Lucas

  “Hey girl. How are you two doing?” I asked, like I did every day. She stood up and pulled her sweater up, where a small bump was already visible. Sophia was a beautiful, slim woman, so for her, the little one was already quite noticeable.

  I sighed sadly.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “I miss everything,” I said. “This is our first and possibly only child. And I miss everything.”

  I looked at the small screen.

  “And I miss you.”

  She smiled. “I’ll see you this weekend. Chin up, Luuk, you’ve wanted to make this film for years.”

  I sighed. I was, as they say in English, ‘between a rock and a hard place’. I longed for my beloved, but she was also right that I’d wanted this for years. But wasn’t a first child something you had to enjoy every moment of?

  “Does it kick yet?” I asked.

  She nodded. “Yes, not very hard yet. It still feels a bit like feathers on the inside of my belly.”

  I laughed a little. So at least I hadn’t missed that yet.

  “I have to go, darling. My break is over,” she said.

  I sighed. “Yeah, I’ll see you again tomorrow.”

  She nodded. “See you tomorrow.” She ended the call. For a moment, I felt lost.

  “You miss her, huh?” I heard Lotte ask as she came in.

  “I saw you two chatting, sorry, your door was open.”

  I looked at her. “That’s okay. And yes, I miss her. Not just her. I also miss everything about my baby.”

  “You’re going home on Friday, right?”

  I nodded. “Two wonderful days with them,” I said longingly.

  “Then stay,” she said. “Enjoy the growing little one in your wife. Enjoy your wife and the time you two still have just the two of you.”

  I sighed. “Do you think I don’t want that? But I can’t just leave you guys hanging.”

  Lotte looked thoughtful. “That assistant, huh, the one filming with your wife now.”

  “What about her?”

  She laughed. “Can’t she take over this, or does she have too much tying her down?”

  I shook my head. “Just her old dad,” I said.

  “Could he come along?”

  I nodded. “I think so.”

  She laughed. “Then just switch places. She does it here, you film your series and stay home with your wife and growing baby. Win-win, seems to me.”

  I nodded. “Amethist would have to be okay with that.”

  Lotte nodded. “Call her. Ask her.”

  I sighed again. She was right.

  I quickly called Amethist.

  “Yes Lucas, your series is going fine, I’m taking good care of your wife. I make sure she gets enough rest,” she said as soon as she picked up.

  “I, uh... I have a proposal for you, Am,” I said.

  “I’m listening.”

  Nervously, I proposed switching. She could even have a director credit on her name from me.

  “So. Time in Aruba, getting nicely tanned, and a real credit? Dad gets to vacation so you can be with your wife in fresh, wet Netherlands?” she said. “Let me think... hmmm...”

  She repeated the same reasoning a few times. “Fine, we’ll switch after this weekend,” she said cheerfully.

  That Friday, I was flying home to stay. As soon as I stepped onto the plane, I could hardly wait to finally hold Sophia again.

  I filled those endless ten hours with reading, writing on Hannah’s Chaos, and sleeping. When we finally landed, I nearly jumped out of the plane.

  It was a drizzly fresh spring evening. The sun had already set — still just light enough that the streetlights were still off, but the lights in the buildings were already on. I walked into the arrivals hall. I looked around but saw no familiar face.

  Something that changed as soon as I entered the larger hall: Jonas, Joyce, and Sophia were waiting for me.

  I let my backpack slide off my shoulders and ran toward them. I took Sophia in my arms. For a moment, I was silent.

  I just wanted to feel her again. She smelled of lavender and rain — something I loved.

  I knelt down and kissed her belly, then kissed her. “I’ve missed you all so incredibly much,” I said.

  “Only your wife?” Jonas said, pretending to be hurt.

  “We come all the way to pick him up from Schiphol,” Jonas began sobbing, “he only misses his wife,” he sobbed on.

  “You’ve got to have it from your brother.”

  I hugged my little brother laughing. “I miss you too, Joontje,” I said grinning. “Like a toothache,” I teased.

  “Should we really take him home, Joyce? Maybe make him walk that distance,” Jonas said.

