Let's get physical - 20

Andrew came back from work, Reba went to give him a hug and sniffed his shirt.

"You smell like your receptionist."

"No, I smell like one of my patients. Man, she wore a strong perfume," said Andrew sniffing his own shirt.

"You slept with her?" Reba glared at him with her hands on her waist.

"What? No! What make you say that?"

"You look exhausted." Reba looked all over to see if she would spot a strand of hair that wasn't hers. Andrew brought her into his arms.

"Well then, blame the woman that kept me up all night, every night this week." He placed a sweet kiss on top of her head. "I thank you for thinking so highly of me that I could be with someone else and still have energy left for us." Andrew quipped with a chuckle. "How are you feeling today? Our little one has been kicking a lot?" The baby had just started kicking a couple of days ago, making both Andrew and Cassandra fighting to feel the baby moving. Jake looked at both of them and rolled his eyes. Sure he was excited to have a little sister, but not that excited.

"A few times today. Cassandra pressed her ear on my tummy and the baby kicked her."

"I brought the stethoscope, now she can hear the little one without being kicked in the ear." Andrew put the stethoscope in Reba's ears and pressed the other end on her belly. He laughed when her stomach rumbled.

"Gosh, that was loud." Reba giggled. "I'm hungry."

"I figured that. Wanna go out for dinner?"

"But Penny already made dinner."

"We'll let Kitty take care of the kids, so you and I can go out enjoy our time alone. How's that sound?"

"I'd like that." Maybe asking her out wasn't a good idea. Reba once again cried in front of the closet that she had nothing to wear. She was 18 weeks along, her belly started to show, her old clothes were too tight, but she didn't need maternity clothes yet.

"Alright then, if you can't find anything to wear, then we won't go out." That didn't help, now Reba was crying that he was ashamed to take his fat wife out for dinner. "No honey, I just want you to feel comfortable, but if whatever you own is too tight, then you won't be able to eat much, and you wouldn't be comfortable. So why don't we just stay in tonight, and we'll go shopping tomorrow. Buy new clothes and tomorrow evening, we'll go out."

"No you can't do this to your baby, you put the idea in her head and you change your mind. Now the baby wants a romantic dinner." Reba tried to put on her favorite pair of jeans but couldn't zip them up. Andrew chuckled, causing Reba to pout and glare at him. He walked in to the walk-in closet and came out with a silk robe.

"Wear this, we will have a romantic dinner in the comfort of our own home." Andrew let Reba get changed. She was puzzled about what Andrew planned to do, but she put on her robe and came down to the dining room table a little while later. Andrew lit a few candles on the table. "I asked Kitty to take Cassandra and Jake out for pizza, and keep them at the pool house tonight. So you and I will have the whole house to ourselves for a romantic dinner." Andrew turned on the CD player and played the songs that they danced to at their wedding. Andrew poured some sparkling Apple juice in champagne glasses. They enjoyed the dinner that Penny prepared before she left. Penny came in every day for a few hours to do household chores and prepare dinner. Although now that Reba lived in the house, Andrew still kept Penny, so his wife didn't have to do much. Andrew asked her for a dance after dinner. And they continued their romantic night in the steam shower under the ceiling rain, and ended the night in each other's arms.

Andrew took Reba out to shop for some maternity clothes the next day, and they looked for baby stuff too.

"Did you flirt with the sale person while I was in the fitting room?" Reba questioned her husband with her arms crossed walking out of the store.

"No I didn't. That would be so wrong, flirting with other women while your pregnant wife is trying on maternity clothes."

"You mean if I wasn't pregnant you will flirt with her?"

"If you weren't pregnant, we wouldn't be in that store in first place." Andrew chuckled. "Do you want to go home first to change for dinner tonight?"

"What's wrong with what I have on?"

"Nothing, you look nice, but I thought you'd want to change to your new dress. You didn't want to wear this one for dinner last night."

