The Things That You Do

“What time is your appointment this afternoon?” Lionel posed as he poked his head around the bathroom door, his brown eyes looking towards Alexa who was sat beside the mirror, finishing up her makeup.

It had been a few days, after they’d received the positive pregnancy tests results, they’d been quick to book an appointment with Alexa’s doctor who had arranged for them to visit a midwife, and Lionel was excited about the appointment, even if Alexa been keen to remind him that it was likely that she was still in the early stages of her pregnancy. A small part of him couldn’t help but smile whenever the appointment came up in conversation.

It still felt strange, the idea that Alexa was carrying their baby was one which still felt unfamiliar to both of them, but they were excited by it, even if there was a long way to go before the baby entered the world. Both of them were more than a little giddy about the idea that they were only a matter of months away from welcoming their baby.

Alexa, who’d been studying her reflection in the mirror, looked up at the sound of his voice. “Huh?” she posed.

“Your appointment” Lionel repeated, spitting his toothpaste into the sink “It’s this afternoon. What time?” he asked as he stepped out of the bathroom, moving to collect the t-shirt that he had left on the bed.

Alexa, who’d turned around in her seat, quirked an eyebrow. “You don’t remember?” she posed amusedly.

Lionel shrugged impishly. “I know it’s this afternoon” he noted “That’s a start, isn’t it?” he quipped.

Alexa offered him a small roll of her eyes before she turned back towards the mirror, pulling her blonde hair up into a ponytail. “It’s at half past two” she noted “I am assuming that you have time for that” she teased, sparing him a playful smile via the mirror.

Lionel caught her grin before he padded over towards her, pressing a quick kiss against the top of her head. “I should be able to fit it into my schedule” he mumbled teasingly.

Alexa scoffed, mumbling a small comment beneath her breath, before she playfully nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, something which made him laugh gently before he tilted his head, pressing an affectionate kiss against her cheek. “You know that I wouldn’t miss it” he murmured tenderly.

Alexa smiled a little at the warmth in his voice before she tilted her head, peeking up at him. “I know you wouldn’t” she mused “I mean, I know how excited you are” she added as she gently reached her hand up, smoothing out a few of his wayward hairs. It had been obvious, from the moment that she had presented him with the pregnancy tests, the excitement had been visible on his face, and Alexa had to admit that she was thrilled to see it, more than glad that his reaction to the idea of her being pregnant had been as good as it had.

She had been worried, with the two of them having shied away from talking about what it was they wanted to do next in their relationship, she had been anxious that he would think that it was too much too soon, but she was pleased to see that he was so excited, even if it was still early days. She already knew that she liked the smile which appeared on his face whenever he spared a small glance down towards her stomach.

Lionel merely smiled down at her, something which made Alexa’s grin widen before she slipped her hand to the back of his neck, gently tugging him down into a soft kiss. Smiling into the kiss, she gently played with the hairs at the back of his neck for a few seconds before the sound of her phone vibrating against the end table filled the air, causing her to pull away from him reluctantly.

“That’s my cue” she murmured between soft kisses “I’ll see you at the hospital?” she asked as she pulled away from him entirely, moving to slip her arms into her jacket.

Lionel nodded. “Of course” he mused “I can’t wait” he added softly, flashing her a warm smile.

Alexa admired the soft smile he wore for a second before she dipped into him, stealing another soft kiss before she stepped away from him, gathering her bag before she ducked out of the room, wordlessly counting down to the appointment that they had had later that day.

~#~
“Is this your first?”

Alexa, who was quietly fussing with the bottom of her blouse, jumped a little at the sound of her midwife’s voice before she looked up, offering her a timid smile. “Is it that obvious?” she posed.

“You look a little nervous” Eva, the midwife, replied warmly “You both do” she added, sparing a glance towards Lionel who sat beside Alexa, playing shyly with her fingers.

Alexa followed the midwife’s stare before she let out a small nervous laugh, something which Eva smile at her reassuringly. “You’ve got no reason to look so nervous” she noted “All I am going to do today is perform an ultrasound. We want to know how far along you are so that we can figure out what we need to do next. Right now, all you need to do is lay back so that I can get this scan underway” she added, her voice warm and reassuring.

Alexa offered her a nervous glance before she tentatively rested back against the bed, allowing Eva to gently lift her blouse, something which made her shiver a little. “You think that that is cold” Eva teased warmly.

Alexa smiled feebly at the joke, something which caused Lionel to squeeze her hand, pulling her attention towards him. Offering her hand another light squeeze, he gently pressed a kiss against the back of it before he lifted his head, offering her warm reassuring smile, a sight which caused her to relax a little.

Eva, who’d moved to run the scanner over Alexa’s stomach, watched them briefly, not wanting to intrude on their moment, before she cleared her throat, pulling the couple’s attention back towards her. “I’ve got something to show you” she mused before she took step backwards, gesturing to the screen. Tracing her finger across the screen, she outlined a small shape before she offered the couple a warm grin. “This is your baby” she enthused brightly.

“It is?” Lionel squeaked after a few seconds of quiet “It...it’s so small” he spluttered, his voice soft in awe of the image.

Eva nodded, smiling warmly. “That because Alexa’s only about seven weeks pregnant” she noted.

Lionel merely nodded, not shifting his stare away from the small shape on the screen.

“I want to see you again in a couple of weeks, Alexa” Eva mused “And we should figure out dates and times for your scans. We can do that now if you’d like” she offered.

Alexa just nodded, something which made Eva smile fondly before she ducked out of the room, musing about fetching her diary. Pulling the door closed behind her, she allowed a silence to settle between Alexa and Lionel before the argentine shook his head, smiling shyly at Alexa who stared back at him, an equally soft smile on her face. “We...we made that” he babbled out.

Alexa let out a snuffly laugh, something Lionel mimicked before he leant towards her, pressing their foreheads together as he mumbled a soft ‘I love you’.

Alexa closed her eyes, allowing a few tears to slip down her cheeks, before she shook her head, not able to get rid of the smile which played on her lips.