KACE. Josh never let me have friends – male or female. Being able to have Vee as a friend and spending time with her almost every day had been an absolute blessing. Both of us enjoying our first pregnancy together had been an interesting journey to say the least. Nightly phone calls and texts to discuss newfound facts, advancements, and future plans are something I have truly looked forward to. It’s almost as if we’re in a competition to see who experiences something first.

The amount of shopping a person can do for a new baby is incredible. I have a nursery absolutely full of clothes, toys, bedding, a crib, mobiles, shoes, hats, and many other various items I have purchased on the many trips Vee and I have made together. I suppose by the time a woman has her second or third baby she becomes immune to all of the baby butterflies I get when I see something cute, but for now I’ll just enjoy them.

“I want one with the big tires, so I can jog with it,” I said as I pointed to the stroller with huge tires on the back and front.

Vee rubbed her stomach and groaned, “I’m not running anywhere. I waddle. Look at me, Kace, I’m huge.”

I released the stroller and turned toward Vee, “You’re so cute. And you have a little tummy. You have a long torso. I’m just short. And fat. And I can’t wait to plop this little sucker out and start playing with him.”

Vee sighed and rolled her eyes, “Six more weeks.”

“The doctor told Shane and I the other day he might want me to have him early if I don’t naturally have him by then. I’m too big. Well, the baby’s too big. He’s a little fatty,” I chuckled.

“Wouldn’t it be funny if he was born all ripped like Shane? A little bitty soft baby all cut up and covered in muscles?” Vee giggled.

As I laughed and tried to develop a mental illustration of a muscular baby, my mind quickly formed grotesque images of circus freaks and clowns. As my stomach began to grumble, I reached into my purse and fumbled through the contents.

“Want a banana?” I asked as I pulled one from my purse.

Vee shook her head and laughed, “No thanks. You’re still on those damned things? Mine’s granola. God, I can’t eat enough of that shit. Honey Bunches of Oats too – the one with the crunchy stuff in it. Maybe the crunchy stuff is granola.”

I peeled the banana and looked around the store to make sure no one was watching. I felt a little out of place devouring a banana in the store, but I was hungry and needed something to fill my empty stomach. As I quickly ate half of it, I looked at the remaining half and began to chuckle.

“So, are you and Ripp still…uhhm, you know. Not?” I asked as I stared at the uneaten portion of the banana.

“Fucking Ripp. He’s so weird. He thinks his cock is going to hurt the baby. I’ve explained, shown him pictures, everything. And he still refuses to fuck me. I swear. My only sexual satisfaction is received from watching Magic Mike on loop. Over and over. Magic Mike is magic you know,” she laughed.

“But I guess on the upside, Ripp’s so excited about the entire process. He falls asleep listening to my stomach,” she rolled her eyes and smiled.

“Shane pets mine. He can’t feel the baby kicking enough. After the first time he felt it, that’s all he wants to do. Well, that and prepare for the title fight. Train and rub my belly.”

“Do you guys…” Vee began to ask.

I didn’t want to make her feel any more sadly than she already felt about Ripp not having sex with her. Slowly I curled my mouth into a half-smile, and nodded my head slightly.

“Every now and again we do, but not that much. He’s still being punished for leaving,” I laughed as I reached for the stroller in front of me with my free hand.

I looked at the row of strollers as I ate the other half of the banana and tried to consider a multi-colored one, but continued to be drawn to the blue one with the bigger tires. I gripped the handle and pulled it from the rack. Shane and I were both excited about having a boy, and everything we had purchased or obtained was a shade of blue or had blue in it.

“Let’s get matching strollers, it’ll be fun,” I grinned.

Vee widened her eyes and tilted her head to the side, “We don’t know if she’s a boy or a girl, Kace. I’m not going to get a four wheel drive blue stroller and push a girl around in it.”

“You said she,” I smiled as I pushed the stroller back and forth on the floor.

“Did I ?” she asked.

“Uh huh. You know, don’t you?” I asked excitedly.

“No, really I don’t. If I said it, I did it inadvertently. Maybe I’m hoping.”

“I’d love to have a little girl, but I wouldn’t trade my little boy for anything,” I smiled.

“Well, what do you want to do?” I asked as I pushed down on the handle and lifted the front tires from the floor.

