VALERIE'S MORNING SICKNESS had seemed to get worse as the days went on. It had been a week since Valerie had told John she was pregnant, and they still hadn't said anything to the band.

    For reasons unknown to John, Valerie was anxious to tell anyone else for fear they might hate her for it. John told her it was ridiculous, and was met with tears many times after stating this.

     Valerie had gotten rather hormonal, which was a bit rattling for John, because he sometimes didn't know how to react despite having a sister.

     Her students could tell something was up, too, especially with Valerie becoming more sensitive to certain smells.

"These kids are more observant that Freddie, and you know Freddie." Valerie said one day when John was visiting her at work. She was on her lunch break, so John stopped by to eat lunch with her as he had been doing every day that week when he and the band weren't busy doing interviews.

      Valerie and John sat in her office at her desk by the window,  the sunlight bouncing off the wood and giving Valerie an ethereal glow that made it impossible for John to stop gazing at her.

      "That's too observant, then. Good luck with that." John replied around a mouthful of leftover enchiladas that Valerie had made the night before.

      "I've been waiting to tell them, but knowing them, they probably already know." Valerie said, subconsciously placing a hand on a bump that was barely starting to form. She was nearly twelve weeks along, which is when her nurse said she would start to show.

      She was wearing a forest green sweater that was two sizes too big, but still made her look stunning (especially to John). Valerie found that shirts one or two sizes bigger did the job at concealing her stomach. For now, it was easy to hide the pregnancy because she wasn't as far along.

       "We've got to tell the band soon. I've asked them over this weekend." Valerie said as she ate some of her enchiladas, zoning out slightly, staring at a bird outside the window until John took her hand that was resting on her stomach, intertwining their fingers together.

       "It's going to be okay. I predict they'll all be very excited for you," John said fondly as he gazed at Valerie, who glanced at him and blushed slightly.

      "My mother on the other hand..... I'm not ready for that." Valerie said with a sigh as she ate one of her enchiladas and bits of avocado.

"She's going to be just fine with it, Valerie, I promise you." John said, lightly rubbing his thumb across her hand softly.

      "I hope so," Valerie said, comforted by John's small action of affection.

"Have you been thinking about names?" John asked Valerie after the two of them sat comfortably in the silence as they often did.

"Not that much. I have a few in mind, but I think I don't want to decide until we meet the baby, y'know?" Valerie said, gazing out the large window in her room. John watched her fondly, his gaze soft as he still tried to process the fact that him and Valerie were going to have a baby together. He couldn't believe he'd be a dad.

        "John?" Valerie asked, touching his forearm lightly when he had missed her question about whether or not he had been thinking about names too.

      "What's wrong?" She asked as she ate another bite of her lunch, not taking her gaze off of him as she leaned down to reach her forkful of food.

"Oh, nothing. I just love you is all." John said simply, and Valerie couldn't help but laugh shyly.

"What? It's true. I really do." John insisted, shrugging at her as a smile formed in his face. He brought her hand up to his lips and planted a light kiss on her knuckles, watching her go red.

"The curses of being pale. I'm blushing, aren't I?" Valerie asked when John had reached over to touch her cheek affectionately.

"Yes, but it's cute." John told her, smiling when she rolled her eyes at him.

"You and your flattery,"

"But it's true, my love." John said, leaning in to kiss Valerie, but being interrupted by the loud bell that marked it as the next class. Valerie's students would be showing up soon.

      "Just one kiss. I've got kids coming up soon." Valerie said, and John groaned softly, nudging her hand.

"But more later?" John asked, his nose touching hers and making her laugh.

"Of course," Valerie said, giving John a tender kiss before helping him pack up his lunch so that he could leave.

He got to meet a few of her students before he headed out, waving goodbye to Valerie from the doorway before turning to leave, the chipped wood doors closing behind him.
*****

"College students are horrible! You think you'd be able to handle them because you used to be one, but damn. I was very wrong." Valerie complained that weekend while she was in the backyard with the band.

Valerie looked normal. Healthy even, so the bad didn't say anything and figured John really just had been happy to see her.

      She had come back out with glasses of lemonade that Brian was absolutely delighted to have, because he thought Valerie's lemonade was the best.

"Just think of how your professors felt having to deal with you," Roger teased as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered one to John and Valerie, who both shook their heads, the two of them sharing a quick glance before Valerie sipped he'd lemonade slowly,  self consciously messing with the hem of her slightly loose floral shirt.

"That's rich coming from you." Brian spoke with a shake of his curls, laughing when Roger flicked his arm.

"I was very good in all my classes,"

"Professor Brown would bed to differ." Brian countered, referring to Roger's chemistry teacher that he disliked. In all honesty, Professor Brown was a very bitter man that didn't like Roger because he was always late, so naturally, Roger would always make snide comments in his class.

"Professor Brown hated everyone." Roger reminded him, and Brian shrugged.

"But you most of all," Valerie said, patting Roger's arm and winking at Brian, who had laughed loudly. She had said exactly what Brian was thinking.

Roger was shaking his head, laughing, as he reached into his pockets and pulled out a match to light his cigarette.

     "Actually," Valerie said quickly, looking at John quickly. He gave her an almost imperceptible nod before she continued. "I don't think you should smoke, Roger."

     "A PSA again? Valerie, I know it's bad for my voice and all that, but you don't have to remind me every time I smoke a cigarette." Roger said, and Valerie shook her head at him.

      "It is bad for your voice, but it's not that. I think you might want to lay off the smoking for a bit. Least while I'm around." Valerie said, messing with the charm bracelet on her wrist to avoid the looks of everyone around the table. She could tell at least one of them was starting to catch on.

