Chapter 10

The meeting with Mr. Harrington went very well.  He would take care of getting the prints and the sales for forty percent of the profit.  He told them that he enjoyed helping out new artists and he felt that they would both profit from the deal.  He also requested that he be allowed to display the originals, to which Mandy was more than agreeable.  Greg left to get the works while Mandy finished up all the paperwork and talked to Mr. Harrington.  Before they left, he told them he should have the prints back soon and she would need to come in then to sign and number them. 

“I wish my parents could see how good I’m doing.  But then they would just complain about it, I’m sure.” said Mandy as they came out of the Gallery.  Even with the way she had been treated, she still wanted their approval, and this really confused her.  Greg understood what she was feeling, but he also wondered if the negative reactions that her parents would have been worse than what he would have received before which would have been indifference.  That is if they would have noticed at all.

One of the couples was missing from their Lamaze class when the walked in that evening. Once everyone was seated on the floor, she announced that Dana and Richard were at the hospital.  She had delivered twin boys the day before; Dean weighed in at three pounds, seven ounces and Donnie a healthy four pounds, five ounces.  All four of them were doing fine.

This brought a round of cheers from the rest of the group and When Elizabeth brought out a card, they all signed it.  Since she had delivered six weeks before her due date, the talk that night was on premature births and the problems for the baby.  In addition, they all broke early and had a celebration for completing the classes.  They all promised to watch the papers for the birth announcements, shook hands all around again, and went their separate ways.  The classes had been good for them all and especially for Mandy since she had no idea just what would be happening to her in the coming weeks.  Now at least she had some idea of what was going to be involved.

Things went well for the rest of the week until Friday.  Greg had just walked in the door when the phone rang.  Mandy picked it up and as soon as the person on the other end of the line started speaking, he watched her face turn pale then red as anger set in.  He tried to figure out who it was, but he couldn’t tell much from Mandy’s side of the conversation.  Her responses were mostly three words or less, except for the final one, which was “Well it’s your own fuckin fault.”

Greg walked up to her and found himself supporting her.  She was shaking in anger.  “Sweetheart, who was that on the phone?”

“It was my asshole ex-boyfriend Steve.  The county served him with papers for financial responsibility for my baby.  Seems they want him to pay for the pre-natal care and the delivery when the time comes.  His parents will be the ones paying, but he is all bent out of shape that the county is making him live up to his responsibilities.  He called to try and get me to say he wasn’t the father, so he could get out of it.”

Greg understood her anger.  He had never understood why all the blame is always on the girl anyway.  He had seen it in his own school where any girl pregnant was not allowed to be in any activities, even ones like the National Honor Society.  As if being pregnant somehow negated all the good grades she had earned.

Yet the boy who helped in the pregnancy was winked at and sometimes given off-handed praise for being such a stud.  It was totally unfair.  At least this time, he was going to have to take responsibility and pay out.

Mandy let him hold her as she calmed down.  She was proud of herself that she hadn’t broken down in tears like she would have before.  This time she had stood up for herself and that made her feel really good.

Greg gave her a smile.  “Well, this is one he won’t get out of.  The county won’t be intimidated and they will get their money one way or another.”

When Traci returned that evening, the phone call was the topic for discussion.  She agreed with what the other two were saying, and even had some stories of her own.  From that, the discussion was how unfair the pregnant girls were treated in general.  Greg got some ideas together and sat down at the computer as they were talking.  He noted the points that were brought up and even some of the stories that the women related.

“I wonder what your friends and even your school would think of an advocacy group that could help dispel the images that people have about pregnant teens?”  He paused for a moment before continuing.  “If people saw how the system treats them maybe they would be more sympathetic.”

Mandy was warming up to the idea.  “I don’t know if it would help, but I think we should bring it up at school.  Since we start in a month, maybe we could get something together.”

Since Mandy would be out of school for several weeks right after she had the baby, it would give her some time to work on this.