"It didn't fit yesterday, but it does today." Andrew started to do the math in his head: four and a half months to go. After shopping for the baby crib and changing table and a whole lot of stuff for the new member of the family, he took Reba out to a nice Italian restaurant. Reba accused him of flirting with the waitress again.

"I didn't flirt with her honey, I just ask for a glass of water for your vitamins."

"But do you have to give her that smile?"

"Which smile?" Andrew grinned

"That one! I thought that smile was just for me."

"Of course, it's for you honey. I just smile at her because I asked for help. I didn't flirt with her." Andrew laughed softly. "You know, I think it's cute that all of the sudden you became jealous, but honey, please don't think that I'll flirt with everyone I talk to. It only causes you to stress, and it's not good for our baby."

"I don't know what's gotten in to me." Reba looked down at her food, she didn't notice his crooked grin.

"Well, if you didn't know then, it's time for a talk about the birds and bees. But I think you'd prefer demonstration."

"I didn't mean that!" Reba slapped his hand. "I don't know why seeing you talking to other woman bothers me."

"We'll blame it on your hormones." Andrew said with a wink. Reba smiled, but when the waitress came back with water, she fumed up again, saying the waitress gave him a meaningful smile. Same thing happened at home, she apologized to Kitty for being unreasonably jealous. Kitty said she understood. They had a nice conversation about her boyfriend. Reba even gave some motherly advice.

"I think Andrew's back." Kitty commented looking toward the door. She didn't see Reba's facial expression change.

"And why are you so happy that he's back?" However she noticed Reba's tone of voice.

"Gotta go!" Kitty almost ran pass Andrew to the pool house. Didn't even give him chance to say hi. When he saw Reba standing with her hands on her waist, he got his answer.

"Hi honey." As usual, Andrew pulled Reba into a hug and kissed her gently on the lips. And as usual, Reba would sniff his shirt to see if he had any contact with other women, and check for traces of lipstick. She pulled out a strand of hair from the inside collar of his shirt. Oh good it was red. "That has been bugging me all day, thanks for taking it out."

"Great, now even my hair bugs you. Do you want me to shave my head?"

"No, the ones that are still attached to your head are nice and pretty, but when dangling against my back all day, not so much." Andrew was counting down only four more months left. "Oh, I bought you a treadmill, they should delivery it sometime this week."

"Are you calling me fat?"

"No, but you have to exercise to maintain your health, and to keep baby healthy. Swimming and walking is the best form of exercise for pregnant women."

"And we got a swimming pool, you just don't want to see my gut hanging in a bathing suit do you?"

"Honey, you're the one who said that you're not comfortable in a bathing suit, I even suggested skinny dipping and I got hit for that." He got hit again.

"We have kids in the house you know."

"You mean if we don't have kids in the house you would? I can send them off to summer camp or whatever camp they have this time a year. Heck, I'll send them off to Europe if I have to." Andrew had just steered her mind away from feeling fat. He'll probably have to deal with it again when the treadmill arrives. Every so often Reba's family would gather at their home on the weekends, so the kids could enjoy the pool and the women could chat while the men were drinking beers enjoying the sight of Kitty in her bikini playing with the kids. As Van and Brock were lying on the patio chairs with their sun glasses, so their wives wouldn't know where they were looking at, Reba went up to Kitty and told her to put on something with more material. The guys gasped in disappointment, yet no one dared to say a word. They were looking at each other crying 'aw man!' silently. Andrew came out of the house and joined the guys.

"Hey guys, what's up?"

"We were watching Baywatch and Mrs. O came over and changed the channel." Andrew laughed at Van's comment.

"She's been driven you insane with her jealousy?" Questioned Brock, sipping his beer.

"Not yet." Andrew got a can of beer "Was she like this too when she was pregnant with the other three?"

"Now you see why I spent most of her pregnancy at the golf course." Brock chuckled. "Hey, if you have a stack of magazines, you know what I mean, I suggest you put them in a safety deposit at the bank."

"Why?"

"Because if she suspects that you have those magazines, she will somehow find them, and burn them. The sad part is, she won't burn them herself, she'll make you do it." Brock sobbed. "So sad seeing those babes destroyed by your own hands."

