~Generation 1 part 3~

~Generation 1, part 3~

~Kristy~

AN: If you are confused about what's going on, go back and read the first post!

"Mrs. Lewis!" I said a bit loudly, her hot hazelnut coffee startling me as it splashed onto my shirt.

"My apologies Kristy," Mrs. Lewis said in a polite tone. A cheesy smile spread across her face.

"Kristy Lives, I had no idea you'd settled down! I can see your starting a family," she said, gesturing at my growing belly.



I rubbed my abdomen affectionately, already knowing what she was implying. If I had gotten married and "settled down" the entire town would know, Mrs. Lewis probably being the first or second to find out.

"Actually it's just my mother and I at home," I told her, returning her cheesy smile. I saw the glint in her eyes and knew that she would be gossiping as fast as a cheetah about this information. In less than an hour the whole town would know I was having a baby out of wedlock.

"Oh, well, very exciting," she responded, her smile looking faker by the second. I just nodded at her. "Come to visit your mother at work?" she asked, gesturing toward the super market.



"No, just taking my dog for a walk before my ultrasound later." I glanced over at Bailey who had decided to take a nap on the sidewalk.

"Well, do tell your mother I said hello," she responded swiftly.

"I will Mrs. Lewis." She smiled again, clearly irritated that I offered no more information about my baby. "You take care," I added, attempting to end the conversation.



"So polite! Bless your heart!" she said, before walking toward the supermarket.

I glared at her back. Everyone in this town knew that "bless your heart" was code for "well fuck you."

I sighed rubbing my temples. I couldn't believe that witch was my baby's grandmother.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



I stood staring at the hospital entrance for a few minutes before gathering the courage to walk in. The last time I'd been here was awhile back, when my pregnancy was first confirmed. The time before that was when my father passed.

I laid back and turned my attention to the ultrasound screen.

Dr. Moss used her finger to trace the details of my baby.

"So here you can see the head, here's an arm, then this is a leg," she said slowly, and I grinned in excitement.

"Then that little fluttering there is the heartbeat," she said, and slowly a whoosing sound filled the room.

I smiled, tears of joy running down my face at the sound. "See how fast it's beating? It's nice and strong, you are right on track with a healthy baby."

"I've been a bit worried lately, I keep having this fluttering in my abdomen," I admited, ashamed that my body clearly couldn't have a normal pregnancy. Dr. Moss just smiled at me.

"That's nothing to worry about, that's your baby kicking," she told me, and I could have cheered in relief. "The kicking will become more apparent and easier to feel as your pregnancy progresses," she informed me. "Do you have any other questions or concerns?"

I blushed lightly, something that had been happening a lot to me lately. "Can you tell if it's a boy or a girl?" I asked her. She smiled at me and nodded.

"Sometimes it can be hard to tell, but your baby happens to be positioned perfectly for me to check," she told me. She pressed a button on the monitor, causing the ultrasound to freeze. "I'll have the nurse print out these so you can show them off," she said with a wink. She resumed prodding me with the wand of the ultrasound.

"Congratulations Kristy, your baby is a little girl," she told me with a smile.

I started to cry more happy tears, knowing that this was the best day of my entire life so far.

Once outside the hospital I called my mom and told her the news. She let out a sound of excitement. "That's wonderful Kristy! Having a daughter is such a blessing," she told me happily. I agreed with her, and she told me she had to get back to her latest painting, so I let her go.

I decided to pay a visit to my dad to tell him the news.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The dry summer grass crunched under my feet as I entered the graveyard. Some might found graveyards spooky, but I wasn't like that. I felt that they had a sense of peace, a calming air about them. I approached my father's grave with a sad smile.

"Hi daddy," I greeted his headstone. "I brought you some flowers."

I gently took the floors out of the paper bag, careful not to break the vase, and set them in front of of his grave.

"I miss you," I told him, stroking the letters on his stone. "I have wonderful news to tell you daddy."

"I'm having a baby girl daddy, she's strong and healthy. You'll have another granddaughter."

