Murder was the Case they Gave Me

Chapter 21

I woke up, immediately heading for the bathroom. After I finished using the toilet for what felt like the hundredth time within twelve hours, I brushed my teeth. I felt the baby start to move, as they usually do at this time when they wake up. The shower was running, and I knew it was Adrianna behind the curtain. I could tell by her off-key singing.

            I walked out and grabbed myself a bowl of cereal before sitting on the couch to watch the news, a usual morning routine. I grabbed the headphones but couldn't find my phone. Instead, I grabbed Adrianna's off the coffee table and entered in her code, three-six-six-nine.

            "Do you wanna listen to music?" I asked my daughter.

            I put the headphones on my stomach and put the music onto shuffle. Adrianna and I had mostly the same playlist. It was mostly alternative and indie music, even some of Eli's songs were in her playlist. The baby started moving a bit and I smiled.

            I was at the point where I didn't need to worry about a miscarriage as much, the baby's due date was in a week. So, I wouldn't have to go through the pain of a stillbirth. But now I have to try and keep calm so that way I don't go into labor. I was close to the due date but we didn't want her being born any earlier.

            "Hey," Henry said as he walked in the front door.

            "Hey, where were you?" I asked.

            Henry glanced outside towards Officer Jackson's car and I scowled. I turned back to the tv, eating my cereal without another word.

            "Do you have everything ready for the hospital?" Henry asked.

            "Yes," I muttered unhappily.

            "We packed all the baby stuff we'll need," he said. "We finally finished buying all the clothes and diapers and formula. Also, some lady at the store in the baby section, who has already had three kids, said to bring a nail file. She said babies are born with sharp fingernails."

            I giggled quietly at the thought as he sat beside me.

            "And I made sure to buy a changing pad last night," he said. "Babies make a lot of accidents when you try to change them."

            I smiled, finishing my breakfast. I did feel a little better now that we were off the topic of Officer Jackson.

            "Did you finish up the nursery?" I asked.

            Henry smiled and nodded. They decided that as a surprise, they were going to decorate the nursery for me. They were also buying the clothes for my daughter.

            "I also got the car seat," he added. "It's in your trunk right now and ready to go."

            I smiled happily, holding onto his hand. But then another thought dawned on me and I whimpered.

            "Eli isn't going to be home in time," I whispered. "He's going to miss the birth of his first—and maybe only—child."

            "Maybe you'll get pregnant again once Eli does get home," he said. "This little girl might have a new brother or sister."

            "We never even really talked much about having kids," I said. "And I don't think we could afford to have more than one."

            "Well, you don't immediately have to have another baby, you could wait a few years," he said.

            "That doesn't sound so bad," I muttered. "The first kid is already grown more so we don't have to worry about taking care of two babies at once. But there's not a lot of space, our house is so tiny. I don't think they'd be able to share a room with the baby waking up crying every few hours."