"Beatrix Frayne, what on earth do you think you're doing?" Jim’s green eyes blazed with anger as he strode out the wide verandah doors of their home.

"I’m shopping." She announced not even bothering to look at a very irate husband coming towards her.

"No you’re mowing the lawn." He came up to her and switched of the lawn mower.

"Well dah." Trixie placed her hands on her hips. Why does my husband always have to state the obvious, of course I was mowing the lawn, did he really think I was shopping? "Men can be so stupid" she muttered under her breath.

"If you wanted the lawn mowed you should have told me and I would have done it." He stated ignoring her comment. "How could you be so irresponsible as to try and mow the lawn." He took of his jacket and flung it onto the outdoor table before forcibly removing the mower from Trixie’s hands.

"I was not being irresponsible." Trixie defended herself starting to get angrier at each word her husband spoke.

"Not irresponsible?" Jim laughed derisively. "You have mowed the entire grounds of Ten Acres."

"Not the entire grounds." Trixie sulked. "Only the house grounds."

"That is almost the whole property." Jim yelled.

"No it’s not." She retorted.

Jim tried to count to ten, "well it’s the thought the counts" he mumbled before continuing his tirade. "The entire grounds between the front gate and the house. The cleared area between the house and the gardens, the area between the house and the summerhouse, the area between the house and the woods." Jim counted them of on his fingers his anger unleashed and his spit flying. But he didn’t stop there as Trixie just stood and looked at him in disgust. "And to top it of you didn’t even use the ride on mower you use this old relic you need to push around…"

"I couldn’t find the keys to the ride on mower" she interrupted with a yell.

"I’m not finished!" Jim bellowed. "You are eight months one week and two days pregnant, now get inside before I carry you in there and chain you to the bed." He pointed to the house to emphasize his words. When Trixie tried to speak he held up his hand. "Don’t say a word just go."

"Over protective boar." She muttered passing him with a flick of her curly blond hair. She turned to say something to him from the verandah only to see him start the mower and finish the chore. "Chaining me to the bed is what got me into trouble in the first place." She headed up the stairs to the shower.

Jim was still muttering to himself, his anger slowly receding as he took it out on the grass. Trixie had been trying his nerves for the past few weeks. Only last week he had caught her trying to push the hutch around the family room because she felt like a ‘change’. He had walked in to find her with her back pushing the heavy wooden piece of furniture over the floor. He had rung Mart to help him move the hutch only to find Trixie the next day doing the same thing because she liked it the way it was. She was so frustrating. Every time he turned his back she was trying to do some task that was way to big for her to handle, Why couldn’t she just ask? He thought. When did my life get so complicated? When did she turn into such a bossy little shrew?

Trixie watched as Jim slowly worked his anger off. She was watching from the kitchen window that overlooked the grounds. She loved this house; it was just so hard moving into it knowing that another women had been here before. "Jim’s first wife, a nasty piece of work that I never liked" she said as she started talking to herself. "I would have liked to have got rid of everything and start all over again but Jim said no, said that it was pointless and everyone had agreed with him." Trixie screwed up her nose and poked out her tongue at Jim who couldn’t see her due to being too busy cursing her under his breath. "You can’t go changing everything now you will just have to wait until after the baby is born." Trixie said in a low voice. "You are in no condition to start rearranging things," she spoke in a high pitched voice, imitating her mother’s cautions which had fallen on deaf ears. "If you had have gotten married first rather than fallen pregnant first then maybe it would have been considered." She changed her voice back to normal "but I’ve gone and done it all anyway." Trixie smiled as she recalled the countless times Jim had come home to find a room re-carpeted or repainted, how often she had decided that a piece of furniture needed sprucing up with a bright or livid color, or even replaced, more often the latter. She had turned the dining room into a family room, had turned the den into a dining room and had even managed to enlarge the kitchen adding a large breakfast bar into what had once been the family room. And the sewing room, "well that just had to go," she laughed as Jim had came home to find the wall had been knocked out and the new dining room bigger than it was. "I pretended the wall was little Miss X. Boy did I have fun."

