Another day, another chapter. I have a new story out, it's called "The One With All the Holidays", go check it out!
Some days seemed to go slower than others, and today was one of the slowest. It just seemed to be taking forever for me to do anything and I was constantly waiting on something or someone. Right now I was waiting for Ranger, Diesel or Julie to come into the bedroom and help me put on some shoes. Damn Burg weather. Only weeks ago it had been more than warm enough to wear flip flops every day. Now it was September and we were having a cold snap that required actual shoes, which I couldn't quite put on myself.
I sighed, "Ranger!" I could have gotten up and went to find someone but it was too much effort. I'd already taken a shower, put on makeup, styled my hair and pulled on my maternity jeans and shirt. Wondering around in hopes of finding one of the people who was supposed to be taking care of me was daunting. Truthfully I was in a pissy mood. I'd been without sugar for the past three months and my body was rebelling. I wanted sugar. Two weeks ago at my week twenty-four appointment I'd been put back on 'light duty' as they were calling it. I had been officially diagnosed with gestational diabetes, but luckily my blood pressure had remained normal.
We'd started childbirth classes and today we were supposed to be taking a tour of the birth center in Manhattan. Of course that would never happen if someone didn't come in to help me get some shoes. I sighed and stood up, making my way into the living room slowly.
"Ranger? Diesel? Julie? Someone?" No one was in the apartment which was just damn weird. I went to the elevator and went down to the control room; Tank was standing right by the elevator. "Tank where is everyone?" The control room was strangely empty, just a few of the new guys manning the monitors.
"It's a surprise. Ranger said you would need these." Tank showed me a pair of my chucks and bent down, guiding one foot into them at a time before lacing them up.
"What's going on Tank?" I frowned at him. I didn't like surprises. Tank shrugged like he didn't know and motioned for me to follow him. We took the elevator to the garage level and Tank boosted me up into one of the SUV's.
"Are we going to my parents? This is the way to my parents!"
Tank grinned at me, "Calm down. Ranger is already there." Thoughts of Ranger immediately calmed me down. I could handle my mother and grandmother if Ranger was there. Mom and grandma Mazur had gone twin crazy. They watched me like hawks, convinced I was going to go into premature labor at any moment.
Tank pulled up behind Ranger's Porsche on my parent's street and helped me out of the SUV. We walked to the front door and I opened it.
A chorus of "SURPRISE!" greeted me as the door swung open. I looked around and smiled. There were a bunch of people in the house, which was decorated for a baby shower.
"You guys!" I was getting hugs and belly rubs now. Even the Merry Men were in attendance. My parent's house was bursting at the seams with people. My dad was conspicuously missing from the sea of faces.
The dining room was stacked with presents and a cake that I wouldn't be able to eat.
"Actually it's a low sugar dark chocolate and fresh raspberry cake. We've attained permission for you to eat some," Ranger whispered into my ear. I turned around and kissed him. One of the Merry Men coughed and Ranger sent whoever it was a dark look over my shoulder.
We did all the normal baby shower games including one where everyone cut off a piece of ribbon that would fit around my stomach. I don't know what upset me more, the people that cut off way too much or the ribbons that didn't nearly wrap around my belly. Diesel won the game and Julie accused him of cheating. I opened presents and we finally got to eat the cake. The only bad part was that I had to go up the stairs ten times in the two hours we were there to go to the bathroom.
After everyone left, Ranger, Julie, Diesel, Tank, Lester I all loaded into the SUV's to go to take the birth center tour. The drive to Manhattan seemed longer than usual but that could have been because I was so restless. We finally got to the birth center and I made a stop in the bathroom before we checked in for our tour.
The nurse taking us on our tour made us all wear name tags with our names and 'positions'. My name tag said, Stephanie: The Mommy, we had Carlos: The Daddy, Julie: The Sister, Diesel: The Backup Coach, Tank: The Bodyguard, and Lester: The Bodyguard. The nurse's eyes opened wide at Diesel, Tank and Lester but she wrote out their tags and put them on their chests herself. Ranger grabbed his and put it on before she could.
We saw the rooms which were something out of a swanky hotel, the surgical suites, the nursery, the NICU, the waiting areas (which were all private) and the café. While Ranger and Diesel were looking at the babies in the nursery the nurse turned to me and smiled. "I think it's just great that you're being a surrogate for them," she said. My mouth dropped open and Ranger and Diesel both turned to look at her.
"I'm not a surrogate. Ranger, er Carlos, is my husband. Diesel's our friend, another bodyguard actually."
"Oh. I'm so sorry. I just thought…um…lets continue on with the tour," she said. I nodded and fell back to walk in between Ranger and Diesel.
I looked at them, "Oh I'm sorry, did you two want to walk together?" They both gave me very scary looks.
We're moving on along with this baby business! Good chapter?
