Quick little disclaimer: The phrase on the bottom of the midwife's plaque... is from another fic by someone else... I don't remember who... but I borrowed it... please forgive me.
Here we go!!
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The next day Willow found herself nervously fidgeting in one of the chairs facing Dr. Gulliver’s desk inside her office. The previous day’s Scooby research time had met an abrupt end when Joseph twisted his ankle while playing Tarzan on the climbing rope in the training room. Tara was in the other chair watching her wife go through the various levels of anxiety as they waited for the doctor to join them. After several moments the blonde finally took Willow’s hand in her own, holding it tenderly. The hacker looked up into her love’s eyes and found nothing there but warmth and support. Willow allowed herself to smile timidly in return.
“Do you th—“ Willow started but was cut off by Dr. Gulliver’s abrupt entrance into the room.
“Sorry to keep you waiting”, she said, moving swiftly from the door to the chair behind her large desk, setting down a patient folder as she sat. “Busy today.”
“Oh, that’s okay, Doctor”, Willow said, trying to find her bearings.
“Okay”, Dr. Gulliver chuckled, “Now I know you’re nervous because you just called me by my title and not my name.”
“Sorry… Renee”, the redhead amended. She and Tara had been patients of the OB/GYN almost since the beginning of their marriage. Renee insisted that anyone she had known that long should be able to set formalities aside and work together on a first name basis.
“Now that we’ve got that out of the way”, Renee continued, “let’s skip ahead to the meat and potatoes. Tara, do you know the reason Willow has asked you to join her here today?”
“Yes”, Tara answered quickly, then hesitated, “I mean… I think so. It is just that she’s pregnant… right?” The blonde threw a worried glance in Willow’s direction only to see her lover nodding a vigorous affirmative.
“That’s right”, the doctor confirmed, “Given Willow’s reaction to her condition this last visit, I wasn’t exactly sure whether or not she would have told you. I’m glad to see that she has. It certainly puts my mind at ease on several points.”
The blonde continued to watch her wife, noting the sudden defeatist slump in her shoulders. Tara swiftly recognized what Dr. Gulliver was insinuating on Willow’s part, and moved to deflect.
“Oh”, she said with her best look of humorous surprise, “You thought this wasn’t planned.”
“Don’t misunderstand, Tara”, Renee tried to explain.
“No, no”, the blonde continued, “Willow was just surprised you see…uh… because we had been trying to get pregnant…er…using the methods we had before for Emily… and since with me we had known so quickly that I was pregnant… when we didn’t know right away with Will… we assumed it didn’t take… so naturally when she found out that it had, it was a…”
“Surprise”, Willow finished.
“I see”, Dr. Gulliver replied, her eyes narrowing a little. “Please forgive me for asking… but exactly what ‘methods’ have you been using? I still don’t know the details behind Emily’s conception and I am equally lost with this new pregnancy. Not to mention mildly hurt that for the second time you two have sought outside help from a… friend? Physician? Clinic? Essentially behind my back. Without a word or a hint that you might be looking to have a child in the first place.”
“Dr. Gulliver”, Tara countered, “I’m sorry, but it’s really none of your business. I can understand your curiosity, but your feeling hurt or betrayed by us is vastly unwarranted. You know that I myself prefer holistic methods over western medicine and if we, as a couple, choose to adopt those methods in the conception of our children than that is our decision.”
“You are absolutely right”, Renee agreed, although she was still confused as she didn’t know of any holistic techniques for artificial insemination. “I’m sorry. Forgive me my little outburst. Shall we continue?”
“No.” Willow stated softly.
“Will?” Tara queried.
“No, I want to go home.”
“Willow, I am sorry if I inferred anything”, Dr. Gulliver offered, “You and Tara are my best patients. I care about you both. I just wanted to make sure that everything was alright between the two of you.”
“I just want to go”, Willow said again, a little more adamantly.
“Baby, are you not feeling well?” Tara turned back to Renee, “She’s been having a lot of trouble with morning sickness.” She explained.
“She should get started on prenatal vitamins”, Renee suggested, “Also having ginger snaps or saltines around is a good idea.”
“No, I’m fine”, the redhead insisted. “I just want to go.” Willow started to rise from her seat.
“Okay, we’ll go”, Tara soothed, trying to calm her lover down, as she stood also.
“Before you leave”, the doctor cut in quickly, opening her desk drawer and pulling out a business card, handing it to Tara, “take this. It’s for a midwife here in town. Given Willow’s first examination I have no reason to believe that this shouldn’t be a normal pregnancy, but it’s best to continue to see… someone… throughout. Even if it isn’t me.”
