"I still can't believe you're pregnant," Briana said helping me fold my clothes.

"Me either. But, it is what it is, I guess."

"Don't say it like that."

"Yea I know, it's just weird that's all. Everybody keeps telling me that I'll get used to it, but I'm about to be 6 months and it's still foreign to me."

"Do you want the baby?" Briana hesitantly asked.

"It doesn't matter what I want. Dashawn wants the baby, and we already talked about it. I just...I never thought about kids. I don't have the best upbringing nor a role model to look up to. All I learned from my mom is what not to do. And I'm still learning shit myself, shit no one taught me. How the hell am I supposed to love and care for a baby. I don't want to be anything like her when it comes to raising a child."

"Asha, you are nothing like her."

"How do you know?" I asked.

"I don't. But, I know you and what you're not. Especially from the shit you told me about your mom and Kennedy. You are nothing like them evil bitches. And like you said, you learned what not to do."

"Right," I nodded agreeing with her.

"But like, will I be able to bond with the baby? Will I love it? Will I know what to do? It's all a lot to think about," I frowned.

"Do you talk about this stuff with your therapist?"

"Yes. She definitely helps me a lot, but I'm still getting comfortable with her. There's nothing like talking to a friend though," I laughed.

"I know that's right."

We finished folding the clothes and went downstairs right as the front door opened. I tried not to roll my eyes.

"Briana this is Dashawn. D this is my best friend Briana from high school."

"Wassup Briana."

"Hey," she said back.

"Asha lemme talk to you."

"No." I sat down on the couch.

Briana retreated back up the stairs.

"Why you so mad?"

"I ain't mad."

"This petty shit you doing is getting old. You gone turn off your phone, oh ight. I told yo ass about that shit and you still trying me."

"To be honest, I ain't tried you enough," I stated calmly. He laughed bitterly.

"You gettin bold and reckless with that mouth. Maybe it needs to be washed out with my dick next."

"You so fucking foul. I can't stand you." I got up and walked to the kitchen.

"Since when?"

"Get out. You're ruining my day." He backed me up against the refrigerator, my belly stopping him from getting too close.

"I like when you act like this instead of being all timid and shit. That's sexy too, but this jealousy shit got me hard. Why you jealous anyway?

"Jealous is the last thing I feel," I lied.

"You ain't got nothing to worry about. All my attention is on you and that baby," he said pointing to my stomach. "It's not like I was gone fuck her. She was just doin me a favor."

"I was gone for two seconds. You can get your dick wet by me not some thirsty ass bitch."

"Oh shit, ma you jealous?" Dashawn smirked down at me and I rolled my eyes. I was trying hard to keep my composure, but the way he kept looking at me had my pussy throbbing. These damn hormones. He lifted me up by my ass and sat me down on the counter.

"You can't stand me, right?" He pulled me to the edge of the counter and moved my shorts to the side before filling me in one thrust. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he sank deep within me. I held on as best as I could, wincing every so often when he went too deep. "Too much," I whined pushing at his abdomen.

He picked up the pace but didn't go ass deep. He pulled me off of the counter and turned me around, bending me over it.

"Fuck," I moaned. I played with my clit as Dashawn continued his fast yet controlled thrusts. I was trying to muffle my moans since Briana was upstairs, but it was hard.

"Shit, o-okay," my legs were giving out on me as my orgasm threatened to send me over the edge. Worried that Briana would walk down the stairs at any moment, I pushed back meeting each of Dashawn's thrusts. With the added friction and some clit stimulation, I came hard. After a few thrusts, Dashawn buried himself deep in me and came as well.

"I still can't stand you," I mumbled trying to catch my breath.

After a moment, he eased out of me and fixed his pants. He handed me a wet napkin and I cleaned in between my legs just enough for me to go take a shower and change. I fixed my shorts while he playfully kissed on my stomach. I rolled my eyes and pushed his face away.

After he left, I went back upstairs to my room to take a quick shower. Briana looked at me as if she knew what just happened.

"I don't wanna hear it."

She held her hands up in surrender.

Briana and I spent the rest of the day chilling. Ashanti came by and we all talked and watched movies. When they both left, I went back upstairs to get ready for bed.

.....

The next day, I called Robyn to come stay with me because I was having stomach pains, the same sharp pains from two nights ago, and I just wasn't feeling well. Robyn agreed to stay with me and suggested that I try to sleep it off, but that didn't help much.

"Do you need anything," Robyn asked taking a seat next to me on the bed.

"I don't know."

"Do you want to go to the hospital? We won't know what's wrong if you don't get checked out."

"I don't know."

Robyn stood up and walked to the closet and pulled out some slides. She also got me a pair of black sweatpants and sat them next to me.

"Come on," she said pulling the covers back. She helped me to sit and placed both of my legs into each hole. I stood and pulled them up the rest of the way.

"It won't hurt to see what's going on."

"But what if something is wrong?" I was starting to get worried. I don't have the best of luck with anything, and the last thing I wanted was for any doctor to tell me some bad or depressing news.

"We won't know until we find out. Be optimistic, maybe it's nothing at all."

I called my doctor and asked if I could come see her at the clinic. I told her my symptoms and she encouraged me to come in. Thankfully she isn't busy since it is after hours for her now.

We arrived at the clinic fifteen minutes later and I was a nervous wreck. My mind kept wandering to bad places.

"Your blood pressure is high," Dr. Johnson said calmly. Feeling guilty, I looked away knowing I was supposed to be keeping track of my blood pressure with this at-home kit she gave me months ago.

"Here, lay down and let's look at the baby." I did as she said and pulled up my shirt. First, she felt around my stomach.

"You said you've been experiencing sharp pains." I nodded.

"Show me where," she pointed to my stomach and I felt around just as she did. "Here."

"Okay." She applied a gel to my stomach and proceeded to do an ultrasound. It was quiet as Dr. Johnson circled my stomach with the wand countless times to try and get a good image.

"I don't hear anything," I whispered.

"Hold on." Dr. Johnson did some more manipulating, but I still couldn't hear a heartbeat. Dr. Johnson didn't say anything else, she just kept moving the wand around. My chest heaved up and down in anticipation as I clutched the ends of my shirt.

"Here we go, Asha." I blinked back the tears.

"Listen," she said. And just like the first time, a smile lit my face. But this time, the sound was even more enchanting. I initially told Robyn to wait for me in the car, but I wish she was in here with me instead.

"Oh my god." I wish there was a word besides relief to describe how I felt. I was beyond relieved.

"Is the baby okay?" I asked.

"From what I can tell by just looking at everything, the baby seems to be fine, a little stressed, but fine. Thankfully, there is a strong heartbeat, so we both can relax. You look good also, but I need to run a few tests, some that I can get the results back instantly, and some that I will need to be sent to the lab.

"Why so many tests? Are you sure everything's okay?"

"I'm just taking precautions. Stomach pains are not too uncommon, but I wouldn't say it's normal, especially in the area you pointed at. You've also been having headaches," Dr. Johnson thought for a second before continuing, "have you experienced any spotting?"

My eyes widened. Any pregnant woman would know that spotting blood is never a good sign. I would be freaking out if I was spotting, and I wouldn't dare keep something like that to myself.

"No."

"Okay, good. I don't think there is anything to worry about at this moment." I nodded.

"Do you want to know the sex of your baby now or next week?"

"I think I want to wait until it's born." Dr. Johnson nodded and gave me some ultrasound pictures. They weren't the best because the baby just wasn't in the mood today, but it was something.

"Do me a favor and pee in this cup. When you get back, we will do some blood work."

"Okay."