Chapter Four
Dr. Breezy
"Lynn, over here!" Rita called out to her husband, currently meandering through the medical center parking lot in search of her. She raised her arms up, waving them for him to see. When he turned around, she smiled, an unexpected happiness coming to life within her when she saw his face.
"There you are!" Lynn ran towards her, gently taking her into his arms in a joyful spin when they met. "Hey babe!" He said when they stopped. He leaned in close, "How was your day?"
Rita answered him by closing the distance between them, bringing their lips together in a soft show of affection.
The fatigues of the work day were forgotten in the jolt they both felt upon connecting. Suddenly, the aches in Rita's legs, back and neck were a thousand miles away while in Lynn's supportive arms, and any leftover irritations Lynn felt buzzing in his mind from his own workday were calmed when he had his beloved against him.
When they eventually had to succumb to that pesky need for air, they stared into each other's eyes, iridescent with the reflected oranges of the near sunset.
"My day?" Rita repeated in a hush and a giggle. "Can't say I remember much now. But I'd wager it's getting better."
Lynn blushed. How was it Rita always knew exactly what to say to get him to do that? Embarrass him while still managing to stay burrowed so deep into his heart? "I—I'd say it's the same for me," He said somewhat tremulously.
He had a feeling Rita would've continued teasing him had he not suddenly felt a tiny little bit of movement against his stomach.
A gasp of delight escaped him and he looked down at where his and Rita's bellies met, her tiny bump cradled against his own flat stomach.
Rita humorously rolled her eyes when she saw the speed at which Lynn ducked down to get at her tummy.
"And hello to you too!" He crooned, planting a soft little smooch on the bump. "Did Daddy's precious little bean have a good day with Mommy? Daddy missed you, yes he did!"
Within his mother's womb, the little one was still fast asleep, but even in dreamland, the sound of his father's voice brought a comforting warmth as well as a tiny joyful smile to his face.
"'Precious little bean'?" Rita queried, tilting his head up to look back at her. "That's a new one."
Lynn stood back up, bringing his palm to rest against the top of the bump while wrapping an arm around Rita lovingly. "Just for now," He said. His eyes gleamed and he rubbed Rita's belly in a circular motion. "I get the feeling that after this visit, I'm gonna start calling him 'Daddy's precious little prince'!"
"Still so sure of it?" Rita queried, laying her hand over Lynn's.
Lynn nodded, a bloom of further joy sprouting within him when he felt a tiny kick against his palm. "100%. I just know it, Rita. Today we're gonna see our little boy. Bet on it."
Rita wanted to tease him a little more in lieu of how sappy he was being, but in that moment, their hopes were aligned, and together, they just beamed down at her stomach.
"Well then…" Rita said after a long pause. She looked up at Lynn, "What are we waiting for? Let's go see him then."
And together, the two went off towards the entryway of the medical center.
…
"And here we have me while I was on vacation in Albuquerque."
The soft click of the projector flicking to another slide served as another tick in what felt like an eternity for the Loud daughters, an eternity in which they would be subjected to the scent of unattended litter boxes, stuffy cat dander, and stale air in a home that hadn't seen a window open in who knows how long.
Together the five of them sat on the ground, watching as their Aunt Ruth went through her torturously boring presentation, minds going numb and thoughtless before the dullness of it all.
That was, except for Leni. Her thoughts were focused instead on something else, something that made thoughtless boredom much more preferable, something that had tied her stomach into several knots throughout the day.
"Do you have to go to the baby doctor!?"
Her eyes clenched shut when her words replayed in her head, her hands going up to futilely cover her ears.
Guilt had been her unwelcome companion ever since her outburst had occurred that morning, her moment of selfishness that had come unbidden when her parents had announced where they would be going after school and daycare.
"ANYTHING BUT AUNT RUTH'S!"
She bit her lip, trying to shake the thoughts off. How could she say that? Her parents had told them that they needed to go somewhere to make sure her newest baby sibling was doing okay and what was her reaction? To ask them if they could skip it just so she wouldn't have to deal with some boredom and slight discomfort.
