Authors: Lea J.
“
Hey, babe,” she smiles her white grin
, which c
aptivated me the first day I laid my eyes on her, and leans her body into mine. “Every day I look more like a whale,” she grumbles and pouts.
“
You look beautiful,” I tell her in between kisses to her neck. “I love your curves.”
“
Uh-huh, I wonder how you’ll like my
curves
when I won’t even be able to get through the door. I’m already huge.”
“
Don’t worry, I’ll love you even more,” I wink at her, playfully slapping her butt. She shrieks in surprise and jumps away.
“
What do you think we’re having—a boy or a girl?” she wrinkles her forehead, looking at me with her warm blue eyes.
“
I don’t care as long as the baby is healthy. It wouldn’t hurt if it looked like you.” She rolls her eyes.
“
Ugh, you’re so demanding,” she says playfully. “I’d prefer if the baby had your looks. If we find out the gender of the baby, we can start picking names. And it’s going to be easier to decorate the nursery. If it’s a girl, I’d like to paint the room purple. I don’t like pink, it’s too typical, and I think purple is ideal. If it’s a boy, I was thinking orange. What do you say?”
“
Mm-hum, whatever you say,” I respond, a little distracted by nibbling on her earlobe.
“
Hey, I’m seriously asking you!” She pushes my chin upwards so I would listen to her. I raise my hands in defense.
“
I’m being serious too, I always am when it concerns lovemaking,” I say and trail kisses from her collarbone to her shoulders and her full lips.
“
Haven’t you had enough? In the morning in bed and an hour ago in the shower?” she asks, her eyebrow raised.
“
Never! I can never have enough of you,” I say and I fly us to ecstasy again.
~ * ~
Aaliyah is lying on the exam table and I’m sitting beside her. We’re waiting for the OBGYN to join us.
“
Hello again, Miss Thomas.” She turns on the machine beside the exam table, washes her hands and reaches for the probe.
“
I’m so nervous,” Aaliyah exclaims with a shaky voice. She’s clutching my hands tightly and I can feel her palms are sweaty.
“
You don’t have to be. How are you feeling? You said you don’t have morning sickness anymore.”
“
I feel okay. Sometimes I get dizzy if I get up too fast, but otherwise I’m feeling alright.” The doctor nods to her.
“
Your pressure is fine, and you haven’t gained a lot of weight. I’m certain everything is going to be alright. Are you ready to find out who is hiding in here?” Doctor Gomez asks with a smile on her face, and squeezes some clear gel on Aaliyah’s belly. She slides the ultrasound probe over her skin. We both nod and wait for the news. She is quiet for some time, eyes fixated on the screen. “Well, it looks like everything’s okay.” We start breathing again, relieved, and look at the screen. She points her finger to the image on the screen. “This is the head, and look how the spine is clearly visible, arms and legs, too. Look,” she exclaims excitedly, “the baby is sucking its finger.” Aaliyah and I look at each other and tears are glistening in Aaliyah’s eyes. Doctor Gomez presses a few buttons on the computer and saves the footage.
“
Can you tell us the sex of the baby?” Aaliyah asks with interest.
“
Yes, I can tell you with certainty you’re having a cute little girl.”
“
A girl…” Aaliyah repeats dreamily and turns to me. Doctor Gomez wipes the goop off her belly with a paper towel and cleans the ultrasound piece that has been pressed against the belly of my beloved a few moments ago.
“
Congratulations. Get dressed in peace, and I’ll print out the pictures of the little cutie pie in the meanwhile.” She leaves the room and I hug Aaliyah tightly, kissing her passionately.
First, we go to her room in the dorm to share the news with Addison and take her mail, since she’s been spending all her time with me. In a few weeks she’ll move in with me. Addison is jumping up and down in excitement, when we tell her she’s going to be an auntie to a little girl, and already
starts p
lanning what she’s going to buy for her niece. We quickly say goodbye, Aaliyah grabs the mail and we hurry back home, so we can share the news with my roommates, too.
“What is wrong?” I ask her as I join her in bed. She’s holding some paper in her hand, but I can’t read the expression on her face.
“
I got the notice to appear in court – I have to testify against Caden,” my skin crawls at the mention of his name, “and the worst part is he’ll be present in the courtroom the whole time. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to handle such pressure.” I hold her hand and squeeze it encouragingly.
“
I’ll be by your side the whole time and I know you can do it – you’re one of the strongest women I know. Don’t worry.” I press a kiss to her forehead and take a picture of our little girl out of my pocket, so we can admire it for some time before we fall asleep.
Aaliyah
It is already the end of the school year, and I managed to successfully pass all the exams, even those from when I was in the hospital. Next week, we have a graduation ceremony in honor of those who graduated, Ryder among them. I am very proud of him. He graduated with honors, even though he spent all his time playing basketball, moving into a new house, preparing a nursery for our daughter and taking me to doctor’s appointments. We only moved a few streets away from where he used to live, so we’re still close to Addison and the campus. We’re two months away from becoming parents, but before that Ryder has to play the most important game of the season—the final
game.
He left with the guys a few hours ago, and I’m preparing the last details for the nursery. I’m arranging everything now, because in the ne
xt few m
onths I won’t be able to move that much with my giant belly. It’s already difficult to do everyday chores now,
I can't
imagine how difficult it will be in two months when I’m due.
“
Done,” I say and look around the nursery as I put the last wall sticker, adorning the room of our little princess, on the wall. Ryder and I agreed on lavender as the color for the walls. Closets, the changing table and the crib are made of light natural wood with
a
white detail. I put a giant rocking chair against the wall and a tall floor lamp beside it.
