Just Breathe

"I can't tell you how much I appreciate this." Sarah said shyly as Isaac held the door open for her.

"I'm still surprised you asked me." He smiled at her, inhaling a hint of her sweet-smelling shampoo as she brushed past him.

"Well, I figured you've seen this happen more than once." She turned her head so he could see her smile.

"That's true." He agreed. "Which way?"

"To the right, I think. I've never been here before." Sarah referred to the public clinic. They walked down a quiet hallway until coming to a waiting room. Isaac's eyes widened as he saw a mass of nervous pregnant women and impatient men pacing in the aisles between seats.

"I guess we're here." He whispered in her ear.

"Yeah. Excuse me," she lightly tapped a nearby woman on the arm. "Is this the Lamaze class?"

"What else would it be?" The woman replied crossly, sweeping her arm around the room.

"Oh, I'm sorry- I've never been here before." Sarah said flustered.

"It's ok. Hormones," the woman huffed, as if it explained everything.

"We've been here for fifteen minutes waiting for the instructor to show up. Fifteen!" She tapped at the watch on her wrist impatiently.

"I'm sure they'll be here soon." Ike spoke up.

"Do you want to sit down?" he asked Sarah, resting his hand warmly on the small of her back.

"Oh, sure." She couldn't help but glance at the other women in the room. Some of them looked like they were going to tip over.

Am I that huge? She wrapped her sweater around her stomach and noticed, to her surprise, that she wasn't the youngest girl there either. She stared at a girl standing near the drinking fountain.

"Ike," she nudged him with her foot after they sat had down. "She looks only fourteen or fifteen."

"I noticed." he whispered back. "Scary, huh?"

"Yeah.." They fell into silence. Sarah's eyes continued to nervously dart around the room, from one pregnant lady to the next, comparing herself to each one of them. Sensing her discomfort, as well as noticing her knuckles turning white from her grip of death on the chair's armrests, Ike patted her hand softly. She relaxed a little, loosing her hands and leaving a tingly feeling in her fingers. Either that or it was from the feel of his hand across hers.

Probably just my nerves..

"I still don't know how to say thanks." She turned to him a few minutes later, her blue eyes filled with relief. "I couldn't imagine coming here by myself."

"Like you said, I'm practically a pro." He grinned. "Maybe I should change my major."

"You do that." She laughed.

What is it about him? She studied his face, noticing how his soft skin rested over the sharpness of his cheekbones and the slightest bit of dryness on his lips. She felt completely relaxed around him, like a veil of uncertainty had been whisked off her and carelessly cast aside like an old toy from an impatient child. Sighing softly, she nestled her head in the soft fleece of his coat that wrapped over his shoulder.

Why can't Mark be more like this? The random thought immediately dissolved her cheery mood and she snapped her head back to an upright position.

"Hello everyone." A nurse in pink clothes stepped into the room. She tapped a pen against the clipboard balanced on her waist as she spoke in a calm voice. "I'm sorry for the hold-up. All our extra nurses were unavailable. But we're all set to get started. Please follow me." A clamor of noise rose up as everyone started gathering their belongings. Sarah began to notice all the 'extras' other couples had brought along: pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, books.. food?

Here goes nothing, she thought, following the double-file line that trailed behind the nurse. She was surprised when they came to an enormous yet practically empty room. The only 'furniture', if it could be called that, were some mats on the floor that reminded her a little too much like ninth grade gym class and a television sitting on a VCR on a stand.

"Grab a seat." The nurse said, a big smile perching on her face. "Welcome to the first class of our three week session. It's good to see all of you here. I see we have a very pleasant group."

"How much do you think she actually means that?" Sarah whispered to Ike, nodding at the 'cheerful' lady from earlier. He tried not to laugh too loudly.

"We have a short movie to start things off." The nurse turned and readied the tape. "Enjoy." She walked to the door, switching the light in the room off on her way out.

"Are you comfortable?" Sarah heard Ike ask from his seat next to her on the mats.

"As comfortable as can be, given the situation." She smiled at him, although she doubted he could see it in the dark.

His amount of forgiveness is immeasurable, her mind drifted as the scene of a pregnant woman appeared on the television, to the conversation she'd had with him earlier that week. She was aware of the warm feeling of his leg lightly touching her knee. Realizing she should be paying more attention to the movie rather than her 'date,' she sighed and settled in her seat.

"No, Sarah, lean against Isaac; don't just sit in front of him," the assistant nurse instructed her.

"It's always funny how nervous people here get about touch, with how 'involved' you two were a few months earlier." She winked at them.

