'Til Sun Beams Find You [COMPLETED]

Fifty-five (Part 2)

The middle of the second trimester:

Nico's hot yoga class wrapped up a bit late that morning, setting her schedule back a bit. She had a few bourses to show at 11 that she had to push back to 1 because she needed to go home and shower. Her instructor worked their asses all the way out.

The class was for pregnant women, and Nico saw the signs while she went for her regular class and decided to join on whim, because there were specific stretches they taught that was best for the baby. The only thing was, a lot of the women in the class were in their mid-to-late third trimesters, so she felt like a fraud with her little 19-week belly in between women already at term, ready to give birth any day now.

One of the women in the class actually went into labor that morning when her water broke, and Nico was still traumatized by the woman's loud screams as her husband came and picked her up to take her to the hospital.

She found a friend in a woman named Olivia, who was the complete opposite to her. Olivia was a white woman who was about 12 years older, married and had 3 other children. She comforted Nico as she stared in horror at the future waiting for her, assuring her that woman was simply being dramatic and the birthing experience was much more beautiful than that.

Besides, she had about 20 weeks to go.. so plenty of time left.

No need to get anxious now.

Olivia was at 37 weeks, and she was freaking huge. She waddled a bit as she exited the front door to their yoga studio.

"I'm so ready to get this baby out of me," Olivia sighed as she struggled to carry her yoga mat and her purse as they walked to their cars. "The doctors were saying they might induce me next week... my pressures are getting too high. This baby is doing everything she can to get out of me.."

It was her fourth go-around, so she was basically a pro at this.

"Is that bad? To be induced?"

Olivia, who was focused on her breathing, turned to look at her like she was insane. "Bad?? To want this baby out of me? In what world would that be bad??"

She giggled. "What if baby is enjoying being inside?"

"Look, Nico. Not all of us have the perfect baby, okay? Some of our babies are already wreaking havoc on us, before the trauma of labor itself."

It was true, Nico was having the smoothest pregnancy journey known to man. It was so smooth, she stopped sharing that she had no complaints when women gathered to complain about their pregnancies.

Nico didn't like to complain.

Sure, her feet hurt sometimes when she stood for too long, and her back ached if she slept the wrong way, and she felt herself unable to stand too long the way she used to, but her entire body was working overtime to help grow a baby... what did she have to complain about if her baby boy was taking some of her energy?

He was trying to grow himself.

The other thing was, Nico knew she was getting back all that she put into him. She spoke to him lovingly, nourished herself for his sake, took care of herself for his sake... everything she did, she did for the benefit of her baby. And he rewarded her tenfold by never causing her any pain.

"You are so lucky," Olivia told her. "Your baby loves you."

"Your baby loves you too..." Nico said softly.

Olivia felt a kick as a response, and she rested her hand on her stomach and laughed. "She said otherwise," she joked.

The magic of a pregnancy was naturally lost on Olivia as she was seasoned at this point, but she remembered her what it was like in her first pregnancy, and she couldn't recall being as light and airy as Nico constantly was.