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Getting Her Toes Wet
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“I think half of what you're getting out of thith pregnancy is being able to take me around to do all the shit you wanna do,” Daph grumbled.
“It's because I know you can't run away!” Georgia said, happily, swinging her gym bag in her hand as the two walked side by side. “Or if you did, I could catch you.”
“Give it three more monthth and I'll be leaving you in the dust again, jutht like high school track.”
“By three months I won't care anymore because I'll have a baby,” Georgia beamed.
They walked down the sidewalk in the mid-afternoon, the sky overcast and the cold air biting at them. While Daph wore her favorite, warmest jacket, she was too big to close it around her belly, so she had to leave it open and weather the cold air against her swollen body. She was already grumpy from having to walk such a long distance from the train station, her paws feeling particularly sore beneath her heavy, pregnant body.
“Can we jutht get a cab?” Daph complained, stopping to stretch out her toes while trying to warm up her belly by rubbing with the tips of her fingers. “Thith ith bullshit.”
“C'mon, we're in Brooklyn,” Georgia said, stopping a few feet ahead to wait. “I haven't seen a cab since we crossed the river.”
“Then can we jutht find the bus or thomething? I hate thith.”
“It's only a couple more blocks, promise.” Georgia said. “You're supposed to be the athlete over here.”
“Yeah, but I'm the one carrying the baby over here!” Daph yelled, her voice echoing over the empty streets. “So excuse me if maybe I don't wanna...want to...ugh...” Daph shook her head and continued rubbing her belly underneath her thin shirt.
“...Couldn't think of anything, huh?”
“Shut up,” Daph huffed, re-adjusting her gym bag over her shoulder and shuffling past Georgia. “Let'th jutht get thith over with.”
In what was only a block and a half away, Daph and Georgia finally made it to the front door of the Brooklyn YMCA, with Daph panting grumpily and pushing forward to get out of the cold as soon as possible. She stood in the lobby, catching her breath as her belly rose and fell in time with her breathing.
“Fuck,” Daph said, as Georgia came up beside her. “I don't wanna work out before I work out, damn it.”
“What makes that so different from jogging?” Georgia asked.
“Becauthe I fucking prepare for a run, Georgia. I thtretch, I pre-hydrate, I eat a meal or at leatht a goddamn energy bar. When I fuckin get out there, I'm ready, yknow?” Daph huffed and fought against her sagging sweatpants by pulling them back up. “I thought we could take a cab or thomethin' when we got off the train. I wathn't ready for a fuckin' hike through Brooklyn.”
“Fine, we'll get an Uber back to the train station when we're done,” Georgia groaned, already fed up with Daph's complaining. She shifted her bag over her shoulder and walked to the sign-in desk to present her membership card and sign in Daph as her guest. Meanwhile, Daph floated around the small lobby, her breath finally caught up with her. She loped a small circle around the room, eyes glancing idly around as she took in her surroundings, cradling her belly as if holding it in place. As odd as it felt, it was an instinct she couldn't fight any longer. It put her at ease to have at least one hand against her swollen stomach, especially when she could notice the baby's light fluttering from inside.
Daph stopped in front of the bulletin board, her eyes filing down the fliers and announcements completely obscuring the corkboard below. She stopped, her eyes falling on a pastel-colored flier near the bottom of the board with a list of dates. She sighed, dropping her bag to her paws and pinching the bridge of her nose. She felt someone approach her from behind.
“Alright! We're both signed in,” Georgia chirped, her tail waving behind her as she bounded up. Daph glanced back, a dejected frown on her face, and jabbed a finger into the flier, right below the rose-colored, soft capital letters that read 'NEW SUNRISE LAMAZE WATER AEROBICS.'
“You're fuckin' joking, right?” she asked, wearily.
“Because it'll be fun Daph!” Georgia beamed, hoping to spread her good attitude into her dour, pregnant friend.
“Tho fun that you weren't even gonna tell me about it until we got here?” Daph said, folding her arms.
“...I mean...I did tell you to bring a swimsuit...”
“Becauthe I thought we were jutht going to the pool!” Daph exclaimed, throwing her hands up.
“Don't be such a baby,” Georgia said, shoving Daph's visitor's badge into her chest. Daph winced, taking the badge and rubbing the side of her breast.
“Shit, c'mon, thethe are sensitive...” Daph grumbled and held out her arms, pleadingly. “Georgia, pleathe, isn't there something elthe you wanna do? I'm down for anything elthe.” She glanced at the bulletin board, desperate to find an alternative. Daph's eyes lit up as she pulled a small slip of paper off the wall and waved it around. “Look! They got yoga! I like yoga! Let'th do that inthtead!”
Georgia frowned at Daph, her tail bobbing behind her while she crossed her arms and tapped her paw on the ground. Daph's put-on excitement faded, and she turned nervously back to the bulletin board. She swallowed, flipping over pages to try and find some alternative.
“Oh! Look, look!” Daph said, pointing to a flier. “There'th...uh...there'th spin classeth! After lunch! We should do that! That'th like ridin' a bike, right? I like biketh!” She paused, her free hand falling over her belly rounding out in the middle of her body. “Well...like...okay, I don't think it'th really, like, pregnancy-friendly, but you could thtill do it, right?”
Georgia silently raised an eyebrow, still frowning.
“I'm just waiting on you to finish,” she said.
“Uh...oh...okay...uhm…uhhhhhh,” Daph stammered, turning back to the board and tearing at more paper, trying to find something, anything to replace the fate Georgia had in store. “There'th...there'th a 5K next month! I can...uh...I can help you train for it! Or we could...w-we could jutht, like, get on the treadmill for a little while! Or like...there'th a...kid'th daycare group that'th coming here! You like kidth, right? You're gonna be a mom thoon, so you could like...h-hang out with 'em and...I guess...uh...” Daph's arms fell weakly to her sides as she gazed dejectedly into her friend's stoic face. Daph scowled. Bracing herself against the wall for balance, she squatted around her pendulous belly and picked up her duffle bag from ground. As she stood, her tail drooping behind her, she grumbled, “Or we could do the fucking Lamaze class...”
“I like that one,” Georgia said with a sardonic grin. “Let's do the Lamaze class!” Turning around, she bounded off happily around the corner with Daph grumpily shuffling along behind.
Do it for her, she thought to herself.
It took more walking to find the pool, located in its own area behind the weight room, and even more to find the locker room on the other side. Daph followed Georgia grumpily, slouched over and dragging her feet, trying not to slip into the water. They entered a nearly-empty locker room, with only a few other women getting dressed and a few more obscured in the shower. One of the women was clearly pregnant, as well, though not as far along as Daph. Georgia led the two of them down the row of lockers to the one set aside for her when she became a member of the Y.
“I can't fuckin believe you're makin' me do thith,” Daph grumbled, setting her bag on the bench and unzipping it.
“I wanted you to do two things with me for my birthday,” Georgia explained, taking her phone and wallet out of her pants and sticking them in the outside pocket of her bag. “This was one of them.”
“Well, I'm here,” Daph said, slipping out of her toe-shoes and storing them in the locker. “Doethn't mean I gotta like it.”
“Just try to, Daphodille, I swear it'll be more fun than you think.”
“I don't even like thwimming!” Daph groaned, stomping her paw on the slightly wet tile floor. “I hate the water!” She reached behind her back and pulled her gigantic, fluffy tail around her hip, shaking it in Georgia's face like a pom-pom. “Thith thing weighth like five pounds[i] when it'th wet, and I gotta blow-dry it for like [i]two hourth.”
“I'm well aware, Daph,” Georgia said, grabbing hold of her own tail and shaking it for emphasis. “If it's that much of a problem, there's blow-driers in here for you to use.”