Something else that Mandy noticed to her dislike was that when she made love with Greg she was very uncomfortable.  It was getting to the point that she didn’t want to have his cock in her.  Greg noticed that she wasn’t as willing as she usually was and when she admitted what the problem was, he agreed that they would suspend that part of their relationship.  He was still more than willing to go down on her since she hadn’t lost interest in sex, and that was the solution they used for about a week.

Mandy wasn’t satisfied with that solution.  It was fine for her but she thought that Greg was missing out.  She talked to Traci and they agreed on a plan.  That night when they headed for bed, Traci followed them down the hall instead of heading to her own room.  While this wasn’t unique for the trio, it didn’t happen often and usually when Traci was feeling the need for their company.  Greg was more than happy to have the woman’s company since he did miss being buried deep into a warm pussy.

The other two gave enough attention to Mandy to leave her gasping and sensitive to their touch.  Then Traci raised her butt in invitation to Greg.  He moved in behind her and slid his cock into her very wet entrance.  They started moving against each other both eager to drive themselves and their partner to climax.  Greg went over first, bucking hard against his partner’s buttocks while he held and caressed her back and sides.  As his climax started to fade, Traci’s hit her and he pumped hard into her as she rode the waves of pleasure.  

They broke apart with satisfied smiles on their faces.  Mandy had recovered from her own orgasms to notice and she had a smile of her own for how well her plan worked.

When Traci was joining them a couple times a week, Greg was starting to get suspicious.  He questioned them both after they had revived from another bout of intense loving.  “Did you two cook up Traci coming in just so I wouldn’t be doing without?”

Mandy ran her hand up and down his torso.  “Even if we did, haven’t you been enjoying it?”

“You know I have been.  I just want you to know that it really wasn’t necessary.  I was happy just doing what we were.”  Then he turned his head to look at Traci.  “I don’t want you to think that you are a substitute for Mandy or anything like that.  I love making love with you because of who you are, not because of horniness.”

Traci leaned over and gave him a soft kiss.  “I know that.  When Mandy was feeling bad because she felt you were not getting what you should have, I volunteered to help out.  I would have been with you two even more before, but I didn’t want to interfere with your relationship.  The past couple weeks have been great for me.”

“You are welcome anytime as far as I’m concerned,” Mandy said to her friend.  “I think I enjoy you being with us as much as Greg.  Even though we haven’t gone all the way in our relationship, I love to just snuggle with you and wake up with you in our bed.  It may not be the same way that I love Greg, but I love you just the same.”

Traci gave them both a tender smile.  “That means more than you can know.  And I love you both as well.  I always feel so at ease when I am with you two.  I never thought I could be in this kind of relationship, but now it feels like the most natural thing in the world.”

Greg pulled them both close to him.  “Why don’t we just enjoy each other as much as we can for as long as it lasts?  You may find your ideal man, Traci.  If or when that happens, we would miss you terribly, but we would also be very happy for you.  But as Mandy said, you are welcome in our bed as often as you want.  Even if it is for snuggling and sleeping.”

Traci leaned up on her elbow and reached over to give them both a kiss.  “Thanks.  I think I’ll take you up on that starting tonight.”  She snuggled down against Greg even as she reached across him to put her hand on Mandy’s body.  They all fell asleep in that position, each content with their bed partners.

It was the next Wednesday when Mr. Harrington called and asked Mandy if she would be interested in attending a premiere for her work.  She could sign the prints for anyone who bought one and be around to meet others in the art world.  She couldn’t believe what he was saying to her.  It was beyond her imagination that there was that much interest in her work.  Once he convinced her that he was serious, she immediately agreed.

She explained to Greg that even though there had been several prints sold of every one of her drawings and she was making a good profit from them, this would be a chance to get noticed in the local art community.  The exposure would really be good for her.

Greg immediately agreed and asked if there was anything she needed for this showing.  She was large enough now that she had no dress that would fit.  So she asked if she and Traci could go shopping.  Mr. Harrington had asked that she bring in a portrait of her choice so they could include it for some advertising posters.  She would have to get one taken as well.  She insisted that she would pay for the sitting and portrait.  Greg agreed as long as he got to get the dress for her.

