'You, Me and Bump'
A Gail and Holly Mini Tale
Author's Note - Hello all, I know you are all patiently waiting for the next update of 'It's a small world...' and I can assure you one is in the works. I've unfortunately had a bit of a block with where to take the plot given Gail and Holly's new agreement so it's taking it's time in developing. Anyways, this is my Christmas gift to the wonderful woman who received me as her Golly Secret Santa. I hope my messages haven't been too annoying or cringe worthy for you and I hope you have a lovely Christmas surrounded by all those you love. Merry Christmas. Ali x
"Miss Peck?" came a bold voice.
"Yes Joey?" Gail replied with a smile. The little boy with brown floppy hair and big thick-rimmed glasses looked at his kindergarten teacher cocking his head to the side and asked, "Why is your tummy round?" Gail paused for a moment slightly shocked by the blunt question from the five year old before bursting into laughter. Gail had been expecting this question some time ago when she first started showing, however it was not this child that she expected the question from nor this bluntly.
Gail was 32 weeks pregnant and despite the early morning sickness, she'd had a relatively easy pregnancy thus far; she was glowing (although Holly would argue that Gail was always glowing). Growing up Gail would never have pegged herself for pregnancy, at least not dealing well with it, but here she was 32 weeks pregnant, married to the woman she loves and a kindergarten teacher – a walking contradiction of everything she had thought of for herself years ago. Gail knew the reason why, everyone did; Holly. The pair had their troubles when the brunette left for San Francisco, both agreeing to no contact to save themselves the heartache, both knowing that it wouldn't make the pain any easier either way. It took a year of no contact, of losing Sophie, of Steve going to jail, Elaine and Bill following soon after, of one night stands and tequila, of losing friends and making new ones, of blind dates and heartache, of burying themselves completely in work, of promotion and office politics, however all it took was one phone call from Oliver late one Friday night for Holly to come home. It wasn't an overnight fix, this was Holly and Gail – it never could be, but it was a start. Two years later, while taking Gail on a date to the batting cages, Holly proposed and Gail said yes. The two married with a few witnesses in the forest where they met (Gail described it as "morbidly sweet") before honeymooning in Paris and barely leaving their hotel room. When Holly brought up the conversation of having a baby, Gail was sceptical; her relationship with her mother had led her to believe that she would repeat history. It took three months of persuasion and numerous conversations with Gail's counsellor to convince her that the mere fact that she was worried about becoming her mother ensured she wouldn't.
Now facing her class of five year olds, Gail pictured her son or daughter sitting in front of her asking her questions and developing before her eyes. Returning to the conversation at hand, Gail was still laughing when another voice piped up, "Because, silly, she eats so many cheese puffs!" Gail looked at Craig, a fair haired boy with his cocky, smug grin and this constant look of mischief in his eyes, and shook her head in amusement at his answer. Gail was about to answer Joey's question herself when a timid voice came from the front of her class, "It's because she's pregnant." Gail smiled proudly, looking fondly at the shy girl before her who was clearly exasperated by Craig's answer. Katie was a shy but incredibly bright little girl; Gail only wished that in her time as the girl's teacher she would be able to bring her out of her shell and teach her to have confidence in herself. Gail winked at the girl causing her to smile shyly back before she turned to her class, "Yes, boys and girls I'm pregnant". The children looked at each other, some happy, some completely uncaring and others confused, "Miss Peck?" came a familiar voice.
"Yes, Joey?" Gail asked half laughing.
"What does pregnant mean?" he asked looking puzzled by the whole thing. Gail was thoroughly amused by the boy's curiosity; he often reminded Gail of Holly. Before answering, Gail heard a sigh of frustration and found Katie at the front exasperated with the boy and noticed how she rested her head in her hands. Gail smirked recognising the frustration; she saw a lot of herself in the girl.
"Being pregnant means that you are going to have a baby." Gail answered with a smile, as her hand fondly rubbed her growing belly.
"You're having a baby?" another voice piped up.
"Yes Michael I am" Gail smiled at the ginger haired boy.
