The Baker, Part 2: Sous Chef

Chapter 7

"Oh my God," Cassie groaned. Ben held back her hair and said, "That's it, baby, you're almost there." He sighed as she spilt out the remaining contents of her stomach. He rubbed her back and kept making sure her hair was out of her face. 

She whined into the toilet and tried to reach for the handle without looking. "I've got it, baby," Ben said as he eased her head out of the toilet and flushed it. As she stayed sat on the floor, he quickly got up and ran a cloth under some hot water. 

He knelt back down next to her, then put the cloth on her forehead. "Feeling better?" He softly asked. She sighed and shook her head. "I feel like I'm going to throw up again." Just as she said that, her head was back in the toilet and Ben was back to holding her hair. 

As she continued to spill out her entire stomach, Ben put another hot cloth on her neck.  He felt so useless whenever she had to go through this. She's the one that's carrying his child, going through morning sickness. Though, this was more than just morning sickness. 

"I am going to kill you," Cassie mumbled as she brought her head back up. "You did this to me." Ben wiped her mouth with the cloth and said, "I know, sweetheart. I'm so sorry you have to go through this. Come on, let's get you back in bed."

He helped her stand up and got her over the sink so she could brush her teeth. After she was done, he led her back to bed. Once she got settled and let out a huge breath, Ben leaned down and pressed a kiss to her growing stomach. 

"You need to let mummy rest, kiddo," he said. He ran his hand across it, then looked up to her. "Want some of the oil, sweetheart?" She let out a light yawn and nodded. Ben opened up her bedside drawer and took out the cocoa butter. 

Cassie was now four months along now, almost getting on five. When her mother was here for a couple weeks, she was a tremendous help. If Cassie was in pain or had bad morning sickness, Julie was there because Ben would freak out and think of every possible reason as to why it was happening. 

It was simply a pregnancy. 

The night before she was suppose to leave, she decided to stay a little bit longer. And then a little bit longer. And then just a little longer after that. And she only left yesterday after two months. 

"Do you think my mom is going to decide to move here?" Cassie asked as Ben squeezed some oil on his hands and rubbed them together. He rubbed the oil on her stomach and chuckled when she told him it was cold. "I wouldn't be surprised," he told her. "Let's face it, she already wanted to be closer to her grandchild while she was here, Kelly has Alexis. But I don't think that'll happen until Kell graduates."

It was silent for a moment, until he quietly told her, "I love doing this to you. I feel like...no, never mind." Cassie cocked her head to the side and quirked up a smile. "What?" She asked. "Tell me." Ben laughed nervously and looked at her. 

"I feel...I don't know...like I'm bonding with them. Is that stupid?" She put her hand on top of his oily one and said, "Absolutely not. It's so sweet. I love how much you're involved with this." He smirked and told her, "I wish I could be more involved. I'm going to miss this when I'm gone in November."

She pursed her lips and frowned at him. She knows him being gone for so long is upsetting him already. He's not going to be here for the most important part of the pregnancy, which is the final three months. Filming would be about four to five months, so he'd hardly be here when it's first born. 

"Fucking hell," he muttered. "I just don't want to be away for so long. I know I'm only a couple hours out, but they don't want me commuting back in forth from here to Bletchley in case we need some additional scenes. I suppose I'll come home when it's a slow day, or...I don't know."