 Big tears started rolling down my face, some of sadness and others of joy.

I was overjoyed to be having a baby girl. I was the spitting image of my father, and I would be thrilled to see some of my dad in my daughter's appearance. I knew my dad would be so excited about the baby if he were alive.

At the same time the birth of my daughter would be bittersweet. My dad would never get to hold her, be at her birthday parties, and watch her grow up. He would miss so much, and she would miss out on having him in her life.

I heard the crunch of footsteps in the grass behind me and wiped my tears before slowly turning around.

"Hey Kristy," the man said in a soothing voice.

"Hi Ledger," I responded, not sure whether to be rude or polite. Our last conversation hadn't exactly gone well. His eyes drifted down to my baby bump and we stayed silent.

"How are you?" he asked me, kicking at nothing on the ground.

"I'm fine," I told him, but I could feel my heart jump into my throat just from being around him.

"Your dad was a great guy," he told me, looking past me at my dad's marker.

"Yeah, I really miss him," I replied, refusing to look him in the eye. "What brings you here?"

"We lost a team member a few months back, I come visit every now and then," he responded.

I nodded "I remember that, I'm sorry about your friend," I told him.

"I didn't know him very well actually, but he has no family to visit him."

"So how is..." he trailed off, gesturing at my belly.

"Healthy, good. It's a girl," I told him softly. I thought I saw his gaze soften, and I know I saw a flicker of light in his eyes.

"Congratulations," he told me sincerely.

"Thanks."

"Our last conversation didn't go very well..." he trailed off into an awkward silence. Not going very well was an understatement. There had been yelling, cursing, and the throwing of random objects.

"Have you thought about...the role you'd like to take?" I asked him carefully.

"I got a bonus as VIP, we can work out a deal for child support," he told me.

My heart dropped to my stomach. "Are you...are you interested in knowing her?"

A pained look crossed his face.

"I don't want to cause her the pain that my father caused me," he said, and I nodded in understanding.

"We could work out a custody agreement?" I suggested. He looked at me sadly.

"Maybe once or twice a month, I don't want her uprooted every week."

I smiled a small smile, that was better than nothing.

"We can work something out," I said.

We walked through the cemetery together, over to what I assumed was his teammates grave.

He stood there, hands in his pockets, brow furrowed in concentration.

"I never know what to do when I get here," he admitted.

"You don't have to do anything, you came."

I thought I saw him smile, but it might have been my imagination.

"Have you thought about names?" he asked me, catching me by surprise. A few months ago he wanted me out of his life, and now we were discussing baby names?

"Uh, no not really, I guess I should do that."

"I was just, I know it's not really my business-"

I quickly cit him off "She's your daughter too."

"When I was younger I was close with my Aunt Cecilia. I was wondering if you would mind..." he trailed off again, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

"That's a beautiful name, we could use it as a first or middle name," I told him softly.

"That would mean a lot to me," he said, checking his watch. "I have to get going now or coach will be on me about being late."

"Of course."

He started to walk away and then suddenly turned back around.

"I think you should hear this from me instead of the rumor mill," he began. My heart sank, that was not how you worded good news. "I got back together with Ellen."

I gave a stiff nod, I figured this would end up happening, but that didn't mean I wasn't hurt.

"We're engaged," he told me. My jaw nearly dropped open in shock. I wasn't good enough for him to marry and settle down with but Ellen was? I clenched my fists.

"Oh," I replied, to angry to say anything else.

"Take care Kristy."

"Goodbye Ledger."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I came home to a surprise baby shower. Well, it was kind of a baby shower. It was just me, my mom, and her sister. But my siblings and other relatives had sent gifts. I admired the nursery we had all spent the evening putting together.

The nursery was a beautiful pastel pink, and looked fit for a princess. I was happy to be able to do this all for my daughter.

Tracy had sent a rocking horse, based on an inside joke from when we were younger. My older brother Kevin and his wife and three kids sent me diapers and some toys. My mom's sister had given me a changing table. From my mother I got the best gifts. Bedding for the crib, a baby monitor, a walker, and a playpen. How she could afford to do all of this for me was beyond my understanding.

