For the first time in months, I'm actually scared for my life.
I don't know why, I just woke up this morning, the day I was supposed to get a screening for my foal, and I felt fearful of my own life. I noticed Button was not at my side, I find a little note on the pillow.
Sweetie Belle,
I'm sorry that this was so last minute, but I needed to run several errands, so I can't attend the screening. I'll see you in a couple of hours.
-Button
I get out of bed and get ready for the appointment, marking the calendar before I leave, 'One day closer to a foal' I think to myself. I head towards the office, growing more and more anxious as I take steps further. My head keeps filling with terrible unthinkable thoughts, no matter how many times I convince myself nothing bad will happen. I took the pills as instructed, I even had to get another bottle last week, I just hope I've done enough for my foal.
Only, what if it won't survive? Or it's not healthy, or it won't live for a long time after it's born? I dismiss the thought, knowing that the wound should've healed by now, or at least almost completely by now, there's no evidence that it will cause any physical damage.
'But what if something goes wrong during the delivery? Or something else happens to my foal that may injure it? The mare said it was worse than expected, maybe it still could cause physical damage.' A little voice in my head says. It doesn't take long until I bump into a nurse that I realize I'm in the hospital.
"Oh, sorry, I guess my head wasn't in the right place." I blush. The mare chuckles.
"It's quite alright dear, it's natural to feel this worried. This is your first time after all, come on, let's go sign you in." she comforts. I smile thankfully.
"Thank you." I say.
I fill out the paper work and wait in the waiting room, until my name is called.
"Sweetie Belle?" A different pegasus nurse calls out. I stand and walk past her. I smile when I see the doctor and nurse by the machine. I lay down and they immediately set to work. The doctor tries to keep small conversation as she rubs the warm salve on my stomach.
"Nice to see your showing." she smiles as the nurse fiddles with the machine.
"I'm glad you noticed," I say.
"Funny," The nurse inserts. "most of the mares I worked with hate it, I never understood why."
"I don't either." I say. We keep talking for a while until my doctor has a good image of my foal. I gasp at it's little unmistakable features. I saw four tiny hooves and a head. I look at it with happy tears in my eyes. The nurse smiles at the pictures.
"What a beautiful foal."
I smile in glee, happy tears in my eyes. The doctor presses a button and the image is printed out. I levitate it to my face, and cry once more as I look at my foal.
"I love you so much." I whisper. The doctor wastes no time telling me about the health.
"Sweetie Belle I'm happy to tell you that you have a healthy foal, but," I look up as she looks down. "I'm afraid the chance the both of you will live is still small."
I open the door to see Sweetie Belle on the floor, asleep on a pillow she set out. I smile as I shut the door behind me as quietly as possible. I lay down next to her, seeing she was rousing. Her eyes opened to find me, and I had to hold in my laughter at how she jumped with her hair on end.
"That wasn't funny!" she angrily scowls, which eventually turns into a smile itself.
"Sorry Sweetie, I couldn't resist, you look so cute when you're asleep." I teased.
"Oh shut up." she pushes me to the side, causing me to fall over. "Oh my gosh! I'm sorry are you ok?" she worriedly asks as I sit up.
"I'm fine."
"I guess I lost control of my own strength there. I didn't mean to push you over like that." she says.
"Don't worry about it, I'm just wondering where you got your strength." I say as I milk it a bit and rub the arm she punched. She answers with a roll of her eyes and a simple statement.
"I guess It's pregnancy strength, yesterday Apple Bloom came over while you were visiting you brother, and she was crying and saying she didn't mean to crack the side of the barn when Applejack and Big Mac wouldn't let her do anything." she explains.
"Then there's Scootaloo, when she visited the Wonderbolts during training to replace Spitfire, she pushed a male pegasus off of the cloud when he took note that she was showing." My eyes widen in shock.
"You mean she just pushed him out of anger?"
"No, she pushed him to strengthen his reflexes, he was new and Spitfire made it a tradition to do so to new recruits when they weren't looking." she implied.
"Wow." is all I can say. Eventually we talk about something else. "How was the screening?"
She takes out a picture and shows it to me. It takes me a second to realize that it's our foal. I smile at the picture.
She looks at me happily, her eyes glassy, I'll never get used to the beautiful green color. I then remember my errand and rush to retrieve it,
"What's going on? Is everything okay?" she asks in alarm.
"Yep, I just wanted to get this." I pull out the box.
"You know Hearth's Warming was like three weeks ago right?" she jokes.
"Yeah, but my mom wanted me to clean out the house with her, and when we finished, she gave me this. I lay down again and give the box to her. She takes off the top lid and gasps at what's inside.
"I can't believe it." she says. She pulls out the gift and examines it. "It's exactly how I remember it."
"I just thought that we could give it to our foal you know," I suggest.
"You are so sweet Button, you know that, you charming little knight." I blush and look down sheepishly.
"Oh it was nothing." I say. We take out the scrapbook and camera and take pictures of the gift, and stick the photos in the scrapbook.
Later that night, as we climb into bed, both of us exhausted from the long day, I place the present on the night stand. 'Good to see you again old friend.' I say as I set my propeller hat on the nightstand.