I didn’t know how long I would be able to hide this pregnancy from Reiner and I wasn’t sure why I was even trying to hide it from him. It was so strange and funny, but I didn’t want to tell him just yet. The only rational reason that I could come up with was that I was scared of losing the baby. I did read somewhere that a miscarriage wasn’t uncommon for the very early stages of pregnancy.
However, with how sick and tired I felt, I knew that Reiner would end up discovering my secret in no time at all. Even though, I was successful at hiding my fits of nauseating sickness from Reiner, I couldn’t hide the other signs of my exhaustion.
“Natalia…” Reiner called my name softly.
It was morning and I had just woken up. Morning sickness did not strike me, and I was grateful that on somedays it came as later-mornings or late-afternoons sickness instead. I smiled weakly at Reiner after turning my head around to face him. The worried look on his face and the frown in between his brows told me that something was wrong.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“You’re sick, aren’t you?” Reiner asked but it wasn’t really a question.
“Umm…I’m just tired…” I replied in a soft whisper.
Reiner did not look satisfied or convinced with the excuse that I offered to him at all. He sighed loudly before shaking his head at me in dismay. His large hand approached my face before he began stroking my hair softly.
“Your colleagues called to tell me that you were sick at work…” Reiner told me before he gave me a stern and pointed look.
“They did?” I murmured.
“They did. Why didn’t you tell me?” Reiner asked.
“I’m not that sick. I’ll be fine soon…” I replied stubbornly.
“I’m not talking about your sickness. I’m asking you why you didn’t tell me that you are pregnant,” Reiner said as he glared down at me.
My eyes widened in shock at his words. What did he just say?
“You knew?” I asked after recovering from my shock.
Reiner nodded his head at me as his hand move from the top of my head to cup my cheek tenderly. His face was a cold mask, and I knew that he wasn’t happy with the fact that I had been keeping something so important from him; however, the look in his blue eyes as he stared down at me was so gentle and full of love.
“I wouldn’t say that I knew but I can sort of guess…” Reiner replied.
“I…was going to tell you when the baby decides to stay…” I confessed softly.
“Have you taken a pregnancy test?” Reiner asked sternly.
To his question, I just nodded my head in response. I already did and all the sticks from various brands that I peed on all showed the same positive result.
“Have you gone to see a doctor?” Reiner asked.
“Not yet…” I mumbled.
I was sure that I was pregnant, though. What else could this be?
Instinctively, my hand moved to cover my still-flat belly. Even though, I knew that I was pregnant, sometimes it was just hard for me to believe that there was another life growing inside of me. I hated to admit it, but I was scared of the change that would come along with the baby. It was my first pregnancy, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. Although, I’ve read about it, the beginning my pregnancy was no where near smooth and that scared me more than a little.
“Let’s go to the hospital today. Don’t worry, I’ll come with you,” Reiner said reassuringly.
“Ok. I’m sorry for not telling you before this…” I apologized and I felt like I was going to start crying.
“I’m not exactly angry but I wished that you would have told me right away. That way, I can take better care of you,” Reiner said quite sternly.
That just made me feel even more guilty than before. I just didn’t want to tell him and then disappoint him and his parents if I ever had a miscarriage.
“I’m sorry. I was just confused…” I replied truthfully.
“You don’t need to apologize. Do you feel well enough to get up? If you’re sick, I can try to get a doctor to come here instead so you don’t need to travel,” Reiner offered readily.
I felt fine so going to the hospital with him wouldn’t be an issue at all. However, there was something else that bothered me a lot more.
“R…” I called his name softly.
“What is it? You look like something is really troubling you…” Reiner said knowingly.
He looked down into my face with a gentle look in his eyes and for a moment, I felt like it would be fine for me to talk to him about anything.
“R…are you happy? Even if it’s just a little…are you happy?” I asked in a small voice.
“Is that what you’ve been worried about?” Reiner asked as he reached a hand to pet my hair again.
Just feeling his touch calmed me down so much but I wanted to hear it from him that he wanted this child too even if it was just a little. I pleaded him with my eyes for him to say something.
“Of course, I’m happy, Natalia. I love you so I’ll also love our child. For now, you better take better care of yourself and the baby and that starts by going to see the doctor properly,” Reiner replied tenderly before his voice turned sterned and commanding.
“I love you. I hope our child will also get to feel your love…” I mumbled softly.
“Just like I love you, I’m sure I’ll love our child too,” Reiner replied firmly.
“Thank you, R…” I thanked him as relief flooded my entire being.
“No, thank you, Natalia. Thank you for having our baby,” Reiner whispered warmly to me before he kissed my forehead softly.
True to his words, it didn’t take me long after getting off the pill to get pregnant with his child at all. I felt more secure now that I’ve managed to tell Reiner that I was pregnant, and he seemed genuinely happy about my pregnancy. I was certain that my life would take a turn for the better now that I had Reiner’s emotional and physical support.
–To be continued…