Nick and Charlie One-Shots

it just takes time

I let out a groan and rub at the side of my belly to ease theslight pain. My baby is getting big now and is apparently going to be a world-class rugby player if his kicks are any indication.

"Baby kicking again?" Nick's voice makes me jump, not realising he'd come into the room.

"Mm. He's definitely your son. Going to love getting out on the rugby field when he's older." He comes over and stands behind me, hands gently sliding over the swell of my stomach. It's like an instant reaction; the baby calms down and stops kicking me.

"God, you're a miracle worker. He just stops when you do that."

"Recognises his daddy." Nick smirks at me in the mirror and I roll my eyes.

"Well if he could just recognise you at other times of the day, I'll be happy. I'd just like one night where I can sleep." Every night for the past three weeks, I've been woken at least twice by harsh kicks. Even Nick cuddling me close doesn't seem to help so his brag about calming down the baby isn't always true.

"I'm sorry, Char. I know this isn't easy on you."

"It's okay. Yeah, it's tough but I like the end result." I gesture vaguely toward the room across the hall where our daughter is currently sleeping.

"The end result is pretty cute." He agrees and I turn around in his arms. It's a bit harder to hug him properly at the moment, with my growing belly in the way but we make it work.

"Can you believe we're going to have another baby soon? Sometimes I still have to pinch myself that we have Heidi."

"Same. And now we're having our rainbow baby." Nick's hands move to rest on either side of my belly, thumbs making gentle circles, lulling the baby to sleep.

"Rainbow baby?" I ask, not having heard the term before.

"I read somewhere that a baby born after a loss is called a rainbow baby." He tells me and I smile, bitter-sweet.

It's just over a year since the worst night of our lives when I woke to find blood soaking the sheets and cramps ripping through me. It took a while before I felt ready to try again but Nick and I desperately wanted to have another baby so when we found out that I was pregnant again, six months ago, we were ecstatic. The whole first trimester had me practically buzzing with nerves, praying to every deity known to man, to let our baby survive. And something must have worked because now, here I am, seven months pregnant with our baby boy, getting bigger by the day and loving it.

"That's cute. I wish he wasn't a rainbow baby, but I love him so much already."

"So do I." Nick kisses me. Soft at first, but it gets more heated very fast. Pregnancy hormones get me turned on so quickly now. We're just about to take this little make out to our bed when we're interrupted by a soft knock at the door.

"Daddy? Papa?" Nick pulls away from me with a soft groan and goes to open the door. Heidi is standing in the hallway in her pajamas, one hand rubbing at her eye. Her hair is a mess of curls, forever wild and unruly, no matter how much we try to tame it.

"What's up, pumpkin?" He crouches down in front of her. I love watching him as a dad. It's like he was made to be one.

"I want pancakes, daddy." Heidi tells him seriously.

"Is that so? And how do we ask nicely for pancakes?"

"Please?"

"That's better. Now, how about we get dressed first and then we'll look at breakfast. Do you want to say good morning to papa and the baby?" Heidi looks up at me for the first time and grins. She darts around Nick and runs over to me as fast as her little legs carry her. I can see that she's about to tackle me the way she used to but at the last second she remembers to be gentle and comes to a stop.