chapter 1

"161 pounds", the doctor read out the number flashing on the scale.

"What?", Marie asked with a shocked tone.

"161 pound", he repeated calmly as he swivveled the minitature screen around for her to see. She swallowed hard and looked up at the ceiling, too embarassed to look anywhere else, let alone to the couple and close friends of hers seated against the wall.

That's 46 pounds I've gained, Marie told herself, and I'm only just 6 months in. Queitly stepping off the scales, too mortified to speak, Marie shifted her weight, she couldn't help but feel her underwear was a tad too tight all of a sudden, the cotton white panties felt binding and stretched over her hips, thighs and peachy-round behind in her mind, adjusting her shoulders the grip of her black bra felt tighter than she remembered too, as if she had somehow expanded in the last two minutes. She could feel herself sweating, red faced and uncomfortable she barely said a word throughout the rest of the examination save for short answers to the doctor's questions.

After dressing and preparing to exit the clinic she struggled to maintain her composure, feeling the tight material of her pants' belly panel slide up and over her large bump felt alien, and after catching her reflection in the mirror her eyes bugged, When did my hips get so wide? Where's my thigh-gap and waist?!, Marie asked herself. I'm a fucking butterball!

Feeling Louise's hand snake around her waist snapped Marie out of her panicked ponderings, "Time to go, Marie", she said with a smile as she admired Marie's reflection.

The ride home was largely silent on Marie's part, she kept obsessing over how much she weighed, all other details had fallen by the wayside, she and the baby were thankfully in fine health, and the doctor did indeed seem puzzled by how much she had gained in the previous 24 weeks. She couldn't reconcile how she had been so oblivious to her creeping weight, and upon this revelation it felt as though everything had changed. As Louise and Robert talked amongst themselves excitedly Marie found it hard to concentrate on little more than the grip put on her by her seatbelt, she suddenly felt very hot at the thought of how it would feel in 3 months time if the last 6 months' growth was anything to go by. Will I even fit in the car?, she fretted as she watched the scenery seemingly trickle by her window on the way home. Shifting in her seat she felt the material of all of her clothes slide over her skin, convinced that the fabric was on the verge of splitting open like a banana peel, of course it was all in her mind, but that did little to aleviate her worries.

Entering the house Robert and Louise noted Marie's silence, "What's the matter?", Louise asked as she placed a concerned hand on Marie's shoulder, "You've barely made a peep since the doctor's appointment. He said you're both doing great, remember?"

Marie hesitated, afraid of giving voice to her thoughts, swallowing hard and balling her fists she opened her mouth, "I... I'm FAT!", she yelped red faced and on the verge of tears.

Robert gave her a puzzled look, "What?"

"I'm fat!", she repeated, now unable to keep herself from blurting out the words. "I've put on 46 pounds, but I don't know how! I'm a whale already and I still have 3 months left!"

Louise smiled a gentle smile and ran a caring hand through Marie's short, chocolate brown locks, "You're freaking out over nothing, you silly thing.", she consoled her friend as se wiped away a few tears and stroked her friend's softened cheek. At only 5 foot 3, it was hard to see Marie as anything but adorable when she was upset over small matters, her deep brown eyes welled up and almost glistened while her naturally Caribbean tanned skin took on a sunset hue as she became more upset.

"46 pounds isn't silly, it's loads!"

"Relax, Marie, let's get you a snack and calm down, you haven't eaten anything since before the appointment", Louise said as she reassuringly glasped Marie's hand and kissed it.

"I think I've had enough snacks after packing on 46 pounds", she said in a determined tone as the placed her hands on her flared hips and brought them to her impressive bump as if presenting proof of her concerns, but nonetheless Louise had turned and proceeded to the kitchen. Marie felt Roberts hands come to lay on her shoulders and gently rub, Robert's hands gently worked the tightness in her shoulders and neck and Marie's head lolled back as she moaned and purred. As she felt his lips connect with the smoothe, sensitive, caramel coloured skin of her neck she felt a familiar untightening in her lower abdomen, she moaned lightly as her head rolled to one side and felt Robert's lips connect with her skin again lower down her neck, drawing closer to her shoulder.