Traci was always ready for the chance to go shopping so the women got ready.  Before they left, Greg asked Traci if she had a dress for herself.  She said she had one that probably would work.  As he gave Mandy his ATM card, he told her to make sure Traci got a new dress as well.  Traci tried to protest, but Greg convinced her that he wanted to make sure that both of his ladies were dressed for the occasion.  This earned him a kiss from them both before they walked out the door.

With school starting up in a week, they also had arrangements to make for that.  Greg went in to tell the women’s group that he had to end the classes, but when the woman in charge almost begged him to continue, he changed the schedule to Thursday afternoons and Saturdays. 

Mandy’s job was due to end anyway when school began again so it wasn’t a big surprise.  She was surprised by her own reaction though.  It had been her first job and she had worked hard at it.  By making her own money, she felt that she was independent.  When her boss, an elderly man who was from Italy gave her a bonus check and told her that if she wanted to come back next year he would hire her in a minute, she almost cried.  He was such a sweet man that she promised to come back if she could.  She also promised to come and see him when she had the chance.

Mandy had been working on a drawing for a couple of days.  The Saturday before school was to start, she talked Greg into going to the ice cream stand with her.  As they walked up to the stand, Mr. Liberti greeted her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.  She introduced Greg to her former boss, and then handed the man the package she had brought with her.

He tore the paper off to reveal the picture she had been working on.  It showed Mr. Liberti in his younger days, standing in front of the ice cream stand and wearing a smile that showed his pride in his shop.  She had drawn his late wife behind the counter holding out a cone, offering it to the person that was looking at the drawing.  She had looked at the picture that her elderly friend had hanging in the back of him and his wife and drawn it from memory.

The old man ran his fingers over the figures for many minutes, and then looked up to her.  “Ahhh...  Missy, you bring joy to this old man’s heart.  I will always remember the sunshine you bring to my place.  You give me a very special gift.  I will treasure it always.”  Then he gave Mandy a very long and loving hug.  He wiped the tears from his eyes with his finger and gave a sigh.  He looked around behind the counter and found a screw.  “Young man, you help me put this up please?  Right there so everyone sees it.”  Greg was happy to help him and they had the picture up on the wall in just a couple of minutes.  

Then Mr. Liberti insisted that they have a cone before they left.  They left the old man still looking at the drawing, and walked toward the parking lot enjoying the ice cream he had given them.  Greg looked over at his lover.  “That was a wonderful thing you did for him.”

“Well when things were slow early in the day, he used to tell me about how he worked is tail off when he first immigrated and how proud he was when he bought the lease on the stand.  It was the first thing that he and his wife had ever owned that was really theirs. They worked together there every day for over thirty years His wife died several years ago, but he held on to his place.  Now it is all he really has.  I just wanted him to remember all the times we had this summer.”

“Well sweetheart, I don’t think he will ever forget those times, or you.  I’m so proud of you and what you did.  No wonder I love you.”  Then he gave her an ice cream flavored kiss to show her his feelings.

School was hectic at first but it soon settled into a routine for all of them.  Mandy was caught up to where she needed to be and with Traci’s help was soon ahead in some of her classes.  In her art class, the teacher spent quite a bit of time working with her on the use of oils and other mediums.  She had seen Mandy’s display at the art fair and she wanted to encourage her.  When she heard about the showing at Harrington’s, she assured Mandy that she would be there.

The extra work that Greg had done the year before paid off this year.  He had only three classes this year and was accepted to do two classes at Mandy’s school as a helper/tutor.  He was to assist in their computer science lab and mathematics, two subjects that he really enjoyed and that he was good at.  Both of these periods were at the beginning of the school day so he would go in with Mandy then leave for John Adams High in order to catch the fourth period advanced calculus class.  Then lunch and two more classes.  The last period was free, so he would head back to the charter school to wait on Mandy to get out.  It worked out so that he was spending almost as much time at the charter school as he was at his own.

