being married

xv.

f i f t e e n

"Okay, right here is the baby," the doctor circled a black and white spot on the screen with his index finger. He moved the device across my gel covered stomach. "There's the head. Right here is the hand," he pointed on a small arm that was moving about. I could hear my baby's heartbeat loud a clear through the monitor. "Do you want to know the sex?" I looked over to Chris who was nodding eagerly. "Okay, so, look right here... And it's a boy!"

"Fuck I knew it!" Chris exclaimed while jumping out of his seat then he began singing, "I'm gonna get my baby boy!"

"I thought you said you felt it was a girl," I giggled at the sight of Chris being so carefree for once as Dr. Turner removed the gel from my stomach. Chris ignored me and continued to be overjoyed. I sat up from the hospital bed and pulled down my shirt.

"We've got to go baby shopping now!" I grinned. A baby boy is in my belly.

I poked Chris in the stomach to get his attention. He was so busy looking through baby catalogs that he completely forgot that I had to ask him something. "Yes?" He asked looking towards me, through his glasses, with loving eyes. God, I loved when he's like this. "I was thinking," and I was, "maybe I could invite my friends to the baby shower?"

"Why?" He looked back at his magazine already getting bored by the mention of my friends. "I just haven't seen them in ages and I miss them. After the wedding its like we drifted."

"Do I have to pay for their tickets too?" I slapped his shoulder lightly, "It's a valid question, Mya. The last time they came down here I paid for their tickets, their hotel, their food, transportation, entertainment, their dresses and shoes! I spent more than the average groom for my own wedding. Do they even have their own money?" I slumped back down into the couch in surrender, he won. He always wins. "Fine! Here," he handed me his phone, "look for their numbers wherever and call them." I grinned happily as I got off my butt and went into the kitchen for my contact book.

I flipped through a couple pages and stopped at the one that had a circle around it. "Hello?" I squealed internally before composing myself. "Renée? It's me, Mya. I wa-" the line went dead. Why would Renée do something like that? I sighed and tried another number but I got no answer. I did that a couple more times with several other numbers but still got no answer or a simple 'I don't think I can make it'. I frowned deeply as I found myself sat on the kitchen counter stuffing my face with chocolate chip cookies after a half an hour since I first started. "One more number and that's it." I mumbled as I put the phone to my ear. After a couple beeps later someone picked up, "hello?"

"Hi, Riley! It's Mya." I said as enthusiastically as I could. "Mya? Oh my god! When Renée told me you called I didn't believe her at first but here we are." She chuckled.

So Renée told her. How nice but she couldn't at least make conversation with me? I huffed quietly. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. Germany is quiet as per usual." I heard a honk of a car in the back ground. "How about you?"

"I'm great just pregnant and ready to get it over with." I heard her gasp and the ringing of store bell. I could just imagine walking into the pastry shop and inhaling a whiff of the warm baked goods that I missed dearly. "You're pregnant?"

I nodded eagerly with a smile as if she could see me, "Yes. Almost nine months." I touched my large stomach and smiled. He was ready to get out that dark place doctors call my womb and I couldn't wait to see my baby boy. "Do you know if it's a boy or a girl? Or are you gonna be a strange parent and wait till you give birth?" I shook my head. "Nope, I'm not gonna tell you because I want you to come down here for my baby shower."

"I'd love to," I could hear the sadness wavering her once happy tone, "but I can't right now. I don't have a job and Jen is just about to start school." Oh right Jen. That was her daughter. She had her when she was 16. "I can pay for your ticket for you and Jen. And both of you could stay here." At least Chris didn't have to pay for everything like last time.

"Did you ask the other girls?"

"I tried. Your sister hung up on me and the others wouldn't answer their phones."

She sighed, "I should talk to them about that."

"No, it's no problem. I don't mind if only one of my friends came." I was only saying that because I know Chris is going to have a fit if he had to pay for everyone. "Okay, I'll come!" She exclaimed. "Jen's going to be so happy that she can get to leave Germany!" I smiled at seeing the once little two year old Jen now a whopping four year old.

"The baby shower is next week. You think you can be ready by that time?" She hummed in response. "I sure do hope you have a little boy because little girls are a handful. They want every and anything that has a shade of pink on it."

I laughed quietly, fiddling with the page of the contacts book. "I can't wait to see you Riley. I'll send you the ticket through email."

"Thanks. See you next week." She hung up. Now all that's left to do is tell Chris.

"Chris!" I called.

"No need. I heard everything," he stood at the doorway with his hands in his pockets. "At least it's not ten people under my roof for a whole week or so."

I walked over to him and we went into the living room together. "What are we going to name him?" Chris questioned as he helped me sit on the black couch. I shrugged and put my head down on his thighs then put my legs on the rest of the couch. He sighed and shrugged it off. "I wanna see him move again." Chris raised my top and traced his finger against my stomach leaving a trail of goosebumps wherever he went. Soon after, I felt pressure against an angle of my stomach. I looked down and saw his little foot print at the spot Chris had just touched. I heard a camera go off with a flash so I raised my head to find the answer, hopefully, from Chris.

"You took a picture?" He nodded and let me see the picture on his phone. "Send that to me. It's cute."