Time was crawling on, much slower than when I was a ball of walking anxiety waiting for Josh to come home so I could tell him everything. It was now August, and it was now Josh's birthday. Ah yes, my love finally turns twenty, and's now an adult. Hah. I can call him old now.

For his birthday, however, he's getting two 'celebrations', for want of a better word. Tonight, i.e. his actual birthday, he's going out with Dan and Taylor, the rest of the band and some of their old mates from school, and they're going to the fancy bar in the town.

I can't drink, and none of my clothes actually fit me anymore (I'm now relying on denim shorts and Josh's t-shirts and crewnecks) so I'm spending the night with my sister Sarah and we're gonna do stuff, I'm just unsure what. I think she's lowkey babysitting me, but are just too polite to say it. Then, maybe like tomorrow or the next day, Josh and I are going to see Toy Story 3, so that's kinda how we're celebrating his birthday. We're going to see a kid's movie and we highly don't care.

---

At around five, Josh started getting ready before Dan picked him up at half six. I, on the other hand, was my usual lazy self, and lay in bed watching stuff on Kerrang! TV. Sarah was coming round at seven, so I was trying but failing to muster the energy to get up off the bed, as I'd literally sat here all day after I had my shower, as Josh went to Sainsbury's with Matt before I was ready. Along with watching the TV, I was listening to Josh swearing about not finding something.

"I can't fucking find my Bring Me t-shirt, have you seen it, Rach?" He asked, and I looked him blankly. He'd been at his wardrobe for ten minutes completely dressed minus a shirt and his VANS, and was having a meltdown. Is this what us girls are like?

"Youve about ten Bring Me t-shirts, love, which one exactly?" I was trying my best to be patient. It wasn't going so well.

"The one with all the neon on it, y'know the one."

"I do, its in the wash because you spilled coffee on it the other day."

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Does it look like I am?" I said that more harshly than intended.

"No, sorry. I just wanted to wear that shirt, that's all. I'll find something else, don't worry."

"You've plenty of time, just sit down and watch this with me for a minute. Or dry your hair. Your call." I patted the spot next to me then pointed to my hairdryer, but Josh chose the former and sat next to me. I knew he would. I'm too good to pass up.

"Y'know, in all this time since I found out about the baby and becoming a dad and everything, we haven't decided on a single baby name. At all." He wasn't wrong. I sighed and paused the tv, before resting my hands on Bump for a minute while I thought.

"I did. I was so sure it was going to be a boy, so I was going to name it after you, as I was afraid you'd hit the roof when you found out so I was going to use that move to butter you up. I never really gave much thought with girls names, ironically. I suppose, since you did win the bet, you can choose our daughter's name aswell as feeding her anytime she looks for a bottle. And don't try to use the "breastfeeding excuse", I haven't decided if I'm breastfeeding yet of not. I have been considering it, though, since Mum did it with me and I'm rarely ever sick."

"I wasn't going to use the "breastfeeding excuse", calm. I don't mind feeding the baby, since I opted to do it. You needn't think I'm going to fuck off and leave you, though, because I'm not going anywhere, I promise. We're raising this child together, y'know. I have, in fact, been thinking about names for a while now, more so since we found out it'll be a girl. I think Isabelle or Charlotte are quite nice and unusual, and since Izzy and Lottie are nice like, short names. As for Baby's middle-name, it'll obviously be Rachel. That was a given." He's so cute, God bless.

"Oh yeah, they're- oh fuck." I got a really bad pain in my lower stomach, as in under my bellybutton (I bloody hate that word, mind). This didn't feel normal. At all.

"What? What's wrong?" Josh looked like he was going to pass out.

"I've just got a shock of really bad pain, that's all. It's probably nothing."

"Oh God are you going into labor?" He turned a shade whiter.

"No, just don't think so. My waters haven't broke, so I don't think it's labor. I'll be fine in a second." But no. Wonder-Boy didn't believe me.

"C'mere. I've an idea. Sit between my legs, because I think I know what's happening."

"Are you out of your mind?"