The only thing Jim had changed was the master bedroom. Jim had changed that when Trixie had threatened to live in his study. She was not going to sleep in the same bed as that woman or use the same furniture. So the upstairs had a remodeling that had ended up taking a month to finish. The master bedroom had been abandoned and two of the upstairs rooms had been combined to make a new one; complete with ensuite and walk in wardrobe. Trixie was very happy with the result. A brand new bed, new furniture and a hot tub for two that the nasty first wife would never touch. The house now had a total of five bedrooms and four bathrooms. Trixie had even managed to talk Jim into building a study for her. She was very happy with the little building Jim had built for her to ‘play’ in. He figured Trixie enjoyed what she did too much to call it work so they called it a studio rather than a study.

"He really is a good man." She told herself. "He’s funny, caring, loving, strong, handsome, honorable, overprotective, predictable, stubborn…" she stopped trying to think of anything else to say when the phone rang. "Hello" she spoke into it before realizing she had picked it up the wrong way. She righted the phone and spoke again, "Sorry about that, I had the phone upside down, how may I help you? - You will deliver it this afternoon? – Yes that’s great – mmm hmmm – yes, I’ll have the cash when you get here – Thankyou very much – see you soon – bye."

"Who was that?" Jim asked coming into the room his anger almost gone.

"You won’t get mad?"

"Why would I get mad?" Jim looked exhausted from his tirade and spent energy and was not looking forward to this new revelation.

"I bought a new lounge suite." Trixie spoke in a small voice waiting for Jim to explode for the second time that afternoon, the fourth time for that day.

"Why do we need a new lounge suite? The one we have is fine." Jim asked wearily.

"Well the lounge suite is green leather and it doesn’t match the red walls." Trixie explained.

"Why don’t you just repaint the walls?"

"Because you won’t let me climb on a ladder."

Jim put up his hands in defeat, "I give up."

"Don’t say that dear, we’ve only been married a few months." Trixie smiled wickedly as she began to remove the cushions and throw from the lounge suite.

"You are not planning on moving them are you?" Jim sighed.

"Oh no," Trixie explained. "When Regan was here the other day he mentioned how comfortable it was so I’m just about to ring him and let him know I will have it delivered to his place by the same carriers who are bringing our new lounge. Worked out rather well hasn’t it?" She asked triumphantly.

Jim just rolled his eyes, he just knew he was going to die before he even saw his unborn child. "Trixie I’m going to have a shower, if you want anything heavy moved, just ask me and I’ll do it when I’ve finished."

Trixie nodded "Jim haven’t you forgotten something?"

He looked at her "No I don’t think so." He mounted the steps praying under his breath that she would at least listen to him for the next half-hour. He had left work early again just to keep an eye on her so she wouldn’t do herself or the baby damage. She was an adult who needed to be watched more closely than his students did. When is she ever going to grow up? He entered the ensuite, taking of his clothes and throwing them into the hamper. He turned on the hot water stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain across. He let the water flow over his body washing the tension away.

Unbeknown to Jim, Trixie had followed shortly after. While Jim was in the shower Trixie walked up boldly flung back the curtain, "are you sure you haven’t forgotten anything?"

Jim dropped the soap on his foot, let forth a curse before replying "what on earth do you mean?"

Trixie just stared at him waiting for him to figure it out, "Oh, you want an apology?"

"No"

"Then what is it?"

"You didn’t give me my hello kiss." Jim just looked at her like she had gone mad, then realized in truth that he was the one who had gone mad. One minute he would be so angry with her the next he would be putty in her hands. Jim’s mouth formed an O before Trixie, clothes and all, stepped into the shower to give him a kiss. "Love you" she said before leaving shutting the door behind her. Her clothes were wet so she changed them before heading downstairs to wait for her new lounge suite.

At 4:30 the deliverymen arrived. Directions were given as to where the old lounge suit was to go and where to place the new one. The new lounge suite was sunshine yellow.

"I’m going to need sunglasses every time I walk into this room." Jim complained when the delivery truck pulled out of the drive.

"Rubbish." Trixie chided as she proceeded to place bright cushions and bright throw rugs over the back of the matching two seat sofas’. "It’s a happy room."

"Happy room?" Jim looked at Trixie dubiously, "more like an eyesore."

Trixie laughed. "Fine I’ll paint the walls a different colour."

"No you won’t," Jim quickly jumped in. "At least wait until after the baby is born."

"Your wish is my command."

"That was too easy, what plan are you concocting in that pretty little head of yours?"

