Author note:

This is the first time I have written a chapter that tried to cover such a span of time. Hopefully, it's not too confusing. Please drop me a note if you enjoyed it, and are still interested stories about Clay & Emma's future.

CH 13- Baby on Board

It had only been about a month and a half since Emma and Clay discovered they were going to be parents. Although they were excited, they kept their amazing secret to themselves. Waiting to make sure things were going well and that the baby was healthy before they shared the news. Clay was used to keeping things classified. But on more than one occasion his cheerful demeaner and perpetual grin almost gave him away.

Even though Emma was equally as happy, the weeks had not been so easy for her. She pushed herself through the workday by sheer will and then came home and collapsed on the couch until it was time for bed. She was tired all the time and couldn't stomach much of anything. She felt so guilty that on top of his work and any spin-ups, Clay was taking care of almost everything at home. He on the other hand didn't think he was doing enough. The dark circles under her eyes and her constant nausea tore at his heart. He felt responsible for her condition and did whatever he could to ease her situation. He became so concerned that he called and consulted her doctor. The doctor assured him that as long as Emma wasn't losing weight, was keeping hydrated, and could keep the pre-natal vitamins down, things would be fine. She was nearing the end of her first Trimester and her symptoms should start to go away on their own.

Right now, he was in the kitchen heating up some soup for her and cleaning up the morning's dishes while she dozed on the couch, Koda laying protectively at her feet. When the microwave indicated that her chicken-noodle was warm, he sat it on the tray along with some crackers and a glass of ginger ale. He carried to her and roused her softly, coaxing her to try and eat for the baby.

"Em, honey. Your soup is ready. Do you think you can eat some?"

She stretched and sat herself upright. "Yea, I can try." He sat the tray on her lap and took a seat next to her on the sofa. "Where's your meal?"

"I ate while you were asleep."

Her eyes filled with tears that spilled over onto her pale cheeks. "I'm so sorry. All I do is lay around and you have to do everything. And then…I can't even stay awake to talk to you when you get home."

Clay reached out and tenderly wiped the tears from her face. "Babe. Don't be sorry. This," he gestured to the bowl and around at the apartment, "this is all I can do. You're doing all the hard work here."

"But…"

He held a finger to her lips and then slid his hand down to cover her stomach. "Honey, all I did today was run drills. You…you're growing a baby in there, our baby. So, don't apologize. I just wish I could do more."

She sniffed and nodded as he placed a kiss against her head. Picking up her utensil, she took a few small spoonfuls of soup. Clay watched and sighed with relief when she grabbed a couple crackers and munched them down as well.

"Do you want to look at some houses again tonight," he asked, picking up the laptop.

"Mmmhmm."

They had begun their house search and had narrowed it down to two neighborhoods that were safe, had good schools, and were close enough to both the base and Emma's work. There were a few houses that caught their eye and Clay sent off an email to the realtor to get more information.

Emma finished her entire bowl of soup and Clay took her dishes in and loaded them into the dishwasher. When he returned, he lowered himself next to her and she leaned into his embrace.

"How're you feeling?"

"Okay, I think. The soup actually tasted good to me, thanks."

"That's great babe." He kissed her brow and drew his fingertips up and down her arm. "When do you think we should start telling everyone?"

"Anytime now, I guess. I'll be 13 weeks this weekend. I was hoping to start feeling better before we tell Dad, but I don't want to put it off too long."

"Okay. Do you want to invite him over for dinner?"

"Yea. We can surprise him with that T-shirt I got for him."

They talked a little longer about how to tell the rest of the family and Clay's team, and then Emma drifted off again.

Emma felt a little better with each day. She was still incredibly tired, but she the queasiness was starting to dissipate. When Friday came, she was able to help with the meal preparation without fighting back waves of nausea. At 6:00 sharp, Jason's firm wrap sounded on the apartment door. Clay welcomed him in and thanked him for the bottle of wine he brought.

"Hi Em? How are you feeling," he asked as he leaned to greet her.