“I don't even wash my tail in the shower,” Daph grumbled. “I thtand to the side and stick it out of the shower curtain.”
Georgia paused, glancing at Daph's tail and wrinkling her nose.
“I thtill brush it! Jesuth!” Daph said, rolling her eyes. “I jutht do it, like, separately, so it doesn't get too wet.”
“A little water in your tail isn't going to kill you,” Georgia said, She pulled off her shirt and turned her back to Daph, reaching for her bra-strap. “Can you help me with this?”
“So can we jutht free-boob it in here?” Daph asked, helping undo the clip against Georgia's blonde fur.
“Sure,” Georgia shrugged. She pulled her arms out of her bra, sighing at satisfying feeling that came from freeing her chest, and stored it in the locker. “It's just like a regular gym. There's changing rooms if you'd feel better in one.
“Nah, I don't give a fuck,” Daph shrugged. She stowed away her jacket in the locker and pulled off her shirt as well, revealing her flowing, pregnant curves that had been hidden away beneath her baggy clothing. The white fur of her stomach had grown out along with her belly, thinned just enough to see a little hint of pink from the skin underneath. The bump itself was shaped roughly like an egg, with the larger bottom settled down into her hips where the baby rested, while the rest tapered off up into her sternum. She seemed just as delicate as an egg, almost fragile. Her belly button had been flattened by the pressure of the baby growing inside, smoothing out her stomach into a perfectly round surface covered in healthy, glowing fur. The thought that she would be growing even bigger in just a few months was hard to believe.
Georgia glanced back up at her friend, who stood shirtless in front of her, bashful for the first time in her entire life. Daph, blushing underneath her fur, folded her arms over her chest and glanced away, her tail flipping anxiously.
“What?” she asked, feeling exposed.
“Wow, Daph...” Georgia said, shaking her head in disbelief. “You look really, really good.”
“Hehehehe….Shut up, Georgia,” Daph said, laughing nervously. Georgia took a step forward and slid her hands down Daph's belly, who laughed again at the sensation against her sensitive body. She stopped just below the heavy bottom of Daph's swell, kneading into her with the skilled fingers of a newly-certified massage therapist.
“Is she here?” Georgia asked, spreading out her hands to indicate a small space in the middle of her womb.
“I think tho,” Daph nodded. “It'th eathier to tell some days.”
“Has she been moving?”
“She doesn't much during the day, like when I'm out and thtuff,” Daph said. “I read online that, like, when I walk, it'th like I'm rocking her to thleep. It's why she'th so active at nighttime.”
“Is she? Can you feel her better at night?”
“Oh hell yeah, once I figured out which feeling wath her kicking and which wath just me needing to burp or thomething.” Daph smirked. “That'th harder than you think. We need to hang out one night tho you can feel her get active, it'th really weird.”
“I'd love that...” Georgia said, dreamily. She trailed her fingers over Daph's pregnant belly and shook her head, taking a deep breath. “Damn, Daph, you look amazing.”
“Jesuth, Georgia,” Daph laughed, her tail whipping back and forth behind her. She glanced around nervously, in case anyone else was in earshot. “At leatht wait 'til we get home...”
“Maybe I will...” Georgia said, hungrily. “When's the last time you, me, and Darwin had...'a night together…?'”
“Man, I dunno,” Daph shrugged. “Gotta be like a month or two, at leatht.” She looked down at her belly that Georgia was still busy admiring. “I was definitely a lot thmaller, I remember that...”
“Then I think we should plan one soon...” Georgia said. Suddenly, her demeanor changed as she snapped her hands back to her side, adding, “...after the Lamaze class, of course.”
“Uuugggghhhhh,” Daph groaned. “Way to ruin the fucking mood, Georgia.”
“Hurry up! We've only got about ten minutes before the class starts.” Georgia said. She turned around and continued to undress, then re-dress back into her favorite two-piece bathing suit. She considered whether a one-piece might have been more appropriate, but the one she had was too cute not to wear out on every single occasion she could. Once she was dressed, she spun around to find Daph standing awkwardly in her same gray sports-bra and a pair of mesh shorts.
“...Daph, c'mon,” Georgia frowned. “Put on your swimsuit.”
“I did,” she said, gesturing to her outfit.
“That's a pair of gym shorts.”
“I know,” Daph said. “You can thwim in these, right?”
“You can, but they aren't a swimsuit.”
“Well I don't have a thwimthuit!” Daph said, her voice rising. “Because I don't like thwimming!”
“Ugh, fine, fine, it'll work,” Georgia said, waving her hand dismissively and deciding this wasn't a battle worth fighting. The last thing she did was pull out a band to tie back her hair, then secure the locker closed with a separate key she kept wrapped in her towel. “Maybe if you like it, we'll buy you a cute maternity suit.”
“Don't push it,” Daph warned, slinging an old bath towel over her shoulder as the two of them left the locker room.
Emerging back into the pool area, they found a group of nearly fifteen women taking their places in a rough grid, some of them still treading water and getting used to the temperature. A few simply floated neat the edge of the pool, relaxing as their faces and bellies crested over the top of the water. Predictably, many of them were stereotypical water-lovers like otters and beavers, but even Georgia was surprised at the group's variety, with a pair of cats taking their places with pool noodles near the front of the grid. What they all had in common, of course, were similarly shaped stomachs bearing the obvious signs of middle-to-late pregnancies.
The two of them walked to the set of temporary, plastic steps set up on the back wall of the pool, which most of the group had their backs to. Georgia tossed her towel onto a nearby bench, which Daph copied, and stood on the first step, gripping the metal handles and gazing into the blue water. Steadily, she slipped one paw into the water of the second step, then followed with the second. Georgia wiggled her toes as she tested the temperature of the water. Finding it a good deal warmer than she anticipated, she took a deep breath and leapt the rest of the distance into the pool, plunging beneath the surface with a healthy splash.
After a moment, Georgia broke the surface of the pool, throwing her hair back and shaking some of the water from her fur. She slicked her hair back, taking a deep breath and sighing as she leaned back and let the water carry her. She looked at Daph, who stood awkwardly on the top step, staring down into the water while scratching her belly.
“Don't jump in,” Georgia warned, pointing at her.
“I don't fucking want to,” Daph snapped back. She wrinkled her nose and wriggled her tail nervously, then took a single, agonizing step into the water. Daph pushed herself forward, the grimace on her face growing stronger the deeper she sank into the water. Finally she stood on the bottom of the pool, the water just below collarbone. She awkwardly held her arms up above the water, her fingers curled into hooks.
“Fuck,” she spat, slowly loping toward Georgia. “Oh fuck...I regret every fuckin thecond of thith.”
“Lighten up, Daph. You'll live,” Georgia scoffed. She spun gracefully through the water, her hands sliding under the surface like it was silk. “Take the weight off your paws, just let go...let the water carry you…”
Daph lowered her arms into the water, making a whining sound in the back of her throat as she did. She flapped them at her sides, testing their movement underwater. She did a little hop, attempting to kick her paws hard enough to keep her afloat, but she misjudged her own buoyancy and dropped straight down below the surface. Daph shot back up instantly with a splash, coughing and spitting mouthfuls of pool water out of her throat.
“It's not acid. Come on,” Georgia frowned.
“Thith fucking thucks,” Daph declared, thrashing her arms impotently. “I can't goddamn move right, it'th all thlow and heavy. I feel like thomebody shaved all my goddamn fur off, too.” She held her arm out of the water and trailed her palm down her flatted, wet fur. Daph cocked her head, running her tongue over the surface of her teeth, then grimaced and spat again. “What the fuck ith thith, drain cleaner?”