"Does it look like I am?" Thinks he's great, using my own sarcastic remarks against me. Loser. I did as he'd asked, however, and once I'd gotten comfortable, he put his hands on my stomach where it hurt.

"Joshua, babe, what in the Lord's name are you doing? You're worrying me, quit it." I tried moving his hands off my stomach, but he kept them firmly there.

"I know what I'm doing. Just keep quiet for a second, and we'll see if the pain comes back." He'd officially lost the plot.

---

No more than five m8 mutes later, mind, I felt that lain again. It wasn't so bad this time round, and it barely hurt. Josh knew exactly what it was, and when I turned around to see what he had to say, he just smiled and kissed me. I was confused, but that was just baby-brain.

"I knew it, Rach. It's nothing serious, but I could feel it, myself. The baby just kicked. Baby's kicking. She's fighting to get out, now." He said, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then she's a cheeky little bugger, isn't she? Felt like I'd the wind knocked out of me." I found myself laughing at this for no apparent reason, and then this caused Josh to laugh, and we sat on the bed like a pair of psychos laughing for about ten minutes at the fact that our daughter's started kicking. There wasn't even anything funny about it, like. It's normal during pregnancy? I need to chill.

"Right, I'm going to finish getting ready, and find some sort of t-shirt to wear. Please tell me you've at least got a suggestion?" He was desperate. Even I'm not as bad as this getting ready, and that says something.

"Dry your hair and I'll find something. Just know, you owe me." I rolled my eyes and got up, and found a t-shirt for him within two minutes. It was just a black All Time Low one with "@alltimelow, your new album sucks - nothing personal" written on it in blue. I think it was just because I liked the t-shirt. We got it at one of their shows last year. Good times.

---

Josh left when Matt came over to pick him up (I mean that's a bit bloody obvious, but I'm suffering from baby-brain (I wonder how long I can milk that excuse for)) and Sarah came over not long after.

She's been away up in Newcastle for the last year doing stuff (all top secret, apparently), so I haven't seen her since before I got pregnant, so she was a little shocked at first at the size of me since I'd only told her and talked to her on the phone, but happy nonetheless. She took it way, way better than Dan. Even Josh took it better than Dan, and he wouldn't talk to me.

"D'you want tea, Sare?" I asked, being all hospitable and the nice little sister that I am.

"No, I'm good thanks, Rach. Sit down, though, and tell me what I've missed." Sarah motioned for me to come over next to her, so I followed suit, and sat next to her on the couch, while low-key eyeing up the movie on the tv. It was Bride Wars. "So, what's happened since I've gone, eh?"

"Well, I'm having a baby."

"I know, silly. I mean what else has happened?"

"Nothing much. Sam gave me a job for when I come back from maternity leave, Dan temporarily hated me for getting pregnant so young, Dan hated Josh for getting me pregnant, Taylor played Jeremy Kyle and got things sorted though I'm thinking that Dan was bribed in some way to man-up, and uhh, that's about it. I haven't spoken to Mum since I told her, as she went bloody berserk."

"You've been through a lot then, haven't you? But you know what Dan's like, he's been really overprotective of you since Dad died. And as for Mum, I would've thought the opposite. I was in with her the other day and she was gushing about it! Absolutely delighted to be a gran! Maybe she was just shocked at first, I don't know, but I'm telling you, she's chuffed now."

"Definitely didn't seem like it a few weeks back. She literally chewed Josh's head off, he was telling me she went on and on about how me and him were crazy about what we were doing and how he should've made sure I was on birth control and blah blah blah. And besides, Josh full-well knows I'm not on birth control because it made me gain weight, so it's not as if he's clueless about his own girlfriend, like."

"It's just a lot to take in, I guess, for you aswell. But look, that's all in the past, so just leave it. We're all excited more than anything else for this baby girl to arrive, y'know. I think Josh is the most excited, though, since I was talking to him the other day. Couldn't be happier."

