Categories > Games > Mario > Bittersweet
It took a few days for Mario to get used to the kicking, but eventually, he did not mind the unborn child moving inside him anymore. It was only at night when this became slightly bothersome, as the fetus would suddenly move and kick him in the middle of the night, thus waking him up from his slumber. Because of this, he couldn't really sleep for the rest of the night when this happened. It was pretty difficult to rest when the baby was practically doing somersaults inside his belly.
+++
Mario was getting more and more stares from the Toads now. His growing belly was starting to bulge, and he really did look like he was pregnant. The size of his belly had augmented so much, his shirt often slipped up, exposing the roundedness. The fact that he was also experiencing the typical pregnancy changes (mood swings, weird cravings, constant fatigue, etc.) didn't help his case much, as well. Sometimes, he would look all tired and depressed, and other times he would act like he was the happiest and most energetic person on earth. And when he wasn't moody, he was usually eating some strange food combinations, such as soy sauce on his strawberry milkshakes and bananas mixed with spaghetti and tacos. Once, he cleaned out the whole junk food pantry because of his hunger. And another time, Luigi had to stop him from stealing a little Toad's cookies. It wasn't that he was trying to be mean, he just really wanted the food.
Because of all this, he attracted plenty of attention from all the other Toads, some of who were very suspicious. There began to be hushed whispers and secret rumors floating about. Peach and Luigi were worried about this (Luigi especially). Should they tell everyone the news or not? If they did, the Toads might not handle the news well. If they didn't, how would they explain the baby when the time arrived? It would be hard, especially if he or she looked like Mario.
+++
"Ah, Luigi and Mario! Am I glad to see you again? Indeed I am!" Dr. Toadley said pleasantly to the two brothers as they walked into his office again. It was now time for Mario's second ultrasound, and the doctor was very excited to see how the fetus was developing (though he did a very good job of not letting his feelings show past a simple smile). It had only been about a week and a half ago, but since male pregnancies occurred much quicker, it would be accurate to say that the baby was at the same developmental stage of a normal five-month-old fetus. There were plenty of new things happening in the womb, he knew it.
"Mario, if you would," Dr. Toadley continued, gesturing to the bed in the back room. The little wolf nodded and headed back there, followed by Luigi.
Once Mario was seated and ready, the doctor turned on the TV, poured that gel on Mario's rounded belly again, and then set the transducer on it. A few moments later, the hazy black-and-white images appeared on the screen again.
For a few moments, there were no words to be said as the three looked at the monitor. The fetus had developed a lot more than they all had previously thought. It looked much less like a lumpy Play-Doh creation and more like a human being, with the obvious exception of the tail, of course. The hair was now growing, and there was a thin layer of it above the head. The ears were much more viewable now, as they had a little dark layer on them. There seemed to be fur on the tail, too, but it was a bit difficult to tell, since it was moving back and forth. The eyelids were now formed, though they were closed. The fetus also had its thumb in its mouth, giving off the impression that it was sleeping.
But the most noticeable feature was the fetus's heartbeat, a deep whooshing sound that emanated from the monitor. It was a soft, pacifying sound that sent everyone into awed silence.
"Wow..." Dr. Toadley said, breaking the silence. "Did I ever think that I would live to see the day that I get to see a baby developing inside a male? No, never," he said. "But it has finally happened! And look! The fetus seems as healthy as ever, and the development is occurring at a nice pace." He pointed to the fetus's chest. "I'm pretty sure we can all hear how strong the heartbeat is," he continued, smiling.
He pointed to the head and tail. "A fine layer of hair has formed, as well as the body hair, called lanugo, that will keep it warm and protect it. It will shed about a few days before and after birth, so don't worry about it."
That last sentence reminded Luigi of something. "Hey, Dr. Toadley," he asked. "When Mario goes into labor...how is the baby gonna come out?"
There was an uncomfortable silence that followed Luigi's question. Apparently, no one had thought of this before.
"Well, um..." Dr. Toadley started, hesitating. "I have never seen a male give birth myself, so do I have any idea on how the baby is to come out? No, I do not. But should the spores should take care of that issue for us? Yes, they should. Since the reproduction spores have made a womb for the baby to nestle in, it is most likely that it will also create a birth canal for the fetus to travel during labor, as well. The way we can be sure of this is if the baby turns itself in the proper head-down position during the last few weeks, as if for a normal pregnancy. But if the baby does not position itself in due time, then that means that there is no birth canal to travel through and the child will have to be born via a C-section. But all that is a month and a half away, so we have plenty of time to find out."
"What about everyone? Should we tell them the news now?" Luigi asked.
Dr. Toadley exhaled slowly before answering. "The thing is," he started, "in my experience, whenever news about something as critical as Mario's pregnancy gets out, something bad always happens. Would it be best to remain quiet? Yes, it probably would, although the Toads will probably come to the same assumption, too. The decision is ultimately yours, but please consider all of the consequences if you do tell. Are some Toads very gossipy? Indeed, they are. The news might spread all throughout the entire Kingdom, and that wouldn't be good for any of us."
"Yeah, it wouldn't," Luigi said, nodding.
"My advice for this would be to tell only your closest friends, the ones you can trust to not to spread the word," the doctor spoke up. "Again, I am not requiring you to do anything, but do I simply want Mario and the child to be safe? Yes, without a doubt."
Luigi nodded again. He did want to tell a few people, since he wanted to plan a little something for his brother.
