Like Me

The first sign that something was amiss was the nausea that appeared throughout each day; it could come at any time, be it in the morning when she woke up or when she was at work in the afternoon, and last anywhere from seconds to hours. Bizarrely, it was coupled with the odd craving too, the oddest being a sudden appetite for olive and jam together.

Then there was the behaviour of the beasts; it hadn't escaped Tina's notice that Dougal was staying close to her whenever she visited, almost as if guarding her protectively, and several of the Bowtruckles would chatter noisily when they saw her, as if discussing something important. Even the Erumpent seemed to be behaving differently around her, always regarding her with a somewhat gentle look – like she knew something important.

She had her suspicions, but she waited for more signs so that she could be sure; after waiting a week for her overdue monthly cycle and having nothing, she finally decided to contact a local Healer for confirmation. There were potions and spells she could have used, granted, but she knew that there were risks associated with them – and if it was true, it just wasn't worth it.

In the end, she decided it best not to mention it to Newt – she didn't want him to get his hopes up (or even panic), just in case.

*****

Newt was busy at work when she returned from her appointment, feeding their Graphorns and carefully watching the younger ones; just a year previously, one of the infant Graphorns had grown sick and died from a mysterious disease. It had broken Newt's heart, Tina remembered mournfully, and she had been just as upset too – over the years, all of these creatures really had grown on her, and she cared about them almost as much as her husband.

She waited until he had finished his task before making her way over to him, absentmindedly smoothing down her slacks as she thought about what to say; she couldn't imagine him being angry, as such, but there was still no telling as to how he'd react. They hadn't discussed children in their relationship, it hadn't come up and they'd both been so busy – but perhaps he would be at least somewhat pleased. After all, he mothered all types of magical creature imaginable, even the ones that she still felt wary of, so surely he'd feel the same about their child?

He smiled widely when he noticed her, putting down the now-empty feed bucket and coming to meet her halfway. "Evening, love. Busy day?"

"You could say that," Tina said light-heartedly, but she couldn't stop herself from giving a small smile too. "It's been real...interesting."

"Well, I'm glad you're home," Newt chuckled, and his arms slid around her waist. "Dougal's been moping about all day, just staring at the shed door – I think you may have an admirer."

She laughed despite her nerves, shaking her head. "I think he's been babysitting me," She agreed. "At least someone missed me..."

"Oh, and I missed you too, of course," He admitted, pulling her closer to himself as his voice lowered in a way that made her shiver. "In fact, I think you could say that I've missed you more than anyone else in this case has."

"I missed you too," She murmured softly, resting her hands on his arms. "Um, Newt...I need to tell you something."

"Oh?" Newt looked vaguely surprised. "Alright, love. What is it?"

Tina bit her lower lip, stomach suddenly flipping as she tried to find the right words; nothing decent came to her. "Could we maybe go for a walk? Nowhere in particular, just around the case...it might help."

He seemed bewildered by her request but nodded even so; he didn't push for an explanation as he took her hand and they started to walk. The dim lighting of the artificial sun in the case made her feel somewhat better as they made their way around the different enclosures, and she waited for her heart to slow to a more normal pace before continuing to speak.