"I’m not concocting anything." Trixie placed her hand over her heart to emphasize the point. Jim just stared at her with his arms crossed over his chest. "Oh all right, I’m changing the nursery around," she conceded.

Jim sat heavily into the new matching recliner chair. He thought that if he could close his eyes this nightmare would soon be over. "You are kidding me right?" Trixie shook her head. "What would you like me to do? And can we do it after dinner?"

Trixie nodded, grabbed his hand and led him to the kitchen where they prepared their evening meal together. It was 10:30pm by the time Jim was able to get to sleep. Trixie had made him move a few more pieces of furniture. Then they had headed to the nursery to place a few more motifs around the walls, put up new curtains and move more furniture around. He was exhausted.

He was woken very rudely at 2:00am when Trixie poked him in the ribs. Not once but many times until he woke up. "Jim" she hissed into his ear, "wake up."

He managed to open one eye and looked at the clock, "It’s only two o’clock in the morning, no more shifting no more furniture moving no more waking, go back to sleep."

"But…"

"No buts, I’m not moving. I’m tired, I’m stressed, and I’m not getting up again for no-one."

"O.K. fine." Trixie muttered.

"Goodnight." He rolled over and kissed her on the check before rolling back, curling comfortably under the covers. He felt Trixie struggle to roll over and hop out of bed. She walked into the bathroom and went to the toilet. Jim could hear her pee as he lay there trying not to think of having to go himself. But like a hand in warm water, the sound of Trixie having a long pee was getting to him. He was now hoping she would hurry up and finish because now he needed to go. "Trixie hurry up" he moaned through the door. "You have been in there forever."

"I have not." She insisted through the closed door. "Go back to bed."

"I need to go."

"Then go."

"I will as soon as you are finished."

"Why wait?"

"I’ll end up peeing myself."

"How many toilets does this house have Jim?"

"Good point." Jim left to go the bathroom down the hall. When he got back he found Trixie with a bag over one shoulder heading down the stairs. "Trixie get back into bed. You are not going to change anything around till tomorrow."

"Sorry Jim but this is a change that cannot wait." She kept heading down the stairs and was on the second bottom step when she turned to find Jim coming down behind her.

"Trixie it will have to wait." He now stood equal with her and tried to take the bag from of her shoulder. "It will have to wait till tomorrow. Now get back up to bed. We need more sleep. I need more sleep."

Jim started to walk back up the steps but Trixie held firm. "Jim some things can’t wait."

Jim returned to her side and was about to lift her and carry her up the stairs when he noticed the towel between her legs. "Trixie why do you have a towel between your legs? Why didn’t you just carry it?"

"Like I said Jim some things can’t wait and Frayne jr. is one of them."

"What?" Jim asked shock paling his face. "It’s time, it’s early, oh my." Flustered he hurried down the remaining two stairs causing himself to trip over his own two feet and land with a crash. His head knocked a small table and he passed out. Trixie calmly walked to the phone calling Brian.

"Hello Brian, I think you might need to get over here, Jim just fell and cracked his head open." Without waiting for any answer she hung up. Trixie walked into the kitchen to get a cool cloth and went back to Jim to try to revive him.

Jim came to about half an hour later. Brian and Mart had come to the rescue. They had lifted Jim onto one of the new sofas. Brian wanted to make sure he didn’t have a concussion so was planning on staying the rest of the night. Jim suddenly remembering what Trixie had told him jumped up before Brian could stop him, found his feet through a haze of dizziness, grabbed the bag at the base of the stairs and rushed out to the car. Mart and Brian looked at Trixie who shrugged back. "I don’t think he should be driving." Brian mentioned.

"I wonder where he is going?" Mart mused. "I knew you were too much of a handful." He pointed to Trixie.

"Mart this is no time for games Jim could be headed anywhere," Brian admonished

"It’s all right Brian, He’s headed for the hospital." Trixie said with a smile.

"The hospital." Brian and Mart repeated in unison.

"Water’s broke, I’m in labor. Could one of you give me a lift or should I call a taxi?"

Brian, ever the doctor, calmly helped Trixie out to his car and with a laughing Mart in the back seat, made it to the hospital where Jim was busy trying to explain to the receptionist that his wife was in labor and needed immediate attention. Seeing the cut on his forehead they had taken him to emergency and were treating him with exceptional care due to possible brain trauma.