Dr. Toadley turned and switched off the TV, the images on the monitor fading into black. "Alright then," he said, going over to the table on the side. He picked up his clipboard and wrote something on it. "Will I see you back here in a week? It is decidedly so. When we do the third ultrasound, I will give the prediction day of the birth and we will discuss on how Mario is to act when he goes into labor."
+++
Mario was getting more and more stares from the Toads now. His growing belly was starting to bulge, and he really did look like he was pregnant. The size of his belly had augmented so much, his shirt often slipped up, exposing the roundedness. The fact that he was also experiencing the typical pregnancy changes (mood swings, weird cravings, constant fatigue, etc.) didn't help his case much, as well. Sometimes, he would look all tired and depressed, and other times he would act like he was the happiest and most energetic person on earth. And when he wasn't moody, he was usually eating some strange food combinations, such as soy sauce on his strawberry milkshakes and bananas mixed with spaghetti and tacos. Once, he cleaned out the whole junk food pantry because of his hunger. And another time, Luigi had to stop him from stealing a little Toad's cookies. It wasn't that he was trying to be mean, he just really wanted the food.
Because of all this, he attracted plenty of attention from all the other Toads, some of who were very suspicious. There began to be hushed whispers and secret rumors floating about. Peach and Luigi were worried about this (Luigi especially). Should they tell everyone the news or not? If they did, the Toads might not handle the news well. If they didn't, how would they explain the baby when the time arrived? It would be hard, especially if he or she looked like Mario.
+++
"Ah, Luigi and Mario! Am I glad to see you again? Indeed I am!" Dr. Toadley said pleasantly to the two brothers as they walked into his office again. It was now time for Mario's second ultrasound, and the doctor was very excited to see how the fetus was developing (though he did a very good job of not letting his feelings show past a simple smile). It had only been about a week and a half ago, but since male pregnancies occurred much quicker, it would be accurate to say that the baby was at the same developmental stage of a normal five-month-old fetus. There were plenty of new things happening in the womb, he knew it.
"Mario, if you would," Dr. Toadley continued, gesturing to the bed in the back room. The little wolf nodded and headed back there, followed by Luigi.
Once Mario was seated and ready, the doctor turned on the TV, poured that gel on Mario's rounded belly again, and then set the transducer on it. A few moments later, the hazy black-and-white images appeared on the screen again.
For a few moments, there were no words to be said as the three looked at the monitor. The fetus had developed a lot more than they all had previously thought. It looked much less like a lumpy Play-Doh creation and more like a human being, with the obvious exception of the tail, of course. The hair was now growing, and there was a thin layer of it above the head. The ears were much more viewable now, as they had a little dark layer on them. There seemed to be fur on the tail, too, but it was a bit difficult to tell, since it was moving back and forth. The eyelids were now formed, though they were closed. The fetus also had its thumb in its mouth, giving off the impression that it was sleeping.
But the most noticeable feature was the fetus's heartbeat, a deep whooshing sound that emanated from the monitor. It was a soft, pacifying sound that sent everyone into awed silence.
"Wow..." Dr. Toadley said, breaking the silence. "Did I ever think that I would live to see the day that I get to see a baby developing inside a male? No, never," he said. "But it has finally happened! And look! The fetus seems as healthy as ever, and the development is occurring at a nice pace." He pointed to the fetus's chest. "I'm pretty sure we can all hear how strong the heartbeat is," he continued, smiling.
He pointed to the head and tail. "A fine layer of hair has formed, as well as the body hair, called lanugo, that will keep it warm and protect it. It will shed about a few days before and after birth, so don't worry about it."
That last sentence reminded Luigi of something. "Hey, Dr. Toadley," he asked. "When Mario goes into labor...how is the baby gonna come out?"
There was an uncomfortable silence that followed Luigi's question. Apparently, no one had thought of this before.
"Well, um..." Dr. Toadley started, hesitating. "I have never seen a male give birth myself, so do I have any idea on how the baby is to come out? No, I do not. But should the spores should take care of that issue for us? Yes, they should. Since the reproduction spores have made a womb for the baby to nestle in, it is most likely that it will also create a birth canal for the fetus to travel during labor, as well. The way we can be sure of this is if the baby turns itself in the proper head-down position during the last few weeks, as if for a normal pregnancy. But if the baby does not position itself in due time, then that means that there is no birth canal to travel through and the child will have to be born via a C-section. But all that is a month and a half away, so we have plenty of time to find out."
"What about everyone? Should we tell them the news now?" Luigi asked.
Dr. Toadley exhaled slowly before answering. "The thing is," he started, "in my experience, whenever news about something as critical as Mario's pregnancy gets out, something bad always happens. Would it be best to remain quiet? Yes, it probably would, although the Toads will probably come to the same assumption, too. The decision is ultimately yours, but please consider all of the consequences if you do tell. Are some Toads very gossipy? Indeed, they are. The news might spread all throughout the entire Kingdom, and that wouldn't be good for any of us."
"Yeah, it wouldn't," Luigi said, nodding.
"My advice for this would be to tell only your closest friends, the ones you can trust to not to spread the word," the doctor spoke up. "Again, I am not requiring you to do anything, but do I simply want Mario and the child to be safe? Yes, without a doubt."
Luigi nodded again. He did want to tell a few people, since he wanted to plan a little something for his brother.
Dr. Toadley turned and switched off the TV, the images on the monitor fading into black. "Alright then," he said, going over to the table on the side. He picked up his clipboard and wrote something on it. "Will I see you back here in a week? It is decidedly so. When we do the third ultrasound, I will give the prediction day of the birth and we will discuss on how Mario is to act when he goes into labor."
Sign up to rate and review this story