Preg-Not

17

Raelynn returned to her floor. She sat on her desk and replied to two emails. The team was busy since they were working on an overhaul. Raelynn wasn't needed for much. All she did was answer emails, organize files, edit, facilitate conversation between a few contractors, and attend meetings. As repetitive as her job was, she was getting dangerously attached to it.

This is temporary. Don't forget it.

With a duller mood, she finished her work for the day and went home. While on the train, she kept thinking about her stressing conversation with Viktor. The many layers of clothing she wore suddenly felt suffocating. She shrugged off her cardigan and two scarves, revealing her belly without thinking much of it.

Eyes moved to her midsection, and two people stood up to offer their seat. She was startled. Since she hid her pregnancy everywhere but at home or the doctor's office, she was always invisible.

The pregnancy got her plenty of morning sickness and aches, but she skipped out on the special treatment.

"Thank you," she smiled at the young man that gave her his seat. She clutched her purse and scarves tightly against her body, feeling like the whole world was watching her.

The second she got off the train, she pulled her clothes back on. Something hard bumped into her shoulder.

"Excuse me."

She turned to face the man behind her. "It's okay."

His eyes fell to her belly. "No, it's not. You're pregnant. I should've been more careful."

She squirmed, hating the attention. "Don't worry about it."

Her fingers itched to pull her clothes back on, but she was transfixed by this man. She had seen him somewhere, but couldn't pin-point where. This city was full of so many faces that it was remarkable to remember one.

"Therapy, right?" he said.

She blinked. "Oh, right, I saw you at the office."

He smiled and ran a hand through his already messy hair. "Well, feel free to knock me over at the office to get even."

"Are you calling me fat?" she asked with a poker-face.

He panicked. "No!"

"Just kidding," she chuckled. "I will see you around. Take care." She pulled her clothes on and left. Oddly enough, her back ached, although she had been sitting through the train ride.

Going up the building steps was hell since the apartment was on the fourth floor. They were a constant reminder that pregnancy would be easier if she had a male in her life. Someone to massage her evil feet, hold back her hair when she puked her soul into the toilet, and stand behind her to make sure she didn't roll down the steps.

Tiffany was nice, but she wasn't around all the time.

"Enough sad thoughts," she exhaled and cupped the underside of her belly. "I'm serious this time, guys. No more ice cream, or I'm going to end up bringing the building down."

It was one of those days where she was so tired she barely managed to shower and shove some food down her throat. When she woke up in the morning, she still had a chocolate bar hanging out her mouth.

While ice-cream was now off the table, nobody said anything about chocolate.

She dressed into her regular attire, panicking when she realized she had no more waterfall cardigans. She picked out a dirty one and drown it in so much perfume that the fetuses could probably smell it.

She needed to do laundry and some shopping, but her energy had been tanking lately. She wasn't sure how she would make it to the ninth month of pregnancy.