Loose Ends

Chapter 29: Love Struck

Amy walked into Dr. Hightower's office and signed John in for his appointment. She set John down near the toys and quietly watched him play as she thought about how much easier her life seemed lately. In the month and a half since she'd been home she'd been meeting with Lauren and Madison every other Sunday to have lunch or just hang out. Since the three of them had agreed to reduce the drama in their lives they quit gossiping about their other friends and other people in general and simply talked about themselves, their lives, and their future goals and dreams; the three friends had never been closer than they were now. The Juergens family was also closer than they had been since Amy and Ashley were younger. With herself and her parents busy with work and life, dinner had become a great way for them all to keep in touch. They had progressed beyond just nightly dinners though. Some nights Anne, George, Amy and Ashley would watch a movie together after the boys were put to bed for the night or they'd play board games. Amy smiled to herself. Yes, she and Ashley may seem a little old to be playing board games with their parents but they actually had a lot of fun and it gave them all an excuse to act silly. Amy enjoyed these nights with her parents and sister because she felt like a normal teenager and not just a teen mom. On Sundays when Amy wasn't hanging out with her girlfriends or having lunch with Margaret they all ate a picnic lunch at the park or did something else as a family; Amy and Ashley both enjoyed getting to spend some quality time with their little brother on these occasions.

Amy had also spent some time talking on the phone with Grace and once in a while Grace came over and they just hung out in Amy's room and talked. Grace was on her way to becoming a close friend but it was still going to take some time. Amy giggled as John squealed with delight while putting little colored balls fall down a spiral shoot and watching them shoot out the bottom. He smirked when the balls came out. Just like his daddy Amy thought and her thoughts traveled to her relationship with Ricky. They had gotten really close in a short amount of time. They talked, a lot, at their weekly dinners and during their outings with John. Amy now knew more about Ricky than just pieces of information. She had learned to read his body language and decipher his different tones of voice. She had a better understanding of how his mind worked and could read his emotions more easily as well. And she knew he could do the same for her and that didn't bother her. They had quickly reached a point where they were such good friends they could finish each other's sentences and tell what the other was thinking more often than not. Amy couldn't help but laugh at the situation, causing John to look in her direction before returning his focus back to his little colored balls, thinking that his mommy was just making noises for no reason. Just a month and a half ago she had plans to become Ricky Underwood's friend and now he was one of her best friends. How did that happen so quickly she wondered as the nurse called her and John's names. Amy scooped up her son and followed the nurse into one of the exam rooms. She set John on the examining table and removed his shoes. Dr. Hightower walked in a few moments later.

"Hello, Amy. Hello, John," she greeted each of them in turn. John smiled back.

"Hi, Dr. Hightower."

"And how's this little guy doing today?"

"Happy and full of energy as usual," Amy told her with a smile.

"Well let's see how much you've grown big guy," she said to John and put him on a scale to check his weight. Once she wrote it down she proceeded to perform the rest of John's annual checkup; John squirmed a little as she checked his ears because he was a little ticklish. "Well, John's developing just fine, Amy. In fact, this little guys off the charts in terms of height and reflexes. He's gonna be a tall, athletic young man someday," she told Amy while tickling John's belly, causing him to laugh. Dr. Hightower looked at her records and then turned to Amy. "He needs a booster shot and then he's all set for another year." Amy nodded as Dr. Hightower typed some notes into a computer. Amy and John waved goodbye and headed to the immunization area. Everything was fine until John felt a cool sensation on his arm. He squirmed, trying to see what it was but Amy, knowing it was best to keep John distracted, had turned his head and held it firmly against her chest before the nurse began cleaning his arm for the needle. Amy waited until the nurse had put a Band-Aid on John's arm before she let go of his head. A crisis averted, Amy made her way out to the parking lot to head back to work.