"She would do that?" Van was surprised.

"Oh yeah, she doesn't care if it was a 'limited edition' or contains a 'then-unknown-actress'. She'd make you burn them all."

"I'll be right back!" Andrew got up quickly and rushed to the house.

"Honey, where are you going?" He was stopped by his wife.

"I... uhh... I have to go... washroom, nature called." Andrew stammered. Reba narrowed her eyes, but she let him go. She returned to the barbecue table where Cheyenne and Barbra Jean sat and chatted.

"Hey Mr. H, are you pulling his leg?" Questioned Van; still in disbelief that Reba would be that jealous.

"I wish!" Brock drained his can, still grieving about his lost. Andrew came back and joined them a while later. The men gossiped about their wives while the women gossiped about their husbands. It was a fun family time. Three more months before he got to see the baby, Andrew was still counting down.

Reba was sitting in his waiting room, she was bored at home so she decided to come and see him at the clinic to keep an eye on his receptionist. She heard a woman's voice coming out of the examination room.

"Can we discuss my results over a cup of coffee sometime tomorrow morning?" Said a woman seductively. Reba sat on the edge of her seat ready to attack if she had too.

"No Ma'am. I have a pregnant wife to take care of."

"Oh, she's pregnant. Well, I bet you were put off, if you're tense and feel the need to release the tension, call me." The woman was still trying. His receptionist looked at Reba who was turning red with anger. Reba was nice, when she wasn't pregnant, and she liked her.

"I'm well taken care of, thanks for the offer." Andrew walked his patient out and just then he spotted Reba sitting, pouting in his waiting area. "Oh hey honey, what brings you here?" Reba sulked and glared at the woman who shamelessly flirted with Andrew. He checked with the receptionist to see if he had any more appointments, and to his luck, he was able to leave. He had to conciliate his wife all the way back, telling her how he wasn't part of that flirting. "Honey, she's in her 60s."

"And what's wrong with older women?"

"Nothing's wrong with older woman," said Andrew quickly realized that Reba was older than him.

"See, you're interested in her."

"No, I'm not interested in her, or else I'd take that offer." Two more months, only two months. Andrew put up the baby crib and set up a nursery, Reba was trying to help but he wouldn't let her. The closer to the due date, the more he talked about baby. The more he was worried, because of her health, she could be premature. But Reba's physical health was doing just fine, but her emotional roller coaster was worse than ever.

"Andrew, Reba took your car out!" Kitty rushed to tell Andrew who busy rearranging the furniture in the nursery. He wanted to make sure everything set up perfectly for the new member of the family that would arrive soon. He rushed over to the garage and his Porsche was gone. Reba was eight months pregnant now. He was worried, but nothing much he could do. He called her cell phone but she didn't pick up. He was pacing, waiting for her to come home. She returned three hours later.

"Honey, where have you been, you made me worried sick!" He brought her into a hug

"You worry about me or the baby?"

"Reba..."

"All you ever talked about is baby, I wonder if I wasn't pregnant, would you even care for me?"

"Of course I do! Look, honey, the baby is attached to you. If something is wrong with the baby, it affects you too. That's why I'm worried. And I told you so many times, I love the baby, but it's you I love the most."

"You mean it?"

"Honey, I can live without having another kid, but I don't want to live without you." Andrew just spotted a ticket in her hand. "And what is this?"

"Speeding ticket." Reba said trying to act innocent.

"185! How fast did you drive?"

"Not too fast, hey your car is made for speed. I just gave it a good spin. I didn't even know how fast I was going. It didn't feel like it was fast." Reba giggled and she stopped when she saw his disapproving look.

"Sweetie, could you promise me never ever to drive this fast again? Sure the car was made for speed, but not in the city!"

"I took it out on an empty highway. I just feel so frustrated that you won't let me do anything. And all you care about was my pregnancy, I had to let it out somehow." Andrew glared at his wife who looked guilty. "I'm home safe."

