Can You Hear Your Heart

Chapter Eight

Everything's different for me now.

It's a girl.

I thought I'd never feel this kind of love before. Not even with Shaun. But this love I now have for her, it's so pure. So true. The picture of her smile stays on my mind as I wake up the next day. The moment I tell my sisters the big news, they both looked at each other in shock before jumping and squealing with joy. They both went in to give me a hug and I hoped at the moment she was smiling.

But the pace is back to normal. Now that I have an idea on the lady that is growing inside of me, I pay attention to the times and rumbles in my stomach. I've decided to buy a variety of granola bars. I take about ten of these everyday. By the time I finally get home from school, I've finished all of them and two water bottles.

The mornings are the worst hungers I have if I'm being honest. During this week, my professor cancelled a class in the morning so I was able to sleep in a little. By the time I woke up, I had a hollow pain in my stomach and the loudest growls I've ever had in my life. So I quickly went to the kitchen and served myself a bowl of cereal.

By the time I was done with my cereal and started washing my plate, my stomach growled loudly and my eyes grew wide. "Seriously?" I whispered to my stomach. But it still angrily responded back at me and I dried up my bowl to fill it up yet again of more cereal. By the end of the morning, I ended up eating three bowls of cereal.

At the cafe in between my classes, it's the same thing. Luckily, I was able to transfer my facility money from all the missions I've been on, and turn it into outside money for me to buy food as much as I want. Though, I go by Aaron's lesson. Fruits and vegetables are the best thing you can give to your baby right now. She is growing very rapidly at this point so she needs good nutrition.

And Aaron was not kidding about that. During this week, I also let go of all my jeans for sure now. As I angrily threw a jean to the side after trying to button up, I suddenly saw my bloated lower abdomen. It used to be a small roundness at the bottom, but now I can actually put my hand on the bottom part of my abdomen and feel that hardness of my baby girl inside. All the anger from not fitting into my favorite jeans slowly disappeared and I smiled at my hand on this small bump slowly moving upwards. So I've come to amends with my sweats now.

Yet, today is a different step. I lay a hand on my small bump that barely shows with my loose shirt, and take a nervous breath as I step into the self defense building that leads into the facility. I nod at Gale as he yells commands to his "students." He gives me a small smile and I disappear towards the backroom. I press my hand on the panel, it does it's thing with the disappearing box and no later than a minute, I'm walking in the large room to those who enter from all around the world. Shaun should be here today. He said that he had training to do.

I go directly to the large room where superiors attend to discuss or just watch over the facility and it's enemies. Shaw is always in here if he isn't watching people train. I lay my palm on the screen to the side of the doors and they slide open. At this point, I straighten my back like I was taught to do and raise up my chin with respect. "Sir?"

Shaw turns around from looking up at the large screen and smiles at me as I salute to him. "Vivica," he says in his booming voice. "It's nice to see you again. You've been gone for quite a while."

I nod and do a small shrug at his comment. "I suppose I have. I've just been busy with school and....other things."

"That's good," Shaw says gently. I have always found it funny the way this man looks so intimidating but in the end, he's actually a really calm dude. Though, he's not a General around here for no reason. His eyes land on my stomach and out of instinct, I quickly put a hand on the my small bump.