The Things That You Do

Gently pinching the bridge of her nose, Alexa closed her eyes, trying to stifle the yawn which itched to fall out of her mouth. It had been a long morning, with a couple of deadlines approaching and her having the afternoon off, she had been keen to get as much work done as she could, but an early start had left her more than a little tired, something which had her hoping that the end of her day would arrive sooner rather than later. Rubbing the bridge of her nose, she leant back into her seat slightly before the sound of a knock on her office door reached her ears, causing her to quickly open her eyes, settling them on Lionel who had nudged the door open, a slightly sheepish smile on his face.

“I’m not disturbing you, am I?” he asked “I mean, you told me to come by and pick you up so that we could go and visit Eva, but if you’re in the middle of something...” he trailed off, a playful smile on his lips.

Alexa, who’d sat up in her seat, rolled her eyes slightly, something which made him laugh warmly before he stepped towards her, greeting her with a soft kiss. “How are you feeling?” he mumbled quietly as he pulled back from her slightly, resting his forehead against hers.

Alexa, who’d moved to wrap her arms around him, smiled a little at his fussing before she lifted her head, lightly brushing her lips over his. “You saw me this morning” she mumbled quietly between light kisses “Not a lot has changed since then” she added as she pulled out of their embrace, moving towards her jacket which was hung neatly on the back of the door.

Lionel watched her across the room before he lowered his stare slightly, settling it on her bump which was clearly visibly beneath her shirt. It had been a while, after they’d shared the news of Alexa’s pregnancy with their family and friends, a few weeks had passed, and with Alexa having reached twenty weeks, the bump that she carried was obvious no matter what she wore, something which made Lionel grin. He knew that it made her a little self-conscious, since she had started to show, she had developed a habit of trying to tug her clothes a little looser around her stomach, but he loved seeing her bump. It was something he was sure that he wouldn’t tire of.

Watching her for a couple of seconds, he quirked a smile to himself before the sound of Alexa clearing her throat reached his ears, causing him to lift his eyes, not missing the amused smirk which played on her lips. “Are you done staring?” she asked, her voice warm and playful “I mean, we do have an appointment to get to” she added.

Lionel’s cheeks flushed a soft shade of pink before he shook his head. “Lo siento” he mused “You’re ready to go?” he asked.

Alexa marveled at the slight blush on his cheeks before she nodded her head, moving to reply to him before the sound of a knock on the door filled air, causing them both to look up, settling their eyes on the tall dark haired man who stood in the doorway. “I am sorry for interrupting” he quipped “I was just dropping by to see if you were free for lunch, Alexa. A couple of us are heading to that Italian place that you love” he added.

Alexa shook her head. “Normally I would love to” she replied “But I have other plans” she added.

The tall man nodded. “Maybe next time” he mused.

Alexa quirked a small smile and nodded before Lionel cleared his throat, something which caused her to look at him, not missing the slight frown which had appeared at the corner of his mouth. “Aren’t you going to introduce me, Alexa?” he posed, the tone of his voice a little hard to place.

“Of course” Alexa replied “Leo, this is Henry, a colleague of mine. Henry, this is Lionel, or Leo, my boyfriend” she noted.

“Your favourite colleague” Henry corrected with a bright grin.

“So you keep telling me” Alexa replied with a playful roll of her blue eyes, making Henry laugh.

Lionel, who was watching the interaction, frowned a little at the slightly flirtatious tone of Henry’s voice, before he stuck his hand out, offering it towards Henry. “It’s good to meet you” he mused.

“And you” Henry replied, shaking his hand warmly.

Lionel offered him a polite smile before he spared a glance down towards his watch. “We have to get going, Alexa” he noted “I’d like to be on time for our appointment” he added.

Alexa nodded. “Of course” she mused “I’ll see you tomorrow, Henry” she added.

Henry nodded, flashing her a warm smile, before he stepped out of the doorway.

Lionel watched after him for a moment, a frown on his face, before Alexa took a hold of his hand, offering it a small squeeze. “You ready to go?” she posed with a warm smile.

Lionel hesitated momentarily before he nodded, returning her smile gently. “Of course” he enthused.

Alexa offered his hand another light squeeze before she tugged him out of the room.

~#~
“So, have you two decided whether or not you want to know what you’re having?” Eva posed as she gently pushed Alexa’s shirt up, revealing her bump.

Lionel, who was messing with Alexa’s fingers quietly, lifted his head at the sound of the midwife’s question before he turned, meeting the stare of Alexa’s blue eyes. “We haven’t really talked about it” he mused with a slightly sheepish smile.

Eva lifted an eyebrow. “You haven’t?” she posed.

Alexa shook her head. “We talked about it briefly” she mused “But I think we had pretty different ideas. I want to wait, but Leo doesn’t” she added, offering Lionel an impish smile.

Lionel rolled his eyes playfully. “Aren’t you a little curious?” he posed “I mean, you are right, it will be a pretty wonderful surprise, but isn’t there a part of you that itching to know now?” he added, his voice soft and encouraging.

Alexa glanced at him, mulling over his words for a moment, before she shrugged, her lips quirking upwards into a small smile. “Maybe I am a little curious” she quipped.

Lionel grinned merely grinned at her, something which caused her to shake her head before she turned her attention towards Eva. “Can we find out?” she posed.

Eva, who was gently running the scanner over Alexa’s bump, nodded. “You can” she mused “The baby is in a good position for us to see” she explained.

Alexa nodded quietly, mulling over the midwife’s words for a second, before she quirked a light smile. “We’d like to know” she mused.

“You sure?” Lionel posed.

Alexa nodded her head, something which made Lionel lean towards her, pressing a soft kiss against her head before the sound of a dull thumping filled the air, a sound which caused a warm smile to spread across his lips. Pressing another quick kiss against her head, he slipped back into his seat and turned his attention towards the screen, marveling at the image of the baby which filled it. “Is everything OK with baba?” he murmured gently.

“Baba’s doing very well” Eva replied “He’s a good size and his heartbeat is nice and strong. He looks to be very healthy” she enthused gently.

Alexa, who’d been staring at the screen, listened to the midwife’s words before she lifted her head, her eyebrows knitted together. “He?” she posed.

A warm smile spread across Eva’s lips. “He” she confirmed “You’re going to have a little boy” she gushed.