A Couple Pt 04

Dear faithful readers - My apologies for the dreadful delay in returning to this tale of love and high finance. So many stories, so little time... Sierra.

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A Couple - Part 4 - A Holiday Birth and More Surprises

It was the third week of December and we were having a cold spell, with frost. The early morning swim club was in full swing, supervised by Suzanne and Wilma. Keeping the water at seventy was bankrupting our utility budget, and I summoned the pool people to install a motorized cover. Natalie laughed at me and said, "Oscar, you've got ten years of heat already covered from these swimmers and their fees. Not to mention that Lisa is smiling all the way to the bank with new business for West End Enterprises."

I kissed her carefully. The belly was enormous, with a little more than a month to go. Erica and Inge had come for the party before flying home for an old fashioned holiday in Stockholm with their families. Wilma and Suzanne were also leaving for family gatherings, so the event was labeled a Solstice party in celebration of the shortest day. The women had convinced me to invite the swim group founders, of whom there were quickly the limit of ten, to the party. They were all men, and would provide an opportunity for flirting, I was told.

The morning of the party, six young women were hip checking in their boy shorts in the kitchen and giggling over breakfast preparations. Natalie and I had been told to stay where we were in the big bed.

"Oscar, the doctor told me yesterday that the baby is over five pounds and might come any time. She said women my age are unpredictable."

"As if I didn't know."

She pulled gently on my hair and said, "I want you to do me a favor and stay out of the delivery room. I'm going to be stressed enough getting him out of me, and I don't want to be more stressed worrying about you being stressed. Is that ok?"

I let the silence hang for a bit and said, "No, but I respect your wishes. I want you to tell the doctor that I get summoned if needed. And to see our baby, if that is all right."

She stuffed a pillow in my face and lay on me. "Obnoxious male. No wonder some species reproduce without you."

A face at the door said, "Look, she's smothering him."

Another face said, "Oh dear, if she doesn't want him anymore, we'll have to take him away."

Breakfast was served on the bed and I had to listen to a seven way debate about whether fathers should be in delivery rooms. None of the seven females had delivered a child, so the discussion was on the abstract side. Lisa winked at me and mouthed, "Presumed fathers."

I switched around and whispered, "Who is going to deliver next after Natalie? You are the oldest."

She grabbed me by the ear, said "Excuse us," and walked outside, elbowing me as we went.

Around the corner, she leaned all of her against all of me and said, "You are not to toy with my emotions. You know I am all mixed up inside about work and lovers."

"But the excuses that you are too busy for a baby and for finding a suitable mate are wearing thin."

She sniffled on my shoulder. "Yes, damn it."

"Natalie told you to find out if I can do it."

She cried harder. "Oscar, it's one thing to have more than one girlfriend, but two families is serious!"

I pressed her to me. "I am the last person to pressure you about a baby."

She cried even harder and Natalie appeared from around the corner. "I thought so. Let's go on the far side of the pool and talk."

Natalie and I sat on a lounger with Lisa across our knees. Kisses and soft rubbing hands were applied.

"If I order you to not worry about this for a few days, will you obey me?" Natalie's voice was firm.

My sister buried her face in my crotch and cried again. Natalie told her, "You can't cry there, he will get hard."

Lisa turned over and they laughed at me. I stared back, "She said, 'presumed father,' to me in there."

After a few seconds, there was a gasp, and Natalie choked out, "OMG, think of all the women who go into labor not knowing whose sperm got them!"

"Yes," I said, "no wonder the women don't want male company when they deliver."

Natalie looked at me, eyes stricken, "Oh Oscar, this is not for joking. I am so sorry. I take it all back..."

Lisa's plight was forgotten and the two hugged each other, mumbling about stupid pregnant females.

I stood behind them and rubbed shoulders and made soothing noises. "Hey, I think we need to do our nice solstice party and worry about sperm later."

The boy short bodies were filing out, and the pool cover was retracting. In a moment, they were splashing, and we joined them. I held Natalie's arm as she descended the shallow end steps. I got my hands under her and floated the two of them back and forth, the big belly looking like a mushroom rising from the forest floor. Natalie waved her arms and said, "You are not to laugh. Someday, your bellies will be like this."

