WHAT: Time for another ultrasound! WHERE: Doc's office, then a diner WHEN: Backdated to Monday, January 23rd WARNINGS: Pregnancy stuff? STATUS: Complete
Doctorâs visits were now a monthly thing, but they never failed to make her a little, uhhhh, apprehensive? Catra was fairly sure this was the most medical attention sheâs received sinceâwell, ever, come to think of it. It wasnât bad. Everyone in the office was of varying races, and were nice, and very communicative throughout each visit. Most appointments were short; checking vitals and taking samples, clocking in weight and stomach measurements, listening to the heartbeat (which was the last thing) and that wasnât very invasive. Her blood pressure was sometimes a little high but that was due to some anxiety. That could be normal.
So far, so good?
They were due for a longer appointment now that she was a little over halfway done with this whole processâmore in-depth to make sure Finn had all their organs where they needed to be, all their limbs were measuring right, spinal column, all that crazy stuff that theyâd catch a glimpse of. That was wild to think about since the last ultrasound pic they had, Finn looked like a fuzzy white gummy bear. But they were growing, and kept growing, and Catraâs body was growing with them, andâ
âNerves again?â asked the nurse, removing the blood pressure cuff from her arm. Catra blinked out of her daze. Pressing her lips into a flat line and attempting a smile, she nodded. The tail was twitchy. Her ears were slightly pulled back but not enough where one might assume she was perceiving some kind of threat. The nurse looked to her kindly. âThatâs okay. You two can go to room six and get comfy and theyâll be right with you. Donât worryâthis will be a fun one!â
Her grip tightened around Adoraâs hand. âCool, thanks,â she responded politely (what an incredible demonstration of growth), tugging her along. The room they were assigned to was very dim, and there was a privacy curtain they could draw up around them. They had a few minutes before being attended to so Catra took the opportunity to dig into her bag (which she carried regularly now, for water and snacks and stupid tums for heartburn) for one of those little chocolate milk cartons with a straw.
It was a new âmust haveâ craving that replaced the pudding cups.
âLunch date after this?â she asked, chewing on the straw after a sip of her drink.
Adora knew doctorâs visits always made Catra a little antsy. They werenât her favorite thing either, if she was honest. Theyâd had the occasional physical in the Horde as they grew older, but actual doctorâs appointments, regular check-ups and being poked and prodded? Nope, nothing like it. Certainly nothing in this context either; neither of them had ever been pregnant before, and they required seeing an entirely different kind of doctor here in Vallo.
But the staff was always full of nice people, who smiled to soothe Catra and spoke to her kindly. Adora was always right there beside her, of course, holding her hand as much as she could and just generally being present. She knew Catra didnât need protection here, but she wouldnât let her feel alone either.
Today was a very big appointment and one that had evoked a mixture of nerves and excitement in her as much as Catra. Theyâd known it was coming and discussed it a bit when her mom and dad were still here. Sheâd been hopeful theyâd get a really good picture from this ultrasound, and sheâd be able to show it to Marlena right away.
That wasnât happening now, obviously, but it didnât dampen her excitement. Sheâd already resolved to get Catraâs pregnancy scrapbook up-to-date, both for them to look back on in the future and so if her parents ever did return (and gods, she hoped they did), sheâd have a thorough record to show them, even if it was years from now.
She pulled up a chair beside the exam table in the room theyâd been assigned, reaching to take Catraâs bag and set it on her lap for safekeeping. She gave her a smile and leaned in to kiss her cheek. âLunch sounds good, start thinking about what you want.â
Wrapping an arm around her, Catra took that opportunity to keep her close for a couple extra moments and nuzzled into the side of her face. Adoraâs enthusiasm had been noted; it was too cute, and helped soothe the little echoes of worry. âProbably chicken nuggets,â she brought up with a lazy grin. âMilkshake to dip fries in, too. Chicken is protein, milkshakes have calcium, and fries are basically potatoes and potatoes are superfoods. Healthy, right?â
Listen, she wasnât wrong.
