FINAL CHAPTER
“Oh, I see,” the doctor said, narrowing his eyes at the screen facing him. Cade had made a fuss even though Ophelia had told him that it was not necessary and made sure that she did all the tests possible.
“What is it, doctor?” Cade said one hand clutching Ophelia’s hand tightly and the other in a ball on his legs. “Is she sick? How sick is she? Is it something serious?” he continued when the doctor did not say anything.
“From the test results we have gotten so far, she is three weeks pregnant,” the man said. Cade blinked; he could not understand how he was supposed to react to the news. They had been trying for months now, but every time she did the test and found nothing, she got sad, so he told her that they should just live the way they would have lived if they had no child.
“Sorry doctor, what do you mean?” she asked, blinking rapidly at the man.
“I mean that you are three weeks pregnant, and the reason you felt that way was that you have blood pressure issues that are related to pregnancy, but nothing that a few days of rest and the right drugs cannot fix right up.”
“I am sorry,” she blinked again, trying to comprehend what the doctor was saying. “Are you saying that a baby is growing on the insides of me?” She asked, her hand crawling gently to her stomach and clutching on it as if she were afraid that it might run away if she did into holding tightly to it.
“Yes, ma’am” The man turned to the nurse who was standing there and spoke. “You need to get her down to the maternity clinic so she can enrol for antenatal, and then I would have a talk with her husband here.”
“Can we have a moment?” Ophelia asked, and the nurse nodded, taking a step back. She could see the confused joy radiating on the face of the woman sitting there. “This is such good news,” she said. Her tone did not match the expression on her face. She was happy, but it was as if her body was not yet there to react in the way she needed.
“Sure, take all the time you want,” the doctor said, reclining into his chair. “Do you want us to give you the room?” he added when he realized that the husband and wife might need some time alone.
“If that can work,” Cade said to the man since Ophelia sat there frozen. The doctor and nurse filed out of the room, and Cade held her hand. “How do you feel to hear this?” he asked, and she smiled so brightly he fell for her again.
“This is such good news,” she muttered again like a robot that was just learning to mimic humans.
“It is,” he said, rubbing his finger against her palm.
“I am so happy that I do not know how to react,” she said, leaning into him. He held her on the shoulders and hugged her so tightly.
“I think that might be an Ophelia reaction to everything,” he said, and she laughed. “Our baby,” he muttered in her ears, and she nodded at him.
‘It is our baby,” she said, and he squeezed her more. They spent a few more seconds hugging each other. Ophelia felt her eyes well up with tears; she could not wait to tell everyone about the pregnancy and how happy she was.
When they finally got home, she and Cade decided to tell everyone once the baby bump was going to start to show; she just wanted it to be a surprise for them once the time came. “Agreed,” Cade said because he did not really want to tell them until the baby had come. Left to him, he was going to take her away to a far country and keep her there till she had the baby.
“So what do you want to eat?” Cade asked, sitting beside her on the couch.
“Nothing”
“We can have none of that,” she said, shaking her head at him. “The doctor told me clearly that I need to keep you on a very strict diet to improve your blood pressure; you cannot do any strenuous activities,” he said, and she shook her head.
“I do not think that you need to overreact to this; they give us those guidelines.”
“I do not have the need to listen to anything that you want to say because I know what it is already; you are going to act as if the doctors have no idea what they are saying, and I know that is not true,” Cade said, cutting her off. “We are going to listen to the doctors, and that is final,” he added as if he were giving a rule that was not up for negotiation.
“Cade you are making a big deal out of nothing.”
“I am not; from next week I will begin to work from home so I can keep an eye on you because I know how stubborn you can be.”
“I know you aren’t suggesting that I stay at home for the entire nine months of the pregnancy,” she said. She had planned to do it before, but now that she was supposed to take over her dad’s company, it did not seem like the right thing anymore.
“I am only suggesting that, for your safety and that of the child, you stay and work from home throughout the pregnancy period,” he said, and he frowned.
“Ojsy, so my dad called me today and he wants to retire and make me the chairman; am I supposed to say no to that?”
“That is such good news. Is today a lucky day for us or what?” he said, beaming. He was so happy that her dream had finally come to pass.
“So do you expect that I say no to the promotion?” she asked, blinking at him.
“Of course not; you have to do it.”
“How am I going to be able to pull off staying at home during pregnancy and still being the chairman?” she asked, and then it dawned on him what she meant.
“Ophelia,” he began because his mind was not bringing him any solutions. “This baby is something we want and the doctor has given clear orders that you need as much rest as you can get or else your life and that of the baby might be in danger and I cannot think of losing any of you.”
“But we have to work out a situation.”
“I know that it might be difficult, but maybe you can think ongoing to work maybe a few days in the week instead of every day and then work from home for the rest,” he said, suggesting it to her.
“I am sure we are going to be able to work something out for the both of us.”
“For the both of us?” he asked and laughed.
“Of course, I know you are not thinking of leaving me all alone in the house but I have to say it so you don’t think it.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, nodding at her. “So what does my woman delight to eat for lunch?”
“For lunch? It’s almost dinner time,” she said, shaking her head at him.
“Okay, then what would you like for dinner?” She pretended to be thinking, and then her face lit up as if she had gotten the brightest idea. “Share with me the idea that brought that smile to your face. She beckoned on him to come closer, and he bent his ears to her. She whispered into it and then threw her head back with a smile on her face, and then she began to act as if she were ready to seduce.
“Well, I guess if that’s what you want, then I have no reason to deny you of it,” he said, stuttering while she was throwing fits of laughter in between. She stretched her hand to him, and he stood up and picked her up.
“You know one thing I am glad I did?” he asked as he made his way to the stairs.
“That you met me?”
“And that I married you.”
“Me too”
THE END