chat for a few more minutes before Nick's mother came in and interrupted, telling Nick to go help move boxes while she talked to Judy. With a kiss goodbye, Nick left to help, while Judy and Mrs. Wilde walked through the house and discussed the designs and plans Judy had. A few hours later, everything was moved in. Now alone, Judy and Nick worked around the house, unpacking things as they went. At about a quarter before 2:00, the couple left the house and made their way to Judy's appointment with her pediatrician.
"Are you nervous?" Judy asked as Nick drove down Main Street.
"Should I be?"
"How do you always manage to ruin an adorable moment between us?" Judy laughed, as Nick rolled his eyes.
"I'll admit that I'm a little nervous."
"Ooh, big tough Nick isn't so big and tough anymore!"
"I answered your question, you hypocrite!"
For what felt like the millionth time that day, the two broke down in side-clenching laughter. It wasn't long after that that they pulled into the parking lot of the clinic. Paw in paw, the two walked in, checked in at the reception desk, and sat patiently in the waiting room. Judy's pediatrician was a very kind tiger named Kara, who loved the fact that Nick and Judy were an interspecies couple. For Judy, waiting for her name to be called to begin her appointment felt like an eternity, when in reality it was only a few minutes before the tiger arrived and called her name with a smile. After the usual medical requirements and some idle chatter, Judy's ultrasound began.
"Okay, Mom. There's Baby 1," Kara stated as she pointed to the monitor. "There's Baby 2's foot, and then there is Baby 2. Oh, and here's Baby 4, waaaaaay over here. And last but not least, Baby 3 is down here."
"Baby 3 seems a bit far down, don't you think?" Nick asked, a little worry present in his tone.
"Not at all, Dad," Kara smiled. "Everything is perfectly normal."
Nick nodded, still not fully convinced. Judy reached out and gripped his paw reassuringly.
"Would we like to know genders?" Kara then asked.
"Yes," Judy grinned, her paw squeezing Nick's in anticipation.
Nick took a deep breath, not really sure why he was so nervous. That feeling was back again, the balloon filling with air, his chest caving in with every breath he took. He glanced down at Judy, whose eyes were glued to the monitor, waiting for Kara to tell her. God, she was beautiful. Why didn't he tell her that more often? He definitely should, she deserved it.
Nick briefly cleared his head of all of the cluttering thoughts and tried to focus long enough to hear what Kara was saying. She had started talking, but Nick hadn't been listening. Oh, God, had she already said it?
"No, Judy isn't all over me in excitement yet," he thought.
"Nick?"
It was Judy.
"Huh?"
"I asked if you were okay."
"Oh, yeah, sorry. I zoned out for a little bit."
"You sure? You look like you just saw a ghost."
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Don't worry, Dad, everybody gets a little nervous when they find out," Kara reassured him with a pleasant voice and a smile. "Try to take deep breaths, okay?"
Nick nodded, breathing in deeply through his nose a few times.
Judy giggled quietly, making Nick look down at her and make an exaggerated face of annoyance.
"We ready?" Kara asked.
Judy answered affirmative once more, this time keeping her eyes on Nick.
"Okay, let's do this baby by baby."
Nick and Judy kept eye contact as they listened to Kara write something down before speaking again.
"Baby 1 is a boy."
Judy's face split into a grin, and she squeezed Nick's paw again. Nick smiled down at her, taking another deep breath.
"Baby 2 is also a boy."
This time, Nick let out a nervous chuckle.
"Two boys, wow. We're going to have a pawful."
"Make that three, Dad," Kara suddenly added.
Judy put her free paw over her mouth to stifle a laugh.
"That's three and they're all boys!" she giggled beneath her paw.
"You think it's funny, but you just wait; they're all going to act just like me," Nick snickered.
"That'll be my worst nightmare! Four Nicks!"
"I bet you ten bucks that Baby 4 is a girl," Nick smirked.
Judy's eyes glinted with interest.
"No way, definitely a boy," she challenged.
"Is that a bet then?"
"You're on."
Kara shook her head in amusement before turning back to the screen.
"Uh-oh, Mom, it looks like Dad just got ten dollars richer. Baby 4 is a little girl."
That's when Judy cried. In fact, she cried so hard that Kara gave them a few minutes to be alone. The crying briefly stopped when Judy got dressed, but then she quickly resumed crying, this time into Nick's shoulder.
"Carrots, what is going on?" the fox eventually asked.
"I just can't believe we are going to be parents!" she sobbed.
Nick smiled and ran a paw over one of her ears.
"Three little boys and one little girl," he smiled. "Now that we've got genders, we need names."