Prelude

“I’m afraid the position remains unchanged, Mrs. Kennedy,” the doctor said apologetically as he studied the image on the screen.

Ada sighed, her diaphragm moving up and down, causing the image to shift just a bit. “You did say there was a slim chance that it would right itself at this point in time.”

Behind the doctor, Leon sat with his hands clasped and his eyebrows were fraught with worry upon looking at the image. He had fervently hoped that it did not have to come down to this but it seemed he had no choice but to accept it.

“Indeed. As I advised you previously, surgery will be your next best option. Since you scheduled it a week ago, we shall proceed with it this Sunday. Remember, no food or water 8 hours prior to that.” He switched off the machine and wiped off the residual gel on his patient’s skin.

Ada nodded; pulling her shirt down to be more modestly attired and slowly pushed her body off the bed. She could feel Arthur’s head pushing against her ribcage and this simple task was making her feel winded with each passing day. Thank goodness it would be all over soon.

“Thank you, doc,” Leon said and quickly walked over to help his wife sit up, giving a kiss on her forehead for good measure.  There was a faint smile on her lips as he did so. She squeezed his hand and set her swollen feet on the hardwood floor.

The doctor opened the door and ushered the couple out. “Just take it easy for the rest of the week, Mrs. Kennedy. You will see your son very soon.”

All this talk about relaxing was easier said than done when the other party was not going through all her bodily aches and pains. As well intentioned and experienced the gynaecologist was with breeched patients, Ada wished he could say something else lest she punched him in the face from annoyance. Yes, he was taking care of her and Arthur but his bedside manners could use some work.

Sensing his wife’s rather dark mood, Leon rubbed circles on her back and guided her to the receptionist to pay for this week’s visit. He knew first hand to never piss off an expecting woman.

————-

“Tomorrow is the day, beautiful.” Leon whispered and held Ada in his arms to keep her as comfortable as possible.

She toyed with his fingers, skimming the back of his hand with her touch before lacing them together. “Mm hmm. I look forward to having the constant pressure off my bladder for good,” Ada replied jokingly and stared at the crib located on the other side of the room. Their family of two would become three and in a few days when they would bring Arthur home, they would hear nothing but the coos and cries of him.

“We’ll be alright.” The blonde said in return and rubbed her swollen belly with his free hand. He felt his son move in response, making Ada grunt.

“Like father, like son… Keeping me up at night,” she quipped dryly and Leon moved his hand away before responding in mock horror. “You did not just suggest that Arthur keeps you up doing those kinds of activities.”

“I do have a penis within my womb after all.”

It seemed her sarcastic humour was still strong and showed no signs of abating.

He chuckled, pulling the covers over them both to change the subject. “Get some sleep, gorgeous. You’re getting delirious with fatigue.”

Ada nodded, yawning at the mention of the word sleep before closing her eyes. The world of dreams came to her easily in the last trimester. Leon on the other hand, was apprehensive about the new arrival.

Would everything be alright? Would his son be healthy? Would Ada be fine?

All that worrying yielded no concrete answers for him. Being a government agent had taught him that they could not police everything and prevent negative outcomes from happening. They could only act on the present and hoped it led to a better future. Leon Kennedy could only relax and wait for the much anticipated surgery to be over.

————-

They were all outfitted in gowns and shower caps in the sterile operating room. All eyes were on her, or rather, on the lower half of her body as they prepped their equipment and monitored her vitals. Regional anaesthesia had been administered along with laughing gas and Ada was totally relaxed despite being examined like a guinea pig.

Leon sat on a chair behind her head, holding one of her hands while gently massaging her scalp to soothe her. Not that she needed it but it was a habit he had picked up in the last few months.

“You have such lovely blue eyes, handsome. Did I ever tell you that?” Ada murmured as she looked up at him dreamily with a smile. “I hope Arthur has the same blue eyes.”

The blonde was weirded out by his wife’s odd behaviour. Perhaps the laughing gas was doing its work? “Yes, beautiful. I hope Arthur has your wit and smarts too.”

“I’m making the first incision now after disinfecting your skin, Mrs. Kennedy,” the doctor called out from the other end of the operating table and Ada replied in a slightly surprised tone, “Already? That’s quick.”

“Shh. Let the doctor do his job, beautiful.” Leon shushed her politely and pressed his lips against her temple.

Ada did as she was told and the couple enjoyed their last few quiet minutes together as the medical team performed the Caesarean with steadfast concentration and precision, cutting open the uterus to partially expose the slumbering infant.

“He’s blonde,” the doc said and another obstetrician gently pulled out the babe. The Kennedy couple heard Arthur wail upon exposure to the air but just then, Ada’s monitor began to beep erratically.

Her grip slackened and her eyes rolled up, startling Leon. “Ada??”

“Get the father out of here!” The doc shouted and there was a flurry of activity as a nurse tugged on Leon’s arm and nudged his waist, forcing him to release his hold on his spouse. He tried to look back, to catch a glimpse of his son and spouse but the medical team surrounded Ada, blocking his view. He could hear Arthur still crying his lungs out but he could not see his newborn at all.

The doors slammed shut behind Leon and he tried to resist the nurse’s firm grip on him but for some unknown reason, he allowed himself to be dragged away from the OR. He had left his future to the hands of the doctors inside.

He was not a praying man but upon being ushered into Ada’s suite where she would have spent the night recovering, Leon sank down to his knees and clasped his hands together. The blonde willed himself not to cry and channelled his thoughts to an unseen higher being for the first time in years.

Leon Kennedy just wanted his wife to be alright.