"What to do you mean?"

"The last time we got together you looked peaked. I thought maybe you had caught a little flu or something."

Shaking her head and glancing slyly at her husband she quickly brushed off the comment. "Nope. I'm not sick. So, no worries. Why don't we go ahead and sit down?"

Clay opened the bottle Jason brought and poured a glass for himself and Jason, Emma had a glass of water at her place. Jason sat down and noticed the small package sitting on his plate.

"Hey! What's this?"

"Just a little surprise for you," Emma answered anxiously.

"A surprise…for what?"

Emma was fidgeting nervously in her seat. Clay reached beneath the table and squeezed her hand.

"It's just a little something Em found for you Jace. Why don't you open it?"

Jason's eyes darted back and forth between the two of them. Something was up, he just couldn't put his finger on it. He lifted the lid on the box and pulled out a grey shirt with some lettering. Holding it up to get a better look he started to read aloud.

"The Best Dads Get Promoted to Grandpa."

It took a few seconds to sink in before he dropped the garment on the table and sought out Emma's face.

"Emmie, are you…does this mean what I think?"

Emma smiled and nodded. "Yes. We're having a baby. You're going to be a Grandpa."

He jumped up from the table and grabbed her into a bear hug. As he held her, she could feel the dampness on his cheek as he pressed it to hers.

"Oh my God! A baby! I…I..."

He set her down and stepped back, only to pull her into another hug.

"Are you happy Daddy?"

"Happy?! Are you kidding? Yes…yes, I'm happy."

He turned to Clay and reached for his hand. The two started to shake, but then the older man pulled Clay into a hug and thumped him on the back. When they sat back down and started on dinner, he peppered the couple with questions.

"So, you weren't sick then. How are you feeling? How is the baby? When are you due?"

Emma laughed as she tried to answer him. "I'm doing okay, feeling better all the time."

Clay cut in. "It has been tough on her. She's had a lot of 'Morning Sickness,' but she's been a trooper." He took her hand and brought it to his lips.

"It hasn't been easy. But I think I'm finally starting to feel better. The baby is doing just fine. The doctor has my due date in late March."

They finally got around to eating and Emma was surprisingly hungry. By the time her Dad left to go home, he was almost as excited as they were.

Day by day, week by week, Emma was feeling better and getting her energy back. Clay felt so much better about having to leave her knowing that she was no longer suffering so many ill affects of the pregnancy. In fact, this current mission, which had the potential to last a couple weeks would have left him wracked with guilt if she were still so run down and unable to eat. He sat on the C17, going over the intel and their plan again when Vic came and sat next to him.

"Hey Boss. Touchdown in 30 minutes. Everything still a go?"

"Wha…? Oh yea. No changes. We'll get the lay of the land when we get in and then let HAVOC set up surveillance."

Clay passed the packet of papers to his 2IC to review. As Vic flipped through, he got to a smaller paper. It was a grainy, black and white image. He couldn't quite make it out. The lettering at the top said, "Spenser, Emma….3 Mos." He looked closer at the image and then it struck him what he was looking at.

"Uh, boss? Clay? I think this is yours," he said, passing the paper back to Clay. "Is that, I mean, are you and Emma having a baby?"

Clay accepted back the Ultrasound photo and tucked it in his pocket. "Oh, didn't mean to get that mixed in there. But…yea. Em's pregnant. She's past the first few months now, so we're starting to tell people."

"You're really gonna be a Dad?"

Not able to contain his grin, Clay answered. "Yea. I'm really gonna be a Father. The baby's due at the end of March."

Vic shook his hand and then called for the team's attention. "Guys, guys, listen up. I jut got an important piece of intel from Bravo 1 to share with you all." Everyone waited, listening intently. "I just found out that Spenser here is going to be a Daddy."

Everyone cheered, slapped him on the back and offered their congratulations. Even if he weren't thousands of miles in the air aboard a plane, his feet wouldn't have touched the ground.

