Closed A Bump in the Road

Claudia Holland

Former MoM | Mother of Five | Compassionate
 
Messages
233
OOC First Name
Daphne
Blood Status
Mixed Blood
Relationship Status
Married
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Wand
Knotted 11 Inch Flexible Laurel Wand with Kelpie Hair Core
Age
10/2007 (54)
Set in August 2048
The world was quiet, and Claudia sat alone in her darkened bedroom. Times where she wasn't busy with one thing or another were increasingly rare, but she felt anything but peaceful right now. Her head was in her hands as her thoughts raced. How had she missed the signs? It was true that she had been too busy to even eat sometimes, but she had thought she would have still recognized the signs. It had just been so unexpected. Claudia, and James too, had thought that time of their lives had been over. Their oldest child was an adult for Merlin's sake. A pregnancy hadn't been in the plans at this stage of their lives, especially not with Claudia's current duties as Minister. What were they going to do? What would James want? What did she want? But it wasn't just their opinions that mattered. Claudia was in the middle of so many things, and so many people depended on her. Would she be able to add a pregnancy to that? What worried her even more was what would come after. When Rose had been born, Claudia had given up her career to raise her children. That wasn't an option now, and even if it was, Claudia didn't want to do that. Could she be a good mother to a young child along with being minister? Would James want to take a larger part of the burden? Claudia didn't know, and all the unanswered questions were pressing down on her. It was almost laughable that this had happened. They were married adults with careers, with four teenage daughters. This sort of thing didn't happen to them, but maybe that was the precise line of thinking that had caused them to be careless.
 
Where once moments of peace had been a rare thing in James's life, they had become all too common over the last year. All of their children were away having adventures at Hogwarts, and Claudia's campaign was over. She had buckled down to the hard work of being minister now, and James was adjusting to life as the minister's husband, a quiet life in an often empty home. There was a kind of value in the quiet, plenty of time to catch up on reading, but James still found himself aching for the company of the ones he loved, and treasuring the moments they got together. James had eaten dinner alone tonight, Claudia arriving back just as he was finished, and he had insisted she go up and get ready for bed while he clean up. She looked exhausted, and dishes was at least one burden James could bear for her, even if he couldn't help with the burdens of her work.

Entering their bedroom though, James' heart broke to see that Claudia looked not just tired, but upset. Setting aside the hopes he had had for a comfortable evening together, James crossed the bedroom and sat next to her, gently resting one hand on his wife's shoulder. "Is it something you can talk about?" He asked softly, wishing he could lift the weight of the nation from her shoulders, just for the night.
 
Claudia tensed as James stepped into the room, which was not her usual reaction to her husband's presence. She hated hiding things from him or lying, but in this case she almost wished she could at least keep it to herself a little longer. But she knew she couldn't. It was reality, and they had to face it together. So when he sat next to her on the bed, Claudia's head turned to him. She let out a smal laugh at his words, though it wasn't a happy sound. "It's something we have to talk about." She said, looking away again. She was silent for a long moment before she managed to utter the words she knew she needed to say. "I'm pregnant." Her voice was quiet, but clear.
 
Last edited:
Two words James had never expected to hear from his wife again. I'm pregnant. Their youngest child was a teenager now, growing up before their eyes, and James had thought the part of their life involving babies well and truly behind them. For a moment the thought of a child's laughter filling their empty home warmed his heart, but James had to push those thoughts aside. He couldn't get attached. "What do you want to do?" He asked seriously, wiping the shock from his face. James couldn't imagine how much his wife was going through right now, and he knew she would already have thought the situation through from a dozen angles he could never fully understand. "I'm here for you, whatever we do." He reached down, taking Claudia's hand, and gave a gentle squeeze.
 
Claudia couldn't keep her eyes averted from her husband for very long, and when she looked at him she saw his surprise and shock, but not much else. What was he thinking about? He had always been happy with the news in the past, even when the pregnancies had come closer together than they had planned, but would the same be the case now? She shook her head when James asked her what she wanted to do. That was the problem, she didn't know. Maybe she knew what she wanted deep down, but she didn't know if it was possible. "Don't leave the decision only up to me. If we do this, you'll... you'll have to do a lot." She said hesitantly. "I can't give up my job." The 'and you could' was unspoken but clearly present, and Claudia felt guilty instantly. She lowered her eyes.
 
