melody

WHO COULD ASK FOR MORE? by Melody

Paulette was relieved to arrive home. It had been a long shift at work for her when she ended up working the afternoon shift as well because, the bank nurse they had booked, had not turned up. Despite lots of frantic phone calls, they were unable to find another qualified nurse to cover, and, out of a sense of duty, Paulette agreed to stay.

To make things worse she had a huge argument with James when she rang him to say that she wouldn't be home until late, and would also be working the following morning, until at least two in the afternoon. James had decided to take a break for a couple of days, needing to recharge his batteries after endless rounds of promotion for his first solo album and single.

“Bloody great. I may as well not bloody bothered,” he huffed.
“I'm not exactly thrilled about it either.”
“So tell them that you can't do it!” he yelled to her down the phone.
“James, there is no one else TO DO IT! We have called everyone, and I do mean everyone.”
“I should've gone to dad's.”
“If that's what you want, I'm not stopping you.”
“I came here to see you Paul.”
“You will still see me.”
“Oh sure! Tonight you'll want to go straight to bed 'cos you're up early, and, tomorrow you'll be a grumpy sod 'cos you're tired.”
“We still get to share a bed,” she pointed out. “So you'll be seeing plenty of me.”
“Not that you'll be in the mood for anything; you'll be too bloody tired.”
“Is sex all that you think about?”
“Paul, I haven't seen you for two weeks, and that, is a long time to be away from my wife.”
“And whose fault is that? I, however, understand that it goes with the territory, and put up with it. This isn't the first time I have had to pull a double shift, or work my days off, nor will it be the last. At least when I get home tomorrow afternoon, we will have the following day together, so stop acting like a drama queen.”
“Oh, I'm a drama queen because I wanna spend some time with my wife?”
“Yes! And I love you for it,” she laughed. “I will make it up to you later, I promise.”
“I won't hold my breath.”

“Hey gorgeous,” she called out, hanging her coat on the rail in the entrance hall. “Night staff got in early so I got a flyer.” She walked into the lounge, James was busy doing a crossword.
“I noticed,” he grinned, putting the crossword book and pen down on the glass coffee table, then giving his wife a meaningful hug and kiss. “Would you like a cup of tea, or shall I run you a bath?”
“If you're going to join me,” she winked, “I'll have a bath.”
“Of course I'm gonna join you.”
“In that case, the drink can wait. You make sure that all the doors are locked and I'll meet you upstairs.”

They had been in their home for five months, and the en suite bathroom was huge, with a state of the art shower, and a huge sunken corner bath that easily accommodated two people.
“So, how was work?”
“Ok. It quietened down not long after I called you.”
“Good; I don't want you getting ill because you're tired and stressed.”
“I know,” she smiled, patting his arse and slinking into the tub, now filled with a plethora of tiny bubbles. “How is the promotion going?”
James joined her in the water. “It continues to surprise me by being very positive; more so than I thought it would be.”

Paulette sat between his legs, wrapping her legs loosely around his hips. “It's good to have you home again; I've missed you.”
“I've missed you too,” he grinned, kissing her warmly. “I won't be away much longer, a few more days and then I'm free from it all for two whole weeks.”
“That's a relief! I was dreading you saying that you'd have to work most of it,” she sighed. “I have managed to get a weeks holiday for your second week off.”
“Oh that's brilliant!” James scooted up tightly to her, causing the water to ripple and make waves. “How did you wangle that?”
“I swapped with Jenni; actually she asked me.”
James chuckled. “Great, that means that we have a whole week to ourselves,” he said happily. “We can try for a baby that week. Won't that be fun?”
“About that...”

“Don't tell me that you've changed your mind or that the time isn't right,” he said, staring at her angrily.
“I'm not,” she said, kissing his nose. “I can tell you right now that you...” She deliberately spoke slowly and then paused, “are going to be a dad. I'm pregnant James! I've been waiting for you to come home to tell you.”
“Pregnant?” Poor James was stunned.
“I did a test, which of course was negative, but I had it confirmed by a blood test.”

Paulette had been pregnant once before, but hadn't known until she had miscarried. She was one of a very small number of women whose pregnancies did not show up via a urine test,so, for all she had done several tests, convinced that she was pregnant, they had all been negative results. She had also continued to have periods.
James seemed worried. “I'm thrilled and bloody scared, if that makes sense. It's just that, well, after losing a baby before...”
“I know, I feel the same,” she said flatly. “Now I've told you I can tell the ward staff; only Dr Ahmed knows; he was the doctor that did the blood test for me.”
“And then,” he said sternly, “no more working stupidly long hours or working your days off.”
“I won't, at least not until after the baby is born.”
“You could give up work,” James suggested.
“I won't do that James, I love my job. I will ask about going part-time though.”
“You may feel differently once we have the baby.”
“If I do, that's fine.”
“Oh God,” he said suddenly. “I'm going to be a dad!”
Paulette chuckled at his reaction; he was thrilled and somewhat overawed.