  Joyce laughed. “Then he can practically leave again right away,” she said.

  “Oh, didn’t I tell you three?”

  I knelt by Sophia again. “Or did you not inform them, little one?”

  Sophia looked at me a bit confused.

  “I talked to Amethist. She’s doing Aruba. I’m doing Hannah’s Chaos.”

  I took Sophia in my arms again. “I don’t want to miss you anymore.”

  I placed my hand on her bulging belly. “And I don’t want to miss this.”

  Sophia’s eyes sparkled — god, she was gorgeous.

  “You’re a sap, Luuk,” Jonas shouted.

  “Then I’ll be a sap, Joon. Maybe this is my only child. Then I have to enjoy every moment,” I said.

  “Oh yeah, absolutely. I’ll ask you later if you still enjoy every moment when you have sleep deprivation from night feeds and poop diapers,” Jonas shouted.

  “That’s fine, Jonas. Do that.”

  I took Sophia’s hand. “Come on, let’s go home.”

  The ride home was pleasant. Jonas and I chatted about the future and what it would bring. He said he wanted a daughter as the next child — a royal couple. I didn’t care what my first child would be, nor if it would be our only one. Jonas was different in that: he’d wanted two or three kids since we were young.

  “Do you want to come over for a drink?” Joyce asked when we got to our little house.

  “No, not today. I just want to be with her,” I said, taking Sophia’s hand.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  The rest of the day, I told her what I’d done in Aruba.

  “So that Lotte, your old buddy, convinced you to stay here?” she asked.

  “Didn’t take much,” I said. “I missed you. I realized that if I stayed, I’d miss everything about our little growing happiness there. And maybe even miss his or her birth. I didn’t want that.”

  She laughed. “Did you come back for the baby or for me?” she asked with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

  I kissed her deeply. We filled the rest of the evening and night enjoying each other.

  The next morning, I was back on the set of Hannah’s Chaos, where I felt completely like a fish in water. We were going to start with as many shots with Sophia as possible. Although her little belly was already slightly visible in her regular clothes, it wasn’t in Hannah’s oversized sweaters. Sophia sometimes found that a bit annoying — she enjoyed her growing belly. It meant the baby was doing well.

  “Okay. Linda just stormed stressed out of the bathroom, biting everyone’s head off. The kids are at school, except Jannik. Hannah and James, you gossip nicely about what could be going on.”

  Sophia and Jonas nodded.

  “Action.”

  The day was filled with takes, bloopers from forgotten lines, and little teases.

  In the evening, Sophia and I rested. I gently stroked her belly, which seemed rounder every day.

  “It’s growing well,” I said.

  “Fortunately.”

  I laughed a little. The painful past seemed erased from her eyes.

  Before we could breathe, it was time for the 20-week ultrasound. I couldn’t wait — I wanted to see my baby grow. Sophia took me along in what she felt, and I saw her belly grow. But seeing it really move on screen... yeah, that’s what I was really looking forward to.

  We were called in quickly. The doctor checked her belly. According to her, everything seemed fine in there.

  “You probably want the ultrasound?”

  I nodded.

  “Now, lie down,” she said to Sophia. “That little rascal in there might make some fuss,” she said smiling.

  Sophia lay down on the examination table.

  “Do you feel it kicking yet?” she asked.

  Sophia nodded. “Lucas hasn’t felt it yet,” she said.

  “That’s okay. It’s still a bit early for that too. It’ll come naturally. Let’s take a look.”

  She squirted gel on Sophia’s belly and placed the device on it.

  “I’m glad you’re not one of those vague conspiracy freaks who think I’m harming your baby now,” the doctor said laughing.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “There are groups of people who think ultrasounds and dopplers are harmful and cause growth delays and hearing damage,” she explained. “Nonsense, if you ask me. You were checked that way too before you were born and you’re completely healthy.”

  I saw Sophia’s eyes sparkle mischievously and she got a grin on her face.

  “Well, whether he’s really healthy, I don’t know,” she began. “He’s crazy as a loon. But whether that’s from the ultrasounds...” she added.

