Tracy Madison - A Stroke of Magic

Pregnant women had taken over Chicago.

At least, it seemed that way to me, because every single place I went, there they were. Women with glowing skin, shiny hair, smiling faces, stomachs in various shapes and sizes, andthe far majority of the timewith men at their sides. It boggled my mind, really. Id lived in or near Chicago my entire life, and Id swear on a stack of one-hundred-dollar bills there had never been so many expectant mamas.

Now, once again, I was surrounded by them. Literally. Of course, seeing as I was sitting in an obstetricians waiting room, this didnt exactly shock me. But the phenomenon occurred at the grocery store, the library, when I went out to buy art supplies over the weekend, and even at the car wash. Rationally, I knew there werent more of them, just that I noticed them more now. But that didnt make me feel any better. It also didnt help that all of the women in this room had someone with them. Except me. I was alone.

Alice? Alice Raymond, is that you? The way-too-perky voice came from my right.

I thought about ignoring whomever it was, because come onunless I lifted my head and acknowledged them, they would assume theyd made a mistake and leave me alone. Because I really wanted to be left alone, I continued pretending to read Your Pregnancy and You. In actuality, Id already read the dang pamphlet cover to cover. Three times.

Alice? the woman said again. From Mayfield High?

Oh, hell. Now I recognized the voice. How Id ended up in the same doctors office as Shelby Whitaker, otherwise known as crazy-cheerleader-chick from my high school days, was beyond me. This girl? Id disliked her with a passion for four years running. Dont get me wrong; cheerleaders in general didnt annoy me, just this specific one. And yep, I continued to ignore her. I was in no mood for a reunion.

A man spoke next. Honey, shes obviously not who you think she is.

Oh, she is too. Id recognize her profile anywhere. I sat next to her in almost every class we had together. A hand, presumably Shelbys, touched my arm. Its me, Shelby Whitaker. Well, Harris now. Its so great to run into you here! When are you due?

My name isnt Alice. I kept my eyes on the pamphlet. Lying didnt bother me. I hadnt seen the manstealing, self-involved twit in more than a decade, so Id likely never see her again after this.

Thats so odd! You look just like her. Sound like her too.

Sorry. Not her. Leaning against the arm of the chair, I used my right hand to block her view. But they say everyone has a twin.

She didnt respond, and the chatter in the room that had momentarily died down picked back up. Relieved, I focused on what I would say to the doc when I finally saw him. Some weird symptoms had cropped up since my last visit, and I wasnt all that sure about the best way to broach them. Probably, hed think I was a nutcase. Honestly, that might not be so far off.

I heard the soft slide of the door opening across the carpet. Alice Raymond? The doctors ready for you now.

I knew it! Shelby all but screamed.

I really should know by now not to lie. It always bites me in my ass when I do. A flush of heat swarmed my cheeks. Oh-so-slowly, I replaced the pamphlet on the table in front of me.

After I stood, I confronted the cheerleader. Shelby Harris ne Whitaker didnt look all too different from the girl I remembered. Same Kewpie-doll mouth, same wide blue eyes, and the same perfectly styled ash blonde hairalbeit a different, shorter style. The big difference, and I do mean big, was her stomach. Either her due date had long since passed, or she carried a baby elephant.

Hi, Shelby.

Humor lifted her lips at the corners. Her left hand, adorned with a megasized diamond ring and wide gold band, rested on her belly. Whyd you say you werent you?

Sorry about that. I was focused on reading and didnt want to be interrupted.

A flash of surprise, and maybe hurt, whisked over her expression. I see. Im sorry for interrupting you then.

Her eyes shifted away, and a tiny bit of remorse crept into my consciousness. Dealing with the realities of being single and pregnant, with an out-of-his-mind and delusional ex, hadnt exactly made me a happy-go-lucky person. But I hadnt meant to make Shelby feel bad. Im kind of uncomfortable around doctors.

A lame excuse, but she seemed to accept it. Swinging her gaze back to me, she smiled again. Its been a long time. She turned to the man next to her. This is my husband, Grant. Grant, this is Alice. We went to school together.

Grant Harris had almost the same shade of hair as his wife, cornflower blue eyes that shone brightly behind his glasses, and an open, engaging smile. So totally not the type of guy Shelby used to go for. I wondered which of her friends shed stolen him from. He nodded in greeting. Any friend of Shels is a friend of mine.

Um. Sure. Well, its nice to meet you. I didnt bother stating his wife and I had never been friends. Hell, we hadnt even been friendly. What wed had in common was one friend whom shed stabbed in the back repeatedly.

Miss Raymond? the nurse said. Can you come with me?

Yay. Saved by the bell. Gotta go. Good luck with everything.

Id almost made it to the nurse when Shelby whispered, She never liked me much. I dont know why.

For a millisecond, I considered turning around and reminding her of why I hadnt liked her much. But really, it had been a lifetime ago, so why bother? What is it they say: let bygones be bygones? Something like that, anyway. So I did the mature thing and kept walking, without even a flinch as a response. My sister would have been quite proud, as I wasnt known for keeping my mouth shut.

On the other side of the door, the nurse motioned me down the hallway. We stopped in front of a scale and I cringed. Before this whole pregnancy thing had occurred, Id never thought twice about my weight. Now, with my body changing shape so rapidly, Id begun to worry about the pounds. Though it couldnt be too bad yet. At barely four months along, and with nearly constant nausea screwing up my appetite, how much weight could I have possibly gained?

I stepped on, and the nurse fiddled with the bar until it balanced out. Ten pounds, she said as she wrote the number in my file.

Ten pounds in a month? Are you sure?

Thats what it says.