The second night we spent together wasn't as blissfully intimate as the first. Kathleen was strangely reticent in our discussion about her friendship with Lydia and I struggled when faced with her insecurity. I was replete after enjoying the two orgasms that were the result of Kathleen's considerable talents for oral sex and my seeming lack of interest in her warm and naked body seemed to strengthen her doubts; she had the impression I was a bit too keen on discussing Lydia.
"I am pulled both ways; between confidentiality and loyalty to Lydia and my openness with you." She said.
"But it's your life Kathleen, it's not something she has told you in confidence, it's your secret as well as hers. You would be talking about yourself"
"It's not that easy; just because you share a secret doesn't mean you own it. Perhaps you should ask her yourself."
Having said that she took a sharp pained breath and seemed both regretful and unsure;
"Remember I won't share you; wait until I am in South Africa."
"What brought that up Kathleen? Nobody mentioned sharing; I don't want anyone but you."
I hugged her hard as if to emphasise the truth of my feelings but she squirmed her way out of my arms and sitting up turned on the bedside light.
"Three months ago you could manage to make love four times a day and more, if I wanted you to. But now...Well, I feel uncertain; It seems you don't find me so attractive anymore and If you discussed my intimate details with Lydia I know which way it will go; you would end up in her bed."
She was distraught as she said that and after a long pause where she dried her eyes with a handkerchief she whispered quietly;
"Fairly soon, perhaps in just a few days, my life will change for ever. It may change so much that i may not recognise myself. I am a sexual person and my sexuality is an integral part of my relationship with you,"
She paused as if it pained her to continue;
"And with your brother."
She turned and reaching out to me stroked the side of my face.
"I may go right off sex when I am a mother and then where will I be? Tell me, will I still be attractive to my husband...,"
She corrected herself quickly and I was suddenly very glad;
"Will I still be attractive to the two men in my life or will I end up playing second fiddle to women not ruined by giving birth?"
She was anxious and wide awake now and I tried self-consciously to reassure her or at least change the subject and as I fished awkwardly for a diversion I picked up an object from her bedside table and asked her to explain. She replied impatiently;
"It's my headlight; that's the battery pack and the wires, that's the lens and the stretchy straps hold the lamp on my head. I use it while running in winter. I have it here because it would be useful if we had a power cut; but don't try and change the subject!"
But I attempted just that anyway, anything to get her thoughts away from worrying about her attractiveness and the birth and I attempted to say something humorous.
"It looks like something an intruder could use while inspecting a sleeping woman; both hands free and all that....."
She sniggered;
"It may well be that I will have to make do with that in the future; Intruders feeling me up I mean."
I detected a glint of interest and a spark of humour in her voice.
"I am thirsty Peter; could you make a pot of tea?"
Before I was finished making the tea she had shouted down to me in the kitchen several times and the tray I took back up to her had both tea, toast and a plate of scrambled eggs.
"Oh, talking about sex always makes me hungry."
I wasn't aware that we'd been talking about sex but said nothing, experience teaching me that my silence would provoke her to air her innermost thoughts. Listening to her chatter I felt a sudden frisson of excitement as I noticed the headlamp was now on my bedside table. Had she put it there deliberately? Did she want a night time visit? Should I play the intruder breaking in to abuse her or should I re-enact the fumbling innocence of her younger brothers and their night time exploration of her sexuality? I felt my cock stirring, as I thought about the luxury of having her passive and naked body before me to do with as I wished. How would I know what was permitted, how would I know what was on and off limits?
Later, as we finally tidied the bed, took a last trip to the toilet and turned off the lights I pressed myself up against her backside and formed my body to hers. I already had an erection but she just chuckled;
"Too late for that, but thanks for the compliment anyway."
And as I drifted off to sleep I felt her hand burrowing between us as she lifted her leg and placed my cock between the cheeks of her bottom. I nestled against her warm smooth thighs as she pressed herself against me. My glans was pressed in the moist warm furrow formed by the parted outer lips of her sex and I felt her fingers fiddling with herself as sleep took me.
I awoke with a start. It was dark and the streetlights filled the room with a ghostly orange glow. Kathleen was standing by the bed and shaking my shoulder. She wore a warm raincoat, I was stunned and cold. She had ripped the duvet off my naked body to wake me and as she struggled to fasten her raincoat she shouted again;
"Hurry! It's started. The baby's coming."
Holding her stomach she turned and walked awkwardly towards the stairs. I threw my clothes on and raced after her and found her already outside standing bent over the bonnet of the car. I unlocked her door and helped her in. She pushed me away;
"I can fasten my belt myself, get going Peter, quickly now."
The drive to hospital was straightforward; with typical thoughtfulness she had memorised the route days ago, but getting across Bristol still seemed to take an age and as we hurried into the hospital car park I couldn't help wondering how much longer we had before the baby would arrive. As a doctor and two nurses helped her onto a trolley she pressed a piece of paper into my hand. As she was whisked away I heard her shout;
"Ring Lydia."
I found my way to a sympathetic staff nurse who ushered me into an office where I could ring Lydia at her hotel in London. After what seemed like an age she answered the phone and began questioning me professionally.
"Has it started? How many minutes between contractions? How much of an opening has she?"
"I don't know, I don't know, will she be ok?"
"I cannot get there in time so you must stay with her."
I was close to panicking and she heard the despair in my voice. She was well used to talking to patients and put me firmly in my place.
"You must pull yourself together Peter; she needs you now. You must go and support her, the staff are used to coping with hopeless teenage fathers so they will tell you what to do."
And with that she repeated what she'd said on our first meeting;
"You take care of her, or else."
I promised I would and hung up and with my heart in my throat I dashed into the ward to find her.
Kathleen sat on a bed, cup of tea in hand talking to one of the nurses and they both grinned at my shocked face.
"Let's go home," she said;
"It was just a false alarm; Indigestion!"
And she laughed;
"It was a mistake eating a meal in bed so late last night."
She held my arm tightly as we walked out over the carpark.
"It was a false alarm." She said and laughed. There is nothing happening down there." And I was terribly relieved.
"Come on." she said. "Let's get you home; you look like you need some breakfast."
Kathleen was tired, thoughtful and loving after our hectic night. She leaned tight in to me as we drove home. Dawn was breaking and as we unlocked the front door and let ourselves in she embraced me and said she wanted me to stay close so I helped her upstairs and, forgetting the breakfast, we fell into bed.
We awoke at lunchtime and spent the rest of the afternoon talking though I had to work hard to keep her from dwelling on the approaching birth and the possible changes that could bring. She was not worried about the actual birth but more about her attractiveness afterwards.
"Will you make love to me tonight and later, in a few weeks, before I travel to South Africa we can sleep together again and you can tell me honestly if it still feels the same?"
I struggled to calm her and as I searched desperately for anything reassure her i remembered something I'd heard once while working on a building site. If nothing else, I thought, it may make her laugh;
"The vagina; I've heard It will stretch a mile before It tears an inch."
She gasped explosively and was thrown into a desperate spasm of breathless laughter. She fought vainly to catch her breath and gesticulating wildly pointed that I should slap her between the shoulder blades. Gasping like a fish out of water she could only fight for breath until, eventually regaining her composure, she threw her head back in raucous laughter.
"Oh my god you are clever at making me laugh and I thank you for today's words of wisdom. But the man who said that obviously hasn't given birth."
She grinned warmly and reaching forward to my crotch grasped my cock through my trousers and squeezed firmly.