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Sansa waited nervously at the gate, shifting her weight back and forth between her two feet, hoping for a glimpse of Sandor. He had been overseas for four months as part of a training program for his position with the military, and she missed him so badly that it hurt. They had talked on the phone or video called whenever possible, but it wasn’t the same as having dinner together or sleeping next to one another.
A few more moments went by, then she gasped when she finally saw him. He was easy to spot, towering over all of the other travelers. The moment he set foot past the “DO NOT ENTER” sign, she ran to him and pressed herself up against him for a long embrace. He leaned down and gave her several sweet kisses, then she caught him eyeing her much rounder belly
“You're looking...healthy.”
Sansa was hoping he wasn’t mad. “I’m sorry. You must be thinking that I should have told you. I wanted to tell you at least a hundred times.”
“Nonsense. It makes no difference to me. You know I love you no matter your size. I’m just glad you’re not doing any of those ridiculous diets of yours where you don’t eat bread for weeks on end.”
He still didn't get it. Sansa was going to have to make it clearer. “Well, about that. My diet hasn’t changed.”
“Oh? Then how do you explain this?” He affectionately rubbed his hand over her belly. The moment of realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He looked her in the face, eyes wide.
“You’re…”
“Pregnant? Yes.”
He stared at her in disbelief. “How long have you known?”
“A little over two months.”
“And you kept it from me?”
“Well, it’s not exactly an over the phone type of conversation. I wanted to wait and tell you in person.”
“Well, you’ve told me.” His facial expression was unreadable. It wasn’t angry, it wasn’t happy, it was oddly neutral. He took her by the hand as they headed for the parking lot. At one point, they were walking through an area that was crowded with people. He shouted, “Make way, pregnant woman coming through!” Sansa was mortified.
When they got to the elevator, there was an “OUT OF ORDER” sign. They would have to take the stairs. Once they entered the door to the stairwell, Sandor suggested that Sansa let him carry her down.
She was less than pleased. “Would you stop? You are embarrassing me! I am perfectly capable of walking.”
When they finally got to the car, he insisted on helping her into seat. “Slowly now, slowly.”
“Sandor, I can’t possibly go any slower.” Once she was finally seated, he clicked her seat belt into place.
The ride home took almost an hour longer than it should have. Once they were there, he ordered her to relax on the couch. She attempted to put a blanket on herself, but he ran over and stopped her.
“I'll do it.”
He hovered over her like that for hours. Any time she wanted something, he brought it to her. Sansa had thought behavior like this from him would be endearing, but it was annoying.
While he was in the bathroom, Sansa realized that she was getting thirsty. She got up and walked into the kitchen to get herself a bottle of water from the fridge. He heard her movement and immediately came running from the bathroom, still pulling his pants up.
“What are you doing? Would you stop lifting things?!”
“It’s a bottle of water!”
“It’s not good for the baby!”
“Allow me to remind you that I’ve been pregnant for four months, I’ve known about it for two months, and I’ve lifted lots of things without any problems.”
“Well, I’m home now. And as long as I’m here you’re not going to lift a damn thing.”
“Does this count as lifting?” Sansa gave him the middle finger. “You stupid, overbearing….asshole! You’re making me crazy!” She stormed off into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her.
Sandor was in shock. Sansa had always been so polite, the perfect lady. The opposite of everything he was. She never yelled, never said a single bad word. He’d heard that women could get a little temperamental when they were expecting.
He gave her a few minutes to cool off, then knocked on the bedroom door with one knuckle. When she didn’t respond, he quietly opened the door to take a peek. “Little bird?”
She was asleep. Sandor thought to himself that it might be best if he slept in the guest room that night.
The next morning, Sandor was sitting on the couch when Sansa came out of the bedroom, stretching and yawning. She walked over to the couch, sat down next to him, and gave him a hug.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean the horrible things I said. It must be the hormones.”
Sandor rubbed her back. “That’s a relief. I didn’t think I was really being overbearing.”
Sansa sat up abruptly. “Actually, that’s the only thing I don’t regret saying. It was pretty accurate.”
Sandor sighed. “Sansa, I know it must be frustrating, but I’m really not being ridiculous. You can’t do all the things you used to. You have to think of the baby now.”
“So you think you’ve been perfectly reasonable?”
“Yes. Yes, I do.”
Sansa crossed her arms at her chest. “Do you remember raiding the pantry with a garbage bag yesterday and throwing out anything that contained high fructose corn syrup?”
“It’s addictive! It can cause diabetes. I don’t want that for you or the baby.”
“Do you remember when I went to the bathroom and you insisted on standing in the doorway and watching me poop?”
“You could pass out if you strain yourself, and I didn’t want you to fall on the floor.”
“Do you remember getting pulled over by a police officer on the way home from the airport and getting a ticket?”
“Yes.”
“And do you remember what the ticket was for?”
“Impeding the flow of traffic. It was ridiculous.”
“Sandor, you were doing 15 mph in a 70 mph zone. A bicycle passed us.”
“You’re pregnant! I just wanted to be careful.”
“And then there’s yesterday afternoon when we were watching TV on the couch. Do you remember that?”
“Yes.”
“So then, you remember telling me that I shouldn’t be watching a horror movie because it could scare the baby?”
“It’s true. The baby can feel everything the mother feels. Through the cord or something. I’ve read about it.”
“Read about it where?”
“I did some online reading during the day and then last night I picked up a couple of books after you...” He took a moment to choose his words carefully. “After you went to bed.” He gestured toward the coffee table.
On the table was a stack of at least half a dozen books.
“So You’re Going to be a Dad”
“What to Expect When You’re Expecting“
“Hormones are the Devil and Other Survival Tips for Fathers-to-be”
“The Natural and Organic Baby”
“Fatherhood for Dummies”
“The Danish Way of Parenting”
Each one of the books had a bunch of bookmarks stuck in them. Most of them were post-its with notes scrawled all over.
Sansa was beaming. “I love you so much. You're going to be a wonderful father.” She pressed herself against him and hugged him tight.
“Not so hard, now. Don’t want to squish the baby.”