Chapter Twenty-One

John adjusted his backpack on his shoulder, double checking the beeper on his hip for a message from Claire to tell him that she'd gone into labor. She was only five months along, but that didn't stop him from worrying. He swallowed as he stepped into his first class, twisting his ring around his finger. He rubbed his hand over his eyes, exhausted from the Braxton Hicks Contractions that had controlled most of his sleep the night before. He'd been on puke duty for the better part of the last two months, and Claire had pretty much turned him into a body pillow to help with the pressure on her internal organs by using his arm to support her belly.

He slipped into a desk in his lecture hall, yawning just before the class started. He read over his text book on the laws and how they were to be upheld by the police officer. But every time he got halfway through a page; he would nod off until the kid beside him nudged him awake. "Huh?" He mumbled, shaking his head only to see that the class was over. "Oh God… how long was I asleep?" He asked, turning to the guy beside him.

"About forty-five minutes. And I think that beeper on your hip went off once." He pointed to the device on John's hip.

"Fuck!" John fumbled with the beeper, sighing in relief when he saw that it was only Claire asking him to pick up some hemorrhoid cream and a few cold packs for Dominic's head. "Oh, thank God…"

The guy next to John furrowed his brow, wondering what had this kid so wound up. "You okay, man?" He asked, passing him a bottle of water.

John nodded, taking a sip before he gathered his stuff together. "Yeah… my wife's pregnant with twins so when the beeper goes off, I get a little freaked out."

"Oh, well, if you fall asleep and it goes off again, ol' Bobby here'll wake you up." He grinned, holding a hand out to John. "What's your name?"

John gave a tired smirk, taking the kid's hand. "John."

Claire groaned as another practice contraction hit her, screaming in frustration when it stopped. "GET OUT!" She scratched at her stomach, the stretchmarks feeling like a million bugs on her skin. The only thing that was worse than the itching and the contractions was the hemorrhoids and the constipation mixed with having to pee every five seconds.

Clarissa stepped into her daughter's room, smiling at the irritation on her face. "Blame John." She chuckled, winking at her as she set a bowl of ice cream with pickles on her nightstand. "It's funny when they feel guilty for it."

Claire let her mother pull the covers over her belly and breasts to cover her up and still let her stay comfortable. "I am so sick of being pregnant."

Clarissa shook her head. "Oh baby, you have a long way to go before you can be not pregnant again."

Claire turned her head toward her bedroom door as the house door closed. "John?" She called, smiling when he appeared at the top of the stairs. "I need to pee again."

He sighed, pulling her out of the bed. "Alright, let's go." He pulled something from the shopping bag and helped her into the bathroom. "Holy crap… your boobs are huge!"

Clarissa flinched with his words, laughing when there was a loud smack sound from behind the bathroom door. "Shouldn't have said that…"