Traci went back to classes two weeks after Greg and Mandy started.  She too was taking a full load of classes to keep her scholarship so she didn’t have much time for anything else.  She would go out with a few of her college friends once in a while, but she didn’t want to be actively dating.  This allowed her to spend more time on her studies and her already high grades improved.  With her sexual needs satisfied, she was more relaxed and this showed in her relationships with her classmates.  She soon became part of a group of serious students that were serious about their studies.

With school filling her mind, the showing slipped up on her before she had time to worry about it.  Mr. Harrington explained that she would be one of five new artists to be displayed so she wouldn’t be the only one.  This helped, but the day before she was a wreck.  She couldn’t sleep and woke up the next morning fearing that everything was going to be a bust.  Greg and Traci kept up a running dialogue to assure her that it was going to be fine and she would be the star of the show.

Mandy was too nervous to eat a decent meal, so they all had a light dinner and then headed over to the gallery.  They all arrived early, but there were people already wandering around looking at all the sculptures, paintings, and to her surprise and dismay, Mandy’s drawings.

Mr. Harrington greeted them as they entered, and had them sign the guest book.  He had thoughtfully supplied sparkling cider for those that didn’t drink and made sure they all had something in their glasses.  Then he encouraged them to mingle around.

They were impressed with the work of the other new artists, especially with one man who did sculpture.  His characters gave the viewer a glimpse of the subject’s life, from the lined and worn face of the farmer holding a calf, to the look of exhaustion of a fireman as he stood in his gear.  They stopped to talk to the artist whose name was Tom Farmer, and they exchanged praises of the other’s work.

By the time they finished the tour, the first of what was to become many customers sought out Mandy to ask her to sign the print that they had just purchased.  It surprised as well as excited Mandy that she would be asked to sign.  When they couldn’t find a pen between them, Mr. Harrington came to their rescue.  He handed Mandy four gold metallic markers, telling her that she would probably use them up before the night was over.

His prediction wasn’t quite true, but she did use up two of the pens.  She signed many of the prints and answered questions from her ‘fans’ about how she chose her subjects, why she preferred pencils and pastels, and more that she had never even thought about.

To their surprise, Greg and Traci were recognized, and were asked to autograph some of the prints that they had modeled for.  They were happy to do so since it was a help to Mandy.  The three of them were standing together when the arts reporter for the local paper had interviewed Mandy.  The reporter asked a bunch of questions which Mandy answered as graciously as she could.  The other two were quizzed about their relationship with each other and how they had felt posing for the drawings.  The woman finally ran out of questions and went off to find the other artists in the show.

They were all surprised and rather pleased when Heather greeted them.  She had said that she would be there when Greg had called her, but he had figured that she would forget like she had so many times she had when he was growing up.  She wondered around looking at all the other displays, but spent most of the time talking with her son and his girlfriend.

She was recognized by more than a few of the patrons and greeted them in a relaxed, practiced manner.  She proudly admitted that Mandy was very close to the family and that she had one of her originals hanging in her office.  The first time she told someone this, Mandy was shocked and asked her about it when they had a few moments of privacy.

“My dear, I took that drawing out the first thing the day after you gave it to me and had it framed.  The gentleman in the shop recognized your work and praised it highly, saying that an original of your work will definitely be worth something soon.  You may not realize it, but you have made an impression on the local art world.  Perhaps I will have a famous artist for a daughter-in-law someday.”

The last sentence made Mandy blush.  Not so much from embarrassment, but from the thoughts and hopes she had been having for some time.

It was getting close to the time for the showing to be over when Mr. Harrington came over wearing a satisfied smile.  He informed them that the event had been a huge success, even topping the last two years combined.  They had sold fifty-eight of Mandy’s prints with Passion having sold out.  Twelve more were pre-sold as soon as he could get them in.

More important, was that he had some bids on her originals if she would consider parting with them.  When they asked which ones, he told them that an OB/GYN had made a very good offer on First Bonding, and Friendship was wanted for one of the local shelters for teens for use in their offices.  Greg asked if the bids were fair for the quality of her work.  Mr. Harrington assured them that the offers were very good.  When he told Mandy how much she would receive even after the gallery kept their part, she felt weak in the knees.  She agreed to sell them and Mr. Harrington said that he would complete the sales.

