Seeing Red

Part 18

Aurelie arrived about an hour later, her cheeks deep red and she was panting heavily.

"Mum, what happened? Are you alright?" Asked Gabriel the moment he saw her.

"Nothing, Gabi, I'm fine. I just couldn't get here fast enough and was basically speed walking from the Metro to your gate. And I still feel intimidated by your home. Where's Nath? How was the appointment? Is everything alright? You were so secretive on the phone earlier. Let me guess, she's further along than you thought and you already found out the gender." His mother gushed out as soon as she had caught her breath.

But Gabriel shook his head.

"Later, mum. Why don't you just come inside and then we can go into the garden. The children are in the new pool. Nath and I have been swimming a little too, and right afterwards, she fell asleep on the deckchair under the umbrella. So please try to not wake her, okay?" He pleaded.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else then?" Aurelie suggested.

"No need for that, Grandma." Came Adrien's voice from the kitchen door. "Nath asked for you, dad. She has to go to the toilet and needs your help to get there. She said she's still exhausted from the day."

Seeing the look on her son's face, the old woman began to laugh.

"Just go, Gabi. Adrien can take me to the garden too, I think. Right, lad?"

"Right!" The teenage boy smiled as he held out his arm gallantly. "This way, madame."

Aurelie grinned at him and hooked her hand into his arm, then let him lead her into the garden, where they almost bumped into Gabriel and Nathalie.

"Aurelie!" The pregnant woman exclaimed happily. "It's so great to have you here. We'll be right back, just make yourself comfortable."

Mrs Grassette gently squeezed her hand as they passed each other and nodded.

"Just take your time, sweetheart. Hello Marinette, good to see you too. Are you enjoying the water?"

"Very much, Mrs..."

"Don't you dare calling me Mrs. I'm Aurelie, okay?"

"O-O-Okay. Th-Thank you." The girl stammered shyly. "Can I get you something to drink already while you're waiting?"

"That would be very sweet, thank you. Just water will do. But maybe with a little ice?"

Marinette rushed into the kitchen and returned a short time later with a large glass filled with ice cubes and water. She placed it in front of the elderly woman and sighed deeply.

"I made it without letting it drop.Yay!"

Adrien laughed and hugged her from behind, gently kissing her cheek.

"I knew you would. You need to be more confident and trust in yourself, Marinette. Should we go and get dressed? Nath mentioned something about feeling peckish and I wouldn't want to let her wait."

His girlfriend agreed.

"Yeah, sure. Come."

She held out her hand and he grasped it. Together the young couple sprinted inside.

When they returned, the three adults were sitting under the umbrella, making small talk and sipping their drinks. It was obvious that they had been waiting for the teenagers.

"Oh no. If we had known you would wait for us before starting to eat, we would have hurried. Sorry for that." Adrien proclaimed, looking really guilty.

"Relax, honey. Nobody is starving. Well, it's close, but..." Nathalie teased him with a smirk. He grinned back and pulled his girlfriend with him on one chair.

"Adrien, there are enough chairs for all of us." Gabriel scolded him, but the women laughed and defended the boy.

"They're young and in love, Gabi. Just let them enjoy their youth." His mother laughed.

The children giggled as they intertwined their fingers under the table.

"Well, Nathalie, now that we're finally all together, tell me. What did the doctor say? Is everything alright? Is the baby okay? And more important at the moment. Are you okay? What about those health issues? Will that have an influence on the pregnancy? Or the pregnancy on your health?" Aurelie fired her questions.

Nathalie giggled and leaned in to kiss Gabriel to calm him down, after hearing him sigh.

"Slow down a bit, please. Why don't you take a look at the pictures and afterwards, we can answer as many questions as we can, okay?"

"Pictures? More than one? Show me then!"

They did. After looking at the first one they laid on the top of the table before her, Aurelie gasped and slapped both hands to her mouth.

"Oh my. Oh holy, fucking shit! You're having twins!" She cried out.

"Mum, language!" Gabriel gushed out with a look at the teenagers.

"Sorry, lad. But that's quite some news. How are you feeling, sweetheart? Are you scared?"

Nathalie beamed at her.

"I was in the beginning. And I am still completely overwhelmed by all the things I am feeling at once. But other than that... I am so incredibly happy, I can't even describe it."

"I remember that feeling, dear. What about your health issues? Are they getting better?"

This time Gabriel replied.

"They are a lot better. Though I still feel utterly scared when Nath tries to do too much on her own, she can do a lot of things, we already thought she would never again be able to. And to imagine that she made so much progress while carrying two living creatures inside!"

"You're exaggerating, darling." The pregnant woman said blushing.

"He's not, mum. You can even walk the few stairs in front of the main entrance on your own already!" Adrien objected.

"Only on good days, Adrien!" Nathalie corrected him.

"Who cares?" Marinette sounded angry. "Only a couple of weeks ago you were mostly bed bound. And look at you now. You're swimming, you're going for short walks, you usually can walk around the house all on your own. I would say, your overall condition has improved a lot!"

"Fine." Nathalie gave in. "You're all right. But I need to improve even more if I want to be able to carry two babies in my belly and later in my arms. So, thank you all for your support!"