"That's probably because he's drinking a lot of coffee lately, and he's buzzed on it. He barely talked to me for a week when he found out, and I'd say he would've went longer had I not been in a heap over everything. He's stubborn, y'know. Don't even get me started on Dan. I swear I had a premonition of him murdering Josh and being sent to jail. He wasn't far off, let me tell you." I was getting all stressy and annoyed. God, men can be as useful and understanding as a pile of leaves sometimes.

"Easy, Rach. Again, it's all in the past, so build a bridge and get over it. Focus on the now, and getting yourself ready to actually give birth to your daughter. You've got, what, three months left? You've gotta make those three months count. Are you doing up the spare room?"

"I suppose, but I just can't stop dwelling on it, to be honest. Oh, yeah, I'm just not sure when. I know Josh really wants to do it up, but he thinks its better to wait a while so as that I'm not breathing in the chemicals."

"Okay, fair enough, you seem to have that sorted. Baby names?"

"That's Josh's job aswell. We'd a bet to see who'd correctly guess the baby's gender, and the winner got the job of doing the baby's feedings and loser gets to change the baby's nappies. He won, obviously, and I said he cold choose Baby's name too. He likes either Isabelle or Charlotte, and Rachel for the middle name."

"God, you seem to know your stuff. Are you breastfeeding?"

"Dunno, haven't decided. I'm considering it, since Mum did it with us and we turned out fine. Get back to me on that."

"Then you're sorted. You could do with a haircut, though. It's getting a bit on the long side." Like that had to do with anything. "I've got time, want me to do it?"

"Uh.."

"Aw c'mon, Rach, please?" I suppose she was right, my hair WAS quite long; nearly halfway down my back, to be exact.

"Fine, if it'll help you sleep at night." Would I regret this? Maybe.

---

An hour and a bath later (told you I live in the bath) and I saw it. My hair, I mean. All I could do was scream. I walked out of the bedroom still only wrapped in a towel and my underwear (not the least I've worn in the presence of others; one time, myself and Josh were getting ready to go out and as per usual, I was late getting ready. I'd completely forgotten that Dan and Matt were here, and I walked out of the bedroom to get Josh to get me a scissors to cut the tag off of my dress in nothing but a (very nice and expensive, might I add) Victoria's Secret wine lace bra and thong. They (excluding Josh obviously since he's seen it all before) were scarred for life) went out to the living room to tell Sarah what I thought. I was supposed to do so once I'd dried my hair.

"Oh God, Sarah, what've you done?" I shrieked. I was shocked. My once long hair was now just past my shoulders, the shortest it's ever been.

"You don't like it?" She seemed confused, but I shook my head.

"I bloody love it! It was way too long beforehand, but I've never had the time to get it done! Thank you!" And here we are, me covered in baby powder while wearing (yet more Victoria's Secret) my underwear and a 101 Dalmatians towel and Sarah in skinny jeans and her boyfriend David's 'The Smiths' t-shirt, standing while hugging each other in a squealing mess. Flashback to our childhood.

"Oh Lord, its fine! The shorter length suits you better and you actually look older, but in the best way possible. I'm glad you like it! Tell you what, mind, if you've got wax in your stash in the bathroom, I'll wax your eyebrows for you, if you want."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, sure, its no odds. You'll look fantastic going into the hospital to pop this baby out by November."

"So you honestly don't mind? But I'm drawing the line at my eyebrows, and maybe my legs. I'm booked for a bikini-wax next week, so that's a no-go."

"Good, because I wasn't offering that service."

"I was talking about me giving myself a bikini-wax, not you, Sare."

"Right then. We'll get right to it, because Love Actually is on at nine and I don't want to miss it."

---

I looked bloody fantastic by the time Sarah was finished doing all of my beauty needs (we waxed my legs aswell and drowned them with a cold damp cloth before I tanned myself with St. Tropez gradual tan), and I hope that Josh fucking appreciates this time and effort aswell, since it doesn't look like he's dating Rachel The Troll anymore.

Buall but all in all, I'm going to look extremely fab popping my little daughter out of my birth canal in about three months time (even though I'll have both Sarah and Taylor fussing over me by then). True.

Notes

Bring Me are legends though, breathe if you agree

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