Since the majority of the sales had been for Passion, Greg asked why nobody wanted the original.  Mr. Harrington smiled when he explained that there had been plenty, but he told them all that it would be displayed for another few months before it would be opened for bidding.  He explained that by waiting, those that were really interested would still be willing and he planned to put in the gallery’s exclusive auction held at the end of the year.

The night had been very eventful for them all and they were beat when they finally fell into bed.  Mandy’s body was exhausted, but her mind would not slow down enough to allow her to sleep.  Her daughter must have felt the tensions of the day because she was very active, kicking and moving in her secure uterine home.  It was a long while until the baby settled enough for Mandy to drift off. 

Greg was the first one up the next morning and he stepped out to retrieve the paper while the coffee was brewing.  Remembering the interviews they had given last night, he set aside his usual preferences and went straight to the Arts and Entertainment section.  On the front page was a picture of a very pregnant Mandy stand between him and Traci.  Further down were pictures of a couple of her drawings along with representations of the other artists’ works.  He grabbed a cup of coffee and settled down to read the article.

The annual event displaying new artists at the Harrington Gallery was raised to new heights this year with the showcasing of several new artists of tremendous talent.  One that stood out in this reporter’s opinion was a young woman named Amanda Carson.

With her friends surrounding her, Ms. Carson was a very personable and vibrant person, perhaps made more so by her advancing pregnancy which Ms. Carson laughingly refers to as her potential model.  The friends with her are also her models for a few of her more sensuous and emotional drawings.

Her work shows a talent rarely found in that it broadcasts the emotion in the drawing to the person viewing it.  You can feel for yourself just what the characters in her works are feeling.  When a work can make even this jaded reporter feel emotions that is a glorious thing.

The article went on to talk about the other artists that were there and gave glowing praise for them all.  Greg made up two more cups and after refilling his own placed them on a tray with the paper and went upstairs to their bedroom.

Traci had stayed with them last night just as she had since they had invited her in.  When he walked in, the older woman was behind Mandy her breasts pressing against Mandy’s back as she held her close.

He called out their names gently arousing them from their slumber.  As soon as they were awake enough to accept the cups, he sat between them facing the head of the bed and tossed the paper between the two women.  Mandy looked at him curiously as she reached for it.

“There is something that you might want to look at”, he said, keeping his voice neutral.  Mandy opened it up and then gave out a little squeal of delight when she saw the picture of the three of them.  She placed it between her and Traci so they could both read the byline.  Mandy read the words out loud, her voice rising in pitch, as she got further into the article.

By the time they were done, the two of them were hugging each other in happiness.  Greg soon joined them and they were soon expressing their joy with hugs, kisses and caresses.  They had just broken apart when the phone by the bed started to ring.  It was Heather calling to congratulate Mandy on her success.  “You’re on your way now, dear.”  She told her before she hung up.

The rest of the day was a high for them all, and the next day at school was a replay when the article was put on the bulletin board at the Charter school.  Mandy was embarrassed by the attention, but deep down the praise of her peers was more important than any of the attention from the adults.  These teens didn’t judge her for what she may or may not have done, but what her accomplishments were.  It made for a wonderful and important change for her.

Several weeks into the school year, the reason for not having too many male assistants at the charter school became apparent.  Greg was careful to maintain a professional if friendly attitude when he was tutoring in class.  He would spend as much time as needed with any student that was having problems, but he soon noticed that some of the students, especially a few of the younger ones were suddenly developing problems understanding the concepts of lessons that they were fine with just a couple weeks ago.

Ms. Holworth, the teacher that Greg was tutoring for noticed the trend first.  She took Greg aside to explain to him what was happening.  Greg was surprised and a little worried about it since he had not noticed anything amiss other than the increased time he was spending with tutoring in general.  When she explained it to him, the first thing he did was to say that he was doing nothing to contribute to this.

