CHAPTER FOUR

Early next morning, Ino concluded yet another of her prenatal visits. It was to her preference to schedule the appointments early as she liked to get them over with as quickly as possible. They were annoying regardless of the time of day they were scheduled, what with all the poking and prodding she was subjected to, but it just helped her day go smoother when she was able to put it past her and focus on other things.

Her gynecologist had courteously stepped out of the exam room to grant Ino privacy while she redressed. She quickly discarded the thin paper vest and cover up that had been provided her and slipped back into her comfy pair of black, maternity leggings and a white, graphic tee-shirt dress that had the words 'DO NOT TOUCH!' painted across in red, capital letters and a black arrow below that pointed down to her pregnant belly. She had purchased the dress in mocking jest of the manner in which people often felt the need to reach out and place their hands on her abdomen whenever they came near her. Well, at least it was all humorous in the beginning, but it really did get annoying after a while.

Ino was redressed and perched on the side of the examination table when the physician reentered to deliver her summary of the appointment.

"Well, Miss Yamanaka, so far so good," the physician said as she flipped through some pages secured on a clipboard. She then turned to a wall mounted LCD monitor and began navigating through Ino's computerized patient file with a series of clicks of a mouse. She spoke to Ino over her shoulder. "Your weight is good and your blood pressure is normal. Your pap smear today was basically to double-check its position, and it's still in the heads-down position which is typical towards the end of the pregnancy. It also accounts for the uncomfortable pressure you mentioned feeling in your pelvis. So, good news, you will require no more pap smears beyond this point."

And it was good news, Ino thought, as she hated pap smears. It made her cringe that they were described as simple procedures, because she found there was nothing remotely simple about having a pap performed, whether she was pregnant or not. They were uncomfortable, and she supposed it would always bewilder her the way her vagina managed to clench tighter than a baby's ass whenever she had one done.

"But you are full term," the physician continued, "so I want to continue seeing you on a weekly basis. You'll have to be monitored. You're usually given up to 42 weeks to deliver. And if you haven't done so by then, you are considered overdue, or post-term. Then we may have to consider inducing your labor. But it's not for you to worry. It's typical during a first-time pregnancy."

Ino processed the information with a nod of her head. She could easily continue to shift her schedule at work to accommodate the appointments.

"You have no swelling in your face, hands, or feet," the doctor continued, "which are symptomatic of preeclampsia, but we won't be able to rule that out completely until the testing on the urine sample you provided today is concluded. But based on your past urinalysis, I don't see where that should be a concern. Also, your blood sugar has remained within normal range, so there is no danger of gestational diabetes." She clicked Ino's file closed before turning toward her young patient. "You must have heeded my advice and given up on the sodas."

Ino's brows arched. "Trust you me, it wasn't easy," she admitted honestly. Because what she wouldn't give for a tall, ice cold glass of some diet drink right now!

Pregnancy was a lovely experience and all, but if truth be told, she really couldn't wait to get this baby out of her. She literally felt like her body had been hijacked. Not only had she given up her beloved diet drinks, but she had had to give up some of her most comfortable sleeping positions, like lying on her stomach or on her left side. And then there had been her wardrobe. She couldn't wait to be able to get back into her old clothing, because her maternity wardrobe was beginning to make her feel like an absolute cow! Ino groaned aloud, a sound that hadn't gone unnoticed by the physician.

"Any concerns?" The physician asked.

"No, just thinking of how ready I am to have this baby," Ino mumbled.

The physician smiled. "Perfectly normal sentiment," she explained. "Many women begin to feel this way the closer they edge to their delivery date. But I'll let you in on a secret. Now, as a doctor I'm typically only supposed to resort to sound medical knowledge and not old-wives tales, but there are a couple of things I can suggest which could possibly make you go into labor sooner, if you are interested. Mind you, there are no guarantees as they are just old-wives tales."

Ino's attention was commanded, her ears perked, and her blue eyes wide.

"Spicy food and lots of sex," the physician said.

Ino chuckled aloud. Well, spicy foods were a null as she didn't particularly care for them. But sex? Ino almost whimpered. Save for that hiccup with Nagato that she still kicked herself for, she hadn't been sexually active since she and Shikamaru broke up, not even with Shikamaru himself! She hadn't even been close to having sex again, by an almost embarrassing degree. She was as celibate as a cloistered nun now. "I'll keep that in mind," was all she said.

The doctor's face twisted with concern. "I see you still haven't signed up for the Lamaze classes. You still won't reconsider?" When Ino replied in the negative, the doctor smiled sympathetically. "Just so you know, should you ever change your mind, it's never too late. The clinic here offers excellent Lamaze classes at different times to fit your schedule."

Ino nodded mutely. She knew the doctor was only asking out of concern for her well being, but she disliked discussing anything remotely to do with her personal life, which was difficult to do considering the intimate nature of pregnancy. It was bad enough that she was having this baby alone. And even though the doctor had explained that she could choose a relative or a close friend to attend Lamaze classes with, Ino still decided against it. She hadn't wanted to burden any of her friends or family, not to mention attending Lamaze classes with anyone other than the father would still be like broadcasting her status as a soon-to-be single mother. At the thought of Shikamaru, Ino's heart suddenly began to feel heavy.