I wrapped her in a tight hug and sobbed on her shoulder before heading to bed.

The next morning I got up and poured myself a glass of milk, something I had been craving recently. I knew I should eat more, but figured that I could have a real meal later. I snuck into the nursery, wanting to be surrounded by the essence that would soon be my daughter.

I was surprised to find the walls decorated. A heart with baby handprints was mounted on the wall. Shelves lined the wall, filled with animals and other decor. There was a beautiful pink chair in the corner, and I knew for sure that it hadn't been there yesterday. I noticed a card on the chair and opened it up.

Kristy,

I wanted to contribute some things to our daughters room, hope you don't mind.

Call me if you need anything.

Ledger

I smiled in spite of myself and then turned and found a rowdy Bailey. I cooed at her and fed her a treat before going back to the kitchen to eat a real breakfast.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End

AN: Thank you so much for reading! Sorry I haven't updated in forever!
Now that I'm on winter break and work break hopefully I can update this and my challenge!
For 7 comments you can have a sneak peek of my next legacy chapter!

A special thanks goes out to Becks Best (Aimee) who took EVERY picture for this chapter, and did the whole nursery for me. This chapter would not be possible without her, not to mention her support and guidance in my writing. Thank you for the birthday gift, I love you girl!

Check out this facebook page and like it for more information about this challenge and character profiles, competitions, and more! 

 https://www.facebook.com/TheVeronicasADoublacy


 

~Generation 1 Part 2~

The Veronicas

Generation 1

Part 2

Kelly

A loud banging sound followed by a set of giggles woke me up.
I jumped, startled, but then quickly became annoyed.
I swear Tracy Lives is the worst room mate ever.
Stupid community dorms.
Stupid random roommate raffle.
Stupid Tracy.

The digital alarm read 5 AM.
"I swear Tracy, I'm gonna kill you one of these days," I muttered, rolling over.
The giggling and laughter continued, the laughter being the sound of a male.
Oh God no, not again.
I shoved my pillow over my head.


Today...well yesterday I guess, had been the longest day ever.
I listened to Mr. Stark go on and on about how amazing the plant cell is in biology.
I described the plant cell's many functions in three separate essay questions.
I watched a movie in Anatomy involving a collision. The man in the video who looked just like my dad didn't live.
I stared at slide after slide on the microscope for hours while my science partner sat texting and playing Angry Birds.
Then I finally got to eat, right before I had to go to work at the library.
Then after that, my second job, the night shift at the cafe.
I had then proceeded to stay up until 3 AM to finish a paper for Ethics.

My first class today was at 7, giving me a total of 2 hours of sleep.
"Damn it Tracy," I said, rolling over. No point just laying in bed. Maybe I could catch a quick nap on the couch downstairs.
Surprisingly, Tracy answered me back.

"KELLY!" she screeched, causing me to wince and cover my ears.
"Tracy." I deadpanned.
I could see her moving around in the dark, and getting off her bed.
She better still have her underwear on.
"Finally we can have some girl talk!" she said happily.
I rubbed my temples and sighed.
"We can have girl talk when the sun is out and people are actually supposed to be awake," I told her.
I noticed the male figure laying lifeless in her bed. Hopefully he was unconscious and not dead of alcohol poisoning.

"But this is like, way SUPER important," she whined, stomping her foot.
I walked over to my dresser and threw her one of my shirts.
The last important thing she told me was that she chipped a nail. If I was gonna listen to her bull shit she was at least going to cover herself up.
"Of course it is," I muttered.
"No I'm being super cereal!" she hiccuped. Her eyes were glazed over and she stared into the distance.
"You mean serious?" I asked, raising a blond eyebrow.
"That's what I said silly dilly." she said, and she reached out to touch my face.
I quickly stepped to the side and she stumbled.
"You won't listen to me and Kristy won't listen to me and neither will the bunny," she whined again.
I didn't bother to even ask about the bunny.

