Something greater than loss

A Plan?

January - 34 weeks

Got an email from Gideon a few days ago, he's asking me how I'm doing and if I know when I would be back. He's getting impatient, I told him this would take some time and he's already asking when I'll be back. Nevertheless, I wrote back, told him I'm alright and that it'll still be a few months. I was sitting at my desk, working as usual. Trust me, working with a five-pound mass continuously growing inside your abdomen is not fun. I was shirtless with the support band wrapped around my stomach, my hips are acting up again. Darlene was in the shower when there was a knock at the door, I went to open it. Flipper quickly came to see who it was.

"Angela? What are you doing here?"

"I texted you I'd come to hang out. Did you not get my text?"

"Oh yeah, right, sorry. I forgot."

Our relations have come back to normal ever since we made up, she's a good sport about the whole thing now. I let her come in, she put her stuff down on a chair and stared at me, her gaze slowly made its way down to my midsection, she couldn't peel her eyes off which made me realize, I was still shirtless.

"One second, I'll dress."

I looked around to find my previously discarded shirt. All the while Angela was walking closer and closer to me.

"You don't have to if you're more comfortable like this."

She was now very close to me, like three inches away from me. She looked into my eyes with this uncertain look, this might sound strange but I think I know what she wants. I looked into her eyes answering her question. She looked down at my stomach and lifted her hand up to touch it, her fingers inched closer until the very tips touched my bare skin giving me goosebumps, she quickly pulled her hand away as if she burned herself on red-hot iron. She tried again, this time her fingers actually stayed on my skin and then, she pressed her whole palm down.

"Wow..."

Her eyes glanced into mine then looked back down.

"It's different from when you have your shirt on, it's, so warm."

Her hand glided down the side of my stomach, my skin stretching various different ways as the kid stretched, then the outline of a little upside down foot pressed from under my skin. Angela got very excited.

"Did you see that?!"

Suddenly Darlene walked out of the bathroom dressed in loose clothes and a towel around her head. She looked at Angela with an apprehensive look but said nothing, Angela quickly pulled her hand away and took a step back like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

"Don't go anywhere, I'll be out in a minute."

And just like she said she got dressed and not long after she went out leaving Angela and me alone. I did put my shirt back on otherwise Angela wouldn't stop staring at me; she vigorously sat down on my couch.

"So, I thought we could maybe make you a birth plan. What do you think?"

"I don't even know what that is."

"It's a list of things you would like to happen when you go into labor. You give it to your caregiver at one of your appointments."

Her demeanor was so nonchalant. What the hell?! When did she come up with that?

"Hold your horses. I'm not due until next month."

I sat down opposite her on one of the kitchen chairs.

"What? Are you scared?"

Shit, she's onto me, she always saw right through me, like through clear glass.