Shame didn't even cover what she was feeling because of that. In her young and naïve heart, Leni now considered herself a monster, unfit to even call herself a sister to any of her siblings, let alone that precious little life in her mama's tummy that she had so cruelly eschewed the well being of.
I—I'm sorry, baby… Her eyes glistened and she laid her palms over her chest, now panging with a noticeable ache. I didn't mean it...I do want you to be healthy, I swear!
Despite her thoughts and prayers, the guilt persisted like those of barbed thorns in flesh, and she could only allow the tears to crop further and further into the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill at any second.
"'ORI! 'ORI!" Thankfully though, the sound of her youngest sister's earnest little voice snapped her out of her remorseful reverie just before the tears fell.
"Alright, alright, Lynnie, give me two seconds here." When Leni turned towards the source of the sound, she found Lori and Lynn Jr. walking back into the living room from the kitchen.
"PACI! PACI!" Lynn Jr. insisted, her little arms held up insistently towards Lori.
Lori rolled her eyes, shaking a few drops of water off of the requested pacifier. "I know you want your paci, Lynnie, just give me a second here." She wagged off the last bit of water and once she found it satisfactorily dry, she presented it to her babyest sister. "Okay, here you go, nice and clean."
Lynn Jr. snatched the pacifier from Lori, practically slapping it into her mouth in a blur of motion. A muffled squeal of delight reverberated through her and she brought her hands to her cheeks. Even with her smile hidden, the way she swayed back and forth with her eyes closed contentedly made it abundantly clear how happy she was.
Lori clicked her tongue humorously, bending down with her hands on her hips, "Well someone's in a better mood now. Any chance you'd be willing to settle down for a nap, Lynnie?"
Lynn Jr.'s response was to stand on her tiptoes, her arms held up imploringly once more to Lori. Even in the dim lighting of the room, anyone watching the scene could see the way the current baby of the Loud siblings made her big green eyes glitter as she wordlessly asked to be carried.
And anyone watching could see that Lori absolutely had no chance against such methods.
"Really Lynnie?" Lori pretended to be annoyed, reaching under Lynn Jr.'s arms and hoisting her against herself. "You really can't take your nap by yourself?"
Lynn Jr. only responded by wrapping her arms around her eldest sister and tilting her head against her, her eyes fluttering shut and her pacifier beginning to wriggle as she snuggled into the hug.
Lori sighed, a warm smile coming over her face. "Oh, what am I going to do with you?" She whispered, trotting back towards the center of the living room.
Watching the interaction brought a speck of warmth into Leni's heart, causing the thorny bramble that plagued her to recede slightly.
Lori's more caring side had not gone unnoticed by the various members of the Loud family, having first shown up shortly after Lynn Jr. was born and then growing significantly stronger when their parents had announced they were expecting their latest upcoming baby sibling. Sure Lori liked to act like her self-imposed responsibilities were a chore, but it was obvious that she considered them anything but, especially evident in the way Lori sat down against the side of the couch, carefully positioning Lynn Jr. between her folded legs and sending her off to dreamland with a kiss to the cheek.
"Sleep well, my little gremlin," Leni heard her say.
Yes, Lori relished her role as the eldest sibling, the duties she had adopted as a sort of junior matriarch whenever their parents were absent were taken with utmost pride.
Granted, with some leniency that allowed her to be the child she still was. She had a childhood of her own to live, after all. Still, judging by the expression of absolute love she had at that moment while holding Lynn Jr., one would be hard pressed to say she wasn't happy then and there.
Lori really is the best big sister, Leni thought with a sniffle. Her hands returned to their spot over her heart, aching with the wish that she could be a fraction as good as she was.
Such wishes seemed futile at that moment due to her supposed unforgivable faux pas, but at the very least, she could at least entertain the idea of going to Lori for help in feeling better.
"Lori?" She lowered her voice to a whisper, standing off from the eldest and youngest Louds to avoid accidentally waking the napping Lynn Jr.
