SLOW BURN SHADOWS

CHAPTER NINE:THE WAITING AND WORRY

After the beautiful wedding at the company, everything felt like a dream that was too good to be true. Mr. Raymond — now my husband — held my hand the whole time as we said goodbye to everyone. My parents hugged me tight before they left. My mother whispered in my ear, “Take care of yourself and the baby, Bella. We are so proud of you.” My father shook Mr. Raymond’s hand again and said, “Treat her well, son.” Mr. Raymond smiled and promised he would.

Life after the wedding changed in small ways but felt very big to me. I no longer stayed in my small room. I moved into Mr. Raymond’s big house in the expensive estate. Every morning the driver still came, but now I woke up next to my husband. He would kiss my forehead and rub my growing belly gently. “How is our little one today?” he always asked with soft eyes. I would smile and say the baby was kicking a lot.

The first few weeks were peaceful. I stopped going to the office every day because Mr. Raymond said I needed rest. Instead, I stayed home, read books, watched movies, and sometimes helped the cook in the kitchen. My sister came to visit me one weekend and she could not stop opening her mouth wide at how big and beautiful the house was. “Bella, you have really made it,” she said while touching the soft curtains. I laughed but inside I still felt a little scared.

The worry about the delivery never left me completely. The doctor had told us that because I worked so hard before and didn’t eat well sometimes, there could be small risks. Mr. Raymond took me for check-ups every two weeks. He always held my hand in the waiting room and talked to the doctor like a worried father. “Is everything okay? Is the baby strong?” he would ask. The doctor usually smiled and said the baby was growing fine, but I still felt nervous at night.

One evening, when I was about seven months pregnant, I started feeling sharp pain in my lower belly. I was sitting on the big sofa watching TV when it came. I held my stomach and breathed fast. Mr. Raymond was in his home office but he came running when he heard my small cry.

“Bella! What is it?” He knelt in front of me, his face full of fear.

“It hurts… here,” I pointed. Tears came to my eyes. “Is something wrong with the baby?”

He quickly called the driver and carried me to the car like I weighed nothing. On the way to the hospital he kept talking to me softly. “Breathe, my love. Everything will be fine. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you or our child.” His voice was shaking a little even though he tried to be strong.

At the hospital the doctor checked me quickly. She said it was false labor — Braxton Hicks contractions. Not the real thing yet, but a warning that the baby might come a bit early. She told us to rest more and avoid stress. Mr. Raymond looked so relieved when he heard it was not dangerous. He thanked the doctor many times and drove me home very carefully, driving slower than usual.

That night he did not sleep much. He stayed beside me, rubbing my back and bringing me water whenever I woke up. “I love you, Bella,” he whispered when he thought I was sleeping. “You have given me everything I never knew I needed. Please be strong for our baby.”

I pretended to sleep but his words made me cry quietly. This powerful CEO who used to scare everyone in the office was now afraid for me and our child. It made my love for him grow even bigger.

The next weeks passed with more care. My parents called every day to ask how I was feeling. Mr. Raymond reduced his work meetings so he could stay home more. Sometimes we would sit in the garden and talk about names for the baby. He liked strong names like Raymond Junior if it was a boy, or Grace if it was a girl. I liked simple beautiful names.

But the worry stayed in my heart like a small shadow. The doctor said the baby was okay, but what if something went wrong during delivery? What if I was not strong enough? What if the pain was too much and I disappointed my husband?

One quiet afternoon while Mr. Raymond was in a short meeting, I sat alone in the nursery room we had started preparing. The crib was white and beautiful with soft blankets. I touched my big belly and whispered to the baby, “Please come safely, little one. Your daddy and I are waiting for you.”

I didn’t know then that the real test was coming very soon.

TBC