As promised, Jai showed up on my doorstep early on Friday morning holding a tray of hot tea and a bag of my favorite rolls from the bakery downtown. He kissed my cheek gently, letting himself in.
Instantly I regretted only tossing on a pair of yoga pants and my old, college t-shirt. I hadn't even bothered with make up or hair, but luckily the petechia around my eyes had subsided after I left the first trimester. Jai didn't seem particularly concerned with how I looked, anyway, and I couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not.
While I pondered over changing my outfit, or at least throwing on a little powder, Jai had made himself at home. He put out the spread of rolls, and collected the odds and ends of my fridge to make a fruit salad. It seemed a miracle because I hadn't gone food shopping yet this week.
"We need to get you some more groceries after your appointment," He said, buttering a roll before passing it to me on a paper plate. "Some fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meats. Is there any food that you're particularly craving?"
I bit into the roll, and raised my eyebrows. He was buzzing with pure energy, and already planning out the entire day. I'd assumed once the doctor's appointment was over, he'd make his way back up the east coast.
"Gummy bears?" I answered his cravings question, though I wasn't sure if it was a craving as much as the first thing that came into my head. For the first 3 months of my pregnancy, I'd been too busy feeling sick to notice any sort of cravings.
He paused to look at me, "We can pick up a bag of them, but you shouldn't be eating too many."
His concern was sweet, but I'll be damned if I let him tell me what I should and shouldn't eat. I didn't know much about pregnancy, but it seemed that it was the only time in a woman's life that society didn't frown upon becoming fat. And if it was finally acceptable for me to gain weight and not feel guilty about it then that's what I planned on doing.
"Jai, I understand you're concerned with our baby's well-being..."
"Yours too..." He interjected quickly, before taking a bite out of his own roll.
I tried not to let my annoyance show up on my face, as I took a deep breath. "Mine too, but I can handle my health on my own. I've been following the doctor's orders, including staying away from sushi and lattes. It's been extremely hard and if I want to substitute their loss with gummy bears then I think I'm allowed to."
He blushed, but chuckled. "You're right. I just want to make sure you have everything you need. And ... I want you to know that you can ask me if you need anything. I've looked into it and I can order food from the market down the street and they will deliver here. Even though I can't always be here, I'm going to try my best to look after the two of you."
"I appreciate that," I smiled.
And I did appreciate him wanting to help out but I didn't want him to think that being pregnant made me an invalid. I'd learned to take care of myself at a young age, and I hated needing to lean on someone for support. It had taken me years to allow Mae into my life, and be my emotional rock but I would never allow her to buy me groceries or do my chores for me. I never wanted to be the burden on someone like I had been on my parents.
From what I had learned during drinking binges and angry fights with DYFUS, my parents were never in love and they never wanted children. They were stupid teenagers who had drunken sex at a party once and conceived my brother. For a year they attempted to make it work, Miles likes to call this the honeymoon period. The three of them lived together in a small one-bedroom apartment, while my parents worked odd jobs around town just to make ends meet.
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Our Greatest Adventure
Fanfiction"It seemed almost serendipitous I would become pregnant with our child on one of our last good days. We'd been weathering the storm of a long distance relationship, and just keeping our heads above water then." Riddled with anxieties and tormented...