Mart could not stop laughing as Jim suddenly couldn’t find his wife and started to panic. "She’ll be somewhere changing the beds around." He quickly searched under seats, behind pot plants before spotting Trixie in a wheelchair with an amused Brian and Mart doubled over in laughter watching him. "Trixie." He cried thankfully before rushing forward not minding where he was going and tripping over a particularly handsome pot plant. For the second time that morning Jim lost consciousness.

Trixie was wheeled up to the labor wards and Brian went with Jim into emergency.

An hour later with Mart still trying to control his laughter, Brian appeared in the room followed by a very disgraced Jim. "The cool, collected man of the hour." He announced.

Jim chose to ignore the snickers from his brother-in-laws and moved to Trixie’s side. "How is everything going? Are you O.K.? Is the baby O.K.? Can…"

"Time to shut up Jim." Trixie told him sternly. "Sit" She pointed to a chair.

Brian deciding that Jim could do himself no more harm, motioned to Mart. "I think it’s safe to leave, so we’ll get going. Give us a call." With a quick wave from Mart they were both gone.

"I am never going to be able to show my face again." Jim leaned back into the chair closing his eyes.

"Yes you are. Besides I think you did great."

Jim opened one eye and saw Trixie trying hard to suppress the laugh the bubbled in her throat. "Go ahead and laugh." He prompted. "By the way what’s going on with you and my baby?"

"Your baby?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever." Jim waved of her query.

"We are fine. Apparently my lawn mowing according to the midwife was a very natural thing. They call it nesting. Getting things ready for the baby when it comes."

"Mowing the lawn is nesting?" Jim asked, his voice betraying his disbelief.

"Apparently. Anyway all the hard work caused my waters to break and I should go into labor soon if I don’t then they will induce me."

"So your not even in labor yet?"

Trixie shook her head. "You can go home and get some sleep if you want."

"No I think I’ll hang around."

"You will be more comfortable in a bed."

"Maybe but I want to stay with you."

"Well…"

He sat up and looked her straight in the eye, "Trixie I’m staying and that’s final."

"That’s great, but don’t you think the collapsible bed over there would be more appropriate than the chair." Trixie pointed to the small bed that an orderly had left there earlier. "Just set it up and sweet dreams."

Jim just shook his head; he got up to do what he was told thinking that he was such an ass. He placed the blankets and pillow on the now erected bed. Taking of his shoes and belt he climbed in.

"Jim?"

"Yes Trixie."

"Haven’t you forgotten something?"

Jim sighed, got up from the small bed walked over to Trixie kissed her on the lips and said "Goodnight", then kissed her again.

When he pulled away Trixie grabbed his face, a mischievous glint in her sparkling blue eyes. "You do know that stimulating my breasts can help bring on labor?"

"No." Jim said emphatically. "Someone might walk in we are in a hospital for goodness sake." He finished with a whisper.

"Prude."

"Yes I am. Go to sleep."

Trixie just smiled as he went and hopped back into the small bed, his feet poking over the end of it. "Love you Jim." She turned of the light above the bed.

"Love you too, Trixie."

"Jim?"

"Yes."

"Are you still mad at me?"

"No." A small amount of light from the window hit his face. "Trixie."

"Yes Jim"

"I’m sorry"

"What for?"

"Yelling."

"That’s O.K. We both do that. Natural part of our relationship."

"How much longer till we can make up?"

"About a year."

Jim laughed. "You are not going to make me wait that long… are you?"

"Depends how much pain I go through between now and then."

They may not have been in the same bed but the closeness they felt for each other made up for the lack of physical contact. Jim smiled as he closed his eyes, his dreams once more focusing on a beautiful baby suckling at his wife’s breast.

Trixie’s labor started in earnest at approximately 7:00am the next morning. The contractions were twenty minutes apart and only lasted for about ten seconds. The pain was bearable and she thought, if it’s like this the whole way through then it is going to be no problem.

Jim was a wonderfully attentive husband. Rubbing her back, holding her hands, giving her spoonfuls of ice. Jim kept running out to the phone every half-hour to update the family who had decided to congregate at the farmhouse to keep up with the latest news.