"Ok, fine," I told her, tapping my foot. I was not going to put my whole schedule on hold for her.
"Well it started when I felt weird," she began.
"That's called being drunk," I cut her off.
"NO! LISTEN!" she screamed loudly.
Great, we would have another visit and write up from our dorm adviser.
"Ok, I'm listening, summarize," I demanded.
She smiled goofily at me.
"I'm pregnant with a lil baby!" she announced.
OH. MY. GOD.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Just pee on the damn stick!" I shouted at her.
"Ow, pain, hangover," Tracy whimpered. I rolled my eyes at her.
"That's what happens when you go out and get wasted. Are you out of your mind?!" I yelled.
"I already took three of these stupid things and they were all plus signs Kelly!" she sighed.
"Well if they were all positive why were you drinking?!" I asked.
She didn't reply, she just took packaged test from me and went into the bathroom.

God this was screwed on so many different levels.
I'm not even sure why I was feeling guilty, I mean, it wasn't my baby.
I wasn't the one who was out every night drinking while they were pregnant.
Also, I certainly wasn't Tracy's babysitter.
"Are you done yet?" I asked her, leaning against the wall.
"I'm working on it!" she responded.
"How long does it take you to fucking pee!" I screamed. At this point I didn't care about making noise, our dorm adviser was going to kill us either way.
"If you're so good at it why don't you take the test?" she snapped.
"I cannot believe I am missing biology for this," I mumbled.

I heard the faucet turn on and ten seconds later Tracy emerged from the bathroom.
"Now we wait," I said. She just nodded, a sullen look on her face.
We stood in silence for a few minutes, neither of us making a move to sit down, or attempting eye contact.
I knew it was time to get the test, but I said nothing.
I glanced at Tracy to see fat tears rolling down her cheeks.
Ugh, I was no good at this. But I knew I should try, friends or not.
"Tracy..." I began. Her eyes drifted in my direction. "I just want you to know..."
What did I want her to know?
I couldn't think of anything that wasn't a total lie.
"Kelly, you don't have to do this," she muttered.
"I-" she cut me off.

"You don't need to say anything," she interrupted me softly.
"But I should," I told her.
"Maybe. But what is there to say?" she asked me. I stared into her brown eyes, I'd never seen them so dull and void of life.
"When I tell people about my mom they say I'm sorry," I told her.
"Does that help?" she asked, bitterness seeping into her voice.
"No," I replied quietly.
We both lapsed into our thoughts again.
"It's OK to be scared," I told her, saying the only comforting thing that came to mind.
She just nodded slowly.
"Go look," she said quietly.
I took a breath and walked into the bathroom.
On the test was a little pink plus sign.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"No, I'm not going," Tracy told me, arms folded over her chest.
"We're already here," I said, feeling myself become exasperated again.
"You said we were going to a doctor," she said.
"Technically Dr. Marks is a doctor," I told her.
"Yeah, but she's also your anatomy teacher, there is no way I'm going in there,"
"You need to get checked out, you've been drinking while pregnant," I stated firmly.
"So why can't we go to Planned Parenthood or something?" she asked me rolling her eyes.
"We are NOT going there," I told her, my face clearly showing my horror, because that shut her up.

I greeted Dr. Marks and explained that my roommate was pregnant and we thought there might be complications.
She bought it, seeing as the nearest hospital was hours away and the fastest way to get there in a crisis was by helicopter.
Tracy watched Dr. Marks warily as we approached her.
"Hello Tracy, how are you feeling today?" Dr. Marks asked politely.
"Like my whole life is ruined," Tracy snapped.
There was a fragrant pause in the room.
"Well Tracy, if you are pregnant, you have many different options available," Dr. Marks responded.
I looked at the floor awkwardly, not wanting to be involved in this conversation at all. Hopefully there's some sort of doctor and patient etiquette class for people like me.
"If you'll just come back in the clinic with me, we can get you checked out," Dr. Marks told her. "Ms. Baker will you be joining us?" she asked.
"No," I said at the exact same time Tracy shouted "YES!"
We glared at each other.