I have twenty more minutes, before Addison arrives to take me to the game, so I go to the kitchen to get a glass of water. I sit down in an armchair, rest my head on the back of the armchair and put my legs on the coffee table. I stare at my swollen ankles and sip the cold water tha
t is very r
efreshing in this hot summer weather.
“Gooo, Tigers!” everybody around us yells when one of Ryder’s teammates scores
. The
game has only just begun, it’s the third minute of the first quarter and the score is 7-5 in favor of the Tigers. The Wolves have just scored for a tie, and Noah throws the ball from under the hoop to Jayden, who then
dribbles t
he ball across the midcourt line, where the Wolves are already waiting for him
, covering t
he Tiger’s defenders. Ryder runs to Jayden, Jayden passes him the ba
ll between the
opponent’s legs, and Ryder dribbles the ball to the basket. Because he doesn’t have a
clear p
ath to the basket, he throws the ball to Jackson, who slam dunks the ball and scores. Excited cheers erupt from the audience again. The Wolves are in possession
and they move the ball a
cross the middle of the court
,
and are waiting for their opportunity to score a basket. Most of the audience are on their feet, excited about the game, but I’m only able to sit in my seat, my big belly not allowing me to stand. I feel a weird pressure in the lower side of my belly anyway, so I’m resting. A glance at the scoreboard tells me the first quarter is almost over. The Tigers
are holding
a small lead, but they’re doing great. Ryder is playing like his life depends on it, and so far
he scored every time he shot.
“
They’re doing great,” Addison is radiating with pride as she finally sits down. We’re both wearing Tigers’ jerseys. I’m wearing pregnancy yoga pants and my hair is up in a ponytail, so I’m as comfortable as possible, but Addison on the other hand
is wearing
light blue jeans, her hair is styled in braids, with some soft curls falling around her face, making her look like a princess. Coach Collins gives the Tigers some final instructions, before the second quarter begins. Ryder is confidently walking to the middle of the court, waiting for the sound of the siren
to announce the beginning of the second quarter.
“
Ow,” I groan out loud, clenching my teeth, and grab my belly. No one hears me because of the ruckus in the sports hall. A drop of sweat rolls down my forehead and soon I feel another cramp low in my belly. “What is happening?” I whisper, confounded. I wipe at my forehead with a sleeve of my shirt and take a few deep breaths. I look at the scoreboard to see how long until the game is over, and I shake my head when I see they
still have a long way to go. I
get feverish and I’m sick to my stomach. Addison is cheering again. Ryder has scored another basket and the audience are once again on their feet. When the cheers die down, I carefully get up.
Perhaps a bit of fresh air will be good for me. It’s so stuffy in here, maybe that’s why I’m feeling so sick.
I grab Addison by her elbow and tell her I’m going to the bathroom. She nods.
“
Is everything okay? Do you want me to go with you?” she asks with worry.
“
No, I’m alright, I’ll be back in a sec.” Ryder notices me leaving and gives me a
questoning look,
but I only wave my hand like everything’s okay and point at the sign for toilets. He grins at me, nods and continues playing. Right before I step outside the door, I am hit with yet another powerful cramp, so I bend down and put my head between my knees and lean my hands against the wall. As the door closes behind me, I hear muffled noises and cheers. My palms start sweating, I’m still feeling sick and I grimace as I feel another sharp pain shoot through my belly. I reach out with my hand to grab the railing, but I reach nothing but air, and I hit my head on the cold floor.
Ryder
I feel like I’m floating in the air. I’m doing great, it is the biggest game of my life and I’m playing for all or nothing. I score
every time I throw the ball. Scouts are watching us play and only a few players will get the opportunity to play in the NBA. I see Ethan is also nervous and he’s playing the best he can—he knows how important this game is. I’m glad Aaliyah came here to cheer for me, even though she’s heavily pregnant and would be better for her if she rested at home. She says she’s feeling okay and that she wants to be by my side, to support me in what I do. From the corner of my eye, I notice Aaliyah leaving the stands. I get concerned, but she just waves her hand and points to the ‘Toilets’ sign. I exhale deeply and continue playing. The game
is getting
so intense I don’t have time for anything other than concentrating on the ball and
the plays.
A few seconds before the end of the game, I bring the ball across the midcourt line with Etha
n covering m
e, giving me a glare. I ignore his facial expression, dribble with my back to him and try to get closer to the basket, but suddenly he slams into me, hard. I fall to the ground and my ankle buckles. The referee’s whistle blows and a technical foul is called. It’s obvious Ethan did this on purpose. I carefully pick myself up, but my ankle is still hurting.
“
You gonna be okay?” Marc runs over to me, looking at me with concern.
“
Yeah, I just need a couple of seconds to walk it off.” He gives me a friendly slap on the back and runs
back
to his position, while the referee throws me the ball. I have two free throws to shoot. Ethan has to leave the court, and I throw the ball. I miss the first one, the pain in my ankle is still bothering me, but I focus solely on the ball and I score
the second one.
We have the ball in possession now and the game continues.
After the extremely difficult game is over, which we won 95-90, I head to the bench to wipe the sweat off my shoulders and drink some water. I subconsciously look up into the stands where Aaliyah and Addison were just sitting earlier, but I don’t see them now. I am scouring the stands with my eyes when I hear someone calling my and Jackson’s name from the left. I turn around and Addison is standing there, radiating with joy and pride. I run to her and wrap her in a hug.
“
You guys were great,” she says with a grin on her face.