Odds in Our Favor: A Joshifer Fanfic

Chapter 41

*Jen*

With the news of the twins, Josh and I have been scurrying around trying to prepare everything for their arrival. Over the past few months, we have made tons of preparations, like moving some old furniture into the garage that was being stored in a spare bedroom. We then painted that room pink, for Lily. We also managed to snag some old hand-me-downs from relatives and my mother, things like bibs and blankets. We'll probably still buy some new stuff though, just because who knows how long that stuff has been in a dusty old closet. I am now 8 months in, and my gargantuan stomach makes it really difficult to dress myself in the morning. Luckily, I seem to have a roughly large supply of shirts with super stretchy fabric, so it hasn't been too much of a problem. Today, I had to get dressed so that we could go out and buy some furniture for the babies' rooms, as well as other little necessities. In our travels, we have been getting increasingly annoyed with each other. With each new stop at a different store, my desire to go home and shut the door to the bedroom in Josh's face grows increasingly stronger. "Toys-R-Us/Babies-R-Us" will be the last stop of the day.

"I need to pee." I tell Josh, subconsciously holding my stomach as I walk towards the ladies room. Josh rolls his eyes and pushes the shopping cart in front of him with a sigh. "How many bathroom trips are you planning to make within the hour?" He asks, clearly annoyed. My head slowly rotates over towards his direction, and I glare at him, my jaw jutted outward in anger. "Oh, I'm sorry." I snap. "I didn't know YOU were the one with two babies inside them." I begin to walk quickly ahead of him, eager to get to the bathroom and just forget this ordeal. "Jennifer..." I hear him calling behind me, but I don't stop my quickened pace.

I enter the bathroom, where I know Josh can't chase me, and I am almost certain that I can finally relax until I notice that the restroom only has three stalls, one of which is out of order. There is an older woman there who smiles at me, and a businesswoman in a suit who does not seem like she wants to engage in conversation. "There's a line." She mutters unenthusiastically, as if the line was somehow caused by the other people in the room, and not the malfunctioning stall. The old woman walks slowly up to me and whispers in my ear, "Excuse me, miss. You wouldn't happen to be that lady from that movie series there...umm...what was it? Hunger..." I smile at her. "The Hunger Games. Yes." I whisper back. I remind her of my name. "Jennifer. It's a pleasure." She offers yet another warm smile, and responds "My granddaughter is a huge fan of yours. She'll never believe that her grandmother got to meet you before her!" She laughs, and a light chuckle escapes my mouth as well. "Well, tell her I said hello then." I offer. She nods, before one of the stalls opens and she switches places with yet another suave businesswoman. Lots of businesswomen in Toys-R-Us today. Must be some sort of corporate meeting in the baby section.

Finally, I'm able to do my business myself, and I exit the room in a slightly happier mood than I was beforehand. There's something about old people I think that just brightens your day. Either that, or I was looking for an excuse to be happier after my whole thing with...

Josh.

I glance around the area near the bathrooms. The cart that we were using is nowhere to be found. Surely he wouldn't have brought it in the bathroom with him if he went in. A little boy walks out of the men's room at that moment, and before I know what I'm saying, I ask him. "Excuse me, little boy. Um, did you happen to see another man in there? A little shorter than me, brown hair, brown eyes, stubble...? The boy shakes his head. "Sorry, lady. I was the only one in the men's room." "Thank you..." I mutter, slight annoyance picked up in my voice. Great. Now I have to search for my husband in freaking Toys-R-Us.

Trying not to shake up the two little people inside me, I start running as fast as I humanly can. "Josh?" I call out occasionally. Nothing. No brown hair, no hazel eyes, no gorgeous voice. The hormones that come with pregnancy start racing through me all of a sudden, and the worst possible case scenarios pop into my head. What if he was so annoyed with me that he left the store without getting anything, and I have to walk all the way home? What if he randomly had this medical thing that he had to attend to? "Josh?" What if someone tried to take a fan picture with him, but a secret mob attacked him and now he's in an ally somewhere? "JOSH?" WHAT IF HE MOVED TO ZIMBABWE? Or worse...

What if he doesn't want to be the father of my children?

My breathing starts to grow heavy. I can't tell if it's because I'm literally running in this gigantic store with a full on pregnancy belly, or if it's because I'm really starting to work myself up here. Breathe, Jen. Breathe. He loves you, he loves you. He would never leave you here. Not now, when you're bound to have his children any day now. Finally, the anxiety starts to build up and I can't take it. I let out a nervous and terrified yelp. "JOSH!"

Something shifts in the clothes racks with a rattle of a carriage. Out comes my husband, with a nervous look on his face, and he crashes into my arm. "You okay?" He asks. "I got scared, I didn't know, I was so nervous I thought..." He pulls me into a hug. "I thought you left." "I'm sorry." He replies breathlessly. "I just wanted to get a head start on the shopping. I didn't mean to scare you baby." He places a light kiss on the crook of my neck. I hug him for a little while longer before letting him go. "It's okay. I'm sorry too. Overreacted." He smiles at the corner of his mouth and kisses me. He sighs before placing his hand on two large boxes in the cart. "Cribs. We can paint them if we want, or we could just leave them white." He points to another object lying flat in the cart. "Blankets for them, and bottles." I whistle with amazement at his quickness. "Wow. Impressive, babe." He grins. "Thanks, hun." I laugh at the old joke.

"Let's get out of here, Joshy. I'm honestly so tired after walking around all day." I exclaim, again resting a hand on my stomach. He nods. "I agree. Let's go." We pay for the items and the drive home is mostly silent.

~10 PM~

"Joshy, what if I'm not a good mother?" I ask him as we get ready for bed. He laughs. "Jennifer Hutcherson, your babies are going to love you. I love you, I don't see why they wouldn't. You're having the same fear that every new mother has. I'm going to be with you the whole time, okay?" I smile at his words. He's just like Peeta. "Okay." I kiss him for a while before we go to sleep, his arm wrapped around my ever growing torso. "They're going to love you too." I mutter, and Josh laughs before we drift off.

~12:25 AM~

I wake suddenly, glancing at the clock. Josh's gentle snores are the only sound in the room as I read the time. I try to think about why I am awake. My stomach makes no noise, I don't need to pee for once.

Wait.

What was that?

I move the comforter off of my legs, and watch as a small pool of water begins to trickle onto the sheets, down my thigh and spilling into the mattress.

Oh. My. God.

"JOSH!"

�ƛY:(