The Queen's Back

Maxwell noticed how tired Mona looked, and he couldn't shake off the worry about her health. She hadn't eaten much for days and was always sleeping.

"Mona, I think we should get you checked out at the hospital. You haven't been yourself the last couple of days," he said, frowning.

Mona waved her hand dismissively. "I'm fine, really! It's just this heat making me feel sluggish. I just need some rest. You should go have fun with Albert!" The summer sun was brutal, and she wished it would just cool down already.

"Mona, I'd rather stay here with you," Maxwell replied, refusing to budge. He only played games with Albert because of her, after all.

"Come on, Maxwell, we talked about this in the living room. Let's go! It's almost lunchtime!" Albert chimed in, pulling Maxwell towards his room.Text © by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

Once they were gone, Mona kicked off her shoes and flopped onto her bed, hugging the blanket as she closed her eyes. She felt like she was getting lazier and lazier-just like Albert said, it was all eat, sleep, repeat.

Mona didn't even know when she fell asleep, but when she woke up, she saw Maxwell sitting by her bed. She rolled over and hugged his waist, mumbling, "What time is it? How long did I sleep?"

With the thick curtains drawn, the room was pretty dark, and it was hard to tell how long she had been out.

Feeling her hands around him, Maxwell turned to her. "You've been sleeping for a while now. It's already past one."

If Mona hadn't woken up soon, he would have to nudge her. It was odd for her to nap for so long after getting full eight hours sleep the night before, and he couldn't help but worry a little.

Mona let go of him and stretched, yawning. "Wow, I really slept like a rock. Did you eat lunch yet?"

Maxwell shook his head, looking a bit sad. "Nope, not yet."

He looked over at Mona, lounging on the big bed, and gave her a playful pat on the butt. "Time to get up and eat."

Mona nodded, realizing she needed to get moving since Maxwell hadn't had lunch yet. After freshening up, they headed out of the room and spotted Jane in the living room, arranging a bouquet.

Jane looked up and said, "Finally awake, huh? Go sit at the dining table. I'll have Polly prepare you something. Seriously, how do you sleep so much? Barbara's already left. Maxwell, you're spoiling her! She's gotten even lazier since you two got married!" "Grandma, I know!" Mona replied, a bit embarrassed. She just intended to take a quick nap, not end up hibernating. At least it was only family around to see her like this.

Maxwell just grinned; he was totally okay with pampering Mona.

Then, Polly walked in with some food they saved for her, saying, "Ms. Clem! We made your favorite sweet and sour fish today. You've got to try it."

Mona nodded and grabbed a spoon, but as she looked at the fish, her stomach churned. She took a tiny bite, and just as it hit her mouth, she felt a wave of nausea wash over her,

Maxwell noticed and hurried over, gently patting her back. "What's going on?"

Just then, Albert strolled down the stairs. Noticing that Mona was just getting her lunch at this hour and being all picky, he couldn't help but think she was acting a bit bratty. Mona shook her head. "I don't know. Just feeling a bit off."

"Off how?" Maxwell asked, looking more worried. Jane and Polly rushed over, and even Albert looked concerned.

"I can't explain it. I just feel like I can't eat." After a pause, she added, "Do you think I'm anorexic?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt silly. There was no way she could suddenly have anorexia when she was perfectly fine just a few days ago.

"No way, are you really thinking about anorexia?" Albert laughed.

"Mona, how about I take you to the hospital later? We can find a nutritionist to help figure things out," Maxwell suggested.

Polly had a feeling about what might be going on, but she didn't want to jump the gun. "Ms. Clem, besides not wanting to eat, have you felt off in any other way lately?" Mona shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much what Albert said. I've just been lounging around. Now I can't even eat at all, and funny enough, I've somehow gained weight lately." Logically, if she couldn't eat, she should've lost weight, but somehow, she was putting it on. It was baffling.

Polly stared at Mona's beautiful face, nervously wondering if she should voice her doubts.

"Polly, if you have something to say, just spill it. I won't bite," Mona urged her.

After years of working for her, Polly felt like family. Mona thought Polly could just say what was on her mind. Excitedly clasping her hands together, Polly took a deep breath and said, "Ms. Clem, you might be pregnant." Mona's eyes widened in confusion. 'Pregnant?' Her heart raced at the thought. 'Is it possible?'

Maxwell was practically bouncing off the walls, unsure what to do with his hands. His eyes were glued to Mona's belly. Turns out, he was right-Mona was pregnant.

His palms got a little sweaty, and he let go of her hand, standing up as if he couldn't sit still. He gently touched her hand again, excitement bubbling over. "Mona, we've gotta get you to the hospital." Mona was still sitting there, a little dazed, but she nodded. Maxwell looked into her bright almond-shaped eyes and reassured her, "Pregnant or not, we're going for a checkup."

"Mona, Maxwell, I'm coming too!" Albert chimed in eagerly. If his sister was pregnant, he'd officially become an uncle.

Once the pregnancy news started to sink in, Mona and Maxwell lost their appetite for lunch and headed straight out of the Clem family's house.

Mona also asked Jane and the others not to tell Bernard yet, especially since she wasn't 100% sure this wasn't just a false alarm.

Maxwell, on the other hand, was all in. He just he wrapped his arm around her waist.

was

pregnant. He asked the driver to take it easy on the road while

Mona couldn't help but think Maxwell was even more nervous than she was; he seemed a bit scattered.

When they finally pulled up to Nathontown Central Hospital, Mona followed the doctor's instructions for her checkup, with Maxwell and Albert sticking close by, eager not to miss anything.

While Mona was inside, Maxwell paced the hallway, bouncing with excitement, getting up and sitting down like he had ants in his pants.

Finally, Albert couldn't take it anymore. "Maxwell, chill out! You're shaking so much it's making my head spin. Mona's definitely pregnant. I was wondering why she was so lazy when she came this time."

Maxwell nodded like a bobblehead. "Yeah, she's been sleeping nonstop. If I'd known, I'd have brought her to the hospital way earlier."

It wasn't like he hadn't tried to bring it up before, but Mona always brushed it off, blaming the heat. Plus, she never ate much to begin with, and it had gotten even worse lately. So, he assumed it was really just the weather. Never once did it cross his mind that she could be expecting.

Time ticked by an hour or two-until Mona finally rested her hand on her stomach and leaned her head against Maxwell's shoulder. With her big almond-shaped eyes focused on him, she noticed Maxwell staring intently at the pregnancy test report in his hand.

It clearly showed that she was going to have a baby. As soon as Albert heard the news, he couldn't wait to make a call.

Inside the exam room, the doctor had asked Mona a few questions, and deep down, she had a feeling about the outcome. She was really pregnant.