Adora got a kiss on her cheek too before she was let go. Chocolate milk set aside, Catra began to lean back into the exam table and shimmied her hips to get comfy. It had been awhile since she had one of these done but she knew the drillâ-slip her leggings down just a smidge so they could access the underside of her stomach, and then rolled her shirt up. Might as well be ready for the tech.
âHold my haaaaaand,â she drawled, one arm behind her head while the other reached for Adora. Catra wasnât a modest person but she felt exposed like this and it was weird.
Then, at the doorway, they heard a very enthused, âWhoooo wants jelly on their beeeelly?â
No one. Absolutely no one wanted that. Oh my god did Catra cringe.
Adora rolled her eyes playfully at Catraâs âhealthyâ meal suggestions, but she wasnât going to tell her no. There were worse options, and Catra had been so good and careful with how she ate during this pregnancy. Whatever she wanted, Adora would give her because she deserved it. And she was never one to turn down a milkshake, anyway.
Her hand clasped around Catraâs obediently, and she brought that hand to her lips to kiss the back, smiling up at her sweetly. She knew this never failed to feel a little weird, but her wife always handled it beautifully.
Well, until that over-enthusiastic question boomed into the room. Even Adoraâs nose wrinkled; it was a bit too much, but she greeted the doctor with a polite smile and said, âHi, Doc.â
âHelllooooooooooo,â she sang, adjusting her extraordinarily large and round glasses before sanitizing her hands and slapped some of those bad boy latex gloves on. This doctor was very quirky but also very informative and reassuring about many things. Catra could deal with the whole bit too much thing because of that. âEverything on paper looks goooood so far. Weâre going to look at everything today, and if you want to know the sex, Iâm more than happy toââ
âNah,â Catra interrupted, using their joint hands to wave dismissively. âWe know Finnâs biologically male. They showed up from the future over a year ago and gave us a big lecture about how gender was fake anyway and what their pronouns were. Weâre good.â
âOh. That makes sense,â said the doctor easily, accepting that completely because this was Vallo and it was how things went. âHeads up, this is going to feel cold!â
There was a squirt from a bottle that sounded gross, and she felt that strange sensation on her stomach that made her mrrrrrp. Yep, that was cold. And slimy. The doctor spread it around with the wand, and Catra looked at Adora with a playful look of disgust and mouthed groooossssss at her.
âLetâs see, letâs seeâohhhhh, theeeere we go,â the doctor hummed, pointing at the big screen in front of them. There was a lot going on there; lots of shapes, lots of wriggling. Catra felt them. There was a rapid thump thump thump on the speakers. âHeart looks totally normal, congrats! Gonna take a few pictures and, goodness, youâve got a hyper one there, stop moving.â There were a few snaps from the screenshots taken. âAnd then⊠oh, look! Kitten ears. I can tell theyâve got a good bit of fuzz.â
Catra couldâkind of see it? The outline of them sticking up, little triangular shapes. She blinked owlishly at the screen.
Adora clutched Catraâs hands in hers and remained absolutely transfixed on the screen for most of the scan as it happened. Sheâd had a lot of trouble making out Finnâs shape when they were much smaller, but they were easier to make out now, much more person-shaped than blob-shaped, so that helped.
She was always sort of emotional during ultrasound appointments. It was so wildly strange and wonderful to see this baby theyâd made growing inside her wife. It was almost unreal. There was a moment just before the sound of Finnâs heartbeat came that she held her breath â and let out a whoosh of relief when it was so clear and loud.
The smile she wore watching all of this go on was much broader now. She squeezed her knees tight around Catraâs bag and kissed the back of her hand again and looked at the tiny little ear shapes with eyes that sparkled with tears dying to fall.
