The summer went by slowly for Andy. Although his recovery was quick and he regained his strength rapidly, it was decided it was best for him to skip summer baseball and wait until spring to play again. He understood the decision, but it didn't mean he liked it. His arguments fell upon deaf ears from all sides concerned, so he dropped it. Serena and Jenny both knew how bad he wanted to play, but even they thought he should wait. He also wasn't allowed to work his summer job, which made his days seem even longer. Jenny was working six to eight hours a day at McDonald's, but they had their evenings and weekends free.
He had settled into a routine by this time, taking his medications at precise intervals and having his blood checked regularly. He was now getting his blood drawn only once per week, down from every other day when he was allowed to go home from the hospital. His chemistry levels continued to hold steady in the normal range as Dr. Venkata slowly lowered his dosage, being extremely careful not to lower them too quickly. Taking pills was not a big deal for Andy. In his mind, anything beat the way he felt before the transplant and he wasn't going to jeopardize rejecting the kidney by not taking his medications. Getting his blood drawn was no big deal, either. It was just another thing he had to do to stay healthy.
By mid-July, Serena had made a full recovery and was working four hour shifts as a cashier at the local grocery store. Except for the massive scar down her abdomen, no one could tell she was any different. She had been in touch with Sue Griffin, the Indiana University softball coach, several times during her recovery and Sue even visited for a Sunday afternoon, much to Serena's surprise. Serena's thoughts often turned to school and her first year in college. All of her paperwork had been submitted and her enrollment completed. She knew she wanted to major in business, but she had no specific field in mind. She was in no hurry with her decision for she had until her junior year to declare. Going to I.U. tread heavily on her mind, for she knew she would miss her family very much, even though they wouldn't be far apart.
Being away from Andy would be the hardest thing to overcome. She knew that now. They had grown closer and closer since the transplant and sometimes she wished she had chosen a school that wasn't so far away. But, she knew she made the right choice and she didn't think she would be happy anywhere else, even Ohio State. Still, she knew it would be very hard for the entire family when it was time for her to leave and she wasn't looking forward to that.
Towards the end of July, Jenny celebrated her eighteenth birthday with a small gathering of family and friends. Andy wouldn't be eighteen until September. Andy had no idea what to get her, so he turned to Angie, her mom, for advice. She suggested numerous perfumes, bath oils, and jewelry items and Andy considered them all. He eventually settled upon a necklace, its chain thin and dainty with a gold heart pendant attached. When she opened it, she loved it immediately and had Andy fasten it around her neck.
"I'll never take it off," she said to him once they had a private moment. She kissed him and hugged him and wished they were totally alone. She wanted to make love to him right then and there, but she couldn't. She felt his hardness against her belly and sighed softly, knowing that if the right moment came, she would gladly take him inside her and accept everything he could give.
They had come close numerous times that summer up until then. It was very hard to keep their hands off each other during those times after they went to the swimming pool or the beach. Jenny was right when she said her bikini was skimpy. All she had to do was take a look at Andy's shorts to know that. The looks from the other guys told her that, too. But, all she cared about was what Andy thought, and he thought she looked awesome.
Occasionally, in private, she would let him slip his hand inside her bra and he would tease her nipples until she was hot, slick, panting, and thinking she couldn't resist too much longer before she would have to remove the rest of her clothes. Fortunately, sanity would return before they went further. Andy couldn't get enough of her breasts and loved the feel of them against his fingers. He thought he had never felt anything so soft in his life. It was only after they returned to their respective houses that they were able to relieve some of the sexual tension they had allowed to go from a simmer to a boil.
It was around this time when Jenny decided she needed to have a long talk with her mom. Her mom had always told her she could come to her with anything and Jenny decided it was time. It was after supper one hot, sticky night and Jenny asked Andy not to come over. Because he was puzzled, she explained her reasoning.
"You're going to ask your mom for what?" he asked, barely able to control his voice. "She'll go ballistic. Why don't you just announce it to the world that you want to go on the pill!"
"Calm down, Andy," Jenny hissed. "She won't be too mad as long as I'm open and up front with her."
"My God, she'll probably tell my parents!"
"I don't think she will."
"Geez Jenny, I don't know," he said, totally unconvinced.
"Listen," Jenny said, "I'm not going to make love to you unless I have some sort of protection besides condoms. They don't work." She thought back to her mom and dad. They had used a condom in high school and Jenny was conceived anyway. She did not want that to happen to her.
"Maybe we should forget about it," he said quietly. "Maybe we should just cool it for a while."
"We both know that won't happen. We both know how much we want this. I know how much I want it."
Once dishes were cleaned and put away, Jenny asked her mom to go on a walk with her. Angie raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as they headed out into the steamy evening. Jenny's arms were crossed as they walked for a few minutes.
As they crossed the first intersection, Angie broke the silence. "So, what's up?"
"I just wanted to talk."
"You haven't said anything."
"I know."
They continued for another block before Jenny spoke again. Looking at her mom as they kept in stride with each other, Jenny asked, "Do you ever regret getting pregnant with me when you did?"
Angie tried not to act too surprised at the question as she eyed her daughter. "I never regretted getting pregnant with you. We were getting married in a few months anyway when I found out. I do wish it had happened a little further down the road after we were married. Why do you ask?"
Jenny shrugged her shoulders and looked down at the pavement. Thoughts of her daughter being pregnant ran through her mind. She and Brad had suspected that Jenny and Andy were having sex, but they never confronted them. They came to a small park and walked amongst the trees before sitting down at a bench.
Jenny spoke again. "You don't have to answer this if you don't want to."
"Okay."
"How many times did you and dad have sex before you got pregnant?"
Angie sat back, sighed, and thought carefully about her answer. Here it was, she thought, Jenny's pregnant. That's just great! She calmed herself down and thought about the question again.
"It was never just sex," she replied quietly, "but to answer your question, I think it was about a dozen times or so." It was a lot more than that, but she wasn't going to tell her
everything
!
"Oh," Jenny said, deep in thought.
Unable to restrain herself any longer, Angie asked, "Are you pregnant?"
