Authors: Al Sloane
Childbirth lessons start and both Wendy and Pete want to train a new coach. Pete's aware of a surprise Father's Day cookout at Beth's house but wakes up alone on a holiday for the first time since Wendy came back into his life at Christmas and feels sorry for himself. The cookout finally starts and Pete is embarrassed to discover that there are two new women in the gang. The day ends with a ride home and a new revelation. Sexual Content – several descriptive scenes.
I pulled the Aerostar into the lot. The oil light had been on for the last ten minutes or so. That was happening more and more lately. Another truck wasn't in the budget right now but it might have to be.
I was just getting out to go up to Wendy's apartment when she rushed into the parking lot from the complex. She tossed her keys to me and went over to the passenger door of her Miata.
"Can you still fit?"
"No problem on this side. It's getting to be a real pain to drive, though."
I got into the drivers seat and moved it back. The engine purred when I turned on the ignition. This was my first time behind the wheel of her toy. It felt powerful as I sat there feeling it idle.
I leaned over and gave Wendy a kiss. She seemed rushed.
"Come on, Pete. I don't want to be late."
"Wendy, we have 45 minutes before it starts. It's only 15 to 20 minutes from here."
"Yeah, but you never know what traffic will be like."
"OK. Tell you what. If I get there and we have any time before we start can I get a decent kiss?"
We pulled into the medical center parking lot 12 minutes later. The kiss was a little better but Wendy's attention wasn't completely on it.
"Come on, Pete. I want to make sure we have a place."
We went inside and Wendy dragged me to the classroom. We got there at 6:40. The door was locked.
"We're too late. They're already full. I knew we should have gotten here earlier."
Just about that time an attractive woman in her 40's came around the corner with a set of keys in her hand.
"My, you folks are here early. I have to warn you, the baby's not going to come any quicker just because you get here before everyone else."
She opened the door, leaned inside and turned on the lights. She held it open, motioning Wendy in.
Wendy grabbed my hand and dragged me up to the front of the classroom. Front row, center.
Once we were seated, the woman came over to us.
"My name's Doris MacArthur." Wendy introduced both of us.
"So, Wendy. When are you due?"
"The end of September."
"Good. That gives us plenty of time. Even if you flunk, you'll have time to take the class over and still have a chance to have the baby."
"You mean I can't have the baby if I don't pass the course?"
I let go of her hand and patted her on the knee.
"Yeah, Wendy. The baby's going to ask to see a certificate. If you can't show her one, she'll go back inside."
"Well, I didn't know."
Doris smiled at Wendy.
"I'm sure you'll do just fine. This is your first baby, then?"
"No, I had a son about 30 years ago."
"Well, then, it should be like falling off a bicycle. It hasn't changed much in 30 years. You may learn a couple of tricks here, but the baby's still going to come out when he's damn good and ready and he'll come out of the same place."
"She."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Have you got any pictures of her with you?"
"Oh, we haven't taken pictures. I just know she's a girl."
By this time three other couples had wandered in. Doris nodded at Wendy and made the rounds to meet the rest.
At 7:05 the last couple came in, arguing about who made who late. Doris let them know in no uncertain terms that they were here to learn, not argue. The woman was all set to defend herself.
"I mean it. If you feel you have to argue then leave my classroom. And from now on, if you can't be here before 7:00, don't bother coming in."
The two of them had a quick whispered consultation and left, mumbling something about "being rude" and getting a refund.
Addressing the class as a whole, Doris said, "I'm sorry we all had to witness that. As I'm sure you're all aware, this is the Birth Place's birthing training. This is the first of three classes that will teach you what to expect when it's time for your child to be born. And we'll go over things that will make the actual delivery easier on you. I don't care whether you're religious or not. I'm sure you'll agree with me that creating, developing and delivering a baby are all miraculous events. They can be the most terrifying or the most wonderful experiences you will ever have. Knowing what to expect and how to work together as a team will make this a series of moments you will treasure forever.
"My goal in this training is to have each couple working together with enough knowledge that they can deliver the baby by themselves if necessary. You'll find that if you are this well trained in the birthing procedure that the delivery room will be a piece of cake. And it will actually be fun.
"A second goal of these classes is to make the development of the baby easier on the mother. Your bodies have already gone through quite a few changes. You can expect more. Hopefully we can learn some things that will make you happy to be carrying that baby right up to the time they wheel you into the delivery room. There's no reason you need to be miserable as you get closer to your due date. Of course, you husbands and boyfriends are going to have a lot to do with this, so pay attention."
Doris told us that we were going to get into the practical part of the class and pointed to a stack of mats at the back of the classroom. Each man was to take one and put in on the floor for his mate. When I got up I slipped off the shirt I'd been wearing to reveal the shirt I'd snuck out of the maternity store. It had COACH written across the front in big letters. I finally got the kiss I'd been after all day.
The rest of the class was spent with Wendy lying on the mat with me at her side. We had solid contact throughout the class, either holding hands or me squatting behind her with my arms just under her breasts and above our growing daughter. Or massaging some part of Wendy. Doris was a fanatic about getting the men to make the women relax by rubbing various parts of their bodies, from their feet to their backs to their fronts. The front massage had to be done carefully and with love. I could just picture the couple that took off at the start of the class arguing about how hard he was rubbing, how tense she was, blah, blah, blah. Wendy just sighed and relaxed.
