Friends Without Benefits

And So it Goes

After I started working my weeks fell into a well established routine. I worked at the bookstore Monday through Friday in the early afternoon, went to my afternoon classes till four then worked at the coffee shop across the till 8 PM and afterwards went back to my apartment and collapsed.

Meanwhile, my belly was still growing.

I was almost 5 months, about halfway through my pregnancy and it was only going to get harder from here. Meanwhile I was trying to figure out how to balance two jobs, school, and figuring out what I was going to do with my degree, communications, after my child was born. I needed a steady income anyway I could get it.

My anatomy scan was in a few weeks and my mother and Rochelle were anxious to start planning a baby shower. First, they needed to find out what I was having. This was privileged information and I was only going to tell a few people.

"Are you going to tell Reese?" My mother asked when I stop by the house on a Friday after work.

"Mom, I don't know what I'm going to do about Reese!" I replied, exasperated.

"You're such good friends, surely this can't be the thing to ruin it." She looked sad.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call this a "little thing" I replied, dryly. "His parents aren't really speaking to me at the moment."

My mother sighed.

"Well that's a shame."

I wasn't going to say I agreed. My mother looked like she was going to say something else but thought better of it.

The afternoon of my anatomy scan was crazy! Between my work schedules I had just enough time to go in for the ultrasound and make it to work by four. Today was going to be one of those days. If I kept going at this pace I was going to be one of those waddling women when I could no longer really run.

"Sorry I'm late!" I told the receptionist, "Lana Jeffries, I'm here for my anatomy scan."

"You're alright," the receptionist said kindly, "have a seat and we'll call you back shortly."

Twenty minutes later, I was called back. Hastily explaining my situation to the nurse, she nodded.

"We'll try to get you through as quickly as possible; this won't take long." She chuckled, "As long as the baby cooperates."

A short time later, I was lying on the table while the technician began the ultrasound. After checking various measurements, she looked over at me.

"Do you want to find out what you're having?"

"I don't think my mother and girlfriends will forgive me if I don't. They're in charge of planning the baby shower."

"Well okay then. Let's just see if the baby cooperates."

She pushed around on my stomach for several minutes before she had a good angle. The baby was moving around a lot despite getting bigger, it seemed to be dancing today.

"Seems very active today..." The technician murmured, "that's good."

She moved the probe around for a few more minutes.

"Well, it looks like you're having a girl. Congratulations."

With this knowledge, I left the OB/GYN. Before I got in my car I texted Reece (not that I expected a response).

Just so you know, it's a girl.