âTheyâre perfect,â were the words that finally left her. She leaned in and kissed Catraâs cheek with a big, wet smacking sound. âYouâre perfect!â
âYouâre a sap,â came Catraâs retort, dripping with nothing but complete and utter stupid fondness. Adora on the verge of shedding a few blubbery tears was to be expected; she didnât mind the happy crying. Her hand squeezed hers a little tighter, tooâwordless love you, idiot while they watched the screen.
From the ears, the doctor moved on to examine the brain and skull, rattling on about how about the right and left parts as she snapped a few more pictures of that. The next image was more distinguishable. Catra could make out a forehead, and the cutest, smallest slope of a button nose.
âThatâs⊠their face?â
âYuuuuup,â she confirmed. âTheyâve got a hand by their mouth and it looks like they might be sucking their thumb? Thatâs pretty common.â The wand was positioned slightly to the left so they could see it more clearlyâand she was right. âTaking a few pics of thaaaat for your fridge, definitely.â
Catra actually let out a rare, and quiet, âawwwwww.â Fuck, was she the one that was going to cry? She better not. Happy crying was Adoraâs job, not hers.
They were sucking their thumb? Adoraâs heart lurched, and then the tears finally fell. She pressed her nose into Catraâs cheek and smiled tremulously at her â then she noticed she wasnât the only one whose eyes were involuntarily leaking. She let out a mildly incredulous laugh and squeezed the hand she still held, tucking it under her chin.
âI knew they were gonna be cute, but I didnât know they were gonna be this cute already,â she grinned. âTheyâre clearly taking after their mommy.â
Catraâs eyes were not leaking for the record! Glassy, sure, because that was their face on the screenâa face sheâd been lucky to see in three different instances, but this time they were theirs to keep. They were going to be a permanent fixture in their lives. They were going to stay. Hard to not get a little choked up about it, okay? Blame the hormones, always.
âUgh, not cute,â she protested heatlessly, flashing her wife a playful little pout before focusing back on the screen. The wand shifted more and they could see all the other important organs to make sure they were where they needed to be and that they were properly formed. The bones of the spinal column, which looked so long even if they knew they were still tiny, and it was nothing but normal.
Though there was also another glimpse of bones, and the doctor almost looked a little confused until it hit her. âOh! Right, this is the tail. Hi tail. Short for now. Itâs wiggling a little. Then hereâs kitten butt. Youâre going to be wiping that a lot for the first two years.â
âDonât care,â Catra quipped. âItâs a cute butt.â
âWhat she said,â Adora agreed vehemently. It was mind-blowing to see all these parts of another little person forming and to think gods, theyâre cute, but they were! She knew where all that cuteness was going to lead. It was making her smile so big that her cheeks were going to be aching later, but she didnât care.
That cute butt and cute tail and the cute little thumb sucking were going to bring them this whole new person soon enough. One they could keep, that Vallo wouldnât take away from them. They hadnât had a lot of that in their lives since they arrived here, though they were still some. But even those who had been such big parts of their early Vallo lives, who had been content living here â Richie, Dan, Max, Alex â were gone now. It felt like no one was safe.
But Finn had to be. Finn was made here and theirs, and she could only hope if the day ever came they were swept away, Finn would come right along with them.
They were nearing the end of the examination now. A few for screenshots taken at different angles so they could keep confirming normal developmentâfive little fingers on each hand (she even pointed out what she was sure were very tiny kitten claws), two legs, two feet with five toes each. âTheyâre so squirmy,â Catra whispered to Adora with a chuckle, her claim backed up by what they were currently seeing. âI can feel them.â
âGonna take pictures of little feeeeeeeet,â the doctor sang, snapping a few last shots, âand weâre done! Everything looks great. Measurementâs on track, everything is where it should be.â
The reel of ultrasound photos were pulled from the machine, and it was a very long roll to look through but she didnât think theyâd mind it. She offered Adora the pictures and Catra a towel to wipe her stomach down. âWeâll see you next month for the usual stuff. Next ultrasound wonât be until youâre thirty-two weeks or so. Start figuring out a birth plan! See you mamaâs to be later, byeeeeee.â
With that, she flounced off as she hummed a happy tune.