“I know that.  You have been very careful to be as professional as possible,” was Ms. Holworth’s reply.  “It is just the nature of the beast, if you will.  The students, by being all female will naturally flock to a lone male.  I’m sure that if the situation were reversed, boys would be as bad if not even more direct.  I just wanted you to be aware of what was going on.  You are so anxious to provide help to anyone who asks, that you probably not watching for the signs of sexual attraction.”

“You’re right about that.  I never even thought about any of them in that way.”

Ms. Holworth chuckled at that reply.  “I’m sure you didn’t, but don’t tell them that.  They would be crushed that their ploys at being seductive were not having any affect.”  Then she continued more seriously.  “Many of them are feeling very unattractive right now.  Add to that being segregated from the rest of their peers and you have the pieces to ruin their self esteem.”

“Well ma’am, I am not immune to their charms, pregnant or not.  They are all attractive in one way or another.”

“I realize that.  You will have to walk a fine line, but you wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think you could handle it.  You are doing great.  Just don’t let them get to you.”

“I won’t.  And thanks for opening my eyes to what is going on.”  

Greg did take note of what was happening and found out that Ms. Holworth was right.  One girl in particular, a redhead named Kristi, was always standing  *very* close when he tried to explain  some concept to her.  She would make sure to push her breasts against his arm or brush her body against him.

A few days later, Kristi became very bold in her intentions.  The blouse she had on had the top buttons undone exposing the tops of her breasts almost to her nipples when she would lean over, which she did much more than was necessary.  It was taking every bit of self-control that Greg had not to cover them with his mouth.  When she sat back in her seat, she deliberately slid up her skirt to give him a clear view between her legs.  Greg did glance over when she had moved and got a clear shot of her naked pussy.  He immediately moved his gaze back up to her face to see her watching him with a look of lust in her eyes.

“Please don’t do that to me, Kristi.  You are a very attractive woman, but that isn’t why I am here.”

“Who says I am just teasing?” was Kristi’s reply.  To emphasize her remark, she let a finger trace along the top of her slit.

“Thank you for the offer, but I couldn’t.  No matter how sexy you are, I just can’t even think about that.  I am here just to help you in math, but most of all I couldn’t even think about hurting my girlfriend like that.  She means more to me than I can tell you.  Besides, you didn’t need to show me what you have to make me notice you.  You could do that dressed in a nun’s habit.”

Kristi was disappointed, but she pushed her skirt down enough to cover her mons.  “Okay, I understand.”  Then after a short pause, she looked back into his eyes.  “Did you mean it when you said I was sexy?  Even knocked up?”

This was where Greg knew he had to be careful.  “Yes I did.  Being ‘knocked up’ as you put it doesn’t make a difference that you are.  You are a smart girl and pretty to boot.  That you are pregnant doesn’t change any of that.  At least in my opinion, and probably lots of others if they would stop and think about it.”

Kristi was smiling at him now, but her eyes were not full of lust any more.  She really liked Greg and his words had made her feel a bit better after he had turned her down.  She gave him a kiss on the cheek and whispered,  “thanks” in his ear.

He returned her smile with one of his own as he stepped away from her desk.  He held his copy of their textbook over his crotch, desperately willing his erection to subside.  He looked around to see where Ms. Holworth was and saw her watching what had just happened.  When he looked embarrassed, she gave him a smile of her own and a thumbs up for the way he had handled it.

Mandy of course heard about what happened and asked him that night.  After he explained the whole situation, his housemates were almost in tears with his description of the picture Kristi had presented him with.  Mandy teased him by saying, “I’ll bet you about swallowed your tongue when she showed her pussy to you.”

Greg laughed with her, shaking his head at the memory.  “I was wondering if I was going to be able to talk in a normal voice that was for sure.”

“Well my darling, you left her feeling pretty good about herself.  I overheard her and a couple others talking about it in the bathroom.  Kristi was telling them that even though you turned her down flat, you had told her that she was pretty and even sexy.  She thinks you are the absolute best tutor in the whole school.”