"I uh, I can't go back there because..." My mouth turned to sandpaper and my knees wobbled. Breathe in, breathe out. I searched the depths of my brain for a reasonable lie. "I think I'm gonna hurl," I said, before rushing out of the room and into my dorm advisor. I turned pale and vomited all over her designer heels.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So the kid is alive, if you wondered," Tracy said as she entered our room, throwing a bunch of stuff on the floor. I winced at the banging sound it made.

"Here's a nice picture, she was kind enough to give me one for you," Tracy told me, dropping an ultrasound picture in my face. I cringed. The Advil was either wearing off, or not strong enough for the hurricane that was my room mate.

I peered at the ultrasound. "Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?" I asked her, eyes scanning over the smaller than usual head.

"Looks like it," she grumbled, before going over to her mirror and beginning to apply some makeup.

"I'm sorry," I told her, sitting up in my loft bunk. She scowled at me.

"Why?" she asked me, sounding surprisingly angry. I stared at her blankly.

"Because it's sad," I told her, feeling myself becoming irritated, my usual feeling around her.

"Yes, but why do you care?"

"...Because it's a baby and the poor thing is sick," I answered her, climbing down from my bunk. What was wrong with her?

"But it's my baby, it's my life, it's my problem. It shouldn't matter to you!" she said, nearly shouting at me. I could feel my face twisting in anger. Who did she think she was?

"It's your baby's life too! Your baby doesn't get a say, therefore making it my problem that you aren't capable of using your damn brain!" I yelled at her. She sighed.

"I thought maybe if I drank enough I would just miscarry." she told me, finally looking in my direction. In her eyes was a look still unfamilar for her. Sadness.

"Tracy..." I began

"No baby should have to deal with me as a mother," she said, as she began tearing up.

I awkwardly stepped toward her, and then away. She glanced at me and raised an eyebrow. I stepped toward her again. Ok, I could do this. She rolled her eyes and stepped forward, hugging me. I stood there still and hesitantly patted her back.

"So after you hug me you tell me that it's ok and you're here for me,"  Tracy told me.

"Oh uh, sorry. It's going to be ok, and I'm here for you," I told her, realizing how stiff my tone was. "I'm sorry I'm not very good at this comforting thing-"

"Clearly," she deadpanned. I stepped away and scratched my head awkwardly.

"So..."

"So, I've decided to have the baby," she told me. I couldn't help the relieved sigh that came out of my mouth as a wave of calm washed over me.

"So...multivitamins, pregnancy vitamens, you need to be hydrated at all times, lots of folic acid, nothing but tylenol medicine wise," I started making a list verbally of how we were gonna do this.

"Woah, slow down there," she told me, hands in the air in mock surrender.

I marched over to her and poked her in the chest. "No. You listen to me, you are going to do this right, so it is my way or I will tie you up and it will still be my way, you got that?" I told her, anger seeping out of my pores.

"What I meant is that I'm being transferred to a hospital for around the clock care," she told me.

"Oh," I said softly. "So..."

"So I wrote all my contact info down on one of your notebooks, you can contact me for updates," she told me.

"Wait you actually want to talk to me?" I asked her.

"Well it's you or those nurses who are going to be prodding my belly all the time," she said wrinkling her nose. I rolled my eyes.

"So..."

"So I'm going to rest, you go to your multiple classes and jobs and be the perky little perfect prep that you are," she told me, waving me off as she got into her bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'd been texting Tracy back and forth for the past few days, more and more as time went on. Why she chose to talk to me out of all her friends was beyond my understanding, but I found she wasn't actually that bad.
In fact, maybe she wasn't so annoying afterall.
My phone dinged indicating a new text.

Had a friend lay out an outfit for u, ur going out 2night, have fun!

Ok I take that back, she is really annoying.
Wait she had a friend in our room? What was I asleep or something? I shivered and turned toward the dresser, where there were in fact some folded clothes.
I unfolded the outfit and my eyes grew wide. This clearly hadn't come from my dresser.
I whipped out my phone to text Tracy and tell her I wasn't going out wearing nothing when my phone dinged again.