"Hm? Oh, hey Leni!" Lori replied with an equally soft tone. "What's up?"
Leni cautioned a step closer, "Um…" She rubbed her hand up and down her arm, "I was wondering if I could ask your advice on something?"
"Well I'm not going anywhere anytime soon," Lori joked, gesturing down to Lynn Jr. She then patted the spot next to her. "Take a seat."
Leni did so, her sadness already abating slightly just by being near not only her big sister, but also one of her closest friends.
"What's on your mind?" Lori asked once she was settled. "You look kinda down."
Leni brought her fingertips together, "I kinda am."
"Well what's wrong?" Lori asked a little more insistently.
Leni gulped and turned to Lori, "Remember this morning when Mommy and Daddy said they needed to go to the baby doctor?"
"Uh-huh," Lori replied.
Leni bit her lip and looked down at her curled up fingers on the carpet, "And remember how when Mommy and Daddy told us they were gonna leave us here at Aunt Ruth's today?"
"I remember," Lori said.
Leni's vision began to blur and her voice became warbly, "And remember how we all got upset? What we said? What I said about them skipping their appointment with the—"
"Leni…" Once again, her tears were put at bay, this time by the warm grasp of Lori's hand upon her shoulder. "You don't need to feel bad about what you said this morning. I get why you said it." She looked around the musty, dusty living room disdainfully. "Hanging out around here after school isn't my idea of fun either."
Leni sniffled and let her gaze fall, "But you still didn't say anything bad. What I said was so mean." She took a deep shuddery breath, and from her eyes, the droplets fell, descending quickly down her cheeks and falling to the carpet with soft little tip-tapping sounds.
"That poor baby…" She whispered, bringing her hands over her eyes. "They have to have me as a big sister to them…that poor, poor baby."
Lori wanted to tell Leni that she was being too hard on herself, but she knew that guilt was not something so easily assuaged once it got into her kind and loving heart.
So she decided to utilize another method.
"Y'know Leni…" Lori began. "If you really want to make this better, you can just do what I do whenever I mess up."
Leni turned to Lori, her big blue eyes wriggling with sadness, "What's that?" She asked.
"Just say you're sorry," Lori said matter-of-factly.
Leni didn't look any more comforted. "But Lori," She whimpered. "Mommy and Daddy say the baby isn't gonna be born for a long time still. I can't wait that long to say sorry!"
"You don't have to wait, Leni," Lori soothed. She smiled as she recalled an event from earlier that morning. "Mom says the baby has grown enough that they can hear us now!"
Leni's eyes widened, "They have?"
"Yup!" Lori replied. "Just this morning, I was talking to the baby while I had my ear pressed against Mom's tummy, and I felt them wiggle!"
"You did?" Leni brought her hands to her lips as her heart melted. That was hands down the most precious thing she had ever heard. "So if I say I'm sorry, do you think the baby will forgive me and give me another chance?"
"I'd be surprised if they didn't," Lori giggled. "I don't think babies stay mad for very long." She brought her arms around Lynn Jr. in her lap, regarding her lovingly and placing another kiss on the side of her head, "I was too busy to play with Lynnie this morning, and look at where we are now."
Leni smiled, her sadness temporarily abated as she and Lori watched their babyest sister sleep peacefully; her little hand gripping Lori's shirt in a tiny vicegrip as her pacifier continued to wriggle.
"She's such a sweetheart," Leni whispered.
"Yeah, she really is," Lori agreed, flicking Lynn Jr.'s tuft of a developing ponytail.
They stayed silent for a moment, all this talk about babies bringing them to an earlier time in their lives, a time where they thought they were going to lose their baby sister before she was even born, along with their mother who had been deathly pale for weeks on end.
"I really hope mommy and the new baby keep being okay," Leni whispered, reaching out to touch a finger to Lynn Jr.'s cheek.
"Yeah, me too," Lori agreed, tilting her cheek against Lynn Jr.'s dark brown locks.
…
"Wowwww…" Lynn and Rita beheld the lobby as they stepped in from the darkening outside, mouths slightly agape as the new office space of their tried-and-trusted obstetrician was revealed to them.
