The True Horror Began On Friday 13th

I stared at my feet, picking the dark blue nail polish from my big toe. I had been at Donna’s for a week now. Me, Steve and her agreed that we should all stay away from Gerard and Mikey for a while, if not for our own sanity but Donna said stress was not good for pregnant woman.

I hated being called ‘pregnant’. I felt like I was some big burden. It also reminded me of Sex Ed. In school, all those ‘risks of being pregnant’. I hated it, I also hated the fact of thinking I was going to be a ‘mum’ It made me sound like some forty year old with three kids. I had my ultrascan later this afternoon, I was nervous, seeing as Gerard wasn’t going to be there.

Donna was going to come with me though.

“Ren, you ready darling?” Donna suddenly asked, poking her head round the door. My head shot up and she looked at me pityingly, “Don’t worry so,” she smiled, sitting down beside me and tucking my hair behind my ears. I nodded and suppressed the feeling of wanting my own mum as she hugged me tightly, “You can show Gerard when he comes out of his silly state,” she whispered, I nodded into her shoulder.

I sniffed once, my eyes feeling heated and glassy like they were about to burst. I blinked to try and get the feeling away, a sob managing to crawl it’s way into the back of throat.

“Come on, go put your shoes on and I’ll meet you in the car,” she smiled, getting up and walking out into the hall way. I got ready quickly, my head feeling hazy. I met Donna out in her car as planned, zipping my jacket up as I went. The ride was fine, making small talk was fine. But seeing the hospital was not fine. I hated hospitals, I had no idea why they made them so white.

It was like some deranged horror movie. It’s completely blank, people are crying and dying all over the place and yet when you’re walking down the corridors there’s there weird workers in purple paper suits, their hair pulled back to make them look like they’ve had face lifts. I didn’t understand why the were all smiling as well, there was nothing cheery about hospitals.

My jaw started shaking, I seemed to have a habit of that, like shaking was the build up before I started to bawl stupidly. Donna slipped her arm round my shoulders comfortingly, trying to remind me that it wasn't all that bad.

We walked through the glass doors and my heart raced like a full pelt fire engine when I saw some poor woman in labour. It looked horrible.

“It’s not all that bad,” Donna murmured.

I nodded quickly, looking away as Donna checked in. I apparently had been put in a private room, therefore no wait was required. Donna seemed to be able to find her way down the corridors quite easily, manoeuvring this way and that until we came into a small sectioned off part, with a blue door and darker lights. I pushed the door and stepped in, instantly being attacked by cleaning chemicals.

The room was small, a waiting room. On one chair a woman sat looking about ready to give birth then and there, her husband holding her hand proudly. Another girl with a white jacket and lepod print heels was occupying the other chairs, a few friends clucking around her.

I started to scrutinize the last row of chairs, my eyes instantly landing on Gerard. he stood out aganst the dank blue, his darkness making him seem like a creeper.

He looked different. He’d actually shaved, no light black speckling his face. He had had the end of his hair trimmed and he had washed it properly, not just stepping under the water for a second and hoping it would take effect. I ran over to him and hugged round his neck, sniffing in and feeling the smell of shaving foam fill my nose.

“Whoa, hey Doll, you’re gonna push me off me seat,” Gerard chuckled, rubbing his warm hands up and down my sides.

“I haven’t seen you in forever though,” I murmured, giving him small pecks on his neck.

“Your math is terrible, I saw you a week ago, that’s not forever,” he laughed, holding my hand as I sat down next to him. Donna looked doubtfull, but soon realised she couldn’t not say hello to her eldest son.

“I thought you weren’t coming,” I mumbled, noticing he’d also tried to wash out the stains on his jacket.

“No, I wrote it down on my wall. I’ve got a job and I cleared out the spare room and did that up. I didn’t want the whole normal little blue boys room. I did it my style,” he smiled, chuckling lightly at Donna’s one again doubtful face.

“Oh gosh, your style?” she joked, “I’m sure you’ve managed to fill the room with those bloody zombie horror movies,” she chuckled.

“No, I haven’t actually,” Gerard told her, rolling his eyes, “You can come back to the house afterwards. Mom, you’ll be pleasantly surprised that I vacuumed, tidied, dusted and cleaned. I’ve even potty trained myself and learnt to flush the toilet,” he chuckled, looking up when a red headed lady called us in.

Gerard squeezed my hand whilst we walked through into a small room. I squirmed a little, psyching myself up.

“Hey,” she smiled, “If you’d like to take a seat up on the bed and lie back for me,” she asked. I vaulted up onto the bed, leaning back on the white pillow. Gerard took a seat beside me and Donna next to him, looking expectantly at the lady started to get things ready, “Okay, if you’d lift your shirt for me, that’d be great, the jelly’s a little cold but I’m sure you’ll get used to it,” she said as Gerard rolled my shirt up for me, staring happily at the pale bump.

I looked up at the light blue ceiling, quickly taking the chance to peer at the name badge tagged to her white apron, Hailey

That machine made a small bleep as she began to draw the white control around my stomach. I looked up at the screen expectantly, almost jumping when the black and white image bounced up on screen.

“Holy shit,” Gerard grinned, “It’s a fucking baby!”

“Gerard language,” Donna intervened, smiling never the less.

“I can’t help it, it’s a baby! It’s a big blob of baby! I’m so goddamn useful!” he grinned, pecking my forehead three time in a row. He wriggled in his seat, “Mom look at what I made!” he continued, “It looks like a gremlin, the cute one, Gismo. Not the evil beggars -Doll look, that’s ours!” he continued to ramble.

“In this early stage did you know your baby’s just one inch long?” Hailey asked.

“I didn’t know that,” I mumbled, smiling when Gerard pecked my face determinedly.

“I think it’s going to be a boy,” Gerard announced, watching whilst Hailey began to swipe tissue over my stomach, taking off the translucent jelly, “Oh jeez,” he grinned, pecking the side of my mouth resolutely.

I hugged Gerard happily, un able to help but chuckle when Gerard hitched himself up beside me, one knee either side of my right thigh. He kept leaving small wet kisses all over my cheeks, only stopping to lean back and hug Donna.

“I feel as happy as when mom bought me a Furby!” he exclaimed gleefully, still not budging from sitting on me. I yawned and lay back, letting him take my hand and generally swing them around happily. He pressed them to his chest when he leant back down and nuzzled into my jaw, kissing my cheek at the same time.

“Gerard, save it for later,” Donna chuckled, rising from her seat, “Could we have pictures or-“ Hailey interrupted whilst smiling.

“Yeah sure, I’m printing them off now,” she smiled fondly, chuckling a little as I swung my legs down from the bed, Gerard sliding off my lap. He pushing his hands to my stomach, he looked like his cheeks might cracked, I hoped they didn’t.

“Everything’s going to be perfect!”