In The Long Run

In The Long Run (6)

Two months pregnant

"Five more, Munroe! Come on! I'm not letting you run in the tournament before you get in better shape!"

I swear I'm going to kill this woman! She's been making me do push-ups all afternoon and the nausea hasn't gone away yet. It was actually kind of funny. Curly was sitting next to the field with a bucket. She's been like a freaking shadow ever since I told her about the "smallish" one.

"You're pregnant?! OMG! Is it Wayne's?"

"No, it's Batman's'."

"I didn't know you were seeing Batman!"

(Poor girl, she never did catch sarcasm. That and the role chicken nuggets play in a balanced diet.)

"Of course it's Wayne's', you doughnut!"

"How's he feel? What does he think? How did your parents take it? What are you going to name it? When . . ." I put my hand over her mouth before I struggled the girl.

"Calm down! I haven't told my parents and neither has Wayne. He's pretty serious about keeping the kid alive, so I'm not aborting it and he's more interested in the pregnancy than he'd like to admit. I'm telling my parents when I start showing and so is he."

She took a minute to take it all in, before she nodded and I took my hands away. A soon as she tried to open her mouth, I put my hands back.

"No, not a word out of you. I'm nauseous and your babbling makes me dizzy."

She nodded slowly again and took my hands off. "I'm going to help you."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "I don't need any help Curls. I'm fine and I've already got Wayne."

"Pfft. What's he know anyway? Seriously, I want to help you. I'll get you your prenatal vitamins and get you to the doctor, arrange a baby shower, make appointments for birth classes for you and Wayne..."

"Fine. You can help. I'm just afraid that I might take advantage of you. You're pretty gullible you know?"

"So I've been told, but I trust you. So, I'm going to be the best friend a pregnant teenager could have." She hugged me and I hugged her back.

I was sweating like crazy, but it wasn't like the couch cared. I think that if she knew, she might punish me properly. Oh crap! Once she finds out that she's been training me for nothing, she'll kill me and probably neuter Wayne. That isn't going to be too great. She blew her whistle. Finally! I could breath again.

"Six laps, Munroe. Those push-ups were pathetic."

"Oh come on! I'm kind of. . . 'sick' so I can't exactly do my best, coach."

"With what?!" she spat. I have to think of an excuse fast, she probably knew all of the gym excuses by now.

"Um . . . m-ma-malaria."

"Malaria? How the heck did you get malaria?"

"I - I hung out at the airport to check out the foreigners and one of them must've stabbed me with a needle."

She stared at me like I was crazy and shook her head. "Fine. Go home Munroe, before I have to drag you to the hospital."

"Thanks coach." I said and dragged myself over to Curly. She pulled out a little planner and I immediately knew this was trouble.

"Okay, today is Thursday . . ." she started ". . . So we have to be at the doctor in about fifteen minutes."

"What?! Why?!" I asked.