If there was one person in the world James could read, it was his wife, and he knew she felt the same about him. Claudia knew how excited James had been about her previous pregnancies, so when she asked his opinion, James knew what she was asking for. He shook his head firmly when she continued, squeezing her hand. "But I can." He said firmly. "If you want to do this, I'll drop everything I can't work on from home." He chuckled softly. "I'm long overdue a turn as the one staying home anyway." James met Claudia's eyes, not wanting to let himself get excited until he was sure what she wanted. "If we're going to do this, I'll do whatever you need me to."
 
Claudia hadn't realized how nervous she had been about James' answer until she felt her shoulders sag in relief at his words. She couldn't have asked that of him, but if he was willing to offer she also couldn't say no. She leaned against him, her head on his shoulder. "If you're sure..." She said hesitantly. "Then... I want to do this." She glanced at him. "I believe the past minister had a child during his years in office, though he didn't have to carry it." She gave James a bit of a wry smile. "Can't you do that for me?" She asked him jokingly, though the smile faded off her face as she gazed at the wall for a moment. "One would think that at age forty and as the leader of the magical world, you would stop caring about what other people would think," she said softly, her hand drifting to her abdomen. "But that's what I keep focusing on, what the people in opposition of me, or perhaps even a woman in office, will say." She shook her head, smiling a little. "Even if I'm not the first, nor the last leader to do this." She glanced at James. "But when I try to forget all that and think about what I really want... I've already found myself imagining the future with the baby." She admitted softly.
 
It had been hard not to let himself hope, and the second Claudia said she wanted the same thing he did, James felt his whole body relax, allowing a grin to spread onto his face. "Wow..." He said softly, finally letting thoughts of the future enter his mind. There was a lot he regretted missing with his older children, as he had been too busy with work to be there for a lot of important moments, and the thought of getting to be a stay at home dad this time filled him with joy. He laughed softly at Claudia's joke, squeezing her hand. "Would if I could." He said softly, pressing a kiss to her cheek. His smile faded though as Claudia went on, and James squeezed her hand again, meeting her eyes. "Whatever they say will be temporary." He said gently. "What will be permanent will be the memory of a powerful woman leading a country through her pregnancy, with grace and strength. Other world leaders have governed while pregnant, and you'll be adding your name to a list of incredible women. It'll be one of your marks on history." He smiled warmly. "And the other permanent side will be a new baby." James added softly, glancing down to the hand on her stomach. He smiled warmly when Claudia talked about the future, glad he wasn't the only one envisioning that now. "Little tiny clothes again..." He said softly, letting himself daydream. "First steps, crayon drawings." James laughed softly. "I'll have to think of another nickname..."
 
It was amazing how James could put everything in perspective for Claudia, and how his words could reassure her no matter what. She laughed softly when he said he would carry their child if he could, and she knew he meant it. She leaned on him a little, feeling like she needed his support both mentally and physically now. "You're right." She said softly. "It sounds so logical when you say it, but I'm still afraid of disappointing people." She hesitated. "Or... disappointing our baby, by being so busy." She added, which was an even bigger worry. But James' words about the baby made her smile, and she could picture it easily. "The girls could help out, I think they would enjoy doting on a little sibling... they are all so close in age, we never really had that." She said softly, her voice wistful. "Do you think we'll finally have a boy?" Somewhere in this conversation, Claudia had made her decision. The baby was real in her mind, and she knew she would keep it even if it wouldn't be easy.
 
When Claudia leaned against him James released her hand gently, putting his arm around her instead and holding her against him gently. He listened as she spoke, nodding. He knew nothing he could say would take away the impact of the criticism she faced, but he hoped he could at least be here for her. His heart sank at the second thing she said, and James shook his head firmly. "You'll be making a better world for our baby. There's no better gift you could give." He said gently. "And you'll be here when you can. The baby will know you love them, and you're working hard for their future. We'll make sure of that." James sighed softly. "It was... hard for me with the girls, knowing the things I was missing while I was at work, but we were able to balance things then, and we can do it again now. None of the girls are disappointed in me for working, and the new baby won't be disappointed in you." He shifted his hand to gently join Claudia's on her stomach, smiling as he pictured the girls meeting the new baby. "I think they would like that." He said warmly. James chuckled when she brought up the baby's gender, smiling as he thought about it. "Maybe. It would be an interesting change. Whatever the case though, we'll give them all the love in the world."
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top