“When the baby's born, I'm gonna make you take her to the pool every single day until you like it,” Georgia teased, splashing water into Daph's face. Daph spluttered angrily and did the same, throwing water back into Georgia's face like she were punching her.
“Cut it out! Fuck!” Daph shouted, her voice echoing far and sharp in the room, nearby mothers-to-be stopping their warmup exercises to glance at her.
“You're already wet!” Georgia laughed, throwing another splash.
Daph reeled back to retaliate, but suddenly froze, her eyes widening. She slipped a hand under the water and held it against her belly, looking down at it through the clear surface.
“Well shit...there you are,” Daph said, feeling the enthusiastic bumps and pops inside of her that she grew to understand were the baby's movements. At times, she felt a new sensation that might have been the little squirrel turning over or twisting in her womb. “...God damn baby, calm down in there….At leatht one of us ith having fun, I guess.”
“Is she moving?” Georgia cooed, her eyes twinkling.
“Like a goddamn maniac,” Daph nodded, taking her hand away to better feel the movement against her belly itself. “She never kickth thith much during the day.”
“She must love the water, then!” Georgia said, grinning ear-to-ear.
“Apparently,” Daph nodded. “But like...she is kinda living underwater right now...”
“Not even born yet and we already have something in common,” Georgia mused, happily spinning in place. She took a deep breath and ducked underwater, holding herself there for nearly thirty full seconds. Shooting back up, she rubbed her eyes clear of water and took a few deep breaths.
“When I open my eyes down there, all I see are bellies,” Georgia commented, grinning. “It's adorable.”
“You're weirdly into this for not being pregnant your-” Daph winced at her stupid comment and quickly followed up with “Fuck...Thorry, I did it again.”
“It's okay,” Georgia said, smiling. “That's why you're here. You're my surrogate, so I get to enjoy this through you.”
“Right, right...I get you,” Daph said, silently understanding what made the aerobics class important to Georgia. It wasn't just for the baby or even for just the class itself. Daph was the surrogate to the entire pregnancy experience that Georgia was unable to have. It's why they spent so much time together; if Georgia couldn't live the pregnancy herself, she could at least live it alongside her closest friend.
As Daph mused on the thought quietly, the door on the other end of the pool opened, a jet-black panther woman in a red one-piece striding confidently through. She sat on the edge of the pool and hopped in with barely a ripple, leaving a towel and a waterproof clipboard on its edge. She swam to the front of the group and clapped three times in quick succession, snapping Daph out of her thoughts.
“She’th hot,” Daph muttered to Georgia, cocking her head to the side while admiring the way the one-piece clung to her toned body.
“Good afternoon everyone!” She said in a smooth voice that projected farther than it likely should have. Daph and Georgia glanced at one another, then took places in the very back of the grid. “How is everyone feeling today? Relaxed? Feeling your inner peace blossoming forth? If not, we'll help you bring it out.” She smiled, flashing her white teeth that stood out like bright lights against her black fur.
Daph glanced at Georgia and rolled her eyes harder than she ever had before.
“I'm feeling especially blessed today because I see a few new faces in our circle,” the panther purred happily. “Of course, few of us stay in this circle for long. That is the idea after all, right?” She grinned, followed by a spattering of laughter from a few women while Daph blinked and tried to figure out what exactly was funny. “But for those new faces with us today, I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Athena Tomlin, registered prenatal nurse, yogi, and your spiritual guide through this journey of transitory existence, the middle path where one life grows and blooms forth into two.” Athena sighed, smiling quietly as she put a hand to her chest. “It fills me with such joy to see women like you, so heavy with life and possibility and hope that it almost brings a tear to my eye.”
“Georgia,” Daph whispered. “I jutht want you to know that if I throw up, it ain't cauthe of the pregnancy.”
“Shut up,” Georgia hissed.
“Like most of you know, I like to start our sessions with some controlled breathing to ensure that the energy within you is flowing clearly and cleanly, both for you and the babies inside you. Now, follow along with me.”
Following a session of meditation that Georgia found relaxing and fulfilling and Daph found pretentious and infuriating, Athena began to guide the group through a relatively standard set of water aerobics. While on the surface the exercises seemed simplistic to the eternal-athlete Daphodille, in reality, the mix of water resistance and unfamiliar strain to her pregnant body gave her an unexpected workout. She was surprised at how comfortable she was jogging in place with the water supporting her in ways her muscles weren't used to, achieving the same 'burn' she loved from working out without the outright pain that came from her pregnant workout routine. Without the constant discomfort of splashing water in her face and the mumbo-jumbo spouted off by the instructor, Daph would have enjoyed herself.
“Breathe deep...” Athena said, lifting her arms out of the water, most of the class following along. “Inhale...feel the breath fill you...feel it spread to your womb, to pass into your child, to fill them with strength…exhale...” With a sigh, the group fell back into the water, still breathing heavily from the workout. “We'll take a few minutes to rest, to give our bodies time to renew and grow back stronger than before, and to reflect on the change you are all experiencing to bring a new life into this world. Find your peace, then we will return.” Athena put her hands together and bowed in the water. The other women tried to replicate her motion, but found their rounded stomachs in the way of bending over.
Daph and Georgia swam to the back wall of the pool. Georgia leaned against the side, laying her head in her arms while the rest of her body floated cross-legged below her. Daph leaned backward against the wall, laying her head back to stare at the ceiling while she panted, her paws only barely touching the bottom of the pool. Between her legs, her tail floated to the surface, completely soaked and resembling a very hairy dead body.
“Okay, tell me,” Georgia said, once she'd caught her breath. “How is it?” Daph glanced at Georgia, then turned back to the ceiling.
“Okay, firth thing, you shouldn't have goddamn tricked me into comin', okay?” Daph began, pointing at Georgia. “I'm thtill pissed about that. Two, I thtill hate thwimming because I fuckin hate bein wet for tho long, I hate it, I hate...eugh!” Daph shook her head, splashing water around, then sighed. “And three, if this Namaste-bitch doethn't thart talkin' like a person and not a goddamn poem, I'm gonna drown mythelf in protest.” She sighed, her frustration vented, and added, softly. “But like...other than that, I'm kinda into it.”
“You are?” Georgia said, her face lighting up as she sat up in the water.
“Yeah...I guess,” Daph shrugged. “I like how it carrieth me. I don't feel so heavy while I'm workin' out. And the water maketh it real hard to move and shit, so I don't gotta do much to get a good workout.” She nodded down into the water. “Pluth, your kid ith fuckin lovin' it, dude.”
“Is she?” Georgia said, her eyes twinkling.
“Oh hell yeah, she'th losing her fuckin mind in there. Like I thwallowed a cell phone on vibrate or thomething.”
Georgia swam over and ducked under the water. Daph felt arms beneath her lift her up until she floated parallel to the surface, her paws and belly cresting over the top of the water like islands of wet fur. Georgia lifted her head from the water, while holding Daph in place, and leaned her head against Daph's belly like a pillow.
“Keep going,” she said, petting her round stomach.
“You're gonna get yourthelf a fuckin concussion from gettin' kicked in the head,” Daph smirked.
“Don't care,” Georgia said, closing her eyes and listening to her daughter squirm around excitedly inside her friend.
“But it's thtill kinda weird cauthe like...” Daph continued, looking back up at the ceiling. “I'm here doin' thith, and all thethe women around me are like...pregnant, yknow? It'th fuckin surreal is what it is.”
“I hate to remind you, Daph,” Georgia said. “But so are you.”
