Life=Unpredictable

Chapter Four

I groaned as I stopped throwing up. It's been weeks and the morning sickness hasn't gone away. Kix said it was normal for pregnant people to experience morning sickness in the first trimester; I just hope it goes away soon. I looked at the Chrono clock to see it was 6:15 am. I heaved a sigh and rubbed my forehead before slowly standing up. Usually, I had no problem getting up early since I'm a soldier, but recent developments have made my body change the way it works and also made me an emotional mess.

I flushed the toilet and walked to the sink to brush my teeth. Once I got rid of the awful taste in my mouth, I splashed cold water on my face to wake myself up. Looking into the mirror, I caught the sight of my bump; I smiled a bit. The bump had been slowly growing over the past few weeks. It was slow, but I could see the progress. I was now in my third month, which meant I would soon need to stop going into the field.

I opened my cabinet and grabbed my prenatal and nausea pills.

I was so grateful Kix managed to get them for me. At first, I questioned it because it would look suspicious for a clone to ask for pregnancy pills, but being a medic, Kix could get away with basically anything that had to do with medicine. When it arrived, Kix worked with someone to keep the costs from getting leaked to the Jedi. He, Fives, and Echo have been the best so far. I still haven't told Cody, which honestly is not my fault. Both of us are in different fleets, and while we sometimes do see each other on joined missions, we never really get to see one another. I just hope I'll be able to tell him soon before I'm out of commission.

I took the pills and swallowed them with some water. Once that was done, I walked out to my room to put on my blacks. Kix also managed to get blacks that appeared one-size-fits-all, but they were extremely elastic. He also got modified stomach armor that would conceal the bump but made to not be too tight and hurt the baby. I remember crying in his arms for 20 minutes when he gave them to me because I was so happy; damn hormones...

I put my blacks on and gave my stomach a gentle pat before slowly putting on my armor. I smoothly put the stomach armor on and grabbed my helmet before leaving my quarters. Instead of going to the mess like all the others onboard this ship, I headed toward the med-bay for the monthly check up Kix made me do. Not only that, but he gives me food that's healthy for me and the baby while also helping my nausea, unlike the usual mesh.

I entered the med-bay to see Kix was already set up. He looked up at me and smiled, "You're here. Good." I just huffed and sat on the bed. 

"Just get this over with," I snapped. I didn't mean to be rude towards him, but my hormones made me especially agitated today. By the looks of it, though, Kix wasn't affected by the harsh tone. I guess since he's a medic, he's already prepared for this sort of stuff.

He walked up to me with the bottle of gel. 

"So how's the armor fit?" He asked.

I replied, "Better. It's not as tight and I can move around easier." 

He smiled contently, "That's good. Now, take off only the top part of your armor and blacks." I nodded and complied with his order. Once my whole upper body was exposed, I laid back to let him do his job. 

Kix observed at my stomach and nodded approvingly, "Looks like the baby is developing nicely." A small smile appeared on my face as I nodded. He did some of the usual things: he tested my blood pressure, asked if I was taking my pills, and made sure all my vitals were normal. After doing all of that, he applied the gel onto my stomach; I flinched at the sudden chill before relaxing. He grabbed the wand and pressed it to my stomach. My brown eyes watched as he moved the device around, searching for the baby.

He stopped at one point and let out a wide smile. "See that small dot right there? That's your baby," His finger pointed to a small figure on the screen. I could only nod, unable to find words; there were no words I could find that would describe how it felt to stare at the kid growing inside me. I found myself tearing up at the 3D image of the child inside me. 

"Can we find out the gender?" I questioned, but Kix shook his head. "Not at the moment. It's too early At around four to five months we'll be able to find out," he explained. 

I then asked, "Is it healthy?" 

He laughed at my questions before saying, "How's this for an answer?" He pressed a button, and soon the whole room was filled with the beating of a heart.

Now the tears were free. My baby was alive and well; I wish Cody were here to see this...

I sniffed and wiped my tears. "C-Can I have a copy of that?" I stuttered out. Kix nodded and grabbed a holodisk and transferred the picture and heartbeat to it before giving it to me. "Thank you," I said with gratitude. He patted my shoulder in a silent 'you're welcome' and cleaned the gel up before turning off the machine and storing it away. I got up and put my blacks and armor on. 

"Kix, I never asked before, but how did you get an ultrasound machine in the first place?" I chuckled throughout the question.

Kix laughed in return. "I have it so I could detect the sources of any pain or illness in the abdomen. A few clones now and then come in complaining, so I have it around. Also, it's not just an ultrasound machine, but a mini X-Ray machine too." I nodded. That made sense.

Kix came out with a tray of food and set it at the table I moved to. "Now eat up. You have a briefing in 30 minutes about the mission." I happily obliged to that order.

---

I was on the bridge talking to General Skywalker about a mission to stop Separatists from invading Naboo. Right now, we were discussing positions of where we would be. "Alright Rex, you'll need to divide your men into five sections. One will be here, hidden in the trees. The second will be further back by the river. The third up here on the wall. The fourth and fifth will be by the tanks. You will be up front with us, along with ARC Trooper Fives and ARC Trooper Echo." Internally, I was excited to see Fives and Echo again. I haven't been able to see them all month since they became ARC Troopers.

He then reminded, "Remember, we are not going to destroy the locals' homes. So try to keep the fight away from the village." I nodded. "Yes, sir." "Alright Rex, go gather your men and meet us at the hanger in 30 minutes." I saluted before leaving the bridge to the barracks.

While walking I heard light footsteps run toward me. I looked to find Ahsoka next to me. "Hey, Rex," She greeted. 

I smiled at her and greeted back, "Hello, Commander. What's up?" 

She shrugged halfheartedly, "Nothing, just checking up on you. Are you okay?" 

I raised an eyebrow at her in question, "Of course I'm okay. What made you think I'm not?" She bit her lip and looked down, "It's just...you've been acting strange lately." 

"How so?" I asked, silently thanking the gods for not stuttering. 

"I haven't seen you in the mess hall for a month. You're always going to the med-bay. Also, you've been gaining a little weight." Commander Tano listed, causing me to freeze and look at her. 

I wondered, "How would you know about my weight?" 

"It may not be noticeable to anyone else, but I can see the extra few pounds," she retorted. 

I gulped before putting my helmet on and excusing myself, "I'm sorry, Commander, but I must gather my men. I can assure you I am perfectly alright. See you on the gunship." I quickly walked off, ignoring the aggravated look she gave at my back.