You are a madrigal

Part 10

The first couple of months during her pregnancy were easy to pass by.

Besides the occasional morning sickness and frequent snacking she was fine. She got around to asking her Tio Augustin if he could make her clothes the way she wanted them. He happily accepted and by the time she was in her 3rd month he had made all her clothes red instead of orange. 

When she put on the red skirt and bow and looked in the mirror she was in tears. It was the exact red that Alex wore, now she could have a piece of him wherever she went, in more ways than one.

The first time she felt a flutter, she was 4 and a half months along. Dolores was in her room with her mother reading baby books she had from when Camilo was just born. She was minding her business, simply reading when all of sudden she felt like butterflies were flying around her stomach. She had stared wide-eyed at the book before looking down.

She then turned to look at her mother who sat unbothered reading a book of her own. "Mama.." her mother hummed, never taking her eyes off the page, and she felt it again. "I think the baby is moving. '' Dolores would have laughed at how fast her mother threw her book against the chair and walked over to the bed.

"Mija, lay on your left side." Dolores did what her mother said with a questioning look before Pepa placed her hand on her lower abdomen. 

When Dolores felt the movement again her mother smiled and there was a rainbow above her head. She looked at Dolores and grabbed her daughter's hand and placed it over where she felt it. "Do you feel that?"

It took a minute but the baby moved and Dolores smiled as she felt it with her hand. She looked at her mother and nodded her head. "I felt it." Pepa leaned down and kissed her daughter's forehead before she sat back down with her back. 

"Laying like that boosts the blood supply for the baby, it's also the best way to feel when the baby moves or kicks. "Dolores nodded her head at what her mother told her and stayed laying that way as she continued to read.

The later months of her pregnancy were a problem. She started showing enough that it got noticeable when she was 6 months. She had to stay in her room 24/7 so that no one got suspicious of how big her stomach got.

Pepa made it clear to Julieta at the beginning that she didn't want their mother anywhere near Dolores or the new baby. So whenever she tried going into Dolores' room, Julieta would stop her and lie saying that she couldn't see Dolores because she wasn't in the best of health. Abuela had given her daughter a questioning look on occasion before dropping it.

Because know one besides Felix Pepa And Julieta knew what was really going on, the kids were also told the same response but took it more seriously and never questioned it.

Occasionally a card would slip under her door from Mirabel saying that she hoped Dolores felt better soon. She even got a few cards that were written by Camilo and Luisa and was a little surprised when she got one from Isabela. Her older cousin would frequently look at her door but did as her mother said and not disturbed her even though she was concerned.

Julieta , Felix were the only ones allowed in to check up on her and give her food. Her mother would stay in the room with her. They thought it would be better trying to explain how Pepa ended up with another child without anybody seeing her.

Sometimes the baby would move or kick when Dolores was trying to sleep and keep her up all night so she could only sleep when the baby slept. Pepa would try to help instructing her to try different things or even tell the babies stories as Dolores slept. When they were both up she would rub her stomach to keep the baby calm.

The morning that she went into labor her father had walked in on her mother helping her with breathing techniques as she paced or stood in place as a contraction hit. Pepa turned to her husband with wide eyes as she held her daughter's hand. "Go get Juli." Felix's eyes widened as he ran out the room to find his sister in law.

Felix had walked into the kitchen trying not to cause a panic as everyone else was down eating breakfast. Julieta was by the stove when she saw him standing there trying not to be awkward. He looked at her before glancing at the other and smiled when they looked at him before looking back at her with wide eyes and tilted his head towards his daughter's door.

The healer's eyes widened and turned to her husband who stood beside her and kissed his cheek before whispering. "I have something very important to take care of. If any of the kids need anything, give it to them. I made arepas in case anyone needs them. If my mother asks where I am, tell her I'm with some friends from town. Don't let anyone near Dolores' room."

The tall man gave her a curt nod before she walked off with Felix. Augustin looked at all the kids that sat at the table with an awkward smile. Mirabel looked at her father with a questioning look. "What was that about Papa?" he laughed and waved his hand. "Grown up stuff. Adult's can be very busy, ya know?" Isabela, Luísa Mirabel and Camilo all shared a look before going back to breakfast.

Dolores winced at another contraction and continued the breathing technique her mother gave her as she slowly walked around when Julieta and her father walked in. Julieta looked at her sister before walking over to her niece. "How bad is it?"

Pepa stopped repeating the techniques with Dolores to answer the question. "Her water broke just over an hour ago." Julieta nodded her head before looking at Felix. "Hermano, I'm going to need you to wait outside. I know you want to be here but as much as I love my husband, something could go wrong and another person needs to be with him." 

Felix looked slightly pained at being told to leave his little girl. Dolores' eyes met his and she gave him a smile despite the pain she was in. "It's going to okay Papa. Me and the baby will be fine. Go watch the others."

Felix gave his daughter a smile and walked up to kiss her cheek before he left. Julieta sighed and put her hand on her head. "Okay, Sobrina, this is going to take a few hours but we are going to get you through this."