“Oh, yeah, I know, but they're like...” Daph struggled to find the words, so instead just gestured vaguely with her hands. “They're like preeeegnant pregnant, yknow?”
Georgia paused.
“...No, I really don't.”
“I mean like...yeah, I'm pregnant, but they're like...like uh...” She wiggled her fingers in the air, as if trying to grab the right words, before giving up. “Ah, you know what I mean.”
“I really don't, Daph.” Georgia said, closing her eyes and continuing to feel the baby kick. “But okay.”
“Whatever,” Daph sighed, setting her arms back against the wall. After a few more minutes, they were jolted out of their relaxation by three sharp claps from Athena as she returned to the pool. The regulars of the class slipped back into the water to find their places while Georgia and Daph just waited to take their places at the back.
“I hope you are relaxed and ready to continue, sisters,” Athena said, bowing. The rest of the group bowed back as low as they could with their bellies in the way, including Georgia. Daph, meanwhile, was distracted by a door opening on the other end of the pool, near the locker rooms. A group of three male employees in matching shirts emerged from the men's locker room, wheeling a cart of dirty towels behind them. Starting in the closest corner, they rounded the walls, picking up all the towels that belonged to the Y and throwing them in the basket. But what distracted Daph most of all was the enormous, muscle-bound stallion that followed behind and pushed the cart.
The class began with a set of leg-stretches, pushing them forward to almost chest-level with the water, leaving Daph standing awkwardly above everyone else. Athena didn't notice as her and the rest of the group's eyes were closed in a meditation.
“Feel your energy flowing down your legs...” She said. “As your body's energy creates the new life within you, let it also invigorate your own. Feel the essence of life flow from your womb and into your limbs, gifting you with new-”
“YO! YO, FRANKIE! OVER HERE YOU DUMB FUCK!”
The class snapped their eyes open simultaneously as the shouting amplified against the hard tile walls. Daph, meanwhile, waved her arms over her head and cupped her hands around her mouth.
“HOW'TH IT GOIN, YOU BRICK SHITOUSE?”
“YOOOOOO, DAPH!” Frankie shouted back, a towel slung over her shoulder. “WHERE THE FUCK YOU BEEN?” He paused, lowering his hands, then raised them for a follow-up question. “YO, WHY YOU IN THE LAMZE CLASS?”
“BECAUTHE! CHECK THITH OUT!” Daph splashed her way back to the stairs and clambered up them. Standing on the edge of the pool, she turned to the side to reveal her pregnant belly. Frankie's jaw dropped open as he stepped back.
“YOOOOO! BRO, ARE YOU FUCKIN FOR REAL PREGNANT RIGHT NOW?”
“FUCK YEAH, DUDE, I'M HELLA FUCKIN PREGNANT!” Daph beamed happily as she dripped water all over the floor. “I'M ALMOTHT THEVEN FUCKIN MONTHTH, DUDE!”
“THAT'S FUCKIN' SICK!” Frankie yelled back. “CAN I TELL THE GUYS?”
“...YEAH, OKAY! FUCK IT! I GOT NOTHIN TO HIDE!”
“YO, I THOUGHT YOU WAS SUPPOSED TO EAT NUTS, NOT SIT ON EM!”
“FUCK YOU!”
“FUCK YOU AND YOUR BABY, DAPH! I GOTTA WORK, HIT ME UP LATER!”
“THTRAIGHT UP, FRANKIE! LATE!”
As the echo of her last shout died out and Frankie left the room, Daph calmly stepped back into the pool and waded over next to Georgia, who had sunk nearly completely below the water in embarrassment. Clearing her throat, Daph nonchalantly took the pose the rest of the group had been patiently holding through her entire conversation.
“...Well...” Athena said, clearing her throat. “...Let's...let's move on...”
After about half an hour of more stretches, resistance training, and exercises, the group adjourned with a 'Namaste' from Athena and a half-buried chitter of laughter from Daph. With a few disapproving glances from the other women, the mothers-to-be all filed out of the pool and went to the locker room to change, some of whom taking a moment to shake themselves dry on the pool's edge. Georgia was silent all the way to their locker, walking side-by-side with Daph, their wet tails dragging across the floor like mops.
“Thith ith gonna take a fuckin' hour,” Daph grumbled, sitting on the bench and blow-drying her tail in her hand. “We might ath well rent a goddamn room.”
“Why can't you just control yourself, Daph...” Georgia sighed, shaking her head.
“What?” Daph said, turning off the hair drier. “I hadn't theen Frankie in like five months. He didn't even know I wath pregnant! I had to thay thomethin!”
“Part of me was hoping you'd like this but...” Georgia sighed, disappointed. “I shouldn't get my hopes up about things like this.”
“Dude, c'mon...” Daph said, her expression falling. She set down the hair drier and rocked back-and-forth on the bench until she had enough momentum to push herself to her paws. She steadied herself on a locker, with a hand beneath her belly, her sense of balance thrown off from being in the water for so long. “I didn't hate it. I liked the workout part. I jutht...If I could do shit like that outthide the pool, I would.”
“I guess...” Georgia sighed. She looked up at Daph, smiling faintly. “I'll admit it was a little more...'new age' than I was expecting.”
“No fuckin' kidding,” Daph rolled her eyes.
“Yeah...” Georgia laughed, quietly. “Yeah, this was a stupid idea...”
Daph watched Georgia turn away to change out of her swimsuit, quietly folding up her damp clothing into a separate bag she'd brought and changing into her regular pants. She seemed down, more tired than she ought to be. Daph tapped her paw on the ground, her mind racing over all the things she could do to help.
Daph grunted and sat down on the bench, winded from the extra effort it took to bend over. She swung one leg over the side until she sat long-ways with the bench between her legs. The side effect was that the very bottom of her stomach touched the wooden seat, but she didn't really care.
“Okay...look...” Daph sighed. “I think I kinda fucked thith up. You were really excited but...I ruined that for ya. I feel bad about that. I'm thorry.” She rubbed a hand against her bump, feeling a soft stir from the baby. “It'th the pregnancy, yknow? I'm getting mad about shit I shouldn't be getting mad about. My brain ith like...fuckin hormone soup. But, yknow, I shoulda been thinking more about what you wanted. Tho...I owe you.”
Daph sighed, looking up.
“You told me there wath one other thing you wanted to do for your birthday with me. What wath it? I promithe, right now, we can do it I won't complain once. The entire time.”
Georgia paused, her head still in the locker. She closed it slightly, revealing a blooming smirk on her face.
“You aren't gonna like it.”
“Ith it thomething you really want to do, though?”
“It would mean a lot to me but...” Georgia tapped her tail against the floor, still too wet and heavy to be held up, and smiled again. “...But you promise not to complain?”
“Yep,” Daph nodded.
“Alright...” Georgia nodded, devilishly. “I want...to take you...maternity clothes shopping.”
Daph blinked up at her friend, then swallowed.
“Cool,” she nodded. “Let'th do it.”
“You don't have to, Daph,” Georgia said.
“Yeah I do. I owe you.”
“Enough to let me dress you and your tummy up in the cutest outfits I could possibly find?”
“I guess I do.”
“And can I call you my 'Daph-o-doll?'”
“No,” Daph said, with a wince. “Drawin' the line with that.”
“Fair enough,” Georgia said, her eyes lighting up with excitement in a way that made it all worth it for Daph. Georgia sat down across from her and began to fuss over her wet fur, smoothing it down with her hands, with special attention of course paid to her baby-full middle.
“Hurry up and dry off,” Georgia said. “I can't wait to see how you look in green...”
Daph sighed.
