| �I�m a Spacer, Not a Mother�
By Christy Chapter 6 �Well Amelia, I dare say that you�ve chosen quite well,� Doppler noted as he drove the solar carriage to the doctor�s office. �Mmm, really?� replied Amelia, who wasn�t really listening. Unbeknownst to her husband, her hand was nestled on her stomach, waiting for a reply from the little ones inside her womb, as though she wanted to be present when one of them finally decided to kick. �Yes,� continued Doppler. �The shade of the dress nicely complements your hair and your eyes, and...oh look, there�s the new Benbow Inn taking shape.� Sure enough, they were driving past the framework of what was to become the new Benbow Inn. Jim and Sarah were perched on the top, nailing down boards of what was to become the roof. �Yoo-hoo, hello!� Doppler shouted up to them, causing Amelia to roll her eyes. �Jim! Sarah! t�s us !� The small figures of Jim and Sarah gave no indication that they had heard or seen Doppler�s greeting. Doppler�s brow furrowed. �Honey, if you don�t mind, I�m going to stop for a moment. If they�re going to stay with us until that thing�s built, then they at least owe us a proper greeting when we see each other.� �Of course Delbert, go right ahead.� Doppler immediately pulled on the reins of the carriage, causing Delilah to stop in her tracks. �Whoa girl, steady there,� Doppler ordered. �Amelia, do you want to come with me?� �No thank you, Delbert. I have plenty of time to talk to them at home without having to interrupt a trip to a foolish doctor�s appointment.� �All right then, I�ll only be a minute.� Doppler jumped out of the carriage, finally leaving Amelia with some time to herself. Amelia leaned back in her seat, suddenly feeling exhausted. It was as though Doppler�s babbling and her own determination to feel her babies� movement had drained her energy. This was certainly not the old Captain Amelia�s way. The old Captain Amelia would be active and alert, not drowsy in the middle of the day. Once again she felt like cursing her pregnancy. Her pregnancy was taking everything away from her - her pride, her dignity, her independence, her energy. When would this end? She knew when: in three weeks, but then after that, she would be responsible for three helpless children for all the day. Her life would never more be the same as it was before she became pregnant. �HIYA CAPTAIN, HOW�RE YA DOING?� Amelia groaned as she recognized the voice that had interrupted her thoughts. �Metal Man, have you ever considered speaking in a more pleasurable volume?� BEN hobbled over to the carriage. �Sure thing, Captain! Ya know, Jimmy told me that this morning you were wearing your husband�s clothes! Wow, that must�ve been hilarious! Whoa! You crossdressing! � �Yes, yes,� interrupted Amelia. �Quite hysterical. But, you will now notice that my attire is quite fitting for a pregnant woman.� �Oh yeah,� said BEN. �Boy Captain, ya look really hot! I bet your husband�s gonna be all over ya tonight!� �It would appear that words like discreetness and modesty are not wired into your flippant programming,� growled Amelia. BEN appeared to not hear her. �Boy oh boy, it must be tough to be pregnant! Jimmy�s told me all about it - like that time you threw up after breakfast! And the time you sent your husband out to get fresh purps in the middle of the night! And the time you...� Amelia clamped her hands over BEN�s mouth. �You know, I do believe I liked you better when you had lost your mind!� �Well Mrs. Dop...I mean Captain, it appears that the younglings are developing quite nicely,� Dr. Tumele said as he felt Amelia�s stomach. �By the way, might I say that your dress is very attractive?� �Perhaps, but anything further will be immediately reported to my husband,� Amelia grunted as she lay on the doctor�s examining table. Even the compliments of her clothes were annoying her today. Was that her only outstanding feature now? Her clothing? Had her pregnancy stripped her of her every outstanding feature within her, and thus now the only possible compliments were for something outside of her? She knew this was a completely irrational concern, but her current mood was causing her mind to be irrational. After all, she was in an irrational situation - a situation that fate had thrust upon her and that she could not escape. �Have they started kicking yet?� Dr. Tumele asked. �If they have, they have been the most gentle and unnoticeable kicks in the Etherium,� Amelia answered. �Well, that�s not unusual,� replied Dr. Tumele. �Kicking usually begins during the third or fourth week for your kind.� �How comforting to know,� Amelia said sarcastically. �You know Captain, you may find yourself grateful for these visits if something were to go wrong with your pregnancy,� Dr. Tumele said with more than a little annoyance. �If a problem isn�t spotted right away, it could lead to the loss of your little ones.� Amelia said nothing, for she knew that if her current thoughts were expressed the doctor would deliver a harsh lecture. She didn�t want something to go wrong....no, she didn�t want something to go wrong. Still, she couldn�t ignore the fact that there was something appealing about the idea of losing the little ones. To be continued.... Back to Non-HoND Fanfic Back to Index |