Chapter 437 - 316: Pregnant
When Paige Summers slowly came to, she found her hand held tightly. Marcus Monroe was sitting by the bed, looking at her with a complex expression.
"You... What’s with that expression?" She cleared her throat, which was incredibly dry.
Instead of answering, Marcus Monroe quickly got a cup of water and helped her drink. After settling her back down, he slowly asked, "How are you feeling now?"
"Feeling?" Paige Summers moved her arm. "I should be fine, just a little weak. By the way, why did I suddenly pass out? Was it because of what happened before..."
"No," Marcus Monroe interrupted her. "You—you’re pregnant!"
"What did you say?!" Paige Summers shot up, startling Marcus Monroe, who hurriedly steadied her.
Only then did Paige Summers realize his movements were much gentler than usual. It was as if he was treating her like a glass doll that would shatter with the slightest force.
’But, pregnant... This is so sudden!’
Marcus Monroe took the opportunity to pull her gently into his arms. After a long moment, he sighed in frustration. "I should have noticed sooner. You’ve been a little off lately. But I thought it was nothing serious. I never would have guessed that... that you were pregnant! You absolutely can’t get worked up, or exert yourself, or overthink things. Sean Raines said... he said the baby is fine for now, but if we keep on not taking this seriously, problems could definitely arise! So, no matter what, you can’t..."
Listening to his rambling, Paige Summers’s mind was a complete mess.
’Now that he mentioned it, my period *is* late. But ever since my body started returning to normal, that whole business has been irregular—sometimes it comes, sometimes it doesn’t—so I never thought anything of it.’
’Also, if they can already tell I’m pregnant, I must be at least a month along. In that case... doesn’t that mean it happened right when I got back to the base?’
She marveled at the thought.
’This kid is so resilient!’
’My body hadn’t even fully recovered back then, but he was already here!’
’And this whole time, I’ve been run off my feet, busy with work during the day, and at night with Marcus...’
’Oh my god! Oh my god!’
She abruptly pushed Marcus Monroe away, cutting off his rambling. "Is the baby really okay? Healthy?"
Marcus Monroe looked at her panicked face for a long moment, then a slow smile spread across his own. He nodded. "Yeah. Sean Raines says he’s doing great, but we have to be really careful from now on!"
Paige Summers let out a sigh of relief, raising a hand to her lower abdomen. "We’re actually having a baby..."
"Yeah," Marcus Monroe said, gently placing his hand on her abdomen as well. ’The baby was still as tiny as a bean sprout, yet it felt as if he could already feel him—the pulse of a new life!’
’He’d never imagined he would one day be a father.’
Ever since the apocalypse began, the birth rate had been dropping year after year.
It was the same all across Astoria.
The prosperity of the past, when new lives were born every minute of every day, was gone.
For ordinary people, the harsh living conditions made it extremely difficult for women to conceive. And while Superpower Users might have relatively better living conditions, they also struggled to have children—perhaps because of the changes their bodies had undergone.
The Governors in Central City were certainly worried about this; everyone felt that if things continued this way, they might one day face the threat of extinction.
But no one had the power to change the situation.
’He used to think he didn’t care about the future, or about having kids.’
’Meeting Paige Summers, finding the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with—that was already more than he could have asked for. But when he found out she was actually pregnant... the excitement and disbelief were simply indescribable!’
’In nine months, he was going to be a dad?!’
’He couldn’t help but picture a fair, soft, delicate little baby, and his heart began to pound.’
He suddenly placed both hands on Paige Summers’s shoulders, creating a little distance between them. Looking her straight in the eyes, he seriously repeated what she hadn’t taken in before. "From now on, you can’t run, you can’t jump, and you definitely can’t use your superpower! Understand? You have to eat two bowls of rice and more than two servings of food at every meal. And get nine hours of sleep! All your work is to be delegated to others! You can use your mouth, but absolutely not your hands!"
The corner of Paige Summers’s mouth twitched. His words instantly deflated half her joy and anticipation.
"That’s a bit much, don’t you think..."
Marcus Monroe said sternly, "How is it a bit much! Why do you think you passed out? It’s because you weren’t careful before! If you don’t want something to happen to the baby or yourself, you have to listen to me! And don’t even think about feigning compliance. I’ll be watching you every second!"
Paige Summers sighed. "You know, I think you’re forgetting something."
"What?"
Paige Summers raised an eyebrow. "The situation in Southreach. You’re not going to say that we should just ignore it because I’m pregnant, are you?"
Marcus Monroe froze.
’Looks like... I really did forget.’
’Ignoring it was definitely not an option, but...’
Just as the two were staring at each other, there was a knock on the door, followed by Lucian’s voice. "Can we come in?"
Paige Summers glanced at the still-dazed Marcus Monroe, then turned to the door and called out, "Come in."
Lucian and Sean Raines walked in, both smiling.
The moment he entered, Lucian started wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Congrats, congrats! Congratulations on finally bearing fruit!"
"PFFT!" Paige Summers sputtered with laughter. "What kind of congratulations is that!"
’Aren’t people supposed to say things like ’wishing you a healthy baby’ or ’here’s to the next generation’?’
Lucian threw up his hands and sat down in a nearby chair. "I’m not well-practiced in this area, what can I say? You’re the first person I know to get pregnant. Besides, you know I’ve always seen you as one of the guys. The fact that you can get pregnant has finally corrected my misguided views... or should I just say ’congrats to me too’?"
"’Congrats to you too’ my ass! What the hell does this have to do with you?!"
Sean Raines cleared his throat and cut in, "Watch your language! Ever heard of prenatal education? How can you be so crude in front of the baby!"
Paige Summers pursed her lips, a little chagrined.
’Right, that’s a thing. I guess I really will have to be more careful in the future!’
Lucian gave Marcus Monroe a strange look, then turned and asked in a low voice, "What’s... what’s up with him?"
Paige Summers glanced at the man who was still off in his own world and gave him a nudge. "Lucian’s here. Shouldn’t you have something to discuss with him?"
Marcus Monroe snapped out of it. Seeing Lucian, he immediately nodded and said gravely, "Right! You, come with me. I have something to discuss with you."
"Oh, okay."
The two men left quickly. Sean Raines sat down by the bed, smiling. "The Southreach situation?"
Paige Summers shrugged. "Yep. He must really hate Leo Joyce right now." If there wasn’t trouble in Southreach, Marcus Monroe could have stayed at the base with her without any worries, but alas...
Sean Raines nodded in understanding. "Well, it’s unavoidable that you can’t go, but he absolutely has to. You’re taking it quite well, though. I thought I was going to have to spend an hour talking you down."
Paige Summers smiled faintly. "I know how to prioritize. It’s a bit of a shame I can’t join in on the fun, but the baby comes first now!"
’Besides, no matter how much of a ruckus those people cause, it won’t affect Bloodfall Base for a while. If I let the baby come to harm because of some uncertain possibility, it just wouldn’t be worth it!’
’This is my child with Marcus, after all!’