Perfect Denial

Dana groaned as her back ached. She was on her now permanent position on the couch and at almost eight months pregnant, she couldn’t move very far, or very fast. Her stomach was swollen to almost unnatural proportions, and by now, though she loved the feeling of her babies growing inside her, Dana wished for them to hurry up and get out already.

When the doorbell rang, Dana instinctively looked around for Bill to answer it and then she remembered he was at some important meetings with Tom and Dave today. With an almighty effort she heaved herself up off the couch and tottered to the door. A large smile broke across her face when she saw Caroline and Gustav on her doorstep.

“Hello, Hello!” she said, giving them a hug and a peck on the cheek, ushering them inside. “Excuse the mess; I can’t really bend down anymore to pick things up.” She laughed with Caroline as Gustav just smiled.

Dana yawned and rubbed her stomach as one of the babies kicked, and then smiled, “Hey Gustav, you’re driving again aren’t you?” When Gustav nodded, Dana clapped her hands, “Ok, I’m dying to get out of this house...let’s go out for lunch and then you can tell me whatever it is you came to tell me!”

Caroline and Gustav looked at each other in that quiet way of theirs and then Caroline nodded, “that sounds great. Do you need help getting dressed?”

A blush formed on Dana’s cheeks, “You know what, I actually do, thanks Caroline.”

Dana ignored Gustav’s laughter as Caroline followed her slowly up the stairs to help the poor pregnant lady get dressed.

~

In a small coffee shop in the middle of Hamburg, Dana sipped at a large smoothie as she stared expectantly at Gustav and Caroline. They had excited looks on their faces, and she was dying to know why.

“Come on you guys, I know you didn’t just pop around for no reason! Tell me!”

Caroline giggled and then she raised her hand to Dana’s face, where for the first time; Dana noticed the small but exquisite diamond ring. Dana squealed, and would have jumped up if her stomach hadn’t knocked against the table dangerously and she clapped her hands, finally grasping Caroline and Gustav’s hands in hers.

“I’m so happy for you too, I really am.” She beamed at the young pair, and she reminded herself of her and Bill all those months ago now, planning their own wedding. Things had gotten better and better and now they were about to have a family.

“So any ideas when these babies are going to be born?” Gustav asked, eyeing Dana’s stomach almost warily as if she would pop any moment. Dana smiled and patted her stomach, her heart fluttering as a baby nudged back, “Another month and a half now I think. Though twins are normally born early.”

“Do you know the sexes yet?” Caroline asked.

Dana shrugged, “Honestly, I have no idea. When I was pregnant before, I knew it was a boy, and when I thought this was one baby, I presumed that maybe it was a boy again. But now there are two, I’m stumped. Some women just get the feeling...I haven’t. Bill’s convinced we’re having girls, and Tom thinks it will be two boys because of him and Bill. I’ll be happy with anything, as long as I have two healthy children at the end of the day.”

Caroline nodded a warm smile on her face. Gustav however, had gotten distracted. “I haven’t been to the zoo in ages!” he whispered, almost to himself. Caroline and Dana raised their eyebrows and he looked at them, eyes shining, “Come on, let’s go...please please please!”

“Gustav, I am not going to the zoo,” Dana spoke sternly and Gustav just made a face at her,

“I’m sure a bit of exercise will be good for you Dana.”

Dana shook her head, “No!” and then after several minutes of Gustav’s best puppy dog look, she rolled her eyes, “I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this.”

~

But after about an hour of walking around the large zoo and hearing Gustav exclaim over every animal, Dana was near to murder. Her legs were sore and her ankles were swollen and the twins were giving out, kicking strongly in protest and hurting her.

She stopped to catch her breath, sitting down on the nearest bench, and puffed and panted. Gustav stopped where he was and looked around, “Come on Dana!”

Dana looked at Gustav and Caroline, “Go on, I’ll catch up!”

Gustav whined, “Dana, you’re such a slow poke. Come on, you big fatty.” And Dana saw red.

She got up slowly, and advanced towards Gustav. “Gustav Schaefer, I am near eight months pregnant with not one but two babies. I look like a beached whale, and I feel like I’m constantly carrying one. Do you know what it’s like to carry two human beings inside of you? No, of course you don’t. So, when you drag me to the zoo and force me to walk for miles in this condition...you do not call me slow and you do not call me fat. You have just severely pissed off a very pregnant woman! Mistake!”

But Dana gasped as suddenly it felt like something released itself from her body and when Caroline stifled a yell, she looked down at her wet crotch and runners. She looked back up to Gustav, “And now you can call my husband...because I think my waters just broke.”