The week after Beck returned from Florida, he drug Jade out to the doctor again.
She sat on the cot and sighed as a different doctor than Dr. Shelly entered. This one was a petite Asian woman of at least forty years.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Yu." She reached out and shook Jade's hand. "Your boyfriend spoke to our receptionist over the phone yesterday and informed us that you would like an obstetrician since this is your first baby."
Jade, with a frown still adorning her pretty face, shot a glare at Beck, who shrugged.
"I will be taking care of you all the way up through when you have your baby. But let's not focus on that yet. Right now, let's start measuring the little buddy."
"Don't call it that," Jade snapped, obstructing her belly with her hands. "It's not my 'little buddy.' It's my baby."
"Ok," Dr. Yu apologized. "Let's start with measuring your baby's growth."
From there, the doctor used an ultrasound so that the couple could see their baby's heartbeat. Despite her best attempts at keeping a straight face through the process and her utter disgust at the goo on her belly, Jade smiled when she saw the tiny heartbeat. Her baby was growing and safe.
At the end of the check-up, Dr. Yu gave Jade an estimated due date: August 2.
Beck and Jade left the doctor arm-in-arm. "Can you believe it?" he asked. "We're really having a baby."
Jade just smiled, but honestly, she was scared. Having a baby was terrifying.
At school, the students began working on Cat and Robbie's play. The story was about a girl whose puppy runs away and she's sad, but her brother goes to find it and bring it home. Meanwhile the kids' mother tells them that she'll just have to buy a new puppy.
Cat chose the female leads and Robbie the male, so Jade ended up the little girl, Tori the mom, Beck the brother, and Andre the dog.
Jade was just glad she wasn't the mother. She didn't need any more unfortunate reminders of her premarital pregnancy.
Then she got the script.
In the first read-through, Cat and Robbie just sat nearby writing some sort of notes in a notebook while their friends read.
"I miss Willie," Jade read in her most convincing childish whine.
Beck and Andre chuckled. Willie.
Jade slammed the script down onto her legs. "May I please change the dog's name to Billie?"
Robbie shrugged. "Fine. Whatever floats your boat."
Jade nodded. "The dog's name is now Billie." She furiously flipped through the script and changed the names.
The reading continued.
"Your brother is going to look for Billie, Susie. Right now though, you can play with your baby doll." Tori read her lines almost convincingly, even pretending to hand a doll over toward Jade.
Jade's eyes bugged out as she read the next line. "I want to be a mommy some day with my own real baby, just like you."
"Maybe you will, sweetie, maybe you will."
From there, Tori's line driveled on in a soliloquy as Jade's character went to bed. Suddenly, being the little kid didn't seem like such a good idea. The script had various baby-related comments.
Back at Beck's RV, the couple lounged on the couch watching television. She lay across him with her head on the arm of the couch and his hand on her belly, rubbing small circles in the smooth skin.
"Alex knows." Jade didn't even part her eyes from the television.
"What?" Beck stopped with the hand thing and looked over at his girlfriend, whose eyes still stared ahead.
"Alex knows he's going to be an uncle."
Beck bit the inside of his cheek and nodded, unsure of what else to do.
"He promised not to tell Mom. And even he doesn't like Dad."
"Okay," Beck half-asked.
"I just thought you should know."
From there, Jade made it clear that she was finished talking. She herself rubbed her belly, making Beck look at her in question. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Just craving mozzarella sticks."
Beck cocked an eyebrow. "Want to go get some?"
Jade met her boyfriend's gaze. "Can you pick some up for me? I don't want to move."
Beck smiled. "Magic word?"
Jade defiantly glared at her boyfriend. "You got me knocked up and it's the least you can do to get me food."
"Close enough." He kissed her forehead and pulled on a jacket. "I have my phone. I'll be back in twenty."
Jade nodded and curled up in the warm spot where Beck had been. He dozed off watching TV and listened as Beck's car exited the driveway.
Two minutes later, Jade added another craving to the list, so she called Beck.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Don't forget marinara. And bring home salt and vinegar Lay's."
"On it," Beck laughed and hung up to keep driving.
A little over twenty minutes later, Beck entered the RV carrying mozzarella sticks, French fries, a bag of chips, and a large cup from Skybucks.
"You brought me coffee?" Jade grinned and stood.
"Yeah." The couple kissed warmly. "It's decaf though."
"Better than nothing," she shrugged and took a swig. "Yum. Mozzarella sticks?"
Laughing, Beck held the container above his head and Jade jumped up in an attempt to grab it. "Magic word?" he taunted.
Jade stopped jumping and pointed to her belly. "Baby."
"The correct answer was 'please,' but the judges have voted to accept yours." He handed the box to his girlfriend, who opened it and shoved one in her mouth.
By the beginning of February, the cast was ready to perform Cat and Robbie's play. Jade sat back stage, staring at her costume with a disgusted expression plastered across her pretty face.
"What's wrong?" Cat skipped back to her friend.
"The dress is pink." Jade scowled. She was under no circumstances willing to wear a pastel pink dress.
Cat's eyes lit up. "Oh! There's a blue one too if you'd rather that. Sinjin said you should wear the pink one. I told him he was a goof."
Jade nodded. "Blue is better."
"Kay Kay!" Cat disappeared for a few moments before returning with a light blue dress. She handed it over the the noirette before disappearing again.
The play went fairly well and afterward, the teenagers stopped by Nozu for some celebratory sushi.
Jade didn't eat much of hers, but rather picked at it until she eventually gave in and placed a piece in her mouth.
"What's up with you, Jade?" Tori asked as she eyed up her ill friend.
"Yeah," Andre added. "You look like something's sitting funny in your stomach."
Jade swallowed carefully and placed a hand on her belly. Something was sitting funny. A baby, in fact.
Beck spoke for his girlfriend. "She's just a little nauseous. It'll pass."
Jade nodded and shoved another piece of sushi in her mouth. She wasn't ready to let her friends know about the baby yet. Evidently, neither was Beck.
But they'd have to find out eventually. Choosing when would prove the hardest part.