Chapter 8
Pregnancy & Time Slips
One month after my makeover Jen and I took the train to Philly to pick up my car. I was ecstatic; in a few hours I would be driving my dream car. Jen on the other hand was abnormally quiet as we made our trip.
"Jen is something bothering you? You haven't been this quiet since you got your tonsils out and even then you kept trying to talk."
"I've just got stuff on my mind."
"Like what? Is everything okay?"
Jen was like a sister to me and consequently the only family I had so I worried about her.
"Mo, I'm pregnant."
"You're what? Who was it? Why didn't you tell me?"
I was amazed and hurt that she had kept such a big secret from me. She wasn't a virgin but she wasn't exactly the neighborhood whore either. I on the other hand was still a virgin; it didn't bother me since I had purposely gone out of my way to avoid guys through high school and college. It wasn't like I was interested in them; it's just that I didn't want the stress associated with having one.
"Mo, I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone."
"Why?"
"It was a trade."
"A trade for what?"
"I worked on a guy's car and he fucked me."
I just stared at her not speaking trying to comprehend what I was hearing.
"Mo, please don't be angry at me it seemed like a good idea at the time."
Finally, curiosity got the better of me.
"Well was it at least good?"
"It was okay I guess, I don't have much experience to compare it to."
"You've got more experience then me."
"Please Mo, don't start that I'm not feeling sorry for you. If you'd dress like a chick more often you'd have no trouble getting guys in your bed."
"Jen, I don't want to just fuck to say that I did it."
"Mo, you keep that attitude up and you'll still be a virgin when you die."
"No, I mean I'm not saving myself for marriage or anything corny like that. I just want it to be with a guy who appreciates me as a person, not as some piece of meat on his arm or just his latest conquest."
"It sounds nice Mo, but trust me none of the guys in our neighborhood will ever be that one."
"I know your right but I can still hope. So tell me how far along are you?"
"You sound like your excited."
"Of course I'm excited."
"Mo, my life is going to be ruined in about seven months unless I do something."
I froze; we had discussed our feelings on abortion rights during the last presidential election. I knew that she shared the same view as I did so I was shocked that she was considering that as a viable option.
"Mo, I know I said that I was personally Pro-Life, but I never thought that I'd be in this situation. I'm so scared, how am I going to have this baby? My mom and dad are both junkies so I can't go home, who is going to help me?"
"What am I chopped liver?"
"Mo, how are you going to help me?"
"I don't know but I'll figure something out. I won't let you down, Jen your all the family I have."
The rest of our trip was spent in silence; my mind was reeling trying to figure out how we were going to have this baby. By the time I had signed all the required paperwork to make the car truly mine I had a plan although it was a still a little fuzzy.
"Okay, you want to hear my plan?"
"It took you long enough Mo, you must be slipping in your old age."
"Very Funny, I've never had to come up with a baby plan before. Anyway, this is what I'm thinking we need to do right now. One, you need to find out if you are still covered by your parents insurance if you are let's get at least your first doctors visit taken care of. I figure that appointment will give us an outline of how often you're supposed to get checked out. Second, we both need to find jobs that pay moderately well and maybe one of us will get lucky and find on that have an on-site child care facility. Third, we are going to have to get a second car for you. I'm thinking that we do what we can to the skyline and then I race somebody gullible for slips. I know I said I'd never purpose race someone for their car but desperate times for desperate measures."
She looked at me and shook her head.
"I can't believe your doing this for me."
"Jen, I'm your friend. I'd do anything for you."
The first few months after I had gotten my car, I dumped as much money into as I could and drove her out to Englishtown on Wednesday for time trials. I was nervous it was the first time I had ever run on a track before and the first time I had really pushed the full potential of all the work that was done on it. Finally, it was my turn and I was paired up with an older Eclipse. I said a quick prayer as the lights dropped and then I was off. I glanced at the board before I pulled off the strip and couldn't believe what I was seeing. I was convinced that it was some sort of glitch. I didn't believe it until I got that slip in my hand and saw my time as being a ten and a half second pass. When I pulled my car around I heard Jen before I could see her as she made her way through the crowd that was gathering. The very next morning I had it laminated knowing that it would be awhile before I raced on a track again.
6 and 3/4 months
later
It was two in the morning and I had just finished replacing the backseat of my Skyline and strapping in the MOMO baby car seat. Twenty minutes earlier I had put the other regular car seat in Jen's Civic. She wasn't due for another week but I wasn't taking any chances. I wanted everything to be ready, and then all I wanted to do was sleep. I don't think there was a time in my life when I had been so exhausted, I had spent most of Jen's pregnancy working all day and racing at least three to four nights a week across the city. I had been able to get a job that paid decent money but more importantly had an on-site childcare facility. Looking at my watch I shook my head and headed up to the apartment, intent on sleeping straight through until Monday. Unfortunately that was not to be.