“At least she doesn’t hate me for turning her down.  I know that it probably took a lot of guts to do what she did.  I tried to get her to understand that she is worth more than just what is between her legs.”  Then he gave Mandy a leering grin.  “Not that there was anything at all wrong with what was there.”

Mandy gave him a mock scowl and then socked him with a cushion from the end of the couch.  This led to a pillow fight, which in turn led to some very passionate making out.  The evening ended with Greg removing the sweat pants that Mandy was wearing and diving into her pussy eating her to a powerful orgasm.  When she had regained control of her legs, they headed for their bedroom with Greg following her naked ass up the stairs and down the hall.

The Tolkin house became a spot for study groups.  Often, there were three different sets of students using different rooms for their separate subjects.  Break times found the different groups mingling, each finding that the prejudices they held about the other groups were unfounded.  The public school students found that there was nothing at all different about the girls from the charter school.  The idea that they were sluts that didn’t really want to learn vanished, to be replaced with the reality that they were no different than the rest of the student population with the exception they were pregnant.  

The high achievers, or the ‘geeks’ that were taking the advanced courses with Greg were not the total losers that rumor made them out to be.  Once they got comfortable with the charter school girls, they were quite personable and well able to hold a conversation and even started to flirt with the girls.  The girls loved the attention, basking in the thought that the guys found them desirable.

Traci’s college friends found out that not all the high school students were immature. Likewise, the students from both schools realized that not all college students were arrogant and superior.   The discussions that would crop up afterward would often give both sides a new outlook on the subject.  All in all, each group benefited from the others and found that their grades reflected that.

It was during one of the multiple study sessions that Mandy went into labor.  She had been feeling tired that day and had stayed upstairs lying down.  Greg had taken a break to go up and check on her.  When he found the bed empty, he went into the bathroom where he found her sitting on the floor.  She said that her water had broken and she was feeling what must have been labor pains.  They were still ten minutes apart so Greg went down and told everybody that the study sessions had to be cut short.  Then it was the call to Dr. Simmons who told him to go ahead and get her to the hospital.  

On the way, Mandy kept fretting about it being too soon.  She wasn’t due for another four weeks.  Even though she had been told that pregnancies to teen girls often resulted in premature births, she had been sure that she would make it all the way.  Now, she was worrying that there was going to be something very wrong with the baby.  Greg kept trying to reassure her but in his own mind he was harboring the same thoughts.   They were not too far away from the hospital and with Greg driving hard, they made it within ten minutes.

Greg pulled up to the entrance and went inside for a wheelchair.  An orderly went out with him and wheeled Mandy in while Greg got her suitcase and the goodie bag that they had organized with the things that would make Mandy’s labor a bit more comfortable.  She was taken down to one of the labor/birthing rooms while Greg completed what was left of the paperwork.

One nurse was reluctant to let Greg into the room since he wasn’t the father, but when Elizabeth showed up and explained that Greg was Mandy’s coach, the woman relented.

Even better news, Elizabeth was one of the nurses on duty that night and she talked the other nurse into letting her take care of Mandy.  Since Mandy was beginning to feel very unsure and uncomfortable, having a familiar face would be a blessing.

They got Mandy changed into the hospital gown between contractions and Elizabeth did her first examination.  “Well, you are definitely in labor.  You’re dilated to three centimeters so that is a good start.  Since you are thirty-six weeks along and already this far along, Dr. Simmons has decided to let the labor go on.  Greg, don’t forget your job now as coach is to make sure she is comfortable as possible.  There is a machine down the hall that has ice chips and she can have the suckers you brought now.  I’ll be back in a while to see how you are doing.”

When Traci showed up, she was allowed to come into the room to relieve Greg so he could call his mom and then the schools to let them know they wouldn’t be in the next day.  Heather said she would be there as soon as she could.  Greg told her that it would probably be a long while, but she told him that Mandy should have a mother there, even if it wasn’t her own.

He then made a call that he dreaded.  He called Mandy’s mother and father.  There was no answer, but he left a message on their machine telling them that their daughter was in labor and where they were if they wished to show up.

