chapter 1

29 years old Liza wheezed heavily and looked at her husband Mac next to her. He smiled, leaned over and rubbed her large belly in circular motions.

“Liza Wong” the nurse called Liza’s name, and she signed and rolled her mobility scooter towards the nurse, standing by the receptionist’s desk. Mac got up from his seat in the filled up waiting room, to follow his wife.

Liza tried not to focus on the other couples looking at her, some with pity, others with disgust, as she rolled over to the nurse’s station. She tried not to feel inferior, as the nurse who had called her, pursed her lip, and frown in disgust.

“Mrs. Wong,” the nurse, who’s name tag read Betty, said, “I’m going to take your weight before putting you in the exam room. Please follow me.”

Liza and Mac followed Betty, who took her a few meters from the nurse’s desk – not too far from the view of some onlookers, where there was an old fashion looking scale.

“Alright, big momma,” Betty said, “can you stand on your own?”

Liza, turning red from the insult, nodded, as she heaved herself up, with Mac already helping his wife out of the scooter. Betty stared, doing nothing to help Liza out of her scooter, but just shake her head in discuss.

Once on her feet, Liza wheezed over to the scale, waddling. Although her pink, flowered muumuu dress was large and baggy, everyone could see her flabs jiggle like jell-o. Even her chin, which once was doubled, but now had massed into 1 flab, shook. Although the scale was only a few steps from, to Liza it felt like she had run 2 miles. She grunted, lifting one foot at a time onto the scale.

Just putting one foot on the scale, sent the dial shooting to the far right, creating a clang. Before Liza could put her other foot on the scale, Betty put a hand on Liza’s huge gut of an apron, stopping her. “Hold on, big momma. I’m not letting you get on the scale. This show’s me you weigh more than the scale’s capacity!” She pointed at the scale’s dial, and said it loud enough for the other parents to hear. Some gasped, and others snickered.

Betty directed Liza to get back in her scooter, which Liza was grateful for, with Mac’s help. All of that standing left her exhausted and breathless.

Liza sat back down heavily in her scooter, and she followed Betty and Mac into the exam room.

Inside the exam room, Betty told Liza curtly they didn’t have her size gown, and said that her doctor would be in with her shortly.

Mac helped his wife up from the scooter, and onto the exam table, whispering comforting words to her and stroking her belly apron. He helped positioned her onto the table, adjust her belly between her legs.

Eventually Dr. Morris came in. He was an elderly doctor, who had helped delivered Liza’s twins, a year and a half ago. He was surprised to see how much weight his patient had gained.

“My, my, let’s hope you’re expecting octuplets. You’re huge!” he surveyed Liza, lying helplessly on her back, red faced, sweating, and breathing heavily. Her belly rose up and down with her labored breathing. She looked like a beached whale.

Mac had to stifle a snort, enjoying seeing his wife getting humiliated.

Dr. Morris sat down on his stool, grabbed the cart with the ultrasound nearby, and rolled up Liza’s dress. He spread the gel on her large belly, muttering, “I should charge you extra for the amount of gel I’m using to cover your huge belly!”

“Dear, only 1 baby in there!” Dr. Morris explained, and Liza and Mac looked at the screen, to see their little baby.

Dr. Morris poked at Liza’s protruding belly button, and Liza gasped. “3 months in and you’re looking like a beached whale! I bet you’ll be the size of a house in 6 months!”