He could hardly contain his excitement, and Trixie was coping really well. From the stories he had heard from Brian and Mart, especially Honey who had had to have a spinal anesthetic, the pain was excruciating.

By 11:00 he began to believe the stories. The contractions were minutes’ apart and lasting minutes. Trixie was starting to get crabby. Not that he did mind due to what she was going through, he was just fearful things might get worse. And they did. Trixie was nine centimeters dilated when the contractions were coming hard and fast. She had only a few seconds respite between each one. Jim’s hands’ were aching from Trixie squeezing them so tight. His shirt was wet where Trixie had spat ice at him. His ears were burning from the insults she hurled at him and his family jewels; well he was sure they would be in hiding for a few months and sex afterwards? A year was starting to look good.

"Well how are we going?" Asked Dr Fenton as he came in the room.

"How am I going?" Trixie looked at the doctor incredulously. "I’m trying to push a watermelon out of a hole that’s no bigger than a crabapple. If you would take a… " Any further insult was silenced by another contraction.

"She’s ten centimeters and ready to push." Announced the midwife assisting the doctor.

The doctor sat on a stool, "Jim would you like to stand up there with your wife or come and watch from this end?"

Jim looked very pale. "I think I’ll stand up here." He answered his hand still crushed by Trixie’s.

Trixie was half lying down her back supported by a mountain of pillows. Jim used a cool wet cloth to wipe her brow. "When do I get to push?" She asked her breath labored from her restrained efforts.

"Next contraction I want you to push." The doctor replied.

Trixie did as she was told. She pushed, her voice crying out as she did. "Is it out yet?"

"You’ll have to do that a few more times yet." He answered.

"I guess this is why men don’t have babies…" her sentence was interrupted as another contraction came upon her and she pushed again. "Jim you ever get me pregnant again and I will get out the pinking shears and…" another contraction saved Jim from hearing the rest of the threat.

"Steady now Trixie, the head is almost out." Dr Fenton told her. Trixie nodded that she understood. "Jim would you like to have a look?"

Jim shook his head. Trixie gripped his hand as another contraction gripped her body. "It burns."

"Yes I know, next contraction I don’t want you to push." Dr Fenton said in a soothing voice.

Trixie looked at him as though he had gone mad. "Not push!" she yelled at him. "It burns, it hurts how can I not push?" Another contraction washed over and Jim started to breathe as they had been taught in Lamaze classes.

"Just short breaths Trixie."

"Jim if you want me to hit you continue doing what you are doing." Trixie threatened.

Jim stopped and the doctor told her to push on the next contraction. "The heads out Trixie." Dr Fenton said encouragingly. "One more push and the body will come and then the worst of it is over." Trixie pushed as the contraction washed over her. She felt the baby came out and cried with joy that it was over. Jim had finally gotten the courage to take a look at what was happening at the other end, when Dr Fenton announced "You have a son."

"It’s a boy, Jim did you hear that?" Trixie relaxed her grip on Jim’s hand. "It’s a boy?"

"We have a son." Jim whispered in awe. He watched as the midwife placed a now screaming baby in Trixie’s arms.

"Would you like him to nurse now?" The midwife asked. Trixie nodded and the nurse placed the baby at Trixie’s breast helping her to find a comfortable position.

"I thought she wouldn’t be able to feed for a little while." Jim managed as he awed over his wife and new son.

"He’s not really feeding." The midwife began, "the baby suckling will help the milk to come and it also helps mother and baby to bond. I’ll take him in a minute and weigh and measure him and then you can have him to yourselves for a while." Jim could only nod that he understood. Words just couldn’t describe the emotions that he felt.

"Trixie you did very well." Dr Fenton interrupted. "You have no tears just a small graze. Textbook delivery."

"Well maybe it’s time to rewrite the textbook because that was bad pain." She looked down at the small bundle of life in her arms. "He’s so perfect, it makes it all worthwhile." She shifted her arms slightly, "I think he’s fallen asleep."

The midwife came over and took the small baby boy. "Jim would you like to come with me while I weigh him then you can bring him back?"

"Sure." He kissed Trixie then followed the midwife out the door.

Another midwife came in and helped Trixie to a more comfortable position. "When you have rested for a little while I’ll come in and help you have a shower then into some clean nightclothes."