Yes u are wearing it. Get over urself.

Damn it. Well it's not like she could come and make me right? She was on bedrest...
She could be kinda scary though...and I was like 5'3...
Better safe than sorry.
I glared at the outfit and went to put it on.

I itched at my side for the 5th time, stupid lace bra. How did she know my bra size anyway? What else did she know about me?  I shuddered at the thought. It was past 8 and nobody was here yet, I decided if nobody was here in five minutes I was putting on an old t-shirt and going to sleep. Another ding from my phone pulled my focus.

Ur meeting up at the bowling alley, don't b l8!

Tracy again. I sighed. I was going to be late because she told me someone was picking me up. I hated being late, I was perpetually early. I need to be at least five minutes early or else...well it just bothers me. Wait, there was no way I was going to be able to bowl wearing this. What the hell Tracy?

I sighed and left anyway, I mean, what's the worst that could possibly happen?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I yawned and stretched my limbs, knocking my hand on something.
Huh?
There was nothing near my bed to knock my hand on.
I winced, my head was pounding. A firm hand grabbed mine and opened it, placing two pills into it.
I opened my eyes and I screamed, and then I shut them and winced from my scream.
I cracked my eyes open again.

"What...who...where am I?" I asked, my voice hoarse. My head was throbbing. What happened? I thought I was going bowling...

"You're in my room," came a voice to my left, and I looked over to see a guy who was unfamilar. "Don't freak out ok?"

That was probably the least reassuring thing anyone could say, and I tried frantically to get out of the bed and run away. I succeeded in tangling myself in the ocean of blankets and making my headache three times worse.

"Do you remember what happened last night?" he asked me. My eyes widened in horror. Tracy, the outfit, meeting up. I looked down to see myself dressed in a jersey. I had not been wearing that last night. Oh. My. God. "Did we, um, we didn't like...." I trailed off, feeling the bile rise in my throat.

"No! Jesus, no." He answered, appalled at my suggestion. I sighed in relief. "No, I found you passed out on a bench mumbling something about squirrels. You wouldn't tell me where you lived or who to call so I brought you here," he told me, running a hand through his blond hair.

"So you thought it was Ok to just change my clothes?" I hissed at him.

"Hey, I laid you down and you just started stripping off your clothes, I could have just left you naked," he responded, sounding exasperated.

I blushed. Me, stripping? In front of some guy in his dorm room? Wait, I wasn't wearing that lacy underwear anymore either.

"You saw me naked," I squeaked.

"It's not like a blatantly checked you out, look, you're not the first girl I've seen naked," he told me, annoyed. I scowled at him.

"Well, that's reassuring," I mumbled, laying back on the bed.

"Now are you gonna take this Advil or not?" he asked me, pushing the pills and water toward me on the night stand.

"Wait...am I hungover? Is this hungover?" I asked him, wondering if that's what the pounding in my head meant. I thought I saw him smile at me, but he turned to me with a smirk.

"That or you were high, unless your normally strip for random guys?" he asked me chuckling. I glared at him and took the Advil.

"Can I go now?" I asked him.

"As much as I want you out of my room I'm pretty sure you won't be able to stand up," he told me, sitting down in a beat up chair. He glanced over at me. "You're ok though?" he asked.

"I...I think so...I just, I don't remember," I sighed, frustrated. He found me on a bench. I wasn't that girl. The one that you found in some slutty outfit passed out on a bench.

"You might later," He told me, staring at a poster on his wall. Wait was that him? What kind of guy had a poster of himself? "But you might want to make some new friends," he suggested.

"I don't have any friends," I told him softly.

"Those guys from last night were trying to light your hair on fire," he told me pointedly. My eyes widened. "You know what, go back to sleep, it'll help," he told me, reaching toward a Frisbee on his floor.

"Wait, where are you gonna go?" I asked, suddenly wanting him around. He rolled his eyes.

"I'll be outside, I'll check on you through the window if it makes you feel better," he told me. I snuggled under his blankets and nodded. He paused at the door and winked at me, and despite everything, I blushed. He chuckled as he walked off. Asshole.

