The Change Up

Hard Truths

**5 weeks later**

Jo’s POV:
You know all those symptoms that women say they get, letting them know that they were pregnant? Well, I have every single one of them. Fatigue, nipples so sore they hurt to even think about touching, random smells that never bothered me before but all of a sudden making me want to hurl, snapping at people and then crying over the silliest stuff. Like I said, every single one of them. Plopping down into the salon chair at my station, I let my head fall back on my shoulders as I closed my eyes. I was so tired that I could go home right now and sleep the rest of the day and all night too but since it was only two in the afternoon, I still had four clients before I was done for the day. The only upside was that my last client was Amber. I hadn't seen her since the day I came back to Nashville, 2 days after the party. I smiled to myself remembering how she’d been walking bowlegged and making sure to sit on cushioned seats after Brantley had gotten done with her that night. I didn’t know what kind of insulation they had in his house, but let's just say when I built my own one day, it was going to use it because as wild as I know things had gotten that night, I hadn't heard a damn peep of it. 

Since I had a few minutes before my next client, I grabbed my phone off my station and facetimed Amber. I waited for what seemed like forever before she connected the call. As her face came onto the screen, I was rendered speechless. I’d seen that look she was currently giving me just this morning when the smell of my deodorant decided that today was going to be the day that it decided to make my stomach churn. I’d had that same look after I’d spent 10 minutes praying to the porcelain gods.

“Ambie, are you okay?” I said.

“Define okay.” she moaned. “I think I have a virus.” she said as she wiped her face with a washcloth. 

“Virus huh?” I asked.

“Yeah. What else could it be?” she asked.

“Really Ambie?” I said sassily. “It really couldn't be anything else?”

“No.” she said and then grew quiet as reality started to sink in. I saw the moment that it all clicked. “Oh my god! You dont think I’m-”

“Hell yeah I do.” I said laughing. “Want to know the reason I think that?” I watched as she slowly nodded. “Well, beacsu this morning, the smell of my deodorant had me looking very much like you do right now. My flipping nipples feel like they are about to rip right off my chest with the slightest graze. And I’m tired. So flipping tired, Ambie. I cry over everything. No joke, I cried like a baby because I saw an older woman walking down the street. Literally just walking down the street. Nothing wrong with her at all, but that didn't keep the tears from spelling over and making me straight up ugly cry in the middle of the sidewalk.” word vomit: engaged.

“Oh my god! It worked! Just wait ‘til I tell B that I was right, that you needed a top-of-the-line baster.” said Amber excitedly, her sickness from only a moment ago forgotten for the time being. Funny how this nausea thing works. “I just knew for sure that you would send me a picture of the test when you took one.”

“Well, see what had happened was-” I said, dragging my worlds out and letting my sentence dangle.

“You chickened out didn't you?” she said knowingly. Aside from Chase, Amber knew me better than anyone. 

“Well yeah.” I said with a sigh. “It's just that everything I’ve been wanting is riding on the results from a 5 minute test. Where I go from here, what I will do tomorrow.”

“Jojo, you know life waits for no one.” said Amber.

“I know.” I sighed. “Are you going to tell B?”