Chapter 6: Knock Me Up Inside

Rosemary learns to live with her pregnancy, but has to work up the courage to let others in her life know about it.

Following a walk back home in complete silence, the first thing Rosemary does upon entering the house is lay down in the master bedroom. She stuffs both hands up her shirt to cradle her stomach, trying to see if she can feel the fetus developing inside her. Words fail her as she tries to process what's going on. It seems like only yesterday when she was first escorted to this mansion so Mark Jr. could act as her witness protector for the entire summer of 2042, quickly becoming smitten at the sight of his thin, gold glasses and curly black hair, of course in addition to his personality and mannerisms.

The two quickly hit it off and became a couple during that time, and once autumn came around, she decided to move in with him. And now, barely a year into their marriage, Rosemary is officially pregnant with his baby, with Mark Jr. being none the wiser. By now, she's completely lost count as to how many times the two have engaged in sexual activity, though she does remember that they never even once forgot to use protection, including the time when they did it the night before he joined the army. But then again, even in 2045, condoms are only 85% effective in pregnancy-prevention.

Kinda' surprised that Cedric guy hasn't invented a completely effective one yet, she thinks to herself. Or better yet, one that's tear-resistant and can be cleaned out instead of thrown away after one use.

Rosemary can't help but feel a bit of guilt at this. Yes, this didn't occur until after the two were married, but she still feels as though it's a bit too soon for children, especially seeing how she's only twenty-six. She wonders what her highly Christian parents would think about this, for they've told her that she was never even conceived until roughly five years into their marriage, at which point they were both over thirty. There's also the matter of her mother-in-law Katrina; how would she react to this news? Would she merely tease her about getting knocked up so quickly, or be a bit more disappointed? After all, she's not even sixty and won't be for another few years. What would her reaction be to becoming a grandmother at such a young age?

So many thoughts are crammed into Rosemary's brain at once as her situation slowly sinks in. However, one thing is for certain: she is going to keep the baby. In spite of her faith, she has always been pro-choice, but has been permanently terrified of abortion clinics after she almost entered one after a rape-induced pregnancy. Only for a smarmy mob boss to talk her out of it and then convert her child into a psychopathic criminal. From that point on, she decided that she would never place another kid into someone else's hands.

Not to mention she's rich now, so it's not like having a child would ruin her life or anything. The only problem with this decision is that she is now forced to tell someone else about this, but first she feels the need to let her embryo know.

"Hey there little guy... or gal. Just a few months left until ya' finally get a taste of the world," she whispers as she caresses her gut. "Lord knows how excited I am to know you're in there. I'll do everything I can to make sure nothing hurts you, both in and out of the womb, and I can't wait to see your face for the first time."

Rosemary tears up a bit as she speaks, before letting out a sigh and slowly standing up. Maybe she can get some more housework in while she thinks of a way to tell the others in her life. For the rest of the day, she endures the back pain, cravings, and mood swings that come with a pregnancy, her body slowly but surely getting adjusted to the decreased lung and stomach capacity. More and more days pass by, during which the changes keep coming a lot more quickly than she initially assumed. She finds herself trading in her ruched crop tops, ribbed sweaters, and velour track pants for baggy sweatsuits in order to hide her growing bump, also phasing out bright colors and sticking to dark ones. Yet no matter the fit or color of her clothing, it seems that nothing can hide her expanding chest, and her rapidly darkening areolas are permanently hardened, refusing to be staved off by any type of bra.

As Rosemary works, she finds herself tiring out more frequently, and often has to sit down to take a break before getting back up again. She begins to eat more lightly and nutritiously, finding it more ideal to consume a small snack every couple of hours instead of gorging herself with three meals per day. Every night, she makes a conscious effort to apply less pressure when cleaning her crotch and abdomen in the shower and makes sure not to sleep on her stomach, oftentimes adopting the same position as her baby. It's also during these times when she can't help but cradle her gut yet again, both anxious and thrilled at the thought of getting a second chance at motherhood that she's been subconsciously craving for ages.

It dawns on her that she will soon need to start leaving the house for monthly ultrasound tests, which will serve as yet another obstacle to her work-filled routine. At this point, she's not surprised that the complications of a pregnancy are forcing her to wind down and take things easy. Rosemary has always believed that children are gifts from God, so maybe this present is his way of telling her to stop working and relax, or maybe something corny like "Slow down and smell the roses" or "Be sure to enjoy the finer things in life".

Rosemary quietly chuckles at that thought as she continues to stroke her ever-swelling belly, whispering to her child all the while, and repeatedly wishing there was some way to tell Mark Jr. about what's going on here. But since there isn't, she knows her best bet is to tell Katrina... assuming she can work up the courage to do so.