What the hell am I doing with my life?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello all!

Thanks for reading my second post!

If you haven't figured it out yet this story follows two different characters, just to clear up any confusion. I'm sorry that there was a lack of pictures in there, one of my files decided to just glitch and delete itself.

Next post will be back in Riverview with Kristy, and will hopefully be up soon!

~Generation 1, Part 1~

~The Veronicas~

Generation 1

Part 1

Kristy

"Kristy Lynn my bladder is old and small, now you get out here before I make you!" my mother shouted through the door. I could hear her small wrinkled fists banging loudly on the bathroom door.

I held back another wave of nausea as I looked over at the porcelain toilet. It was currently covered in what had been my breakfast. I placed a hand over my swollen stomach and opened the door.

She brushed by me quickly, nearly knocking me to the ground in the process. She grabbed her toothbrush and began waving it at me wildly. "Now that your done being sick you can brush those teeth of yours," she told me, beginning to brush her dentures.

"I'm going to wait awhile, see how baby and I feel."

"Well you ought to brush them before your baking class," she told me sternly, as if I was 8 instead of 28.

"Culinary mom. It's a culinary class." I reminded her, even though she already knew. Here in Riverview people all had house keepers who did the cooking for them, because it was supposivly a job for the weak. Now baking, that was something else. Each and every women in town baked and the title of the finest baker in town was fought for tooth and nail. My mom doesn't approve of my career choice to be a chef and open an organic food restaurant and store, and that was putting it likely. She said she hoped she was dead by the time I did that. There was nobody in town quite like my mom.

She just scowled and shooed me out of the bathroom. Having to share one bathroom with my mom was just of the many "perks" of inviting my mom to live with me. But I couldn't just leave her in a nursing home, especially after dad died.

My phone jingled on the wicker end table and I picked it up, hitting the call button.

"Hello?"

A surge of static came over the line, followed by a high pitched squeal.

"Hey sis!" a voice screamed into my ear. "You will never guess where I am!"

I quickly calculated the time zone difference, not that it was necessary. Tracy only did two things, with one being sleeping. "You're at a party?" I asked her sarcastically.

"Not just a party, THE party, a frat party!" she screamed. I checked my watch, already knowing how this conversation would go.

"How drunk are you?" I asked her.

She giggled. "I'm not drunk Kris...I'm floating, like a dolphin."

"Dolphins don't float, they swim." I informed her, then I questioned myself what I was doing arguing with my drunk sister.

"Everything is fuzzy...like a hamster..." she trailed off.

I heard my mother's voice behind me. "Is that Tracy? How is her term paper coming along?" she asked.

"Mom," I replied, startled. For an elderly lady with a cane she sure could creep up on you.

"Hi mommy!" Tracy cheered into my ear.

"Let me talk to her, she never calls me," my mother said.

I could only imagine a conversation between my mother and drunk sister.

"Wait Krissie don't hang up I-" Tracy's voice was cut off when I pressed the end button.

"Sorry mom, she already hung up," I lied. My mother gave a curt nod and I headed over to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Culinary class went off without a hitch, for the most part. I had forgot to add the ginger to the carrot soup. On the bright side, I had filleted the tuna perfectly, the best I ever had. Also, this time the food didn't trigger nausea and I didn't throw up on the guy next to me like last week.

I decided to take a walk through the park, figuring fresh air would be good for the baby.
The park was filled with beautiful flowers, the smell was overwhelming to my heightened senses.
I smiled at a family nearby, a man was chasing around a little girl, who I assumed was his daughter.
A knot appeared in my stomach. I placed my hand over my belly gently, I could be both a mother and a father.
I saw a couple strolling through the park, hand in hand, laughing together.
I felt a pang in my chest. I couldn't be a husband and a wife.

I went and sat down on one of the park benches.
Maybe if I just talked to him...
I had given him some time after all, maybe he changed his mind...
I could always take him to court for child support as a last resort...
I sat there thinking about my unborn child and watching the sun set.

