Chapter Ten: Theory Of Relativity

Alyssa sighed as she flipped through the magazine waiting for the photographer to show up. “Angel how does this whole thing work?” She asked truly confused as to how a photoshoot was conducted. Sure she’d had one before with Lori but that had been different, it was for a present for Nick so there wasn’t much pressure at least not as much as posing for a men’s magazine. It made it that much harder on Alyssa, having no experience with the world of entertainment and all it’s trappings and complexities.

Angel grinned and gave her a hug, “It’s easy I’ll go first you just gotta feel sexy and channel that.”

Alyssa snickered at her, “I’m pregnant I don’t feel all that sexy. Hell I’m a little over 8 weeks right now and I’m showing.”

“Not that much at least you can’t really tell, there’s not discernable baby bump so they won’t have to airbrush you.”

“Oh they won’t airbrush me, I told them not to that I’d only do it if they didn’t.”

“Well they have to slightly with the lighting and such but I don’t think they would do too much to either of us, we’re too cute.” She replied giggling a little.

Five hours later…

“Ok Alyssa turn a little to your left…perfect!” The photographer shouted as he snapped another picture.

Alyssa grinned inwardly groaned, “I can’t believe Nick talked me into this.” She said to Leslie who was standing right by her.

Leslie giggled, “Yeah but he’ll enjoy the major eye candy if you go home all made up.”

“True…” Alyssa muttered back as she moved a little bit. The whole thing seemed a bit ridiculous to her do this, do that. Alyssa flip your hair over your shoulder. Leslie look a little more pouty. It almost made her want to crack up. A few more shots and the photographer took a break and the girls sighed.

Alyssa walked over and grabbed a drink from the craft services table dying for a glass of water for what seemed like the last hour but was really only about 20 minutes. She liked that they’d given her as well as Leslie a tasteful one piece bathing suit to wear. Both of them were extremely shy about their bodies. “Alyssa…?” The photographer asked calling her over.

“You rang?” She said with a snarky grin.

The photographer grinned back almost kind of liking how sarcastic Alyssa was being about the whole thing. “Now honey, I know you’re not famous and want nothing to do with this…”

“But?” Alyssa added.

He opened his mouth but at the last moment decided to say something different. “You’re not like most models…”

“I’m not a model, I’m a professor at UCLA.”

The man looked at her in disbelief wondering just how someone that beautiful could have such a mundane job. “Well, either way I like you. You’re spunky.”

Alyssa snickered slightly hearing the slight lisp in the man’s voice. “By any chance are you…you know?”

“A Judy Garland fan? Of course! Now let’s make you into the hottest professor at UCLA.” He announced making her laugh a little.

Alyssa giggled and got into the whole modeling thing willing to do whatever the photographer had in mind.

Late that night…

They collapsed against each other in a sweaty heap against the sheets. Alyssa giggled a little sighed in relief. “I love this…”

Nick breathed deeply as he relaxed into the bed. “Love what?” He asked turning his head slightly to look over at her. He grinned seeing her lay there with a grin on her face and a light sheen of sweat all over her skin.

She closed her eyes momentarily to sigh slightly then turned on her side and trailed her fingers on his arm. “Just the way we are…we’re just so completely happy right now.”

“Yeah but that’s going to change.”

Alyssa gave him an odd look, “What do you mean?”

“Ali we’re going to have a baby, we’re not even going to have much energy to even sit in the same room” Nick explained. “I remember when my parents were having Leslie, or even Aaron and Angel and it’s really hard on a relationship.”

“Yeah?” She replied feeling scared at his words. “But we’re not them, we’re not…”

“Don’t say it…I know what you’re gonna say…” He replied hating the fact that his parents didn’t love each other. Sometimes as he looked back it didn’t seem as if they ever did.

“I know, and I’m sorry lover but it’s true. We love each other, that’s whats going to keep us together throughout everything. I love and trust you.”

He sighed and pulled her body to him and kissed her slowly. He hated talking about the possibilities the future may hold. Especially the negative ones. It scared him deep down, the thought of not being with her. She’d come to be so much more than his best friend the past 2 years, to the point where life without her was unfathomable.

She broke away momentarily and kissed his forehead. “Promise me something?”

“What?” He asked curiously.

“That we’ll always make time for each other?”

“I promise baby.” He said kissing her again.

Two days later…

“Alyssa you seem to be coming along nicely.” Dr. Petrarch smiled at Alyssa and Nick.

“That’s great.” Alyssa grinned back, “I started pregnancy yoga too, it’s been helping deal with the chaos at home.” Nick sighed glad that everything’s been going okay. “Besides I have help at home too, Nick’s been like pregnancy nazi over here.” She joked making Nick blush a little.

“That’s good, though, you really should be taking it easy have you let your superiors at the school know?”

“Not yet but I’m meeting with Jennifer and Helen over lunch tomorrow.”

