An Initiates Baby

Chapter Eighteen - Moon

It's early morning, the summer is back around and the sun is in my eyes as I lay in bed, I've just woken up, Eric is still asleep beside me. The time was quickly passing by and the new initiates would be here in weeks, and I was ready for labour in weeks. I was just under the 8 month mark, Eric and I had thrown around a few names, coming up with a few such as Luna, Annabelle, Eric's little tribute to me I guess which I rolled my eyes too, and Rose was another we had thrown around, I personally liked Luna, it didn't sound too common in the Dauntless compound, it wasn't something I heard around Erudite, and I couldn't vouch for the other factions, I wanted something that was different for our child.

I sighed as I stretched out on the bed, relaxing onto the mattress.

I had also imagined what our baby would look like, would she have my eyes, or Eric's? Would she have my natural hair colour or would she have Eric's light hair. I smiled to myself, imagining all different kinds of combinations our baby could end up with, would she have my nose? Eric's nose? His height? My height? There was just so many different ways she could end up looking like.

I laid in bed for a while, but was drawn out of my thoughts when Eric groans a little and moves, I look over at him to see his eyes open, his usual cold eyes are warm, but tired. I smile at him, moving my hand to run through his messy hair.

"Good morning, sleepy head." I say to him, moving my hand to his face, tracing his features. He smiles at me a little, closing his eyes again, it's a lazy day today. He finished his training quick, and Max announced his leadership last night, I stayed home as Eric stayed down at the Pit, partying and talking with the other leaders. I didn't mind as much, I didn't feel like parading around the party, especially when I have a nearly fully formed human inside me, weighing a few pounds. Plus, I looked like a whale so putting on a dress to look nice just for a few hours whilst nearly everyone would be drunk wasn't worth it.

So, I stayed home and slept throughout the night, only waking up when Eric came in and came to bed, I feel asleep again straight after. It's silent between us for a little while longer, I know Max will give us this day to just relax, no worries between us. It was getting closer to my due date and Eric had no more training, he really wasn't needed as much until just before the initiates came from their birth factions.

Eric slides down the bed a little, coming face to face to my stomach and I smile, letting my hand continue to run through his hair, as he kissed my stomach, his hand running over it, the kicks hitting his hand. I wince when one is a little painful than the rest, but I deal with it, it was worth it to see the reaction on Eric's face every time she hit against his hand. Most the morning is spent in bed, Eric against my stomach, just letting whatever happens with the baby happens, I close my eyes, wanting to fall asleep again, just to relax whilst I can, but I don't feel the need to fall asleep.

Soon enough, we get up out of bed to get some food and just lounge around the apartment, I read up on pregnancy books again, in case I miss anything. Eric hands me some food and snatches the book away from me, with a kiss to my forehead.

"You need to stop reading that, you have twice already, there isn't going to be anymore information then what you have seen already." He states, closing it and placing it on the kitchen counter beside him.

"I just want to know everything, I don't want anything to go wrong, and in case something does I want to know all the options." I say, feeling the dread mentally, thinking of the many possibilities that could happen during labour or just before. There was so many things that could go wrong.

Eric stands behind me, resting his head on mine and wrapping his arms around me, his lips touch my hair for a brief moment.

"Nothing will happen, everything will go smoothly, if not, Erudite will always be on backup, they have the best doctors in each faction." He explains, squeezing me a little before turning to his own food. I smile a little, feeling little relief from his words.

We stay in our bed clothes, in Eric's case, lack of, for the remainder of the day, we never leave the apartment.

I'm sat on the sofa, looking through the book of baby names, looking at the ones we had highlighted and I look over at Eric, who's reading something about old war planes from before the war the caused the factions to be made.

"What do you think of the names we've got, we need something definite soon." I speak up to him, and he scratches his chin as his eyes never leave the page.

"You can pick whatever you like, what we have already, I like all of them, so whatever you would like to name our baby girl, you can have her to be called that, I don't mind." He says, leaning down to kiss me quickly before returning to his book, I sigh before turning back to the book.

"So, if I said I wanted to name her Luna, how would you feel?" I said, looking at the name in the book, running my finger over the text.

"I would love her either way, even if she was named the worst name in the world." He said, and I grinned for a moment.

"Even if she was named Gretchen." I joke, snorting to myself, "That name just screams crazy old lady." I giggle and he cracks a smile.

"I like Luna." He said, and I lean back against him, one of his hands rests on my stomach.

Luna Coulter, sort of rolls off the tongue.