Before their discussion went through, Tsubaki had already fallen asleep. She was leaning comfortably on her husband, her warm breath caressed his neck as her soft hands laid on his chest.
Ren stared at his wife with a helpless smile. He actually wanted to tell her the details but she suddenly felt sleepy. Even though she was stubborn to stay awake to hear him out but he still coaxed her to sleep.
At least, he had already told her and she had wholeheartedly supported him.
The night fell silently as the two souls embracing each other on the bed. Ren carefully covered her with the blanket. After a period of time, their steady breath intertwined together, filling the quiet room.
When Tsubaki woke up the next morning, her husband was no longer by her side but his warmth still lingered on the soft mattress. She dazedly looked at the abandoned cat toy on the other side of the bed. Her slender arms reached out for it, she buried her nose on the toy. The softness of the plushie lulled her to dreamland once again.
She fell back to sleep in a minute. Her snore could be heard faintly.
Ren quietly entered the room after a while. He had just returned from the kitchen. The sight of his sleeping wife hugging the big cat toy greeted him. Ren sat on the bed, he leaned over her.
"Sweetheart, wake up. It's already 8," Ren lifted up the blanket, trying to stir her awake.
"En...." Tsubaki was still muzzy even though her mind had registered her husband's presence beside her. She pushed the toy aside before she laid her head on his lap. "What time... is the appointment?"
Ren laughed softly after seeing her sleepy face. He bent down and kissed her hair. Her eyelashes fluttered under his warm touch. "At 9:30. Wake up, sweetheart. I've cooked the breakfast for you."
"En?"
Tsubaki rolled over to lie on her back, she rubbed her sleepy eyes before she looked at him. "You cooked?"
"Yes." Ren nodded with a smile. He helped her to sit up, his action was far more gentle than usual. "Wash up first and then we'll eat together."
"Okay..."
Although she was still sleepy, Tsubaki got off the bed and headed to the bathroom. Ren looked at her with a slight worry in his heart. He had placed the anti slip mat on the floor and he had even prepared a pair of rubber slippers for her.
She wouldn't slip, right?
Ren shook his head, trying to chase the worry away from his mind. It would do him no good if he continued worrying about any single moment.
The sound of water fell on the floor coming from the bathroom. Ren took the opportunity to tidy the bed. He plumped up the pillows and folded the blanket. After he was done, he stared at the cat toy lied on Tsubaki's side.
"It looks like she only needs you when I'm not here. It's okay, I'd allow you to accompany her when I'm away."
The toy just quietly looked back at him.
Ren turned around, he walked to the wardrobe. Wheather forecast today predicted that the temperature during the day would increase by one degree Celsius. He opened the section where his wife's clothes were hung. His eyes landed on the dress he bought for her during their short date a while back.
She had wore it once when they were exploring the tourist attractions at the beach the other day. It was the dress she wore when she announced to him that she was carrying their child.
After thinking for a second, took out the dress and hung it on a hook beside the vanity table.
"Darling," Tsubaki called out to his name. She had just done taking a shower. A white bathrobe wrapped her body. "I'm done."
Ren smiled when he saw how refreshed she looked after her shower. He went to her side, he gently dried her slightly damp hair using the white towel hung around her neck.
"Why don't we wear the outfits we bought before? I want to see you in the dress again." Ren took his clothes out from his section.
Tsubaki's eyes gleamed brightly. "Okay!"
After having breakfast, Ren drove them to the hospital. Toshiro had arranged for Tsubaki to meet the top doctor in OB&GYN department as per Ren's request. When he saw the couple arrived in light colored summer clothes, his eyes almost popped up in shock.
"You know how to wear clothes besides your usual black ones? And you even wear shorts!" Toshiro looked at Ren from head to toe.
His friend looked... extra dashing?
"My wife bought this for me," Ren answered calmly. "Of course I have to wear it."
Toshiro pursed his lips as a sense of regret ached his heart. He should have known that this man would never wear this kind of clothes if not for his wife's persuasion.
"Come, sister-in-law. The doctor has been waiting for you," Toshiro diverted his attention to the lady standing beside his friend. He didn't want to torture himself by speaking to Ren again.
"Thank you, Toshiro," Tsubaki smiled politely to him. At first she called him Dr. Morishita out of respect but the man had repeatedly asked her to call him by the name only.
Toshiro brought them to a doctor's room. The signboard displayed the name of Shiimoto Ino. The husband and wife entered the room, they followed Toshiro's lead. A female doctor in her 40s was sitting on a swivel chair behind a desk.
The doctor stood up once she saw them.
"Dr. Shiimoto, this is the couple that I've told you before," Toshiro began to introduce the husband and wife. "This is Fuse Ren, my friend and his wife, Fuse Tsubaki."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Fuse," Dr. Shiimoto bowed her head slightly, her kind-looking face beaming with a smile.
"Thank you for having us, Dr. Shiimoto," Ren greeted the female doctor politely. Tsubaki smiled and did the same.
"Alright, please sit down first," Dr. Shiimoto pointed at the chairs opposite her seat. "We'll begin in a while."
Toshiro left to attend to his duty. Tsubaki placed her hands on her lap, her fingers were fidgeting with the hem of her dress. Ren noticed how nervous she was. He placed his wide palm on her hands, offering her some comfort. Tsubaki smiled faintly when she looked at his hand on hers.
"From the initial report the hospital sent to me, it seems like Mrs. Fuse is 4 weeks pregnant. This is a crucial stage of pregnancy. We should do a few more tests," Dr. Shiimoto read the report displayed on her monitor as she spoke. Her tone was gentle and calm.