      "And why's that, Val?" Brian asked, setting his lemonade glass down and raising an eyebrow at her.

     Valerie glanced up from her anxious fiddling, glancing around the table at everyone's facial expressions. John was trying so hard to contain his smile; it was unbearably adorable.

     "Well," Valerie said, drawing in a deep breath. " I just don't think it's good for the baby." Valerie said, punctuating the end of her sentence by sipping her lemonade, a smile edging at the side of her mouth as she looked around the table again.

     Freddie was the first to react. He gave a loud shriek of excitement that startled Valerie as he knocked his chair over while he stood up,  walking straight over to Valerie's chair. "You're pregnant! You've got to be joking." He shouted, a huge grin on his face as Valerie shook her head at him to confirm that she was not in fact joking.

     The next thing she knew, he had her wrapped in a hug and had lifted her off the ground, exclaiming loudly about how he couldn't wait to be an uncle. It made Valerie laugh as she hugged Freddie tightly, delighted that he was so happy.

     "Happy? Darling, I'm elated! Now, I'm more of a cat person, but just imagine a little you or a little John running about. Oh! How adorable. And I can't wait to teach him or her piano." Freddie gushed, glancing down at Valerie's stomach quickly and clicking his tongue.

     "And that's why you went shopping without me. I would've chosen much better clothes, dear, I can tell you that."  Freddie said, and Valerie laughed, giving Freddie a nudge as he laughed and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

    "Is it a boy or a girl?"  Roger asked, as he was already up on his feet, pushing Freddie aside so that he might hug his friend.

     "It's a baby, that's all I know. It's too early to know the gender."  Valerie said while Roger enveloped her in a hug, telling her a congratulations.

     "You better name it after me," Roger joked,  unable to wipe the smile off of his face as he went over to give John a hug as well, making a joke that Valerie didn't hear, but that made John laugh loudly.

      "Roger's delusional. His name is so lame. My name on the other hand..." Brian said, trailing off as he wrapped Valerie in a hug,  the last one to congratulate her.

      "Your name is lame too,  Brian,  let's not ignore the facts." Valerie teased, relaxing in Brian's arms, her head resting on his chest as she hugged him tightly. He was the one she had been most nervous to tell, just because she didn't know how he might take it.

      Of course, her worries were for nothing. Brian was not blood related to her, but he was the closest thing she had to a brother. The two of them were most likely closer than John and Julie were, and they always told each other everything and listened with an open mind.

     So of course Brian would've been excited for her,  and excited for John, too. He would be the first father out of all of them, and Valerie the first mother.

      "I can't wait to meet him. Or her. I want to teach them guitar, and about the stars. But of course, you can do that too. Oh, Valerie, you're going to be a fantastic mother."  Brian said, pulling away from the hug to wipe away a few tears on her face.

      "Hormones. I'm sorry. I cry about everything now." Valerie sniffled, laughing as Brian used the sleeve of his sweater to mop of the tears that had soaked her cheeks slightly.

      "It's okay, that's how it goes," Brian replied understandingly.

     "Honestly,  I'm a bit scared to be a mom. I mean, I don't know what I'm going to do,  Brian. What if they hate me?"  Valerie asked, voicing a concern that she had only talked briefly about with John because she'd fallen asleep before they could go in depth about it.

       "Are you joking? You're going to be great. I mean, sure,  you're going to make mistakes along the way, but that's a part of it. I wasn't perfect at playing guitar at first. And my mum always says it took her well into my teenage years to realize she didn't have to be perfect.  So you don't either, Valerie." Brian said, hugging Valerie again when she started to cry even more.

       "I had a feeling you'd know just what to say,  Brian. And to think I was afraid to tell you." Valerie said through her tears, allowing Brian to wipe them away again as he leaned down to give the top of her head a kiss.

      "I'm always bragging about how great I am with your cousins. We all know I'm going to be the best uncle," Brian said, saying the last sentence loud enough for Freddie and Roger to hear.

      "I hate to disagree-"

     "No you don't, Fred."

     "But I would spoil that child better than any of you could," Freddie said with a firm nod. Brian turned to Valerie, his arm wrapped around her shoulder, and she shrugged at him, not managing to contain a smile on her face.

      "He's got a point, Bri," Valerie said,  and Brian rolled his eyes when Freddie gave him an I-told-you-so look.

     "But between you and me," whispered Valerie to Brian. "You're going to be the best uncle." She said,  grinning as Brian gave her shoulders a squeeze.

     "'Course I am. I'm basically your family, aren't I?" Brian said,  and Valerie felt another wave of emotions as she gave a nod, the two of them sitting back down in their chairs.

      Valerie, who was sitting next to John, intertwined her fingers with his under the table and gave his hand a squeeze.

      Now, more than ever, she was excited to have her baby. She was still scared shitless about being a mother, but with the overwhelmed support she had,  it wasn't as scary.

      All she had to do was tell her mother now.

rIGHT SORRY THIS WAS SO LATE. THERE WAS A HURRICANE COMING TOWARDS MY CITY AND WE EVACUATED TO AUSTIN YESTERDAY, BUT THEN THE HURRICANE DIDNT HIT MY CITY AT👏🏻ALL👏🏻 SO WE DROVE BACK TODAY AND YEAH I HAD A LOT OF SCHOOL WORK TO CATCH UP ON TOO LOL

ANYWAY HOPE YALL LIKED THIS CHAPTER

okay enough of the all caps nonsense

I love y'all! thank you for reading jdkskskw

stay safe; go drink some water, because you deserve some hydration even if it's three am.

uH yeah, I'm going to sleep now lmao

cheers!