âI mean, whatâs there to figure out about childbirth,â she blinked, wiping herself down so she could adjust her clothes. âShould we take classes or something?â
Adora took the photos eagerly, gently folding them into a more compact shape to tuck into one of the unused pockets of Catraâs bags. Her task tonight would be pasting every one of these into the pregnancy scrapbook, but for now, she would just keep them safe. More likely than not, she and Catra would be passing the whole batch back and forth to admire during lunch.
âMaybe classes?â Her brows furrowed thoughtfully as she slung the bag over her shoulder and stood, holding out her hands to help Catra off the table. âArenât there childbirth classes weâre supposed to take? We could do a home birth or something.â
Sheâd also read about water births â but, like, contained ones in these fancy tubs. She doubted Catra would accept either of those ideas, but home birth was worth suggesting. It would be kind of nice to welcome Finn to the world in their own home, wouldnât it?
A home birth. That gave Catra pause. Slowly, she folded the goopy towel in her hands and set it aside for the staff to pick up once they sanitized the room for the next patient. âWe⊠could.â
Childbirth and the whole nitty-gritty process of it should be more a constant thought in her mind than it was. Like, she had a decent idea of how it went downâshe watched videos, okay, the whole act of bringing a whole ass person into the world was pretty gory. There was just a slight disconnect when it came to accepting it was her that was going to endure that.
âI always assumed weâd do a hospital,â she admitted, taking Adoraâs hands so she could hop off the table. âI meanâthatâs the default, right?â But the thought of a hospital was actually kind of uncomfortable, and the scents were all medical and sterile, and she found the safety of their home to be preferable. Catra grabbed her unfinished chocolate milk and hooked her arm around Adoraâs, her hand feeling up on some muscle because it was right there. âWeâd have to hash out some details but Iâm open to it?â
She started leading Adora out of the room. âI think my biggest worry is if, I donât know, something happens and Finn needs medical attention immediately,â Catra frowned. âThough I guess thereâd be someone around that could handle that? And⊠you.â
Adora, who was half-responsible for making them with her magic, could heal them with that exact magic if anything happenedâright? And sheâd be there too if Catra bled out too much, or something. Worst case scenario.
Oh fuck, childbirth.
âWe donât have to.â Adora noticed that little frown on Catraâs face, like she had just realized the possibility was real and didnât know how to process it. âHospitalâs good, too. Weâve never done this before, so itâd probably be safer?â
That wasnât to say she couldnât handle it if they did decide to go through with a home birth. She felt pretty safe in saying she could heal Catra or Finn if any life-threatening injuries were happening. She couldnât heal illness, but she didnât have any reason to think Finn would be sick in any way when they were born. Was that even possible? Sheâd have to look it up.
âI think we could take the classes, though, so you can kind of anticipate whatâs going to happen better. If youâre up for it. I think itâs called Lamaze.â
âWhat a weirdly exotic name,â Catra snickered, slipping her hand down Adoraâs arm so they could lock fingers. âIâm fine with the classes, yeah. We can talk about, um, birthing options, I guess? Would really prefer to figure that out because I keep telling myself that itâs a problem for the future, anddddâŠâ
There was a vague gesture she made with her chocolate milk. Adora knew the drill. Catra liked to sometimes procrastinate when it came to dealing with certain situations. It was a flaw and sheâd been mostly better about it, but this wasnât something she could procrastinate about anyway.
âNo saving it for future Catra and Adora this time, I get it.â Adora squeezed her wifeâs fingers and smiled over at her. The big decisions needed to be made sooner rather than later with how far into this they were now. There was no shoving it off until the last minute when it came to having a baby.