The looks on the women's faces were a mix of smiles and worry. I thought to myself that even a solstice party couldn't drive the impending event from people's minds. They had all been intimate with me, wonderfully orgasmically intimate, and I wondered where I stood with my family of lovers. Somehow, I had to convince them there are guys as good as or better than I am out there. I wasn't having any success with that line, however. I got beat on every time the subject came up.

I brought out an armful of terry robes and a full pot of coffee. They eased Natalie to a lounger and surrounded her with chairs and chatter. I went to check email.

My mobile rang and it was Lisa, asking me to come down to the West End room. When I arrived, she was just closing a connection to London.

We sat next to each other and she took my hand. �That was John Middleton, one of the biggest players in hedge funds. We�ve known each other for years. He helped me get started after I left the bank. He was calling to say there is a rumor going around that West End is in play. I told him I didn�t see how that could be. That Madelyn and I are very happy with the way things are and the amount of business we have.�

We stared at each other and I thought quickly. "We need to keep this undercover for the moment. Natalie would fuss if she knew. I will go and retrieve Madelyn and say there is news about the latest deal and a decision needs to be made today. While I am doing that, go over in your head who might benefit from the rumor."

Pool play was in full swing when I returned. Natalie was dozing and the others were enjoying the warm, sunny morning. I caught Madelyn's eye and gestured toward the video room.

I toweled her off as we walked and said, "Trouble in London. Lisa will fill you in." She took my hand and squeezed.

For the next hour or more, they rehearsed each other on who might have mischief in mind. There was a list of four or five competitors who had lost out in deal making, and more distant suspects they might have irritated in the past.

Madelyn said, "All of our biggest clients know us well, and a phone call will satisfy them this is nonsense. But it could put a crimp in our new business efforts. Being private means there is no public stock to attempt to acquire, but it feeds the rumor mill because everyone suspects the denials are just a cover for a sale."

I asked, "Is this likely to surface in a way that will get Natalie's attention?"

"It's hard to say, and difficult to counter from here. Perhaps one of us needs to make a quick trip to London?"

Madelyn spoke up, "Lisa, you must stay close to Natalie. It's better for me to go, especially since I am the pretty thing that can chat up the press."

I was about to make a comment about keeping the press at bay when I remembered how down and dirty games could get in the tough financial world of the UK. Instead, I said, "Let's make sure your security people are on high alert both for your personal safety and for the safety of your flat. Are they trusted enough to station a person on premises? I would go in a minute if we weren't so far along with the baby."

Lisa asked, "You are thinking the rumor may be a cover for something else?"

I responded, "When I am chasing an epidemic, nothing is ruled out until proven. Now that you have done a first pass on possible culprits, spend a few moments thinking about other kinds of attacks on you or the business. I will go and prepare lunch and say the latest opportunity probably means a quick visit to London by Madelyn. The first flight after the party. Be sure to smile when you come back." I gave each of them a squeeze and a kiss as I left. The faces were not smiling.

The Stockholm girls were working on a very fancy holiday smorgasbord, with tons of food, so my lunch was soup and salad, with sourdough French bread.

The group ate and gossiped. Lisa and Madelyn took chairs near Natalie and did a great job of conveying excitement about the news of another fabulous deal making opportunity, but also their unhappiness that Madelyn needed to make a quick trip to London to take care of details.

As the afternoon progressed, I was given menial chores as bodies worked on an amazing menu of drinks and food. There was mistletoe to be hung, bathrooms to be touched up, parking signs to be made. Handouts of the lyrics to holiday songs had been printed. Lisa elbowed me as various female pianists played their favorites. "You are to enjoy yourself even though you are worried about Natalie and about what is going on with my company."

"You are better at it than I am. I remember those plays from school."

"Yes, but you are an experienced WHO guy who has handled tight situations."

I held her closely and kissed her cheek. "Ok, we will do tight situations as long as we must."

The party was a great success. To the surprise of my single women, the invited males turned up with wives and girlfriends, who said when they got wind of a party at Natalie's, there was no way they weren't coming along.