Behind the large marble semi-circular front desk was an array of misted glass walls, changing and shifting in soft pastel colors from the lights that were installed between them. Within the frosted surfaces of the walls were a bevy of encouraging expressions such as "YOU GOT THIS" and "LOVE IS ON THE WAY" and "WE'RE HERE FOR YOU!", all with little stylized hearts and adorably simplistic images of what appeared to be storks carrying little bundles through the air.
"Dr. Breezy really wasn't kidding when she said she was going all out for her new office, wasn't she," Lynn said in a hushed breath.
"You're telling me," Rita agreed as they made their way to the front desk.
There, they were met by a young woman who lit up when they saw them.
"Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Loud!" She chirped. "Good to see you! Checking in for your appointment?"
"Sure are!" Rita confirmed. "And how are you, Candy? Is school going well?"
The girl named Candy let out a playful groan, "Well enough, but midterms are killing me, I'm telling you." She punched in some info on her keyboard and turned back to the pair. "Got ya checked in! Dr. Breezy will be with you momentarily. Anything I can get you in the meantime?"
Lynn and Rita politely declined and went towards the leftmost area of the lobby where a comfy looking blue couch surrounded by pink lounge chairs was situated around a glass table laden with magazines.
"Oh, Lynn, look!" Rita pointed up to a mural upon the wall to the right of the lounge area. "Isn't this precious!"
Upon the wall was a large painting of half a clock detailing the progress of a pregnancy week by week with a little painted representation of a baby's progress and size with an interesting factoid about their progress next to each point.
"Let's see…" Rita scanned through each week. "Here we are, twenty weeks! Oh, Lynn look what it says!"
Rita and Lynn came together, wrapping their arms around each other and intertwining their fingers together as they read the factoid together.
"At twenty weeks, your baby is roughly the size of a banana." The two shared a chuckle and glanced down at Rita's little baby bump. "Additionally, thin hairs may be beginning to grow upon their head and eyebrows. Don't be caught surprised and be sure to get a comb ahead of time!"
Another laugh came from the couple, and Lynn crouched down. "Is that true, squirt?" He cooed lovingly. "Are you growing a little head of hair in there?"
Rita brought her hand to her stomach, "If you are, will you be getting your daddy's brown hair, or your mommy's blonde hair?"
In the darkness, the little one continued his slumber, but upon feeling his mother's caress, he tilted his head, sending the tiny little sprig of white hair atop his head fluttering with his movement.
"There they go again," Rita giggled when she felt the motion of her little one. "They're so active today, I'm telling you."
"Why don't we take a seat?" Lynn suggested, leading his wife to the couch. "You're probably pretty beat from being on your feet all day."
"You don't know the half of it," Rita agreed, following Lynn's lead. She leaned against her husband once they were seated, letting out a relieved breath of fatigue she had been unaware of holding.
"You okay?" Lynn asked, turning so she could nestle into his chest.
"I'm fine," Rita assured, nodding into his shirt. She opened her eyes sleepily, looking out over the lobby again. "This place certainly matches Dr. Breezy's personality to a tee, doesn't it?" She pointed out with a giggle.
"Oh yeah it does," Lynn replied, eyeing a magazine on cowbells atop the pile. Why did he get the feeling Dr. Breezy got that just for him?
Rita claimed his attention before it was lost with a gentle poke to his ribs. "So whaddya think she's gonna say to you this time?" She asked with a cheeky grin.
Lynn rolled his eyes, "You think for once—just once, she can go a visit without teasing me?"
"Oh Lynn." Rita snuggled into him further. "Probably not. But isn't that what makes Dr. Breezy so fun?"
Lynn snorted derisively, "Fun for you. You get in on the teasing."
"Well that shouldn't surprise you," Rita chuckled. "You knew what you were getting into when you married me."
Lynn smirked and tilted his cheek along the top of Rita's head, "I suppose I did. Well, as much as a nineteen year old kid could know what he was getting into."
