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To say that Vi was anxious was cutting it short. Her shifts at work had gotten longer, the city seemed to have lost its mind so she was more often than not having to get in between fights and thieves and her family had gone from two to three. Caitlyn Kiramman was pregnant. Finally. A shy smile appeared on the redhead’s lips as her heart throbbed, it had taken so much of them to get to that point, the hospital visits, the negative tests, the sleepless nights talking in between sobs and shouts, it was almost too much.
But they had gotten what they so wished for. A little muffin was growing on Caitlyn’s belly and the blue-haired woman had become even more beautiful, if that was even possible. They had plans on what they would do when the time came, they had bought furniture, they had told their families and friends. But there was still the gnawing sense in Vi’s chest that something would go wrong soon. She had never felt this happy before, had never had things gone her way, so now that it finally happened she couldn’t rest as she waited for the other shoe to drop.
She found herself restless at night, no matter how tired her body was after working all day. She would simply lay beside Caitlyn studying her face, watching her sleep and keeping her safe. The redhead was scared, terrified that something would happen to her wife or their baby and that fear translated to nightmares that woke her up with a start the few days she managed to get some sleep. She found herself memorizing every detail of her partner’s body, the way her chest would rise and fall, the small twitch of her fingers as she grasped Vi’s shirt in her sleep, the lazy smile appearing on her lips when the redhead’s fingers ran through her hair. She was a stunning sight, and the way her body was changing as the pregnancy advanced drove Vi crazy in love. But it also solidified the fact that Vi had a good thing happening for her, and it scared her shitless.
That night was no exception.
She had managed to sleep for a couple of hours, her body giving up after a day on her feet running and tackling people. She had had a headache, so when Caitlyn told her to lay down while she massaged her temples she didn’t put up a fight. The redhead simply got comfortable on the mattress, her hand resting on her wife’s thigh as the woman sat next to her and started to caress the tension away. It had been the best night of sleep in a long time, until the sweet dream she was having about her little family took a dark turn.
Vi saw herself playing in a park with a mini version of Caitlyn, chasing her around the playground as the blue-haired woman sitting on a picnic blanket under a tree, looking as gorgeous as ever. They were laughing, their daughter squealing as Vi pretended to catch her but failing to reach, the other woman taking a picture of them as they ran around. It was perfect.
So perfect that they didn’t hear the person approaching. So perfect that Vi failed to move once she saw the knife on the stranger’s hand. It was over before she realized. Her eyes shot open as a scream got stuck on her throat, the image of Caitlyn’s eyes dulling seared on her mind as she quickly looked around the room to find the woman. Her eyes blurred once she caught sight of the sleeping sheriff next to her, the blue-haired woman’s hand grasping Vi’s shirt even as she moved around.
The redhead felt the air come back to her lungs once she saw the movement of her wife’s chest, the simple rising and falling letting her know that the woman was safe, that it had all just been a dream. Her hand found blue locks and she leaned down to leave a small kiss on Caitlyn’s forehead before quietly leaving the bed as she realized that sleep would evade her again and decided to at least take advantage of the hours she had before needing to start her day.
She made her way to the room they had designated as the nursery, her hands still shaking as she grasped the doorknob and entered the place. The walls had already been painted, a light-blue sky with white and fluffy clouds engulfing her as she turned on the light and walked to the two boxes she had yet to unpack. The changing table that Caitlyn had ordered a few days ago and the crib they had bought together but that Vi hadn’t had the time to set up. Now is as good a time as ever, she thought as she opened the first box.
The changing table had been easy to assemble, a few screws here, a few sliding parts there and she had a working changing table where the blue-haired woman had asked her to set it up. She stretched her arms up while walking to the next box. She walked by the rocking chair and smiled, the picture of Caitlyn and their daughter on it slowly calming the feeling of dread she still felt. She sat down on the floor once she unpacked everything and started to work.
Turns out that assembling a crib at three in the morning after a nightmare was no easy chore. She was getting frustrated, a low growl leaving her lips after the fourth time she picked up the wrong screw to join some parts. And she had been so focused, facing away from the door, that she hadn’t noticed the other presence in the room until her wife laughed after hearing the redhead curse at the instructions.
