Jonesy held Nikki's hand as they stuck the ultrasound wand up her private area. She didn't even flinch. They both looked intently at the screen, until they saw something that resembled a baby. It was small, with nubs for hands and feet, but there it was bouncing around.
"Here are its arms, and there is its head, and here, darling, is the beating heart." The midwife looked and the couple and smiled. Jonesy was in shock. "Here, let me do this…" she pressed a button and EKG lines showed up, showing the baby's heart rate. Then came the audio.
Bum-bum, Bum-bum, Bum-bum, Bum-bum it went. "178 beats per minute," she smiled, "that's a good rate for being nine weeks." Jonesy squeezed Nikki's hand.
"Yeah…." Nikki faked a smile and squeezed Jonesy's hand back. The midwife printed up a few shots of the fetus and then marked a few things on her clip board.
"Have you been taking prenatal vitamins?" The midwife asked intently.
"Uhhhh…. No?" Nikki asked.
"Okay I will write you a script. You NEED to take one a day from here on out."
"If I don't will it hurt the baby?"
"Well, I will say this, you should have been taking then since before you got pregnant, but it's better to start late than never." She smiled at the two, and handed Jonesy the script. "Now, you get dressed, your next appointment is on December 19th. Taa-taa!" And she left.
The move went surprisingly well. Mrs. Wong let Jen, Emma and Diego in with their boxes and didn't say a word the whole time. They packed all of Nikki's clothes and the couple sentimental items she had, and they were out of there in a little over two hours, and without even one underwear joke. When they got back to the Garcia household, Nikki packed everything neatly into Jonesy's drawers. It was all so automatic, like it was the way things were for a long time. Nikki and Jonesy now shared a bed, since the cat was out of the bag and it's not like she could get pregnant again. They spent more time at home and less time at the mall, Nikki only going if she had to work, which her hours got cut due to her condition, and Jonesy would stay home with Kylie, 'practicing.' And now she was nine weeks, had the first snapshots of the baby, and everything was seemingly perfect. Jonesy loved her to pieces, he was constantly giving her backrubs and talking to her belly. But she didn't feel so perfect. Caitlin all of the sudden became too busy, or so it seemed, since Nikki never saw her save for the few times she would stop by the Khaki Barn with food and lemonade. The clones wouldn't talk to her for fear of her pregnant rage, which she had lashed out with a few times, and since the whole school knew she was 'Juno' she didn't think it mattered. All she had was Jonesy, Jen, Emma and Kylie, who she couldn't stand to be around.
"Jonesy, I cant stand your five month old sister how can I stand a newborn!" Nikki hissed. She wasn't sure what was wrong with her lately, she was meaner than usual, and the constant hurt on Jonesy's face broke her heart.
"Baby, it's hard, but I have been reading a lot of pregnancy and parenting books and also taking care of Kylie while you are at work, I'm positive we can do this. And if for the first few weeks you need to recover, I will be here for you and the baby both. So don't worry, for the first time in my life I have this figured out." Jonesy laid her down on the bed and rubbed her back. "Now you need to calm down, you're too stressed and too much stress is bad for both you and the baby." He continued to rub her back and shoulders.
"Jonesy you are too good to me." Nikki smiled.
"I have to be, you are carrying my child, and that is a big stress on your body. I need to make you feel good, so the baby can feel good too." He kissed her shoulders and neck, and then laid down next to her. "Now good night sweet pea, you need to sleep."
School was a disaster. It wasn't the teasing, it was the whispering behind her back. Things like "I bet she's faking it" and "I heard Jonesy isn't even the real dad, some A&F greeter is, they did it when she was drunk, my cousin's friend was there" and the worst "Jonesy is so going to leave her." Jonesy didn't listen to them, he had enough on his plate and was positive that Nikki never cheated on him with an A&F Greeter God. Nikki on the other hand was so frazzled already with hormones it took all she had to not cry in the middle of classes.
"She ignores Jonesy all day at school! She spends lunch in her calculus class and practically runs to her next class." Caitlin noted by the lockers.
"When she's not at work, they practically lock themselves in their room. We've lived in the same house for almost a month and I only see her when she's running to the bathroom. You don't see me hanging out with Jonesy at school, I see him enough."