"No regrets though, right?" Rita queried sleepily.
Lynn answered by laying a kiss atop the crown of her head before nestling into her golden locks. "Not one," He whispered.
They sat there in silence, letting one another's company lull each other into a dozing state, the combination of a hard day's work and the soothing warmth they imparted together making it so that mother, father, and baby were in a light state of slumber.
And because of that, neither of the three heard the door beyond the waiting room open.
"Aw, now isn't that a wholesome sight?"
Lynn and Rita jerked somewhat at the familiar timbre, an upbeat voice with a slight southern twang underlying it.
"Oh!" Rita sat up, a sheepish smirk of embarrassment crossing her expression when the woman stepped up to them. "Hey there, Dr. Breezy. Sorry about falling asleep there. It's been a long day."
Dr. Breezy came to a stop in front of the two expectant parents, her bright red curls framing her face and her shimmering metallic blue hoop earrings swaying forward when she stopped. "Aw, don't you worry a thing about that now, Rita. I understand plenty just how tired a momma-to-be can get." She glanced at Lynn with a mischievous glitter, "Same with the poppas. You need a napkin there, Lynnster?"
Lynn stared blankly at Dr. Breezy for a moment, needing a few seconds to process the cold stickiness on his cheek. When he did, he jolted and grabbed a tissue to wipe the accumulated drool from his cheek while Dr. Breezy let out a hearty laugh.
"Not even a minute into the visit…" He grumbled, squirting a bit of hand sanitizer onto the tissue to clean away the drool.
"Oh come on, you gotta give her that one," Rita laughed.
"And you know I love you, Lynnster," Dr. Breezy chuckled. She extended a hand towards Rita. "Now, you two ready to come on back with me?"
Rita took the doctor's hand, letting her pull her up onto her feet, grimacing slightly with the aches that ran through her legs that came with standing up. "Uh-huh," She grunted, offering a thankful smile to Lynn when he wrapped a supportive arm around her.
"Well then let's get goin' then," Dr. Breezy said, holding an arm out for them to follow past the waiting room door.
Together, the three of them walked into a hallway lined with entrances to various exam rooms, the walls decorated with several lines of twinkling lights.
"So how are my favorite rabbits doing?" Dr. Breezy asked. "Holding up alright? Rita, you look a teensy bit pale. You haven't been overdoing it, have you?"
Rita offered a placating smile, raising her hands up in an attempt to soothe the mama bear that was her long time obstetrician. "Don't worry Dr. Breezy, I promise I've been taking it easy."
Dr. Breezy brought a hand beneath her chin, looking over Rita's flushed cheeks appraisingly. "Hmm, alright then. Let's just be sure to keep it that way. We don't want any problems down the road." She led them to an exam room at the end of the hall. "But for now, let's focus on the here and now." She gazed down at Rita's baby bump adoringly. "Specifically, this latest little bunny!" She said in a coo. She brought Rita to the examination chair. "Looks like there's been a growth spurt since the last time we've seen each other!"
Rita took a seat in the exam chair, laying back and bringing her hands over the slight bump that had appeared in the past few weeks lovingly. She had to admit, despite having gone through it five times prior, it was still beyond exciting whenever she found herself starting to show with one of her little ones.
"So are we going to try and find out what this little bunny is today?" Dr. Breezy asked, taking a seat herself on the rolling chair next to where Rita was laid up.
"Yes we are!" Rita replied, exchanging an excited look with Lynn as he took his place beside her. She let him take her hand and looked back at Dr. Breezy. "Lynn's been going on and on about how he's sure it's a boy this time. And you know what, I'm starting to believe him as well!"
"Really?" Dr. Breezy looked over at Lynn with a mischievous smirk, "You wanna put some money on this then, Lynnster?"
Lynn clicked his tongue and averted his gaze, "I learned my lesson back when Luna was born, thank you very much."
Dr. Breezy and Rita exchanged a look and laughed.
"Easiest hundred bucks I've ever made," Dr. Breezy chuckled.