Bravo had been gone for two weeks and Clay finally had some down time to contact Emma. He waited impatiently for her to answer his Face Time call. After a few rings, her face appeared on the screen.

"Hi baby. How are you doing?"

She immediately burst into tears and Clay was terrified. "Honey, what's wrong? Are you okay? Is it the baby?"

"I'm fine, we're fine," she sniffed. "I didn't mean to scare you. I…I'm…"

"Are you sure babe?"

"Yea. I'm sorry. When I saw you, I couldn't help it. It's these damn hormones. I've been crying about everything."

Clay chuckled at her. "Sorry I'm laughing. I'm just happy you're both okay."

"You won't be laughing when you get home and have to deal with all the water works."

"I'll be happy to deal with whatever as long as you and the baby are healthy." She started to tear up again. "Hey, did you know that the baby is the size of an avocado now?"

"What? How did you know that?"

"I downloaded that app we've been following."

Every Friday they would curl up in bed and Emma would tell him about the size of the baby, it's development and what her body was going through. But, of course, this week he wasn't there with her.

"You downloaded it?"

"Well…yea. I didn't want to miss out."

She started crying again and Clay tried to sooth her. He heard a whining in the background and Emma excused herself for a moment. She sat back down and before he knew it, Koda jumped up on the bed beside her and nudged his head under her hand.

"What's up with him?"

"Oh, I closed him on the other side of the door. I think he knows…somehow. He won't let me leave his sight."

"Good boy." Clay spoke through the laptop and the dog's head tilted to the side when he heard a voice he recognized. "Good boy, Koda. Thanks for looking out for her while I'm gone buddy."

Emma patted the furry head and he laid next to her stomach.

"How are you feeling babe?"

"Emotional, tired, hungry. I've gone from puking at the mention of food to wanting to eat everything in sight. I'm starting to show too."

She whipped off her shirt to show him her slightly rounded belly. Anyone that was not as intimately familiar with her body as Clay was would probably not even notice. But he could tell, and his face was beaming with joy. He became aware that another part of her body was fuller as well. His eyes widened as he took in the curves of her breasts.

"Yea," she giggled. "Those are getting bigger too."

He sputtered a bit at begin caught staring and she just laughed. They were talking when Emma gasped and placed a hand on her stomach.

"What? Are you okay Em?"

She laughed and tears slid down her cheeks. "Yea…I…Wow. I just felt the baby. I mean it moved and I felt it. It's the first time that happened."

"Oh my God. How…what does is feel like," he asked wistfully.

"Kinda like a butterfly, or a little fish swimming around. It's really in there. I mean, I knew that, but now…"

There was a knock and Vic stuck his head in the room. "Honey, I have to go. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. We're okay here. Go kick ass and come home, alright?"

"I love you Em. I love you both!"

"We love you too!"

Emma was waiting in the lot at the base. After two and a half weeks away, she was eager to have her husband back. She paced back and forth smiling weakly at the other wives and families that were there. Finally, the gate opened, and Clay came jogging over to her. She threw herself into his arms and immediately started sobbing.

"Shhh. Shhh babe. It's okay. I'm home. I'm home now."

Emma stepped back and breathed deeply, trying to calm herself. "I'm sorry. I can't seem to control it."

"It's fine honey. You're fine." He looked in her eyes and placed a tender kiss on her lips. "I missed you Em."

Emma responded enthusiastically and pulled him down for a more passionate kiss. She pressed herself against him and her hands roamed down to his firm ass. There were some catcalls and comments from the team as they passed. She blushed and immediately pulled her hands away.

"Sorry," she smirked at him and her eyes twinkled. "I told you I can't control myself."

Clay was a little embarrassed, but more aroused. As a result of her health, they hadn't been truly intimate in weeks.

He whispered in her ear. "Hold that thought."

All he could think about was getting home and taking her to bed. He grabbed her hand and hurried to get into the car and get going. Once they arrived at the apartment, they attacked each other and left a trail of clothing from the front door to the bed.

