𝐖𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘, 𝖺 𝗀𝗅𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖺𝗅𝖻𝗎𝗆

code red: she hiccuped

It began innocently.

Bea was sitting beneath the shade of the courtyard tree, wrapped in her shawl, humming softly as she folded a few freshly washed blankets. Her cheeks were warm from the sun, and her belly, seven months round rose steadily with each breath.

Nico was sitting nearby, sharpening his knife way too seriously.

Thomas and Minho were arguing over cards. Gally was asleep with a hat over his face. Matt and Vicky were nowhere to be seen (which was never a good sign), and Frypan was inside baking something that already smelled like cinnamon and chaos.

Then—

hic

Nico froze.

HIC.

He stood.

Bea blinked at him. "Nico?"

He dropped the knife, rushed to her side, already reaching into his pocket like he was about to pull out a whole emergency kit.

"What's wrong? Are you in pain? Is the baby coming? Do you need to lie down? Is it your heart? Is it a sign? Is it labor?!"

Bea stared.

"...Nico, I just hiccupped."

"Are you sure?! Because I read in one of Thèrèse's books that respiratory spasms—"

"It's a hiccup."

She took a calm sip of water, pinched her nose, held her breath.

One Mississippi... two Mississippi...

Exhale.

Gone.

"I'm fine," she said sweetly.

Nico stared at her like she'd just resurrected herself from the dead.

By now, the others had noticed. Minho had already started laughing. Loudly.

Thomas looked like he was about to choke on air. "Oh my god... did you think she was—"

"I panicked," Nico snapped.

Frypan poked his head out of the kitchen. "Did someone die?"

"Nope, just a hiccup."

"Ah," he said. "Nico's 'end of the world' button got pressed again."

Sonya appeared out of nowhere. "She hiccupped once, Nico. Once."

"She's seven months pregnant!"

"And?"

"And what if she hiccupped wrong?"

Everyone collectively blinked.

Matt finally wandered in, shirt half-buttoned, hair a mess. "Did I miss the birth?"

"No, but we nearly had a funeral. For logic," Teresa said flatly, letting Isabelle plays with her finger.

Bea just patted Nico's cheek lovingly. "You're sweet."

"I try," he muttered, sulking.

Bea leaned in with a smile. "But next time, try not to call a Code Red over a hiccup, okay?"

"...I called Code Yellow at most."

"You tackled the table."

"I gently moved it aside with urgency."

Minho wiped a tear. "You threw it, Nico."

Nico sighed and went to pick up his dropped knife.

Bea sipped more water, already back to folding.

Behind her, Frypan muttered, "If she coughs, he's calling the medics."

Gally groaned from his nap spot. "Wake me when her sneeze makes him build a hospital."