“Caitlyn?” She asked startled, her eyes taking in the sight of the woman wrapped in a fluffy robe that strained at her belly. “What are you doing out of bed, cupcake? You need your rest.” Vi was instantly up, ready to walk the woman back to their room.
“I could tell you the exact same thing, darling.”
“I’m not the one carrying our little one, I’m fine.”
Even when the redhead tried to wave her off, Caitlyn stood her ground. “You are not fine, darling. But if you don’t wish to tell me what’s wrong it’s alright. But I am not returning to an empty bed so give me that pamphlet and let me help you.”
Vi knew better than to fight the woman once she got that stern look in her eyes, so instead of walking her to their bedroom she helped her to the rocking chair, grabbing the pages and offering them to her so she could tell her what to do.
“Order me around, my queen.” The redhead said as she gave her wife a mocking bow and she grinned widely when she laughed loudly.
“Mmm, you know how much I love to command you, darling.”
The redhead chuckled, her body finally releasing the tension she had been on since the nightmare. She sat back on the floor, her hands finding the tools as the woman told her the directions, her hand cupping the growing belly. It had proved difficult for Vi to concentrate as she saw her wife sitting there, looking as regal as ever even with her hair ruffled from sleep, her eyes glassy with tiredness and the fluffiest socks the redhead had ever seen on her feet.
It would take the woman a while before she could finally step back from the finished crib, her hands making sure every nut and screw were in place. She glanced back at the sleeping figure of her wife, the sleep taking over her when they almost finished the furniture. Vi knew that if she carried her back to bed before completing the task Caitlyn would just find her way back to the nursery, so instead she made sure to move silently around the room, laying a blanket on the woman before continuing.
She stared at her for a few moments, the sheriff had grown softer the past few months, her face had become fuller, her chest had grown a few sizes (and Vi was obsessed with it) and her belly was big enough to hold their child. Her hands were holding her stomach, cradling their baby even before she was out. Vi couldn’t stop herself from kissing the hands before leaving a soft kiss on the belly.
“C’mon muffin, let’s take your mother to bed alright?” She whispered, her eyes tearing up slightly as she glanced up and saw blue eyes looking back at her, a sluggish smile on her wife’s lips.
“Is it done?” She whispered, looking at the crib before gasping. “It is beautiful, darling.”
“You have great taste in furniture, Miss Kiramman,” Vi whispered as she helped her wife up and walked her to the crib. “I love it too.”
“Excuse me, I have great taste in everything. Especially in partners,” the woman leaned back into the redhead’s strong frame. “Are you feeling better, Vi?”
She stopped for a few moments, thinking about her answer. “I’m getting there, cupcake.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” The blue-haired woman tried to stop the yawn that took over her but failed. “Sorry,” she whispered sheepishly.
Vi smiled gently, her arms instantly picking her wife up. “We should go to sleep. We can talk about it tomorrow, but right now you are tired.”
Caitlyn simply melted into her wife’s hold, burying her face into her neck before leaving a soft kiss on her skin. “Will you talk about it tomorrow? Please?”
Vi went quiet as she walked them to their room, her heart beating out of control when she looked down and saw her pleading and sleepy eyes. “I will. I promise, cupcake. But for now I just want to fall asleep with you in my arms. Working on the nursery tired me out.”
“That’s understandable.” Caitlyn yawned again, finding her place on the redhead’s chest when they laid down. “What time do you have to go to work tomorrow?” She mumbled.
The redhead’s fingers tangled on her wife’s hair as she thought it over, her free hand finding her phone on her side table and sending a text before smiling. “I just called in sick. I need sleep and I want to stay home tomorrow.”
Caitlyn giggled half asleep, nuzzling deeper into her wife’s body. “I love you so much. We love you so much,” she left a kiss on top of her heart. “Our little muffin is happy, she will love her room, I know it.”
“I am glad you think so, cupcake. I love both of you with all my heart.”
“We know,” she pressed her ear to her wife’s chest. “I can hear how much you love us.”