Having a Baby Is No Big Deal....

by

Delph
(dolfins@worldnet.fr)

Fran & Max were tenderly curled one to the other on the sofa, resting after quite a busy day: Max had had an important meeting with backers all day long, and Fran had gone to the Mall with Gracie to buy her new clothes as she had grown up incredibly fast this last quarter. The house was quiet. Niles had gone off to meet an old friend from Britain, the kids were in their rooms except for Maggie who was sleeping at one of her University girlfriend’s. So there they were, silently hugging one another. Maxwell had changed his strict dark blue suit for more casual clothes, and Fran wore sweaters, Jeans, and sneakers.

"Max honey, how long have we been married?"

"Hmmm let me think… 8 months if I count well…Why?"

"How often do we make love?"

Max was a bit startled by her question.

"Well… I guess you should know…!… You do have a part in this darling…!"

"Yes, but tell me how often a week do we make love…"

He looked right in her eyes with a lopsided grin, then muttered.

"If you take this week, and as it’s Thursday, I should say 5 times… so far…! Do you feel like we should increase the count right now?" He said nipping the shell of her ear.

She made him stop gently.

"… Then I guess we have a problem… At least I have a problem…"

Max was suddenly worried. He sat up straight and looked deeply at his wife with a look of concern.

"Why sweetheart?… Are you sick?… What’s wrong?… Tell me…!"

"Max, I’m not using any kind of contraceptive, and I would know if you did. I’m not pregnant yet, so I guess I have a problem." She laid her elbow on the armrest, and put her hand on her forehead.

Max kept silent a second. He didn’t know whether to be furious because she had not told him she was trying to have a baby, or to be anxious at the fact that she might not be able to conceive. He pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her shoulders in a protective gesture.

"Fran darling…" He took a deep breath "If you would like to, I can go with you to the doctor’s and run any necessary test on you and I…"

She pulled away from him, and looked at him with sad eyes.

"It’s obvious it’s not you Max… You already had children… I never had… Maybe I’ve grown too old for children." Tears were coming at the edges of her eyes.

Max hugged her and comforted her.

"There, there… Let’s not draw hasty conclusions, you’re still young, healthy, and beautiful… Tomorrow you and I will take an appointment at the doctor’s, and we shall sort it out… I’m sure we can have children together, and now that I think of it… I’d really love to… I’m ready to have children with you" He kissed her gently on the lips. His kiss was so loving and delicate, she could feel all the comfort he was trying to give her in this kiss, but she felt really dejected. She returned the kiss and she suddenly started to cry against his shoulder.

"Oh Max… I’m not even good for motherhood…! Why did you marry me?!…"

He cupped her chin in his hand and made her look at him. Her poor face was now streaked with black mascara, and she truly looked like one of those sad mime figures.

"I married you because I love you with all my heart. I married you because I cannot imagine my life without you by my side. And I married you because you are a wonderful mother to our children."

"They are YOUR children Max… Not mine…"

"They are yours too… Motherhood is not only a physical question Fran… You needn’t worry about that anyway. The 3^rd millenium is next year, there are many ways to have children physically, other than the old way… It’s not that I don’t like it, but…" He smiled "We’ll have children together, I promise. We’ll do whatever is possible for that" He kissed her gently on the lips then stood up.

"And now my dear Mrs. Sheffield, what do you think of trying the old way once again?" He lifted her hand. She stood up sadly. So he lifted her in his arms and started ascending the stairs comforting her like a little girl…

The next morning, Fran got up very late. She came to the kitchen in her usual fancy robe and slippers, but her hair was unkempt, and she had not even put make up on her face.

Niles was startled when he saw her: he had never seen Fran but with make up first thing. She looked terrible. Mr. Sheffield had gone to the theater with C.C., It seemed that once again Niles was the one to win the pot… ‘So be it’ he thought, and he came to put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"What’s happening Fran…? You know you can tell me everything… Has something bad happened between you and Mr. Sheffield?"

"Nothing’s happened Niles, THAT’s the trouble…"

Niles took a deep breath.

"I thought everything was fine about that, I mean… According to the noise on… CERTAIN occasions…" he was quite uneasy with that…

Fran looked at him with a quizzical face.

"What are you talking about Niles?"

He made a face. She understood instantly.

"Ohh you’re talking about THAT… Of course it’s perfectly all right!… But… Well… It’s not SO perfect…" She sighed deeply "Niles, it seems I cannot have children…"

Niles felt relieved.

"Oh come on Fran… What are you talking about…!… Of course you can have children!… You’re young, you love the man you married, and he loves you back, what on earth could prevent you from having children?!"

"… My age… It’s no secret that I am not as young as I claim to be Niles and you know it… Oh God!… Why did he have to wait five years!… I could have had children if he’d married me right away!… Now I’m finished!… I’m too old!"

"Nah Fran… Come on… Stop telling you this!…"

"I’m not ‘telling me’ this Niles, I’m facing the truth… "

"All right, you’re sterile…"

"Niles!"

