AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you all for your votes and support. Please keep comments coming. This chapter marks the end of this series - beginning with 'Helping Jenn Move.' I'm a little surprised at ending myself. Hopefully you like it and we'll move onto the next series.
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Eis.
The next few weeks were tumultuous to say the least. Jenn was nearly ready to have the baby - due at any time. Her belly was the enormous distended dome of someone who looks like they're going to spit out triplets. She had been having some pretty heavy contractions lately as well.
Her former case-worker had authorized some occasional assistance with late-term prenatal care. This entailed a visiting nurse coming to the apartment occasionally to check up on her and to act as a midwife should the moment arise. She didn't do much and Jenn was feeling fine and looking forward to giving birth to our child.
Sandra wasn't much further behind her but she was very busy helping Jenn out. Her own belly was like a neat tight basketball. Unlike Jenn, Sandra kept her figure very well through a combination of diet and exercise.
The bed was big enough for the three of us to share. Sleeping was still an issue though as Jenn's size and condition made it difficult to get comfortable. Additionally, both girls were still a bundle of hormones and at any given time during the day or night one or both of them would be acting on ways to decrease their sexual cravings. I sometimes worried that making love with one or both of them, particularly Jenn, would set set the birthing process in motion.
My job was taking a lot of my time as well. Well not necessarily my job per se, but rather someone at my job.
About three weeks ago Meg, a lovely girl I work with, and I went out for dinner and drinks. To make a longish story short, I wasn't entirely honest about my relationship status, for what should be obvious reasons. After dinner, we kissed and made love in her car. Meg was indeed my friend and I had definitely thought about her in a sexual way, but this was a case where my little head did the thinking and life was becoming complicated.
You see, Meg was also a virgin. Hard to believe that at thirty-five she had never been with another man, but with taking care of her disabled mother and her job, she'd never quite found the right guy. Unfortunately, she thought I was the right guy.
This would have been great under any other circumstances. Meg was a pure innocent soul. She was kind and beautiful and I was way too unworthy of her affection. Hiding my secret life was difficult, though. I did nothing to distance myself from her because I didn't want to lose her, but the closer we became, the more she wanted our lives to be connected. As it should be for normal people, but there were things about me she should never know.
I extended myself to her wishes as much as I could. I went to visit her mother at their house. She was a kind woman in a wheelchair who was very proud that her daughter now had a 'boyfriend.' She hoped she'd be seeing more of me.
I remember Meg taking me downstairs to show me the memorabilia of her life on one of these visits. We looked through photo albums of her and her mum. One thing became very clear - Meg was very much alone. As bad as I felt staying with her, I felt worse thinking about the conversation telling her I was leaving. Not to mention, I would still have to see her at work every day.
Meg was also so willing to give herself to me in every way - perhaps making up for lost time. On one of the visits to her house, we were making love in her bed. It was only the third time we'd ever been together - and only the third time she'd had a man inside her - when she moved off of me and got down on all fours. Reaching into her nightstand she fumbled around and pulled out a small tube of Wet Silk which she blindly handed to me.
"In case you want to have sex with me anally," she said.
I resisted, in perhaps the one time I could be accused of being considerate.
This was typical of Meg. She was always only concerned about my happiness no matter how little I offered her or how quickly I left her to get back to the girls. She was happy with the smallest piece.
One crisp spring day, Meg and I were out having lunch. We were talking about nothing in particular when my phone rang. It was Sandra. I didn't dare answer it in front of Meg so I let it go to voicemail.
My phone kept vibrating however. I excused myself to use the bathroom and tried to call Sandra back. There was no answer and when I heard the voicemail, it was a jumble of blips and scratches. I emerged to see Meg on her own cell in conversation.
"So you're going to meet them there? Ae the police going or will the security staff be enough?" she asked.
"Thanks so much for taking this over. I owe you....Yes, I'll definitely call you later to see how things made out," she concluded and joined me back at the table.
"What was that about?" I asked.
"Oh, remember that case I was telling you about where the kids might have to be removed?" she replied.
I did remember.
"Well I handed that back to the colleague who referred it to me. She's heading to the hospital now to remove a newborn from its mother. Pretty hairy stuff. I just can't do the taking babies from their mother thing again. I think I'm going to do more of helping the disabled now. I'm more cut out for that anyway," she said with a relieved smile.
"Really, what brought this on?" I asked.
"I guess that's what I wanted to talk to you about. There are always dangers in social work and that goes for any division of it but child welfare is probably the most dangerous," she started.
"You're worried about your safety? You're a tough girl Meg," I offered.
"Well, I know that. I used to work in the child welfare division, I think because I was letting clients act as substitutes for things I didn't have in my own life. I guess since you and I have 'been together,' I feel like I don't have to substitute anymore."
I was about to let myself feel like a heel when my phone vibrated again. It was Sandra. I excused myself to take it.
Sandra's voice was cutting out but I could clearly hear the words 'Jenn' and 'baby.'
I stated slowly and calmly that I'd meet her at the hospital, hoping she'd understand through the static. I went to Meg and said I needed to get to the hospital for a client and asked if she'd drive me back to my car. I left a twenty on the table and we walked out.
On the way back to the office, Meg said, "I'd like us to be able to finish our talk. There was more I've got to tell you."
"Yeah, me too. I've got some stuff to talk to you about too," I replied.
"Nothing bad, I hope?" she said, a look of panic in her eyes.
"No, no. But it sounded like you wanted a discussion," I said.
At the stop light, she leaned over to kiss me.
"A discussion. I would like that," she answered smiling. I leaned over to kiss he soft lips in return until the light turned green.
A horn beeped behind us and Meg pulled forward.
"Hey," she said, "Did you ever bring that file to your friend?"
Inside my head, I smacked myself. She was speaking of Jenn's adoptive records. They were actually hidden inside my case and truthfully we'd all been too busy to remember them.