That Stupid Little L-Word:

Chapter Fifty Four

"Wake up!" A disembodied voice shouts, and then a pillow slams against my head. I jolt awake. My eyes snap open and I struggle to roll over onto my back, so I can get a good look at my attacker.

Amanda pauses in her assault. "Finally," she harrumphs. She stands beside my bed, her hands on her hips, a sour look on her face. "You've slept through all my phone calls, your mom, and your alarm clock! Get up, or you'll be late for your doctor's appointment."

I grumble incoherently and try to sit up. Amanda has to help me. "I'll be dammed if you miss this appointment," she was still yapping away. "I need to know what color head phones I need to get for my future god-child."

"Will you relax please?" Kylie says as she enters the room, glaring at Amanda. "You're going to stress her out.Stress isn't good for the baby."

Amanda scowls at her. I sit up and look around, still dazed and half asleep. It took me a few moments to understand why Amanda and Kylie seemed so keyed up. It had been two months since the whole revenge-incident and a solid twenty weeks since I'd taken the test. Today was the day that I could finally figure out what gender my kid is going to be.

I watch as Kylie disappears into my closet, only to reappear moments later with a handful of clothes. The duo practically have me washed, dressed, and down the stairs before I can even form a coherent thought.

When I make it to the first floor, I notice that my mother is standing by the front door, dressed and ready, with her purse in hand. She looks relieved. "Finally," she says. "We're going to be late!"

I mutter under my breath, "It's not my fault."

I squirm free from Amanda and Kylie's grips, and earn concerned looks from both. I step outside, into the bright Florida sun, and the three of us walk toward my mom's van and climb inside. The whole twenty minute drive to the clinic passes in a blur, as the three women surrounding me jabber away in a bubble of excitement. I almost sigh with relief when the van pulls into the parking lot and my mom cuts the engine. I am out of the van within moments, happy to be free of the oppressive chatter. The others gather their purses and clamber out of the van behind me as I wobble toward the front door.

Amanda elbows me. "What are you going to name it if it's a boy?" she asks.

I tear my gaze away from the lovely view outside the waiting room window and stare at her blankly. I'd hardly had enough time to consider breakfast, much less what I name I would brand my kid with for the rest of his or her life.

Kylie and my mom lean in with interest. "Well?"

"I haven't thought about it," I respond dismissively.

"What do you mean you haven't thought about it?" Amanda demands. "That's the most exciting part!"

I roll my eyes and open my mouth to answer. I am, thankfully, saved from answering as a nurse steps into the waiting room and calls my name. We are whisked back into a room for an ultrasound. The nurse gives us instructions, and I climb onto the weird table-chair thing and stretch out. My mom claims the chair beside my bed, her purse resting on her lap. Her lips are stretched into a wide grin.

My t-shirt is pushed up, revealing my bulging stomach. It isn't as big as most baby-bellies are, but it certainly is no longer invisible. The nurse rubs some weird jelly stuff onto it and then smiles down at me excitedly. "Are you ready?" she asks.

I nod.

A monitor that hangs on the wall across from us sparks to life. The nurse glances at it and moves her magic wand around on my stomach. An image appears, black and white and kind of blurry. It depicts a ghastly looking thing somewhat compressed inside a dark sack. I stare at it for a few moments, awestruck. Unlike the last time that I'd really seen it, my future kid actually looks like a real baby. It has a small cherub like face and distinguishable hands and feet. The nurse babbles endlessly with my mother, and snaps several pictures of the baby. I watch it kick and roll right in front of my eyes. The baby even yawns, and it melts my heart.

"Oh my goodness," Kylie coos.

Amanda rubs at her eyes furiously, and then clutches at her chest. "Owe," she says, "My heart. It hurts."

"It's my little peanut," I whisper.

"What?" My mom, Kylie, and Amanda all look over at me. Their expressions range from weirded out to blatant amusement.

I shake my head. "Just ignore me."

Amanda snorts. She returns her gaze toward the screen and then looks at the nurse. "So what's the gender?"

The nurse smiles at her. "Give it a moment. I'm trying to get a good shot."

"The baby keeps squirming," Kylie says. "And its legs are crossed."

"That makes it harder to get a shot," the nurse finishes for Kylie, and grins. Then she looks at me. "Looks like you've got yourself a squirmer."

"I could have told you that," I laugh. "I could tell the moment it first decided to samba across my freaking bladder."

The nurse and my mother laugh. Kylie grins and stares at the screen, her hand gingerly rubbing her own slender stomach. There's a strong sadness within her eyes, however. I remember her telling me about what Seth did to her; about how she was pressured to get an abortion. My fingers twitch. I feel horrible for her. As I go to reach out toward her, Amanda reaches over and grabs her hand, squeezing it. She flashes Kylie a bright smile when the girl looks over, slightly shocked. It makes me smile.

"There we go!" The nurse suddenly chimes. My attention jerks back toward the screen and I squint at it. I can no longer see my baby's face. Instead, I see pole like legs that twitch and kick. The nurse snaps a picture and then smiles.

"It's a girl!"

Short and sweet <3 I apologize for the lack of length; this chapter was a lot harder to write than I had expected it to be. The next few should be longer!

Thanks for your support :) It means the world!