"That’s the ‘truth’ you’re facing isn’t it?"

"How could you say such horrible things to me!"

"That’s putting into real words what you said you were thinking, nothing more…"

Then the truth of it struck her brain.

"Ohh Niles… You’re right…"

He smiled: ‘now she was getting the absurdity of it!’

"… I’m sterile…!"

There he was really annoyed.

"FRAN!… I said that to show you how absurd your statement was!"

"No, you’re right… I’m sterile…! I’m no woman…!" with that, she burst out sobbing.

Niles hugged her.

"Fran… before you make such a statement, I suggest you go and see a doctor."

"That’s what Max said too, but I’m sure… A woman can sense these things…"

"Ah! See?… You’ve just said you are a woman!" he tried to make her laugh.

"Niles stop this!… I…"

"No YOU stop this…!" he interrupted her commanding. "I want you to stop this at once, do you hear me Fran?… Wait till Mr. Sheffield is back, I know he called the doctor this morning, I assume now that it was because of that. I want you to stop worrying prematurely. You don’t know anything about your fertility condition yet."

"I know I can’t have children…"

"Stop it!… Fran, I want you to promise me you stop thinking nonsense now…"

She sniffed, trying very hard to stop crying.

Niles cupped her chin with his fingers and smiled at her.

"There… Give me a smile…"

She looked at him sadly, and tried a weak smile.

"… Oh come on… You can do better than that…"

She smiled broadly.

"There!"

She sniffed. He offered her his handkerchief. She blew her nose and gave the handkerchief back to him. He hesitated. In other circumstances, he would have insisted that she kept it, but now… He took the handkerchief and discreetly put it in the basket of dirty clothes he was going to put in the washing machine.

"Now Fran, why don’t you go upstairs and get ready." He said gently.

"You’re right… thank you Niles…"

"Always on duty Mrs. Sheffield!"

She smiled and ascended the back stairs.

Niles went to the basement to the washing machine, then started preparing lunch, just as Mr. Sheffield and C.C. came back from the theater.

"C.C., why don’t you take the afternoon?… These backers we saw yesterday are not going to call us back before a week, everything is done at the theater, besides, I’ve got some personal business to do this afternoon…"

"… With nanny Fine?…"

"C.C.!"

"Sorry Maxwell, I was juste teasing… All right… I could do with a free afternoon… I won free beauty care, I’ll use it then…"

Niles entered at this precise moment.

"Yes, they thought it was time for you to stop frightening young children and they decided to give you a free lifting…"

"Very funny Benson…!… It’s lucky you’re stuck in there most of the time for they’d send the army chase Godzilla again if you went wandering along the streets too often!… Ha ha!"

Maxwell shook his head dejected.

"Won’t you two bloody stop a second!… Niles, where’s my wife?"

"I guess she’s upstairs Sir… Oh, by the way… might I have a word with you Sir?"

"Of course Niles… C.C.?… If you’ll excuse us…"

C.C. grabbed her purse.

"All right Maxwell, I’m going… See you tomorrow…"

With that, she exited the house.

Maxwell turned to his old friend.

"What’s up old man?"

"I’m worried about Mrs. Sheffield Sir… She… Well… She thinks she is sterile…"

"I know Niles… She’s got this silly idea because she’s not pregnant yet despite the frequency and the fact that we do not use contra…" He suddenly realized what he was saying to his butler. "Huh… Sorry Niles…"

"It’s all right Sir… You know, I've learned what happens between a man and a woman when they love each other before you did… Besides, you two are not really what we could call… Huh… Silent…"

"Hum… Yes… Hem… It’s just that… Well it was rather embarrassing…"

Niles interrupted.

"What do you plan to do?"

"Well I guess it’s obvious Niles. We’re going to see a doctor this afternoon…"

"Good… You know Sir… I hope it’s nothing… She was really depressed this morning…"

Maxwell headed towards the stairs.

"I’ll go comfort her then…"

"I'm sure you will!" Niles said with a knowing face.

"Mr. and Mrs. Sheffield?" Doctor Matthews called them.

Fran and Max stood up and headed for the opened door where he was standing. He closed the door behind them and went to sit behind his desk.

"Please, do sit down… So? Tell me what’s happening to you?"

"Well nothing… Nothing’s happening to us" Fran said sadly.

"Huh?… What do you mean ‘nothing’?"

"I cannot have a baby…"

"Now wait a minute lady… Who said you ‘cannot’ have a baby?… This is my job to answer this, and I don’t recall you came to ask me this question before today, so… Question mark so far okay?"

"Then how can you explain that we’ve been married 8 months, we’re having an extremely satisfying sex life, no contraception, and no baby…?"

"Fran!" Maxwell said as red as a tomato.