  “Watch out, soon he’ll have inherited my craziness,” I replied.

  The gynecologist laughed softly along. “I can see it already, fun teasing. Lovely.”

  After a minute, an image appeared. It was already a real little human — a clear head, a little neck, shoulders, belly, back, legs. The feet were still slightly deformed.

  “Do you want to know the gender?” she asked.

  I looked at Sophia, who shook her head. I agreed. I wanted to know what it was only when we held it.

  “No,” I said.

  “Okay. Then I’ll tell you it looks good and healthy. Twenty centimeters. Perfect,” she said.

  “Isn’t that a bit small?” I asked.

  “No. At this stage of development, it’s around 16 to 25 cm. Since neither of you is very tall, this is perfect. It’s comparable now to a banana,” she explained. “Your baby will still grow a bit more than double — between 46 and 51 cm. You’re literally halfway now.”

  I stared almost mesmerized at the moving little human on the screen for a few more minutes — this was my baby, Sophia’s and mine. The doctor gave us some tips: the eternal ‘eat healthy, drink enough, rest’, but also to keep an eye on the hardness of her belly as the baby grew. A hard or firm belly was reason for more rest, but not panic.

  “If it feels a bit heavy and hard upon waking after six months, those are often the well-known Braxton Hicks for many moms,” she said. “Those are almost always imperceptible practice contractions. That prepares your body for the real work.”

  The doctor smiled. “Don’t worry if you feel some pressure or light cramps with it.”

  She gave us a pamphlet on how a healthy pregnancy develops.

  “With questions and urgency, I’m always available. And of course, if you want to give birth at home. Otherwise, a duty gynecologist will take it over from me at the hospital.” She smiled. “Well, see you later then.”

  At home, we lay on the couch. I stroked Sophia’s now increasingly rounder belly.

  “Do you regret coming back?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “Not for a second. I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” I said.

  “And where were we with our fairy tale, little one?” I said, picking up the book. “Oh yeah, at Beauty and the Beast.”

  For half an hour, I read aloud from the book. Sophia seemed to enjoy it to the fullest.

  “Just a little longer, little one,” I said. “Then I’m going to London.”

  Sophia looked at me. “Why?” she asked.

  “Work trip for a month, when your maternity leave starts,” I said. “Amethist said Videoland managed to sign Johnny Depp and David Tennant for guest roles.”

  She looked at me disappointed. “During my maternity leave?” She stroked her belly. “Hear that? Then we can’t come.”

  I kissed her temple and laughed softly. “Of course you can. We’ll go by boat, so you can come safely. Just not for work.”

  I stroked her hair. “But I’m not leaving you behind when I go work with your favorite actors.”

  She kissed me. “Thank you.”

  I took her in my arms. “For you. For you, I’d do anything.”

  Sophia

  Planning my further work schedule took a few weeks. I would get maternity leave when I was maximally 7 months pregnant. Which meant I still had to and especially wanted to work for another month.

  Two weeks before my maternity leave, we were on set. We chatted about what my baby would become and that it already had a job — practically right after it was born. Lucas could laugh about this.

  "Don’t listen, sweetie," he said then. "You can become whatever you want."

  He placed his hand on my belly. This was now round and quite present.

  "What do you think of that? All those teasing remarks."

  I felt a first clear kick. Something Lucas seemed to feel too. Slightly panicked, he pulled his hand away.

  "Did I hurt you two?" he asked.

  I shook my head laughing. "No. I think the little one said 'hi daddy.' Yes, or gave an answer."

  Joyce laughed. "First proper kick?"

  I nodded. "I think so, yes."

  Lucas placed his hand back on my belly. "Does it do that more often?"

  I shook my head. "Not as clearly as this one."

  He stroked my belly again carefully. "Do you want another fairy tale tonight?" he asked. "Then you need to let me know."

  And again, as if the baby was answering, it kicked. I saw Lucas' eyes sparkle.

  "You're enjoying it, huh Luukje?" said Jonas.

  Lucas nodded. "Isn't it just beautiful? That little creature growing bigger and bigger inside there. And now it's even more beautiful. I can feel it living myself now."