Forever and Always

Where It All Began

It wasn't long after they got married that they wanted to start trying for a baby. She had always dreamed of being a mum and she always used to babysit for her parents friends.

They had been trying for just under a year. Her period was late and they had decided to take a test that evening when they both returned from work. She sat at her desk but she couldn't concentrate, she kept making glances at her bag and wishing she could just know. The day dragged and she checked the clock every few minutes to make sure it wasn't going backwards. She drummed her fingers on the desk as she wrote up a report about a meeting with a recently released client and e-mailed to set up an appointment with a new one. Despite watching the clock all day, she was surprised that it when the time came for her to go home.

She went to put her key in the front door and jumped in surprise when it was opened from the inside. She put her hand to her chest 'you frightened the life out of me!' She laughed 'sorry' he pulled her into a strong hug and took a deep breath 'are you ready?' She nodded, stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Upstairs, she changed into something more comfortable as they waited for the test. She paced up and down, spinning circles in the carpet with her toes, and wandering in random patterns around the room. He sat on the bed tapping his feet on the carpet in an excited tune. She looked to the timer every time she went past it and eventually she stopped and just watched it go round. It seemed to last forever.

The timer rang and they looked at each other with nervous excitement; they went downstairs to see the test she had left in the living room. She walked up to the mantle piece and went to grab it, but her hand pulled back almost against her will and she hovered over the top of it. Her hand flopped to the side and she turned around to him and shook her head. 'I can't do it' she said quietly, shaking her head and stepping away from it. He met her and gave her a reassuring rub on the back, before going to the mantle piece and taking it before he could stop himself. He looked to her, sitting on the sofa with her hands over her eyes and then he looked to the test. He blinked and looked at it again in disbelief, he slowly went across the living room to her and he whispered in her ear 'it's positive'. She pulled her hands down her face and looked at him in shock 'are you sure?' She whispered, scared that saying it out loud would jinx it; he nodded and turned the test so she could see it. She stood up and threw her arms around him, tears of joy falling slowly down her cheeks. The stood quietly together in an embrace, it was a special moment for them and one they would never forget.

He came to pick her up from work the next day. 'Whats going on?' She asked, he rarely got out if work before here, definitely not with time to spare to pick her up. 'You're not going to like it' he said quickly 'you'll probably hate me for it'. She looked at him with a mix of confusion and fear as they pulled up outside the doctors office. They sat in the waiting room and she questioned him profusely about their purpose there. The doctor came out and called them in, sitting Cecelia down with Oscar to her right side; she took Cecelia's left arm and wrapped a band around the top of it, just above her elbow. 'Okay Cecelia, I've been told you're not going to like this. I was told over the phone that you have quite a severe blood phobia, is that correct' she nodded slowly and it suddenly sunk in what was going to happen. She looked at Oscar with a fear in her eyes that was almost childlike, and the nurse told him to keep hold of her. He held her close to him and she pressed her face into his arm as the nurse pushed the needle into the inside of her elbow. 'Okay so what I'm going to do is just take some blood so we can test your hormone levels. Are you ready?' Cecelia didn't respond as she pulled the needle out and taped the cotton wool over the tiny wound. 'That wasn't so bad was it?' Oscar said comfortingly, rubbing his hand up and down her arm in support. She took her head away from his body and her face was pale and her hands were all clammy; the nurse handed her a small boiled sweet 'the sugar will make you feel more stable' she said. He was glad that her reaction was less extreme if she didn't actually see the blood, he couldn't imagine being able to calm her down enough.

Her pregnancy was going well. She was making sure to take pre-natal vitamins, eat healthily and do a bit more exercise than usual. She was determined to keep herself and her baby healthy and well. Oscar came home from work one night to find her sitting on the sofa with one hand draped subconsciously over her barely visible bump. 'How are you feeling?' 'Good, much better actually' she answered with a nod 'wonderful, because I want to take you out for dinner' she looked at him and tilted her head in confusion, 'I got a promotion today' he said proudly and puffed out his chest, pointing to the shiny 'department manager' badge placed neatly on his right lapel. She gasped and held her hands up, grabbing his arms and giving him a kiss. 'Well done honey!' She exclaimed and melted into his arms, 'what do you fancy?' She thought for a moment, 'how about... A pub grub type of deal?' 'Ah, the typical pie and chips or sausage and mash kind of thing? Yeah that sounds good to me'. She went and put on her shoes and a coat before they headed out the door.

They arrived at the small pub and it was almost empty, except for a few elderly couples and some men having a drink together. It was a weeknight and Oscar had assumed that most people went to pubs at the weekend, especially small ones like this. He held the door open for her and then led her to a little booth that was away from the doors. It was warm and cosy there, away from the biting winds outside. They pored over the menu, and he decided on a steak, while she chose a more delicate chicken dish. They were waiting for the food and talking about work, when she complained of feeling a bit odd, but she soon forgot about it once she had her food in front of her. She looked around the small pub to see an elderly lady staring intently at her, she gave a pleasant smile and the lady turned away without another glance. Oscar put down his steak knife triumphantly when he had finished and blew a big lungful of air up into his face. She finished shortly after and they decided to have one more drink before they left. 'You seem distracted Ces, is everything okay?' She was looking thoughtfully into the bottom of her glass and stirring the ice round with her finger, she looked up at him and nodding with an unconvincing smile. He downed the last bit of his drink and waiting for her to get up from the booth. As she did so, he noticed that she was standing slightly awkwardly, as if she would break every bone in her body if she moved a single inch. He hooked her arm through his and they started to walk back to the car, 'not so fast Oscar please' she pleaded. He turned to look at her, 'you're so pale Ces, are you okay?' She shook her and bent over a little to try and ease the pain. He got her home as quickly as possible and gave her blankets and pillows to make her more comfortable. She slept on the sofa for an hour or so before he came to sit with her. He lifted the blanket to sit down and saw a patch of blood on the sofa and some more on her night shirt.