"All right, take it easy…" He took a deep breath "Let’s take things calmly shall we?… Mrs. Sheffield, first, you have to relax. Sometimes, having a baby is no big deal, some other times, it’s a bit more complicated. Mother nature may be a bit tricky sometimes… I'm going to ask you precise questions that need precise answers. With the answers you’ll both give me, we may have to go further with fertility tests or not. In any case, you’ve got to understand that you’re not going to make things easier by worrying, on the contrary…

Let’s start with you Mr. Sheffield… You already have children, haven’t you?"

"Indeed yes… 3…"

"You never had troubles when trying to make them?"

"No… Sarah (my deceased wife) was pregnant right away each time."

"Excuse me to ask you this question, but have you ever had physical troubles?"

"No!… Absolutely never!" He thought his cheeks were on fire.

"I need the truth Mr. Sheffield…"

"Then hear me well: I never had such troubles, and I'm not bragging…"

"All right. I didn’t mean to be offensive…"

Max relaxed a little.

"Now Mrs. Sheffield… Did you ever had troubles with your period?"

"No… Not even when I was young…"

"You’re sure?"

"Yes… The Fine women are… well just ‘fine’ about that…"

"Are there moments during your menstrual cycle when you feel pain, in your belly or in your breasts?"

"Well… As you know…"

"As I know what Mrs. Sheffield?… This might be important…"

"The first day is not always painless…"

"’Not always’?"

"Sometimes it is, sometimes it is not…"

"Alright… Except from this particular moment?"

"No…"

"Are they regular?"

"Every 30 days, yes."

"Okay… Apparently it seems everything is fine with you, but we’ll have a blood test to check your hormonal rate just in case… Now tell me… How often?"

"How often what?"

"I'm talking to both of you…"

"Oh… At least once a day…" Fran answered.

"Wow!… I must say you’re a lucky man Mr. Sheffield!" he tried to tease them. But of course, this had a disastrous effect on Maxwell who literally sank in his seat as red as a tomato again. "Okay… ‘just kidding… Then I'm afraid you’ll have to slow down a little…"

Fran looked at him with a quizzical look.

"Yes Mrs. Sheffield… It’s not so good to have so frequent relations when trying to have a baby… Now I want you two to listen to me very carefully… Let’s not get things complicated at first… Mrs. Sheffield, you will note the first day of your period very precisely, and you will note your body's temperature everyday from then on. We are going to try to determine if you ovulate at first. Come back to see me in three months with your curves. In the meantime, I'm sorry to ask you this, but try to slow down a bit… Men are not machines you see, and some special parts of the body have to rest a little in order to be at their maximum potential…"

"Three months doctor!… This sounds like an eternity!"

"You want to have a baby don’t you?"

"Yes but my biological clock…"

He interrupted her.

"Are you over forty?"

"No!"

"So you don’t need to worry about your biological clock yet…"

"But I’ll be forty in 3 years!" She stopped dead, realizing that she’d just confessed her true age to Maxwell.

He looked at her with a surprised but admiring look.

"Fran…!"

"I said it didn’t I?" She looked terrified at what she had just said.

"37!… Boy you truly look much younger my love!"

"Now you’re gonna dump me for a much younger woman I'm sure!"

"How can you imagine such things my love!… How could I dump you for a younger woman when I have the most beautiful and youngest wife in the world!"

"Ahem… I truly hate to interrupt you but.."

Fran and Max recalled they were at the doctor’s.

"So… In your case, it might take a little while before we’re sure you can have a baby. We need to determine precisely certain parameters, and we’ll do it step by step."

"Is it going to take long?"

"It might be a short while yes, but I'm telling you: don’t worry, we HAVE time…trust me…" He gave her a reassuring look.

"All right Doctor…" Max stood up and held his hand "we’ll see you in three months then…"

They were driving back to the mansion. Max had taken the Porsche. They kept silent a moment. Then Max grinned.

"37!… Well then there are only 6 years between you and I!… Oh Fran I'm so happy!"

"I'm not!… God I must have been really desperate to say that! I can’t believe I actually said it!"

They had stopped because of a red light. Max bent and gave her the most passionate kiss he had ever given her.

"You said it, I will treasure the secret, and I love you even more now that I know…"

She looked at him with a slightly worried look.

"How can you love me more now that you know I'm not young?!"

The light turned green.

"Well… Actually I was a bit worried about our age difference… I'd been wondering if one day you wouldn’t feel too young for me and go see younger men… I thought you were about 32-33 at most…"

"Really?"

"Yes… I won’t tell anybody, you have my promise…"

She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Oh Max, I love you so much…"

"I love you too…"

They had reached the mansion. Maxwell parked the car in the garage and they went to the kitchen. Niles was preparing milk for the children who were soon due to return from school.

"Everything’s fine Mr. and Mrs. Sheffield?"

"Yes Niles, thank you… Honey?…. Would you come to my office please?"

"Sure." Handing Niles her coat "Would you put that in the closet for me please Niles?"