"But… he needs her. People are starting to talk, saying that the aren't together because she cheated on him and that they also have never had sex. In fact, I haven't even seen Nikki in awhile…. Sometimes I stop in at her work but she never comes to the lemon anymore. I see Jonesy way more than I see her, and I only see him half as much as I used to."
Wyatt walked up looking perplexed. "Guys… I've been thinking. We haven't been so great to Nikki and Jonesy. I mean, they need us right now, and although they haven't been reaching out to us they shouldn't have to. Lets do something nice for them. I mean, Nikki's parents threw her out on her ass. She must really be going through it."
"OHHHH good idea Wyatt!" Caitlin squeaked. "Nikki deserves a day of pampering!"
"Ummm… I'm not sure that's…." Jen started.
"OH THIS IS GOING TO BE SO FUN!" Caitlin ran off.
"It's going to be interesting….." Jen rebutted to Wyatt.
"Yeahhh…" Wyatt droned. "I'll take Jonesy out to a hockey game. He isn't playing this season because he wants to be available for Nikki."
"He's a good guy." Jen added. "She's due on July 2nd and it's only December 8th so she still has a long way. Oh man… two babies in the house a year apart. Fun fun fun!"
The bell to get to the next class rang and the two teens parted ways, only two more periods to go.
Nikki's head was on the desk on the counter of The Khaki Barn. "Ughhh" she groaned, "Life sucks…" The clones snuck up behind her and Chrissy put her arms around her.
"Nikki cheer up!!!!! You're having a baby!" She gushed
"Yeah Nikki! You're so totally the talk of the school!" Kirsten glowed.
"Yeah! So which Greeter God is the baby daddy!!!" Kristen chirped
"UGH GUYS!!!" Nikki banged her head on the desk "The dad is Jonesy! I never had drunken sex with a Greeter God! Me and Jonesy are still together!"
"Then why don't we ever see him! Or you two together at school. Shouldn't he want to be around his pregnant girlfriend!"
"OH MY GOD DO YOU GUYS EVER STOP BEING SO ANNOYING! ARGHHH!" Nikki wailed
"No wonder he doesn't want to be around her" Kristen whispered, and the clones chuckled and left Nikki alone.
"OH MY GOD Nikki!" Caitlin scampered in "Nikki!"
"As if the day could get any worse…" Nikki groaned.
"Oh Nikki you need some R&R! Lets go get massages! Come on you could use some pampering."
"Jonesy gives me a massage every night." Nikki moaned with her head still on the counter "I don't need a fancy massage Caitlin I need a break."
"A break from what! We haven't seen you at the lemon for weeks! You've been looking majorly depressed. Come onnnn it will be fun! Just me you and Jen! Even Jen says she hardly sees you and you live there now!"
"Oh my God you live with Jonesy?" The clones squealed "How ROMANTIC!" They all jumped up and down in unison.
"On second thought…. Let's get that massage now." Caitlin and Nikki walked out of the Tacky Barn and went to the spa.
"Oh Nikki! I can't want to plan your baby shower!" Caitlin bubbled during their massage.
"Caitlin, I'm only 11 weeks, I have 29 weeks to go. 29 long, agonizing, excruciating…. Ughhhh." Nikki felt defeated.
"Ohh this is so exciting!"
"How did you talk me into this again?"
Back at 'home' in Jonesy's room was the only place Nikki felt normal, even more so tonight that Jonesy was out at a hockey game with Wyatt. She put on some relaxing music and turned off her brain for awhile, away from school and the Tacky Barn and everyone constantly checking up on her like she was some kind of mental patient. Even Jonesy, although he meant well, was trying her nerves. She told him she needed time away from him but it just upset him.
"I need you now Nikki. I don't care about the whispers or the rumors or anything else. I just can't do this without you. It's bad enough I never see you at school, where people talk. I stick up for you but people think I'm just saving face, trying to defend the fact that I still love you even though left me to have another mans baby."
"I know Jonesy, but it makes me feel better to pretend that I'm not going through this. I'm such a disgrace to my family."
"Who cares about your family. They left you in your time of need, we're all you need now."
Now, away from all that, alone in 'her' room. It felt so good to be alone, like she is in calculus, just her, some nerds and the teacher. There no one talks down to her or treats her like a basket case or even brings it up. If they know, they don't mention it or whisper about it. And that felt good. Nikki got up and went into the bathroom, running the bath water. She seeped in it with her headphones on and relaxed her pain away.