The image of Shikamaru and Temari together was still fresh in her mind, and she silently cried herself to sleep last night at the thought of them dating again. Of course she was none the wiser as to what Shikamaru's current relationship status was, but she couldn't think of any other plausible reason as to why they were together, as to why Temari was even in Konoha in the first place. But she wasn't sure what hurt her the most: seeing Shikamaru with Temari, or the brazen way Shikamaru brought and flaunted Temari before their friends like that, with seemingly little to no regard for how it would make her look, how it would make her feel! And if that hadn't been shocking enough, there was the matter of Choji kissing her!

When Choji had kissed her, she had initially come to the conclusion that he was in love with her, but she wondered now if she'd been mistaken. After all, he'd just counseled her in his office by encouraging her to work out her problems with Shikamaru for the sake of their unborn child. His advice was brotherly, which was in line with how she'd come to view their friendship. They'd grown so close over the years that they really were like siblings, which made the notion of anything remotely romantic between them seem downright incestuous. And the eww factor of that was more than she could stomach right now.

But that wasn't to say she'd always felt like that. There had a brief instance, just before they'd graduated the Academy, where she had considered the possibility of a relationship with Choji, but that had fizzled. And besides, it was long ago and they were all so far beyond that now that it was barely worth thinking about.

Oy ye vay…

Ino later exited the clinic and proceeded to her car in a slight, side-to-side waddle that had become customary for her lately. As she slipped behind the wheel, she shook her head. Last night had quite literally been too generous a dose of drama for this soon-to-be-mama, no pun intended. But she knew what would remedy that, and proceeded in the direction of her shop to immerse herself in some good, old-fashioned work.

XXX

"You can't be serious," Ino objected in her shop later that afternoon. She stood staring wide-eyed at the new applicant standing in the middle of her shop.

"A-actually, I think she is," Hinata stated sheepishly as she stood next to Ino.

Ino brushed Hinata's comment aside with a shake of her head. "But you're in the medical field. You know absolutely nothing about floristry."

"Neither did Hinata, but you hired her," Sakura countered, clearly annoyed. Somehow this wasn't playing out how she'd imagined. She thought Ino would welcome the idea of her applying for the position, not looking at her as if she'd taken leave of her senses for it.

"Hinata has extensive knowledge of flower arranging which helps with presentation."

"Well, just so you know, I came armed with my own extensive knowledge as well." When one of Ino's brows arched questioningly, Sakura beamed. "I'm in a nurse in med school. I take care of people. I'm sure taking care of plants isn't that much harder."

"You can't be serious," Ino found herself repeating. Because how Sakura thought the two completely separate industries of floristry and health care could even be remotely related was completely beyond Ino.

"A-actually, I think –" Hinata started to repeat again, but instantly clammed up when Ino angled a sideways glare at her.

"By the way, you're a nurse and you're pre-med. You're schedule is hectic enough."

"A simple matter of schedule management." When Ino shook her head, Sakura furthered her argument. "This really is the best answer to your situation. Not only do you get the hired help you need, but you already know me, which frees you of the added worry you know you'll have from hiring some complete stranger. It's such a win-win situation that I don't really see what the big deal is."

The big deal, Ino thought, was that she felt like she was being pitied, which she didn't need. She had enough self-pity of her own to suffice her two lifetimes! But Sakura's points all made sense, which further aggravated her, and also brought a thought to mind.

"How exactly did you know I was hiring anyway?" Ino asked. She watched as Sakura's gaze turned to Hinata. Ino's own gaze followed and came to rest on a severely blushing Hinata standing next to her.

"I kind of m-mentioned it at Choji's grand o-opening." Hinata twisted her hands nervously, unsure if Ino would consider it a breach of some kind of privacy on her part.

Ino smiled. "It's no big deal, Hinata. This is a business. The fact that I'm hiring isn't classified information." If anything, Hinata was doing her job as an assistant manager, for which Ino was grateful.

"It's settled, then!" Sakura exclaimed. "So when do I start?"

Ino sighed. She really didn't have anything against hiring Sakura. She just hated feeling the way she did now, like her back against the wall, and she was capitulating out of pressure to make an immediate decision. "I'll start with a trial run. Business tends to slow down in the afternoon, say around three. If you could come in around that time tomorrow, I can have Hinata show you around the shop and explain what'll be expected of you. I'll also need you to fill out an application just to have on file. It's protocol."

"Done," Sakura agreed. Her eyes scanned around the interior. "Besides, how hard can it possibly be? I can water some plants easy enough."

God help us all, Ino thought as Sakura left. She began to wonder if the day could possibly throw any more surprises her way, but wondered if she hadn't jinxed herself when, just before the shop was due to be closed for the day, the bell over her door chimed to signify another customer had entered. Ino turned to greet her customer.

"Choji," she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Choji smiled in that easy manner of his. "Have dinner with me. We need to talk."