Page 35 of Inevitably Yours

Stacy pulled away. “I need details if I…wait, no, ew. Not that kind of detail, but as much as you can manage without making me throw up in my mouth.”

Once they were seated back on the bed, Gus shared as much detail as she could without, as Stacy said, traumatizing her with naked information about her brother.

“It sounds to me like he made the first move out of jealousy and thumping his chest, saying I am man, hear me roar, but, he made love to you because he cares about you.” Yeah, Gus had to agree. Once she had her emotions under control, that’s exactly what it sounded like. But she didn’t know if she could tell her bruised heart and ego that.

A knock at the door reminded her of a small detail she had forgotten. “Shit, that’s the dynamic duo, we have an appointment today.” Gus yelled, “Come in!” and proceeded to get dressed and brush her teeth in record time.

“Listen to the potty mouth on you,” Stacy quipped.

When Andy appeared in her bedroom doorway, Stacy collected her purse from the floor. “I’m going to go see how John is doing on this shitshow of a morning,” she told Gus. Turning her attention to Andy, Gus observed a lot of unspoken…something between them. “Take care of my girl there and make sure to stop for ice cream. Pregnant bitches love ice cream.” Andy inclined his head and squeezed her bicep. Gus watched him mouth the words “thank you” to her friend, but it was Stacy who gave him a look of gratitude.

“Oh great, so he knows, too? Does everyone know?”

Stacy turned back and dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Yes, he knows, and no, everyone doesn’t. It was a need to know thing, and Andy fucking needs to know. Besides, he’s got your back, little mama, and not just because of that belly of yours.”

Then she was gone and Gus was on her way to her final pre-natal appointment before her due date with a very concerned Andy and Marco.

Gus had thought her talk with Stacy and logical analysis of her and John’s…whatever it was, had put everything in to perspective. Not that she had a whole lot of time to reflect on much of it. Marco and Andy were fixers, and being stuck in the car with two fixers for fifty minutes butted up against torture. I’m pretty sure an iron maiden would’ve been more comfortable.

Not that they weren’t helpful. They usually brought a unique wisdom to the table, but she felt trapped. Gus processed better in open spaces, a place where she could pace and think. Somehow, the motion of her legs helped her brain work or petting her cats; that always helped, too.

Gus was thrilled when they arrived and she could get out of the car and stretch her legs. Not to mention the doctor’s office was no place for the kind of conversation they were having. Thank God.

But her earlier perception of perspective was blown out of the water at the words, “You’re dilated about two centimeters, Miss Thorne, looks like you are going to be having a baby.”

Talk about perspective? That made things clear. All the other stuff in her life meant virtually nothing in the face of bringing a healthy child into this world.

The upbeat tone the doctor spoke in did nothing to calm the nerves of all three of the other people in the room. Even though they all knew pregnancy meant labor and labor meant delivery and so on, ending in a new life, they were all shocked.

Gus thought Marco might faint any minute now. Andy looked on apologetically. She wasn’t sure if the look was meant for her or Marco, but it was there all the same.

“But…how? I mean, I’m not writhing in pain. I have a little backache, but that’s nothing new.”

“Despite how it happens in the movies, for some women, the first stages of labor are slow and gradual. And mercifully, relatively painless. Go home, relax. Enjoy the calm before the storm, so to speak. I’ll alert admitting to have your suite on stand-by. These things take time, it could be a week, or it could happen as early as tomorrow.”

Marco piped in, “Honey, we knew this time would come, don’t sweat it.”

“That’s easy for you to say, you’re not the one in labor. You don’t have to push a bowling ball through your hooha.” The doctor found that amusing. Gus found the doctor annoying.

“Besides,” he continued, “your little boom-boom last night probably had something to do with this. Go team hetero!” Gus was mortified that Marco brought that up, and in front of the doctor.

“It’s true, Pixie, semen helps—”

“Ew,” Gus interrupted Andy. “Just stop. I do not need to hear this. Hello, labor here, remember?”

“Relax, Miss Thorne, you’re not in active labor. When the contractions are strong and four to five minutes apart, regularly, come back. Until then, rest while you can, eat small meals and stay calm and hydrated.”

“Thank you, Doctor Johns,” everyone spoke in unison.

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