"I'm glad you are, but please don't do this again. If you want to drive my car, I'll let you drive, but no more speeding. You scared me. What if you were in an accident?"

"Alright, I'm sorry, I won't do it again I promise."

"How fast did you actually drive?" Andrew could tell that the police was nice to her. Reba looked even guiltier.

"Almost 100 mph." She confessed in whisper.

"WHAT?"

"The police let me off easy because, I told him that the baby squeezed my bladder. And speaking of which" Andrew watched Reba run to the bathroom lovingly. He thanked the Lord his wife was safe. "Andrew! My water broke!"

If he was complaining that Reba was speeding, now he was too! Now Andrew knew what it felt like standing by the side of the love of his life's bed when she was crying in pain. Andrew's emergency pager beeped.

"Oh no you're not going anywhere doc!" Reba hollered

"I won't. But I have to let them know that I'm not available, I'll be right back okay honey? Just don't give birth yet. Wait for me." He rushed over to contact the person who paged him, and let them know that his wife is in labour, they had to look for another back up and rushed back to her.

"I want drugs!" Exclaimed Reba.

"Sweetheart, you should hold it off as long as you can."

"You want a piece of me?" She pulled Andrew down by his collar; he immediately called the nurse to give her an epidural. That calmed her down. "I'm hungry." Now that she was no longer in pain, she thought of food. "The nurse won't let me eat anything."

"You can't eat yet, sweetie. But after you give birth, I'll take you to a nice restaurant, and you can have as much lobster as you want."

"But I want fillet Mignon."

"Okay, you can have that too, just hang in there okay baby?" Reba nodded.

"I'm tired, when will the baby come out?" She had been in the hospital for nearly 18 hours now, but she was glad she didn't have to do this alone for the first time. Her family was sitting outside. Reba even relaxed enough to joke with Brock that this was the first time he was there when she was giving birth, and it wasn't his kid. Andrew was by her side at all times. He looked as exhausted as she was.

"Soon, honey, you're 8 centimetres dilated. Not too long now." Andrew brushed off a strand of hair that stuck on her cheek from the sweat.

"I want to go to Italy."

"We'll leave the baby with Kitty and fly off first class to Italy." Andrew buttered her up "We can renew our mile-high club membership on the way there." He whispered. His commented made Reba laugh.

"Oh no, honey, you're not touching me until you have your vasectomy."

"You're having your tubes tied after this one."

"I know, but I won't take any chances, your boys swam through a barrier, not once but twice! Better safe than sorry." Reba's comment made the nurses giggle. Andrew blushed and glared at them. Yeah, they would tease him later for sure.

"I wanna go to Germany" Reba continued to dream.

"We'll go to Germany." Andrew would do everything she wanted

"I want to drive on autobahn."

"We'll-... Really?"

"Yeah, I want to drive fast"

"We'll talk about that after you give birth." Andrew hoped she would maybe change her mind later.

"10 centimetres, she's ready to push." Announced the nurse as the doctor came in.

"Andrew, don't leave me," begged Reba.

"I'm here honey, I'm not leaving you." He was there by her side, giving all the support she needed. Out came a healthy baby girl. "You did it, honey, you did it." Andrew was in tears, he kissed his wife out of joy and happiness.

"We did it, honey. Thank you for being here for me." Reba looked at the little girl with teary eyes. She turned to the nurse. "Can I eat now?" The nurse laughed and Andrew called Kitty to go and get Fillet Mignon for Reba. The family was allowed in after they got the baby cleaned up. Cassandra suggested the name 'Rebecca Andrea Oakley' after mommy and daddy. All the members of the family gathered around the newborn and congratulated them. The big family left a while later leaving just the small family alone in the hospital. Andrew admired his little one. Little Becky had sparkling blue eyes like her mommy.

"Oh no..." cried Andrew. Reba perked up, all worried. "Another redhead!"

"Hey! What's wrong with redheads?" Reba and Cassandra remarked in unison.

-- End --

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it. All reviews are greatly appreciated.