"What are you having?" Joey asked and Gail couldn't help but look to Katie first to see her reaction to the boy's never-ending stream of questions. She heard the girl groan putting her head in her hands before she muttered, "Well she's not going to be having a puppy."
Gail laughed at the girl's sarcasm before answering her curious pupil, "I don't know yet."
"You don't know!" Michael exclaimed, seemingly alarmed.
"No, we haven't found out yet." Gail answer calmly smirking at his reaction.
"But why not? You don't want to know?" Craig asked quieter than before.
"No we are looking forward to the surprise." Gail responded still rubbing her belly fondly.
"But what will its name be?" Joey asked and Gail could already sense Katie's groan of frustration before she made it.
"They won't have decided on a name until they know if it's a boy or a girl but they will probably have some they've thought of. At least that's unless they are waiting, like my parents did with me, until they meet their baby" Katie explained quickly.
"Are you?" Joey asked. Gail laughed and nodded her head in answer.
"What about the baby's daddy?" Joey asked. Gail was slightly knocked off centre by the question, trying to figure out how to best explain it to the five year olds, before he continued, "I mean it can't be like Jesus".
Gail paused, confused before bursting into laughter, she could hear Katie silently sniggering also. "What do you mean Joey?"
The boy looked at Gail like she was silly for not understanding what he meant immediately and explained, "Well it's just dodgy Miss Peck. I mean if Mary is married to Joseph, then why is she having God's baby? Is your baby going to be like that? Cause if you are married to Miss Holly then how are you having a baby? I mean it all just seems dodgy to me! I thought you were meant to only have a baby with your married person?"
Gail's smile grew, and biting down her immediate reaction to laugh, she thought about how to answer his question. She was impressed with his logic; this was a child who was not only naturally bright and curious but had already developed one thing that so many adults lacked; loyalty. So Gail explained, "This is Miss Holly's baby too. She is my wife and together we are having a baby. We didn't need a daddy in the same way. It was just Holly and I, and the doctor to help us have our bump."
Joey contemplated her answer and while she could see in his eyes that he had more questions to ask, he seemed at least partly contented by her answer.
Having overheard the majority of the children's questions, and listening fondly as her wife explained to the children about her pregnancy, Holly knocked on her wife's door.
"Hey!" Gail exclaimed upon seeing her wife at the door and Holly swooned at the smile her wife gave her. Holly would never get over how her wife could set her soul on fire with just a smile.
"Hey" she greeted her wife, entering the class and giving the kids a wave.
"Hey" Gail said again, more reverently as her wife stood next to her and enveloped her in a one armed hug.
"Miss Peck you said that already…" Katie piped up, a smirk on her face.
"You know Katie, it sounded familiar." Gail smirked back. The two shared a knowing look before once again Joey's curiosity got the better of him.
"Miss Holly, are you the daddy?" he asked seriously. Holly and Gail looked at each other and laughed. Wiping tears from her eyes, Holly answered the young boy, "No, I am the mommy too. We are both the mommies". She placed a comforting hand over her wife's belly as she said it.
"But won't the baby be confused calling you both mommy? How will you know who it's trying to talk to?" Craig asked picking up on where Joey was going with his questions.
Holly and Gail smiled at the kids in front of them, both conjuring pictures of the child in Gail's belly and the questions he or she might ask them. "We will find names to call us both. So maybe Gail will be Mom and I will be Mommy or there's also Mum and Mummy…" Holly continued to list off all the different variations before Gail cut her off.
"Okay, Hols I think they get it." She laughed at her wife. Holly blushed as Gail gave her a fond peck on the cheek.
"So are you still a family? I mean I don't have a daddy but I also don't have two mommies. It's just me and my mom and she tells me that two can be a family." Joey rambles reminding Gail just exactly why he reminds her so much of her wife.
"Yes we are a family." Gail replies looping her arms around Holly in a hug.
"Just you, me and bump." Holly replies.
"It just a different kind of fairy tale" Gail smirks.
"Still beautiful though" Holly answers before embracing her family in a kiss.