Babies in Waiting by Rosie fiore

his day at school and he’d grunt, or say ‘Fine.’ So mostly, they’d have sex, or if they weren’t having sex, they’d sit together listening to music, or she’d watch him play games. He never played his guitar for her any more. Lately, when she rang or texted and suggested coming round, he’d started making excuses. They were spending less and less time together.
    Gemma worried about it constantly. She couldn’t get to sleep at night, she woke early, she couldn’t eat. Her course work had started to slip, and for the first time since she was six years old, she missed ballet for an entire week.
    She didn’t really have anyone to confide in: Lucy had said from the beginning that she thought Ben was a bit of a player, and she didn’t like him. Gemma knew it was just because she was jealous, so she’d stopped talking to Lucy about him and they’d drifted apart. She’d neglected all her other friends since she’d been going out with him, so she had no one she felt close to. Ben was her boyfriend, her best friend, her world, and the only person she wanted to confide in . . . and she couldn’t.
    Then there was a further blow. Gemma’s Pill prescription ran out after six months and she had to go back to the doctor for a check-up to get another. She went back to Ben’s surgery, but to her relief she didn’t see the carewornGP she’d seen before. Instead she got a locum, a young Asian man.
    He asked a few cursory questions, then took her blood pressure. She saw him frown, turn to his computer and check the notes, and then he pumped up the cuff again. ‘I’m afraid your blood pressure is definitely up.’
    ‘Is that a problem?’
    ‘It’s not good, certainly. I don’t think your contraceptive is agreeing with you,’ he said briskly. ‘I’d like you to stop taking it immediately.’
    Gemma was alarmed. ‘But can’t I just go on another pill?’
    ‘I wouldn’t recommend it. In cases like yours, we often recommend the contraceptive implant. It’s inserted under the skin of your upper arm. You can have it in for up to three years, and you won’t have to remember to take the Pill. Many women find it preferable.’
    ‘Fine. Can I get it done now?’
    ‘It’s a clinical procedure. It can’t be done in a normal consultation. You’ll have to book in for the next available slot at the clinic.’ He checked his computer screen. ‘That’s in three weeks’ time.’
    ‘And until then?’
    ‘Well, in the meantime, you’ll need to take additional precautions.’
    When Gemma told Ben they would have to use condoms in the short term, he sulked. ‘I hate them,’ he said. ‘I suppose we don’t have any choice, though.’ He didn’t ask Gemma about her blood pressure, or if she felt ill at all.
    It just seemed to be another reason for him to be annoyed and impatient with her.
    Late one overcast Wednesday afternoon, she texted Ben as she left school to see if he wanted to meet up. After an hour, she’d not had a reply, and she started to walk towards his house. As she turned into his road, she saw him walking up ahead, deep in conversation with a short, dark-haired girl that she didn’t recognise. She stopped and took a sideways step behind a tree. Ben wasn’t touching the girl, but he was looking down into her face and laughing at something she had just said. Gemma couldn’t remember the last time Ben had laughed with her.
    Ben and the girl stood for a while and chatted on the pavement, then both took a step apart, as if they were parting ways. Ben reached out and punched her shoulder softly and affectionately. The girl said something, laughed and tossed her head. Then she walked away. Gemma turned and walked back the way she came. She didn’t hear from Ben that day, or the next, or for a week after that.
    Just when Gemma had begun to tip into the blackest despair, Ben seemed to soften towards her. He texted her and they met up in the park. He didn’t talk much, but he held her hand as they walked