Do it for her, she thought.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Index
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“I think half of what you're getting out of thith pregnancy is being able to take me around to do all the shit you wanna do,” Daph grumbled.
“It's because I know you can't run away!” Georgia said, happily, swinging her gym bag in her hand as the two walked side by side. “Or if you did, I could catch you.”
“Give it three more monthth and I'll be leaving you in the dust again, jutht like high school track.”
“By three months I won't care anymore because I'll have a baby,” Georgia beamed.
They walked down the sidewalk in the mid-afternoon, the sky overcast and the cold air biting at them. While Daph wore her favorite, warmest jacket, she was too big to close it around her belly, so she had to leave it open and weather the cold air against her swollen body. She was already grumpy from having to walk such a long distance from the train station, her paws feeling particularly sore beneath her heavy, pregnant body.
“Can we jutht get a cab?” Daph complained, stopping to stretch out her toes while trying to warm up her belly by rubbing with the tips of her fingers. “Thith ith bullshit.”
“C'mon, we're in Brooklyn,” Georgia said, stopping a few feet ahead to wait. “I haven't seen a cab since we crossed the river.”
“Then can we jutht find the bus or thomething? I hate thith.”
“It's only a couple more blocks, promise.” Georgia said. “You're supposed to be the athlete over here.”
“Yeah, but I'm the one carrying the baby over here!” Daph yelled, her voice echoing over the empty streets. “So excuse me if maybe I don't wanna...want to...ugh...” Daph shook her head and continued rubbing her belly underneath her thin shirt.
“...Couldn't think of anything, huh?”
“Shut up,” Daph huffed, re-adjusting her gym bag over her shoulder and shuffling past Georgia. “Let'th jutht get thith over with.”
In what was only a block and a half away, Daph and Georgia finally made it to the front door of the Brooklyn YMCA, with Daph panting grumpily and pushing forward to get out of the cold as soon as possible. She stood in the lobby, catching her breath as her belly rose and fell in time with her breathing.
“Fuck,” Daph said, as Georgia came up beside her. “I don't wanna work out before I work out, damn it.”
“What makes that so different from jogging?” Georgia asked.
“Becauthe I fucking prepare for a run, Georgia. I thtretch, I pre-hydrate, I eat a meal or at leatht a goddamn energy bar. When I fuckin get out there, I'm ready, yknow?” Daph huffed and fought against her sagging sweatpants by pulling them back up. “I thought we could take a cab or thomethin' when we got off the train. I wathn't ready for a fuckin' hike through Brooklyn.”
“Fine, we'll get an Uber back to the train station when we're done,” Georgia groaned, already fed up with Daph's complaining. She shifted her bag over her shoulder and walked to the sign-in desk to present her membership card and sign in Daph as her guest. Meanwhile, Daph floated around the small lobby, her breath finally caught up with her. She loped a small circle around the room, eyes glancing idly around as she took in her surroundings, cradling her belly as if holding it in place. As odd as it felt, it was an instinct she couldn't fight any longer. It put her at ease to have at least one hand against her swollen stomach, especially when she could notice the baby's light fluttering from inside.
Daph stopped in front of the bulletin board, her eyes filing down the fliers and announcements completely obscuring the corkboard below. She stopped, her eyes falling on a pastel-colored flier near the bottom of the board with a list of dates. She sighed, dropping her bag to her paws and pinching the bridge of her nose. She felt someone approach her from behind.
“Alright! We're both signed in,” Georgia chirped, her tail waving behind her as she bounded up. Daph glanced back, a dejected frown on her face, and jabbed a finger into the flier, right below the rose-colored, soft capital letters that read 'NEW SUNRISE LAMAZE WATER AEROBICS.'
“You're fuckin' joking, right?” she asked, wearily.
“Because it'll be fun Daph!” Georgia beamed, hoping to spread her good attitude into her dour, pregnant friend.
“Tho fun that you weren't even gonna tell me about it until we got here?” Daph said, folding her arms.
“...I mean...I did tell you to bring a swimsuit...”
“Becauthe I thought we were jutht going to the pool!” Daph exclaimed, throwing her hands up.
“Don't be such a baby,” Georgia said, shoving Daph's visitor's badge into her chest. Daph winced, taking the badge and rubbing the side of her breast.
“Shit, c'mon, thethe are sensitive...” Daph grumbled and held out her arms, pleadingly. “Georgia, pleathe, isn't there something elthe you wanna do? I'm down for anything elthe.” She glanced at the bulletin board, desperate to find an alternative. Daph's eyes lit up as she pulled a small slip of paper off the wall and waved it around. “Look! They got yoga! I like yoga! Let'th do that inthtead!”
Georgia frowned at Daph, her tail bobbing behind her while she crossed her arms and tapped her paw on the ground. Daph's put-on excitement faded, and she turned nervously back to the bulletin board. She swallowed, flipping over pages to try and find some alternative.
“Oh! Look, look!” Daph said, pointing to a flier. “There'th...uh...there'th spin classeth! After lunch! We should do that! That'th like ridin' a bike, right? I like biketh!” She paused, her free hand falling over her belly rounding out in the middle of her body. “Well...like...okay, I don't think it'th really, like, pregnancy-friendly, but you could thtill do it, right?”
Georgia silently raised an eyebrow, still frowning.
“I'm just waiting on you to finish,” she said.
“Uh...oh...okay...uhm…uhhhhhh,” Daph stammered, turning back to the board and tearing at more paper, trying to find something, anything to replace the fate Georgia had in store. “There'th...there'th a 5K next month! I can...uh...I can help you train for it! Or we could...w-we could jutht, like, get on the treadmill for a little while! Or like...there'th a...kid'th daycare group that'th coming here! You like kidth, right? You're gonna be a mom thoon, so you could like...h-hang out with 'em and...I guess...uh...” Daph's arms fell weakly to her sides as she gazed dejectedly into her friend's stoic face. Daph scowled. Bracing herself against the wall for balance, she squatted around her pendulous belly and picked up her duffle bag from ground. As she stood, her tail drooping behind her, she grumbled, “Or we could do the fucking Lamaze class...”
“I like that one,” Georgia said with a sardonic grin. “Let's do the Lamaze class!” Turning around, she bounded off happily around the corner with Daph grumpily shuffling along behind.
Do it for her, she thought to herself.
It took more walking to find the pool, located in its own area behind the weight room, and even more to find the locker room on the other side. Daph followed Georgia grumpily, slouched over and dragging her feet, trying not to slip into the water. They entered a nearly-empty locker room, with only a few other women getting dressed and a few more obscured in the shower. One of the women was clearly pregnant, as well, though not as far along as Daph. Georgia led the two of them down the row of lockers to the one set aside for her when she became a member of the Y.
“I can't fuckin believe you're makin' me do thith,” Daph grumbled, setting her bag on the bench and unzipping it.
“I wanted you to do two things with me for my birthday,” Georgia explained, taking her phone and wallet out of her pants and sticking them in the outside pocket of her bag. “This was one of them.”
“Well, I'm here,” Daph said, slipping out of her toe-shoes and storing them in the locker. “Doethn't mean I gotta like it.”
“Just try to, Daphodille, I swear it'll be more fun than you think.”
“I don't even like thwimming!” Daph groaned, stomping her paw on the slightly wet tile floor. “I hate the water!” She reached behind her back and pulled her gigantic, fluffy tail around her hip, shaking it in Georgia's face like a pom-pom. “Thith thing weighth like five pounds[i] when it'th wet, and I gotta blow-dry it for like [i]two hourth.”
“I'm well aware, Daph,” Georgia said, grabbing hold of her own tail and shaking it for emphasis. “If it's that much of a problem, there's blow-driers in here for you to use.”