As I made my way down the streets that night I heard a noise, and it sounded as if it was following me.
I heard it a few more times and quickly flipped around.
Nothing was there.
As I continued walking, I continued to hear the noises.
I turned around again, to see nothing, again.
"Hello? Is anybody there?" I yelled out, realizing how stupid that was.
It's not like a serial killer stalking you would respond.
I heard the noise and saw a small figure in the shadows.

"Awe, you poor thing. What are you doing out here alone?" I asked the small dog.
He barked at me and wagged his tail rapidly.
"Hi there," I said as he sniffed my hand.
The dog had no collar on, but I noticed a chain wrapped around its neck.
The rust covered chain was on the dog so tight that it dug into the poor dogs skin.
"Poor baby, let me get that off you," I said to the dog, who still looked ecstatic.
I realized that I had no idea how go get the chain off the poor dog.
"You know what boy? You can come home with me and I'll take that chain of you there," I told the dog.
If this dog wasn't a stray then the owners must be abusive. I couldn't just leave the poor helpless thing behind.
The dog crouched and a puddle appeared at my feet.
"Oh...you're a girl..." I said, looking at my heels.
I picked up the dog anyway, "Let's go home,"

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"You aren't really thinking bout keeping that dog are you?" my mom asked when I returned home.
She gave me "the look" from the old rocking chair she was seated on.
"Mom, the poor thing is thin, hurt, and alone. I can't just leave her out on the streets!" I protested, cuddling the dog to my chest.
"You have enough on your plate already, you are not keeping the dog and that is final," she told me sternly, glaring at the dog.
"Mom this is my house and I can keep the dog if I want," I informed her, trying not to snap. Pregnancy hormones were not helping me get along with my mom.
"What are you going to do when the baby comes? Pit bulls are dangerous," she told me.
"Pit bulls are not dangerous mom, and when the baby comes I plan to take care of it," I responded sarcastically.
"A baby is already a lot of work,"
I looked at the dog in my arms. Someone had just abandoned her on the streets.
"I'm keeping the dog, it's my life," I told her firmly, before I burst into tears.

She hugged me and rubbed my back.
"Ok, well tomorrow morning I'll head up to Stop N' Shop and get some things for it," she said soothingly.
"Are you sure?" I asked her, sniffling.
"I'm sure, you should get some rest," she told me gently.
I burst into another fresh wave of tears.
"I love you so much mom," I sobbed.
She smiled a tired smile and gently toward the bedroom.

As I got into bed the dog watched, tail wagging.
"Goodnight," I said to the dog.
"Oh wait! I forgot to name you! I'm such a horrible person!" I shouted, about to burst into tears again.
I took some deep breathes.
"I'll just name you now," I said, focusing on my breathing.
I looked over at my little pit bull, asleep on the other side of the bed.
"Goodnight Bailey."

PAGE BREAK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know my mom wanted me to rest, and I told her I would, and I would.
Later.
After all, if I didn't want my house to be full of tiny pee puddles I was going to have to go outside with the dog eventually.
Bailey was ecstatic about the walk, chasing her tail, then her leash.
She must still be pretty young, she was just full of energy.
Her ears perked up at every squirrel and I laughed.
"You're a crack up Bailey," I told her, not feeling weird about talking to a dog.
I tried to ignore my swollen feet that were begging me to turn around. Maybe I could just find a bench.

I reached the local food market, ducking past the windows.
I didn't need my mom to see me out and about when she told me to rest.
I may be an adult and a grown woman, but my mom was scary when she was mad.
Some things just never change. I wrinkled my nose at the smell of cinnamon buns, which I usually loved.
Baby must not like cinnamon buns.
I needed to find a bathroom.

I began walking toward the public restrooms in a nearby park when Bailey pulled free from her leash.
I quickly turned around, "Bailey!" I shouted.
As luck would have it, me turning around caused me to bump into someone, and I was covered in hot coffee.
"Kristy? Kristy Lives?" an all too familiar voice asked.

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I hope you enjoyed my first post!

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Thank you all for reading!