“Thank you, Renee”, Tara answered, tucking the card into her pocket while moving to the door of the office, trying to catch up with the hastily retreating redhead. “We’ll be in touch.” And with that they were out the door.
Tara caught up with Willow in the parking lot. “Will”, she called out, jogging up to her wife. The girl was unresponsive. “Will!” She tried again, gently grasping the hacker’s arm and pulling her to a stop. Willow looked up into Tara’s eyes. “What happened back there?” The blonde asked.
“She thinks I cheated on you, Tara.” Willow explained, her expression sullen. “She thinks I cheated on you… with a guy.”
“It doesn’t matter what she thinks…”
“I just couldn’t sit in there knowing that every time I come here I’d have to deal with her thinking that”, the redhead carried on, tears starting to form behind her eyes, “doesn’t she know that I’d never do that to you? Can’t she see how much I love you? I must be doing something wrong if she can’t see that…”
“Darling”, Tara pacified, pulling her wife into her arms. “If she can’t see it then she must be blind… But I see it and that’s all that matters.”
“God”, Willow grumbled to the air, “I really hate these stupid mood swings!” Tara couldn’t help herself and chuckled in response, holding Willow even more tightly. “I mean”, the hacker continued, “Look at me… I’m all blubber-y.” Willow paused, a horrifying realization suddenly dawning on her. “And soon I’m gonna be all blubbery.” This made her cry even harder. Fortunately, this time Tara managed to suppress her laughter. She knew that despite her lover’s modest demeanor about herself, she was really quite proud of her lithe figure and losing that, even temporarily, had to be a difficult notion to bear. “Will you still love me when I’m fat?” Willow sobbed into Tara’s shoulder.
“Honey”, Tara assured, pulling back to look Willow in the eye, “If something happened and tomorrow you woke up as the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal I would still love you. And besides, you won’t be fat, you’ll be pregnant… and you aren’t the only one who finds pregnant women sexy.” She added with a raise of her eyebrow and a return of her lopsided grin.
“Not women”, Willow sniffled, playfully indignant, “Woman. I found one pregnant woman sexy.”
“Just like I find one pregnant woman incredibly sexy”, Tara smiled, “right now.”
“Right now?” Willow squeaked. “Like ‘right now’ right now?”
“Like twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week ‘right now’.” The blonde clarified. She waited a moment for Willow to absorb this before switching gears. “So, do you want to check out this midwife?”
“Right now?” Willow squeaked again.
“Well, not this second”, Tara illuminated, “But before Emily gets out of school.”
“But… you… with the… sexy…and the…24/7…but… why not tomorrow”, the hacker stammered out.
“Because we made time for this today”, the Wiccan went on, pulling out the business card to look at it. “And maybe we’ll get lucky and she won’t be that busy. I’m kind of curious to meet this… Janna Wintersend”, she said, reading, “Especially if Dr. Gulliver recommended her.”
“But—“
“Will, Renee is right. You’re going to need some sort of medical supervision. It’s the safe thing to do… for both of you.”
Willow let out a long and beaten sigh. “So where is this midwife?”
“According to this business card she’s down the street and around the corner from the Magic Box”, Tara explained.
“How come we never noticed before?”
“I don’t know… maybe she’s new in town”, Tara offered.
“I don’t like it”, Willow tut-tutted, “Sounds fishy.”
“Let’s investigate before we condemn”, the blonde stated firmly. “C’mon, she’s just a little ways away.”
Willow finally nodded her assent and the two of them made their way through the tree lined streets of Sunnydale and over to the center of town, which wasn’t so tree lined. IT didn’t take them long to find the small office space that the midwife occupied. The outside of the place was plain, the only indication of what was inside was a small, delicately carved plaque that read:
Janna Wintersend, ARNP, CNM
Licensed Midwife
Enter only if ye be a creature of light…
“I guess this place is invitation only”, Willow stated, looking amusedly at her wife.
“Well, childbirth doesn’t always run on a set schedule.” Tara surmised, “She must occasionally keep odd hours.”
They tried the door and, finding it open, wandered inside. The waiting area was slightly bare, but homey none-the-less. The small receptionist’s desk was empty of its charge. Willow and Tara glanced about, a little confused and unsure what to do next. Should they wait or come back later? Was anyone even here at all?
As if on cue, a familiar voice permeated the air from the back office. “Ah, I was wondering when you’d arrive”, the midwife said, stepping forward into the waiting room. “I’ve been expecting you.”
“You”, Willow gasped.
“Me”, Ghaena smiled.
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TBC....
Edited by: DarkWiccan at: 6/12/02 6:08:22 pm
lol
That just struck me as really funny that she would know that reference. 
at: 6/10/02 11:48:44 pm
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Thanks