“But I'm warning you Dani, you'll have to have LOTS and LOTS of practice. By the time I'm done with you you'll be drowning in your brother's cum."

Danielle's green eyes flashed brilliantly at me. "Oh gosh darn."

WINTER (January 2006)

The alarm went off, it's annoyingly insistent noise perforating my eardrums and causing me to wince in pain. I tried to close up my ears, ignoring the discomfort until one of the girls slapped the stupid thing.

But no such slap came and the blaring continued. I finally rolled across the mattress myself and turned it off, then surveyed the bedroom through heavy- Lidded eyes. I was alone.

Where were the girls?

A new sound filtered into my consciousness, unpleasant, but at least not pain- inducing. It sounded Like someone was retching. I turned my head towards the bathroom and then I saw them.

Cherys was kneeling before the porcelain throne with the door wide open, obviously puking into the bowl while Danielle stroked her back and held her hair out of the way.

Cherys coughed a few times, then spat heavily and groaned. "Just when I thought I was going to be one of those women who didn‘t get morning sickness."

“It's alright, honey," Danielle said soothingly.

“I'll get you through this."

The guilty part of me wanted to go over and comfort Cherys. After all, you could make the argument that it was my fault she was feeling nauseous in the first place. But I knew that the supportive partner role was Danielle's. It wasn't my place to usurp her.

Besides, now I could roll back over and catch a few extra minutes of sleep.

“David, can you take her?”

“Hmm?" I Looked up from the TV in a fog of incomprehension.

Danielle rolled her eyes at me and complained, “You haven't been listening to us, have you?"

I shrugged and waved my remote hand towards the screen. Cherys smiled knowingly.

Danielle sighed and said, “I was supposed to go with Cherys to her obstetrician tomorrow morning. It's her first prenatal visit. But this thing came up at work and I can't make it. And we don't want her to do it alone. Can you do it?"

I tilted my head back and thought about the projects I was working on.

None of them were time-critical. "Sure. What do I have to do?"

Cherys explained, "Not much. I'm taking my own car so I can go straight to work afterwards. I just want someone with me when we go and honestly, they'll probably be asking you some health questions since you're the father."

I nodded.

“Okay.”

The next day, I followed Cherys' car to the medical center. When we got there, I whistled and looked around while Cherys signed herself in. My own doctor's office was pretty bare bones, just white walls and functional chairs in the waiting area. But this obstetrician's waiting area had plush couches, homey wallpaper, and decorative Lamps. I sat down in an oversized armchair and managed to find a Sports Illustrated magazine, the only one amongst a hundred girly mags.

There was another woman waiting, looking to be in her early thirties and much further along in her pregnancy. I smiled at her round belly and then nodded my head to her in silent greeting before I started looking for the Latest football news.