“I don't even wash my tail in the shower,” Daph grumbled. “I thtand to the side and stick it out of the shower curtain.”
Georgia paused, glancing at Daph's tail and wrinkling her nose.
“I thtill brush it! Jesuth!” Daph said, rolling her eyes. “I jutht do it, like, separately, so it doesn't get too wet.”
“A little water in your tail isn't going to kill you,” Georgia said, She pulled off her shirt and turned her back to Daph, reaching for her bra-strap. “Can you help me with this?”
“So can we jutht free-boob it in here?” Daph asked, helping undo the clip against Georgia's blonde fur.
“Sure,” Georgia shrugged. She pulled her arms out of her bra, sighing at satisfying feeling that came from freeing her chest, and stored it in the locker. “It's just like a regular gym. There's changing rooms if you'd feel better in one.
“Nah, I don't give a fuck,” Daph shrugged. She stowed away her jacket in the locker and pulled off her shirt as well, revealing her flowing, pregnant curves that had been hidden away beneath her baggy clothing. The white fur of her stomach had grown out along with her belly, thinned just enough to see a little hint of pink from the skin underneath. The bump itself was shaped roughly like an egg, with the larger bottom settled down into her hips where the baby rested, while the rest tapered off up into her sternum. She seemed just as delicate as an egg, almost fragile. Her belly button had been flattened by the pressure of the baby growing inside, smoothing out her stomach into a perfectly round surface covered in healthy, glowing fur. The thought that she would be growing even bigger in just a few months was hard to believe.
Georgia glanced back up at her friend, who stood shirtless in front of her, bashful for the first time in her entire life. Daph, blushing underneath her fur, folded her arms over her chest and glanced away, her tail flipping anxiously.
“What?” she asked, feeling exposed.
“Wow, Daph...” Georgia said, shaking her head in disbelief. “You look really, really good.”
“Hehehehe….Shut up, Georgia,” Daph said, laughing nervously. Georgia took a step forward and slid her hands down Daph's belly, who laughed again at the sensation against her sensitive body. She stopped just below the heavy bottom of Daph's swell, kneading into her with the skilled fingers of a newly-certified massage therapist.
“Is she here?” Georgia asked, spreading out her hands to indicate a small space in the middle of her womb.
“I think tho,” Daph nodded. “It'th eathier to tell some days.”
“Has she been moving?”
“She doesn't much during the day, like when I'm out and thtuff,” Daph said. “I read online that, like, when I walk, it'th like I'm rocking her to thleep. It's why she'th so active at nighttime.”
“Is she? Can you feel her better at night?”
“Oh hell yeah, once I figured out which feeling wath her kicking and which wath just me needing to burp or thomething.” Daph smirked. “That'th harder than you think. We need to hang out one night tho you can feel her get active, it'th really weird.”
“I'd love that...” Georgia said, dreamily. She trailed her fingers over Daph's pregnant belly and shook her head, taking a deep breath. “Damn, Daph, you look amazing.”
“Jesuth, Georgia,” Daph laughed, her tail whipping back and forth behind her. She glanced around nervously, in case anyone else was in earshot. “At leatht wait 'til we get home...”
“Maybe I will...” Georgia said, hungrily. “When's the last time you, me, and Darwin had...'a night together…?'”
“Man, I dunno,” Daph shrugged. “Gotta be like a month or two, at leatht.” She looked down at her belly that Georgia was still busy admiring. “I was definitely a lot thmaller, I remember that...”
“Then I think we should plan one soon...” Georgia said. Suddenly, her demeanor changed as she snapped her hands back to her side, adding, “...after the Lamaze class, of course.”
“Uuugggghhhhh,” Daph groaned. “Way to ruin the fucking mood, Georgia.”
“Hurry up! We've only got about ten minutes before the class starts.” Georgia said. She turned around and continued to undress, then re-dress back into her favorite two-piece bathing suit. She considered whether a one-piece might have been more appropriate, but the one she had was too cute not to wear out on every single occasion she could. Once she was dressed, she spun around to find Daph standing awkwardly in her same gray sports-bra and a pair of mesh shorts.
“...Daph, c'mon,” Georgia frowned. “Put on your swimsuit.”
“I did,” she said, gesturing to her outfit.
“That's a pair of gym shorts.”
“I know,” Daph said. “You can thwim in these, right?”
“You can, but they aren't a swimsuit.”
“Well I don't have a thwimthuit!” Daph said, her voice rising. “Because I don't like thwimming!”
“Ugh, fine, fine, it'll work,” Georgia said, waving her hand dismissively and deciding this wasn't a battle worth fighting. The last thing she did was pull out a band to tie back her hair, then secure the locker closed with a separate key she kept wrapped in her towel. “Maybe if you like it, we'll buy you a cute maternity suit.”
“Don't push it,” Daph warned, slinging an old bath towel over her shoulder as the two of them left the locker room.
Emerging back into the pool area, they found a group of nearly fifteen women taking their places in a rough grid, some of them still treading water and getting used to the temperature. A few simply floated neat the edge of the pool, relaxing as their faces and bellies crested over the top of the water. Predictably, many of them were stereotypical water-lovers like otters and beavers, but even Georgia was surprised at the group's variety, with a pair of cats taking their places with pool noodles near the front of the grid. What they all had in common, of course, were similarly shaped stomachs bearing the obvious signs of middle-to-late pregnancies.
The two of them walked to the set of temporary, plastic steps set up on the back wall of the pool, which most of the group had their backs to. Georgia tossed her towel onto a nearby bench, which Daph copied, and stood on the first step, gripping the metal handles and gazing into the blue water. Steadily, she slipped one paw into the water of the second step, then followed with the second. Georgia wiggled her toes as she tested the temperature of the water. Finding it a good deal warmer than she anticipated, she took a deep breath and leapt the rest of the distance into the pool, plunging beneath the surface with a healthy splash.
After a moment, Georgia broke the surface of the pool, throwing her hair back and shaking some of the water from her fur. She slicked her hair back, taking a deep breath and sighing as she leaned back and let the water carry her. She looked at Daph, who stood awkwardly on the top step, staring down into the water while scratching her belly.
“Don't jump in,” Georgia warned, pointing at her.
“I don't fucking want to,” Daph snapped back. She wrinkled her nose and wriggled her tail nervously, then took a single, agonizing step into the water. Daph pushed herself forward, the grimace on her face growing stronger the deeper she sank into the water. Finally she stood on the bottom of the pool, the water just below collarbone. She awkwardly held her arms up above the water, her fingers curled into hooks.
“Fuck,” she spat, slowly loping toward Georgia. “Oh fuck...I regret every fuckin thecond of thith.”
“Lighten up, Daph. You'll live,” Georgia scoffed. She spun gracefully through the water, her hands sliding under the surface like it was silk. “Take the weight off your paws, just let go...let the water carry you…”
Daph lowered her arms into the water, making a whining sound in the back of her throat as she did. She flapped them at her sides, testing their movement underwater. She did a little hop, attempting to kick her paws hard enough to keep her afloat, but she misjudged her own buoyancy and dropped straight down below the surface. Daph shot back up instantly with a splash, coughing and spitting mouthfuls of pool water out of her throat.
“It's not acid. Come on,” Georgia frowned.
“Thith fucking thucks,” Daph declared, thrashing her arms impotently. “I can't goddamn move right, it'th all thlow and heavy. I feel like thomebody shaved all my goddamn fur off, too.” She held her arm out of the water and trailed her palm down her flatted, wet fur. Daph cocked her head, running her tongue over the surface of her teeth, then grimaced and spat again. “What the fuck ith thith, drain cleaner?”
