Hye-jae: Book 2 - New Loves

Happy Days Part 46

They both gazed at each other, unsure for a moment, what to say or do.  Then her practical nature kicked in: 'ok, so your expert, hands-on opinion,' a definite smirk here that was so cute to his eyes, 'is that I'm rounder, more...let's say, voluptuous.'   

He liked that and his eye-brows let her know it.  

'Have we any other evidence?'

He thought for a moment, then a sweet smile crossed his features.

'My cloud-pillow.  My place.'

She looked with tenderness at him but waited for him to explain.

'I've been struggling to try to understand this, even for myself but here,' and again, as with her breasts, he seemed to need to steady himself, before he placed his hand tenderly on her lower tummy and, as with her breasts a moment before, a shudder of feeling ran through him: 'when I put my hand - or my cheek - here, I feel...again, I can't explain it but it's like an energy and it seems to pull me in and call to me.'  

He paused, before making himself speak again, knowing that he would be baring his soul to his love: 'and the other morning, before you woke, I put my hand here and...,' he swallowed, 'I imagined or I thought or I fantasised that our baby spoke to me.'

His face was raw with emotion and she was so moved to see it.

'What did our baby say to you, Seon-jaea?'

For a moment, he looked surprised that she was taking him seriously, then, realising that this was his darling Hye-wona and she would always listen to him - even when he was talking like a crazy man - he shook his head.  No man could deserve this woman.  

'Well - since you ask - our baby told me that she or he was cosy and warm in Mommy's tummy.'

Hearing this almost reduced her to tears and him too, in saying the words.  She closed her eyes and - for a second - she wanted to stop him from saying any more.  If this is all madness, it will break our hearts.  She realised, though, that she needed to hear this and he needed to say it and she just nodded and waited for him to continue.  He took a moment and then his voice was very quiet: 'here's the amazing part.  In my mind, I heard our baby tell me to look after Mommy.  Then later that day, you fainted and terrified me and when you were on the stretcher looking...,' he didn't dare say the word, 'those words came back to me and I was so afraid that not only would I lose you but I might lose...'

He couldn't speak any more.  It was scary enough to think those thoughts, without actually speaking them aloud.  She looked at him and realised now why the incident had been so shocking to him - in his mind, in that moment, he had almost lost the 2 beings in the whole world who meant more to him than all the other billions of humans on the planet.  She reached to place her hand on the back of his neck and leaned her forehead to his and they lay like that for long moments while they both tried to still their fevered thoughts.  

Eventually, her voice sounded again: 'actually, there's a little more evidence...maybe.'

He lifted his eyes to hers: 'all the wobbly moments and the incident itself might be happening because...,' she couldn't say the word yet, 'well, you know, and also the tiredness might be part of it.  To be honest, Seon-jae, this is not something I know much about but I have known other women who have had babies and they all talk about feeling faint, dizzy, tired, hungry, all that.'

He stared at her in wonder and the magnitude of all this struck him again.  Could this be real?

He couldn't speak any more.  His emotions were threatening to overwhelm him and he did what seemed natural - he moved his mouth to hover over Hye-won's and licked his lips: 'I have a suggestion, my love.'