“I'm having a scan next week. You will come won't you?”
“Of course I will!” he said excitedly. “I wouldn't miss it for the world. How many weeks?”
“I'm not too sure,” she said hesitantly. “I've still been having a bleed each month. Its only the changes in my body that alerted me.”
“We need to start planning the nursery, and names of course. Oh I hope that its a girl.”
“I thought that men always wanted boys?”
“Nah, I'd love a daughter; not that I'd be upset if we did have a boy.”
“You want a female version of the Manics with Tilly and Clara!”
“Oh shush!” To stop her teasing him, he kissed her passionately, his right hand slipping between her thighs and stimulating her.
“Why is it...” she started to ask when they separated from their kiss, “that every time we share this tub, you get horny?”
“Oh that's easy!” he smirked, flicking foamy suds at her. “Whenever I'm close to you I get horny!”

James called his dad to tell him the good news and Monty was thrilled at the prospect of being a granddad. Paulette then rang her parents. Who were also chuffed for them. They had been against her relationship with James initially, purely based on the fact that he was a musician; in their eyes all musicians played around and slept with groupies, and they didn't want their daughter to have a broken heart. All of that changed when they met James; it was evident that James doted on her, and truly loved her. From that moment on, James was a very welcome member of the family.

Their wedding had been a quiet, non showbiz affair, with only close friends and relatives attending at Paulette's local village church. They had also managed to keep the news away from the press, until they had returned from their honeymoon.

“Do you fancy having another baby straight after this one?” asked James whilst they cuddled in bed.
“Erm, hang on a minute here,” she giggled, “I haven't given birth to this one yet.”
“I'm only saying that it would be nice to have two close together.”
“My body and pain threshold may disagree.”
James screwed up his face; he hadn't given much thought to the pain aspect of things. “I guess,” he shrugged.
“And think of what a handful it will be to have two babies. Maybe we should wait until this one is two, or perhaps three before we think of any more.”
“That's a long time.”
“James, trust me, it will fly by. Babies aren't babies for long; before you know it they're into everything and having temper tantrums.”
“Are you trying to put me off?” he asked, giving her nose a light pinch. “It won't work you know.”

“James honey, wake up,” urged Paulette, prodding him.
“Huh?” he grunted, trying to focus on her through one semi open eye.
“I need to go to the hospital; the baby is on its way.”
“Huh?”
“Oh, wake up damn you!” she screamed, pulling back the duvet. “You need to drive me!”
“Oh shit!”

All hell broke lose and James hurriedly attempted to get dressed. For all the pain and discomfort that she was in, Paulette was exceedingly calm and in control; concentrating on her breathing as she had been taught in birthing classes.
“Oh James, you do look a sight!”
“What?” He stared down; his shirt was buttoned up wrongly, making it all cock-eyed; he had odd socks on, and odd trainers.
“Try it again, a little slower this time.”
“You're the one that needs to get to the bloody hospital.”
“I don't think that two more minutes will make a huge amount of difference, do you honey?” She walked up to him, put his arms around his waist and kissed him. “I love you.”

James stayed with Paulette in the delivery room, helping her with her breathing, and giving her encouragement. After an eighteen hour labour their daughter entered the world, and James promptly burst into tears. He kissed his wife, and held her so tightly that she thought he may sever her blood flow.
“Time for you to cut the cord James,” said Dr Adams brightly.
The next thing that James knew. A midwife was standing over him, explaining that he had fainted.

James cradled his new born daughter lovingly in his arms, singing lullabies to her.
“Darling, she's asleep already,” said Paulette with a smile.
“Shush, don't spoil it for me,” he smirked, sticking out his tongue. “Anyway, Abigail Susan Bradfield, prepare yourself because your grandparents are on their way to see you, so you have some entertaining to do.”
Paulette beamed with pride, James was a natural father and was clearly already in love with his baby daughter. “So James, are we going to start working on a sibling for Abigail in six weeks or so, when I get the all clear?”
James stared at her, aghast at the suggestion. “You have gotta be kidding me! I can't go through the trauma of watching you give birth, or cutting the cord for a while; at least a couple of years.”
“So much for you wanting another one quickly,” she tittered.
“I knew that those words would come back to haunt me,” he groaned, and handed the tiny bundle to Paulette.
“You're squeamish.”
“What I am,” he said, giving both Abigail and Paulette a kiss on their noses, “is deliriously happy and proud. I have two perfect, beautiful girls in my life. Who could ask for more?”

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