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“We should call them. Your mother has waited for this so eagerly, I think they deserved a call.”
“Are you sure? You should try to rest.”
A weak, short laugh. “Well, if I can be honest, you should too. You look tired”, she answered and smiled gently. “And it doesn’t need to be a long call. We just let them know. I think they understand.”
“And after that, we need to call your parents too because it would be only fair to let them also know.”
“And it doesn’t have to be a long call either.”
“And Sonoko will kill us if she finds out that she wasn’t one of the first ones to know.”
Her smile widened. “For her, we can just send a photo.”
“And then she would tell everyone else and then they would be offended that…”
“Shinichi.”
They stared at each other for a moment like having a contest. It wasn’t like the usual ones since both of them were too tired to take this seriously. Finally, he sighed.
“Ran, you really should rest”, he said again, gently, almost like begging. He raised his hand, petting her cheek gently with his fingers. “It has been a long day and you haven’t slept much. Our parents… they can wait a few more hours.”
Ran smiled, and while closing her soft orchid eyes she leaned on his touch. It was so unbelievable how beautiful she looked, even in her weakest… “I know, but I think I’m too excited to sleep", she answered and opened her eyes, meeting his. She looked really, really tired, but at the same time, the happiest woman in the world. When she looked at him, Shinichi felt all the love she probably felt, what he felt, and he wondered if she saw the same when she looked at him. “I want to tell them. And I have a feeling that you would like that too.”
Shinichi looked at those orchid eyes. Well, she wasn’t wrong. It was a miracle that he had kept it between them this long. It was a miracle that he have had enough patience to sleep a few hours. Well, part of him had been very eager to take out his phone and make the call in America. Share this good news, make them happy, excited… But at the same time, he was very tired, and he knew his mother. As soon as he would tell the news, Yukiko Kudo would get excited and jump in the first airplane that would come to Japan, and he felt too tired to fight against it. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to see his parents, it was just…
He looked at the little bundle in Ran’s arms. The reason for their hardest twenty hours, yet worth every second of it. But it didn’t change the fact that it had taken so much for both of them. More from Ran than from him. In the end, she had carried that child for nine months, suffered from all the aches that the child had caused while growing, and went through all the pain and sweating when giving the birth had been started. Shinichi found it amazing how his wife hadn’t complained. Every time their eyes had met, even in those painful hours, she had just smiled at him, like assuring him that there was nothing to worry about, that everything was fine…
He? He had been only mentally broken. He had stayed beside her all the time, watching how the love of his life had suffered, and he couldn’t have done anything to ease her pain, not to take half of it or suffer them himself. How heartbreaking it had been to listen to her screaming while pushing that baby out, see those tears flowing on her cheeks… How minutes had turned to hours and hours felt like eternity… And he couldn’t have done anything else than be there, hold her hand, encourage her with words that had felt useless.
Well, he had gained part of the pain since Ran’s grip was one of its own kind, and she had squeezed so hard that after a few hours, he still could feel it. He was still amazed that any of his bones hadn’t been broken, but he hadn’t said anything. Gosh, if his wife hadn’t complained, he didn’t have any right to do so either. It was probably a small thing compared to her pain.
But his wife had been one kind of warrior, brave soul, and gave birth to their firstborn. To the beautiful, healthy little girl, who had just a few moments ago got her belly full and gotten back to sleep peacefully in her mother’s arms.
He hadn’t got his eyes away from the baby. Even though that baby had been a real thing for the past nine months, it felt even more real now. She was flesh and bones, she breathe and made noises, she eat… Now he could touch her, took her in his arms, look at those chubby cheeks and dark short hair she already got, and observe the movements of little hands and toes.
They had waited for this, and now it was real - they have a baby. Their first little girl.
Well, their friends and relatives had waited this moment too. Who wouldn’t? Yet some of them had shown their excitement more eagerly than others, and those two were Sonoko and Yukiko. They had been the most impatient ones. And while Ran had pacified Sonoko, Shinichi has taken care of his mother, telling her that asking all the time about the baby won’t make it born any faster, and she should know it better than anyone. They would tell them as soon as the baby is out.
It was still a miracle that the woman hadn’t shown up behind their door and told them that she is going to stay there until the baby will be born and probably long after that. Well, probably she would have if he and Ran hadn’t told them that they would really like to spend time together before the baby would be born, just two of them. And part of Shinichi was pretty sure that his father had kept Yukiko in America.
It wasn’t like Shinichi didn’t love his mother. But sometimes she was just too… eager, and forgot how others feel.
But even though the baby was out now, Shinichi was a little bit afraid that his mother had forgotten about the agreement that they would invite them when he and Ran would be ready to take guests to welcome the baby. As said, Shinichi was sure that as soon as he would send a message or make the call and tell them about the baby, Yukiko would jump on the first airplane. And as much as the both of them loved the idea of meeting his parents, they had also wanted to take time to themselves after the birth. Rest peacefully after they would get home and get used to the life with the baby before everyone would start to march in their turns to their home to see this little princess. They wouldn’t be in the state to start to treat every friend and relative.
