Convex Stomachs and Party Evasion Tactics

The noise from the party downstairs filtered in as Henry opened the door to his childhood bedroom. Inside, Elizabeth's curled form laid on his twin bed, her long blonde locks catching the setting sun shining in from the window. He took a moment to admire the sight before stepping into the room and closing the door behind him.

"I know you're not asleep."

Her body didn't move a single muscle as she quietly responded, "Yes, I am."

"Elizabeth."

"Okay, alright, you got me." She rolled over onto her back so she could get a look at Henry, making an audible 'Ooof' sound as she did so. She would never get used to her stomach's growing convex shape and the way it made any simple task, such as turning over in bed, into a challenging event. Not that she would have it any other way, either. They started trying for a baby once Henry returned from Iraq, and now nearly two years later they were only a short couple of months away from parenthood. But that didn't matter in the moment, right now she most needed to know how he knew she was only pretending to sleep. "So, what was my tell?"

Henry sat down next to her on the sliver of mattress that was left, "Babe, I don't know how to break this to you, but you snore when you sleep."

"No, I don't. You would have told me years ago that I snore. Wouldn't you've?"

He began to lightly rub his wife's belly, "You only started a few months ago. And the books say it's normal during pregnancy so I've never brought it up, besides, I think it's kinda cute."

"Cute?!"

"Well it's not like a chain saw buzzing through the night," he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on her lips, his voice lowering as he continued, "it's soft…." He kissed her jaw line. "And kind of breathy…." His mouth making his way down to her neck before Elizabeth broke away, a sly smirk on her face.

"Are you saying I have a sexy snore?"

Henry flirted back. "No, I said cute. Now if you had that freight train snore, that would be sexy." Elizabeth playfully shoved him away, but with the lack of space he fell onto the floor below, making a crashing sound.

"Shhh," she reprimanded him, "they'll hear us and know we're up here."

She confirmed his suspicions that led him up to his old bedroom in the first place, looking for her. "Ah, so you are hiding up here."

"And resting," she protested. "I am pregnant with the first McCord grandchild here." She took on the voice of her father-in-law as she continued on, "And he will be the next generation of McCord Union men."

Henry rolled his eyes. "My dad's so sure he's going to be a boy."

"He may be thinking that, but when he's not looking your mom's sewing 'him' dresses." She nodded over to the sewing machine that sat on what used to be Henry's desk, a teeny white infant dress with an unfinished hem lying next to it. Henry walked over to the dress and picked it up.

"I can't believe they start this small."

"Well, from what I hear, they get big pretty quick."

"Yeah. I remember getting to be the first of us to hold Erin when Mom and Dad brought her home from the hospital – I must have been about ten or so – she just perfectly fit in the crook of my arm. And now in the blink of an eye, she's eighteen, driving, practically in college." He looked over to Elizabeth, a hint of worry on his face. "Is it going to be that fast for us?"

Elizabeth looked down and protectively placed her hand over her stomach. "No. We're this kid's parents. We simply won't allow that to happen."

Henry nodded, agreeing with the idea. "Willing our kid not to grow up. Yeah, I think that might just work."

"Exactly. I don't know why other parents haven't thought of it," she grinned.

Henry carefully set the dress back down on the dress. "So why are you up here pretending to be asleep," he asked as he flattened the wrinkles in the dress with his hand, almost positive of the answer.

"I'm fairly certain your sister thinks I padded my bump to take attention from her tonight.

Every time someone mentions the baby or touches my stomach I can see her shooting daggers out of her eyes. I can't do anything to help it. So I made my way up here."

He grabbed the desk chair and sat down on it backwards so he could face her. "Having a baby is a pretty big deal, too."

Elizabeth picked fuzz off of the bed quilt she laid on, "But it's her engagement party. It's supposed to be Maureen and Tom's night. I get that. I totally get that."

"Babe, Maureen and Tom have been together since they were in grade school. People already think they've been married for years now. It's okay if the guests take interest in the baby, too."

Elizabeth stopped picking and looked up at Henry. "I'm never going to win with her, am I?"

Henry hated the way Maureen could make Elizabeth feel so small. He had hoped his family would have been more welcoming of her when he first introduced her to them, but the only one who didn't seem to resent Elizabeth was his mother. "Look, take it from someone who has know her all her life. No one wins with Maureen. It's just the way it is."

He paused, desperately wanting to change the subject from Maureen's general sourness. "You know, while you were up here hiding, so many people took the chance to come up to me and compliment me on my beautiful, pregnant wife."

"Ah, the art of diversion."

Henry left the chair to lie down on the smidgeon of bed where he looked her directly in the eyes, "'Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.'"

Elizabeth broke his gaze, turned her head to the side and playfully sighed, "Are you going to do that for the rest of our lives?"

"What?"

She turned her head back to him, "Quote dead theologians."

"Why? Do you have a problem with it."

"It can be annoying."

"Oh," he responded, his voice tinted with a touch of disappointment.

Elizabeth couldn't handle his sad little boy voice so she added, "But kinda cute. In a smart, professor-y way."

Henry grinned, grabbing her hand. "So you find my religious quotes sexy, then."

"No. Annoyingly cute. Now if you quoted Jon Bon Jovi that would be sexy."

"Bon Jovi?!" He gave her a look of mock disgust, before giving her hand a kiss and standing up, his eyes motioning to the door.

Elizabeth let out a huge sigh, "Do we have to go down there?"

He nodded, knowing his answer wasn't going to be what she wanted to hear, "We should be supportive."

She shook her head. "Henry, I hate to say it, but 'you give love a bad name.'"

"Now look who's quoting. Come on." He held out his hand and helped pull her out of the bed and onto her feet. "Now here's the deal. We go down now, but if it gets to be too much, start pretending you're having some contractions, and I'll grab our coats and together we'll make a swift exit."

Elizabeth wrapped her arm around his waist as they made their way to the bedroom door.

"Sounds perfect."