"Of course…"

Max and Fran both headed for his office. He closed the door behind them and locked it. He joined her on the love seat.

"So… What do you think?"

"It can’t believe it’s gonna take that long…!"

"It’s not going to take ‘that long’ Fran, the doctor said we should go step by step. We have to go step by step to have a baby, so what?… I'm not as young as when I had Maggie, Brighton, or Gracie. I'm sure if we do exactly what the doctor said, it will work. Trust me."

"Oh Max, and what about this five days period between 2…?!… How are we going to handle this?!… How long will we have to do that!"

"All right, it’s a little bit annoying but look at the good side of it: if this little sacrifice means you’re sure to be pregnant then I see no problem here!" He gave her a peck on the lips and muttered "we can still catch up later…!"

"But we don’t even know if it means I'm gonna be pregnant!"

"There Fran… Let’s try at least the three coming months… Till your next appointment… Deal?"

"… Deal, but you’ll sure have to wear lousy pajamas and look awful because I really don’t know how I can manage to avoid touching this wonderful body of yours every night!"

"Tell me about it!… And how am I supposed to do if you wear these sexy things you go to bed with?… I know!… You should borrow one or two of your grand mother Yetta’s night gowns!"

Fran couldn’t help but smile.

"She can have pretty sexy things either you know!"

"Then choose the grey cotton ones!"

He kissed her and they got up.

Three months later, they went to see Dr. Matthews again. Fran gave him the curves she had drawn with her temperature measures.

"Thank you…" he studied them quickly "I have good news, you are apparently ovulating…This is one thing at least…"

"Thank God I'm normal!"

"I didn’t say that Mrs. Sheffield… I said you are apparently ovulating. I also have the results of your blood test, you have no hormonal imbalance, so APPARENTLY yes, you’re normal… But we may need to do further investigation… Now tell me… have you both done what I told you?"

"Yeah and it’s been hell!… When can we go back to… What we did before?"

"Take it easy Mrs. Sheffield… Take it easy… Nothing’s happened during that period?"

"No, nothing… You mean… We’ll have to do that until we can have a baby?!… And what if we cannot have a baby?!!" Fran asked frantically.

"Relax Mrs. Sheffield… I’ve just told you we might have to do further investigation… have you ever had an ultrasound scan?"

"No, I've never had children!"

"Ultrasound scan is not only used to survey pregnancy Mrs. Sheffield… I want you to have one. As everything seems normal, it might be an ovarian cyst…"

Max panicked.

"Is it serious Doctor?"

"Not at all Mr. Sheffield, it happens quite often, but it is usually of no consequence as they are the result of physiologic activity. However, sometimes, they get bigger than they should and it might prevent the woman from ovulating properly. All the parameters seem normal, but no actual ovulation…"

"And if it is the case?"

"We’ll remove it"

"How?!"

"Surgery."

"… And all will be back to normal then?… I mean, you’re sure she can have children then?"

"Nothing’s 100% Mr. Sheffield. But she might get more chances to have some… Given the time of course…"

"Given the time?!… What time?!… What does this mean?"

"It means Mrs. Sheffield, that your body has to readapt itself after the surgery, and it might take a few weeks, or a few months…"

"All right Doctor… So… If I understand well… My wife will have a scan, then if it shows a cyst, you’re going to remove it, then she might have children after some time. Am I correct?"

"Yes Mr. Sheffield."

"And if she doesn’t?"

The doctor sighed.

"I can’t answer that question now Mr. Sheffield. If she cannot have children by then we will see, but I cannot give you an answer now I'm sorry…"

Max looked at Fran who had been silent for a while.

"I think we should do it honey…"

"What other choice do I have anyway?"

Max turned to face Dr. Matthews again.

"Could it be me?"

"I don’t think so, given the fact that you already have 3 children. You told me nothing happened to you…"

"No…"

"If she has a cyst, if we remove it and it still doesn’t work, I may ask both of you to run other tests. Right now, I don’t think it is necessary. Tomorrow, you will have this scan, and we’ll know what to do next."

"Thank you Doctor"

They all stood up, Max shook the doctor’s hand and they exited.

Back to the house, Max took his wife’s coat and put his and hers in the closet. She went to sit on the couch and took her head in her hands. He came to sit next to her.

"Fran honey…"

She leaned on his shoulder and started crying softly. He ran his fingers through her dark curls and hugged her. He kissed the top of her head.

"Honey, you heard what the doctor said, there’s nothing to worry about."

"It’s not you Max!… I am the one who’s in trouble!"

"You’re not in trouble honey, besides, don’t you remember what marriage is all about?…"

"What Max?"

"Sharing everything, including problems… I'm telling you, you’re going to have this scan. If there’s a cyst, the doctor’s going to remove it, then we will work VERY hard to have a baby." He grinned roguishly and lifted her chin with his finger to make her look at him.

She gave him a weak smile. He kissed her slightly.

