One // Leigh-Anne Pinnock

Chapter Twenty-One

As time drew near for Leigh to return to work she decided it was time for her to get back to the gym. As soon as she got the "all clear" from her doctor she scheduled with her trainer.

She wasn't at the stage where she was comfortable leaving her baby with someone while she wasn't there yet, so she brought her along to the gym. That should be interesting.

Leigh and her trainer were doing some basic exercises to start her out. Chloe-Marie sat happily in her car seat, on the side of the room, with her stuffed puppy hanging from her mouth.

Ten minutes in and Leigh was already completely out of breath.

"Stop, stop, stop!" She panted bending over.

Her head spun and her chest heaved as she gasped for air. She dropped to her knees, her heart racing a mile a minute. She forced oxygen into her lungs but that resulted in her becoming lightheaded.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and she looked up. "Hydrate. I'm giving you ten minutes." Her trainer said, thrusting her water bottle into her hands, then walking out the room. Leigh rolled her eyes at his back. He was a really nice guy but he took his workouts a bit too seriously for Leigh's taste.

She opened the cap and took three big gulps. She recapped the bottle and laid on her back with her hands over her eyes. She covered her eyes, still trying to regulate her breathing.

She knew she would be out of shape after going through pregnancy but this just proved how unfit she actually was. The Glory Days tour was supposed to start next month. If basic exercises made her collapse then she didn't want to imagine what would happen on stage.

All of a sudden, whimpers could be heard from the corner of the room. The sound echoed through out the room, making it louder than it should've been.

"Mummy's here, pumpkin. Don't cry." Leigh cooed. She crawled over to the fretting baby. She checked the time. It had been two hours since she had been fed last.

Unfortunately for Leigh, in the midst of rushing to get out of the house she forgot to pack at least one bottle. She was now forced to breastfeed, something she swore she won't do in public. She wasn't about to go in the bathroom because why should a baby, who is another human being, have to get their meal next to the toilets. She raised her shirt and brought down her bra. She unbuckled the restless baby and craddled her to her chest. Chloe latched onto the nipple and began drinking very contentedly. She took Chloe's blanket out the baby bag and use it to cover herself.

"Alright time's up." When he caught sight of what was in front of him he froze like a deer in the headlights. "Umm.."

Leigh turned to the door and her eyes widened. Feeling slightly self-concious, Leigh pulled the blanket, making sure she was covered.

"Give me five minutes, please. I'll be ready."

"No no, it's fine. Take your time." He said, stumbling out of the room. Leigh sucked her teeth at his behaviour. What she was doing was a normal part of life and it's not like she didn't cover herself. That, however, didn't stop the level of awkwardness in the room from rising from 0-100 in a split second.

Leigh couldn't exactly rush her little one so she patiently waited for her to finish. When she did, she burped her then buckled her back into the car seat. She made sure she was decent before she called her trainer back.

"Alright, let's get back to work..."

He wouldn't even look her in the eye but she didn't pay attention that. She just placed her focus on trying not to pass out.

...

After her workout Leigh and her daughter left the gym. She felt extremely sweaty and sticky so she drove straight home. As she drove in her driveway, she saw a car parked a little way off the entrance.