The class was good for Wendy. She was more relaxed after class than she had been for weeks. I hadn't realized how tense she had been until the tenseness was gone. When we kissed, it was as if she meant it again. I'd missed that.
Wendy was also calmer. It finally hit me that she was scared about having this baby. Yeah, she had a child 30 years ago, but there was a lot of baggage associated with Randy's life. She was also at an age that put her at serious risk. Not too many 45 year olds get pregnant, much less deliver normal, healthy babies. She was doing what her doctor told her and everything seemed to be going along fine. Getting some honest data on what to expect as the baby continued to grow in her and was delivered took a lot of the unknowns out of the picture. Wendy had been out of it when Randy was born. It wasn't as common for the mother to be involved in her child's birth 30 years ago.
The first thing she did when she found out she was pregnant was to get with the women at work and find the best OB/GYN in the area. They had done the test for Downs Syndrome and it turned out negative. Wendy had some potent multivitamins she took religiously and was watching what she ate. No smoking, no alcohol and little or no coffee. She was probably living healthier than ever before. She had been going monthly to her doctor, it had just been bumped to once every three weeks. The closer it got, the closer the appointments would be. They were staying on top of it and so far everything tested fine. But it's one thing for a doctor to tell you something and another to believe it. Wendy wasn't a pessimist but she was somewhere between concerned and worried about her baby.
We got back to Wendy's. "Why don't you make some of that weird tea you like."
She stuck her tongue out but went to make it anyway. I went into the bathroom and started filling the tub.
Wendy heard the water and came in with a cup of tea in her hands. "What's going on?"
"I figured you could use a nice, relaxing bath."
"Uhhm. That sounds good."
We got her out of her clothes and into the tub. It took some work now that she was so front-heavy. I took off my clothes and told her to move forward.
I thought of the last time I gave her a bath that wasn't strictly for play. The night she called me, just having arrived in California after escaping from her husband, hitching rides and starving to make it. She'd been pitiful that night, her back covered with scars. I was glad I'd hired a bounty hunter to catch him the day he and I ran into each other. If he hadn't been there to pull me away I'm sure I would have killed the bastard.
This was different. She was healthy, fat with our child. She wasn't the timid girl who sat in my tub, looking lost, six months ago. I wrapped my arms around her between her tits and her swollen belly.
I handed Wendy a washcloth. "Soap it up."
She took her time, making sure it was covered in suds, then gave it to me.
I must have spent five minutes washing what I could reach of her front. The water was almost up to her waist, her legs covered but coming out of the water where her knees bent. I gently soaped her belly and her tits until she finally complained she was going to fall asleep if I didn't stop.
Next came her back, after Wendy soaped up the washcloth again. I couldn't tell where she'd been hit which was remarkable considering how bad it had looked that first night. I lovingly caressed it with the soapy cloth. I got her sides and then took one arm at a time and washed them thoroughly.
It was time to get up. Luckily, Wendy's apartment had handicap bars installed in both the tub and around the toilet. I had her stand up and I washed her lower body. One at a time, I had her lift her legs and took care to wash between each toe and the rest of her feet.
Her hair was next. It was thicker and more sensual than the first time I washed it because she was healthier. Washing Wendy's hair is almost a sexual act. If done right, it turns her on as well. She was so tired it just relaxed her more.
I moved by her and opened the drain, then turned on the water. When I got it to the right temperature, I turned on the shower and we both rinsed off. I didn't try to get Wendy to wash me, she was so relaxed she was ready to fall over any second.
We got out of the shower and I wrapped her hair in a towel, then used another one to dry her off as she held onto the towel rod. She was pretty far gone so I just picked her up and carried her into her room. I sat her on the bed and told her to dry her hair. I went back into the bathroom, dried myself off and cleaned up a bit. I took the tea into the bedroom to find Wendy laying on the bed, curled up in a ball, fast asleep.
I worked her under the covers and crawled in beside her. Once I was there I put my arm under her neck and she rolled over in her sleep and assumed the position, her head on my chest. She never woke up. I was asleep within minutes.
Wendy woke me up the next morning moving around, getting ready for work. I grabbed my glasses and checked the alarm clock – 6:30.
"What time do you have to leave for work?"
"I usually leave around 7:30. Why?"
"There's something I want to talk to you about. Let's go out for Chinese tonight."
"OK, Pete. There's something I want to talk about, too."
I got up and made some eggs and toast while she did her thing in the bathroom. She came out and sat down, smiling at me.
"Wow. You're certainly taking care of me these days. What happened last night? I kind of remember getting out of the tub, then it was morning and I woke up."
"I dried you off and you looked like you were going to fall asleep on your feet. I carried you in here and went back to clean up the bathroom. By the time I got back to the bedroom you were out for the count."
"Well, the stuff at class and the bath really did the trick. I haven't slept that well since I was staying with you before I moved here."
"Well, you know you're always welcome back."
"I know. I'm still not ready for that."
"I know. I only keep asking because I love you."
"I love you too, Pete. I do need to make some changes. We'll talk at dinner tonight."
She went in and brushed her teeth. Her kiss on the way out was more like the good old days.
I rinsed off the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. I had a lot of work I needed to do at home so I took off.
I got home and put on a pot of coffee. After answering a couple of emails I called my guys to find out what was happening on their jobs and to get them to fax me any completed work orders. Once they were in I spent an hour and a half typing and faxing invoices. Most of my customers accept billing by fax these days. Only a couple want the original copy.