Moon.

| Moon | eight

The past few months have been the worst. Without Megan, my days aren't filled with as much fun as before, although Mav does try his best to entertain me, things are different without my best friend. One thing that has kept me going are the letters that she sends me from her room at the other side of the building, which Mav delivers for us.

Speaking, of Mav, he and I have been getting closer, I guess you could say. Some nights, we just talk and talk until we fall asleep. He's also been the one who's helped throughout the toughest weeks, the ones where the morning sickness was just so bad. It's almost time to birth my moon, only a week away, and my bump has just been growing and growing continuously.

I can barely get out of the bed without any help, so the buzzer right next to my bed has been of a constant help for me. I look down at my belly, and place a hand on it out of habit. A lot of things have changed. In the beginning, I was scared to have a moon, and upset that I had to because of a small crime. But now? I'm happy, because doing this has gotten me two wonderful friends, Megan, and Mav. I've even met Megan's old partner, Melvin. He's nice, I guess, but he seems really sad. Probably because he and Megan really cared for each other.

I sigh, stepping out of the bed. It's funny how people here only get to the point where they deeply care about each other, whereas, I know about love... the thing is, I don't know how I know in the first place.

The door opens and I'm greeted by a smiling Mav. I look at him, amused. "What's got you in such a happy mood?" I laugh.

He just grins as he walks up to me, spreading his arms. "Megan has a girl!"

My eyes open wider and my mouth hangs open. "What?! But she got full after me!"

"She gave birth a bit early, a minor malfunction. It's okay though, it's already May." She's so happy, even though we all know..." he doesn't finish his sentence. His smile falters a bit. We both know that most moons are taken away mere hours away from when they are born. Moonmothers don't get to spend that much time with their moons.

I sigh. "At least she's happy. I can't wait for mine too." I smile a little, rubbing my stomach.
Mav smiles back. "Yeah, I can't wait to see what yours will look like." We hold eye contact for a second before I look away, tucking a strand of loose hair to my ear.

"What did she name her?" I ask. One of the few privileges moonmothers get are naming their moons, as long as it's a name that isn't taken yet.

"Madelaine."

I gasp softly. "What a beautiful name."

He grins. "Have you thought of one for yours yet?"

I shrug. "Well, I've got a name for a girl, but I still don't have one for a boy yet."
He nods. "How come you didn't just request to know?"

"I guess I just wanted it to be a surprise, you know? Like if I don't have a name by the time I give birth... then when I meet him or her, the name will come to me."

"Wow. That's a great thought. So what did you have in mind then?"

"Mariah, or some version of that."

"Hmm... okay." He replies.

He and I talk for awhile before he has to go attend to his other patients. When he leaves, I feel a kick in my stomach. I smile, looking down. "Whoever you are, I love you."

I went to the bathroom to Pee. I washed my hands. I got ready to go out. But then there was water on the floor. I look down, panicking. What am I supposed to do? I hurry to the call button, careful not to trip on the wet floor. The button is so close, yet so far. I manage to stumble to the closest button and press it, hoping that someone will help me before darkness consumes me.