"Now sweetheart… I want you to take this VERY calmly… If you cannot have children on your own, and you still want to, we’ll try every way to have some. Yet I must warn you it may mean a lot of sacrifices and pain too… But I want you to know that whatever you choose, I’ll be by your side. I'm your husband, and I married you for better and for worse."

Hearing those loving words, she melted and snuggled up into his arms, murmuring softly:

"Maxwell Sheffield, you’re the most adorable man I've ever met, and I love you…"

He chuckled, kissing the top of her head.

"And I hope I’ll remain the only ‘most adorable man’ you will ever meet!"

The next day, after her scan, Fran and Max were seated in doctor Matthews office. After a short while, he entered the room with the results of the scan. He was smiling.

"Okay!… So now at least, we know where to look…!… Mrs. Sheffield, you do have a cyst nearly the size of a pigeon's egg!… No wonder you cannot have children with this, and it’s better you didn’t become pregnant anyway!"

Fran was as white as a sheet. Maxwell took her hand within his two.

"So?…"

"… So I’ll remove it next Wednesday… If it’s okay with you both…"

Maxwell looked at Fran expectantly. She nodded.

"All right then… next Wednesday…"

He had to tell C.C. She was working in his office. She felt something was wrong with Maxwell at once. He was rubbing his temples.

"C.C., you’ll have to take care of the meeting with the backers alone next Wednesday…"

"Maxwell!… How could I without you?!"

Maxwell looked at her not mystified a second.

"C.C., don’t play that game on me will you?… You should be happy and proud I trust you so much that I ask you to go alone…! Besides, Fran has to undergo surgery, and I want to be next to her then."

C.C. was suddenly more concerned than she’d expected.

"Is it serious?… I mean, I know she hasn’t been so well these past few weeks…"

"It’s not really serious, but it has to be done that’s all… All right, that’s not the point… So?… Do you feel you can actually go without me?"

"Of course Maxwell… I can manage that… Sorry for…"

"What?"

"… Huh…Nothing… Whatever…"

Niles entered carrying the afternoon tea at this moment. He put the tray on Maxwell’s desk, and started to pour a cup of tea. Then he poured the milk and offered the pot of sugar to Maxwell who took 1 spoon of sugar, and started to stir his tea. Then Niles took a small flask filled with some dark red liquid in his pocket. He took another cup poured some tea in it, and uncorked the flask meaning to pour the liquid into it.

"What are you doing with my tea butler boy?!"

Niles looked up, the opened flask still in his hand.

"I'm feeding you!"

She came closer.

"What?…!"

"Blood… Isn’t it what the likes of you are drinking to stay alive?"

Max looked skyward.

"Niles!"

"Yes Sir?"

"Out!"

He pulled an offended face and put the flask on the desk.

"As you wish Sir…!"

"Niles?!"

He stopped before the door.

"Yes Sir?"

Maxwell showed the flask.

"… And take this… Whatever… With you please!"

"Anyway Sir, it couldn’t hurt, it was mercurochrome…!"

Niles took the flask and exited, leaving Max rubbing his temples.

"Just what I needed!… A crazy butler and a childish associate…"

"CHILDISH?!" C.C. gasped.

Maxwell stood up in anger.

"Yes ‘childish’ C.C.!… You shouldn’t even discuss when I'm asking you to carry on business in my place! What are you my partner for?!… Oh enough of this now… I need some rest!"

With that, he exited his office, leaving C.C. dumbfounded. She sighed, grabbed her purse, and decided better to go home for today.

Maxwell went upstairs to see his wife. She was lying on their bed. He went to sit on the edge of the bed next to her and caressed her cheek.

"Feeling all right?"

"’trying hard to anyway" She answered with a weak smile.

He smiled and gave her a peck on the lips.

"It will soon be a bad memory my darling, believe me. I've asked C.C. to go to this meeting alone, and I’ll be with you."

"Max, I don’t want you to jeopardize your business because of me… I know this meeting means a lot to you…"

"Sweetheart… This meeting is only a meeting, there will be others. Besides, you mean a lot more to me than this meeting, full stop."

She smiled.

"I'm sure we’ll be able to have children then…"

"I’d like to have your confidence…"

"Fran…"

"All right… Everything’s gonna be all right… I don’t know why I'm complaining?… As long as you love me…!"

He went to lie beside her and hugged her silently.

He was pacing in the waiting room. He had bought magazines and newspapers but they were all still folded on the table. Doctor Matthews came in. Maxwell went to him for the news.

"So Doctor, how is she?"

The doctor smiled.

"She’s absolutely fine mister Sheffield. She’s recovering from her anesthesia, so you won’t be able to talk to her before a while. But the operation went well, we removed the cyst, and every other thing seems perfectly all right. Be patient, and I'm positive: you’ll have children!"

Maxwell smiled broadly and shook his hand.

"Can I see her?"

"Of course, but from behind a window till she gets out of intensive care, which should be in a few hours…"

"Thank you Doctor…!"