I had a lot of fun with the dynamics of a holiday room with ambitious, aggressive males outnumbered almost two to one by attractive, aggressive females. The pagan songs celebrating nasty solstice rituals, only slightly sanitized by Christians, brought out loud, lusty refrains and laughter. Natalie danced carefully once or twice and whispered in my ear that the party was a great idea. I watched as the women from our house were brought out on the floor and danced with, even as the men's partners watched. From the looks, I suspected that the excitement of the party was going to carry over into bedrooms afterwards.

It was after midnight when the last dishes had been tucked into the dishwasher and bodies sought the shower. Natalie and I sat on the chilly patio and watched lights in the Valley below. Madelyn approached and yanked on my hair. "You are to watch over your family while I am gone. Since I will be there, I am going to spend Christmas with my family and come back here a few days later. We will talk on the link."

Her naked body walked past us and dove into the pool, followed by others. I kissed the back of Natalie's hand and asked, "Is he going to wait until after Christmas?"

"I am going tomorrow for one last ultrasound. The doctor is giving me special treatment because of the age business. Especially with my having a first child. She mentioned before that they will induce if needed. Not to mention a C-section if something goes off."

I squeezed her hand. "You must tell yourself that your job is to grow the baby. It is the doctor's job to deal with all the zillion things that have zero probability of happening."

She squeezed back. "Yes. I am trying. And you are being very nice to your nervous wife."

In the morning, Lisa did an omnibus airport run for departing females. Which left me to take care of getting Natalie to the OB/GYN clinic and back. When we arrived, she instructed me to stay in the car, since a waiting room full of expectant women was no place for me. I opened my mouth, but shut it quickly. This was not a time for arguments. A quick kiss and she was proceeding up the ramp to the door. I would get in trouble for calling it a waddle.

More than an hour later, I looked up from my phone to see her headed to the car. Her expression did not tell me anything, and I wondered if the report was positive.

She got in the car and reached for my hand, looking straight ahead through the windshield. "Oscar, everything is fine about me. One more week and they will induce if my water hasn't broken."

I kissed her hand. "That is wonderful."

"There is one problem." She looked at me and there were tears in her eyes. "The doctor says the ultrasound shows that he has an abnormal left foot. It's not uncommon. Used to be called club foot and was a crippling congenital defect."

I pressed her hand. "Let's not try to discuss this here. Are you supposed to stay around, or may we go home?"

"Drive home please. She has to talk to a specialist and won't know more until tomorrow. Said that it appears to be a mild case, or they would have seen it on the earlier pictures. If they find it early, there is a peri-natal procedure to begin correcting it. In my case, so close to term, they wait and work on the foot immediately after birth."

I was as scared as Natalie obviously was, but needed to say something positive. "Honey, this is one of the best pediatric hospitals in the world. He will get really good care."

"Yes. She told me that and said they have several cases a year. The prognosis is very good if the leg and foot are immediately worked on."

I was hurrying and paying attention to the road, but glances at her showed tears still falling. I kept my hand clasped to hers. With a sob, she said, "Oscar, I am so sorry. A baby was a bad idea. I am too old..."

This was not good. The shock of discovery could send her into labor, or worse. I used my steadiest voice. "Please don't think that. You have carried this wonderful child for almost nine months and will hold him in your arms in just a few days. Lots of defects like this are fixed and in a few months, the parents don't even remember how scared they were."

Lucky for us, we were home in ten more minutes and I was carrying her into the house. "Oscar! I am too heavy for you. Put me down." I eased her onto the divan in the living room and said I would bring tea in a moment.

When I came back with a tray, she said to take it outside in the sunshine. I helped her move carefully to the Natalie lounger where she had spent so many happy hours over the summer.

She looked up at me, "Elizabeth is such a wonderful doctor. I got a lecture forbidding me from going home and spending hours on the net digging into his problem. She said, very firmly, that I was to relax and finish growing the baby. By tomorrow or the next day, she and a specialist will give both of us a full rundown."

"That's good advice. She knows the PhD in you wants to overthink every detail of pregnancy."