Dr. Petrarch nodded and slid to Alyssa’s side on her chair. “Okay now we should be able to hear the baby’s heart beat a little bit better than last week since you’re ten weeks now.” She said as Alyssa lifted up her shirt and the doctor squirted some gel on to her tummy then smoothed it around with a plastic receiver. Alyssa giggled a little since her stomach was so sensitive both of them looked up to the screen where the ultrasound’s picture was displayed. “Now that’s the baby’s head. And there are the feet.” She said pointing out certain areas on the fuzzy white screen. “It’s too early to tell the baby’s sex yet, but that should be defined with in the next couple of weeks or so. Have you decided whether you want to know yet?”

Nick didn’t tear his eyes away from the screen as he heard the loud noise coming from the monitor. “What is that sound.”

“That’s your baby’s heart beating, it sounds distorted just because we’re so far away from it.” She explained.

Alyssa looked at him and smiled, “Feels real now doesn’t it?”

Nick nodded getting slightly choked up just at the thought that he’d helped create life. “That’s amazing….” He said as they finished up.

“It makes the fact that you’re a parent all the more real doesn’t it?” Dr. Petrarch replied. “Now the only thing we have to worry about is that the baby’s heart beat is a bit irregular now there are thousands of baby’s born everyday with an irregular heart beat, but I would like to run some tests once you’re farther along if this persists just to make sure you’ll have a healthy little one.” She explained making them get worried looks. “Really it’s common for the baby to have an irregular beat, and there’s nothing to worry about. The tests are merely a precaution we do.”

Alyssa nodded, “What are the chances of having a baby with a heart defect?”

“There are always risks, but you’re looking right now at less than ten percent. Really right now there’s no defect from what I have seen and I’ve delivered over 5,000 children. So far you have a very healthy baby.” She assured.

Nick nodded feeling more confident that their child would be healthy, “I’m glad.”

“Oh yes, so I want to see you next week, since it’s weekly appointments and in two weeks or so we’ll be about to tell if you’re having a boy or girl. Any ideas of what you might be hoping for.”

“I love to have a daughter…” Nick replied, “But honestly I just want the baby to be healthy.”

“Good way to look at it, are you two still sexually active?”

Alyssa smirked, “For the most part yes, when we have time and the privacy.”

“Well you’ll be able to have sex until the third trimester, you can still have sex in the last 3 months of pregnancy but I would definitely recommend using a condom just to avoid any and all chance of infection. Even the healthiest of people can still give their loved one an infection by exchanging bodily fluids, and that’s not exclusive to saliva. And after birth I wouldn’t suggest it for the first two weeks, but after that you should be all healed.”

Alyssa and Nick both nodded taking in everything. “So, pretty much it’s be careful and don’t do what doesn’t feel right?”

“Yes pretty much.”

Late that night…

“God I’m hungry!” Alyssa exclaimed rummaging through the refridgerator.

Nick trudged into the kitchen rubbing his eyes. “Babe it’s 1:30…”

Alyssa looked up, “I’m dying for some frozen pizza, and tomatoes with salt and pepper on them.”

Nick grinned, “Okay, we’re out of those, do you want me to go to the store?”

Alyssa sighed, “The only place that’s open is Wal-Mart and that’s like 20 minutes away.”

“So? Let’s go and you can get whatever you’re craving.”

“Really, anything?”

“Yep.” He said pulling on a pair of sweats and an oversized shirt.

Alyssa giggled and got dressed giddy that she was going to be able to satisfy her immense cravings. Ever since she’d gotten pregnant she’d had the oddest and most random of foods. “Ohh we should get some nutella and swedish fish!” She exclaimed as they walked out to his car. About a half an hour later Nick found himself walking through Wal-mart as Alyssa would randomly walk up and drop something into the cart.

He chuckled at her selections of fresh fruit and then frozen pizza, nutella, then an assortment of candies and frozen yogurt. “Don’t go too overboard now babe.” He reasoned knowing that he’d end up having some of this himself. He’d noticed lately that he didn’t feel as healthy as he used to be back in the early days. Even trying to play a game of basketball was almost too physically taxing for him.

Alyssa caught the pensive expression on his face as she tossed a package of double stuffed mint oreos into the cart. “What?”

He looked up and noticed the cameras had been following them around the store. “Just maybe go easy on the junk food.” He said trying to start slow.

“So says the junk food king…” Alyssa retorted jokingly making him wince at her words. Alyssa saw the pained expression on his face momentarily, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” He replied avoiding her question. She gave him a skeptical look but let it go and headed off to walk about the store idlely. After walking for another five minutes Nick found himself in the toy department where he heard Alyssa giggling emanating from one of the aisles. He walked over and saw her swirling a hula hoop around her hips and giggling like a five-year-old. He watched her loving the expression on her face.

Alyssa looked over and giggled seeing Nick there and stopped letting the hula hoop fall. “I love this thing I used to have one when I was little.” She remarked putting it back on the display.

“So what are you doing in the toy department?” Nick asked wrapping his arms around her waist kissed her forehead.

She grinned up at him, “A birthday present for Jamie, his birthday is coming soon.”

“In like a month!”

“Three weeks.” Alyssa corrected. “Besides he’s my lil munchkin I gotta spoil him.”

Nick shook his head and kissed her slowly just wanting to revel in the moment of complete normalcy.