"Mo, wake up I think it's time!"
I rolled over and looked at the clock, which was reading two-thirty.
"What day is it?"
"It's Saturday afternoon."
"Okay, call the hospital, we'll take the Skyline to the hospital and then I'll come back before you go home and get the civic."
I rolled out of bed and grabbed some clothes; while I was getting dressed I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I looked like shit; I lost about ten pounds with all the running around I had been doing. I grabbed the keys to the Skyline, the overnight bag that contained a change of clothes for both Jen and myself.
"Okay, I'm ready did you call the hospital?"
"Yes, they're going to page the doctor and put her on call."
25 minutes later
I dropped Jen off at the emergency room entrance and then went to park the car. I found Jen in one of the rooms already changed into a hospital gown.
"The obstetrician on duty has been called down. She's going to check me down here while they get a room ready up in delivery. Mo I'm scared, I'm not sure if I can do this."
"Jen you can do this, we'll get you some drugs to take the edge off and everything is going to be okay."
I watched as she clutched the sheets, and realized that she was having a contraction.
"Oh Fuck!"
"Shit, Jen when was the contraction before this one?"
"Right before I woke you up."
I glanced at my watch and guesstimated that her contractions were about thirty to thirty-five minutes apart.
"Okay, we have to start keeping track of that."
"Mo, I'm not sure what to name the baby. I had a few ideas but I wanted to run them by you first."
"Okay, so how many do you have?"
I couldn't believe that we had never actually sat down and discussed baby names.
"Well if it's a girl I like Mia, Jade, Taylor, Natalia and Raven. If it's a boy I like Luke, Lucas, Anthony, Thomas and Steven. What do you think?"
"Out of all of them I like Mia and Jade the best for girls and for a boy I'd have to go with the traditional Steven and Anthony."
"Oh fuck here comes another one."
I looked down at my watch as Jen cursed through the contraction. That one was only fifteen minutes after the last one. Where the hell was the doctor? As if on queue the door opened and the doctor walked in.
"Good afternoon, I'm Dr. Redman the obstetrician on duty. Have you been timing your contractions Jen?"
Jen merely grunted and looked my way.
"She's had three since I've been awake. The first two were a half hour apart, the third one only fifteen."
"Okay then, Jen I need you to put you feet up here so I can have a look."
I watched as Jen did as she was told and watched the doctor's face.
"Jen how long have you been having contractions?"
"Probably since six this morning, I didn't want to wake Mo up though until they started to come quicker and harder."
"Well you are about eight centimeters dilated, so I'm going to have your doctor paged and you moved up to delivery."
I watched as the doctor left, and a nurse appeared with a wheelchair.
"Are you her partner?"
"Yes, I guess you could say that."
"Well, then let's get her in the wheelchair and up to delivery."
I took Jen's hand and started to help her off the bed when another contraction hit. She squeezed my hand and I could swear that I heard bones popping.
"Fuck, I want drugs."
"You squeeze my hand like that again, and I'm going to need them too."
We got Jen upstairs and in another bed just as her doctor arrived.
"How far along are the contractions?"
"Four to Six minutes now. When the doctor checked her downstairs she was eight centimeters dilated."
"Okay, lets see what going on Jen."
She moved down to position herself between Jen's legs and I went up by the head of the bed and held Jen's hand with my non-crushed one.
"Get me a L&D tray in here stat."
I watched as a nurse came through the door, carrying a sterilized tray. She placed the tray next to the doctor and adjusted Jen so that she was now sitting up.
"I want drugs!"
"You don't have time for drugs Jen, this baby is coming and it is coming now."
"Mo you said I could have drugs."
"I know that but I didn't expect you to wait until the contractions were only thirty minutes apart to wake me."
"Well I knew you were exhausted and I felt bad about waking you up. OHHH FUCK!"
"Okay Jen, you're doing good, I'm going to need you to start pushing now."
"Great fucking idea, let's get this show on the road. If this goes smoothly Mo can still go race tonight."
Both the nurse and the doctor looked at me, I just shrugged my shoulders.
"I'm not arguing with a pregnant woman."
I turned my attention back to Jen, who despite the pain was trying to smile. The rest of her labor went smoothly and about fifteen minutes later I was holding a beautiful baby girl, while they finished with Jen.
"She's beautiful Jen."
"Let me see her. Do you think she's a Jade or a Mia?"
"I am leaning towards Jade, but it's up to you Jen."
I carefully handed her the baby. As I did her tiny eyes opened and looked at us. Jen looked at her then me before speaking.
"Her eyes are like a bluish-green."
"They're beautiful."
"I think she's definitely a Jade."