"Oh, no." Sarah corrected the knowing look on the nurse's face.

"We're not married."

Second time in six days, what's the matter with nurses these days?

"Marriage isn't as important as this baby. It's wonderful to see a man active in his child's life." Before Sarah could correct her again, she commanded,

"Now, go ahead, just like you saw in the movie."

As Sarah instinctively leaned against Isaac, he was temporarily lost in her senses. Her soft hair pulled in a ponytail brushed against his cheek as she made herself comfortable. Closing his eyes, he savored the sweet smell of it, a mixture of lilacs and.. alcohol? He snapped his eyes open. A constant, bitter reminder:

Mark.

"Now, your turn Isaac." He snapped to attention at the mentioning of his name.

"Umm.. I don't remember-" he mumbled.

"Here." The nurse grabbed his hands and slid them around the sides of Sarah's stomach. He heard her suck in her breath quickly and felt the muscles in her back and shoulders tense up at his touch.

"Good." The nurse nodded her approval.

"Now massage." Would the cruel slave driver of embarrassment ever cease? he couldn't help but wonder. He lightly pushed his hands over her soft skin, hidden by layers of wool, absently tracing the pattern on her sweater. After a few seconds, he felt Sarah relax against him again.

"Mmm..." she murmured softly. The sound of her voice broke his apprehension. No longer confined to the circular patterns, he applied more pressure into his hands rubbing the soft sides of her belly. Although an active participant in standing by his mother's bedside in the delivery room, this was a new side to pregnancy for him.. much more intimate. He caressed his hands across her, no longer confining his hands to her sides. Each time he lifted his fingers, their tips tingled at the loss of not touching her.

Sarah, on the other hand, was in seventh heaven. The feel of his warm breath tickling the tiny hairs at the nape of her neck, the conformity of her body against his, his incredible touch that felt icy cool and fiery hot at the same time, they were all driving her crazy. As she felt the heartbeat in his chest on her back, his strong arms wrapped around her, she barely heard the next instructions.

"Sarah, time to practice breathing."

"Huh?" She said, drowsily wakening from the wondrous sleep Isaac was putting her under.

"Oh, yeah." She blushed, remembering the movie scenes.

"Who-who-who" the nurse instructed, her lips pursed like a fish. She sucked in her breathe and demonstrated another one: "Hee-hee-hee."

"Who-who-who-hee-hee-hee." Sarah blew out nervously, leaning forward on tensed muscles.

"You'll never give birth that stressed out. Relax, honey." The nurse reached over and lightly pushed her shoulders back into Isaac. As if her safeguard, she relaxed, sighed deeply, and tried again.

"Don't you stop too." The nurse scolded Ike.

"Sorry," he said quickly, returning to his massaging. Feeling her stomach rise and fall with each breath, her muscles tensing with each exhaled 'oh' that escaped her lips, he began to relax himself.

She's putting all her trust in me, he realized. Glancing at her face, his heart jumped its pace up a notch at its beautiful sight. A few wisps of her blonde hair carelessly lay across her forehead. Her eyes were closed in concentration, her dark lashes fluttering slightly when she blinked. The way her lips moved, from being rounded in to pursed out, made him hold in his own breath.

Unable to resist the feel of her soft delicate skin against his collar bone any longer, he leaned forwards and grazed a light kiss on her left temple. Sarah's eyelids flew up and she stopped her routine breathing. She tried to look at Isaac, but he was too far behind her, just out of the reach of her turned neck.

"Good job, kids." The nurse patted Sarah's knee lightly and smiled. She stood up and went to check on another couple, leaving them in silence.

"This is actually kinda... fun." Sarah chose her words carefully.

"Yeah," Ike agreed, sending warm waves of his breath across her neck as he spoke. She shivered slightly, although she felt anything but cold at the moment.

"I'm glad I came." He whispered into her ear.

"You two make it look so easy," the woman next to them turned around and exclaimed. Sarah recognized her as the cranky one.

"You're going to make great parents." The words drilled into Isaac's head.. parents? He swallowed hard. However, he couldn't resist the urge to continue resting his hands around Sarah, feeling her close to him, not to mention the thrill from physically pleasing her that swelled inside of him.

"Oh, we're just friends." Sarah interrupted his jumbled thoughts. As if realizing for the first time exactly how close they were, and to his dismay, she pulled away.

"Yeah." He quickly agreed, shuffling a few feet away from her as well.

"Could've fooled me." The woman said, smiling at them. "Chemistry like that isn't created between 'friends.' "