“Well, I’ll either have to get one of the unisex ones or wait,” Vee sighed.

“Okay. Let’s wait I guess,” I said sadly as I dropped the stroller’s tires onto the floor.

Vee shook her head and pointed to the stroller as I pushed it into the empty slot beside the others, “Get yours, Kace. I can wait.”

“No, I’ll wait. I was excited for getting one, but I don’t need it. We’ll come together with the babies, it’ll be more fun that way,” I grinned.

“So…” Vee hesitated and looked down at the floor by my feet.

“What?”

She looked up attempted to hide her worried look, “Well, Shane. Is he okay now?”

I held the handle of the stroller as I considered what Shane had done, and the discussions we had after he came home. Shane is an honorable man and he is truly in love with me, but Shane had issues accepting things; accepting the fact that he is worthy as a human, a man, and a soon to be father. When I talked to the doctor about him, he told me Shane probably suffers a little bit from feeling inadequate or incompetent. Probably why he chooses to box, the doctor said. Now, since we’ve spent so much time talking, I think Shane is going to be just fine. He found a way to accept our baby not being the same as the majority of the other babies. I’m not like any other woman, and Shane isn’t like any other man. For us to have a baby like every other baby would be silly. No matter what, our little baby is going to be special.

I released the stroller and smiled. As I turned to Vee, she smiled too.

“Yes, he’s fine. He had a little incident, that’s all. It’s tough for men, I think. They’re so competitive. And you know, with him and Ripp, everything’s a contest. I’m sure you guys having a baby at the same time is kind of tough for him. Maybe kind of like a slap in the face, I don’t know,” I shrugged.

“Kace, I’m so sorry,” she breathed.

“Don’t be. Not for Shane, or the baby. Our baby will be just fine, Vee. Don’t worry. Yours will be too,” I sighed.

“I know, I’m just an emotional mess right now, you know with Ripp not having sex with me and everything. It’s hard. For some reason, I’m just horny as fuck. And now I feel like I’m fat and ugly,” her voice began to crack as she finished speaking.

“You’re not fat, and you’re beautiful. I’d fuck you, Vee,” I smiled as I reached for her shoulder.

“Awe, thanks Kace, I’d fuck you to,” she sobbed as she hugged me.

Vee was a special woman for sure. She was as nice as a person as I had ever met. In the courtroom, she was an animal. At home or in public, she was as kind and as considerate as anyone could ever be. During her first six and a half months of pregnancy she worked every day. While Shane was gone, I went to a few of her trials just to see her in action. Watching her in the courtroom proves to me women aren’t doormats. We have minds of our own, and we’re intelligent. It takes time to convince some men we’re actually equal, especially here in Texas. Vee does her share, one court case at a time. She’s been an inspiration to me through this entire process of pregnancy, and I’m sure she will be in the future. Now, having her available every day has been a true blessing.

“Do you think not working gives you too much time to think, maybe?” I asked.

As she pulled away from my arms, she wiped her face, “I suppose so. But I don’t want to work, I want to relax and make it easy on the baby.”

“Me too,” I smiled as I rubbed my belly.

“Let’s get out of here,” Vee said as she wiped her face again.

“Frozen yogurt?”

“Ooh, sounds perfect. Almost as good as sex,” she laughed.

As we walked through the store, toward the entrance, I began to feel strange. My stomach started to feel as if it was being twisted from the inside out. Deep down, I began to ache. As the pain worsened, I stopped walking and moaned.

“Are you okay?” Vee asked.

“I’m not sure, I feel weird, it’s hurting,” I groaned as we walked through the clothing aisle.

I tried to be strong and tell myself it didn’t hurt as much as it did. Truthfully, I felt as if I was going to pass out. I began to sweat as I pushed against my lower stomach and wished I could move my hands to my face and wipe my face clean. As the pain became more piercing, and worsened to a point I couldn’t take it any longer, my vision blurred.

“Kace? You’re all sweaty honey. Are you okay?” Vee whispered.

I backed against a rack of clothes and lowered myself to the floor. I opened my eyes and attempted to focus, but only saw fuzzy shapes. I felt Vee’s hand clutching mine.

“Kace? Kace?” she squealed.

I took a shallow breath and groaned in pain, “Call…”

“An ambulance…”

“Please.”