After a few hours, Fran was brought back to an individual room. Meanwhile, Maxwell had called C.C. to check about the meeting (which had gone fine as he had suspected), then home to give news to an anxious Niles, and worried children. He also told his butler that he would spend the night by Fran’s bed so it was useless waiting for him.

Maxwell watched his sleeping wife with love and tenderness. She truly looked like an angel. Her delicate features circled with black curls. She had eye-liner even in her hospital bed. She had thought of that first thing before going to the hospital… That was a good sign though, he thought. He smiled and couldn’t resist caressing her cheek with one finger. How had he managed to deny his feelings for her so long? He loved her so much, and everyday more.

He remembered his reaction when she had first told him she wanted children. How could he react like that?!… He couldn’t imagine life with Fran without at least a child from her. Yes his children loved their new step-mother as if she had been their own mother, but it was not her and his blood … Yes… It will be a blessing if Fran… No, WHEN Fran would become pregnant with his child.

Fran moaned, and slowly, her eyelids flickered.

"… Mmmm…. Max?…"

"I'm here my darling… You want something?"

"A glass of water would be perfect…"

He went to the sink and filled a glass with water. He helped her drink it.

"How do you feel?"

"… Dizzy… For the moment I feel okay… But I can sense a sore pain in the bottom of my belly beginning to arise…"

"Do you want me to ask for a nurse?"

"No… No… I can stand it… I just hope it’s not gonna be more painful." She sighed heavily. "Max I just hope this is going to be worth the trouble, because I ain’t gonna do that everyday…!"

"May I remind you that delivering a baby is not less painful?" He teased her with a gentle tone.

"Tell me about it later. For the moment, I'm just trying to get my mind off this present suffering…"

"I love you so Fran… You are very brave, and I'm proud of you…"

"Thanks…" With that, she fell back into unconsciousness.

Max rearranged the sheets up to her chin and settled back in his armchair. He soon fell asleep too.

Some time later, Fran groaned loudly, her back arched, drops of perspiration all over her forehead. Maxwell was startled and frantically, began to ring the nurse.

"Fran honey, hold on, I called the nurse…"

"It’s easy for you to say that!… Ahhh!… Oh God!… If I had known!…"

The nurse came in.

"Shh shh… Calm down Mrs. Sheffield" She injected something in the perfusion, and Fran fell back on her bed almost instantly in a deep sleep.

"Is this pain really necessary?" Max asked the nurse.

"Not that it is necessary Mr. Sheffield, but it’s normal… This part of women’s bodies is most sensitive to pain. It is gonna last a few days…"

"Good God! Dr. Matthews never said that to us!"

"Would it have changed anything?… A cyst’s not dangerous, but it HAS to be removed anyway, and believe me, the sooner the better because it gets more painful with age…"

Max returned to his wife’s side uttering a soft sigh.

Three days passed. Fran spent most of the time in drug induced sleep, but little by little though, she felt better, and needed much less pain killer injections.

It was early morning. She opened her eyes. Her husband was still there. Maxwell had barely returned home to change clothes and check up work with C.C. The doctor had told him he could perfectly go home, that his wife didn’t need his presence, but he could not bear leaving her one minute. Even if he knew her life was absolutely not in danger.

He was above the washbasin, splashing his face with fresh water.

"Hi…!" She said in a sleepy voice.

He turned around and smiled broadly.

"Hello…!" He came next to her bed. "So Fran Sheffield?… How do you feel today?"

"Mmmm?… Much better I think… I feel some kind of heaviness, but the pain seems to be all gone… Actually… I could use with a big breakfast!"

He smiled broadly again.

"Ahh!… I like the sound of that!…"

Dr. Matthews came in.

"So Mrs. Sheffield?… How are you feeling this morning?…"

"Much better…"

"Fine!… Then, you are ready to go home… Of course, rest is rule number one…" He cocked an eyebrow. "You understand Mrs. Sheffield?… R.E.S.T.!"

"Of course Doc!… No problem!…"

"I trust you to watch her Mr. Sheffield…"

"You can doctor… Ahem…" he stood up and came next to the doctor. He spoke with a low tone. "When do you think we can er… start all over again?"

"I said ‘rest’ first Mr. Sheffield… it is really important. It has been a painful operation, and now, her organs need to find their way back to normality… It will take a little time… Maybe you can ‘start all over again’ in a month time… As soon as she doesn’t feel pain or heaviness anymore… But don’t push her Mr. Sheffield… It is very important."

"I won’t Doctor, don’t worry…"

Fran was happy to return home, and so were the kids. They were all so worried about her that they acted as if she was porcelain, and complied her every needs.

At first she was quite pleased with this situation, but it soon became intolerable… She couldn’t even go to the toilets alone! Niles, or Maxwell would come and take her to the door then help her back to the couch, the bed or whatever! When she wanted a glass of orange juice or water, one of the kids would command her to remain where she was and go for her drink. She was going nuts!…

Now it had been almost a month since she’d returned from the hospital. She decided it was time for them to stop treating her like that. So when she came in the kitchen this morning, she was happy to find almost everyone there breakfasting except for Max.