“When the baby's born, I'm gonna make you take her to the pool every single day until you like it,” Georgia teased, splashing water into Daph's face. Daph spluttered angrily and did the same, throwing water back into Georgia's face like she were punching her.
“Cut it out! Fuck!” Daph shouted, her voice echoing far and sharp in the room, nearby mothers-to-be stopping their warmup exercises to glance at her.
“You're already wet!” Georgia laughed, throwing another splash.
Daph reeled back to retaliate, but suddenly froze, her eyes widening. She slipped a hand under the water and held it against her belly, looking down at it through the clear surface.
“Well shit...there you are,” Daph said, feeling the enthusiastic bumps and pops inside of her that she grew to understand were the baby's movements. At times, she felt a new sensation that might have been the little squirrel turning over or twisting in her womb. “...God damn baby, calm down in there….At leatht one of us ith having fun, I guess.”
“Is she moving?” Georgia cooed, her eyes twinkling.
“Like a goddamn maniac,” Daph nodded, taking her hand away to better feel the movement against her belly itself. “She never kickth thith much during the day.”
“She must love the water, then!” Georgia said, grinning ear-to-ear.
“Apparently,” Daph nodded. “But like...she is kinda living underwater right now...”
“Not even born yet and we already have something in common,” Georgia mused, happily spinning in place. She took a deep breath and ducked underwater, holding herself there for nearly thirty full seconds. Shooting back up, she rubbed her eyes clear of water and took a few deep breaths.
“When I open my eyes down there, all I see are bellies,” Georgia commented, grinning. “It's adorable.”
“You're weirdly into this for not being pregnant your-” Daph winced at her stupid comment and quickly followed up with “Fuck...Thorry, I did it again.”
“It's okay,” Georgia said, smiling. “That's why you're here. You're my surrogate, so I get to enjoy this through you.”
“Right, right...I get you,” Daph said, silently understanding what made the aerobics class important to Georgia. It wasn't just for the baby or even for just the class itself. Daph was the surrogate to the entire pregnancy experience that Georgia was unable to have. It's why they spent so much time together; if Georgia couldn't live the pregnancy herself, she could at least live it alongside her closest friend.
As Daph mused on the thought quietly, the door on the other end of the pool opened, a jet-black panther woman in a red one-piece striding confidently through. She sat on the edge of the pool and hopped in with barely a ripple, leaving a towel and a waterproof clipboard on its edge. She swam to the front of the group and clapped three times in quick succession, snapping Daph out of her thoughts.
“She’th hot,” Daph muttered to Georgia, cocking her head to the side while admiring the way the one-piece clung to her toned body.
“Good afternoon everyone!” She said in a smooth voice that projected farther than it likely should have. Daph and Georgia glanced at one another, then took places in the very back of the grid. “How is everyone feeling today? Relaxed? Feeling your inner peace blossoming forth? If not, we'll help you bring it out.” She smiled, flashing her white teeth that stood out like bright lights against her black fur.
Daph glanced at Georgia and rolled her eyes harder than she ever had before.
“I'm feeling especially blessed today because I see a few new faces in our circle,” the panther purred happily. “Of course, few of us stay in this circle for long. That is the idea after all, right?” She grinned, followed by a spattering of laughter from a few women while Daph blinked and tried to figure out what exactly was funny. “But for those new faces with us today, I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Athena Tomlin, registered prenatal nurse, yogi, and your spiritual guide through this journey of transitory existence, the middle path where one life grows and blooms forth into two.” Athena sighed, smiling quietly as she put a hand to her chest. “It fills me with such joy to see women like you, so heavy with life and possibility and hope that it almost brings a tear to my eye.”
“Georgia,” Daph whispered. “I jutht want you to know that if I throw up, it ain't cauthe of the pregnancy.”
“Shut up,” Georgia hissed.
“Like most of you know, I like to start our sessions with some controlled breathing to ensure that the energy within you is flowing clearly and cleanly, both for you and the babies inside you. Now, follow along with me.”
Following a session of meditation that Georgia found relaxing and fulfilling and Daph found pretentious and infuriating, Athena began to guide the group through a relatively standard set of water aerobics. While on the surface the exercises seemed simplistic to the eternal-athlete Daphodille, in reality, the mix of water resistance and unfamiliar strain to her pregnant body gave her an unexpected workout. She was surprised at how comfortable she was jogging in place with the water supporting her in ways her muscles weren't used to, achieving the same 'burn' she loved from working out without the outright pain that came from her pregnant workout routine. Without the constant discomfort of splashing water in her face and the mumbo-jumbo spouted off by the instructor, Daph would have enjoyed herself.
“Breathe deep...” Athena said, lifting her arms out of the water, most of the class following along. “Inhale...feel the breath fill you...feel it spread to your womb, to pass into your child, to fill them with strength…exhale...” With a sigh, the group fell back into the water, still breathing heavily from the workout. “We'll take a few minutes to rest, to give our bodies time to renew and grow back stronger than before, and to reflect on the change you are all experiencing to bring a new life into this world. Find your peace, then we will return.” Athena put her hands together and bowed in the water. The other women tried to replicate her motion, but found their rounded stomachs in the way of bending over.
Daph and Georgia swam to the back wall of the pool. Georgia leaned against the side, laying her head in her arms while the rest of her body floated cross-legged below her. Daph leaned backward against the wall, laying her head back to stare at the ceiling while she panted, her paws only barely touching the bottom of the pool. Between her legs, her tail floated to the surface, completely soaked and resembling a very hairy dead body.
“Okay, tell me,” Georgia said, once she'd caught her breath. “How is it?” Daph glanced at Georgia, then turned back to the ceiling.
“Okay, firth thing, you shouldn't have goddamn tricked me into comin', okay?” Daph began, pointing at Georgia. “I'm thtill pissed about that. Two, I thtill hate thwimming because I fuckin hate bein wet for tho long, I hate it, I hate...eugh!” Daph shook her head, splashing water around, then sighed. “And three, if this Namaste-bitch doethn't thart talkin' like a person and not a goddamn poem, I'm gonna drown mythelf in protest.” She sighed, her frustration vented, and added, softly. “But like...other than that, I'm kinda into it.”
“You are?” Georgia said, her face lighting up as she sat up in the water.
“Yeah...I guess,” Daph shrugged. “I like how it carrieth me. I don't feel so heavy while I'm workin' out. And the water maketh it real hard to move and shit, so I don't gotta do much to get a good workout.” She nodded down into the water. “Pluth, your kid ith fuckin lovin' it, dude.”
“Is she?” Georgia said, her eyes twinkling.
“Oh hell yeah, she'th losing her fuckin mind in there. Like I thwallowed a cell phone on vibrate or thomething.”
Georgia swam over and ducked under the water. Daph felt arms beneath her lift her up until she floated parallel to the surface, her paws and belly cresting over the top of the water like islands of wet fur. Georgia lifted her head from the water, while holding Daph in place, and leaned her head against Daph's belly like a pillow.
“Keep going,” she said, petting her round stomach.
“You're gonna get yourthelf a fuckin concussion from gettin' kicked in the head,” Daph smirked.
“Don't care,” Georgia said, closing her eyes and listening to her daughter squirm around excitedly inside her friend.
“But it's thtill kinda weird cauthe like...” Daph continued, looking back up at the ceiling. “I'm here doin' thith, and all thethe women around me are like...pregnant, yknow? It'th fuckin surreal is what it is.”
“I hate to remind you, Daph,” Georgia said. “But so are you.”
“Oh, yeah, I know, but they're like...” Daph struggled to find the words, so instead just gestured vaguely with her hands. “They're like preeeegnant pregnant, yknow?”