But Ran wasn’t wrong. They both were too excited to rest before they would have shared the great news with the closest ones. Maybe they should make those short calls to their parents and after that, he would send a message to their closest friends… Sonoko needs a picture or video, that’s for sure.
“Fine”, he answered eventually and leaned back from the edge of the bed where Ran had been resting and slept a few hours after things had been calmed down. “But not long calls, okay?”
“Okay”, Ran smiled. “Remember the video call. They probably want to see her too.”
“Mmm”, Shinichi smiled shortly and took out his phone. Finally, he can share the great news with his parents! Even though he knew for sure his parents’ reaction, he still couldn’t wait to see them.
For a moment he wondered if he should call his father since he was the calmer one, but at the same time, he was the one who shut the phone when he really needed to concentrate on writing. So, he chose his mother’s number.
He looked at it for a moment, feeling excited. Almost that much that he didn’t even dare to hit the call button. He would finally get it out, sharing this happiness…
“Here we go”, he let out as a mark to Ran and started the video call. He was pretty sure that his mother would answer immediately, but somehow, the waiting felt like an eternity. Even though he knew that it hasn’t been so long, he started to feel anxious. Gosh, why does it takes so long…
The call was answered. On his screen appeared a light-brown-haired woman with an energic appearance and a happy smile, like always. “Hey, Shin-chan!”
“Hey, mom.”
“How…” She stopped and the smile on her face disappeared. Shinichi frowned a little while his mother’s expression changed from happiness to a worried one. “Shin-chan, is everything okay? Are you okay? You look so tired.”
It took a moment for him to understand. Ah, of course, his mother was pretty fast to realize things like that and made her own conclusions. And to be honest, his surrounding wasn’t from home either. But it seemed that she hadn’t realized why he called. “Yeah, I… I’m fine”, he answered and glanced at the Ran and sleeping baby. As soon as Yukiko would realise it, he wondered if she would scream with excitement and wake the little one. “Just… keep your voice down, okay. I’m at the hospital right now.”
“At the hospital?” his mother repeated with a high tone before covering her mouth with her hand. Shinichi glanced at the baby again, making sure that she was still sleeping. “But…” Yukiko began, making Shinichi look at her again. She still looked worried. “Has something happened? Is Ran-chan okay?”
“She is fine”, Shinichi assured, yet he found it a little surprising that his mother hadn’t guessed… Yet, this was his moment. He wanted to be the one who would tell both of his parents about this, so if he only could keep up a little more, just enough to get his father to the phone too… Though it needs to happen fast, because his mother wasn’t an idiot, and there was still a chance that the baby could wake up anytime.
Try to keep it for a little more, he told himself. “Listen, mom, I… Before I tell this, could you bring dad too?” he asked. “I think he should hear it too.”
"Is the baby okay?”
He saw the panicking in her eyes.
“Just… bring dad, okay?” he asked.
“Of course”, his mother answered and raised her gaze away from the screen. “Yu-chan? Yu-chan!”
Shinichi looked at how his mother got probably some kind of answer before she moved and answered it. She had totally forgotten her phone and the call. Shinichi felt kind of proud of himself and smiled before leaning back closer to the bed. Ran moved a little, making him able to put his arm behind her. She leaned closer to him, her hair tickling his cheek.
“You are enjoying keeping her in suspense”, she said while rubbing her forehead against his cheek.
“If you only knew how many times they have done tricks for me”, he whispered. Ran let out a silent laugh against his neck. Shinichi turned his phone that she would also be seen in the video call and moved it a little far away, but still making sure that the baby wouldn’t be seen – not just yet.
Though his father has probably guessed it already.
They watched how Yukiko turned her attention back to the phone while the man appeared beside her. “Ah, hello Shinichi, Ran-chan”, Yusaku greeted with a smile. He opened his mouth to continue, but Yukiko was faster.
“Ran-chan!” she spoke, keeping her voice still somehow low. She still looked worried, and Shinichi almost wanted to laugh how she hadn’t guessed it yet. “Are you okay? Has something happened? Is the baby okay?”
“I’m fine”, Ran answered with a tired smile. Shinichi saw on the screen how she hesitated a little “But…” She didn’t continue, yet he felt how she moved her head. Shinichi looked at her, met those orchid eyes which looked at him like asking. Do you still want to keep them waiting?
He really has an amazing wife.
“The baby, on the other hand…” Shinichi continued and turned to look at his parents. He observed their faces: His father's expression hadn’t changed, and it only confirmed to him that his father knew already why he has called. On his mother's face, he could see worry, a hint of terrified, like she was waiting for the worst. He didn’t have the heart to make her wait anymore, and gosh, he still wanted to let it out finally. This was what they all had waited for last nine months!
“Well”, he continued calmly and tilted his phone enough that it showed the sleeping bundle in Ran’s arms. “Congratulations on a beautiful and healthy granddaughter.”