"Hi everybody!"

She was dressed as usual with fancy robe and slippers, and… make up…! She went to the refrigerator and opened the door. Niles rushed to take the bottle of orange juice for her, but she stopped him.

"Enough Niles!"… I'm perfectly all right, in fact I've never been so well in my entire life so stop it!… I'm not a porcelain doll."

"But the doctor said…"

"The doctor didn’t say I had to rest for my entire life! I'm fine I’m telling you!… And it’s the same for you kids!… I wouldn’t mind you helping me from time to time, like before, but enough of these (mimicking a child’s voice) ‘I’ll get it for you Fran’, ‘I’ll do it for you Fran’, ‘Just rest Fran’,… I'm through resting!… Okay everybody?!"

With that, she took a glass, poured orange juice in it, and drank it in one gulp before almost smashing the glass down on the counter.

"… Besides… This is full of vitamins…!" She headed for the backstairs to her room to get dressed.

Niles and the kids looked at each other a bit dumbfounded… Indeed ‘Miss Fine’ was back…!

Fran went through her wardrobe to choose a nice outfit to wear… She tried one, didn’t like her image in the mirror, tried another, but it didn’t look good to her either. She sighed and sat on the edge of the bed with her elbows on her knees and her hands cupping her chin. Then suddenly she stood up and started to take every thing she had in her closet, and to drop the clothes on the bed, the floor, the armchairs,… When she had finished, the room looked like Loehmann’s on a sales day. She looked over the mess and picked one top here, one skirt there,… Happy with what she had finally chosen, she went to the bathroom and started dressing. She had just finished when she heard a loud gasp.

"What’s this mess!!!" came from their room.

She appeared on the doorstep and saw her husband rolling incredulous eyes towards what he had thought was his… Their bedroom…

"Fran?… What… What is this all about?!"

"Oh I needed to choose something to wear and I couldn’t find a damn thing in the closet so… I just…"

"… You just transformed our room in a bloody mess!!!… Fran!… Who’s supposed to clean this now?!… You know what the doctor said, you need REST, and I need Niles for much more important things than cleaning your mess!"

"Maxwell…"

"Lord Fran! Can’t you…"

She interrupted him.

"MAXWELL !…"

He stopped and looked at her.

"Maxwell, I'm FINE. I don’t think I need to rest all day long anymore. Don’t worry, I won’t exhaust myself either, but I'm through doing nothing else but resting. I'm perfectly alright, I'm not in pain, I just feel like I'm the old Fran again… Well… The YOUNG Fran again…"

He could not help but smile.

"I’ll clean it sweetheart… And it’ll take no time, you’ll see…"

"Mmmm… I doubt this…" he sighed "All right…"

"By the way… What were you up to?"

"Mmmm?… Oh, just checking if everything was all right… But I see it is so…" he turned towards the hallway. "… Back to work…!" He stepped in the corridor.

"Wait!"

She jumped over the clothes and went to give him a peck on the cheek.

"’hope YOU’ve been resting too…!" She murmured in his ear. Then she looked at him and winked.

He grinned.

"Don’t you think it’s too soon?"

"TOO SOON?!… Maxwell Sheffield, your batteries‘d better be fully loaded tonight!…"

He knew he’d better not reply, chuckled, and went downstairs.

Fran remained alone. She put her wrists on her hips, looked at the clothes spread all over the floor, and started gathering them.

Some time later, Fran came in the kitchen. Niles was preparing lunch.

"Ah Niles… Don’t count us for dinner tonight…"

"Oh?… And why is that?"

"Niles!… Don’t you remember?… What day are we?"

"Thursday…"

"[sigh] No… What DATE are we?…

"May 13^th 199… Ooh!… Yes of course!… Sorry I had forgotten!"

"Yeah, that is an understatement…"

He winked.

"Where are you taking him?"

"You mean where is HE taking me?… The Hilton… But he doesn’t know yet…!"

"And how are you going to manage that?… Oh wait!… I don’t want to know…"

She chuckled.

"I suppose we’ll see you both tomorrow morning then…"

"As usual Niles!" She teased him.

Niles raised his eyebrows.

"Oh Niles, it’s our first year, it’s not THAT exceptional, I could have thought of something much trickier don’t you think?!"

He grinned.

"Yes, you’re making progress Mrs. Sheffield…!"

She slapped him on the arm playfully.

She went to her husband’s office.

He was reading some contracts, C.C. was sitting on the couch, talking.

"… Maxwell I think we should hire this guy, I mean, he is really good… Ah!… Nanny Fine… How are you?"

Fran was about to retort to ‘Nanny Fine’, but she was so surprised C.C. had asked how she was that her comment stopped half way.

