Artemis
I leave Blue in the room so I can have a second to absorb everything. As soon as we stepped into the house and I saw the number of people around a surge of protectiveness I have never felt welled up inside me and I could bring myself to leave Blue's side. It was as if the words ‘protect’ was running on a loop in my head. There are three tiny lives growing inside my wife and they are mine to protect. When we were driving home my head was pulling up all the random facts I’ve accumulated over the years that had anything to do with pregnancy.Most of it was from hearing Rhea talk about it or from things on TV that I wasn’t paying much attention to. One point that stood out is that pregnancies involving multiple babies can be dangerous. I’ll have to do more research on it, but I’m guessing the more babies the more dangerous it can be. Plus my wife is a small woman, so that will be a factor as well. She has also gone most of her life with little to no medical care. She wilBlueI wake up feeling deliciously sore and a little annoyed that Artemis thought torturing me was something I would enjoy, but he sure made up for it. “We can discuss working together again in the future but as of now our company is exclusively working with one client. Yes…bye.” Artemis shuffles next to me and I feel his warmth behind me before his arm wraps around me and his hand rests on my lower stomach. He keeps doing that and I can’t help but smile when he does. I hadn’t thought much about what it would look like when we finally found out I was pregnant, but Artemis has been so sweet. He seems genuinely happy about all of it, and that has given me such relief. Talking about having a baby and finding out you are having one are so different that I thought he would freak but he didn’t. His reaction has left me feeling less nervous about the idea of taking care of a baby…three babies. Shit. Three babies! My heart starts to race as I run through what they will mean. Lots of crying
ArtemisBlue has been feeling so bad lately that I’m happy to do anything she wants while she’s having a good day. Because of her being sick I decided to keep work low for now and stick to our government contract only. Alan was on board as well so that he could focus on Abigail and their baby. It’s surreal that we both will be becoming fathers at the same time, but it has helped having someone else who was going through the early stages of pregnancy with their partner. Rhea and Max have also been very vocal about everything I should be doing while Blue isn’t feeling well. I was happy to do anything that would take the load off Blue. She’s carrying our babies so the least I could do was take care of the rest. Lilly and I have been able to spend a lot more time together and I’ve gotten to learn what a special girl she is. She started talking about her parents a little but admitted to me that she wasn’t sure if she should. She didn’t want us thinking that she didn’t like
BlueI’m not sure how many things I’ve tried on, but nothing fits just right. My belly is too small for most of the maternity pants and I’m swimming in the maternity shirts. I can’t seem to find anything nice!“Why don’t you try something you normally wear but in a size or two bigger?” Artemis suggests after I give up on trying any more clothes on. I sit up and gawk at him. How did I not think of that? “My stretch pants are really comfortable, why don’t you get those?” Lilly says. This two…“Yes! I’ll buy a large shirt and leggings! I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before.”“Pregnancy brain is a real thing.” Rhea says.I called her after a few outfits and asked her advice about which outfits to buy. She was nice enough to stay on with me as I tried a ton of stuff, so how come she didn’t suggest this? She has been pregnant before!“What?” I ask her. “Pregnancy brain?” “Have you not been reading up on stuff? When you’re pregnant you some
BlueOver the next month I spend almost all of my time at the group home. At least the days when I’m not running to the bathroom to throw up anyway. Abigail and I have planned several events to bring families and couples who are looking to adopt. Even one or two of our older kids have found a new family. Lilly comes to the house after school and is able to play and be with all of her friends. I love seeing her outside with Alan playing basket ball. All the kids are very patient with her and she’s very talented. I had no idea the number of sports she could take part in! My baby belly has been growing fast but my doctor says the babies are looking good and my weight is in the low but acceptable range. Today is a special day because we are on our way to find out the genders!Everyone has been trying to guess and we even gave pins for the kids to wear to see who thinks they will be boys or girls. Thy want a full party for us where we’ll get to tell everyone. The kids a
Blue The sound of banging on metal has me jolting awake and looking around through blurry eyes. It takes me a second to remember where I fell asleep last night.“Little Blue you gotta wake up!” A muffled voice calls from the other side of the wall next to me.It takes another few seconds to pinpoint the voice as Bucky, my neighbor. If you can call him that. He lives in a tent a few feet away from the train car I’m currently in.“Come on girl, the patrol will be here in less than an hour!” He calls out.That has me moving like my ass is on fire. I can’t get caught by the security patrol again. Last time I couldn’t go back to my favorite place for at least a month. It’s not that I have many belongings but it’s a hassle carrying the small things I do have everywhere. I don’t bother with shopping carts since I don’t stick around in one place long enough to collect a large amount of stuff. A backpack and a small duffle bag are all I allow myself to keep.I quickly roll up the sleeping bag
ArtemisShe’s the perfect girl! I’ve been trying to work around this tradition of my family. For the last four generations, our family has partaken in a long tradition of arranged marriages. An exception was made thanks to my grandmother who was a romantic at heart and wanted her children to at least have a chance at real love. The only concession was that we had to choose before our thirtieth birthday. If one of us doesn’t choose a partner before then our family chooses someone for us.My birthday is a week away and I’ve been too busy to think about this ridiculous tradition. Alan, my business partner, and I have been running into one problem after another trying to finish our newest software. All my attention has been focused on this contract that I had forgotten my birthday was close. The only reason I remember the day is because my mother makes it into a spectacle for matchmaking. For that reason alone I try to forget the day exists. A call from my sister telling me she will be f
BlueI make it to Monica's just as the morning rush is starting. The guys behind the counter wave and smile at me as I head for the small stage. This place used to be a small bar with live karaoke, and when Monica bought it she decided to keep the small stage and have live performers play. She saw me playing one day at the park and asked if I wanted to play at her cafe, and I jumped at the opportunity. It's not that I expected to make it big with my singing or anything. Actually, I've never once thought about trying to become famous using my voice. I use what I can to make money and I happen to be an okay singer and guitar player. I'm no Adele but people seem to enjoy my performances so I keep doing it. The stage has a wooden stool, a mic with a stand, and a guitar all ready to go for me. I used to lug around my guitar when I came here but Monica told me to use the one here so I wouldn't hurt myself. Even after I objected several times she didn't waver and I gave in to her request.
Blue After almost being grabbed by that guy my heart is beating like crazy. I also feel super paranoid and can't help looking around me as I rush in the direction of the railroad yard. Forget the park! Besides, I swear people are watching me but I can't figure out why. What is happening? Is there something weird about how I look today? I cleaned up well before I went to Monica's but maybe I missed something. Except I'm pretty sure she would have said something if she noticed I looked off. "Excuse me." I stop short when a young girl stops next to me. "Yes?" I look around to see if anyone is watching us. She has to be fourteen, so I don't think she's a threat to me. Maybe this has nothing to do with why that guy approached me. "You're the girl from the Twitter hashtag!" She smiles at me like she's just met her favorite celebrity. "I can't believe I found you! Can I take a picture with you?" What is she talking about? "Hashtag?" I ask her. "Yeah! See?" She turns her phone to