Ethereal Love

Not Much Of A Secret

It wasn't long before it got around school. Nini, being as skinny as she was, started showing obviously only a month or so into the pregnancy and all it took were a few prying eyes in the locker rooms before gym before rumors started flying and before she knew it, she was being called into the nurse's office. A few awkward questions and twice as many useless pamphlets later, she was allowed to leave to go to her English class. Ricky was always around when she needed him, which she was grateful for because her hormonal imbalances were making her a moody bitch sometimes and she was surprised he didn't walk out on her sometimes. But he put up with everything. (And he was greatly rewarded, because the hormones made her ridiculously horny sometimes.)

Kourtney and Gina were usually around too, (one or the other; the two hadn't taken a liking to each other at all, and considering their similar argumentative personalities it was best for everyone to keep them as far apart as possible), for which Nini was incredibly grateful. Ricky was always reluctant to leave her side, even for only a few hours, due to his ridiculous overprotectiveness.

Despite all this support, however, when Nini finally reached the nine month mark all she wanted was to get the damn thing out of her. She'd taken a maternity leave of sorts from school and Ricky had been skipping most days and she was sick of yelling at him and she missed the normality and routine of going to East High every day and she just wanted things to go back to normal.

She was almost a week past the due date when she finally went into labor. She was with Ricky at the time (for which she thanked the Lord because if he hadn't been there his head would probably have exploded) and despite all the articles he had read, he panicked. Just as she expected.

"Nini, shit, help. I don't know. Um, do I call 911?" he stared at her, eyes wide, as she moaned in pain and slid her feet into her shoes. "Where the fuck is your mom?"

She rolled her eyes, slapping his arm hard. "Calm the hell down, Bowen. She's at the store. Call her, then call mama D, then get me to the fucking hospital." She instructed him. He nodded obediently and did as she said.

They got to the hospital only minutes before Carol, mama D not long behind. Kourtney and Gina arrived a little while later, after receiving texts from Carol, and waited anxiously.

"Richard Kramer Bowen, you are the worst person in the whole entire world and I hate you."

These were the words Ricky was greeted with as he walked through the doors into the room where his girlfriend was currently lying on a hospital bed in agony. He'd had to put on the gown and gloves and had almost yelled at the ditzy assistant who seemed incapable of finding a pair without a hole in it. Needless to say, he was feeling pretty impatient and certainly wasn't expecting the onslaught, wincing at the insults, but he knew that it was the pain talking.

"I'm sorry, Nini. You're doing great. Come on, deep breaths." He told her reassuringly as he stood beside her and took her hand. She glared at him angrily but didn't pull her hand away.

The labor was surprisingly short and Nini only told Ricky she hated him three times, so he took that as a win. Her hand remained tightly enclosed in his the whole time, so much so that it took a few tries to pull them apart when the midwife tried to hand her the baby.

They'd decided only a couple of weeks ago that they were keeping her. After many long discussions with Nini's parents, they'd formed the beginnings of a plan to keep the baby and also continue their education. But now, feeling the soft, warm body in her arms, Nini couldn't help but feel relieved they hadn't chosen adoption. She would have hated to see the look of devastation in the couple's eyes when she told them she couldn't give up her baby. Because, really, there was no chance. Ricky felt exactly the same way.