âIn the end, youâre the one going through it,â she continued, stroking her thumb up and down Catraâs. âI just want to support you however youâre gonna feel most comfortable.â
There were a few last slurrrrrps as she emptied the container (not like it was big, it literally belonged in some kidâs lunchbox) and when they crossed paths with a trash can, it was dumped. That meant she could hold Adoraâs hand with both of hers now.
âI knowwww,â she said, pressing a kiss to the top of her arm and rubbing her face into the spot. Scenting, nuzzling - both? Why not both too. âYou being there is half of what I need. I like the idea of doing it at home because itâs private and safe, and all our stuffâs there and it just⊠smells right. You wonât need to go back and forth. Iâm sure weâll have to prepare the, uh.â Her nose twisted. âBed.â
They had research to do, and she expected Adora to come up with a pros and cons list for every option available to them. That would actually be pretty helpful.
Adora was honestly a little surprised Catra seemed to really consider the possibility of doing this at home. She had thought sheâd get a very firm no when she first mentioned it, but she was really open about it. It was a good thing, and Adora was up for doing it, but she didnât conceal the surprise at this turn of events pretty much at all.
âWell, weâll have to read up on it for sure,â she nodded. âAnd maybe see if there are some sort ofâŠspecialists? Midwives? Someone like that who can tell us the right steps we have to take. But Iâm sure youâre right about the bed, thereâs probably likeâŠspecific sheets?â
Her nose twisted a bit, too. She would guess probably something plasticky and uncomfortable, but given there would be a lot of fluids involved in this process, it made sense. Even sheets they didnât care wouldnât work if stuff seeped through to the mattress.
âNo clue,â Catra blinked, trying to take consideration of all ofâthat. The logistics. The fine details. There were probably several more she was missing and couldnât even fathom to think about with every option they looked at, not just the home birth. The doors of the clinic folded open to allow them an exit. âSomething to Google over lunch, I guess?â
Pfft, that wouldnât deter her appetite.
âOnly thing thatâs gonna be a hard no though, isssssâŠâ A claw reached up to poke Adora right in the center of her beautiful and not-totally-big forehead. âThe water stuff.â
âDuh, do you think we havenât met before?â Adora scoffed playfully, snatching that hand off her forehead and kissing it. âNo water stuff, I promise. Weâll do some googling and maybe some meeting people later, and weâll get it figured out. Whatever my wife wants, she gets.â
She turned them into a cute little diner, pushing open the door and hearing the bell chime over their heads as they made their way toward a booth. âStill in the mood for those nuggets?â
âDuh,â she said to mimic her wife, grinning toothily before sliding into the booth and bringing her along. It was always nice to see Adoraâs face from across the table but she was also a needy sucker and liked having her seated next to her, too. âNuggets, fries, and the milkshake. One of those big fancy ones with the extra whip and two straws so we can split it?â
Catra was riding that post-appointment high. Going into it was always a little nerve-wracking, but she also always felt good leaving, having that fresh confirmation that things were fine. Finn was fine. âAnd I wanna see the pictures,â she added, holding her palm out to Adora expectantly. âI think I might have to stare at the thumb-sucking one all day.â
There was definitely something of a smitten look on her face about it already. Fuck off.
âBig milkshake, definitely,â Adora agreed. She pulled Catraâs bag up onto the table and pulled out the stack of print-outs where sheâd stowed them away. She spread them out carefully on the table to be admired, then slung her arm around her wifeâs shoulders.
âTheyâre perfect already,â she declared. It wasnât a new sentiment â sheâd said the same in the doctorâs office, staring at the screen in awe â but it needed repeating. âI love you. Thank you.â
Catra rolled her eyes with absolute fondness, cozying up into her sideâthe usual thing. âWhatever, dummy,â she replied, arms crossed as she looked over at the glossy spread of pictures on the table. Black with fuzzy splotches of white, but now those splotches had more detail and had taken form and it was just⊠really fucking neat. âItâs never because I like you, you know.â
Her head leaned into her shoulder, purrs starting up. That was going to mean I love you too, always.