|Road to the end 9|

|Road to the end 9|

Weeks later...

Max wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand. He had been painting a wall in the extra room they had chosen for the new future member for a couple of hours. But it wasn’t turning out the way he wanted. He felt frustrated. He had refused to pay someone to do it. Max thought there was nothing better than doing it yourself, creating unique memories and moments. He would boast to his son or daughter that he had painted, assembled, and decorated that beautiful room for their arrival.

"Do you need Eda?" Emma asked, entering the room with that smile on her lips, while her hand rested on her more pronounced belly. She was almost done with the second trimester of pregnancy. They still didn't want to know the baby's gender; they just wished for a healthy baby. So, the colors of that room were cream and beige.

"No, I can..."

"Too late, brother." Eda entered wearing that blue overalls with paint stains, a bandana covering part of her ash-blonde hair, and worn-out sneakers.

"What are you doing here? I said I could do it myself. I have everything ready and at hand to do it."

"You've been at the same wall for weeks, you haven't assembled the crib, and the boxes in the hallway are gathering dust." The expression Max made made both women smile.

"Fine, I could use just a little help, but only a little, got it?" Eda briefly rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Alright, just a little."

Emma sat in one of the rocking chairs in the corner. She had fun taking photos with her phone when Max and Eda talked about something that made them burst into laughter.

The housekeeper entered with a tray of drinks and some snacks that Emma adored: cooked vegetables with dressing, yes, vegetables like carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli.

"Do you have names yet?" Eda asked, finishing a sip of her drink. Emma tensed, and so did Max. Every time they tried to suggest names, it ended in a discussion.

"No, not yet," Emma murmured, taking a sip of her drink, while Max glanced at the wall, almost finished with a third coat of paint added by Eda.

"What do you think of: Eda?" Eda chuckled. "Just kidding. I like Emily for a girl. And for a boy: Emmett or Evan," Eda finished, smiling. Emma was surprised.

"I like them," she looked at Max, who seemed to like them too, so he looked at both of them.

"Evan or Emily." For the first time since the search for names began, they both agreed. "I like Evan... They would call him Evan Müller at school. Nothing hard to pronounce or forget. For a girl: Emily Müller," hearing how it sounded made him smile more.

"Emily Müller," Emma said, starting to feel excited about finally finding the two names that had caused so much conflict in recent weeks.

"I love how both sound," Eda said excitedly.

"What do you think?" Max asked Emma to confirm that he was happy with those two names.

"I love them," Emma said, smiling. Max stood up and went to her, knelt down, put his hands on her rounded belly, and brought his face close.

"We'll see you soon, Emily or Evan..." he kissed her belly, then she sat up, making Max notice. He looked up at her. "Are you okay?" he asked immediately.

"Yes, yes, I need to go to the bathroom." She smiled, but it was a smile that didn't reach her eyes, and Max noticed. Eda, seeing them, stood up and approached.

"What's wrong?" Eda wanted to know.

"I need the bathroom, my bladder's more delicate now." Max stepped aside and helped her get up from the rocking chair.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Max asked immediately, but she shook her head.

"I can manage on my own, thanks." She then left the room, placing her hand on her belly as her heart raced. Something wasn't right, something that made her worry instantly. She entered the master bedroom and then the bathroom, closing the door behind her. With trembling hands, she dialed her gynecologist's emergency number.

"Emma?" She heard Eda calling her. She stopped the call and tried to recover from her worry. She looked at herself in the mirror and then opened the door slightly to peek out. Eda was nearby. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, yes, I just came to relieve my bladder, why do you ask?" Emma asked, trying to sound casual.

"I noticed you seemed strange, so I came to make sure everything's alright."

"I'm fine," Emma smiled, but it was a half-hearted smile.

"Okay then," Eda said, not entirely convinced. "I'll go back to the room. I don't want my brother to ruin my future masterpiece." She then left without saying anything else. Emma closed the bathroom door and called the doctor again. It was still early, though it was the weekend; the doctor had told her she was available for her twenty-four hours a day. Two rings, three rings, and then the gynecologist's voice came through on the other end of the line.

"Emma? Is everything alright?" the doctor asked.

"No, no, something's not right, I've felt something strong, and..." It happened again, and Emma winced, placing her hand on her swollen belly, alarmed. "It's happened again, it's something I can't describe and..."

"Emma, calm down, breathe, please breathe, and give me details." The gynecologist immediately got up from the table where she was having lunch with her husband, signaling that she had to take the call. Her husband, understanding, nodded right away. "Tell me, what is it you're feeling?" the doctor asked as she headed to the coat room to grab hers, put it on, and then took her car keys.

"It's, it's like it wants to get out of me, it's a hit and..." The doctor paused with her hand on the doorknob, frowning.

"Like the baby is knocking to get out?" Emma nodded quickly, feeling the sensation again.

"My God, it happened again and..." The doctor smiled, stopping.

"Does it hurt?" she asked.

"It's just uncomfortable, like it's hitting me, but that's all. I'm scared something's wrong..."

"Emma?" Max's voice came from the other side of the door. "What's going on? Open the door," Max ordered, scared by what he had just heard.

"Wait..." Emma panicked, not wanting to go through what had happened months ago again.

"Emma, put Max on the phone." She had no choice but to let Max in. He entered and looked at Emma from head to toe to check if she was alright. She handed him the phone.

"Yes?" he answered.

"Max, I'm Emma's gynecologist. Can you do something for me?" Max looked at Emma, alarmed.

"Yes, of course, tell me."

"Touch her belly with your open palm, please." Frowning, he did so. Emma flinched when she felt another movement, and he became even more alarmed. "Done?" the doctor asked on the other end of the line.

"Yes, but what am I supposed to...?" Max flinched, immediately removing his hand from Emma's swollen belly, his eyes wide open. "My God, I felt something, a hit, like..."

"Put me on speaker, please." He did so immediately. "What you're feeling, Emma, is normal. There's no need to worry." She paused briefly. "It's your baby, kicking."