Category : Stories

Sub Category : Drama

Four-Kick
Jay looks through his bedroom closet for some looser clothes. He tried every single shirt and pants. His regular shirts didn't cover his belly and his pants didn't even try to make it around his waist. The only outfit that fit him was his sweatpants and large tee-shirt, and a few winter sweaters. Seeing his limited options, he pounds his head against the wall-grumbling. Two and a half months ago, Jay was barely fitting into his clothes. Currently he's five months along. He officially has a pregnant belly. It sawned on him that he needed bigger clothes for his comfort and to hide his pregnancy. Jay hears Ava walk through the front door.
"Hey, babe! I'm back." She says cheerfully from the living room. "I got the cutest scrapbook from the mall today. I'd thought I'd start filling it with our wedding and honeymoon pictures. Do you want to help me?"
Jay looks around the room. His clothes were everywhere.
"Uh, yeah. I'll be there in a minute." He answers.
Jay quickly dresses into his black workout pants and grey sweater. Then he picked up all the clothes off the floor and stuffed them into the closet. Jay takes a last look in the mirror to make sure that his clothes camoflauged the belly. 
Jay walks cautiously through the hallway to the living room. Ava was sitting on the floor with the scrapbook and a bunch of art-and-craft supplies spread out on the floor. She was humming softly while cutting up some construction paper. Anna Kendrick's, "Cups," was a song she hummed whenever she felt happy. Jay was near the couch when suddenly, he felt some fluttering in his belly. He stopped briefly to confirm it. But nothing else happened.
"Nah, its probably my imagination." Jay thinks to himself. He meets up with Ava.
"Hi." Ava smiles when she sees him. "What's with the sweater? It's very warm today."
"Oh, um...it just feels comfortable. I'm not hot."
Ava motions him to sit down with her on the floor. "Sit with me." She says.
Jay uses the couch to support his weight as he sat himself down. Ava shows him some of their honeymoon pictures when they were in Key West.
"I love this one. We are probably the only couple who have a honeymoon picture where a stingray decided to photobomb us. The expression on your face was priceless. Hah, ha!"
Jay laughs too. He picks up a picture of Ava wearing her red bikini. She was spread out on top of her beach towel.
"This one is my favorite." Jay raises his eyebrows.
Ava holds it in her hands and chuckles. "Mmm! I think this one should go in the book. When I'm old and saggy, it'll be nice to look back and see what a dish I was. Yep, I do fill out that bikini well."
Jay puts his arm around his adorable wife. "Agree to agree."
Ava seductively cuddled up to her husband and whispers into his ear. 
"Since you like that little red bikini so much, how about I go ahead and put it on. And then, we'll...have some fun. How about it?"
As much as Jay wanted to go back to the bedroom and be intimate with his wife, he couldn't risk letting her see his round abdomen. He carefully thought of a way to decline.
"I like the idea. But, I don't feel up to it right now."
"But why, Jay? We haven't done it since...well, since our honeymoon." Ava sits on his lap and wraps her arms around his neck. "Come on, put a bun in this oven. Please?"
There was already a bun in Jay's oven.
Jay kisses her on the forehead. "I would, but maybe next time. I'm not feeling well."
Ava sighs with disappointment. "Fine." 
She slumps against the couch and continues selecting pictures for the scrapbook.
Later that evening, Ava puts on her silky pajamas and climbs into bed next to Jay. He was under the covers with his eyes nearly closed. 
"Before I forget, Izzy and Evan are having a dinner party at their house on Friday. We're invited. Izzy asked if we could bring two bags of ice and dessert. Would you get the bag of ice after you're done with work? I'm going to make a black forest cake."
"Yeah, sure." Jay nods.
"Thank you. Goodnight, I love you." 
Ava turns off the bedside lamp, then lays in her usual sleeping position. She didn't close her eyes right away. Ava was worried about Jay's lack of enthusiasm for intimacy. And she wondered if Jay was already losing interest in her. 
"Don't be ridiculous, Ava. You're just tired. Get some sleep." She tells herself. Then she closes her eyes, falling asleep instantly.
Jay was nearing unconciousness until he had the urge to use the restroom. He gets up from the bed and goes into the bathroom at the end of the hallway. After finishing his business, Jay washes his hands. Right after he turned the faucet off, he felt a kick on the left side of his belly button. It took him by surprise. He immediately put his hand on the the exact spot where the baby kicked. Jay sits on the toilet seat and lifts his baggy shirt. He patted his belly to see if he could get the baby to do it again. But no movement. Then Jay gently strokes the sides of his belly, and that finally did the trick. The baby kicked again.
"Wow!" Jay excitedly whispers.
Other than his belly, he realized his attatchment to the baby was growing. At first, Jay felt he was just carrying just his brother's baby. Technically, yes, but after a while, he began to view the child as his own. It was exactly what Ryan had hoped for. The baby stopped kicking. It rolled over, making Jay's belly move. Then it settled into a comfortable position and went to sleep. Jay stood up and pulled his shirt back down. He stepped out of the bathroom with a glowing smile on his face. He crawled back into bed, covering himself with the blanket.