Trixie murmured a "thank you" and lay down her mind whirling at the wonderful miracle of life. Jim came in shortly afterwards with their son and together they marveled at their baby and the perfectness of him. Together they counted toes, fingers and other important bits.

"What are we going to name him?" Jim asked knowing that they hadn’t really agreed on anything and were waiting to see what the baby looked like before bestowing a name.

"I think we should break with tradition." Trixie suggested, "and name him something different."

"You were named something different and never liked it." Jim pointed out.

"Yes but I’m more mature now."

"Are you sure?" Jim bantered.

"I think we should name him Theodore."

"Theodore?" Jim repeated. "Why?"

"Because he looks like a little lion with all that red hair, oh, that means it should be Leo not Theo, so it would have to be Leonard."

"Leonard? I think all that pain went to your head."

"I think next time you can give birth."

Jim laughed happily and kissed her on the lips, then kissed the head of the baby boy she held in her arms. "How about Simba?"

Trixie stared at Jim as if he had grown an extra nose until she noticed the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "The lion king. Go figure."

"Hey I thought we were on a roll." Jim joked.

Trixie poked him, "We want a name that says he’s strong and courageous and I want a name that sounds manly."

Jim thought for a moment, "How about Seamus?"

"Shamus is what you used to call me."

"It’s a proper Irish name. It was actually my grandfather’s name it’s spelt S-E-A-M-U-S."

"No I don’t think so, there is a bit too much tongue in cheek for that name. What about Sean, that’s Irish."

"Too common." Jim complained. They talked and argued and disagreed until they finally decided on a name. The midwife came in shortly after and told Jim that she would help Trixie clean up and then they were going to move her to another room where she would be for the remainder of her hospital stay.

An hour later Jim and Trixie had moved to a maternity room. They were happily discussing their future when Brian knocked on the door. "A little birdie told me you had a baby and everyone is dying to meet it."

"Brian, I’m so sorry I was going to ring you and I forgot clean about it in all the excitement. Is everyone here?"

"I rang the hospital an hour ago and everyone is out in the waiting room."

"Well why don’t you invite them all in?" Trixie chided.

Brian smiled, "Nephew or niece?"

"I’ll tell you when you bring in the rest of the family." Trixie smirked.

"I think the blue blanket has given it away." Brian guessed as he left the room.

A few minutes later grandparents and extended family and close friends stood in the room waiting to be introduced to the new baby. "Everybody" Jim announced, "I’d like you to meet Kenneth Ryan Frayne."

"How much does he weigh?" Asked Mrs Belden as she took the baby from Jim.

"Six pounds and ten ounces." Jim answered.

"He’s beautiful." She held him close and whispered in his ear, "Welcome to the world Kenneth, I’m your Grandma." Mr Belden took the little boy whose fist had curled by the side of his face.

"He’s so tiny. When was he born?" Mrs Belden asked.

"Two twenty p.m." Jim answered.

Mrs Wheeler took him next. "He has red hair I see."

"Of course he does he takes after me." Mr Wheeler boasted as he had a turn.

There was general laughter at the comment. "Why Kenneth Ryan?" Honey asked.

"Because Kenneth means handsome or sprung from fire, which we thought was apt," Jim replied.

"And Ryan rhymes with lion." Trixie finished.

"Oh well that explains it then," Mart raised an eyebrow at Dan who was trying hard not to laugh.

The baby was passed around the small group of friends. They fussed over both Trixie and the baby and were finally told to leave by the midwife coming in to give Trixie a hand to nurse little Kenneth.

*****

Four days later a new family arrived on the doorstep of the Frayne Mansion. "Welcome home mother and baby," Jim kissed them both and led them in the front door.

"It’s so good to be home, and Jim you were right."

"About what?"

"The yellow sofa and the red walls are a bit bright." Jim groaned as Trixie continued, "I think we will need to go buy some paint."

"There’s no need." Jim hurriedly assured her, "I brought these." He walked over to the coffee table where there was a small plastic bag. He put his hand in the bag and pulled out three pairs of sunglasses. He placed a pair on himself, a pair on Trixie’s nose and then a small pair on baby Kenneth.

Trixie smiled, "much better. I guess we can wait to buy the paint."

"Thank goodness." Jim sighed.

"We can buy it tomorrow." Trixie smiled as she walked upstairs towards the nursery, with a sleeping Kenneth in her arms.

The End