From then on, the appointment was routine, with Dr. Breezy leaving no stone unturned as she examined Rita, checking her blood pressure, listening to her breaths with her stethoscope, and above all, making sure to be on the lookout for any commonalities that this pregnancy may have had with the previous one.
"So no fainting spells so far, am I right?" She asked as she scribbled down a few extra prenatal vitamins for Rita to start taking.
"Nope, none so far," Rita replied with a grateful sigh. She brought her hand to her belly, internally thanking fate for letting her and her little one get along healthily thus far.
With a little extra thanks thrown in for the little one of her last pregnancy growing into such a strong and boisterous girl as well despite the complications that came with her arrival into the world.
"Good, good…" Dr. Breezy said. She affixed Rita with a stern stare, drawing upon the mother-hen powers she had long mastered in her time both as an obstetrician and mother herself. "And you're sure you're not doing anything to overextend yourself? I'll know if you're fibbing, Rita."
Rita's shoulders bunched up sheepishly, memories of past lectures from her doctor rearing up in her mind and making her suddenly feel like she was twenty years old and pregnant for the first time again. "No Ma'am, nothing of the sort, you have my word," She said in a significantly smaller voice. She looked over at Lynn, currently holding her with a supportive arm while looking just as intimidated before the now serious southern belle that was Dr. Breezy. "Especially with Lynn on the job. He's pretty much there for me day and night."
Her words broke Lynn out of the fright-trance of Dr. Breezy, and he looked down at Rita, catching her smiling expression and beaming eyes.
"It may be a bit much sometimes," Rita chuckled, tilting her head to lay it against his chest. "But I'd be lying if I said I don't appreciate it."
And just like that, Lynn's heart melted and he held his wife closer.
"Especially for all the midnight snacks," She added impishly.
And just like that, Lynn knew he had another 2 AM omelet to look forward to.
Dr. Breezy sighed and stood up, "Okay, you've convinced me, enough with the theatrics you two." She went over towards the back of the exam room. "I swear Rita, you really hit the jackpot with Lynn there. A lot of the papas-to-be that come through here think that their job of the pregnancy is done after the first three minutes at the start."
Rita laughed and squeezed Lynn's hand, "Well luckily Lynn's different. For one, it's much longer than three minutes."
"Rita!" Lynn exclaimed, the warm feeling in his heart shifting to burning embarrassment on his face.
"Hah! Good one, Rita! He's as red as a tomato!" Dr. Breezy hollered.
Lynn bit his cheek and looked down to the tiled floor. Every visit. Every single visit…
"Aww, don't pout, Lynnster," Dr. Breezy said, rolling back to their side with a cart laden with several high-tech looking medical objects. "After all, the part you've been waiting for is almost here!"
Lynn lost a breath when he saw Dr. Breezy flick a switch and a monitor at the front of the room lit up to a blank blue screen.
"Ready to see your little bunny, you two?" Dr. Breezy asked with a knowing grin.
Lynn felt Rita squeeze his hand again, pulling her attention down to him.
"I'm ready," Rita said softly. "Are you?"
Lynn nodded, his chest tightening with nervous excitement, "Absolutely."
…
Little ones don't have much to do during their time in the womb. Whilst waiting to be brought into the world, they typically spend their time either snoozing away the day in sweet serenity, or listening in on the world that their mother traversed in their stead, with the occasional sound or sensation rousing their attention, something the Little one found quite enjoyable whilst experiencing his very first day of sentience, with his favorite sensation being the feeling of his mother and father's hands whenever they laid their palms upon the barrier that surrounded him.
"Ah!"
Unfortunately for the Little one, what he woke up to was neither his mother's or his father's hands.
A deep chill paired with the sound of a gasp from his mother jolted the Little one out of his dreams of flickering colors.
Ah! His thoughts matched his mother's exclamation, his tiny form curling up tighter as he shivered from his very first time experiencing any sort of cold.
"Oh, sorry about that, Rita," An unfamiliar voice reverberated through the darkness. "I suppose it is a little impossible to really get used to this, isn't it?"