Georgia paused.
“...No, I really don't.”
“I mean like...yeah, I'm pregnant, but they're like...like uh...” She wiggled her fingers in the air, as if trying to grab the right words, before giving up. “Ah, you know what I mean.”
“I really don't, Daph.” Georgia said, closing her eyes and continuing to feel the baby kick. “But okay.”
“Whatever,” Daph sighed, setting her arms back against the wall. After a few more minutes, they were jolted out of their relaxation by three sharp claps from Athena as she returned to the pool. The regulars of the class slipped back into the water to find their places while Georgia and Daph just waited to take their places at the back.
“I hope you are relaxed and ready to continue, sisters,” Athena said, bowing. The rest of the group bowed back as low as they could with their bellies in the way, including Georgia. Daph, meanwhile, was distracted by a door opening on the other end of the pool, near the locker rooms. A group of three male employees in matching shirts emerged from the men's locker room, wheeling a cart of dirty towels behind them. Starting in the closest corner, they rounded the walls, picking up all the towels that belonged to the Y and throwing them in the basket. But what distracted Daph most of all was the enormous, muscle-bound stallion that followed behind and pushed the cart.
The class began with a set of leg-stretches, pushing them forward to almost chest-level with the water, leaving Daph standing awkwardly above everyone else. Athena didn't notice as her and the rest of the group's eyes were closed in a meditation.
“Feel your energy flowing down your legs...” She said. “As your body's energy creates the new life within you, let it also invigorate your own. Feel the essence of life flow from your womb and into your limbs, gifting you with new-”
“YO! YO, FRANKIE! OVER HERE YOU DUMB FUCK!”
The class snapped their eyes open simultaneously as the shouting amplified against the hard tile walls. Daph, meanwhile, waved her arms over her head and cupped her hands around her mouth.
“HOW'TH IT GOIN, YOU BRICK SHITOUSE?”
“YOOOOOO, DAPH!” Frankie shouted back, a towel slung over her shoulder. “WHERE THE FUCK YOU BEEN?” He paused, lowering his hands, then raised them for a follow-up question. “YO, WHY YOU IN THE LAMZE CLASS?”
“BECAUTHE! CHECK THITH OUT!” Daph splashed her way back to the stairs and clambered up them. Standing on the edge of the pool, she turned to the side to reveal her pregnant belly. Frankie's jaw dropped open as he stepped back.
“YOOOOO! BRO, ARE YOU FUCKIN FOR REAL PREGNANT RIGHT NOW?”
“FUCK YEAH, DUDE, I'M HELLA FUCKIN PREGNANT!” Daph beamed happily as she dripped water all over the floor. “I'M ALMOTHT THEVEN FUCKIN MONTHTH, DUDE!”
“THAT'S FUCKIN' SICK!” Frankie yelled back. “CAN I TELL THE GUYS?”
“...YEAH, OKAY! FUCK IT! I GOT NOTHIN TO HIDE!”
“YO, I THOUGHT YOU WAS SUPPOSED TO EAT NUTS, NOT SIT ON EM!”
“FUCK YOU!”
“FUCK YOU AND YOUR BABY, DAPH! I GOTTA WORK, HIT ME UP LATER!”
“THTRAIGHT UP, FRANKIE! LATE!”
As the echo of her last shout died out and Frankie left the room, Daph calmly stepped back into the pool and waded over next to Georgia, who had sunk nearly completely below the water in embarrassment. Clearing her throat, Daph nonchalantly took the pose the rest of the group had been patiently holding through her entire conversation.
“...Well...” Athena said, clearing her throat. “...Let's...let's move on...”
After about half an hour of more stretches, resistance training, and exercises, the group adjourned with a 'Namaste' from Athena and a half-buried chitter of laughter from Daph. With a few disapproving glances from the other women, the mothers-to-be all filed out of the pool and went to the locker room to change, some of whom taking a moment to shake themselves dry on the pool's edge. Georgia was silent all the way to their locker, walking side-by-side with Daph, their wet tails dragging across the floor like mops.
“Thith ith gonna take a fuckin' hour,” Daph grumbled, sitting on the bench and blow-drying her tail in her hand. “We might ath well rent a goddamn room.”
“Why can't you just control yourself, Daph...” Georgia sighed, shaking her head.
“What?” Daph said, turning off the hair drier. “I hadn't theen Frankie in like five months. He didn't even know I wath pregnant! I had to thay thomethin!”
“Part of me was hoping you'd like this but...” Georgia sighed, disappointed. “I shouldn't get my hopes up about things like this.”
“Dude, c'mon...” Daph said, her expression falling. She set down the hair drier and rocked back-and-forth on the bench until she had enough momentum to push herself to her paws. She steadied herself on a locker, with a hand beneath her belly, her sense of balance thrown off from being in the water for so long. “I didn't hate it. I liked the workout part. I jutht...If I could do shit like that outthide the pool, I would.”
“I guess...” Georgia sighed. She looked up at Daph, smiling faintly. “I'll admit it was a little more...'new age' than I was expecting.”
“No fuckin' kidding,” Daph rolled her eyes.
“Yeah...” Georgia laughed, quietly. “Yeah, this was a stupid idea...”
Daph watched Georgia turn away to change out of her swimsuit, quietly folding up her damp clothing into a separate bag she'd brought and changing into her regular pants. She seemed down, more tired than she ought to be. Daph tapped her paw on the ground, her mind racing over all the things she could do to help.
Daph grunted and sat down on the bench, winded from the extra effort it took to bend over. She swung one leg over the side until she sat long-ways with the bench between her legs. The side effect was that the very bottom of her stomach touched the wooden seat, but she didn't really care.
“Okay...look...” Daph sighed. “I think I kinda fucked thith up. You were really excited but...I ruined that for ya. I feel bad about that. I'm thorry.” She rubbed a hand against her bump, feeling a soft stir from the baby. “It'th the pregnancy, yknow? I'm getting mad about shit I shouldn't be getting mad about. My brain ith like...fuckin hormone soup. But, yknow, I shoulda been thinking more about what you wanted. Tho...I owe you.”
Daph sighed, looking up.
“You told me there wath one other thing you wanted to do for your birthday with me. What wath it? I promithe, right now, we can do it I won't complain once. The entire time.”
Georgia paused, her head still in the locker. She closed it slightly, revealing a blooming smirk on her face.
“You aren't gonna like it.”
“Ith it thomething you really want to do, though?”
“It would mean a lot to me but...” Georgia tapped her tail against the floor, still too wet and heavy to be held up, and smiled again. “...But you promise not to complain?”
“Yep,” Daph nodded.
“Alright...” Georgia nodded, devilishly. “I want...to take you...maternity clothes shopping.”
Daph blinked up at her friend, then swallowed.
“Cool,” she nodded. “Let'th do it.”
“You don't have to, Daph,” Georgia said.
“Yeah I do. I owe you.”
“Enough to let me dress you and your tummy up in the cutest outfits I could possibly find?”
“I guess I do.”
“And can I call you my 'Daph-o-doll?'”
“No,” Daph said, with a wince. “Drawin' the line with that.”
“Fair enough,” Georgia said, her eyes lighting up with excitement in a way that made it all worth it for Daph. Georgia sat down across from her and began to fuss over her wet fur, smoothing it down with her hands, with special attention of course paid to her baby-full middle.
“Hurry up and dry off,” Georgia said. “I can't wait to see how you look in green...”
Daph sighed.
Do it for her, she thought.
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Index
Category Story / Pregnancy
Species Squirrel
Size 93 x 120px
File Size 52.6 kB
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