As they laid amidst the sheets, cuddled together, Emma's stomach growled loudly. Clay laughed and she blushed.

"Hungry babe?"

"Yes. I didn't fix anything. I was planning on stopping on the way home for dinner somewhere."

"We can order in, no problem."

"I want a burger and fries. Oh! And chocolate cake."

"Yes ma'am," he laughed.

"What?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

"How long until the food's here?"

"About 30 minutes, why?"

She didn't answer, just plucked the phone from his hands, and straddled him.

"Good, just enough time," she growled as she took his mouth.

It appeared her appetite was back, both of them.

While Bravo was off rotation, they found the perfect house and put in an offer. It didn't take long to hear that their offer had been accepted. They were overjoyed. The family did want to stay in the house through Thanksgiving, so they had to wait a little longer to move in. At least it gave them plenty of time to pack and purchase furnishings. They took their time selecting the furniture for the baby's room, making sure it was exactly what they wanted for their little one.

Much to Clay's delight the baby's kicks grew strong enough for him to feel. In bed at night he would lay his hand across her stomach and talk to the baby. They discussed names and finding out the gender, but Emma was adamant that she wanted to be surprised. Clay didn't mind. He would be overjoyed with a son or daughter, as long as the baby was healthy. But secretly, he wanted a little girl, one that looked just like her mama.

On moving day, they had plenty of help. Their Bravo family past and present turned out in force to lend a hand. Clay wouldn't let Emma lift anything, and neither would any of the guys, so she contented herself with directing traffic and unpacking boxes as they were brought in. It was late in the afternoon before the last box was lifted off the truck and brought into the house. The couple thanked everyone profusely, waved goodbye and turned to get back to organizing. As they neared the door, Clay swept her up into his arms, surprising her.

"What are you doing?"

"Carrying my wife over the threshold of our home."

"You're crazy."

"Yep, about you." They both laughed and Clay kissed her firmly as they stepped inside.

The holidays flew past as Clay and Emma tried to finish settling into their house after work and in between missions. Jason stopped by often to offer his help and check up on Emma. As her due date neared, she was frantic to get the nursery put together. The men painted and put together furniture. And Clay spent many nights arranging and rearranging to suit Emma's whims.

Each time the team got spun up Clay got more and more nervous about leaving Emma alone and enlisted Jason and Naima to check in on her multiple times a day. He prayed that he would be home and not in some far-off country when she went into labor.

As February drew to a close Spring bloomed and so did Emma. She joked that although Clay was a SEAL, she was getting to be the size of one. He would wrap her in his embrace and kiss away her insecurities. Her current gait, resembling a waddle, actually reminded him more of a duck. But he wisely kept those comparisons to himself. She was beautiful and he couldn't believe how lucky he was. All his dreams were coming true and it was all due to

Emma was exhausted again. The baby was large and poked and prodded at her day and night. She couldn't find any comfortable positions whether sitting up or laying down. When she did get to sleep, her bladder woke her almost hourly for a trip to the bathroom. She got so grouchy that she even got on her own nerves. Clay endured it all patiently, knowing that she couldn't help it. That made her feel guilty and even more cross with herself.

As her due date came and went, they were both frustrated. Emma felt like she would be pregnant forever and Clay assured her that it couldn't be much longer. They settled in for another long night. Somewhere around two o'clock he awoke to the sound of Emma's moans. She was thrashing her head back and forth on the pillow.

"Babe…Emma. Em, what's going on?"

She drew in a breath and braced herself against the pain. As the contraction struck, she grasped his hand and squeezed with surprising strength. The pain passed and unbelievably she looked at him with a smile.

"I think…I think it's time."

"It's time?"

"I think so. It's finally time to meet our baby."

They looked at each other for a quiet moment, a moment before their lives changed forever. This was the last time it would be just the two of them. Later today, they would be a family.

"I love you baby," he breathed before kissing her.

"I love you too."