So This Is Life

Chapter 13

5 weeks later- Jefferson's p.o.v

Franklin's office was packed.

Again.

I glanced up at James, one hand on my belly and the other encased in his.

In case any of you haven't been tracking, I was at 20 weeks. Now, everyone knows that 20 weeks is a crucial stage in the pregnancy. You're halfway through the preganancy, morning sickness usually stops, and perhaps most importantly of all, you can find out the sex of the baby. And that's why so many people are here again.

Originally, James and I weren't going to find out the sex of the baby. We wanted it to be a surprise, y'know. But then my mother went on about trying to find neutral colours for the nursery and I knew at that moment that, one we were having a rainbow nursery regardless of the sex of the baby, and two we were going to have to find out the sex of the baby. At least it means we get to have a gender reveal party. The cake is gonna have coloured MMs in the middle.

"Are you ready?" Franklin asked. All eyes were on me as I hesitated, turning as much as I could to James.

"Are you sure you want to know?" I said, giving his hand a slight squeeze. He squeezed back, smiling and nodding.

Franklin moved the ultrasound wand around a little, trying to get a clearer image on the screen. The professionals leaned in closer, scrambling to get a better look, as James and I held our breath.

"It's aaaaaaaa..."

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"Aw, c'mon!" Hamilton groaned as I grinned evilly, trailing off and extending the a waaaaaaaaaaay more than it needed to be. "Just tell us what the sex of the baby is!"

I wrapped an arm around my bump, still smiling manically.

"Well, it's not a velociraptor," I replied, much to the confusion of the guests. I giggled, motioning to the white-iced cake on the buffet table (because everyone knows that it's not a proper party if there isn't a buffet). "The answer is in the cake. James, if you would do the honours?"

James emerged from the kitchen with a huge knife in his hands. It actually seemed to be weighing his arm down as he lugged it to the table. Lifting it with difficulty, he raised it to the cake and cut in delicately.

Pink candy poured out.

The room erupted in cheers and claps, with a few whistles mixed in. I beamed as James came over and wrapped an arm round my waist.

"Hey, how did you get pink MMs?" Herc called, popping one in his mouth.

"Oh, well, James here found a British company called Smarties that do pink ones," I said, kissing James on the top of the head. "Popped down to the British-themed pub on 5th Avenue and they had some in the back."

Herc nodded in approval and moved on.

"Hey, congratulations," Hamilton said, clapping me on the shoulder. "So, a girl, huh?"

"Yeah," I said somewhat awkwardly. "Gonna start painting the nursery next week, I think."

James and I exchanged a smirk as Hamilton too moved over to join his family. I watched them, but I couldn't help but dwell on the growing fear in the pit of my stomach.

A girl. Of course, she was perfectly healthy, Franklin had confirmed that, but the pressure was only mounting now. In just 20 weeks, I was going to have to learn how to do fancy hairstyles, pick out dresses, read up on my Disney princesses (although that wouldn't be too much of a challenge) and get ready to disapprove of any man she brings home. If she's even straight or bi. She may be transgender. Or a lesbian. That wouldn't be a problem. I mean, James and I are gay ourselves, so we could just be the LGBTQ household, but I hated the idea of my precious baby being discriminated against for her sexuality, her parents or the colour of her skin, because she was naturally going to be quite dark and some people are racist pricks who are stuck in the 1800s, apparently.

I decided not to think about it now and reached for the cake, but I got a sudden urge for cream cheese, banana and honey sandwiches. Slinking off, I slipped into the kitchen and hastily constructed my snack, wolfing it down as fast as I could.

"Thomas? Do you want some of this- oh."

Not fast enough.

Swallowing, I turned around to see James standing there, a plate of cake in his hand. I guiltily licked cream cheese off my lip and waved with my sandwich hand.

"Cravings?" James asked, putting the cake on the side and coming over to me. I nodded again, depositing the rest of the sandwich in my gob and chewing it happily. "Bananas, cream cheese and honey? Really?"

"The baby wants what the baby wants," I replied, my mouth still full. James chuckled and rolled his eyes, putting the cream cheese back in the fridge so it didn't spoil. "When did we get so domestic?" I wondered aloud as I swallowed.

"About 4-and-a-half months ago," James said instantly, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Marriage has changed us," I mused, one hand resting on the kitchen side as I wandered around the kitchen.

"Is your leg hurting?" James asked, shutting the kitchen door for privacy. I looked around desperately before answering.

"A little," I whispered. James gave me a sympathetic look, letting me lean against him to get the kitchen table. I took a seat on the colourful IKEA chairs that were named Yankovic or something and sighed heavily.

Man, I loved this baby, but why did everything have to be so complicated?

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Hope you enjoyed this! Sorry it took so long again, also that it's shorter than normal. Whatever, shouldn't be long till the next chapter, which is actually gonna be a decent length because I know exactly what needs to happen. Peace out, dudes!