Rita shivered herself as Dr. Breezy spread the translucent ultrasound gel over her exposed belly. "You'd think I would by this point," She mused, looking over at Lynn.
Lynn chuckled, "We've certainly been around the block a few times with it by this point, haven't we?"
Rita rolled her eyes, "What's this 'we' you're talking about? When was the last time you had ultrasound gel put on your stomach?"
"Well there was that one time I took that hundred wing challenge—"
"Uh-uh-uh, we promised we'd never talk about that again!" Rita fiercely interrupted.
"Alright, you two," Dr. Breezy interjected before the couple could begin arguing about whether the two weeks of indigestion had been worth the tiny little trophy Lynn had brought home that night. She brought out a small wand-esque object that was attached to the TV monitor on the wall with a long cord. "How about we save the witty banter for later and get a look at this little bunny of yours?"
The coalescing argument dissipated instantly, and Rita lifted the hem of her shirt a little higher, nodding earnestly with an excited smile crawling across her visage.
"Alright then," Dr. Breezy said, bringing the top of the wand-tool above the tiny curve of Rita's baby bump. "Let's see if we got a little Lynnster in here this time." She chuckled and looked up at Lynn and Rita, "No offense to Lynn Jr. though, bless her little heart."
With that, she brought the wand atop Rita's belly, and Lynn lost a breath as the first fuzzy image appeared on the monitor.
Ah! And though both mother and father watched in excited trepidation, their little one was less than enthralled with the strange tool pressing against him from beyond the barrier. What is that? He grumbled, shaking his head and attempting to kick the intrusive presence away.
"Oh, are those little feet I see?" Rita cooed when the unmistakable outline of a few tiny toes appeared on the monitor. "Are those the same little feet that have been kicking me all day?"
Mommy! The Little one tried to voice his complaints as the strange presence moved around the barrier. What's going on? I don't like this!
"Hmm…" Dr. Breezy's lips pursed when they saw the Little one wriggle away. "Looks like this little bunny is on the shy side." She jumped along with Rita when they both felt a hard kick against the wand. "That, or they're not a big fan of this procedure."
A wash of sympathy came over Lynn, and he crouched down by the tiny bump, "Aww, is Daddy's precious little bean upset?" He placed a hand against Rita's side, avoiding the ultrasound gel. "I know how that feels. Daddy doesn't much like getting poked and prodded by the doctor either."
Dr. Breezy exchanged a glance with Rita, silently mouthing the words, "Precious little bean"?
Rita just giggled in response and continued to watch Lynn comfort their Little one.
"But don't worry," Lynn went on sweetly. "This won't take long, I promise."
Within the darkness, the Little one heard his father's words, calm and loving as they coaxed him down from his agitation.
His father was there!
Daddy… His heart expanded in the joy that came over him, and his squirming limbs grew still.
"Oh wow," Dr. Breezy said. "Looks like that did just the trick." She looked down at Lynn. "Seems like this little bunny has quite the soft spot for their papa, Lynnster."
Lynn smiled, It's the father-son bond.
From then on, the Little one stayed still, allowing the ultrasound to continue without issue. As the procedure went on, his parents marveled as his form was blurrily presented on the monitor, from his tiny clenched fists, his little round head, to even his faint, but adorable dot of a nose in his profile.
"Aww, what a cutie!" Rita gushed, grinning from ear to ear in wonderment as she and Lynn continued to behold the image on the monitor.
Lynn agreed wholeheartedly, but found his thoughts still somewhat centered on one thing that had yet to be determined about the Little one. "Seeing anything regarding the gender, Dr. Breezy?"
Dr. Breezy bit her cheek, "I'm afraid I'm not seeing much, Lynnster." She looked down at Rita's belly again. "Your little bunny isn't squirming around anymore, but they're still pretty determined to stay curled up in a little ball."
Lynn frowned and regarded the bump sadly. Poor thing must really not like this whole thing.
"Maybe a word from their daddy would help?" Rita's suggestion roused Lynn's attention onto her. She smiled at Lynn and brought a hand to his shoulder. "After all, they seem to love you quite a bit already. What was it you said you already had with them? The 'father-son bond'?"