"Huh… Fine thank you…"

"You need something honey?"

"Yes, I need to talk to you… Miss Babcock, could you leave us alone one moment please?…"

"Huh?… Oh…!… Well… Okay, I’ll go and ask Niles for a cup of coffee… see you later…!"

C.C. exited the office. Fran went to sit on the edge of Max’s desk.

"Now darling… What’s up with you?… Did you finish cleaning our room?"

"What?… Oh yes of course…!… That’s not why I came though…"

"I know why you came…"

"Oh?… And why?"

"… Because you couldn’t resist me giving you a kiss…" with that, he stood up and gave her a passionate kiss. "Happy anniversary Mrs. Sheffield…"

She slapped him on the chest playfully.

"You hadn’t forgotten!"

He sit down smiling.

"How could I ever forget this wonderful date?!… So… Where am I supposed to take you tonight?"

"… The Hilton." she said, pulling a face.

"The Hilton?… Wasn’t that the ‘Michael Bolton hotel’?…"

"Yes…!" She smiled and winked. "I thought that could be the occasion to… 'pick up where we had left'..."

He got her idea and looked down shyly, recalling that special night, and how much he had desired her before she swelled like a balloon… And even then too…

"… ‘ can’t wait for tonight…!"

She got off the desk and gave him a peck on the lips.

"I’ll get your tranquilizer…" She headed for the door. "… Miss Babcock?…" and off she was.

Maxwell shook his head looking skyward, and got back to his work.

In the evening, they both descended the stairs. Maxwell had offered his elbow to his wife. He wore a black suit with a quite flashy blue tie Fran had offered him a while before. Fran was dressed in a long and tight black dress, her bare shoulders covered with a purple silk shawl. Her hair were artistically pulled up and curled locks fell toward her shoulders. Niles was downstairs, waiting to drive them to the Hilton. When he saw them like that he was almost breathless, and could not help thinking ‘My God, they really belong one to the other!… They look gorgeous!’. He smiled and led them to the Limo.

They had dinner over a table lighted with candles. They spoke of many different subjects, forgetting their surroundings, just focusing on one another, at peace at last. The past months had been trying for Fran, and Max in his own way had been quite worried too. They were not sure yet the problem was actually solved, but they had decided to be optimistic and to take the things as easily as they could. After all, hadn’t Dr. Matthews told them that the least they worried the more chances they would put on their side?…

They hadn’t even noticed they had reached their room. Maxwell shut the door behind them, hanging the ‘DO NOT DISTURB’ sign on the door knob.

No word was spoken.

In the dim light, Maxwell slowly and sensuously took his wife’s dress off.

Her hands unbuttoned his shirt and loosened his tie.

He lifted her in his arms, pressing her almost naked body against his bare chest, and he carried her to the bed, covering her with the sheets. He soon joined her, and started caressing gently every curve of her body… It seemed to him they hadn’t made love for so long… Besides, he didn’t want to hurt her. He acted almost clumsily, touching her so slowly and so delicately, he was hardly feeling her skin under his fingers.

"So Mr. Sheffield… Do you think it was worth the trouble…?" she breathed.

"I don’t know if it was worth the trouble, but it certainly was worth waiting Miss Fine…" He murmured back teasing her.

They stopped talking, and then, only soft moans could be heard…

A bit later, they were lying in the dark. Fran had her head on his chest, and he had his right arms around her shoulder.

"I've got an idea…" She said.

"Huh?… What?"

"What do you say?… Why don't we go and make love in everyplace we almost did before you finally committed?…"

"What do you mean exactly?"

"Well… Paris, London, the Caribbean's,…"

"We've already been to the Caribbean's Fran…"

"All right… Except from that…"

"I don't know Fran…" He chuckled. "That may mean a LOT of places and I'm not sure I have that much time!" He teased her.

She smiled in the dark and caressed his chest with one finger.

"I thought it might be an interesting way to catch up…!"

He pulled her atop to make her look at him.

"Let's make a deal… As soon as you get pregnant, we'll work on that idea of yours VERY seriously all right?… I'm not against travelling with you anywhere, and making love to you anywhere you want, but we've still got this bloody five days delay to stick to remember?"

She sighed.

"Yeah… I know…"

"So?… Deal?"

"Deal!"

Fran walked in Max’s office and went to sit on her usual spot. She was smiling broadly. Max took his glasses off and looked at her expectantly.

"So?… What did Dr Matthews say about your condition?… Everything’s all right?"

"Oy!… I think we can say that, yes…!…"

Maxwell didn’t understand her at once.

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

"It means you've got to go and pack now, for we're going to Paris tomorrow, and it's only a beginning… Daddy!"

Maxwell was agape.

She burst out laughing.

"Yes!!!… You see?… Having a baby’s no big deal after all…!"

Maxwell stood up. He threw his arms around his wife and hugged her spinning, and laughing like a school boy, Fran’s legs sending various items which were on the desk flying all over the room…

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