Page 68 of First Comes Orc, Second Comes Baby
“Mom?” Brahnt demanded.
Charlotte turned to Regine. “Hey, can you do me a solid and refuse? I could use those pics. Tell you what, we can work something out about this whole leaving Brahnt thing. Maybe—”
“Don’t make me spank you when we get home,” Brahnt said.
Samesh coughed. “Son. We’re in company. Don’t be uncouth.”
“I wouldn’t mind details,” Caro said.
Milgrida lifted a hand. “Seconding.”
“She’s visibly pregnant, Father. No one thinks she got that way because of a wand.”
“Not a magic wand, anyway,” Charlotte coughed, and young female voices giggled. Oops. Charlotte smiled sheepishly at Ati. “Sorry. Girls present.”
“Nevertheless, we don’t discuss these things in public,” Samesh said.
Regine rolled her eyes, giving them all a sneer, the sneer Charlotte often saw on Brahnt’s face, though more subtle. She supposed age really didn’t mellow a person, just made you double down on your issues.
“I have the number of a good therapist,” Charlotte said.
Samesh turned to her. “Oh? I’ve been meaning to ask for recommendations. I believe Reggie’s narc tendencies have bamboozled the person we’re currently using. We need someone who hasn’t fallen prey.”
“What?” Regine said. “I just broke our current one in.”
“My point exactly.”
21
Charlotte sighedas she shifted onto her side, the enormous swell of her pregnant belly making even the smallest movements a chore. Though the support band helped relieve some of the pressure, she still gritted her teeth as she slid a hand under the bump.
“Seriously?” she huffed.
Lying down was marginally better than sitting up, but at forty-one weeks pregnant, nothing was particularly comfortable.
On top of the general third trimester discomforts, she’d been having little cramps all morning that even extra-strength Tylenol couldn’t kick. Caro caught her trying to sneak the pills and confiscated them, bitching about pregnancy and meds, whatever.
Aunt Ati and cousin Milgrida were present to help out.
“Staff!” Ati exclaimed several weeks ago when Brahnt had been ready to hire help to stay with Charlotte during the day. “No, no, the female’s circle will handle it. Besides, I’ll call Milgrida. She's getting to the age where she needs to think of settling down, and this will be good experience for her.” She paused. “The male’s circle will be doing Brahnt’s training, don’t you worry.”
So despite Charlotte having nested in the bedroom, complete with an ever-refreshed tray of fragrant dishes Ati and Milgrida were preparing, she didn't feel alone because there were three people a shout away waiting to wait on her hand and foot.
Well, Caro, not so much, but her twin was being herversionof nice.
“This is for the birds,” Charlotte muttered after another, stronger cramp, and pushed herself into a sitting position, grunting, then stood.
Maybe a bit of walking would shake it off.
She made it halfway down the hall before it occurred to her slow ass what increasing cramping could indicate.
“But my water hasn’t broken yet!” she exclaimed to the empty room. “Where’s the bloody mucus plug? Aren’t there supposed to be signs or something?”
Was this—could she be in labor? She shook her head in disbelief. Of all the dramatic, over-the-top scenarios she had imagined for the birth of her first child, going into labor with no fanfare felt strangely anticlimactic.
She waddled into the kitchen where Ati took one look at her and ushered her into a chair.
“Sit down before you swoon!” she exclaimed.