Lynn felt a spot of warmth bloom within his heart, and in an act of silent agreement with his wife, he leaned towards the side of her stomach again.
"Hey there, baby," He cooed to the little life he had helped create. "Thank you for being so patient for us in there. We're almost done, okay? Then we can go home and daddy can make you some yummy treats as a reward. Does that sound good?"
Yummy treats? The little one smiled dreamily. He had been starting to experience some unpleasant pangs of hunger now that he thought of it. I like the food you make, daddy. It makes the hungry feeling go away…
"But can we ask you to do one more thing?" Lynn crooned. "Can you relax just a little bit more so that Dr. Breezy can see if you're a boy or a girl?"
Daddy… The Little one's mind quirked at his words. This was the moment where they would find out if he was a boy? That meant they were about to find out if his perceived efforts and prayers had succeeded.
What if they hadn't been enough? What if he had failed to be a boy? What if he couldn't fulfill his mother and father's wishes? What if his existence began as a massive disappointment to them?
Those thoughts squeezed his heart, and had he been able to, the Little one would've probably began crying,
"Don't worry though," He was saved from his fears by his father's words again. "If you're too afraid to show yourself right now, that's fine too. We can wait a little longer. And remember, boy or girl, we'll love you no matter what."
The words acted as a salve on the Little one's worries. They would love him no matter what? Boy or girl? Though he also knew very little about the concept of love, the idea that he had his mother and father's love sounded wonderful.
Daddy… The Little one wiggled and turned towards where his father's voice was coming from, where the assurance of love had originated. Thank you, Daddy.
"Oh, look!" Unbeknownst to the Little one, in turning towards his father, his shift of position had revealed something to the three watching the monitor, something that proved just what he was to Lynn and Rita.
"Is that…?"
"Looks like it." Dr. Breezy turned towards Lynn and Rita with a pleased smirk. "Congratulations, you two. You're having a baby boy."
The room fell into silence, complete and utter silence. In it, Lynn and Rita turned slowly towards each other, eyes wide with astonishment.
"Oh Rita!" Then, Lynn leapt towards his wife and took her into a passionate embrace, one that she returned with just as much joy as he exuded.
Rita nestled into Lynn's shoulder, tears crawling into her eyes as they hugged. "We did it, Lynn." She said in a happy cough. "We're having a boy, a little boy!"
They then parted from the hug, only for their lips to meet a second later when the grateful love they felt for each other in that moment bubbled over.
"I love you so much," Lynn whispered when they parted again. "More than you could ever imagine."
"Ditto for me," Rita giggled, giving him another feather soft kiss.
Seeing the two express their love to each other, Dr. Breezy couldn't help but summon an image from the past into her mind's eye, an image of the couple before her, just married and just as joyously happy with their first child as they were then and there for their sixth.
You two really are too much, She thought, shaking her head while brushing an errant tear drop from her own eye.
Joy truly was the dominant emotion in that room, for even in the darkness, Lynn and Rita's Little one gave a few little happy kicks, not just because he had been successful in being a boy.
But because he also had the love of his mother and father, no matter what.
AN: And the happy couple gets their confirmation at last! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and don't feel too bad for Lynn getting teased by Dr. Breezy and Rita. It's all in good fun XD
Also, greatest apologies for the length in time between chapters. Work has been killer lately and some days I find myself falling asleep right after my shift. Make no mistake, I wish I could make these chapters quicker, but between that and my main novel, I find time hard to find. Still, I offer my apologies and will try to do better in the future.
Now, in regards to what's next, now that Lynn and Rita have found out their Little one's gender, all that's left is to tell the girls! How will they react? And more importantly, will little Leni get to apologize to her little brother? I'll try and get the answer to you ASAP on the next chapter of Sixth Time Expecting, First Time Living! Coming to a screen near you!
And as always, reviews and feedback are always greatly appreciated, especially the more detailed ones. They are the lifeblood of a writer after all.
Manegie, out!