"She even punched my shoulder and told me I couldn't have any feel good medicine because it would be bad for him. She wants to know what name we have come up with."

"I will get out my book of the Norse Sagas, and we can spend hours..."

She giggled and had a smile for the first time in an hour. "Come here and give me a kiss. I have no idea how I could survive this without you, Oscar."

On my knees, I gave my wonderful partner the most gentle loving kiss possible. Natalie pulled at my hair and I grabbed a cushion to sit where I was. I leaned my head on the side of the giant belly and smiled up at her. "Young man, you can come any time. We are going to fix that foot right away."

"You are so sweet. I am feeling better. What are we going to tell Lisa? She will be a worse basket case than I am."

"Both of you need diversion. And I don't mean liquor. What if we engage her in talk about London? Tell her that she gets to come to the doctor session?"

"Yes, she is such close family now that it wouldn't be fair not to."

Fortunately, the sun and the tea with cream were sending Natalie to a nap. I waited until her hand fell to her lap and then moved to the house to intercept Lisa on her return from the airport. Which was only minutes later. I grabbed her hand as she came up from the garage and led us to the video room.

She kissed my cheek and said, "What is it?"

"Natalie got some upsetting news this morning. The latest ultrasound shows that the baby has a defect in his left foot."

"Oh no, poor Natalie. Where is she?"

"She is by the pool having a nap. The OB/GYN doctor is sending the images to a specialist this morning, and they will talk to us about treatments tomorrow or the next day. Apparently, this is not uncommon, and there are ways to repair the defect."

We hugged each other tightly. "Is she in a state over it?"

"The doctor and I have both been working on that. I think she knows she is her own worst enemy."

Lisa shook in my arms. "Oh god, I have to calm myself down. Do you think I can be a little mousey support person?"

My hand slipped under her tee and pinched what it found there. "We will get in the pool and have a stress reduction fight in front of her."

"You are not to make any moves on me. I am terribly horny and this is not the time..."

What we actually did was wait for the warmth of the middle of the day and float naked Natalie back and forth in the pool, giggling wildly at her great belly rising from the waves.

After a light dinner, we eased her into bed, and lay beside her. The medical problem had been avoided the entire afternoon.

In the night, Natalie sat up and said, "He is coming. My water broke, there is a mess."

Lisa and Oscar scrambled to get organized. Natalie smiled at us between contractions and said we weren't to go to the hospital until they were strong and four or five minutes apart.

Lisa and I sat by her side with coffee and toast, reminded that nature sets her own schedules. At seven, Natalie called the number she had been given and described the contractions, which were strong enough to make her wince, and not very far apart. At the end of the call, she stood and said, "Off we go."

On the way, Natalie said, "Since it is a boy, Oscar, you should have first choice of a name."

I had anticipated this spousal game, and responded, "I have four possible names, and will be happy with whichever one you choose."

"You are very bad, making things difficult for your wife in the middle of birthing. What are they?"

"Markus, Oliver, Torben and Stefan."

"Hmmm. I will have a talk with him while we get him out and tell you later."

Point and counterpoint. The baby would decide. I smiled.

The maternity staff was very organized. A woman in uniform introduced herself as Lucy and said she would be with Natalie the entire duration of the delivery process. "We have learned that constant changing of nurse attendants is very hard on mothers. So I am it, except for the doctor and the staff in the delivery room itself."

To my surprise, Natalie was ushered to a small private room that looked a lot like an ordinary bedroom. "This is where you will be until it is time to deliver. I am going to hook you up to monitors that will tell us how things are going, but your family is welcome to stay here with you, if you wish. Sometimes it takes quite a while for your cervix to dilate enough for the baby to come out."

Lisa and I took seats and went to work with stories and jokes, many of them risque, to entertain the mother, who laughed and thanked us. Thanked us between mumbled curses when a strong contraction pained her. About an hour after we arrived, a woman bustled in and greeted Natalie, "Well, aren't you the kind one. One of my other mothers delivered two hours ago when it was still black outside." The pin on her scrubs said she was Elizabeth Williams, M.D.