"Okay," Tsubaki agreed despite her anxiousness.
"Don't be nervous, Mrs. Fuse. Since it's still early, there's not much we could do but I'm here to help you," After gently calming the new mother, the female doctor called for a nurse to enter her room. After giving her some instructions, the nurse left to get the essentials.
Dr. Shiimoto did her tasks perfectly, no wonder she was recommended by Toshiro. As a first time mother, Tsubaki's nerves were tense but the older lady helped to ease her mind. She scheduled another appointment for Tsubaki once she reached the eight week. It was when the heartbeat of the baby started became visible.
"Thank you, Dr. Shiimoto," Tsubaki profusely bowed her respect before she exited the room.
"Dr. Shiimoto, you have our gratitude." Ren too didn't shy away from expressing his gratefulness.
Dr. Shiimoto laughed softly, she waved her hands to stop the couple from continuing bowing to her. "I just do my job. The important thing right now is for you to take great care of yourself, Mrs. Fuse. Although your report came out in good condition, you still have to be careful."
"I will." Tsubaki smiled, her eyes turned watery as she tried to restrain herself from being emotional.
The husband and wife left the room. Toshiro was still busy so Ren didn't bother to meet him. He carefully led his wife as they walked side by side, his hand never left her shoulders.
"Darling," Tsubaki softly called out to him. She stared blankly ahead of her as she continued, her voice was filled with fear and uncertainty. "We would be good parents for our child, right?"
Ren paused his steps, inclining Tsubaki to stop too. He looked down to see her face, he nodded firmly. "We would be, sweetheart. Our child would be the luckiest to have us as parents."
Tsubaki smiled, she choked back on her sob. The determination in his voice touched her heart. She pressed herself on his chest, listening to his heart beating. Ren wrapped his arms around her small frame. He silently kissed her hair.
After a moment, Tsubaki pulled away from him. She stared at him as she was conflicted with something in her mind. Under his calm gaze, she gathered her courage.
"I want to read the postcard. Would you accompany me?"
A hint of surprise glinted in his dark eyes. Instead of denying her request despite his worry, Ren nodded.
"I will."
Tsubaki smiled again.
They had their lunch at one of the restaurants where Ren had always been a patron. He booked a small private room as he didn't want their meal to be disturbed. The lunch was delicious. Maybe because she was pregnant, Tsubaki kept eating until she exceeded her usual small portion of food.
A soft laugh echoed in the room. Tsubaki lifted her head, she swallowed down her food before she asked the man who sat opposite her, "Darling, what's wrong?"
Ren shook his head. He had never looked happier.
"I wonder if our child would be a foodie like you. I need to work harder if that's the case," Ren poured more chicken and herbs soup in her bowl. He slowly pushed the soup bowl near her bowl of rice. "I'm worried I couldn't provide for you."
Tsubaki laughed happily, she didn't feel offended by his words. Instead, she felt funny. "Don't worry, darling. As long as you would cook for us, we would be more than happy to accept it. Even though this meal is delicious, I love your cooking more."
Ren smiled crookedly. He suddenly got up from his seat. Tsubaki was baffled when she saw him walking toward her. Her lips parted slightly as she asked, "Why? What's wrong, darling?"
Ren stifled his laugh. He bent down and gently gripped her chin. As he lowered down his face to meet hers, he calmly answered her.
"You're such a sweet talker. I just want to taste it."
"What? En!"
Before Tsubaki could react, he had already kissed her.
Tsubaki gasped once Ren pulled away from her. She pouted when she saw his grinning face without a hint of guilt. Her delicate eyebrows knitted together as she voiced out her complaints.
"Don't take advantage on me! I'm still hungry and you're slowing me down!" Tsubaki purposely whined, she stared at him with displeasure written in her eyes.
Ren laughed happily. He pinched both of her cheeks, earning another glare from Tsubaki.
"You're cute, sweetheart. I feel bad if I didn't bully you," His laugh was still remained in his voice, it echoed beautifully in the small room.
Tsubaki pursed her lips. She wanted to free her face from his fingers yet he didn't allow her to escape from his grasp. As Ren was staring at her, her facial expression changed. Tsubaki suddenly brought her hands over her mouth, her face contorted in pain.
"Sweetheart? What's wrong?" Ren was in a state of panic. His playfulness from earlier faded away. He let go of his hands from her cheeks.
Tsubaki waved her left hand while her right one was still covering her mouth. She turned away from him, her body doubled down as her throat let out a gurgle sound.
A realization hit Ren.
"Do you want to vomit?"
Ren knew a pregnant woman couldn't help but be easily nauseated. His eyes searched for anything that could help as he was frantically trying to calm her. Right at the moment he wanted to throw away the flowers from the vase on the table, a laughed came from Tsubaki's side.
Ren was baffled.
"Sweetheart...."
Tsubaki smiled, she tilted her head. Her eyes were bright as she looked at him with a wide smile. Her long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings. "Are you surprised, darling?"
Ren's lips parted as no sound coming out from his mouth. He incredulously stared back at her.
"Did you... trick me?"
Tsubaki laughed again. She raised her hands to pinch his cheeks as he did to her earlier. As she spoke, her fingers moved left and right while pinching him. "Who told you to make fun of me?"
It took Ren a moment before he could finally gather his senses. He looked at his wife with a helpless smile.
She had learned to trick him. How cunning!