Then it was back in the room.  Mandy was now equipped with a monitor around her stomach that was measuring the baby’s heart rate.  She was doing pretty well, handling the pain of the contractions since they were not too close together yet.  Within an hour, Heather arrived and traded places with Traci so she could visit a while with Mandy.  Greg’s mother was as excited about the birth as if it were her own grandchild.  She tried to think of anything that Mandy needed or wanted, and was very tender with her when she held her hand and stroked her face during the contractions.    It was then that Greg was finally convinced that his mom really wanted to be included in their lives.  He made a mental note to really work at healing their relationship.

When Dr. Simmons came in and checked on Mandy she announced that everything was going, as it should.  Mandy was now at 6 centimeters and the contractions were coming closer.  The doctor also asked for a pediatrician to be on alert and an incubator be brought in.  Mandy and Greg both were worried about this, but Dr. Simmons assured them both that it was just a normal precaution for any premature delivery.

Jennifer Adelle Carson came kicking and screaming into the world at 5:15 in the morning.  She weighed five pounds, six ounces which was pretty good for being four weeks early.  While Dr. Simmons was finishing up, the pediatrician was checking her over before she was cleaned up and placed on her mother’s chest.  Mandy held and stroked the little girl for several minutes until she was placed in the incubator and taken to the neo-natal unit for a complete check up.  Mandy was exhausted after nine hours of labor and she drifted off as soon as Elizabeth gave her something in her IV.  Greg went out to tell his mom and Traci, then to make the second set of calls.  Both women had tears in their eyes and hugged him soundly.  He promised to take them back as soon as he could to see both mother and baby.  

Jennifer’s doctor, a man in his mid-fifties with graying hair and a kind, gentle face, came out to talk to Greg and the group.  “I tried to talk to the mother, but she was out of it enough that I am afraid that she will not remember what I have told her.  But I imagine that you are concerned about the child.”

“She was borderline premature.  The cutoff for a normal gestation is thirty-seven weeks, and the baby is thirty-six.  Her weight is just a few ounces off of the norm as well.  In all, I would say that she is very healthy considering.  She is severely jaundiced, and we will keep her under lights to help with that.  We also want to keep her in controlled temperature for a while to make sure she can regulate her temperature on her own.

“The good news is that I can’t find any of the problems associated with premies.  She responds to external sounds, she is breathing well on her own.  We will want to keep an eye on other things for quite a while, but as far as I am concerned, she seems to be a perfect newborn.  Congratulations to you and the mother.”

Greg was the first to shake his hand and thank him for the update.  Heather asked if they needed to do anything special at home.  She was assured that it wouldn’t probably be necessary.  She added her thanks to Greg’s before the doctor walked off.  Then they all went up to the NICU to get their first good look at Jennifer.

The nurse on duty brought Jennifer to the observation window.  She was asleep, but to the three adults she looked to be perfect in every way.  They had her eyes covered but otherwise she was naked.  She had all the right amount of fingers and toes, and all the other parts needed.  However in the bed they had her in, she did look very tiny.

As he watched his mother fawning over this baby, he briefly wondered if she had been that excited about him.  He forced that from his mind, reminding himself that she was really trying to make a turn around in her life and this child just might be part of it.

After leaving the NICU, the women went on home to try and get a little sleep while Greg opted to stay in Mandy’s room so he would be there when she woke up.  He settled into the chair at the foot of her bed and soon fell asleep himself.

Mandy stayed in the hospital for three days since she had lost more blood than normal during the delivery.  Dr. Simmons stretched her stay just a bit in order for her to be strong enough to handle the days ahead.  Actually, she was letting her stay near Jennifer as much as possible without having to drive back and forth.

The couple was kept busy with visitors from different departments and agencies of the hospital as well as friends.  Mandy’s principal came by to give her a card and a bouquet from the school.  A couple of the teachers came by as well, and to Mandy’s surprise, the coeds that studied at their house paid a visit.  By the time she was discharged, Mandy was looking forward to getting a little rest at home.