Chapter Six – Pleasure &
Pain
Joey passed the telephone to
David and collapsed into the sofa, sighing loudly and pushing her wet hair out
of her face. Instinctively, she ran her hands over the small bump protruding
over the waistband of her black drawstring trousers. They had been a present
from Audrey that she had hated at first but now she had gotten bigger, she
practically lived in them. She was pleased that her pregnancy had decided to
hide itself away, there was no way that anyone could tell she was six months
pregnant, especially with the way she had been gearing up for her finals. David
hung up the telephone and collapsed down into the seat beside her; he placed a
protective arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, kissing her forehead.
"What did Bessie want with
you?" asked Joey, entwining her fingers in David's as he stroked their bump.
"Not a lot, just some stuff
about the baby and about Alexander. Make sure you're getting plenty of rest and
not working too hard, like I could stop you or something!" he laughed. "I
wasn't really paying attention; she could talk you to death!" Joey smiled and
nodded, it was typical of Bessie to lay all the lectures on David, especially
when she couldn't make it to
"Can we do something today?"
asked Joey, sitting up straight.
"Like what?" asked David,
taking a sip of his lukewarm coffee; it had been steaming when Bessie had
called.
"I don't know. A picnic or a
drive or something. I just feel like getting out of the house, get some summer
air,"
"Yeah, are you sure you're
up to it? You look a little tired,"
"I'm fine; I just need to
get out of here. It's driving me mad! And I want us to spend a little more time
together," she smiled, kissing him softly on the cheek.
"Okay, let me get changed
and we can get out of here," he grinned, kissing the top of her head before
running up the staircase. Joey smiled to herself and picked up the telephone,
she had considered calling
Joey wound the passenger
window down all the way; she leaned against it slightly to feel the wind blast
through her hair. She couldn't help but grin; it felt good to be out in the
open air than sitting around at home studying and feeling pregnant. David was
driving towards the beach; it took a long time to get there but it was always
worth it once they had arrived. Joey had been before with Audrey and Pacey but
she had never been with David; she daydreamed about buying a beach house there
so they could take the baby for days out in the coming years.
"You okay? You look a bit
pale?" asked David as he drove around the quiet back roads towards the beach.
It was the middle of the day in the middle of the week and the roads were
deliciously empty; it felt as if he and Joey were the only people in the world.
"I'm fine. Just a little
sore, it'll pass," said Joey, continuing to look out of the window. Her hand
defensively cradling the left side of her bump, the pain she had experienced at
the house had grown slightly and felt like a constant dull ache but it was
definitely something she could withstand for a little while longer; she didn't
want to ruin her day out with David. It was something she had wanted to do for
so long; she couldn't end up at the doctor's surgery for the entirety of such a
beautiful day.
"Only if you're sure," said
David, reaching out a hand to stroke her hair. Joey turned to face him and
smiled, taking his hand and squeezing it gently.
"I'm sure, I want this day
to be just the three of us," she laughed, placing David's hand on her bump. She
could feel the baby moving slightly and relished in it, it was so weird to
imagine that anything could be alive inside of her but there it was; their
baby.
Along the road to the beach;
David stopped the car so they could look out over the ocean. Joey stood at the
railings, a little annoyed that she had forgotten to bring a camera let alone
her sketch pad. They stood together at the top of the hill, looking out over
the ocean and out to the horizon; Joey reached for David's hand and they stood
together like that for what felt like an age. Joey was so rapt in the beauty of
the scenery that when the baby kicked hard, she almost fell to her knees. She
cried out in pain and squeezed David's hand tight. The baby didn't kick again
but the pain she had been feeling all morning was getting distinctly worse.
"What is it? Are you okay?"
asked David, knowing that his questions were redundant but not knowing what
else to do. Joey bent forward slightly in an attempt to ease the pain but nothing
worked, she held onto David with all of her might. She was trying so hard not
to burst into tears, it hurt so much.
"I think I need to go to the
hospital," she sniffed, blinking back that familiar feeling of heat behind her
eyes. David nodded and hurried her into the passenger seat before speeding down
the back roads in an anxious search for the nearest hospital or medical centre.
Joey curled up into the seat
and shut her eyes tight, willing the pain to go away. She just wanted her and
her baby to be left alone, she couldn't bear to even entertain the thought that
something could be wrong; she just wanted it to go. David finally screeched to
a halt outside a small hospital, he ushered Joey out of the car and helped her
into reception. He sat her down and walked over to the receptionist.
"I need a doctor; my
girlfriend's six months pregnant and she's been having pain. I don't know
what's wrong, she needs to be seen now," he said, he was trying to remain calm
and ask politely but all he seemed able to do was panic and shout. The
receptionist nodded and looked over at Joey before picking up the telephone and
asking for a doctor to come to the reception area immediately. David thanked
her and sat down next to Joey, he gripped her hand tightly, she looked up at
him and smiled through her pain.
"I love you," she whispered.
David couldn't speak; he just nodded and held her. He couldn't believe what was
happening and more than anything, hoped that there was nothing wrong with his
baby or the woman he loved.