The Royal Heir - The Valtoria Diaries 2

Little knocks and bumps

"Well, we certainly knocked Olivia's royal pardon off this morning's front page," Maxwell quipped, flicking through the pages of the Daily Apple where he sat by Jen's bedside in her private hospital room. "Ouch, it doesn't get a mention until page seven."

"Crazy to think how quickly the papers can respond to stuff like this," sighed Jen, gazing at the headline that was screaming at her, "HEIR SCARE", accompanied by a photograph of their burned-out car. Mercifully, no photographs of her at the scene had appeared anywhere yet.

The door opened and Dr Ramirez came back into the room. She was smiling. "How are you feeling now, Jen?"

"Better for a little sleep," she explained. On arriving here late last night, she'd known she wouldn't be able to rest until they knew for sure that everything was okay with the baby. Although she could still feel kicks, she'd taken quite a few knocks in the accident, and it was the only thing she could think about.

Having Dr Ramirez here when they'd arrived at the hospital had been unbelievably comforting, and having another scan had been reassuring for two reasons, obviously to confirm no damage had been done, but also to confirm there was no need for continuing concern after their distressing test results earlier in the pregnancy. This baby was looking perfectly well. The only problem was he or she hadn't quite got into position yet.

Once they'd had the scan, Dr Ramirez had agreed to report back to Rick on their behalf. They'd speak to him later today, but at least he already knew that everything was okay.

"Well, you'll feel even better for a little more sleep," Dr Ramirez said, sitting down on the other side of Jen's bed to Maxwell. "I thought I'd just check in on the three of you again before I head back to Cordonia, but it really is important that you rest now, Jen. Any more little knocks and bumps could bring on labour."

Maxwell pulled a face. "We really want to get to full term, little blossom. Little bean's more likely to live a healthy life that way."

"Absolutely," Dr Ramirez said. "Their chances of chronic health issues are much lower." Her face grew more serious. "We'll get you in for another scan in a week or two, but as you saw last night, baby's position is a little bit awkward at the moment. He or she still has plenty of time to turn, but if you were to go into labour suddenly, it's imperative that you make sure you have medical assistance at the scene."

"Even though we're planning a natural birth?" Jen asked, a little concerned at Dr Ramirez's tone.

"Yes. Your labour is likely to trigger another syncopal episode, like the one you had yesterday after the crash. That can be dangerous for baby in itself, especially if baby isn't engaged and ready."

"Can we still have a home birth?" Maxwell asked.

"We'll need to assess nearer the time, but all being well, that should still be possible, so long as you have a birthing professional with you. I'm prepared to stay in Valtoria for the last few weeks so I can be close to hand." Dr Ramirez turned to Maxwell. "So, Daddy, you'll have to finish your book tour on your own, I'm afraid. Mommy needs to put her feet up at home for the next few weeks."

Maxwell looked a little uneasy, but took Jen's hand. She gave it a squeeze. "You don't need me there anyway. You owned that crowd last night, and you know it." She then turned back to the doctor. "There is one thing though... the Last Apple Ball..."

"That is three weeks away, I believe?" Dr Ramirez appeared to refer to some notes. "You'll be thirty-six weeks?"

"Sounds about right," Maxwell said.