Part of Me — Magan Vernon

Welcome back to Friendship, Texas. A town where your best friend may be dating an Olympic swimmer and his best friend may or may not also be an Olympic swimmer you sort of, kind of did the nasty with against Nonna's goat pen. “Is that…?” I asked, staring at Dr. Burly Santa. He smiled and nodded. “That would be your baby's heartbeat.” The emotion I'd been storing away came flooding back as tears burst from my eyes. A baby. A person. This was real. I was carrying a tiny human inside me. The doctor tried to console me as he gave me samples of prenatal vitamins and paper after paper was piled in a folder with my name and September on the front. September. My baby's due date. Holy shit, I was going to be a mother. And Johnny was going to be a father. I had to do so many things to prepare and people I had to tell. But at that moment, I just stared down at my stomach. My stomach holding my baby. This wasn't just about me and my future anymore. This was about us. And whether I liked it or not, this baby was a part of me, which meant Johnny was a part of me. It was time we stopped running from each other.