Kathy's Kelter

Chapter Nine- A Gravid Brief

Sat in the most comfortable chair she owned, Kathy reclined. The blue cushion cocooned her shape, and a headrest was provided with abutment for the neck. Her stomach was bleating, and Kathy was struggling to maintain a consistent body temperature. She felt as though she was imprisoned in a seat in the middle of the Gobi Desert, lacking the vigour to do anything at all.

Deadlines and dates gushing through her mind, Kathy realised what day it was: Monday. The day for her first prenatal visit to her obstetrician.

She had been informed that various samples would be required: blood, urine, and cervical. Her baby was about the size of a blueberry according to her doctor, so she didn't need an ultrasound.

Groaning yet slightly tinged with excitement, Kathy slipped on a pair of loose-fitting boots. She stepped over her school uniform which lay slumped over the floor from earlier that day. An additional burden of college. Drooping a thick, grey jacket over herself, Kathy left her house. The trailing grass underfoot crumpled upon contact with her feet. A light breeze dripped from the damask sky, balancing ideally with the warmth. In a Utopia, Kathy would drive to the Medical Center, but she had not learnt to drive yet. She travelled around by foot or public transport. This was impractical for most people, though Kathy felt it was adequate the majority of the time. It could niggle her, however.

Before you can say Kathy's Turbulent Pregnancy Appointment, she had arrived at the doctors. Greeting her old friend Dodie, Kathy impatiently anticipated her name on the intercom.

Her twiddling thumbs seemed to be recalcitrant. They reminded her of her rebellious peers, striving to turn a blind eye to authority. In this case, Kathy was the authority, weakly struggling to keep herself under wraps.

"Kathy Kalloway III to Dr. Damrich please?"

The voice she had been waiting for. Collecting her bag, Kathy traipsed to the clinician room. She addressed Dr. Damrich, and seated herself in a revolving chair beside his desk.

"Hello, Kathy! Long time, no see, am I right?" He asked with a light chuckle. Kathy saw no amusement in that statement, though there was no point of not conforming.

"Yes, it's good to see you! I'm anxious to see the status, but hopefully it'll all turn out alright."

"That's completely normal. Every pregnancy comes with apprehension; you're only human, after all." Dr. Damrich twiddled his facial hair. "I can certainly reassure you that the chances of something looking wrong is about as thin as my moustache."

After giving her an estimated due date of September 13th, the doctor injected a needle into her arm to acquire blood samples.

Kathy never had been afraid of needles. She almost felt sorry for them; it mustn't be nice to have everyone scream at you once you appear.

She handed him the cervical and urine samples, and he ran a collection of scans, medical procedures.

"I can't confirm anything at the present time, though I can say that things are seem to be looking fairly normal. I will call you tomorrow to tell you the full outcome. Good luck, Kathy!"

Nodding and smiling meekly, Kathy thanked Dr. Damrich, and promptly left the Medical Center.

• • •

The sky, aseptic from Earth's quarrels and discrepancies, was besmirched with stars. They rollicked around the planet, gazing down upon the 7 continents, 196 countries, and 2,896 major cities. In the northeast of the Atlantic Ocean, in a small, footling country named England, lay Kathy. She was surrounded by farms, fields, forests, and a minor town by the name of Kingsbridge. Lying in her garden staring out into the universe made her feel like she was outlying on the border. It was terrifying, yet very comforting at the same time.

It meant that all of her problems and dreams ultimately meant nothing at all in the grand scale of time and space. She could lie there forever, and the world would still move on after her death. She would be forgotten. Cleansed of her mistakes, but robbed of her achievements.

Rrrrrring! Bbbrrrrrrring!

Shattering the night, Kathy's phone rang. Looking at the screen, she saw the face of her old friend, Ben Rossi-Legstrong. Why was he calling her at midnight? Why was he calling her at all; hadn't they ended their friendship on pretty bad terms, years ago? Curious, Kathy answered.

"Hello?"

"Kathy? It's so weird to hear your voice. How are you?"

"You wer- why are you calling?"

"Nevermind that - can you come over tomorrow, maybe for a night or two? I need to talk to you. I've had a change of heart, and it's very important for me to talk to you, at length."

Completely taken aback, Kathy stammered.

"O-okay..? You moved back in? Is it the same address?"

"Same address. Come whenever you're ready - and thank you so much, you really don't know how much it means. See you then."

Kathy closed her eyes, listening to the hangup beep reverberate through her ears.