A Long Nine Months

5: Muggles vs Mungo's

"I called an obstetrician today," Lily said casually, tapping their front door with her wand to unlock it. She pushed it open and walked into the entranceway.

James' eyebrows furrowed and he blinked a few times before hurrying in behind Lily just as the front door swung shut. "An... an obster-trish-an?"

Lily smiled slightly. "An obstetrician. You know, a doctor for pregnancy and childbirth?"

"You mean... a muggle doctor?" James asked tentatively, dropping their shopping bags onto the kitchen counter.

Lily smiled patiently and reached blindly into the bag, starting to put their groceries away into cupboards. "Yes, James. A muggle doctor."

James crossed his arms and leaned against the stove, his eyes full of bewilderment. "Why?"

"Well, because I'm pregnant James," Lily said with her same patiently amused smile.

"Yes, I know that," James rolled his eyes. "But why a muggle doctor?"

Lily bit the corner of her lip and shut the cupboard in front of her. "I don't know, it just... feels right."

"But why not a healer at St. Mungo's? They're the best!" James insisted.

"There are plenty of good muggle doctors too."

"Sure, but you're not a muggle."

"I am a muggle-born though. My Mum had me and my sister the muggle way," Lily averted her eyes from James and reached back into the bag, grabbing a carton of milk.

"But our baby girl is definitely magic. Wouldn't a magic professional just make more sense?"

Lily said nothing, focusing instead on finding the milk's rightful spot in their kitchen.

"Plus, don't muggle doctors to a bunch of creepy tests and stick things inside of you?" He shivered at the mere thought of it. "Healers can just wave their wand and tell you everything you need to know!"

Lily stayed silent, refusing to meet James' gaze and kept furiously putting away groceries. James watched her frantic movements for a few moments before closing the bag shut right before her hands dove into it again. She sighed and let her hands fall on top of the closed bag. Her head hung so that her long hair swung in front of her face, blocking it from James' view and he tried to peer around it.

"Lils?" he asked tentatively. He reached out and placed a hand on top of hers. "What's up?"

She squeezed her eyes shut and when they opened, the previous patient amusement was replaced by painful frustration. "What do you mean 'what's up'!? I just told you! I'm going to my appointment with my new obstetrician with or without you and I don't need your permission to do so!" she snapped.

James' eyes widened dramatically from behind his glasses. He lifted his hands up in the sign of surrender and took a step backwards. "Okay, okay. Sorry."

Lily huffed and reached into the bag again, returning to reaching blindly for groceries. James followed suit and silently handed her a few cans as she turned back towards the counter.

"I hope you know that I'll go to whatever doctor you want to go to, Lily. That's never a question," he said softly. When Lily didn't snap at him, he pressed on. "And of course you don't need my permission to do anything. I was just... curious for the reasoning, I guess."

Lily gave him a wan smile and shut the last cupboard definitively, leaving James to put their bags away. She marched through the doorway to the living room and collapsed onto their couch, scooping up her newest book from the table nearby. He could have sworn a cold blast brushed across his skin when she passed him. James watched her from the kitchen, her eyes scanning the lines furiously and he bit his lip anxiously, not knowing how to interpret her bout of anger.